Whitey was not your run of the mill manager. He showed the importance of managing in baseball, and surely inspired coaches in other sports as well. It was about doing exactly what it took to win, whether the team had to change their style of play or just play harder in order to live up to potential.

Herzog will join 18 other managers who have been elected into the Hall of Fame. He has a career 1,281-1,125 record (.532 winning percentage) managing with four teams over 18 years. He won a World Series in 1982 and two NL pennants with the Cardinals, but the way he turned the Royals fortunes around was something amazing. Herzog knew exactly how to be a ML manager during that period of time.

Best Season: 1982 St. Louis Cardinals. Herzog’s world championship escalated him into immortality in St. Louis. They were only a 92 win team, but he led them to a Game 7 victory in the World Series.

Most Notable Stat: 314 team stolen bases in 1985. With players like Vince Coleman, Willie McGee, Ozzie Smith, Tommy Herr and Andy Van Slyke, the Cardinals stole at least 200 bases for seven straight seasons. He knew what kind of style of play would work best playing on turf in Busch Stadium.

Remembered Most For: Whitey Ball. Herzog knew exactly what he had to do with the roster that he was given and the ball park that they played in. I couldn’t see any manager today take a team of .300 hitters and tell them they are going to stop swinging for the fences and focus on stealing bases. Not only that, but it was about pitching and defense on the other end of the inning. It was all about the fundamentals.

I used to think that managers and coaches in all sports were extremely overrated. I never really thought that players didn’t control the game, but once I realized that managers really do matter, I came to appreciate what they do. They can control the mood of a team and prevent situations that can prevent winning. Whitey exemplified the importance of managing in baseball, and now he will be immortalized in the Hall of Fame.

-Chris

Much to Ryan Sandberg’s anticipation, based on his own Hall of Fame speech in 2005, The Hawk is now a Hall of Famer too. Dawson played for a lot of pretty bad teams, but he had a knack for playing the game hard regardless. Starting in 1977, Dawson won the NL Rookie of the Year with the Montreal Expos. He won eight gold gloves over his career and an MVP award in 1987.

Best Season: 1987. Dawson won his only MVP this season in his first season with the Cubs. He hit 49 homers and had 137 RBIs to lead the league. He did come in second place in the MVP voting twice with Montreal, but the 1987 season easily trumps the others. It’s as if the wind was blowing out of Wrigley Field every day!

Most Notable Stat: 49 homeruns in 1987. Why is this most notable? It’s one of the top HR totals in history and 17 more than his previous career high. What a year.

Remembered Most For: Winning the MVP in 1987 despite playing for the last place Cubs. It was one heck of a season, but where do you draw the line? Would the Cubs really have been any worse off without Dawson in the lineup?

I’ll be completely honest, I do not think Andre Dawson is a Hall of Famer. He never reached any of the elusive stats like 3,000 hits or 500 homers, and he is only a .279 lifetime hitter with a .323 on-base percentage. Nevertheless, he never did steroids and his knees were in horrendous shape due to playing on the Olympic Stadium turf for so long. Congrats Hawk.

-Chris

Roy on the Block

The hottest player on the market right now has got to be Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros. However, he recently hurt his odds of being traded based on his wish for his $16 million option to be picked up for 2012. I don’t see any team willing to take that on for a pitcher that is past his prime. Don’t get me wrong though, Oswalt is still good, and he can still win big games. He just needs an offense better than Houston’s.

So who is in the market for Oswalt? It came out on Thursday through some insider sources that Oswalt would most like to play in Philadelphia and St. Louis. Although, that edge lies with the Cardinals – the only team Oswalt is rumored to waive his option required for. I don’t see the Astros trading Oswalt within the division, let alone to the Cards. Also, what are the Astros looking for and what can the Cardinals give up? So many questions… The Astros certainly would like a young pitcher in return. The Cardinals don’t have much to give up, since they made those moves to clear out their depleted farm system last year. However, they do have Shelby Miller, a young pitcher from Texas. I just don’t see Oswalt being traded though.

Sweet Lou, Sweet Job?

Even with the trade deadline approaching, I can’t ignore some managerial rumors too. Lou Piniella has decided to call it a career after this season as he plans on leaving the Chicago Cubs. For some reason this is being called such an incredible job. I can’t understand why anyone would want to manage the Cubs. They are a cursed franchise and have an overpriced, underachieving roster. But I digress…

Names that have been thrown into the mix include Ryan Sandberg, Fredi Gonzalez, Bobby Valentine, Tony LaRussa, and even Joe Girardi. Then again, these are mostly rumors, right? I could see Ryan Sandberg being hired, but the Cubs will definitely go for the big name here if they can get it. Sandberg will be their backup choice for sure.

