Aaron Goldstein: A Little Less Crazy In 2007

Last year, Aaron Goldstein of the Intellectual Conservative, became the first person in the history of the universe to predict that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays would win the World Series…and he was serious. Well, we all know how that turned out…Juuust a bit outside. The Devil Rays in fact did not win the World Series in 2006. However, Mr. Goldstein can take solace in the fact that the D-Rays did come close. They were only 36 games behind the Yankees in the AL East, with a final record of 61-101. If the Rays could have just made up those 36 games and made it to the playoffs, we think the Rays would have come through for Mr. Goldstein.

Whiles having a prediction go that far awry would scare lesser people away from making any predictions ever again….Aaron Goldstein is no lesser person. He is back! And he is laying his bold and wacky baseball predictions on us one more time. Would Mr. Goldstein stick to his 2006 predictions and have the Rays winning it all in 2007? He’s not that loco. But neither is he going to cower to the masses and predict a team that others are predicting to win. In fact, sticking to his MO, he predicts a team that nobody else has picked to win the world series.

This time it is tonight’s opponent, the Texas Rangers. His main reason appears to be Buck Showalter. Everywhere Buck has managed, teams have gone on to win the World Series the year after he left. Of course the D-Backs had Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson the year they won the series and the Yankees had a couple of decent players in 1996.

The Rangers are currently 2-4 and in last place of the AL West. It will be fun to see if the Rangers finish last in 2007. This could turn out to be an annual jinx, much like the Maddon cover curse.

So where does he think the Devil Rays will finish in 2007? Dead last in the AL East…There is hope after all.

The Buck Showalter Effect: My Predictions for the 2007 Major League Baseball Season [Intellectual Conservative]

AL East Roundup: Yankees Can’t Get Out Of Thir Own Way

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Toronto Blue Jays	3	2	–	3-2	W2	—
Boston Red Sox	3	3	0.5	3-3	W1	157
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	2	3	1.0	2-3	L2	157
New York Yankees	2	3	1.0	2-3	L1	157
Baltimore Orioles	2	4	1.5	2-4	W1	156

Orioles 6, Yankees 4. The Boss is getting ready to make some heads roll. After splitting a season-opening series against the Devil Rays, the Yankees turned around and lost 2 of 3 to the O’s. All at Yankee Stadium. Alex Rodriguez hit his third home run in 2 games and fourth of the year to give the Yanks a lead in the first inning. However, in the eighth, with Bobby Abreu on first, down by two, A-Rod was only able to draw a walk. Yankees fan can now resume their natural hatred of the best hitter in baseball.

Red Sox 3, Rangers 2.Big Papi supplied all the offense with a solo home run and a 2-run shot. Curt Schilling rebounded rfom his poor opening day start to go seven strong innings and pick up the win. As far as we know, JD Drew still had all his limbs intact after the game, although Red Sox fans shouldn’t feel safe until he is tucked in bed tonight.

NOTES FROM AROUND THE AL EAST…

• The Yankees Hideki Matsui was placed on the DL with a strained hamstring. That is the second outfielder for the Yankees to miss action already this season. GM Brian Cashman has stated that they will not invite Bernie Williams to play this season, but we could see George Steinbrenner smacking Cashman around a little bit and telling him to go find Bernie.
• Buster Olney points out that in Kei Igawa’s major league debut, he threw 26 pitches that were not fastballs. Of the 26, there was only 1 called strike and nobody swung and missed. So far Yankees starting pitchers have pitched 21.2 innings in 5 games and given up 36 hits and a 9.97 era. That’s DevilRays-esque.
• While the Yankees starters are struggling in the cold weather, the answer to those problems could lie in the arm of AAA right hander Phillip Hughes, one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Yes, the Yankees do occasionally develop their own talent, and sometimes they even decide not to trade them.
• Joe Torre is not worried about the pitching. But you can tell he is starting to stir a bit.
• We don’t need no stinkin’ graph to tell us that Mo Rivera is the Yankees most valuable player.
• The Red Sox offense is struggling. Before Sunday’s 2-home run performance, the Red Sox had one home run as a team.
• The Orioles placed catcher Ramon Hernandez on the DL, with a strained oblique.
• Camden Yards got a little bit of an off-season make-over.
• Leo Mazzone is trying to rediscover his Atlanta Braves’ magic. Maybe trading for Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine will help.

