Rogers' Sticky Palm

You judge for yourself. Did he cheat?

Did Kenny Rogers cheat with his "dirt"-covered pitching hand??

From the pictures above & live broadcast, the dirt looked most like a sticky, oily substance that was glued to the bottom of Rogers' left-palm, his pitching hand. His own explanation of the dirt-look-like thing-ie was the product of rosin, dirt, and sweat. That brownie on his palm looked more like pine-tar and rosin than simply just plain dirt. Given that the weather was cold (~30F) during the game and some pitchers are known to put some pine-tar on their hand (particularly just the fingers) to get a better grip of the baseball, they wouldn't have such fair-size, obvious dark color on their pitching hand. The area where Rogers had the dirt is an interesting spot, because it's not on his fingers but the bottom palm area below his thumb. It's easy to imagine that a ball with some rosin, pine-tar, and some dirt could make some unusual, silly moves as a slider or a curve. If Rogers did play around with some funny substance with the ball, any physicist would be proud of his pitches and the hitters' incapability to make contact with them.

By the way, MLB balls are "rubbed in" with dirt from Mississippi, but are no where near dirt-color-like. Balls are no longer pearls after they have been rubbed in with dirt and water, however, are relatively white after all. In any MLB game, balls are changed when they hit the dirt when they bounced to the catcher or after being fouled off. Rogers' sticky hand presents a questionable situation in which that he should be suspected of doctoring the ball with whatever he's got on his hand. Obviously, having any "foreign substance" (that is excluding just dirt, of course) on the pitcher is an offense to the rules of the game. The question simply comes down to WHAT is on Rogers' hand. It's not just dirt, seemingly.

Some of the most-read sports writers offered their views & Rogers and MLB's response to the dirty question:

Yahoo! Sports:
Dan Wetzel, Caught looking
Jeff Passan, A sticky question

ESPN.com:
Jayson Stark, Rogers' dirty hand overshadows his Game 2 brilliance
Gene Wojciechowski, Rogers was masterful, but did he cheat?
Buster Olney, Top 10 Rogers explanations

Yahoo! Video
Rogers: 'Just dirt'
Ump's view

Clearly, he didn't have dirt when he pitched in prior playoff games this year:

Rogers in ALCS:
















In ALDS:

Tim McCarver Wrong, Again

In World Series Game 1 broadcast, FOX commentator, Tim McCarver (a.k.a. Captain Bandwagon) suggested that "revenue sharing" is working in reference to Detroit Tigers' success this season and being in the World Series. McCarver is known as a blind squirrel that wouldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat in the baseball commendatory world. He never knows what he is talking about and talks without any facts or backing.

If the 14th highest payroll team, the Tigers, has done well this season because of revenue sharing, shouldn't similar middle-size market teams like HOU, SEA, and PHI be having as much success as Detroit? It's fair to note that teams without a decent salary spending of ~$80 are in a tougher situation to be competitive (i.e. a contender that can make the playoff). At ~$83 million, Detroit is right in the middle in terms of teams that wish to spend on free agents and trade for players to be in contention. Revenue sharing is NOT the reason why Tigers have been a winning team and is in the World Seres. It's their smart player management that leads them to the fall classic.

P.S. Some would remember McCarver kept calling Bronson Arroyo, "Brandon" throughout '04 postseason. This guy has the Jose Conseco-level analytical and reading skills.

www.shutuptimmccarver.com

Chip Cannon

With a name like that (Chip as a good-hitter in Chipper Jones & Cannon as a rocket-throwing arm), this guy is my favorite Blue Jays prospects simply because of his catchy baseball call-sign. A 8th round pick in '04, Chip has got some positive attention from scouts, not just from his made-for-the game name. This guy could be get called up later in '07 as a DH/1B if he continues his hot hitting. This kid has one of the best names ever in baseball (even better than Hack Wilson).

In recent Toronto's official Arizona Fall League update, he is noted as one of TOR's most promising power hitters:

Since Toronto drafted him in 2004, Chip Cannon has quickly proven he is among the organization's most promising power hitters. After slugging 42 home runs in his first two professional seasons, the 24-year-old first baseman didn't slow down in 2006, leading the Eastern League with 27 roundtrippers.

Now he's out to conquer another level, the Arizona Fall League. Judging by his performance on Oct. 16, he's well on his way. The graduate of The Citadel went 3-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs to lead Phoenix to a 14-6 victory over the Peoria Seguaros. Cannon went 5-for-17 with four RBIs in five games this week.

Batting Statistics

Year	Team	Lg	Age	Org.	Level		Pos	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	HBP	IBB	SH	SF	DP	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2001	Citadel	NCAA	19		NCAA			22	33	4	11	0	0	2	4	0	0	3	7	2		0	0	2	.333	.421	.515	936
2002	Citadel	NCAA	20		NCAA			57	214	37	60	9	1	9	39	1	1	40	46	1		0	1	4	.280	.395	.458	853
2003	Citadel	NCAA	21		NCAA			57	205	50	69	15	3	12	60	0	0	42	44	7		0	3	7	.337	.459	.615	1074	as
2004	Citadel	NCAA	22		NCAA			67	232	69	83	20	2	17	66	3	1	71	49	7		0	3	1	.358	.514	.681	1195	as
	Auburn	NYPL	22	Tor	A-		1b-dh	62	210	33	57	15	1	10	41	0	0	22	55	1	1	1	4	4	.271	.338	.495	833
2005	Lansing	Midw	23	Tor	A		1b-dh	46	168	22	45	9	2	11	36	0	0	20	47	2	5	0	1	1	.268	.351	.542	893
	Dunedin	FSL	23	Tor	A+		1b-dh	29	112	28	43	4	2	14	39	0	1	16	32	1	2	0	0	2	.384	.465	.830	1295
	N Hampshre	East	23	Tor	AA		1b-dh	47	170	15	42	13	1	7	23	2	0	10	58	1	1	0	0	4	.247	.293	.459	752
2006	N Hampshre	East	24	Tor	AA		1b	135	475	78	118	25	1	27	69	0	2	51	158	11	6	1	1	5	.248	.335	.476	811
Minor League Totals - 3 Season(s)								319	1135	176	305	66	7	69	208	2	3	119	350	16	15	2	6	16	.269	.345	.522	867

His real name is "Rhame B Cannon", in case you really want to know. Heck, Chip Cannon rocks, bottom line!

Travis Buck

Athletics's 1st round pick in '05 (sandwich comp. pick), Travis Buck's got the name & skills to accelerate his path to the big's in '07. This stud OF has been noted in Oakland's Arizona Fall League news:

Oakland Athletics prospect Travis Buck has been anxiously awaiting his return to the diamond. Out of action with a strained hip flexor and sports hernia, the 22-year-old outfield prospect hasn't stepped to the plate since July 13, when he went 2-for-4 for Double-A Midland against Wichita.