Tidbits:

• Could the Boston Red Sox be sellers at the trade deadline? Things are fading fast in Beantown on their recent trip to the west coast trip. I don’t see them being able to catch the Rays, and certainly not the Yankees – so maybe they’ll try to save some dough. Eh, they’ll trade for someone instead.
• The second best pitcher on the market as of the moment is D’backs SP Dan Haren, but how about a no-hitter throwing pitcher? Edwin Jackson has a back heavy contract that could be hard to deal, but I’m sure Arizona would prefer to trade him than Haren.
• Pedro, Pedro, Pedro. Looks like Pedro Martinez will not be pitching in 2010 – so is there any chance of him pitching ever again?
• The White Sox are looking to make a move, and that move could be for Prince Fielder. The Brewers wouldn’t want to trade him in a perfect world, but in a perfect world he would only weight 210 pounds.

-Chris

After much speculation, Cliff Lee was finally traded – to the Rangers. Many people thought on Friday that the Yankees were the front-runners for picking up the prized former Cy Young winner, but the Rangers came in and gave the Mariners what the desired, which was a young hitter (Smoak). So instead, the Yankees will have to settle for picking up Lee in the offseason, when he becomes a free agent. Nevertheless, he’s a Ranger right now, and they hope that will make the difference in Texas.

So Lee is traded on Friday, and on Saturday he jumped right in and started the Rangers’ game in Arlington. This sounds like a perfect story, right? Wrong. He did throw a complete game but he was completely outpitched by Orioles SP Chris Tillman, who had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning. Lee allowed three homeruns and gave up a run before he even registered his first out of the game. It was his sixth complete game of the season though, which also proves he was trying very hard to come out with the win.

Overall, this trade will benefit the Rangers. For years, I’ve been saying the Rangers will never win anything because they don’t have any pitching. In the playoffs, it all comes down to pitching – no matter how much hitting you have. I was actually starting to lean towards the Rangers being a sleeper in the playoffs, but with Lee, they become a real contender. This is one of the best moves the Rangers have made in years.

Tidbits:

• The Texas Rangers were looking for an ace, but they are also looking for new ownership. The team has been in debt of late and new ownership can help them start to click as an organization. Turns out Mark Cuban is trying to own the team, which would make perfect sense in terms of him already being the Dallas Mavericks owner. I thought I was lucky enough to get him out of the running as the Cubs owner, which was rejected in 2008. I just don’t want this to happen…
• The Astros are struggling at all levels this season, but it’s been the hitting that has been most disappointing. So the team has fired their hitting coach Sean Berry and replaced him with former Astros star Jeff Bagwell. He has been a special assistant to the GM since 2006 when he retired, so we’ll see how he does as a coach. Kind of similar to the Cards and Mark McGwire, eh?
• Carlos Beltran is reportedly going to be joining the Mets on their 11-game road trip to start the second half. He’ll be in center field when the Mets start back up in San Francisco, so essentially we’ll see how long it takes for him to get injured again.
• The Red Sox are looking to get at least one person back in uniform from injury sometime soon, and word is that Josh Beckett started his rehab in Pawtucket by throwing 68 pitches. I’m sure he won’t be back for a couple of weeks, but a start is a start.
• Finally, I’d like to give a melancholy remembrance to Bob Sheppard, the former PA announcer to the Yankees, who died at the age of 99 on Sunday. I was able to hear Mr. Sheppard in person a few times in my visits to Yankee Stadium, and I’m sure that his voice has been missed and will be missed by those who cherish the navy blue pinstripes. At least they have recorded his rendition of “Now batting, for the Yankees, number 2, Derek Jeter, number 2”. Classic stuff.

-Chris

The latest buzz around Major League Baseball is Cliff Lee is on his way out of Seattle.  Lee and King Felix make a leathal 1-2, better yet 1-1, combo in baseball but the Mariners are still 34-49.  Teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies seem to be the big buyers in baseball but teams like the Twins and Rays seem to be interested in well.  Obviously anyone would take Cliff Lee but does every team have something to offer in return and Lee is a free agent after this season (the odds are he will be a rent-a-player).