Down On The Farm: Top Prospects Doing What They Do

Durham 6, Syracuse 2. All he does is win. Andy Sonnanstine made his first AAA start a good one. He dominated Syracuse going 6 and only giving up 2 hits. Both hits and the run came in the 4th inning. He struck out 8 and only walked 1. Sonnanstine won 15 games for Montgomery last season. Seth McClung pitched 2 scoreless innings and did not walk a batter. The offense finally found it’s rhythm with 3 players collecting 2 hits apiece, including Jorge Cantu.

Montgomery 4, West Tenn 2. All he does is hit. Evan Longoria is absolutely on fire. he went 1-2 with a walk and his first home run of the season. The home run was a 2-run shot in the 8th that broke a 2-2 tie. The Dirtbag is now 8-13 with a 1.764 OPS. That’s good. Reid Brignac took the collar and went 0-4. Chris Mason struck out 5 in 5 innings.

Columbus 5, Kannapolis 4. The Rays second round pick from last year’s amateur draft, Joshua Butler, made his first start of 2007, and only his third start in the Rays organization. He gave up 3 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs in 5 innings. He struck out 4.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Mike Birling, the GM of the Durham Bulls, is hoping for a season that is less eventful than 2006. He is also hoping for a few more wins after the team finished 64-78 last season.
• The Biscuits haven’t been around long (only 3 seasons). Still, there has been a noticeable lack of late-inning comeback wins. Last Friday’s victory was only their 6th in franchise history.

The Hangover: Strikeouts Are Fascist, Groundballs Are More Democratic

Roy Halladay reminded Scott Kazmir yesterday that he owns a Cy Young award and Kid K doesn’t. Kid K looked overpowering at times, striking out 8 of the first 9 hitters he faced, but he also gave up 2 home runs and 4 runs total in 7 innings as the Rays lost the rubber match to the Jays, 6-3. They will say that he only made two bad pitches all day. Well, winning pitchers don’t make bad pitches in crucial situations. The Rays bullpen, also known as heart attack in a can, didn’t help matters as usual. Brian Stokes entered the game in the 8th with the Rays still only down 1 and allowed 2 more runs to cross the plate, effectively ending the game. Rocco Baldelli was 3-4 and hit his 1st home run of the year. He was back at DH after playing center field on Saturday. Carlos Pena received his second straight start at first base and went 0-3 with 2 strike outs.

• Roy Halladay noticed the improved lineup that the Rays have this season. He stated that for the first time when facing the Rays, he felt that he needed to pitch around certain hitters and had to work for the victory.
• Even though Rocco Baldelli was back in center on Saturday, don’t be surprised if Rocco and Elijah Dukes continue to alternate in center and at DH, to help keep Rocco’s legs fresh. This will mean a lot more playing time in the field than was originally planned for Dukes this season, who was expected to get the majority of his at bats at DH.
• This just in…Shawn Camp struggles sometimes.
• Buster Olney points out that 7 of Akinori Iwamura’s 8 hits have either been up the middle or to the opposite field. He has now hit safely in all 5 games with an average of .562.
• This is a little stale, but new to us. Kevin Witt is back in Japan this season. He previously played in Japan in 2005 before signing with the Devil Rays. The 2006 International League MVP got off to a slow start with his new club, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. He struck out 3 times on opening day. But he came back in game 2 and hit 2 home runs. He is hitting .189 in the first 12 games of the season. There is a term in baseball for a player like Kevin Witt…AAAA-talent. In other words, too good for AAA but not quite good enough for the majors. We may need to revisit that term as a lot of players like Witt have success in Japan. Maybe we should call them NPB-talent.
• The Devil Rays have caught the fancy of a British baseball fan (those exist?).
• Josh Hamilton spent last Thursday in the hospital with a bad flu. He is better but missed his first scheduled start yesterday.
  

Down On The Farm: The Dirtbag Is Still Toying With Minor League Pitchers

Durham 9, Syracuse 5. The Bulls took the 3rd game of their opening series and got their first win of the season. Jeff Niemann made his first AAA start and was impressive. He struck out 7 in 5 innings with only 1 walk. He gave up 4 hits and 2 runs including a solo home run. He threw 87 pitches (54 for strikes) with his fastball usually near 90 and as high as 94. Wes Bankston went 3-5 with a home run and 5 rbi. Chad Orvella had his second straight shaky outing, giving up 3 hits, a walk and 3 runs in 1.1 innings.

Montgomery 6, West Tenn 5. The Biscuits won their 3rd straight to open the season. Reid Brignac and Evan Longoria have started the season on fire. They collected 2 hits apiece again last night. Brignac is now 6-11 and Longoria is 7-11 in their first 3 games. The Dirtbag, Longoria, also had a double and 2 rbi. James Houser did not have his best stuff, but still picked up the win. He gave up 4 runs (2 earned) in 5 innings.

