He's Got Great Stuff

Does he? Does he really? How great could Seth McClung's stuff possibly be? Let's go no further than the man himself. Seth?

"You look at my stuff, it's good," McClung said. "I know it's good. I just have to learn how to harness it."

Ah, ok. There it is. A player with an era near 7 that was just optioned down to the minor leagues finds his stuff to be top flight, so what else would it be.

Let's see, for a varying opinion, what the Baltimore Orioles think of his stuff. We asked the question to string bean second basemen Brandon Fahey. He had this to say:

"Wait, is who's stuff good? Scott McClean? I don't know about him, you might want to ask someone else, I've only been up for a little while," Fahey quizzically answered. We reminded him who we were talking about. "Oh, him. Oh, there's nothing to really talk about. He's got about as much stuff as Chinese immigrant."(Ed. note: Blogger notes here that A) Fahey has never actually faced McClung and B)we do not condone his possibly racist remarks. We are currently interviewing members of the Pacific Rim to find out if this statement is truly offensive.)

David Ortiz, the biggest papi of them all, should know. He's hit McClung only 3 times, but all 3 times those balls wound up being souveniers. He was unavailable for comment.

At any rate, the plan in Tampa is to send Seth down to Durham where he can work on becoming a closer. Now if this doesn't make sense to you, please, raise your hand. It's ok, if I'm not in the room, I trust you're doing it.

The closer's position is one of the few that really can't be prepared for unless its the real thing. Great relievers, great starters alike haven't been able to become great, or even worthile closers, because they couldn't handle the added pressure and added necessity of effectiveness.

So where, pray tell, does a man who is neither a great reliever, a great starter, or, truth be told, even a major league worthy player in an honest world, fit in as a closer?

Exactly.

Finally, Some Clarity over the Garden

Do you envy anyone involved in the entire New York Knickerbockers organization? I certainly don't, and I'm sitting in my pajamas that I've worn for 3 days straight.

Well, maybe I do. Actually, I'm positive that I do. Lawrence Brown is his name. The man who once hailed the Knicks head coaching position as "his dream job" has pulled an act worthy of grand larceny in some states.

After signing a deal worth over 50 million dollars for 5 years, he has now been not only given the freedom to walk away from the biggest mess in professional sports (on a technicality some may call it a firing, but who's counting) but he will also be compensated. Knicks owner James Dolan has said that Brown won't be paid the full 40 mil he's owed, but you can rest assured that the league will ensure that Mr. "Dream Job" Brown will get his.

And so, the Knicks made the obvious choice and hired Isiah Thomas to coach the Knicks. If you couldn't see this one coming a mile away, you need to have your prescription checked. Literally waiting in the wings of every Knicks loss (or, Knicks game, as the season went), Isiah wanted this job from the jump. Maybe, just maybe it was part of his master plan. I mean, how else would one be able to possibly explain the Knicks excuse for a roster?

That has to be it. Right? Please, for the sanity of Knicks fans here in New Jersey and New York, and across the great globe, tell me this was the case.

Tell me that this was the reason he traded the rights to a 1st round draft pick for Eddy Curry.

Tell me this was why he signed the entirely worthless and slovenly Jerome James for over 25 million.

Tell me this was the reason behind his decision to trade rebounding forward Kurt Thomas for poor shooter Quentin Richardson.

Tell me this explains his dealing Nazr Mohammed for undersized forward Malik Rose.

Tell me this begins to detail his decision to acquire disgruntled, undersized, and past-his-prime guard, Stevie "Once Was The" Franchise.

That has to be it. He had to have known what he was doing these past few seasons. While everyone from hear to the Mississippi was doubting his decisions, Isiah kept a calm front. While he went on Mike and the Mad Dog to be ripped in half for decisions that clearly made no sense, Isiah knew, to himself at least, what he was doing.

He and Dolan were in cahoots from the very beginning.

Step 1: Make moves so fans think you are trying. However, ensure that these moves are not only poor moves, but are evidently poor within a season's time.

Step 2: Hire a HOF coach, this should easily win over the fans. Now they can't question what we're doing.

Step 3: Fire HOF coach after everything goes as poorly as you planned.

Step 4: Isiah enter stage left.

(The last two steps haven't happened yet, but soon will, and will foil Isiah's diabolic plan)

Step 5: Realize that the shit that you put around Brown is still there, and for a while, around you.