The Mariners are said to want 2 top notch prospects and another young player who isn’t far from the Majors.  So who has the best odds to land Cliff Lee?

Twins – 4:1; I told you I was going to be biased about this but I have reasons to back it up.  The Twins may have the best 2-3 prospects to send to the Mariners.  For starters the Twins have Wilson Ramos.  Granted he is batting just over .200 this year but he is a top prospect in the Twins system and he catches, a position the Mariners have been looking to fill a void since Dan Wilson.  The other prospect they can send over is Aaron Hicks who was the 14th overall pick in the 2008 draft (probably a top 5 prospect in the organization).  Finally, the Twins can throw in a pitcher currently on the roster like Scott Baker or Nick Blackburn.

The reason the Twins won’t get Lee:  The Twins don’t do rental players, never have and if they don’t do it for Lee it’s safe to say they never will.

Rays – 5:1; It’s been reported that the Rays are willing to trade BJ Upton for Lee and I’m thinking their is a possibility they give up a guy like Wade Davis who already has Major League experience and is still young.  If the Rays are willing to offer that package they may get away with giving up just 2 players instead of 3.

Why the Rays won’t get Lee:  The Rays may not be willing to deal Upton because if they want to keep Lee they will have to offer him an $80-100 million contract giving them a 0% chance they re-sign Carl Crawford.

Yankees - 7:2; The Yankees are willing to give Lee that huge, long-term contract he will be looking for.

Why the Yankees won’t get Lee:  I’m not quite the Yankees have the prospects to match up with the Twins and Rays but I know they will be big players in Lee if he becomes a free agent at the end of the year.

Red Sox - 7:2; I give the Red Sox the same odds because just like the Yankees they are willing to pay the big bucks to sign Lee to a long term deal.  The health of the Red Sox have been in question all season long with Beckett hurt and now Buchholz was recently placed on the DL.  The Red Sox will be willing to give up some prospects but again, will they be as good as what everyone else can offer.

Why the Red Sox won’t get Lee:  The Red Sox package to get Lee won’t be good and if it is they will retract the deal just like they did with the Twins and Santana a couple years ago!

Phillies – 10:1; The Phillies are regretting getting rid of Cliff Lee with every pitch he throws.  The Phillies are struggling offensively as well as the pitching end other than Halladay.  They could definitely use Lee, who wouldn’t?  The second Lee left, they were woking out a deal to try and get him back.

Why the Phillies won’t get Lee:  Lee seemed to like pitching for Philly so they are hoping he may want to sign as a free agent this offseason because the Phillies basically gave up all of their top prospects to the Blue Jays in exchange for Halladay.

So in conclusion it looks as though the Twins are getting Lee (in my dreams) so we shall see what happens but my final odds of whether or not Lee will get traded by July 31st trade deadline is 2:1.

-Jason

I was thinking of just listing the candidates with some stats, but I realized how lame that would be. So instead, I was thinking of telling you guys who you should vote for. This isn’t solely based on my biases, I am going to pull some rationale out and give it to you straight. I’m going to warn you, I haven’t put any prior thought into this and I am literally going to be choosing as I write this. Wish me luck (and trust me)!

Let’s start with the candidates for the visiting National League:

Of course, from initial look of stats, you can eliminate some people; that’s inevitable. So who is going to be KO’d right away from the NL? Sorry Ryan Zimmerman, you’re not an All-Star this year. In fact, you’re not even the biggest story from your team (no, that still doesn’t make Stephen Strasburg an All-Star). Also, Billy Wagner is a million times better than I thought he would be this year, but he is not better than Heath Bell. So we are left with Bell, Carlos Gonzalez and Joey Votto.

Gonzalez is vital to the Rockies and going to consistently amazing throughout his career, but he isn’t better than Joey Votto in 2010. So who is more important? Is it the closer for a surprise first place club or is it the bashing first baseman of another first place club. I thought both were givens going into the ASG, but now I’m left choosing one. If I’m choosing based on what the team needs, then I’m going with Bell. I think he is more important towards winning the game. But based on stats and who is more deserving, I’m going with Joey Votto.

Well, that was fun. Who’s ready for the American League?! Here are the candidates:

Again, time to eliminate some of the guys right off the bat. My apologies to Yankees fans but ‘Send Swish’ is not only a lame pitch to get Nick Swisher into the ASG, but he also shouldn’t be there. Also, Delmon Young is having a great year in Minnesota, but it isn’t comparable to the others on this list. Finally, Michael Young has had some big hits in All-Star Games in the past, but this year I can’t allow the entire Rangers roster to be in the ASG.