St. Lucie 7, Vero Beach 6. Garrett Groce was 3-4 with a home run and now has 6 hits in 3 games. Mike Wlodarczyk went 4, giving up 2 runs. He struck out 1.

Kannapolis 4, Columbus 1.

• Bulls manager Charlie Montoya thinks the pitching will be good enough to lead Durham to the International League title this season. He may be right, but they are not going to score many runs with their current lineup. Then again, the tear that Reid Brignac and Evan Longoria are currently on, could have them in Bulls uniforms sooner, rather than later.
• Of course last season, Charlie Montoya led many of his current Bulls to the Southern League championship as members of the Biscuits. A title this season in Durham could lead to a fresh winning attitude that will accompany these players as they are promoted to the D-Rays.

AL East Roundup: Yankees Fans Have A Love-Hate Relationship With A-Rod

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	2	2	–	2-2	L1	—
Toronto Blue Jays	2	2	–	2-2	W1	—
New York Yankees	2	2	–	2-2	W1	—
Boston Red Sox	2	3	0.5	2-3	L2	158
Baltimore Orioles	1	4	1.5	1-4	L1	157

Yankees 10, Orioles 7. Alex Rodriguez does occasionally hit home runs when it matters. The Yankees, in danger of falling to 1-3, were saved by Rodriguez with a Grand Slam with 2 outs in the 9th. He also hit a 2-run shot in the 1st. Kei Igawa whom the Yankees picked up in response to the Red Sox signing Dice-K, was shaky in his first start. Each one of the 7 runs he gave up marked the Yankees one run closer to signing Roger Clemens.

Rangers 8, Red Sox 4. Sammy Sosa hit his first home run since 2005 and now is 11 shy of 600. Julio Lugo had two hits. The best part of this game was seeing the idiot Julian Tavarez give up 11 base runners and 4 runs in 4 innings.

The Hangover: Casey Fossum Ineffective In Return To Mound

• The Rays fell behind big in the first two innings and eventually lost to the Jays 8-5. The big blow in the boxscore was a grand slam by the big hurt. However, Rays starter Casey Fossum never gave his teammates a chance. He gaveup 8 hits and a walk in 3+ innings. He also hit 2 batters. Overall the Rays pitchers walked 7, and threw a wild pitch, in addition to the two hit batters. We can take solace in the fact that Fossum will end up on the DL sooner or later.
• Rocco Baldelli played centerfield for the first time this season. Joe Maddon is not going to have Rocco in the field everyday. He wil be back at DH this afternoon and in center tomorrow against the Rangers.
• After an opening day sellout, the crowd was a respectable 18,495.
• Yesterday’s game marked the 30th anniversary of the Blue Jay’s first game.
• The new FieldTurf2 does look to be playing slower than the previous incarnation. This was most evident when Akinori Iwamura laid down a bunt for a basehit before coming around to score the winning run in the 9th on Friday night. Once the ball hit the Turf, it just died. Last year, that ball would have gotten to the third baseman a lot quicker and Muu-Rah may have been thrown out.
• Stuart Sternberg has believes that the first 12 games will set the tone for the rest of the season.
• Joe Maddon is trying to preach patience to the young Rays hitters. His goal is to force opposing pitchers to throw 145 pitches a game. So far, the Rays have come up short.
• MLB Trade Rumors looks at some potential trade partners for the Rays if they decide to move Jorge Cantu. They lean towards the Mets as the best fit, but admit there really aren’t any great match-ups.
• Thanks to the guys at FireJoeMorgan, we learn that Joe Morgan doesn’t think that Josh Hamilton deserves to be in the majors and that it sends the wrong message to minor leaguers. We have to agree with Ken Tremendous on his criticism of Morgan’s statement. The players with the best skills should be in the majors…Josh is 0-2 in 2 pitch hitting appearances.

Down On The Farm: JP Howell Makes Case For Edwin Jackson

Syracuse 16, Durham 0. One night after the Bulls pitchers were nearly unhittable, they were very hittable. JP Howell made his first start a forgettable one. With a chance to show that the Rays made the wrong decision in picking Edwin Jackson as the 5th starter, Howell gave up 6 runs (4 earned) on 4 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings. He did strike out 8. Tony Peguero was worse relieving Howell in the 6th. He was removed two outs and 8 runs later. Seth McClung struck out the side in a scoreless 9th, but gave up 2 hits and a walk. The Bulls’ offense continues to struggle, with only 4 hits. They have 7 in the first 2 games combined.