Step 6: Win 25 games next season, lose draft pick to the Bulls again.

If only he could cut every single player on the roster, light the Garden on fire, collect insurance, and then start up the franchise, literally, from the ground up. If only...

Is This What Anyone Really Wanted?

This can't be what anyone really wanted? Can it be?

In this year's NBA Finals have come to a conclusion, at long last, after what perennially seems like a longer and longer series every year.

Still, despite the insane length for one series (2 weeks), this was, by all accounts, a great series. It had everything that recent Finals didn't have, didn't it?

Star power? Check. D-Wade, Shaq, Dirk, Jason Terry, even 'Toine. There was enough star power in the Heat starting lineup for the two of them. The Spurs and Pistons couldn't boast nearly that many players.

Intrigue? Check. Would Shaq get another ring outside of L.A.? How about Pat Riley, could he lead this team all the way? And let's not forget about rookie phenom head coach, the Little General Avery Johnson. Would he be able to put the final icing on what has been a dream first season as head coach of the Mavs? Could Dirk take the final step into superstardom and lead his team to the ultimate mountain top? And, as always, what stunts would Mark Cuban play?

Coaching matchups? Check. Avery Johnson has all but been annointed the next Red Auerbach. Pat Riley already is.

So, all of this and more was in this year's Finals. Excitement and energy from both sides. Two teams new to the concept of winning NBA championships (It would've been Dallas' first as well).

Ratings were up, there were some great overtime thrillers, and some great performances, namely from the next Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade.

Yet, I'm left with a bitter taste in my mouth after having watched this series. What was clearly missing was a group of guys to collectively route for as loveable winners. The Spurs or Pistons may not have been the most exciting teams, but they played as teams and had guys that fans could get behind. At any rate, this isn't to say that the Heat or Mavs didn't play as a team, but they certainly were hard to route for.

Sure, we love Avery Johnson. How could you not. The frog-voiced, excitable but quitely driven coach was a guy that we could get behind. But, his counterpart, Pat Riley, is nothing other than a snake. He sprung the Knicks over a decade ago to head to the rival Heat. Now, he pulls a similarly dastardly deed in removing head coach Stan Van Gundy and filling the vacancy with, who else, but himself. SVG was doing a good enough job when he took a team that started 0-9 and had no Shaq (but instead the slighter Lamar Odom) to the playoffs. Apparantly, he was doing a good enough job when he took the Heat to within a game of the Finals with two injured superstars. Now, clearly, Riley recognized that the team was a championship caliber team and wanted to coach the team. Are we to believe that Van Gundy had to be with his family so badly that he left this great team in the middle of the season, but has yet to be heard or seen from since? Come on.

On the court with the Heat, where do you begin. Shaq and Wade are fine, I'm happy for them.

Alonzo Mourning, there's a class act. If this was just about his return to glory from kidney surgery, then it would be a great story. But this is a guy who demanded a great contract from the Nets, and then, in seemingly the same breathe, demanded to be traded when he realized that the Nets weren't going to be a winner. Just a note, the Nets still were paying him even though he couldn't play because of any of his injuries. So, they ultimately traded him to the Raptors. Though, if you were looking for 'Zo, you'd be hard pressed to find him in Toronto. He never showed. In fact, one day, when the Rap's were playing a game, I saw Mourning in the crowd at a Duke game. So, when he finally could flee again, he left for the Heat, and completed his long journey to play for a contender. I was suprised he didn't demand to be dealt to the Mavs when the Heat were down 2-0.

I'm sure that I could continue on for a while. Gary Payton, Antoine Walker, these aren't guys that most fans in the league find enjoyable. While they haven't committed any egregious mistakes, their generally percieved selfishness is enough to turn me off.

And, on the Mavs side, the players are mostly route-for-able. I guess my one criticism would be how often a guy like Dirk seems to blame others for what happens on the floor. Or, when he kicked a ball into the stands after game 5 and hit a fan. The fan asked only for an apology, and Dirk blew that off. So, the fan has decided to press charges.