So that leaves us with Paul Konerko and Kevin Youkilis. It’s a couple of first baseman on surging Sox teams battling it out for the final ASG roster spot. Konerko is having a heck of a year at the plate. You might even say it’s a career year for him, just in time for free agency too. Youkilis is the man that makes the Red Sox tick though. He is on base all the time, which shows in his run total. Man, this is tough! I want to give it to Konerko because he is hitting .297 (much higher than I would have expected), but Youkilis deserves it for being the MVP of his team. You know what, in the spirit of picking players based on stats, I’m going with Konerko. Either way, you can’t go wrong!

So there you have it, Joey Votto and Paul Konerko, the two men you should vote for when you cast your ‘Final Vote’. Vote for Votto and Pick Paul!! Any questions, comments, concerns? Leave a note below, I’d be happy to explain.

-Chris

Last season, the Diamondbacks let manager Bob Melvin walk due to an underachieving team and replaced him with AJ Hinch, an unsuccessful catching prospect in his mid-30s. Hinch had no managerial experience prior to this job and the team was craving some discipline. To no surprise, the team did not respond to Hinch and they remained one of the worst teams in the league.

Now its 2010 – has anything changed? The roster is basically the same on the offensive side and the bullpen is one of the worst in the majors (technically, they are they worst – almost ever… I’m just being nice). The number one problem has been striking out at an astronomical pace. They are an all or nothing offense, based on their knack to either K or hit a homer. The team has not responded to Hinch’s ways and now he has been canned before the All-Star break. In under a year of managing the D’Backs, the team was 34 games under .500.

Where do they go from here? You would think the organization would go for a more experienced manager, maybe someone who even has a disciplinary side. Well, they didn’t, not at all. The D’Backs have promoted minor league manager, and former Major Leaguer Kirk Gibson to their head managerial job. Gibson has always wanted to be a ML manager, but couldn’t make it any higher than just being a bench coach for the Tigers from 2003-05 and then again with Arizona three years ago. He now has his chance.

I’m not a fan of hiring Gibson – right now. I don’t think this is going to be a good outcome, unless he can convince the hitters to have a bit more patience and change their style of hitting. If the team was a bit more ‘win now’ ready, then hiring Gibson is a good gamble. At this point, I really feel the team is only going to continue to strikeout and give up runs until player changes are made. Gibson will be out as manager by the end of next season.

The funny thing about the Diamondbacks is that they also dismissed general manager Josh Byrnes, who they signed to an eight-year deal just three years ago. This franchise is in shambles and clearing house (on the field) is the only way they can improve.

-Chris

Good Fredi, Hello Bobby?

The Florida Marlins are making moves – too bad those moves aren’t from the pits of the NL East. On Wednesday, the team dismissed manager Fredi Gonzalez. They replaced him with Edwin Rodriguez, their Triple-A manager. Now, there are rumblings that they are they looking to nab Bobby Valentine to a possible four-year deal.

Fredi Gonzalez DEFINITELY left because he lost control of the team. It all goes back to last season, but it is best exemplified because through this year’s debacle with Hanley Ramirez. When the manager clashes with the team’s best player it usually doesn’t end well for him – no matter who is right or wrong. In this case, Fredi got canned before the season was even ended and now Rodriguez’s tenure as coach could be over before this 16-game road trip even ends.

As for Bobby V, he has known Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria for 20 years. Just yesterday he withdrew his name from the Orioles opening managerial job, and now he is poised to join the Marlins in Florida. I think this is a good move because Valentine has the personality of a player’s coach, but he won’t put up with any crap too.

Tidbits:

• Mariners SP Erik Bedard (yes, he’s still on the Mariners) is going to attempt a return to the MLB on July 6. Of course, that is if there are no more setbacks. There’s no way he can return to true form, but if he did, they’d have 3 top line pitchers!
• Carlos Beltran is on his way back – sorta. He made his first rehab start of the year at Class-A Port St. Lucie on Thursday night. He should be back with the Mets in 4-6 years.

