Author: Matt Bell
CULLEN TAPPED AS FALCONS BENCH COACH
Infielder and slugger Marty Cullen was officially named as the Herts Falcons Bench Coach, amid many rumours and much speculation as to who Manager Jason Greenberg would appoint for the important leadership role.
Cullen – also the Herts Baseball Club VP in charge of Little League operations – came out of retirement last season and earned his place on the first team. His stellar performance at the plate in 2007 was much rejoiced by Herts fans, who were skeptical about how Cullen would play after injuring his lower back early in Spring Training. Despite the setback, Cullen hit .457 with 5 doubles and 13 RBI in 35 official at bats. His on base percentage (.583) led the entire Herts Club among regular starting players.
But it's not Cullen's performance on the field that earned him this coveted role. Rather, it's the work he puts in off the diamond, helping rookies to the game develop proper swings and fielding fundamentals. He is a tireless champion of youth baseball and the development of the great game in the United Kingdom. He is also well respected by his teammates and has developed a Clubhouse charm that will only aid him in the role of Bench Coach, where Cullen will need to walk the line between management and 'bat brother'.
Greenberg had only the highest praise for Cullen. “I trust him implicitly. He is the kind of guy that will lift up those around him, and the bottom line is that Marty shares my determination and optimism for what's developing on and off the field this year for the Club. There's a very special sense of activity and growth… and Marty is a big part of that. He's right in the middle of it. I couldn't ask for a better partner.”
After practice on Sunday the Falcons held a private strategy session, at which Cullen was reintroduced to the team in his new post. In his first words as Bench Coach, Cullen emphasized a 2008 gameplan which included revamped coaching signals, greater use of the designated hitter, and a commitment to 'small ball'. Timely bunting, stealing,
the hit-and-run, and effective 1st-and-3rd offense will factor greatly in the Falcons' tactical playbook this season, and Cullen will be at the helm, no doubt, helping to push runners around the bases.
THE LITIGIOUS SOCIETY
The Litigious Society
I must confess that I haven’t read the Mitchell Report, so I can’t condemn Bud Selig for admitting the same thing. Actually, I gained a modicum of respect for him for this admission.
Apparently, its 409 pages. I’m sure it contains a great deal of legalize jargon, with lots of big words to impress the masses.
I’m reminded of a classic quote in The Godfather, when Don Corleone is counselling his consigliore, a lawyer by the name of Tom Hayden. Hayden decides to go to law school and avert becoming a made man after the Don tells him that lawyers with briefcases steal lots more money than do men with pistols.
What was Mitchell & co’s bill to MLB? $40 million. Wow. Nice work if you can get it. What did he provide? Well, there were about 90 names of ballplayers that used performance enhancing drugs. Hmm, either that works out to $444K per name, or $98K per page. I think I’ll factor that in the next time I send the Falcons my bill for this column.
And what did these 90 names accomplish? The average fan already knew the sport was riddled with drugs. Both the bodies and numbers were vastly over inflated. When Sammy Sosa hit his 66HR’s and Mark McGwire his 70 and they had that big love fest at home plate, what was the point? To win the fans affection back after the 94 strike? They would have come crawling back anyway. The tide started to turn when Bonds, the arch enemy, hit his 73rd. That’s when it was no longer acceptable. The hypocrisy is so deep that it would overflow the Green Monster.
If MLB was going to spend $40 million on a 409 page report and get 90 names from it, they should have approached me first. I guarantee I would have charged quite a bit less and gotten a lot of the same names for them. I could’ve hired Detective Sipowicz from NYPD Blue, and had him shake down the two primary clubhouse rats who got pressured by the Feds. We could’ve split the bill, and then it would have been easy street.
If you’re starting to detect a little bit of cynicism, I’ll tell you why. It is my belief that all the major league teams are just as complicit and culpable as the players in this steroid fiasco. The owners and teams should have been called out in the report, but weren’t. And why, pray tell, is that?? Along with being a Director of the Boston Red Sox, Senator George Mitchell is also the Chairman of the Board of Walt Disney Corporation. Why is that pertinent? Well, Disney owns ESPN and ABC, which pay major league baseball a substantial amount of money for television rights. Couldn’t that be construed as a conflict of interest?
Since I did admit that I haven’t read the report, maybe the MLB teams and owners have been criticized, in which case I stand corrected. However, it appears to me that the players union is taking the blunt of the blame when both parties deserve equal culpability. It should be blatantly obvious that the front offices across the sport both condoned this and turned a blind eye to it. It just would have been nice if they had been called out on it. It also would have been a good idea to hire someone who didn’t have direct ties to either party so that the report could have been a tad more objective.