Buck didn't have to wait long to make an impact in his debut with the Phoenix Desert Dogs on Oct. 16. In his first at-bat, he blooped a single and scored on Chip Cannon's home run. An inning later, the 36th overall selection in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft ripped a three-run homer. Buck finished 3-for-6, falling a triple shy of the cycle, in Phoenix's 14-6 victory over the Peoria Seguaros.

Here's how some of Buck's AFL teammates fared from Oct. 11-17 as Phoenix dropped four of its six games.

As a 1st rounder, he should be expected to be put on OAK's 40-man roster next season in '07 and some playing time if A's don't resign Jay Payton in LF or have other OF plans. Buck was given $950K as signing bonus in '05 when drafted, thus, implicitly, OAK has lots of faith and high expectation of this young man. So far, he has excelled in all minor-league levels up to AA. Let's just hope that A's don't trade him away for a free-agent to be somewhere down the road. Travis has shown the potential thus far to be the next Nick Swisher (a 1st rounder, too, in '02).

Batting Statistics

Year	Team	Lg	Age	Org.	Level		Pos	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	HBP	IBB	SH	SF	DP	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	Arizona St	NCAA	19		NCAA			66	239	59	78	13	3	4	46	12	2	35	28	11		5	2	9	.326	.432	.456	888	amer-frsh
2004	Arizona St	NCAA	20		NCAA			59	225	64	84	16	1	9	58	13	3	41	34	11		6	3	6	.373	.486	.573	1059	as
2005	Arizona St	NCAA	21		NCAA			67	288	82	110	24	3	6	43	27	9	28	35	6		6	1	5	.382	.446	.549	995	cws-as, as
	Vancouver	Nwest	21	Oak	A-		of	9	36	7	13	1	0	2	9	1	1	5	8	0	0	0	0	3	.361	.439	.556	995
	Kane Cty	Midw	21	Oak	A		of	32	123	17	42	13	0	1	22	3	1	19	19	0	1	1	1	4	.341	.427	.472	899
2006	Stockton	Calif	22	Oak	A+		of	34	126	24	44	17	3	3	26	2	1	14	18	0	0	0	5	3	.349	.400	.603	1003
	Midland	Tex	22	Oak	AA		of	50	212	32	64	22	1	4	22	9	1	22	39	3	1	1	0	5	.302	.376	.472	848
Minor League Totals - 2 Season(s)								125	497	80	163	53	4	10	79	15	4	60	84	3	2	2	6	15	.328	.399	.511	910

More on Parity by Dan Wetzel

Baseball's parity principle

Yahoo! Sports' Wetzel wrote on the payroll subject from this season. It's clear that a Wal-Mart-size payroll does not guarantee a championship, maybe not even a postseason ticket (e.g. Boston). Teams, get wise, spending more does NOT win more games.

Do you know that Yankees has ~$164.5 millions committed for 2007 season salary, already??!!

2007: $164.5M
2008: $111M
2009: $78.45M
2010: $41M
2011: $4M

Thanks to mlb4u.com for the reference.

Gammons on Parity

Playoffs show parity at work

Of the top 13 payrolls, only the Mets (fifth, $101M) have more than one postseason win; the Yankees (first, $199M) have one. The Tigers were 14th at $82M, Oakland 21st at $62M, the Cardinals 13th at $87M, which means that four of the top 17 payrolls made it to the postseason, three of the top 10, and only one of those, the Mets, are in the final four.

When Bud Selig led the coup against Fay Vincent on Labor Day, 1992, the primary rationale was that Vincent was too closely aligned with the big-market clubs that opposed widespread revenue-sharing. Now the World Series will be played with either the 14th-ranked Tigers or 21st-ranked Athletics.

Without a salary cap, baseball still has parity (strong, in fact) among teams with significant payroll differences. However, credit should NOT be given to Mr. Selig, who blindly thinks (thought, maybe but probably still thinks) that the success of a team is solely based on its salary. It is evident to conclude the commissioner's position on the matter from the last labor agreement, specifically in luxury tax & revenues sharing issues. It's great that teams not with the top-quartile payroll are in the playoff. It gives their fans hope and results that they deserve. Detroit Tigers proves it that it can be done with smart personnel moves & management. They did it with their young guys from trades and waiver pick-up's plus valuable veteran free agent signings (e.g. Rodríguez, Rogers, & Ordóñez)ont onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">. So maybe teams like the Pirates & Royals could make the playoff in a few years if they become smart soon.

ESPN's Keith Law & Inside Edge on ALDS DET vs. NYY Game 2

Yankees miss golden opportunity

Inside Edge's Pitcher Report Card on Mussina: B-

Inside Edge's Pitcher Report Card on Verlander: C+


Source: ESPN

ALDS Notes - DET vs. NYY Game 2

Final Score: 4:3; Series Tied, 1:1

Rookie pitcher, Verlander had a solid outing against the "New Muder Row" Yankee lineup this afternoon. His 98-mph fastballs and moving change-up's were thrown for strikes. NYY hitters are famously known for their patience and pitch selection. His one mistake pitch to Damon was slammed into the upperdeck in right field for a 3-run HR. That was all the $200 million lineup scored against the probable Rookie of the Year winner.

Yankees missed many scoring opportunities with runners on base & in scoring positions. In total, 20 LOBs are resulted from untimely hitting. Mussina, their starter threw his knuckle-curves well with solid fastballs that took advantage of sometime impatient (or you can call it "being aggressive"). Marcus Thams, Detroit's DH went 3-3 against Moose and was the difference maker in the game.

Tigers relievers, Zumaya's 100+mph fastballs & Todd Jones' sneaky sliders were great. Not to overlook Jamie Walker's relief of starter, Verlander in any way. The relievers' effective pitching without giving up any runs was the key for DET to win the game with a one-run lead and to tie the series after 2 games on the road.

NOTES FROM THE GAME
Bottom of 1st: After Damon leading off the game with a single, Jeter who had a 5-5 game in Game 1 decided to be a "team player" and attempted to bunt. His bunt popped up, straight up for the catcher on the first pitch he saw. 1 out, runner stayed on 1st, on 1 pitch. Terrible judgement by any means. A guy who was in the hunt for a batting title decided to bunt and "sacrifice" himself in attempt to move the runner over. The thinking and decision-making have always been the hardest criticism of Jeter and a very fair one in his entire career thus far. Baseball Prospectus guys discussed this in numerous occasions in their publication. It's just unwise to give up an out when you are one of the top hitters in the league.

After Abreu was walked and loaded up 1st & 2nd, 4th hitter, Sheffield came up to the plate. The Tigers were playing him to pull (a common practice in AL for him), the 1st baseman, Casey was playing was off the 1st baseline behind the runner. Sheffield stroke out on a hard, moving fastball thrown by Verlander. He didn't get a chance to pull the ball.