• Remember that kid who ran on the field at the Phillies game earlier this year? Yeah, the one that got tasered. Well, the 17-year-old’s punishment is six months probation. So in other words, if he runs on the field again before he’s 18, then he’s so screwed……….sigh.
• Jerry Seinfeld and Keith Hernandez reunited on Wednesday in the announcer’s booth at Citi Field. Last time they met (I’m sure it wasn’t actually the last time they met(, they were on an episode of Seinfeld. Jerry wanted Keith to like him and Keith moved too fast by asking Jerry to help him move in. Classic. I didn’t watch this reunion, but I’m sure it was a big waste of time.

-Chris

LA Dodgers @ Boston – Stop the presses! Manny is BACK in Beantown! After basically doing everything he could to get out of Boston, Manny Ramirez returns to his old residence with the Dodgers for the first time (including after the steroids thing from last year). He brought them two World Series titles, a bunch of homers, some terrible defense, and a whole lot of headaches! Two things I anticipate from this series: 1) What will the reaction of the crowd be?, and 2) Will David Ortiz propose to Manny?

LA Angels @ Chicago Cubs – This matchup is only interesting because it’s the Cubs and the Angels playing, which doesn’t happen very often. I hope the Angels sweep this series though; that would make me very happy.

NY Mets @ NY Yankees – Is it bad that I’m tired of this series before it even starts? I can guarantee you that I will watch no more than two innings of this series throughout the entire weekend. Living in the New York area and hating these teams makes me happy they don’t play more than two series per year.

Minnesota @ Philadelphia – The Twins make their way to Philly this weekend for a matchup with the inconsistent Phillies. First off, I saw a headline today that asked whether Chase Utley is hurt. I wouldn’t rule that out because he isn’t playing like himself, at all. Secondly, Jason is going to Friday’s game. Jay, haven’t you learned anything from going to see the Twins play in NY?

Chicago White Sox @ Washington – Stephen Strasburg pitches Friday night in DC. Other than that, this series could be forgotten about. Seriously, Strasburg is the only thing carrying this series – too bad he pitches the first game and not the last.

Tampa Bay @ Florida – Eh, I added this only because they share the state.

Texas @ Houston – Rumor has it that if the Astros win at least 2 of 3 against the Rangers, they get to call themselves the Texas Astros and the Rangers will be called the Dallas Rangers. You heard it here first.

-Chris

Not So Chipper Anymore

It looks like Bobby Cox may not be the only person retiring from a long career with the Atlanta Braves. After the last few years, Braves 3B Chipper Jones has said he wasn’t just going to hang around if he felt he couldn’t do anything productive anymore. Well, the 38-year old hasn’t announced anything, but it appears the idea of retiring in 2010 is not out of the question. Chipper is hitting just .233 with four homers and 23 RBIs this year, but injuries have hampered him the last half decade. He is one of the best third baseman of all time and possibly the number Braves player ever. Him retiring would be a big deal.

Pedro, Pedro, Pedro

It’s about that time of year again – the time that “retired” pitchers come out of the blue and sign with a contender. Looks like Pedro Martinez is considering this for the second year in a row. And for the second year in a row, he’s looking at Philadelphia for a comeback location. Both sides have admitted talks have started, but there is no rush. Pedro is 38 and surprised me last year with a 5-1 record with a 3.63 ERA in nine starts for Philly, so why not again? He’s normally in great conditioning and he’s a decent security blanket. As long as they’re not spending money on him, then they really have nothing to lose.

Tidbits:

• It looks like those renovations have paid off in Kansas City, as MLB commissioner Bud Selig announced on Wednesday that Kauffman Stadium will be hosting the 2012 All-Star Game. Good for KC, and good for old ballparks. This basically ends a trend of giving All-Star Games to new sparkly stadiums.
• The Baltimore Orioles have shown some interest in some ESPN guys for their managerial position. No, not Karl Ravech or Tim Kurkijian, but there are rumors they are interested in Buck Showalter or Bobby Valentine. It doesn’t matter who they get, they can’t win that division ever again.
• Mark Mulder has called it quits, kind of. He admits he hasn’t touched a baseball since February and that may as well make him a retired major leaguer. Mulder could have been an all-timer, but injuries with St. Louis put a quick hault to his career. Sorry Mark, but no one will be calling you this summer.
• Padres C Yorvit Torrealba is having a frustrating year. And now, after bumping an umpire on Monday after striking out, Torrealba has been suspended for three games.
• Cubs announcer and former ML manager Bob Brenly says the Cubs lack fundamentals. Well, they also lack a lot of wins and championships as well. I guess everything truly does start with the fundamentals.

-Chris