Posts Tagged ‘Club’

Chicago Cubs Starting Rotation for 2011 Looks Ugly Right Now

August 19th, 2010

Unless Cubs GM Jim Hendry makes some significant moves this off season, the Cubs rotation for next year could be really bad.

In fact, the Cubs top starter looks to be Ryan Dempster, who would be a fourth or fifth starter on any other "contending" club.

Of course, that is assuming the Cubs will be contenders next season, an assumption that is not likely to be realized.

Even in an average rotation, one would have to look long and hard to find a worse number one than Dempster.

Dempster isn't bad, mind you, but he just isn't an ace despite being paid like one.

Meanwhile, how does a rotation of Dempster, Randy Wells, Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Silva and Tom Gorzelanny grab you?

Yeah, I thought so.

None of us know what to expect out of Zambrano. But if his current starts are any indication, he is not only a bad character, his velocity is down and he looks to be washed up at such a young age.

Plus, who is to say that Big Z will even be with the club next year? You know they would love to move him, only his outrageous contract and no-trade clause will prevent that from happening.

Wells is an enigma who is not blessed with enormous talent, so he has to have perfect control to be effective. I doubt he will ever be more than a fifth starter candidate.

Silva, meanwhile, is returning to the awful ways of his career. He is a bad pitcher who got off to an incredible start. Only his huge contract prevents the club from releasing his fat ass.

And Gorzelanny? Um, does he really do it for you? He shows flashes of being an acceptable fifth starter but there is no guarantee.

Since the Cubs have only one position available in which to upgrade their miserable offense (first base), don't expect the team to be able to deal with a lack of quality pitching.

Look, the bullpen, aside from Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol, is basically nonexistent.

All this combines to create a gloomy forecast for 2011.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but things don't look good, fellow Cubs fans. And the rotation leads the way.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Phillies’ Howard to start rehab Friday (AP)

August 19th, 2010
Phillies slugger Ryan Howard will start a rehab assignment Friday with the club's Class-A affiliate in Lakewood. The All-Star first baseman has been sidelined with a sprained left ankle since Aug. 2. Barring ant setbacks, Howard will play at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday and could rejoin Philadelphia on Monday.

The McCourt Divorce: Will Bud Selig Rescue the L.A. Dodgers Franchise?

August 18th, 2010

(Michelle Mitchell also contributed to this article)

With the much publicized divorce proceedings between Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his wife, Jamie, set to begin in less than two weeks, fans across Dodgertown are primarily concerned about one thing—who will control the franchise heading into the 2011 season?

Basically, there's three possible outcomes in terms of what may happen with the Dodgers organization.

First, in some shape or form, Jamie McCourt could be awarded ownership of the team. This seems the most unlikely of the three, despite the nearly $10 million dollars Jamie is expected to pay out to her defense brigade. Frank's name alone is all over the franchise, and the marital assets are in a complete state of disarray. Although Jamie may come out on top in overall wealth, chances of her being awarded sole possession of the club are next to none.

Next, Frank could maintain his position as primary owner and chairman, and continue to oversee daily operations of the Dodgers for years into the future. There's a reasonable chance of this being the outcome, yet it's the last thing the Dodger faithful desires to occur. Based on the immoral and unethical business practices that have already been revealed before the divorce proceedings have even begun, Frank McCourt has no real passion for the Dodger legacy or devotion to the state of baseball in general. It's obvious that his interests lie primarily in generating as much revenue from the organization as possible.

Last, as a result of several different scenarios, the franchise could be placed on the market to be sold. The problem with this, however, is if the initial rulings are appealed, Frank could conceivably maintain ownership for a number of years as things get sorted out in appellate court. If Frank sees the writing on the wall that he must sell, but maintains control of the franchise for any extended period of time, chances are that he will milk every possible dime from the Dodgers before he ultimately relinquishes control.

As it stands right now, there are more than enough reasons for Commissioner Bud Selig to intervene even before some type of ruling is imposed in court. Quite possibly, Selig may have already made contact with Frank to convince him to sell before things become dire and Frank is stripped of ownership.

Frank McCourt can argue until he's Dodger Blue in the face, but it's too late now to convince anyone otherwise that he can change his practices and conduct business based on the best interests of the Los Angeles Dodgers as a whole.

During his tenure as owner it was obvious that many needed improvements needed to be made to better the organization, yet Frank decided to spend sums of money surpassing six figures to hire a Russian wizard to send energy waves from over 2,000 miles away to help the team win.

Also, according to court documents, the club is paying the annual salaries of the couple's sons, Drew and Travis. The combined salaries of the two total $600,000, while neither is said to have any responsibility with the Dodgers. At the time the documents were submitted, Drew was attending business school at Stanford and Travis worked at Goldman Sachs in New York.

Consequently, it is alleged by Jamie's lawyers that the Los Angeles Dodgers have paid nearly $4 million over the past 18 months to the John McCourt Company, an entity which does virtually nothing for the team. Jamie's attorneys are describing this entity as a "slush fund," implying it is nothing more than a piggy bank of cash to be used at Frank's leisure.

Additional documents also state that both Frank and Jamie jointly pocketed income totaling $108 million from 2004 through 2009. On that sum, they paid zero federal and state income tax. Because other companies or assets controlled by the McCourts were losing money, loopholes and careful maneuvering allowed the pocketed sum to become tax-free.

In another unorthodox scheme to generate revenue, it was revealed in past weeks that the Los Angeles Dodgers organization has been charging itself rent for Dodger Stadium and the surrounding properties. Although many teams in MLB pay rent for their stadiums, the annual sum of $14 million being paid by the Dodgers has been described as "ludicrous" by financial experts affiliated with the League.