The next batter, Giambi was walked to loaded up the bases. Rodríguez, NYY's regular-season RBI leader stroke out on 3 pitches. The pitch sequence were 101mph fastball middle & low and swung at and missed, 101mph fastball in and was fouled on the ground behind the plate, and 85mph hammering curve and looked at without a swing. Mr. March, the '05 AL MVP was 0-4 in this game. So expect the NY media to be all over him in tomorrow's newspapers & on radio shows.

At the bottom of the 2nd, runners on 1st & 2nd with 2 outs, Jeter came up to bat. After swinging the first pitch foul and a ball, Yankee captain grounded out to SS for a FC at 2nd. So much for CaptainClutch. By the way, Carlos Delgado of the New York Mets, who played his first playoff game last night went 4-5 with a HR and 2 RBIs (the HR was solo, he got his 2nd RBI from a single)to helped his team to win the game. People probably don't talk about Delgado's performance as much as Jeter's 5-5 game, but that's just part of the Yankee blinded bandwagon

On the top of the 4th, with 2 outs and speedy Guillén on 3rd base, Craig Monroe who lead Tiges with 28HR dropped down a squeeze bunt on the first pitch in trying to score a run. The idea was probably because 3B, Rodríguez was playing way back and if Monroe had dropped down a good bunt down the 3rd base line, he would have been sate on an infield hit. His bunt went right back to pitcher, Mussina for an easy out to first. Monroe should have been trying to drive in a run in that situation as a slugger who had 92RBI in the regular season, especially he hit a double in his first-at against Mussina. Tigers' "forcing-runs" strategy once again was at display and didn't work out so far in the series.

GAME TURNING POINT
Thames lead off the top of the 7th with a single. Inge at the plate, tried to out down a bunt to move the runner to 2nd with the game tied at 3. 1st pitched was a ball and the 2nd one was a pass-ball by catcher, Posada, runner on 1st moved to 2nd. Posada's pass-ball problem, which happened twice in the game would hurt his team sometime in key situations. The SS was holding the runner at 2nd and the 3B was playing on the edge of the grass on a "stay" play, expecting a tag play at 3rd. Inge laid down the bunt on the 3rd pitch and successfully moved the runner on 2nd to 3rd. 1 out, lead-off hitter, Granderson fouled 2 pitches after a 0-2 count and slapped a line drive to left for a triple and drove in the ahead run. Without the pass-ball, the runner would still have scored on the triple. The run was the game-winning run and one that was executed with a plan by the Tigers.

Tigers' decision to bunt with a runner on 1st with no outs shows their strategy to put pressue on the defense and pitcher to score a run or two in such situation. Playing against such high-scoring team like the Yankees is difficult. However, as a team that tries to score as many runs as possible, even it's only one or two runs at a time is the optimal plan. The only problem with the particular play in the game is that the batter up, Inge has power (27HRs, 29 2Bs, & .463SLG) and the on-deck hitter, Granderson is a free-swinger who strikes out regularly74Ks in 596ABs). Tigers showed that they had confidence in their relief pitching and understood the importance of trying to score runs with certainty when runners get on base.

If DET takes advantage of every on-base situation, either with bunts or hit&run's, they could force enough runs on the scoreboard. It may be difficult, or rather unlikely to keep up with the NYY's offense scoring. However, like Tigers exemplified today's game, they have a chance of winning a game at a time when they generate runs with sound strategies.

Blue Jays' Off-Season Plan by GM Ricciardi

Ricciardi lays out offseason agenda


Official release by Toronto relating to its off-season plans about free-agents-to-be and other personnel issues. Blue Jays finished 2nd place in the AL East division with 87 wins, which is a 7-win improvement over the previous season.

Coming into the '06 season, the Canadian club aggressively increased its payroll and acquired big name free agents in Burnett & Ryan and traded for Glaus & Overbay. The final result isn't optimal as expected, as they failed to make the postseason, but still a success in terms of being a competitor and increasing ticket sales.

The biggest upcoming issue for Jays will be its franchise CF Vernon Wells who will become a free agents after the '07 season. Wells has expressed his interest to play elsewhere, because of Toronto's north-of-the-border geography & being the lone African-American on the club. The club should have enough money to re-sign Wells before he becomes a free-agent if they wish to. The question is whether the club could convince the player they drafted back in '97 to stay around. The club not only need to provide monetary incentive (a nice, long-term contract), but also their commitment of being competitive in their division. Sporting News's Ken Rosenthal discussed Wells' situation recently.

WELLS VS. BELTRAN

Center fielder Vernon Wells says he wants to sign a contract extension with the Blue Jays, but his price could be exorbitant. Wells almost certainly will seek a contract similar to Carlos Beltran's seven-year, $119 million deal with the Mets.

Outrageous? Not when you consider that Wells, a free agent after next season, boasts numbers that are nearly identical to what Beltran's were at the same level of service following the 2003 season.

Beltran: .288 batting average, .350 on-base, .478 slugging.

Wells: .288 batting average, .336 on-base, .492 slugging.

Beltran's contract with the Mets began at age 28, Wells will be a free agent at 29. Beltran is a switch-hitter and proficient base stealer; Wells is a right-handed hitter who rarely runs. Wells, however, has two won Gold Gloves, Beltran none.

While the Jays again plan to raise payroll, they're not likely to go to $17 million per season for Wells. Even if Wells agrees to a hometown discount, his average salary figures to be at least $15 million.

Then again, it might behoove Wells to take less from the Jays rather than face possible competition from Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter on the open market after next season.

Vernon Wells is looking to sign a big contract extension this off-season. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

Wells isn't as well-publicized as either of those players, but one rival executive calls him "the best player I saw this season." That might be overstating it, but Wells clearly is one of the game's top all-around players.

If the Jays can't sign Wells, the Angels would be an obvious trade possibility; the Rangers could be another if they lost Gary Matthews Jr. as a free agent.

Blue Jays have 5 free agents after this season:

Frank Catalanotto
Ted Lilly
Bengie Molina
Justin Speier
Gregg Zaun

Zaun is the only player that will probably to brought back for '07. Catalanotto is a fan-favorite in Toronto, but with young OFs like Reed Johnson & Adam Lind waiting for regular playing time, "Frank the Cat" won't re-signed. Lilly has been a good starter for the club, however, his blow-up with manager, John Gibbons this summer implied his chemistry problem with the dugout boss. Gibbons will be sticking around as long as Toronto doesn't have a disastrous season in the near-future. Thus, Jays GM may have to think hard about whether bringing Lilly back with a nice contract is good for the club. Catcher Molina has been a solid contributor to the club in'06, but complained about his playing time at time. His '07 option of $7.5 million probably won't be exercised, rather, he will be offered for a contract paying less than the amount on per-season basis. Relief pitcher, Speier is an above-average one in the league and played well in the setup role for the Jays. He may be offered a 2-year contract that wouldn't be one with the biggest dollar figure among bids.