To be honest, I couldn’t care less if these millionaire athletes decide to threaten their health for a little bit of glory. What is bothersome to me are all the kids who emulate these guys and decide to take the same hazardous risks. In that respect, maybe the end result is positive. In the long run, the sport will be cleared up and the drug usage will ultimately cease and desist.
One ballplayer who deserve praise is Mark Grace, the former Cub and DiamondBack how played a power position (1B) in the height of the era and didn’t succumb to the temptations. One year Grace hit 9HR’s playing full time in Wrigley Field, which is a hitter’s paradise. Greg Maddux and Pedro Martinez are two others, two future Hall of Famers who maintained their integrity. You could always tell, just by looking at them. It is nice to know that there are some honourable people in MLB.
The sport will survive this latest scandal, as it has in the past. The game has always been bigger than those who run it, or those who decide that the end justifies the means. Cheating has been a part of the lure of the game, whether it be the spitball era, or the stealing of signs, or corked bats etc.
However, the health of the players and the kids who idolize them never has.
THE PHLOP
The Phlop
It’s appears that the Yankess and Mets are switching roles. The Yankess have always been the traditional big spenders, eschewing their farm system to sign high priced free agents. The Mets have been known to show fiscal restraint, and have opted to build their club through their farm system.
The tide is turning, and the roles have reversed. The Mets are now signing the high priced free agents, including Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez and Billy Wagner. They gave up four highly regarded prospects to get Johan Santana. What did the Yankees do in the off season? Not much. Their lineup is essentially intact, and they were relieved that Santana went to the NL and was kept away from the AL East, particularly the Red Sox.
The Mets will have to convince both themselves and their fans that there are no residual scars from last seasons September collapse. They lost a 7 game lead in 17 days and ultimately the division title to the Philadelphia Phillies. The collapse brought the inevitable comparisons between them and the 1964 Phillies, who lost a 6 ½ lead in 7 days and blew the pennant to the St Louis Cardinals.
Gene Mauch was the manager of the Phillies, and is known as the manager with the most career wins without a pennant. His 1,902 career victories are the 8th most all time, but he never won a pennant. He came close on two other occasions (1982 and 1986 with the Angels), but unfortunately he will be best remembered for the Phillies collapse.
Between September 21 and 30, the Phillies lost 10 straight games. Mauch essentially went with a 3 man rotation, but relied primarily on two pitchers (Jim Bunning and Chris Short) during this losing streak. Bunning had three starts, Short and three, and two other pitchers (Art Mahaffey and Dennis Bennett) started twice. Ray Culp, a highly regarded 23 year old, who was part of the rotation throughout the year, was not used at all.
The official version told to the press was that Mahaffey and Culp had sore arms, and that Mauch had lost faith in Bennett.
This writer has inside information which I would like to share with you. I knew one of the players on the 1964 Phillies. He confided in me that Mauch hated Ray Culp, and refused to pitch him because there was personal animosity between the two. Culp was healthy, and could have contributed. History may have been a lot different if Culp was utilized during this stretch.
The Phillies did win the division in 2007, but fell short against the Colorado Rockies in the playoffs. They should be contenders for the NL East in 2008, along with
Jimmy Rollins has laid down the gauntlet by stating that the Phillies and the Mets don’t like each other and there may be some “headhunting” going on. Pedro Martinez, never one to shy away from chin music, was quoted as saying although he likes Rollins; he won’t back down from any potential altercations.
Two teams that are both very talented and are separated by 95 miles on the New Jersey Turnpike now both share a monumental collapse. They are headed for a collision course.
I can’t wait.
THE ROCKET’S RED GLARE
The Rocket’s Red Glare
I misremember the specifics, but during Roger Clemens time in
It’s now much deeper, and much more troublesome. Either Clemens was unwilling or unable to listen to his advisors, or perhaps his advisors were a group of psychophants who were only interested in telling him what he wanted to hear.
Clemens spent his entire career either intimidating others, or looking for confrontations. He never shaved on the days he would pitch, so that he would appear more menacing. There was the Mike Piazza bat throwing incident, and the Terry Cooney 1990 ALCS argument, and countless other times when Clemens, the biggest bully on the block, added to the mystique of his
Given that, perhaps an act of contrition was an impossibility. The bully can never back down. It is part of the image, the aura. Once the bully shows any sign of vulnerability, the game is over. Pride cometh before the fall.
Baseball fans are quite forgiving, and have a very short memory. Who remembers the principal participants involved in baseball’s cocaine scandal of the 1980’s? One All Star player was quoted as saying the reason he slid head first was so that the cocaine vials in his back pocket would not explode. Another All-Star was given a standing ovation after returning from exile. A more recent example is the strike of 1994. There were countless fans who vowed they would never come back to the ballpark. Almost all of them did.