Montgomery 8, West Tenn 6. Reid Brignac had 2 hits and hist first home run of the season. Evan Longoria added 3 more hits and has 5 in two games. Jason Pridie was 2-4. Dale Thayer who set the southern league record for saves in a season last year with West Tenn, picked up his first in the Rays organization against his former team.

Kannapolis 6, Columbus 3.

St. Lucie 4, Vero Beach 0. One of the big 3, Wade Davis, pitched 5 scoreless innings, giving up 4 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 3.

• The Durham city council has voted to rename the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, for the current team owner, Jim Goodmon. The new name of the field will be “Goodman Field.”
• Is the “Biscuits” the worst mascot in the minors? One writer thinks so.
• Jim Morrison is the manager of the Catfish?
  

AL East Roundup: Devil Rays Magic Number Is 159

AL EAST	W	L	GB	L10	STK	E#
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	2	1	0	2-1	W2	—
Boston Red Sox	2	2	0.5	2-2	L1	159
New York Yankees	1	2	1.0	1-2	L2	159
Toronto Blue Jays	1	2	1.0	1-2	L2	159
Baltimore Orioles	1	3	1.5	1-3	W1	158

Orioles 6, Yankees 4. It was another cold night in the Bronx and as usual, cold weather is harder on old people. The 22 year-old Adam Loewen out-pitched the 38 year-old Mike Mussina to give the O’s just their first win of the season, and drop the Yankees a full game behind the Devil Rays. Man, we love the sound of that.

Rangers 2, Red Sox 0. The Rangers picked up their first win in their home opener. Robinson Tejeda pitched 7 innings giving up only 2 hits. Sammy Sosa picked up an RBI single. Oriole’s fans must be pissed off when they see Sosa. He looked anorexic in his one season in Baltimore, and now he looks like Slammin’ Sammy again. He obviously spent a lot of time in his year off lifting weights and taking dietary “supplements”.

• A report shows that the Orioles have a major impact on the Baltimore economy. No word on the impact the team has on the health of their fans.
• It’s a good thing the O’s won last night, because the fans were starting to get restless after their season-opening sweep at the hands of the Twins.
• Corey Patterson will be the O’s representative to wear Jackie Robinson’s #42.
• Jonathon Papplebon is back as the Red Sox closer, but the team is planning on using him less than they did in 2006.
• At 13 seasons, Tim Wakefield is tied with Mo Rivera with the longest continuous service with their current teams. Only John Smoltz (19 years) and Trevor Hoffman (15) have longer tenures.
• Jonny Damon missed another game, but reported significant improvement, and won’t go on the DL.

The Hangover: A Sweet Dream Indeed

We had a dream last night that the Rays blew a lead late (as usual) against the Blue Jays but actually rallied to score 3 in the bottom of the 9th off of one of the best closers in baseball including a game-tying 2-run home run by Delmon Young, to win the game 6-5. It was the 4th home of the game for the Rays, also getting round-trippers from Ty Wigginton, BJ Upton and Akinori Iwamura. It would have been Muu–Rah’s first major league home run And in the dream the win put the Rays alone in first place of the AL East. A very sweet dream indeed. Someday maybe it will actually happen.

• The rest of the Rays need to be careful with Akinori Iwamura, when they are mobbing him at home plate. He is just a little guy. He has reached base 9 times in 13 plate appearances so far. So much for his offensive struggle in the spring.
• Joe Maddon did not need a closer in the walk-off win last night, so it is yet to be seen if he will stick with Al Reyes closing out games. Most likely he will be the first choice but may be bypassed if he pitched the night before.
• Everybody seems happy with the renovations to the Trop and the much improved atmosphere. Of course the atmosphere is always better during sellouts, and those will only happen if the team keeps winning games.
• Getting off to a good start was important for this year’s team. The Rays play 9 of their first 12 on the road, and 4 series in the opening month against 2006 playoff teams. Joe Maddon says that the team is playing with a lot of confidence right now.
• BJ Upton is hitting .500 through the first 3 games. He has also played flawlessly at second base. It will be interesting to see if that keeps Papa Joe from moving him around as is the current plan. As a team, the Rays have yet to commit an error. A welcome surprise.
• A look at the behind-the-scenes preparations that took place before the home opener.
• Apparently the Herald-Tribune is only writing stories for Rays fans with ADD. They never have paragraphs with more than 2 sentences. And a lot of their”paragraphs” have less than 10 words. Maybe it is just us, but it is difficult to read.
• The Blue Jays have worn their new “alternate” caps for every game so far this season.