Taking a Tour Around
Major League Baseball
1) The
Pittsburgh Pirates have their 9 game winning streak snapped
- Last night in Pittsburgh the
Pirates saw their 9 game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the
Philadelphia Phillies. They still do however; have the best record in baseball
at the halfway point of the season. I see this year being unlike 2012 in that
the losing will end and this team will be a playoff team. Whether they win the
division or grab a wild card spot they will make the playoffs. One thing is
certain though; if they want to become a contender they need to add another
bat, particularly a right handed power bat in the outfield. A lot of analysts
have claimed the Pirates should make an “all-in” move and acquire Giancarlo
Stanton seeing as how he fits every criteria they need and would be under team
control for more than a season at a cheap price. I’m not sure they need to make
that drastic of a move, but time will tell how the usually cautious and cheap
Pirates decide to play the hand they’re being dealt this season.
2) Chris
Davis and Steroids
-On Saturday night with yours truly
on hand to witness the carnage, Chris Davis smashed 2 home runs off Yankees
pitching, giving him 30 on the season. He followed that up with another shot on
Sunday night giving him 31 and the overall lead in the American League by a
comfortable margin. Something else happened this weekend though in correlation
with those nationally televised games. On Twitter, a fan asked Davis if he was
using steroids. With the era we live in with social media and PED usage and
suspensions, these questions are sure to come in regard to anyone having a
season with great power numbers. Davis, who has every right to ignore these
questions and not give any of these fans the time of day actually answered the
tweet with a simple “No.” Part of me commends him for this because even with a
simple one word answer he isn’t ducking the issue, but part of me also hopes it
never comes out that he has or is currently taking any substances. There are
enough Rafael Palmeiro’s and Alex Rodriguez’s in the game.
3) Alex
Rodriguez begins his journey back to the Bronx
-Speaking of Alex Rodriguez, he
began his rehab assignment last night, playing in a game for the first time
since last season and looking like the A-Rod we all know and loathe, striking
out and grounding into a double play. This guy has not only worn out his
welcome in the Bronx, evidenced by Brian Cashman’s statement that he needs to
“just shut the f**k up,” but also in baseball as a whole. We’re all tired of
this guy and his constant B.S. He has done nothing but lie and make himself
look bad and his performance on the field, when he is actually on it, kills the
team. Sadly though, he isn’t going away.
4) Jonathan
Papelbon Runs His Mouth Once Again
-On MLB Network Radio Jonathan
Papelbon was asked about the All-Star Candidacy of Dodger phenom Yasiel Puig
and to no one’s surprise Papelbon couldn’t just keep his mouth shut or offer up
some prototypical cliché baseball speak. No, instead Papelbon not only insults
Puig by calling him “pig or Puig or whatever” he says his candidacy is an
absolute joke. Now, most players would probably agree with Papelbon, but almost
all wouldn’t be disrespectful blowhards about the situation. Papelbon is no
stranger to running his mouth and making an ass of himself, even going so far
as to claim in 2008 that he should close the All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium
over Mariano Rivera if the chance presented itself. He smartly backtracked but
the damage was done. I would like to share some advice with Papelbon and anyone
else who thinks Puig’s candidacy is a joke. The All-Star Game is about the fans
and who they want to see. If they want to vote in a guy or lead outcries for
his inclusion let them be. In all honesty, in just about a month in the big
leagues the guy has outperformed all but about 5 outfielders who have played
all year thus far anyway.
That just
about brings to a close our wrap up of Major League happenings, so until next
time, enjoy the games everyone.