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick on Top '06~'07 free agents

COWBOY UP's OFF-SEASON PLAN for TOR:

TOR has ~$60M in salary commitment for '07 season & will have a budget of ~$75~80M -- $15~20M to spend this off-season.

Re-sign:
Bengie Molina, C/DH, 32 - 3-year, $4.5 mil. per (made $5M in '06 with $7.5M option for '07)
Justin Speier, RP, 33 - 2-year, $2.5 mil. per (made $1.9M in '05 & $2.25M in '06)
Gregg Zaun, C/DH, 35 - 1-year, $1.25 mil. (made $1.05M in '05 & $1M from option in '06)

Sign:
1 or 2 SPs of the following free agents:
Tony Armas Jr., RHP, 28 - 3-year, $4M per ($2.1M, 2006)
Adam Eaton, RHP, 28 - 3-year, $3.5M per ($4.65M, 2006)
Wade Miller, RHP, 30 - 2-year, $2M per ($1M plus $1M in incentives, 2006)
Randy Wolf, RHP, 30 - 3-year, $5.5M per (4 years/$22.5M, 2003-06)

1 SP of the following free agents:
Gil Meche, RHP, 28 - 4-year, $7M per ($3.7M plus $0.225M in incentives, 2006)
Barry Zito, RHP, 28 - 5-year, $11M per (4 years/$9.3M, 2002-05), plus $8.5M option, 2006)

1 or 2 RPs (if TOR doesn't re-sign Speier) of the following free agents:
Chad Bradford, 32 - 3-year, $1.75 per (1 year/$1.4M, 2006)
Steve Kline, LHP, 34 - 2-year, $2.25M per (2 years/$5.5M, 2005-06)
Scott Schoeneweis, LHP, 33 - 2-year, $2.5M per (2 years/$5.2M, 2005-06)
Jamie Walker, LHP, 34 - 2-year, $2.5M per (1 year/$0.9M plus incentives, 2005, $1.25M option, 2006)

Position Players:
Nomar Garciaparra, 1B/DH, 33 - 2-year, $ 7.5M per (1 year/$6M plus $4M in incentives based on at-bat's, 2006 : $5.5M actually earned)

1 of the following middle-infielder free agents:
Adam Kennedy, 2B, 30 - 3-year, $3.75M per (3 years/$8.85M, 2004-06)
Mark Loretta, 2B, 35 - 2-year, $3.5M per (04:$2.5M, 05:$2.75M, 06:$3M)
Alex L. Gonzalez, SS, 29 - 2-year, $3M per ($3M, 2006)
Julio Lugo, SS, 30 - 2-year, $4 per ( $1 year/$3.25M, 2005, plus $4.95M option, 2006)

2B/SS Russ Adams will be starting '07 in the minors, thus, TOR will need to decide whether to play Aaron Hill at 2B or SS and sign a free agent middle-infielder. Adam Kennedy would be the best signing for the opening, but a long-term contract would be necessary. Loretta is a good short-term sign and a good club house presence with his experience. Gonzalez is a defensive upgrade but a offense liability, still a very decent option for the short-term. Lugo has been desired by TOR, but his price may be too high for what he could brings to the table. Also, his strengths in aggressive base-running and base-stealing don't go well with TOR's team strategy.

TOR could use an additional hitter at the DH position to protect Wells, Glaus, and Overbay. Garciaparra could be a great DH option who can play some 1B to rest Overbay, however, his price might be too high for his high injury risk.

TOR needs a #3 starter behind Halladay & Burnett. Armas, Eaton, Miller, and Wolf are bets TOR could take on, all have injury histories. However, their come-back
Meche is the best free-agent SP option mentioned above, in terms of value and performance. Many clubs are interested in him, though, and his price would rise out of proportion, that is the downside. Zito would be a great #2 starter, but his price is very high. TOR would be committing a lot of money for the future if they wish to get the best SP available in this off-season. It may not be the best move if they wish to consider re-signing Wells (which at this point, doesn't seem likely).

Blue Jays needs another RP in the bullpen and a left-handed one. Bradford & Walker are the best options who will provide the best value and effective performances.

ALDS Notes DET vs. NYY Game 1

Robertson made a mistake with an inside pitch that was high but not inside enough, Giambi hit it out as a flyball out in most other parks but at Yankee Stadium it's a Home-Run.

DET was trying to make a statement about their aggressiveness and eager to win the game. Tigers want to be aggressive with base stealing & hit-and-run's to generate runs against the top-run-producing NYY lineup.

Key Scoring Opportunity (Missed)
On top of the 2nd inning, Tigers led off the inning with a double by Ordóñez and followed by a walk to Guillén. 6th hitter, Rodríguez who hits .300AVG & .332OBP this season, at the plate. After a 0-1 count, Tigers attemped to double-steal 2nd & 3rd. Ordóñez on 2nd did not get a good jump and pitcher, Wang threw a hard sinking fastball inside to right-handed hitter at the plate. Ordóñez was easily threw out at 3rd base. Rodríguez stroke out with the at-bat, the 2nd out of the inning, withou moving the 2nd base runner, Guillén to 3rd. DET didn't score any runs in that inning.

Having a speedy runner at 3rd with 2 outs facing a sinker pitcher and a catcher notoriously known for pass ball issues is a run-scoring opportunity without a hit. Balls could have bounced to the backstop and the 3rd base runner could have scored.

The double-steal play by Tigers is a rather unwise decision. Wang throws strikes and facing a 1-0 count, Tigers should have opted to double-steal on a better count (e.g. 2-0 or 2-1) and/or in a later count as a surprise. The runner on 2nd, Ordóñez has average speed at best. He didn't get a good jump off the pitcher at all. However, because double-steal was called, he had to go. With the 6th batter up and a hitter who can hit, using double-steal isn't an optimal startegy to generate runs. Posada behind the plate throws out 37% of base-stealers this year, which is in the top-tier of catchers. The strategy didn't work because of the runner's speed on 2nd base and the count for the hitter. If DET wanted to generate runs, the hitter should have been asked to bunt to move the runners to 2nd & 3rd. Follow-up batters, Monroe & Thame are fly-balls hitters who could easily hit sacrifice fly to score at least a run. Tigers should have more confidence in their 6th batter in that situation, too.

