Category MLB

MLB Playoff Races Heat Up

Danny Vinik 2 Comments


Now that Bonds’ chase for 756 has ended, focus has switched to division and wild card races. Right now, more than half of the teams are within six games of either their division or the Wild Card. This is setting up for an extremely exciting finish to the season and one that baseball fans are really looking forward too. Here is a quick overview of each division and wild card:

AL East

The Red Sox have been playing mediocre ball since the All Star break and their lead in the division has been cut by 4.5 games since then. Their lineup has struggled recently, but their pitching is good enough to balance out the poor hitting. The Yankees have been on fire since the All Star break and they have stormed to the front of the AL Wild Card, with a division crown not out of the picture. The offense has pounded the ball, but recent struggles by Mariano Rivera leave a few question marks in the back of the bullpen. Predicted Winner: Boston Red Sox Continue reading “MLB Playoff Races Heat Up” →

Milestone Weekend

Danny Vinik Leave a comment

This weekend turned out to be the biggest milestone weekend in years with Tom Glavine getting his 300th win, Alex Rodriguez hitting his 500th home run, and Barry Bonds tying Hank Aaron’s home record. Hideki Matsui even became the first Japanese player to hit 100 home runs, but that was completely overshadowed by the other achievements. With all of these amazing accomplishments come big questions. How does Glavine rank with the game’s best pitchers? Will A-Rod eventually break Bonds’ home run record? What will be the reaction to Bonds’ breaking Aaron’s record?

Let’s begin with Glavine, where he is only the 23rd pitcher and 5th lefty to win 300 games. When you think of great pitchers, Glavine isn’t the person who comes to mind, but should he be? His 3.41 career ERA is excellent and 300 wins makes him a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but if you are picking the best ten pitchers of all time, is he in it? I’d say no, but it is not Glavine’s fault. In this era, pitchers pitch fewer innings, giving them less chance to pick up victories and complete games. That makes 300 wins even that more astounding. Here is my list of top ten pitchers of all time: Continue reading “Milestone Weekend” →

What Happened to the X Games?

Danny Vinik 1 Comment

The X Games are not something that I love to watch or wait all year to see, but they are an entertaining competition to watch during the night. You wouldn’t know it, but they are happening right now. X Games XIII began last Thursday, but has barely been advertised and hardly shown. There seems to be one main reason for this: Barry Bonds. Instead of the normal coverage of the event, ESPN has shifted its schedule to cover every San Francisco Giants’ game until Bonds breaks Aaron’s home run record. Watching Bonds’ at bats is fun, because you know that you could be watching history be made, but I really don’t care about the actual game. Maybe if they were in a pennant race, but the Giants are out of it and I have absolutely no reason to watch the actual game. For those that do, watch it on your local stations, but showing the full game is unnecessary. Show “Live Look Ins” to each at bat, but don’t broadcast every inning. There are many other events that sports fans want to watch, including the X Games, that can be shown instead of the Giants’ game.  Continue reading “What Happened to the X Games?” →