The biggest dirtbag of them all? Mark Cuban. While I admire his competitive spirit, his desire to make his team better constantly and improve the experience for the fans, he clearly takes things too far. Just because you are a billionare that owns a basketball team and sits in the 2nd row, doesn't mean you can say whatever you want. I also realize that he donates a certain amount of money from his fines to a charity and that he knows that he will be fined anyway. But, he's got to cool it down. There's a limit to how far one can go before he becomes the story. At the end of this series, his complaining about officials became the story more than his team. Was the officiating questionable? Sure it was, at points. But, give it a rest Mark. Your team simply didn't play well enough. That's it, end of story.

Was this Finals a great series? Yes, I'd say so. Some great games, overtimes, and the true emergence of Dwyane Wade. But, after Shaq, Avery J., and Wade, I had trouble finding a routing interest in this series. I wonder if anyone other than Heat or Mavs fans felt the same way. I'd have to hope so.

A Tribute To Baby Sarge

This may not last. Then again, there were doubters that Christianity wouldn't last. But, now, two thousand years later, its alive and kicking.

OK, OK. Gary Matthews Jr. isn't Jesus Christ. Maybe a modern day Siddhartha Gautama. Either way, his recent exploits for his 7th team, the Texas Rangers, have been down right heavenly.

So, its about time, I feel, to honor this demi-god, not to be confused with the other Gary Matthews, speaker of the Montana House of Representatives. Its time to pay tribute to a man who glides about the spacious greens of centerfields across the country. Time to pay tribute to a man who swings gracefully with a bat packing the punch of telephone pole. Time to pay tribute to a man who has decided that is in the best interest of his team if he only made one out a game. Time to pay tribute to a gentleman. A squire, and a scholar.

His journey en route to become the ball player young utility men across the country strive to be and the scholar we know now as Gary Nathaniel Matthews Jr started at Mission College in Santa Clara, California. This may have only been a community college, but that's how Gary wanted it.

"I wanted to incorporate my community into my college experience. Sure, it would only be two years. But I knew I would make the most of those years. And, I figured, I had a strange suspicion that I would get chosen in the 13th round. I wasn't sure by who, but I had the round right as it turns out."

Wise words, from a wise man.

Keep in mind folks, this is only the beginning of the journey. The team that would wind up selecting Mr. Sarge Jr. was the San Diego Padres. Obviously, they were befuddled and surprised that a eight tool talent such as Matthews Jr. had mysteriously fell to the 13th round. Forget the obvious running, throwing, hitting for power and average, and fielding skills. Matthews also brought intelligence, pimp game, and a fine culinary palet to the table.

After what his critics would term as an unsuccesful tour with the Fathers (.222 BA, 0 HRs, 7 RBI's), he was traded straight up for Rodney Myers to the Cubbies. Yes, the same Myers with a career record of 7 and 5. What a deal for the Cubs, right?

Well, suffice it to say that it didn't work out with the Cubs, either. Over 2 seasons and 186 games, he hit a sizzling .207. So, he next went to the waiver wire. Once thought of as a career dead end for players, Matthews looked at his new ambiguous situation as a springboard for his career.

"Yeah, I was psyched to get away from the Cubs. Great fans, but the team just couldn't win. I mean, I'm only one man. What did they want from me? I mean, come on. I guess I could have, possibly have, hit over .210. But, let's be fair here..."

Once again, honest words from an honest man.

So, the Pittsburgh Pirates were the next team on the Wheel of Gary Matthews' Career. That didn't work. Then the Mets "purchased" him from the Pirates. 2 games later, that didn't work out either. Next, the Orioles. Desperate for a centerfielder to fill the void that Brady Anderson would left vacant, the tried out Matthews Jr. Apparently, they wanted to go in the direction of Chris Singleton. Different strokes for different strokes, as the saying goes.

Waivers came and went once again. And then again. Matthews ventured from Baltimore to San Diego to Atlanta.

Then came the best date, April 8, 2004. 2:19 (in the P.M.) is when Gary signed with the Texas Rangers. Obviously pleased with something deep inside Gary, they inked a deal worth over 1 million dollars per season. That total represents nearly his previous two contracts.

So finally, this caged bird has been given a chance to spread its wings. To flex its muscles and devour its prey. To open its eyes each day to the beautiful sun and say "Thank You".

