Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Baseball’s Post-season Pre-season: When Small Market Teams Attack




The baseball season is the longest, most arduous in sports. Granted NFL players expose their bodies to excessively dismantling hits and a plague of post retirement ailments, but their 16 game regular season sprint is nothing compared to baseball’s 162-game marathon. Plus the NFL boasts 12 playoff teams, while baseball only has 10 so in the NFL an 8 game hot streak (50% of games) can be substantial and overcome a lack of skill in order to hydroplane into the 'dance'. In baseball, an 8 game hot streak isn't relevant enough to mean playoffs (4%). It is like comparing NASCAR to Drag Racing. Ok, so there's nothing more boring than NASCAR. Well, nothing besides cricket. I can state by extensive experience that the majority of Americans’ attention span has been decimated to the length of an ant and thus we enjoy the sports that provide instant gratification like football, basketball, and hockey. That said, there are still those individuals who understand the exceptional tradition inherent in baseball and while athleticism isn't transparent, there are minute details at play that require exceptional skills. Batter’s hand-to-eye coordination is untouched as they say the hardest thing in sports is to hit a round ball with a round bat. Playing every day in the heat of the summer takes exceptional endurance. Trying to steal a home run by lifting yourself off of a fence, turning a double, or laying-out for a ground play does take a high level of agility and yes, even athleticism. The days of crushing beers and eating countless hotdogs in bullpen is long gone.

For those of you who have lost their interest in this amazing sport due to inactivity during the games, the length of the season, and the inability of your franchise to be pertinent in the fall, I implore you to start watching. At least, make sure you watch during the playoff race The hunt for October is one of the most exciting times in all of sports. I mean, if you look at this year alone, this is the when the low payroll teams strike back. 5 of 10 teams have a payroll that's ranked 16th or lower in the MLB (Orioles, Nationals, Athletics, Braves, Rays). Also, add the contending Pirates, which I will because it's my blog, and that total comes to 6. Nothing better than parity in sports. This week, I will discuss the small market AL Playoff hunt. Next week, keep an eye out for the National League. After this article you'll want to watch Major League for the 333rd time and if you do not, Jobu will eat you



                                                  O’s Magic (79-62; 19th highest payroll)



-Will the real Baltimore Orioles please stand-up

There comes a time in everyone’s life where you simply shrug your shoulders in disbelief. While science has been able to eliminate countless questions, there are still aspects of this world that we simply cannot explain. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Why do you park in a driveway and drive on a parkway? Why does rain drop but snow falls? These complex questions have deteriorated the sanity of some of the most intelligent minds in history. Ok, so maybe I’m making that up, but the point I’m trying to make is that not everything has an answer. In fact, one of those questions is why are the Orioles so good?

The fighting Showalters from Baltimore have a -22 run differentially, but if the season ended today, they would win the AL East. For those of you who failed beginners math or lack any sports knowledge, this means that for the entire season, they have been outscored by 22 runs by their opponent. Their roster has been depleted due to extensive injury and their starting pitching staff looks vastly different than when they began the season. Every week the talking heads say the Orioles have been lucky, it’s a fluke, and they can't sustain this pace, but every week they prove that they're here to stay. They're 9th in runs scored, 8th in pitching ERA, 7th in batting ERA, and have the most errors in the AL. Nick Markakis just went down for at least 6 weeks. They brought youngsters like Machado up and stuck with journey men or players who started off terribly like Reynolds, Hardy, McLouth, and Chris Davis. So then what the hell is it? Seriously, can someone please tell me?


It doesn't seem to matter who's playing or the score since this team has adopted a blue collar, workman’s mentality under General Buck. They continue to fight until the last pitch is thrown. Now, they have great players that surround this squad of injured and lost such as Jones, Wieters, and the now-injured Markakis. Pitchers like Chen, Britton, and Hammels, when healthy, have played great especially as of late. Their closer, Jim Johnson, has had a spectacular year and is tied for a league lead 42 saves. They grind out each game with an injury prone squad and currently own the record for most wins in 1 run games this season. This stat proves their mental toughness. They are not nearly as soft as Michael Vick. This ability to overcome adversity and win the close ones is going to be important during the playoff push and in the possible playoffs. At this point, the Orioles are here to stay and those who are still skeptics are more in denial than Scientologists are of belonging to a cult.

                                                 Oakland A’s (81-60; 29th highest payroll)



-N-n-now th-that don’t kill me can make me stronger

So Moneyball comes out and they decide to have a great season. Maybe Brad Pitt’s performance willed them to victory, but they've been on two absolutely amazing tears that have supplanted them at the top of the Wild-Card. If they were in any other division in the AL, they'd be at the top of the heap, but currently they're stuck under those pesky Rangers.

Oakland’s offense has been offensive and their defense is even worse. They are 10th in runs, 13th in batting average, have the third most errors in the AL with 94, and the third worst fielding percentage. This offseason, they traded their most valuable pitchers in Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, and Andrew Bailey. They have used 17 rookies this year which is most in the Majors.

With last night’s win, they matched the second-longest road winning streak in franchise history. No big deal. I mean, they aren't just hot, they are en fuego and have won 20 of 25 games. This is unheard of for a team that can’t hit for shit. Unlike the Orioles, it is glaringly obvious that this team’s biggest strength is their pitching. They have the second lowest ERA in the AL (3.4), the second lowest opponent batting average with .242, and are simply just reiterating that pitching is the most important position in all of sports. You can’t lose if the other team doesn’t score, I think. Actually, wait let me add the one, subtract by 4, multiply by PI…Ok yea, I’m right.

                                              Tampa Bay Rays (25th highest payroll; 77-64)


-I can’t get no respect

I feel this franchise is more neglected than the third Manning. The last few years they've proven their ability to emerge from the deepest recesses of hell, also known as the AL East, and either made the playoffs or contended. They have the best farm system in baseball as they have great players without poaching while top tier teams pick apart the top players from the smaller teams as if they were crabs, leaving nothing more than the skeleton of dead franchises in their wake.

What else does Tamp have to do to get some fans? I mean this is a perennial playoff team who continues to inspire all of the small market teams to rise up and fight on. When my team, the Baltimore Orioles, have no shot by August, I root for the Rays as they do provide hope in a bleak world. While their hitting has been pretty lackluster, they have the best ERA in the AL (3.25) and the best opponent BA at .231. David Price could win the Cy-Young with the lowest ERA in all of baseball (2.54) and the most wins in the AL (17). Their second pitcher, Jeremy Hellickson, has the 8th best ERA at a very respectable 3.33. Their closer, Fernando Rodney, is tied with the most saves.

They're really not a surprise anymore. They are a great organization. Too bad the damn fans in Florida can’t see this.


Next Week, the NL small markets in all of their glory

- Kyle


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