MLB
In Major League Baseball, we all know who is `now.’ Alex Rodriguez has established himself as far and away, the most dominant offensive force in the sport; Josh Beckett and Jake Peavy lead the way in respective Cy Young races; and new stars like Colorado’s Matt Holliday are bursting onto the scene.
Someone once uttered, “The future is now.” Taking those words to heart, here are the top 50 future stars of Major League Baseball.
How MLB differs in the late 20th and early 21st centuries from its historic past, is by virtue of its yearly multi-billion dollar revenues it now enjoys, enabling it more unilateral power over the game of baseball in spite of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and the World Umpires Association (WUA) with which it must collectively bargain.
Detroit has lost its snarl — and plenty of games the last few weeks. Is it time for the Motor City to worry?
Now the whole Barry Bonds lovefest is over, what do we do?
I don’t know if ESPN gave you the impression that the 2007 baseball season was all about Barry Bonds, but it certainly gave me it. I live in the UK, where you can only watch one or two games a day – and one of them – almost every day of the week – were the San Francisco Giants.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great watching Bonds intimidate pitchers. And whether he’s juiced or not, seeing a home run from the San Francisco leftfielder is pretty big thing to watch. But having to watch Ryan Klesko (who last hit .300 in 2002 and last hit over over 20 homers in 2003) day after day – twinned with the Giants bullpen and the non-stop Barry conversation, is really beginning to get to me.
Heck, I’m a Yankees fan and I even had to turn the sound off to ignore Michael Kay’s constant jawing about A-Rod and Number 500.
Like every other person with any interest in sports, I was watching Barry Bonds at close to midnight Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, August 7, 2007. Number 756 went to right center field, the deepest part of a huge ballpark. The flashbulbs, the cheers, the spectacle, were all there. Conspicuously absent, of course, was Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. Should he have been there? Does Barry Bonds even care if he was? These are just a few of the lingering questions from this night.
It’s only a matter of time before Barry Bonds takes three more pitches yard and officially becomes the home run champion, breaking Hank’s record. Regardless of anyone’s opinion, there is nothing anybody can do about it.
A few nights ago, my friend and I had an in depth discussion about the passing of the torch that I would like to share with you. He is a little slow, so try to bear with me.
Jon Lester stood tall upon the mound at Jacob’s Field Monday night to battle the Cleveland Indians, but in reality, the battle has already been won. Different emotions running through his mind, Lester tightly gripped the ball in his left hand, knees shaking, ready to capture the moment. Butterflies in his stomach, Lester starred down at his catcher Jason Varitek, took a deep breath, and fired his first pitch.
Strike one. The voice of the umpire calling that very first strike had been echoing in Lester’s mind for almost 11 months. The young south paw had his rookie year cut short after being diagnosed with a treatable form of lymphoma. Lester’s doctor informed Red Sox nation that this disease was life threatening, but could also be cured if treated correctly.
I’ve been to Beaver Stadium in the middle of a 25,000 “White Out”, I’ve stood with 8,000 soccer fans on the road in a crappy Northern town and seen them get promoted, and I witnessed David Wells throw a perfect game. But I have never experienced a day like the one I experienced in October 2003.
At the start of the season the Chicago Cubs were, to coin a Britiah phrase, bloody awful. Now they are the hottest team in the Major Leagues.
Just out of the gate from the All-Star break, the Cubs have been hot, jumping up two spots by winning their last three games and seven out of their last ten, while in the American League the Athletics have pretty much done the opposite, losing seven in a row and dropping four spots.
The playoff races are starting to shape up and has the makings of a very exciting summer, with 14 teams within five games of the division lead or the wild card.