Deadbeats

Three items of note for the New York Yankees on the day of Game 5 of the 2009 World Series.

McGwire has signed a multi year deal to be the Cardinals hitting coach. My guess is that the signing of McGwire is a condition of LaRussa returning. It is no secret that LaRussa is McGwire's biggest fan, he brought him to St. Louis from Oakland back in 1996. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Just a few quick hits.

Thanks for the responses about labels. Only Joseph did not comment. I have not heard from him in a while either. Hmmm........

Pujols had surgery, it went better then expected. They thought they might need to reconstruct his elbow(Tommy John Style), but they did not. He should fully recover in the offseason and should not miss any playing time.

In an effort to keep this blog looking clean and easy to navigate, I am wondering what to do about the labels. My inclination would be to use only the following labels.

The New York Yankees have been on a rampage this postseason, holding teams to just over two runs per game (2.28) and getting big hits when they needed to. This has been exemplified by the dominance of Alex Rodriguez, who is 11 for 27 with five HR, nine runs and 11 RBI in just seven games. The MLB record for homers in one postseason is six (Bernie Williams, 1996) and A-Rod has anywhere between three and 10 games to break it. Rodriguez has out-homered all the Divisional Series losers who combined for four HR in 445 ABs to his five in 27.

You can now leave comments.

I will restore the old template/background once my computer is working again.

You can now leave comments.

I am aware of the inability to post comments. I will work on it over the next few days. My computer no longer has a power cord, so forgive me if it takes a little while to get to it.

It wouldn't let me post a comment, so I just created a new post.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the 2007 Rockies start the postseason 7-0 before being swept by Boston?

I'm glad I got the teams I did as I might have ended up getting sick of reading about the Red Sox more than the 19 times I already do each year. I hope the Twins make the playoffs again next season in their first year in the new ballpark. For one, the team I root for (Yankees) owns them in October and I would love to see Selig lose his marbles when it's snowing and 30 out in Minny/St. Paul during the entire ALDS. What's he going to do after the next WBC if the worlds collided to have the Rockies play the Twins in the WS? As a fan of most of the teams in the biggest market in the country, I'm all for spending the money you have to get the best players, coaches and facilities. I've never been a small market guy and that's a product of spending most of my life in New York and Dallas. I saw the small market economy first hand during the months I spent working for the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets. I, along with six of my cohorts, were laid off when the perfect storm of the AFL - we ran ticket sales for the Columbus Destroyers as well as the Jackets - taking a year off (read: shutting down) and the Jackets adding salary in a mid-season trade for Jason Williams hit at the same time. That story was meant to show that I can emphasize with the small market, but I prefer the big time and don't think it's the Yankees/Dodgers/Red Sox/Mets/Cubs/Phillies faults for having. I do have exception when a team has money and doesn't spend it.

As some of you may know, I have been a livelong baseball player, since about 2, and a Rangers fan since day one. I take pride in knowing that I have stood by them at their best, and worst. Therefore, I think my choice of Rangers speaks for itself. The Mariners, on the the other hand, have always kind of been an underdog in my eyes, and I feel like they are similar to the Rangers. Plus, I really like the city of Seattle, so that can't hurt.

As for teams I despise, Yankees (sorry Jessie) top the list. The way they have handled the Rangers in their playoff appearances has forever made them my enemy, and a rival (although Joel Stabile, to this day will still claim "the Rangers and Yankees is not a rivalry) of my beloved Rangers). True, the Yankees fans might not see it this way, but to all the Rangers fans who have been wronged by the boys in pinstripes, we hold a grudge.

Other baseball thoughts of note:

1. I like the idea of the National League better than the American League, as I was once a pitcher who wanted to bat. However, there are no National League teams I am interested in following.

2. I wish it was possible to vote for Commish, because I would campaign for Cal Ripken, Jr.

3. I love Ichiro, but apparently, two WBCs ago, he said some things about South Korea still being "a colony" of Japan, and therefore I find no Ichiro fans around me.


And to start off with a bang and deliver the latest offseason news of the Rangers (latest being 5 days ago): Rudy Jaramillio, who has spent the last 15 of his 19 years as the Rangers' batting coach, has turned down a 1 year offer for 2010, and will not be returning in any capacity. Jaramillo cites this as a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to test the market and see "where he stands in the game." Rudy has long been a Rangers institution, and many fans regard him, and only him, as fully responsible for the Rangers hitting successes over the past decade.
Current outfield/first base coach Gary Pettis is just one named being tossed around as a possible replacement for Jaramillo.

I think all of you know that my allegiance lies with my Cardinals. I honestly do feel bad for Steve that he is not going to get to cover them initially, simply because he is just as big as a fan as I am. I was born in that city, went to a lot of ball games at the old Busch, and seen a couple in the new one. The Cardinals are simply my team. I really did not think it would come down to my #5 pick to determine my 1 year team, but I am pretty happy about covering the Astros. My wife's side of the family are huge Houston fans, and not just because their star player is a blood relative, they have just always been Astros fans. I like the idea of keeping up on the Cardinals competition, as well as the other Texas team.

Business first,

1. Texas Rangers
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Houston Astros
5. Kansas City Royals

In a picture you will see here, and nowhere else (except my other blog), here's Alex Rodriguez walking to the University of Miami baseball field to work on his fielding and throwing prior to the upcoming ALCS.

1. Yankees

1. Texas Rangers

1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Texas Rangers
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Florida Marlins
5. New York Yankees
   

1. Cardinals

Dear Writers,