Still, the sun gods aren't very pleased with Gary. One might tend to look at his stellar .344 average and assume he hits well no matter what the time of day, temperature, opponent, or giveaway at the stadium. However, during the day. Matthews hits a career resembling .246. At night, he turns into the masked avenger. Saving children from the dangers of drugs and drinking all with one swing of the bat. Regular, law abiding citizen by day, Dark Night and feared superhero by dusk, Gary hits over .370 when the lights go on.

So, next time you are contemplating a switch in faiths, or simply looking for someone to belive in, to put your faith in, to store your dreams and bottle up your suppressed fears in, look no further than one man. The San Francisco Treat, The Texas Two-Step, Mr. 400, Baby Sarge himself, Gary Matthews Jr.

We here at Blogger wish you continued success for whatever independent league team you choose to play for next season.

Banjo and Kazuo

Finally, the much hailed experiment with Japanese superstar Kazuo Matsui has come to an end in the Big Apple. They tried him at SS. They tried him at 2B. They tried him in 5 different spots in the lineup. And yes, one of those spots was 9th.

If there was ever to get rid of this clown, it was now. However, how anyone wanted him is absolutely beyond my comprehension. Even more unbelievable is how the Mets were able to obtain a major league level talent in Eli Marerro.

Kaz Matsui's stat-line for the season: 1 HR, 7 RBI's, 10 runs. Sounds like a bad week from Gary Matthews Jr.

Kaz Matsui's stat-line for his career as a Met: 11 HR, 7 RBI's, 106 runs. Mark Kotsay? Eh, more like an average Emil Brown season.

Oh, did I mention, he's a career .256 hitter?

Eitherway, these numbers aren't even indicative of how truly awful Kazuo Matsui has been in a Mets uniform. Hard to believe isn't it? Hard to believe that numbers this awful only begin to sum up his play in recent years.

Lets clear the air with the only good thing he's done. Matsui has hit a homer each of his first plate appearances in his first 3 years in the league. Excluding those 3 at bats, he's hit 8 others in 854 AB's. Thats an average of about 1 every 107 at bats. Pathetic, isn't it?

You might be wondering, why would I pick on his power numbers, he's just a middle infielder. Well, in Japan, he was a thumper. He once hit 36 homers and swiped 36 bags in one season. He's yet to come close to either of those numbers in 3 seasons.

Not to mention that he's always been hurt. He's missed over 130 games in these three, excruciating years.

Anyone who watched him last year, knew that last year was bad. This season was just unbearable. It seemed as if he barely ever made contact, let alone got hits. He was, as Bernie Williams often does, swinging with a newspaper. Probably Newsweek, as weak as his swing was. He got so bad they had to put in Jose Valentin, who, although is hitting well now, strikes out (on average in his career) one in four AB's and is, by all accounts, a butcher in the field.

And Kaz in the field? Jeez, sweet Mary Louise Parker. 34 errors in three seasons, hardly exemplorary.

Let's not forget, this guy was a superstar in Japan. The second coming of his brother from another mother, Hideki. Bobby Valentine staked his rep. on how good this guy was. I think we know how that turned out.

So now, Kaz brings his show to Colorado. Not a bad place to jumpstart your offense right? Yes. But, here's the problem. He'll be in COlorado Springs for the considerable future. The AAA Sky Sox have acquired Matsui and lost Jorge Piedra (for our English readers: George Stone) (and yes, this is the guy that got caught for 'roids). Once again, another solid step for Mr. Matsui. They say you are who your traded for. So, I guess that makes Kaz equal to Eli. But, maybe in Kaz's situation, it's, you are who you are optioned down to Triple AAA while making over 8 million dollars a season, for.

Try to Hold in Your Laughter

Who else but me finds this whole steroid thing in Major League Baseball absolutely hilarious?

I mean, come on already. Alex Sanchez? Ryan Franklin? Felix Heredia? Matt Lawton? And now, most recently, this bum--Jason Grimsley.

Have I missed out on the actual controversy here? What are these steroids even doing for these players? Honestly, we are talking about some of the most pathetic names in all of the game. Yet, while a whole host of trumped up Giants (both figuratively and literally) round the bases in the majors unscathed.

Jason Giambi, steroids? No way. You're probably thinking of his brother Jer emy. Sheffield, Public Enemy Number 1 Bonds, and a whole host of other likely offenders haven't been "caught" yet.