The truth shall set you free. Confession is good for the soul. Jason Giambi was the first prominent player to confess to steroid use. He was initially excorciated in the press. Over time, all has either been forgotten or forgiven.
Andy Pettite, by showing remorse, wound up with much dignity and grace. His conscience is probably clear. The Yankees have welcomed him back with open arms.
What is so preposterous is that the Clemens team brought this entirely on themselves. Congress didn’t ask him to come and testify. His (or their) very public posturing and denials left them no choice. It has been an utter PR fiasco. One of the greatest pitchers of all time, will probably face perjury charges and quite likely face jail time. All because the bully wouldn’t back down, and decided to throw everyone close to him under the bus.
Clemens does have 118 complete games, but if he ever did need a closer to come in and take him off the hook, now is the time.
The only thing that will save him is a presidential pardon.
REVENGE OF THE NERDS
Revenge of the Nerds
Researchers at the
Who funded this grant, the Boston Red Sox??
Stop the madness! There is no way that Derek Jeter is the worst fielding shortstop in baseball. You could put a gun at my head and I still wouldn’t say it.
And I’m not even a Yankee fan.
The nerds are running the asylum. Don’t they have anything better to do in Universities these days? Apparently not. Have you ever tried to have a conversation with a computer scientist? I rest my case.
The premise is so absurd it’s laughable. I didn’t even want to write a column about it, but they have really gotten to me. Count me amongst the conspiracy theorists. Bill James, the godfather of sabermetrics, tried valiantly to get a job in Major League Baseball for 26 years. After knocking on many doors, the Red Sox finally hired him in 2003. All his minions have to be Yankee haters.
Baseball research has no business being conducted in universities. I mistakenly thought they spent their time on more noble issues, like the theory of relativity. And these U of Pennsylanvia guys came from Wharton. Wharton!! Isn’t that a business school?
I can see it now. The head of hedge funds at JP Morgan is interviewing candidates who have graduated from Wharton to join his firm on
I was going to do lots of research on baseball-reference.com to defend my position, but I’m not going down to the nerds level. I do now that Jeter has three gold gloves. I vividly remember the play he made to win the ALCS against
Nerds go home!
Does he need to improve? Yes. He will turn 33 this year, and he has worked hard in the off season in an effort to improve his agility. There are questions that he may have lost some range going to his left. That I can accept. I cannot and will not accept the conclusion that he is the worst fielder in Major League Baseball.
Now I know why there may be a subprime crisis on
THAT ELUSIVE CLUB
That Elusive Club
Only 5 players in MLB history have at least a .300 batting average, .400 on base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, 2,000 hits, 300 home runs, 500 doubles, and 1,000 walks.
Four of them are Hall Famers. The fifth may never get in.
They are Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, Lou Gehrig, and Edgar Martinez.
Edgar Martinez! You’ve got to be kidding me.
It’s true. Being the stat geek that I am, I found this on the internet. I couldn’t believe it when I first saw it. Then, I started digging, and realized it was the truth.
There are the usual suspects that immediately came to mind. None of them made the grade.
Barry Bonds? He’s close, but his .298 average disqualifies him.
ARod? He fails in three categories, with 395 doubles, 915 walks, and a .389 OBP.
Willie Mays? The .384 OBP knocks him out.
Several players will get there, including Manny Ramirez (29 more doubles), Albert Pujols (assuming he stays healthy), and Frank Thomas (12 doubles)
It’s a fascinating stat, because it’s a true measure of power, patience, speed, average, and longevity.
A lot of players come close, but the primary killer was the OBP. Now that the sabermetric and MoneyBall geeks are in vogue, you’ll see a higher OBP in the future. The old timers didn’t think too highly of a free pass.
This brings up a big question. Does Edgar belong in the Hall of Fame?
The purists will say no. As a hitter, he certainly merits consideration. The naysayer’s will say that he was surrounded by good hitters throughout his career, including Junior, A-Rod, Ichiro, Tino, and John Olerud, so he saw a lot of good pitches to hit.
But so did Murderer’s Row and the Gas House Gang.
Before I found this stat, I would have been in the naysayer’s group. I’m still against his induction, because I consider myself a purist, but I’m more willing to listen to the opposition. Whatever happens, Edgar deserves recognition as one of the best hitters of all time.
But I wished he put a glove on more often….
PROFILES IN COURAGE
Profiles in Courage
The odds of playing Major League Baseball are very long. Those who have overcome either injury, illness, or physical limitations need to be commended. Today’s column is a tribute to some of those players.
Tony Conigliaro was the starting right fielder for the Boston Red Sox at the age of 19, and was a very talented player. In 1964, his rookie season, he batted .290 with 24 home runs, despite missing a considerable time with a broken arm. In 1965 he led the
On August 18, 1967, he suffered a serious beaning which caused considerable damage to his left retina. The remainder of his career he was legally blind in his left eye. Despite that, he hit 20 home runs for the Red Sox in 1969 and 36 in 1970. He played two more seasons, and retired from the Sox in 1975.