Updated Playoff Pitching Matchups

STL vs. SD (reg. season head-to-head record: SD 4-2)
Game 1: at SD
Tue, Oct 3 - 4:05 pm EDT
C. Carpenter vs. J. Peavy
Game 2: at SD
Thu, Oct 5 - 4:05 pm EDT
J. Weaver vs. D. Wells
Game 3: at STL
Sat, Oct 7 - TBA
C. Young vs. J. Suppan
*Game 4: at STL
Sun, Oct 8 - TBA * - If necessary
W. Williams vs. C. Carpenter
*Game 5: at SD
Mon, Oct 9 - TBA * - If necessary
J. Weaver vs. J. Peavy

NOTE: STL will use Carpenter as their Game 4 starter at home if they return home for the game in the series. They are taking advantage of the extra day rest between the 1st & 2nd games. Carpenter will have his normal-5-day/game rest for Game 4. If STL moves on to the League Championship series, he will be able to start the 1st game, as well.

Wells was moved up to start Game 2 for Padres. The decision was made prior to Game 1, which SD lost. The move to pitch Young at home may help the young pitcher's first playoff experience.


LAD vs. NYM (reg. season head-to-head record: NYM 4-3)
Game 1: at NYM
Wed, Oct 4 - 4:05 pm EDT
D. Lowe vs. J. Maine
Game 2: at NYM
Thu, Oct 5 - 8:05 pm EDT
H. Kuo vs. T. Glavine
Game 3: at LAD
Sat, Oct 7 - TBA
S. Trachsel vs. G. Maddux
*Game 4: at LAD
Sun, Oct 8 - TBA
O. Pérez vs. B. Penny
*Game 5: at NYM<br>Mon, Oct 9 - TBA
D. Lowe vs. T. Glavine

NOTE: Hernández of NYM is out for the Division Series, thus, Maine will be used as Game 1 starter. Glavine is not avaialable for the 1st game, because he would've been on a less-than-normal 4-day rest. Game 4 starter for Mets should be an open slot, that will be determined in coming days.

Maddux was pushed back to start Game 3 at home and Kuo will be starting in Game 2 in New York. It's a rather risky move to start a rookie on the road, in a determining game. Maddux would be on a 5-day rest if he were to pitch Game 2. The decision to start Kuo, who has never pitched a full season could possibly change if LAD loses Game 1.


OAK vs. MIN (reg. season head-to-head record: MIN 6-4)
Game 1: at MIN
Tue, Oct 3 - 1:05 pm EDT
B. Zito vs. J. Santana
Game 2: at MIN
Wed, Oct 4 - 1:05 pm EDT
E. Loaiza vs. B. Bonser
Game 3: at OAK
Fri, Oct 6 - 4:05 pm EDT
B. Radke vs. D. Haren
*Game 4: at OAK
Sat, Oct 7 - TBA * - If necessary
C. Silva vs. R. Harden
*Game 5: at MIN
Sun, Oct 8 - TBA * - If necessary
B. Zito vs. J. Santana

NOTE: A's pushed up Loaiza to start Game 2 instead of Haren. The decision possibly came after winning Game 1. Loiaza has been shaky all season, thus using him after having one win in the series already spread out the risk and leverage better starters for later games when OAK returns home.

MIN might use Santana on short-rest in Game 3 if they were down 0-2 in the series. Twins have good matchups from Bonser and Radke in Game 2 & 3, respectively. Using experienced Radke on the road instead of rookie Bonser is wise choice.


DET vs. NYY (reg. season head-to-head record: NYY 5-2)
Game 1: at NYY Tue, Oct 3 - 8:05 pm EDT
N. Robertson vs. C. Wang
Game 2: at NYYr>Wed, Oct 4 - 8:05 pm EDT
J. Verlander vs. M. Mussina
Game 3: at DET Fri, Oct 6 - 8:05 pm EDT
R. Johnson vs. K. Rogers
*Game 4: at DET Sat, Oct 7 - TBA * - If necessary
J. Wright vs. J. Bonderman
*Game 5: at NYY Sun, Oct 8 - TBA * - If necessary
N. Robertson vs. C. Wang

NOTE: NYY's Johnson is a probably starter for Game 3. Different status reports on his injured back have not been confirmed with certainty. Lidle could be used to replace either Johnson or Wright in the rotation.

DET using Verlander on the road in Game 2 after being down 0-1 in the series is not the optimal choice. Rogers & Bonderman pitched on Sunday, and would have been on short-rest if either were to start on Wed. DET would need to win one in New York to take advantage of Rogers' experience and playing at home. The pressure would be too great to overcome to have a shot at winning the series if they were down 0-2 going back to Detroit. Tigers do have the best road-record in Major League, 49-32.

AP's Jim Litke on Small-Budget Twins' Success

A consolation prize for teams that can't afford to win

"Not only did those two help turn the Twins' fortunes around; they stabilized the left side of the infield for about $1 million combined -- or 1-46th of what the Yankees are paying Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter to do. Ryan ultimately got the pop he wanted from Joe Mauer and Torii Hunter, two players the Twins drafted and brought up through their system. But how long that will work is anybody's guess."

Jeter's Hitting Report from ALDS Game 1

Jeter's 5 at-bats: Pitch-by-pitch

Neat, deatiled scouting reoprt.

El Duque Out, Maine In

ESPN Radio just updated the status of Mets' Game 1 starter, Orlando Hernández is OUT. John Maine will start in his place vs. Derek Lowe at 4:00 EDT.

Hernández may be out the entire Division Series.

ALDS Notes - OAK vs. MIN Game 1

Pitching
Both Zito & Santana looked great yesterday. Zito took advantage of Twins hitters' aggressiveness at the plate & on the bases with balls outside the strike zone & varying deliveries. Zito threw mostly curves & change-ups with high fastballs as baits for hitters to swing outside the zone. Minnesota had to adjust to look for hitting the off-speed's instead of fastballs because of that. His curves & especially change-ups had a lot of movements and were strikes consistently. That was a tough problem for the home team offense in Game 1.

Santana was in the the usual Cy Young form, but made a few mistakes, particular when facing Frank Thomas. Johan missed few change-ups over the middle of the plate that were easier to hit if hitters had expected them after a fastball. Overall, he pitched a good game, just didn't get the run support he needed to win. You have to give credit to him for picking his team up. After SS Barlett made an error to miss a potential double-play to load 1st & 2nd base with no outs on the top of the 7th inning, Santana managed to get out of the inning without giving up a run. That's a team player and big-time leader on display right there. Barlett is in his 2nd season at the Major League SS position and playing his first postseason. Santana showed his cool and maturity by telling him it's ok and got out of the jam on his own. This is an positive implication of a true winner Santana is as a teammate and player.


Hitting
Frank Thomas proved again that he's still got the bat that will hurt you. He knew and expected the pitches from Santana and punished the mistakes made by the pitcher. Cap off to Big Hurt. He's the dangerous hitter that he's always been and he is the catalyst and offense factor for the A's.