What exactly is the point here? What is the government or the MLB, for that matter, trying to prove? How stupid do they think the viewing public actually is. Am I supposed to be appeased by the suspension of a guy in Alex Sanchez who, not only weighs about 120 lbs, but was on his way out of the league as it was (due to a lack of talent or any real ability other than speed).

Sure, they got Rafael Palmeiro, and that was great, trust me. I loved seeing him get his, and now, sure enough, you don't hear anything from Mr. Palmiero. A decade ago, guys like Raffy or Sammy Sosa wouldn't have simply faded from the public eye when they still could play for major league teams. Granted, neither would be that good, but still, you're telling me that if the steroid clout didn't exist, both of those players wouldn't be on a MLB roster? I doubt it.

Here's the problem: It seems as if the whole thing is a ridiculous conspiracy. The league has decided to "crack down" on "steroid users". The quotes need to be taken away, permanently. First of all, Selig isn't cracking down on anyone. I dont even know what the current policy stands at, but until the first time you get caught results in a complete ban from the game, I won't be satisfied. I'm not sure how long it takes to get that shit out of your system, but you give the players that much time until you test everyone. That way, if they are on it now, they have a chance to get it off (one FINAL chance) and then after that, if they get caught again, they're out. Why should they get a chance when they think they are bigger than the game? They aren't, and there certainly will be other great sluggers after Jason Giambi or Gary Sheffield.

Also, I'd like to see the league go after a real slugger in his prime. Please, please catch someone that people actually care about. Raffy was nice, but he was on his way out as it was. Get someone like a Sheffield or a Giambi or anyone that still has a career beyond this season.

MLB--you want me to give credibility to your efforts to crack down on steroids? Try catching someone other than Rafael Betancourt.

Tone It Down Youngen? Please.

With all of the negativity surrounding Major League Baseball these days, the last thing it needs is a player that exudes a little youthful excitement, right? Wrong.

Lastings Milledge, uber-prospect for the Mets, has come up with share of problems. Assault cases and questions about his character dropped his top-3 draft status (lucky for the Mets, as it turns out) and also brought him to the minors with either a love-him or hate-him persona. I'm in the former group. Milledge may not be the most eloquent member of the league, but he brings some fun and excitement to the game.

Case in point: Milledge hit his first career MLB homerun against Armando "My ERA is Rising Faster than the Gas I'm Lighting the Field On Fire With" Benitez. It was the 10th inning, and he tied the game to send his Metropolitans out on the field to play some more. They would lose in 12, but still...Anyway, after he ran the bases without showing up any of the Giants or Benitez and after he refused to take a curtain call, Milledge ran out to right field to a standing ovation from the fans down the line. Instead of ignoring them like every other goddamned major leaguer, he went over to the group and high-fived them all.

Apparently, this qualifies as showing up the other team. Felipe Alou didn't appreciate it, or at least the person impersonating the body of the deceased Giants manager. Willie Randolph, the vaginal canal that he is, made his right fielder apologize. And Steve Kline also didn't appreciate it. Like anyone should give a shit what that baffoon says. Here's a guy who knows a thing or two about class. He only threw 2 tempertantrums while pitching for Baltimore last year. Oh, and lets not forget when he flipped off his manager, Tony LaRussa, while pitching for the Cardinals a couple of years back. So, thanks, but no thanks, for the advice Steve.

I remember when Derek Jeter first came into the league, he was a much more personable guy than he seems to be now. Not to knock the captain too hard, he still does more than most players I see, but he used to sign a ton of autographs before the games and talk with fans. Now, not so much. But again, the fact that he does it some times, speaks volumes about his character. A guy like Gary Sheffield wouldn't even consider signing an autograph for a fan or high-fiving someone applauding him unless there was a guaranteed mill coming his way.

At what point did the fact that we, the fans, are the only reason this whole game exists get lost in the shuffle. If people like us stopped watching, going to, enjoying professional baseball, there wouldn't be any Alex Rodriguez's making 25 million or any announcers or any beat writers or any of that nonsense. They are there, they exist solely because of us. Some how, some way, and at some point, this became lost in the corporotization of the game. Its gotten so bad that a player is criticized for acknowledging the fans.

When a player recognizes the fans, signs an autograph, throws a ball in the stands, high-fives, whatever, that wins us over.

I'll say this, Milledge has gotten me.