TDA Bullpen - Our Writers' Blog

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

A few random thoughts...

Language
I've always thought that it was cool that the Expos had a bilingual webpage. But it kind of bugs me that the only team playing in a locality where Spanish is the dominant language doesn't offer that option on the internet in addition to English and French.

A quick check shows that the Marlins do not offer a Spanish version of their webpage, but MLB does present a Spanish edition and a Japanese edition. The Diamond Angle will remain English-only for the time being.


Giants/Dodgers
Last weekend the big report was that a Dodger fan was shot and killed by a Giants fan in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium. Of course, the media was basing their story from an account from the LAPD, a bastion of accuracy. The story now stands that a Giants fan was killed by Dodgers fans. The flip in loyalties has been a whisper in the press, five years from now most people will remember that a Dodgers fan was slain.

One of the things I read in the wake of this stupidity was the general reaction from Giants fans - "I've heard all kinds of terrible things happening to Giants fans at Chavez Ravine; people getting spat upon, beaten, sworn at, just for wearing the Black and Orange. This kind of stuff never happens to Dodgers fans at Pac Bell Park." I guess if history began with Pac Bell Park, I would simply nod my head. But for decades Dodger fans went to Candlestick Park with a little bit of fear in the bottom of their bellies.

It was routine for the SFPD to be in the bleachers in force, in full riot gear. Fights would break out at Candlestick at every Dodgers game. When I was a child, one of the joys of Candlestick was sitting in the bleachers, and scrambling out over the wall into the gap between the stands and the chain link fence around the outfield to fetch home run balls. Then one night fans simply jumped the wall so they could throw batteries at Kirk Gibson. After that there were additional sets of barrier fences, and kids could no longer have a special joy after home runs not found in other ballparks.

Why was it that way? Because for most of the '70s and early '80s the Dodgers were a better team than the Giants. This made Giant fans bitter, and eager to take out their anger on Dodger fans, who came across as arrogant. So of course the mood in Candlestick was much uglier than the one in Dodger Stadium. Over the past nine years the Giants have had meaningful games on the final weekend seven times. The Dodgers have not been so pretty. Now that the roles in the standings have been reversed, the roles in the stands have also switched. It is the Dodger fans who are angry, and the Giant fans who are rubbing their noses in it. Barry Bonds better learn how to dodge batteries.


Speaking of Barry
He's on the verge of 150 walks. That would be his fourth 150 walk season. Ted Williams has three such seasons, Babe Ruth has two. The other two players with 150+ walks in a season include Mark McGwire and Eddie Yost.

posted by David 7:46 PM

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Have you all heard this talk about Alex Rodriguez being chosen for the AL MVP this year? I'm not buying it either, but frankly, who else is there in the American League? Most of the teams in the playoffs have played like teams. As I've harped on for the last few weeks, the A's, BoSox, and Yanks have all-around great lineups and rotations. You can't pick one Albert Pujols-like player as the leader in the clubhouse who has single-handedly led his team to a spot in the playoffs.

So who would make it in the AL according to some of the guidelines that voters use?

If you believe that the player is on a contending team, you're in trouble. Any Chicago White Sox player, specifically Frank Thomas, is automatically out of the running since the team has faltered in the last month. Would you pick a player like Manny Ramirez or Miguel Tejada with their great-but-not-overpowering numbers? They don't stand out from other players with similar numbers. How about voters who believe that it's the most valuble player in the entire league, regardless of record? Sure, I'd take A-Rod any day...but Vernon Wells' stats are almost just as good (with exception to HRs, and Vernon's average is better). And the Blue Jays are a better team than the Rangers, making Vernon even more valuble.

Anybody want to pick a pitcher for AL MVP? Pedro Martinez is back, but he doesn't have enough wins (14). Tim Hudson? Part of a great staff. My pick would be Roy Halladay, but that's what the Cy Young is for.

Finally, there's the idea that the MVP is the game-changer. The spark plug. The go-to guy. The Minnesota Twins have been significantly better with Shannon Stewart, as ESPN.com's Jason Stark pointed out, but would you pick a guy with good, not overpowering, numbers simply because a team played incredibly after he arrived? Sorry, Shannon.

So, I'll take A-Rod. He may be on one of the worst teams in baseball, but look at his dominance at the plate that almost no one else has had this year in the AL. Can you think of anyone better? I thought so.

posted by Charles Curtis 10:44 PM