Game-Changing Point
Twins trailed the entire game, and their biggest chance of getting back into the game came in the bottom of the 8th. After Santana getting his team out of trouble in the 7th with no outs and runners on 1st & 2nd, White hit a HR to put one on the scoreboard at the bottom of the half. 2:1, OAK, going into the 8th.

MIN started off the 8th inning with a double from Barlett. Lead-off hitter Castillo was at the plate and being down by one run and middle of the line-up coming up, a bunt seemed like a logical decision. Yes, Castillo tried to bunt to the right side with Zito's curve on the first pitch. He missed, and Barlett took off after the pitch delivery and was dancing between 2nd and 3rd base. A's catcher, Kendall alertly threw to 2nd base and Barlett stumbled his way back to 2nd base to avoid the pick-off. Luckily, the throw was off, otherwise, Barlett would have been out crawling back to the base. He didn't look like a good base-runner out there. He must have took off early before the intended bunt was executed.

The next pitch, Castillo didn't try to bunt again and swung the ball foul grounding to right. Zito threw two off-speed's to the hitter thus far. With the way the movements on his pitches, it was difficult to put down a good bunt. That could have been the reason why MIN took off the bunt and let Castillo to try to hit to the right side instead. Castillo instead grounded out to third and Barlett couldn't move to third with one out. Barlett stopped in-between 2nd & 3rd when the next batter, Punto grounded out to the 2nd baseman. That was just not a smart base running move. Barlett was looking at the 3rd base coach, maybe he thought that the 2nd baseman was throwing to 3rd for a tag. However, his instinct seemed rather inexperienced and didn't anticipate the correct running play. When there's 1 out and a ball hitting to the right side, defense isn't likely to throw the ball to 3rd for a tag to avoid an error and letting the runner on 2nd score. Defense would most likely opt to get the sure-out at 1st base to get the 2nd out and leave the runner moving to 3rd. Barlett should have easily taken off to 3rd base when seeing the ground ball going to the right side of the infield and turn around the base to see if the ball was thrown away to potentially score on the ground ball.

Twins ended up not scoring any runs in that 8th inning after a slashing line-out by Mauer to left. However, it's the decision and execution of the team that might have caused a chance to tie the ball game.

Castillo should have tried to bunt again on 0-1 count, after missing the first bunt attempt. It wouldn't have been easy to lay a good bunt to the right side with Zito's curve, though. The OAK 3rd baseman was playing "stay" on the first bunt attempt and the shortstop was holding the runner on 2nd. If Castillo could have laid a bunt down 3rd baseline, it'd have been a nice play, too, forcing the pitcher to field the pitch and give the runner on 2nd a chance to run down to 3rd. MIN opted to have Castillo hitting to the right side, though, on the 2nd pitch. If he had grounded the ball fair and been out, the runner on 2nd would still have made it to 3rd safely.

This particular situation was the game-turning point. Twins came up short and failed to deliver, and lost the game.

Last Minute ALDS Game 1 Yankee Note

NY Media has been blasting A-Rod since Monday about him batting 6th in the lineup.
NY Post's King on A-Rod

On ESPN Radio's Stephen A. Smith show today, the host criticized the Yankees and partially A-Rod for failing to meeting their expectation of winning a World Series Championship since 2001. Rodríguez is singled out again because of his salary size being the highest paid player in the game. Mussina & Giambi were also mentioned because of their $20 million paycheck for this season. YES Network's Michael Kay incorrectly and ignorantly pointed out that Yankees is only paying less than the ~$21 mil. amount for '06 season, because the contribution of Texas club in his trade to NYY. Thus, he should not be considered as a player making $20 million this season and excluded from the conversation. Obviously that's an incorrect determent to judge and expect what a player's performance should be; Stephen A. correctly with enthusiasm noted that.

On Mike & the Mad Dog on The Fan radio show last week, "Mad Dog" Chris Russo suggested the idea of intentionally the hitter ahead of A-Rod, if he were batting 4th (or the middle-of-the-lineup). He just thinks that A-Rod's head is just so screwed up now with all the criticisms that he won't be able to deliver now. It really all comes down to how Mr. Rodríguez performs in the postseason this year.

Top 25 Highest Paid Players in '06

ESPN's Expert Picks

ESPN experts: Who's going to win?

Olney's Top 10 Matchups in AL & NL
Top 10 matchups of the NLDS
Top 10 matchups of the ALDS

ESPN Page 2's 100 Reasons To Watch Playoffs

100 reasons to watch playoffs

Plus:
Page 2: Season in review

Without the humor of Page2, life would be much harder...

Sports Ticker: How They Got There

• How they got there: The Los Angeles Dodgers

• How they got there: The New York Mets

• How they got there: The St. Louis Cardinals

• How they got there: The San Diego Padres

• How they got there: The Minnesota Twins

• How they got there: The New York Yankees

• How they got there: The Detroit Tigers

• How they got there: The Oakland Athletics

Interesting background information on 8 poayoff teams.

SI's John Donovan on Oakland Athletics in the Playoff

Fifth time's the charm?
"Does Harden make the difference? Can a deep rotation with a true stopper, and one of the best bullpens in baseball, help the A's turn the postseason corner? Can that solid defense, maybe the best in Oakland history? Or that underrated lineup?"

Do the A's have it?
Donovan's pick: MIN in 5

Small-market, moneyball-minded A's has a tough series vs. the Twins starting on the road today. It'd be some kind of a positive statement if OAK hitters could score some runs off Johan Santana. They'd build some momentum for the rest of the series, even if they don't win against the Twins ace in today's 1st game. A's have an above-average bullpen, and as long as they don't tax the staff early in the series, those guys who don't stretch until the 5th inning or later will be a value to them if the series does go deep.

Cy Young - NL

NL is known for its strong pitching, almost as always. The 2006 Season is no short of strong pitching performance from All-Star caliber arms.

NOTE: Closers have been excluded from the discussions of possible Cy Young award winners this season. Closers usually need some monstrous stats with much less innings pitched than starters. Unless there are no stand-out starters in a specific season and a closer puts up HOF-like season, Cy Young usually belong to guys who used their arms for ~200 (if not more) innings. The argument for how valuable a dominant closer is for a winning team is another (long) discussion. Simply put, a stud starter who puts up top-of-the-league #'s over 200 innings contributes a significant part to a team's success (or failure, but it wouldn't that guy's fault).

Honorable Mentions for Closers this season are at the end of this blog.


HOU: Roy Oswalt
Oswalt had an All-Star season with NL-leading 2.98 ERA in 220 2/3inn pitched. His contribution to Astros' late-season run for the NL Central title gives him more credit as a big-time ace. His #'s are consistent all-season-long.