In July, it was disclosed that the Dodgers' charity, the Dodgers Dream Foundation, had paid Howard Sunkin in excess of $400,000 in 2007, which was more than a quarter of the charity's budget. Sunkin, one of the club's highest ranking executives, was also compensated by the Dodgers for other work outside the charity as well. Authorities on charities, especially involved in Major League Baseball, have described the sum of money as preposterous.

As there's more than enough evidence for Bud Selig to intercede and force Frank McCourt out as owner, he's more than likely to weigh the initial ruling from the courts before he takes any type of action.

Most fans in Dodgertown are hoping for the fastest possible resolution, and Bud Selig could certainly make that happen.

The divorce proceedings begin on Monday, August 30. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Colorado Rockies’ Lackluster Performance Is Embarrassing

August 17th, 2010

People are still into the Rockies. They shouldn't be.

Unlike years past, the talk around the water cooler is not all about the Broncos in August. People are still talking about the Rockies. Do they have a chance? Can they make a run? If they can just figure out a way to win on the road...etc, etc, etc.

While many Rockies fans are not so quick to give up on this team, the fact is, they have given up on themselves. There was no more evidence of that than the Rockies pitiful 6-0 loss to open an all-important six game road trip in Los Angeles.

The Rockies have given up. They will never say it, but their actions carry more weight than their words do at this point.

This team has all the talent in the world. The reality is, they should be perched atop the National League West, aligning themselves for a postseason run.

Instead, they are seven games out of a wild card race. They may as well be 23 games out. This team will not be in the playoffs, and from the looks of it, the only ones who care are the fans.

Against a legitimate ace in Clayton Kershaw, not the pitchers that the Rockies have made look like aces since the All-Star break, the club failed to score when they had chances. Eric Young Jr. and Dexter Fowler, who apparently didn't get the memo that giving 100 percent was not on the agenda for the game, were on second and third base respectively in two separate situations with one out and Carlos Gonzalez at the plate.

Instead of trying to hit a ball into the outfield and score a run, Gonzalez, in both situations, tried to hit the ball all the way back to Coors Field. Troy Tulowitzki came up behind him and failed as well.

Baseball is a game of failure. This club cannot expect Gonzalez and Tulowitzki to pick up the slack every single day. However, the problem tonight resonates far deeper than Gonzalez and Tulowitzki failing. It shows how poorly coached this team is.

The cameras caught Jason Giambi having a conversation with Gonzalez after his failure. In the forefront of the picture was Don Baylor. The hitting coach looked either bored to death, or half-asleep. He could care less about the conversation that Giambi and Gonzalez were having.

The fact is, for Rockies fans it is time to pack it in. This club has packed it in. They are busy making their October vacation plans. They know that they will not be in the postseason. It is time that Rockies fans realized that as well.

The only hope is that 2011 brings a new focus and a new hitting coach who actually has a different approach than simply swinging for the fences and hoping for the best. That philosophy might work at Coors Field, but it doesn't translate on the road, especially in the pitching-rich National League West.


For more on the Rockies visit RockiesReview.com
This article is also featured on INDenverTimes.com

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Rockies-Brewers: Coors Field Drama Continues in Colorado Victory

August 13th, 2010

The Coors Field Rockies showed up for their brief home stand on Friday night.

Down 4-2 in the eighth inning, Troy Tulowitzki crushed a line drive to left field that hit off the glove of Ryan Braun and into the first row of seats, giving the Rockies a 5-4 lead that Huston Street made stand in the ninth.

What makes the Rockies a completely different team at home than on the road is a mystery.

Jim Tracy gives credit to the fans. Others have suggested that the large outfield allows the Rockies to believe that they can simply make contact and the ball will find the grass.

Whatever the reason, if the Rockies could be half the offensive threat on the road as they are at home, they would be leading the National League West by five games.

The difference between the home Rockies and the away Rockies is so profound that whatever the actual reason for the club's struggles, the attention surrounding it has made it become more mental than anything else.

On Friday night, with the Rockies down 4-2 late in the game, the feeling was not that the Rockies were going to pack it in and wait for Saturday's game. The club oozed confidence that they were simply going to find a way to win it.

On the road, that confidence is nowhere to be found. Most of the time the Rockies look like they are deer in the headlights when the opposition scores a single run early in the game.

The most frustrating thing for Rockies fans is that they know better than to quit on this club. When most teams can cash in their seasons and make October vacation plans, these Rockies are busy finding a way to squeeze back into the playoff picture.

Traditional thinking would suggest that finding a way to crawl back into the playoff picture is not a frustrating thing.

However, the way the Rockies found themselves in the playoffs two of the last three years has been so unconventional that it just doesn't seem possible a third time.

The other frustrating part about being a Rockies fan is watching the home squad play the way that they are talented enough to play, then seeing the road team blow all of the ground that was gained.

So are the Rockies done? The realistic answer is yes. There are too many games to regain in the division and too many teams to jump in the wild card race.

However, if there is a team that can suddenly find their way and play to their potential over a long stretch, it is the Colorado Rockies.

However, if they are going to get back into the race, they have no more time to waste. They must go on a run, and they must do it immediately. They have wasted as much time as possible.

To get to the playoffs they must be within four games of the wild card by the end of August. On top of that, they must be at least third in the wild card race. If they are any further behind than that, they have no chance.

 

For more on the Rockies visit RockiesReview.com

 

This article is featured on INDenverTimes.com

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com