The career and life of Conigliaro were filled with setbacks and tragedy, but it is truly amazing that he was able to play and contribute on a Major League level with one eye.
The Tony Conigliaro award was instituted in 1990 and is given annually to honor the player who has overcome obstacles and adversity.
Jim Abbott was born without a right hand. He was a pitcher and was a talented quarterback in high school. He pitched in the big leagues between 1989 and 1999, and played for the Angels, Yankees, White Sox and Brewers. His best season was in 1991, when he went 18-11 for the Angels. In 1992 he won the Tony Conigliaro award. On September 4th, 1993, he pitched a no-hitter for the Yankees against the Cleveland Indians. He finished his career with 87 victories and a 4.25 ERA, and also managed to get two big league hits.
Pete Gray lost his right arm at the age of six in an accident on a farm. He made it to the major leagues, and played one season (1945) as an outfielder for the St. Louis Browns, where he bated .218 with 51 hits and 13 RBI.
Mordecai “Three Fingered” Brown got his nickname after also sustaining an accident on a farm. Ironically, he used the accident to his advantage, as the unorthodox grip he utilized allowed him to put a great deal of spin on the ball. He pitched for fourteen seasons, was a six time 20 game winner, won 239 games and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1949.
There are many others. Eric Davis (a childhood friend of Darryl Strawberry) overcame colon cancer to hit 28 home runs for the Orioles in 1998. Mike Lowell overcame testicular cancer and was the 2007 World Series MVP. Jim Eisenrich played for 15 seasons, had a .290 batting average with 1,160 hits while battling Tourette Syndrome. These three players were all recipients of the Tony Conigliaro award.
We all know how difficult it is to make it to the big leagues, and it is a testament to those who battled through injuries, afflictions, or accidents to continue to contribute and should be an inspiration to others who follow the game.
TO DH… OR NOT
The debate has raged since the beginning of time (or at least since 1973). Purists despise it. The modern fan embraces it… Why? Why do we, some 35 years later, still find ourselves embroiled in battle over a rule which has affected only half a game? Can’t we just agree to disagree? After all, that’s what the American League and the National League have decided to do. They’ve each gone their own way, and in my humble opinion… that’s good for Baseball. It allows one city to have two types of fan. It allows a son to disagree with his father without fear of a tanned hide. It paves the way for countless blogs in November as to who really deserves the MVP.
In other words… it’s healthy.
Imagine if you will, MLB without the DH rule. Where would the National League end, and the American League begin? How would we differentiate between the two? Why would I be a Yankee fan and not a Met fan? For the uniforms?
I’m an American League guy. Have been since I was 6 (coincidentally 1973). Why?
Because of the DH rule. (sorry dad).
Of course not for the rule itself, silly. But for the style of play the rule has brought with it.
Let’s examine…
Home runs. You know you love’m. Not just the long ball by the DH, but the protection offered to the rest of the line up. As a pitcher, you know you’ll face 9 good hitters.
Aging sluggers. I’ve lost count of the amount of big hitters able to extend their careers by becoming a DH.
Complete games. A rarity these days… agreed. But less rare in the AL because you don’t have to pinch hit for the pitcher in a tight game. Don’t even get me started on the ever-elusive perfect game.
Pitchers. In today’s game, is it even remotely fair to ask a specialist player to be effective at the plate for three at bats every 5 or so days?
Oh contraire, I hear the purists yell.
What about…
Strategy. Yes, good old fashioned strategy. Pinch hitting, the double switch etc. The manager should get some credit for the intellectual victory or the psychological meltdown. Not some juiced up has-been (coming soon to a column near you).
The intentional walk.Sure they have it in the NL. But it wasn’t a real issue until the advent of this stupid rule.
Symmetry. The game was meant for 9 players. The AL plays with 10. What’s up with that?! They don’t do it in Little League. Why do these prima donnas insist on making it easier on their pitchers and managers?
You may have detected a slight edge in the voice of the purists. I assure you, this is not unintentional. This is based on experience. Not just in the realm of the DH rule, but in regard to most things that have been subject to a fundamental change. Think religion, politics, Social behaviour etc. Eventually it will come to pass that it’s just part of the game. In 50 years, no one will remember it’s inauguration. Sadly, the purists will fade and our children’s children may well choose their league by proximity or (god forbid) their favourite uniform.
The DH rule will not hurt you. It will not improve your life. It will just give the pundits filling for their daily musings. More importantly it will give true baseball fans reason to argue in bars and in front of the tv for years to come.
Cherish these times. One day… we all might get along.