Posts Tagged ‘Derek Jeter’
While I don't hate the idea of Pedroia at short, I'd much prefer he stay at 2nd and Theo get the team a damn shortstop. (Photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor/sittingstill.net and used with permission)
Gordon Edes is back where he belongs: In Boston covering the Red Sox…so all is not lost! (Seriously, I couldn’t be happier. It’s nice to have a writer I feel like I can turn to for what is actually going on and not some tabloid talk.)
In his most recent post, Edes tells us that, in spite of their first offer being rejected, the Red Sox are still hot for Jason Bay. Actually, it’s a line in his newest entry that they used as the headline “but a club source indicated that Bay remains the prime target“. The rest of the piece is about Matt Holliday and Roy Halladay and Marco Scutaro and, well, basically everyone BUT Bay. It is mostly about which free agents the Sox are targeting, though, and it’s an interesting piece.
I hope he’s right. I hope they’re still considering making him an offer he can’t refuse. But, again, I won’t be losing any sleep if they don’t. I like Bay but I don’t think he’s irreplaceable. Honestly, my bigger concern is the infield at the moment. Alex Gonzalez might not be a future Hall of Famer but dammit he’s a quite decent shortstop…and having him is better than not having a shortstop at all. I’m not buying into this Pedroia at short talk just yet. Sure it was brought up, I get that, and if anyone thinks Pedie would ever turn down a challenge, well they aren’t paying attention. But I don’t see it happening unless something fabulous turns up to take second base. Meanwhile, Jed Lowrie quietly asks “WTH?”.
Been checking in on Kyle Snyder and his team in Puerto Rico. The good news is that Arecibo is still in first place but the bad news is Kyle seems to still be stuck on only having pitched in two games…his last only one inning – and I still haven’t determined if he’s injured or just stuck in some kind of huge rotation. Shout out to anyone in Puerto Rico (or anyone who follows the teams) with any information and I’d been terribly grateful.
Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated finally ended the long-time persecution of Derek Jeter by anointing him Sportsman of the Year. I certainly hope he’ll now get the respect he deserves that has been so elusive to him throughout his career.
But who cares about Derek Jeter when there are nekkid photos of Grady Sizemore out there? I’ve never looked at Sizemore the way “Grady’s Ladies” do but those pictures circulating right now make me think I might rethink my position on that. Except that in the one where you see the most, he forgoes a figleaf for a teacup. Bad choice, Mr. Sizemore, and one that your teammates will remind you of repeatedly throughout the 2010 season.
On a more serious note, it’s good to see Major League Baseball getting involved in trying to get the pictures taken down and not at all surprising that Deadspin doesn’t intend to do so (using the “They did it first” defense). As was pointed out to me by a photographer friend, the pictures are legally Grady’s and were illegally obtained. Doesn’t he have any legal recourse? It would do my heart good to see more people go after the likes of Deadspin and Perez Hilton (pretty much one in the same to me) but I don’t see it happening any time soon. It’s too bad. Tabloid reporting (and outright theft of things like photos) seem to be the only way anyone online becomes successful these days. It’s really kind of depressing.
I’m told there are 74 days until pitchers and catchers report. What’s that mean, about 65 days until Truck Day? There’s an awful lot of time to fill with speculation and rumors. Ah, the holidays!
Joe Mauer at Fenway in 2008 (Photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor/sittingstill.net and used with permission)
Over the weekend I uttered a phrase that many have spoken when they feel a player is overrated, especially if that player is being considered for the MVP award. “He isn’t even the MVP on his own team!”
Doesn’t take a psychic to guess that I was referring to Derek Jeter. I was thoroughly convinced that somehow the writers getting the AL Cy Young and Manager of the Year awards right meant that the MVP was absolutely going to Jeter. The idea of Mark Teixeira getting it had, honestly, never crossed my mind. So I was doubly surprised when not only did the writers get it right by giving the award to Joe Mauer, but that they got it even more right by voting for Mark Teixeira over Jeter.
According to Kelly Thesier at mlb.com:
Mauer finished with 327 points, well ahead of Teixeira, who had 225, and Jeter, who had 193. Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who received the only other first-place vote, was fourth with 171 points.
Special shout-out to Keizo Konishi, the writer from the Seattle chapter of the BBWAA who had the temerity to give Miguel Cabrera his one first-place vote. Every group needs their renegade, Keizo, and this year the BBWAA can look to you to keep the well-held belief that some members of the BBWAA barely follow the sport they cover. Well done.
Mind you, I’m not saying that Mauer HAD to get the vote unanimously, but voting for Cabrera over any of the top three vote-getters is absolutely baffling to me. Cabrera had a really good season, but not first-place MVP voting good (given his competition – yes, even I have to admit that Teixeira and Jeter were pretty damned impressive). Going 0-11 at the end of the season in the White Sox series when the division was on the line…well I’m not sure that’s MVP-worthy right there. You judge a player on his entire season but to be MVP of the league…well isn’t part of that coming up big when your team needs you?