		G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
April		6	6	4	1	0	0	0	42.1	42	15	13	2	9	27	2.76	1.20	.271
May		6	6	1	2	0	0	0	38.2	42	16	15	4	7	26	3.49	1.27	.282
June		4	4	1	1	0	1	0	29.0	31	12	12	3	6	21	3.72	1.28	.284
July		6	5	2	3	0	1	0	35.0	37	12	12	5	5	25	3.09	1.20	.274
August		5	5	2	1	0	0	0	32.0	32	12	12	1	3	28	3.38	1.09	.252
September		6	6	5	0	0	0	0	43.2	36	9	9	3	8	39	1.85	1.01	.224

Total

33

32

15

8

0

2

0

220.2

220

76

73

18

38

166

2.98

1.17

.263

His only weakness in the eyes of voters would be his strikeout rate; Oswalt only stroke out 166 all season, which implies a possible decline in his dominance over hitters with power. (the Astros ace stroke out 206 &184 in '04 & '05, respectively, which has been slowly declining, including this season) Getting guys with strikeouts sound much sexier to those baseball writers who vote for the award than a pitcher who uses much of the defense behind him. Only Greg Maddux in '94 won a Cy Young with a so-so 156Ks and he had a 1.56ERA that season, Tom Glavine won in '98 with 157Ks and he had 20 wins& 2.47ERA, & Doug Drabek won in '90 with 131Ks and he had 22 wins and 2.76ERA are Cy Young winner starters with less than 180Ks since '90.

Roy's 2.98ERA is great by any standards for pitchers with 200+inn thrown in a season, but his middle-of-the-pack 15wins & strikeouts will be held against him when voters compare to STL ace, Carpenter (see below).

STL: Chris Carpenter

Carpenter put up another solid season with Cardinals this season. His 15 wins, 3.09ERA, and NL-leading 1.07WHIP are impressive, but they are not going to show up in the Top 20 season list in a Bill James stats book. His WHIP is the most important indicator of his dominance that will set him apart from other power arms. Only giving up 197Hs & 43BBs over 221 2/3 innings, he knows how to get hitters out and he has 184Ks. Another factor in his favor is his team winning its division. With the almost-collapse of the St. Louis team in September to Houston, Carpenter had to stay in games longer than he should have late in the season with Cardinals' regular closer, Isringhausen out and a depleted, shaky bullpen. His #'s could have been better (i.e. wins & ERA) if STL had a more consistent offense and more reliable relief pitching. Carpenter had a find season with those stats he had, regardless.

		G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
April		6	6	3	1	0	0	0	40.0	36	8	8	4	7	31	1.80	1.08	.235
May		4	4	1	1	0	0	0	25.0	24	15	11	3	12	22	3.96	1.44	.240
June		5	5	2	2	0	0	0	33.0	33	12	12	3	7	35	3.27	1.21	.256
July		6	6	4	1	0	1	1	40.1	31	14	14	4	8	28	3.12	0.97	.220
August		5	5	2	1	0	1	1	38.0	26	13	13	5	1	27	3.08	0.71	.197
September		6	6	3	2	0	3	1	45.1	44	19	18	2	8	41	3.57	1.15	.256

Total

32

32

15

8

0

5

3

221.2

194

81

76

21

43

184

3.09

1.07

.235

While his #'s are not as jaw-dropping as his '05 season, Carpenter should be a solid candidate in the final consideration for Cy Young this season. Obvisouly, his stats won't clearly set him apart from the crowd of aces this season, but his contribution to his team holding on (rather than winning it outright) to the division title will help arguing for his case.

P.S. How bad was it for Blue Jays that gave up on Carpenter and now that he could be a multiple Cy Young winner?! (they just didn't have the money to sign him & wait for his return from arm surgury is the truth) This could be considered to be up there with Red Sox giving up on Roger Clemens... Haven't been teams been signing guys who would be out for months, if not an entire year recently? (e.g. Wade Miller with BOS & Dotel with NYY, but those rich boys got the dough)

2005 National League Cy Young Award

                          1st           Max        |       Season Results
Rk Name             Team Place Points Points Share|  W-L   IP  ERA   WHIP  SO SV
+--+----------------+----+-----+------+------+-----+------+---+-----+-----+---+--+
1 Chris Carpenter   STL   19    132    140  0.94 | 21-5  242  2.83  1.06 213
2 Dontrelle Willis  FLA   11    112    140  0.80 | 22-10 236  2.63  1.13 170
3 Roger Clemens     HOU    2     40    140  0.29 | 13-8  211  1.87  1.01 185
4 Roy Oswalt        HOU    0      2    140  0.01 | 20-12 242  2.94  1.20 184
5 Chad Cordero      WSN    0      1    140  0.01 |  2-4   74  1.82  0.97  61 47
5 Andy Pettitte     HOU    0      1    140  0.01 | 17-9  222  2.39  1.03 171

ARI: Brandon Webb
Webb has emerged as Arizona's ace over the last couple of seasons. He has 2nd-best WHIP of 1.13 & 3rd-best 3.10ERA (just behind Carpenter's 3.09) in NL. Winning 16 games for a team that only won 76 is no small effort. He has been considered for the Cy Young honor all season. His #'s are definately convincing enough for him to win the award and he deserves it. However, his not-in-contention club will be a setback for him. It'd be a tough and rather unfair situation for Webb. ARI didn't have a even par relief pitching that could have helped their ace in Webb in the season. Webb established himself as a true All-Star since coming into the league. '06 is the best season for him so far in his young career. Cy Young may not be awarded to him after all, and baseball community should make a note of the awesome sinker pitcher in the desert, regardless.

		G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
April		6	6	4	0	0	0	0	44.2	42	12	11	3	6	25	2.22	1.07	.258
May		6	6	4	0	0	2	2	45.0	42	9	9	2	4	33	1.80	1.02	.252
June		5	5	0	3	0	0	0	33.2	42	22	19	3	9	32	5.08	1.51	.298
July		6	6	4	1	0	1	0	44.0	35	14	12	4	10	35	2.45	1.02	.220
August		4	4	2	1	0	0	0	23.1	25	16	13	3	15	15	5.01	1.71	.287
September		5	5	2	2	0	2	1	40.1	22	11	10	0	4	33	2.23	0.64	.156
October		1	1	0	1	0	0	0	4.0	8	7	7	0	2	5	15.75	2.50	.400

Total

33

33

16

8

0

5

3

235.0

216

91

81

15

50

178

3.10

1.13

.246

CHC: Carlos Zambrano
A work-horse, Zambrano didn't have a CG all season, but in 241 innings pitched, he managed to put up top-notch 3.41ERA, 1.29WHIP, & 210Ks along with 16 wins for the disappointing Cubs. Carlos "Mozilla Firefox" (that's another story from last season) always has the dominating power fastballs and devastating curves & sliders since he entered the league. At 25 years-young, he has many more All-Star seasons left in his built-to-last 6'5, 255 frame. His inconsistency with his pitches are his biggest problem. His 115BBs implies his control problem. Hitters only manage to hit only .208 against him this season. If Chicago Cubs had met their "expectation" (i.e. ~92 wins & make the playoff), Carolos might been sitting with ~20 wins with the kind of performance he had in '06. His Ks will be his biggest upside, but his avearge win numbers and 5th rank in ERA & 14th rank in WHIP will be a heavy downside for the award.

CIN: Aaron Harang
Harang has quietly developed into an ace not just on his team's staff but in the entire league. '06 is the big-coming-out party for him with NL-leading 216Ks over 234 1/3 innings. Having 16 wins for a Cincinnati Reds team that was in contention all season, is another strength for his Cy Young chase. His 6 starts in September further proves his worth to his team down the playoff chase (3.83ERA, .98WHIP over 47inn).

		G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
April		6	6	4	1	0	1	1	39.1	40	22	19	6	9	33	4.35	1.25	.263
May		5	5	1	3	0	1	0	33.2	33	17	11	2	8	42	2.94	1.22	.256
June		6	6	4	1	0	1	1	39.1	40	13	13	3	11	34	2.97	1.30	.280
July		6	6	2	2	0	1	0	37.0	40	17	17	3	12	35	4.14	1.41	.278
August		7	6	2	3	0	0	0	38.0	47	20	18	6	12	31	4.26	1.55	.301
September		6	6	3	1	0	2	0	47.0	42	20	20	8	4	41	3.83	0.98	.239

Total

36

35

16

11

0

6

2

234.1

242

109

98

28

56

216

3.76

1.27

.269

The Red ace doesn't have a top-notch ERA and that could be his biggest weakness among other pitchers. Cincinnati was in the playoff hunt, thus, Harang's consideration won't be subtracted because of his club's record. He is in the middle of his prmie (28yr-young) and will be making the All-Star team for a many seasons if he stays healthy. '06 is a big leap to the elite class from other cannon arms in the leaguefor Harang. Whether or not if he gets the Cy Young, this is truly a memorable season for him.

CIN: Bronson Arroyo
Arroyo, the one-time Pirate player who won a World Series with Red Sox in '04 was traded for Wily Mo Pena, the real-life Pedro Cerrano from "Major League" to the Reds. The trade turned out to be a daylight-robbery of the Boston club for Cincinnati. Arryo was a horse for Reds, pitched NL-leading 240 2/3 innings. In addition, Bronson (named after Charles Bronson) was a strikeout force in '06, striking out 184. His 3.29ERA & 1.19WHIP are in the top-tier in NL. Although, he only managed to earn 14 wins in his hard-working season. He may not receive substantial amounts of votes for the Cy Young, but for CIN, his presence is one of their valuable assets for years to come.

Last 3 years	Team	G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
2004	BOS	32	29	10	9	0	0	0	178.2	171	99	80	17	47	142	4.03	1.22	.249
2005	BOS	35	32	14	10	0	0	0	205.1	213	116	103	22	54	100	4.51	1.30	.266
2006	CIN	35	35	14	11	0	3	1	240.2	222	98	88	31	64	184	3.29	1.19	.243
Career		161	125	47	44	1	4	1	829.0	833	447	388	93	254	551	4.21	1.31	.260

SD: Chris Young
Christopher Ryan Young was traded for Adam Eaton, Akinori Otsuka, and Billy Killian with Terrmel Sledge to the Padres and immediately made a postiive impact on their pitching staff. His 3.46ERA & 1.13WHIP are All-Star worthy (partly contributed by the SD's pitcher-protective ballpark). Young's limited 179 1/3 innings pitched & 11 wins are his biggest setback for Cy Young. He has a strong strikeout rate with 164Ks this season and limits hitters to hit only .206 against him. This young Padres stud doesn't have all it for a Cy Young this season, his pitching performance should make other teams jealous of not having him, nonetheless.

NOTE: Brad Penny was considered Cy Young-bound before the All Star break. Somehow, he turned into Darren Dreifort after the Pittsburgh vacation. It's just rough. It shows how tough and rigorous a Major League season is. You don't and can't win it all unless you win it all the way.

		G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
Pre All Star		19	18	10	2	0	0	0	108.1	103	35	35	7	28	82	2.91	1.21	.249
Post All-Star		15	15	6	7	0	0	0	80.2	103	59	56	12	26	66	6.25	1.60	.317

Total

34

33

16

9

0

0

0

189.0

206

94

91

19

54

148

4.33

1.38

.279

Honorable Mentions: Top Closers who will get a few votes for Cy Young, but probably won't win the Cy Young:

Name	Team	G		GS		W		L		SV		CG		SHO		IP		H		R		ER		HR		BB		K		ERA		WHIP		BAA
Francisco Rodríguez	LAA	69		0		2		3		47		0		0		73.0		52		16		14		6		28		98		1.73		1.10		.197
Trevor Hoffman	SD	65		0		0		2		46		0		0		63.0		48		16		15		6		13		50		2.14		0.97		.205
Billy Wagner	NYM	70		0		3		2		40		0		0		72.1		59		22		18		7		21		94		2.24		1.11		.219
B.J. Ryan	TOR	65		0		2		2		38		0		0		72.1		42		12		11		3		20		86		1.37		0.86		.169
Joe Nathan	MIN	64		0		7		0		36		0		0		68.1		38		12		12		3		16		95		1.58		0.79		.158
J.J. Putz	SEA	72		0		4		1		36		0		0		78.1		59		20		20		4		13		104		2.30		0.92		.207
Mariano Rivera	NYY	63		0		5		5		34		0		0		75.0		61		16		15		3		11		55		1.80		0.96		.223
Chris Ray	BAL	61		0		4		4		33		0		0		66.0		45		22		20		10		27		51		2.73		1.09		.193

COWBOY UP's PICK: Chris Carpenter, STL
The ace-trio of Carpenter, Oswalt, and Webb in the NL in '06 season make the Cy Young award picking more difficult. It'd be easy to just say "pick any of three" or "all of them can share the award". Realistically, it will come down to specific factor that will be considered along major stats. The ERAs, WHIPs, and wins among the three are very close with one another. Carpenter showed more dominance with his pitching with the most strikeouts. Plus that his team made the playoff will be another variable for Cy Young consideration. His opposing average and WHIP will also help his case for his 2nd straight Cy Young honor.

Name	Team	G		GS		W		L		SV		CG		SHO		IP		H		R		ER		HR		BB		K		ERA		WHIP		BAA
Roy Oswalt	HOU	33		32		15		8		0		2		0		220.2		220		76		73		18		38		166		2.98		1.17		.263
Chris Carpenter	STL	32		32		15		8		0		5		3		221.2		194		81		76		21		43		184		3.09		1.07		.235
Brandon Webb	ARI	33		33		16		8		0		5		3		235.0		216		91		81		15		50		178		3.10		1.13		.246