NFL PICKS: WEEK FOUR

Here are our picks for Week Four:

MF - GG - MS
==========

Falcons-Texans-Texans
Jets-Jets-Jets
Browns-Ravens-Ravens
Cowboys-Cowboys-Cowboys
Lions-Lions-Bears
Dolphins-Raiders-Dolphins
Vikings-Packers-Packers
Seahawks-Seahawks-Seahawks
Bucs-Panthers-Bucs
Colts-Broncos-Colts
Steelers-Cards-Steelers
Chiefs-Chargers-Chargers
Eagles-Giants-Eagles
Bengals-Pats-Bengals

NFL RECAP: WEEK THREE

Our Picks This Week:

MF -- 9-7
GG -- 10-6
MS -- 11-5

Our Picks This Season:

MF -- 29-19
GG -- 33-15
MS -- 30-18

Notes:

Home teams went 10-6 this week.
In head-2-head Division play, home teams were 2-3.


Game Balls:

Brett Favre
Willie Parker
Anquan Boldin
Kevin Curtis
Keith Bulluck


Power Rankings 9Top 15) :

Pats
Colts
Steelers
Cowboys
Packers
Ravens
Titans
Bucs
Broncos
Seahawks
Panthers
Chargers
Texans
Niners
Lions

NFL Week Three: OUR PICKS

Here are our picks for WEEK THREE in the NFL:


Matt Frags - Gordon Griffin - Matt Swinney
=============================================

Chargers - Packers - Chargers
Chiefs - Vikings - Chiefs
Pats - Pats - Pats
Jets - Jets - Jets
Lions - Lions - Eagles
Steelers - Steelers - Steelers
Bucs - Bucs - Bucs
Ravens - Ravens - Ravens
Texans - Colts - Colts
Broncos - Broncos - Broncos
Raiders - Raiders - Raiders
Bengals - Bengals - Seahawks
Panthers - Panthers - Panthers
Redskins - Redskins - Redskins
Cowboys - Cowboys - Bears
Saints - Saints - Saints

Arod Actually Has Ruthian Post Season Numbers

Alex Rodriguez is having one historic season. He leads MLB in HR (52), RBI (142), runs scored (134), slugging (.641) & OPS (1.055).

He already has the single season record for HRs by a right-handed hitter in Yankee history, passing Joe Dimaggio (46). Only Maris (61), Ruth (60) & Mantle (54) have more HRs.

Lou Gehrig had 184 RBI in 1931. Babe Ruth scored 177 runs in 1921. Alex wont approach these single season records, even so it's obvious that what Arod is doing this year is a very, very special.

Babe Ruth in 1927, Lou Gehrig in 1934, Joe Dimaggio in 1937, Mickey Mantle in 1961 and now Alex Rodriguez in 2007. Since its inception in 1901, these are BY FAR the five best single season performances by a pinstripe hitter in New York Yankee baseball history.

Sure, Don Mattingly had a great season in 1985 and the Babe, Lou & Joe all had multiple plus-plus seasons; but what Alex Rodriguez is doing this year is akin to any of the greatest seasons ever by any of the greatest Yankee hitters!

The Yankees won the World Series in 1927, 1937 & 1961. They never made the post season in 1934 or 1985. What about 2007? It's now evident the Yankees will make the post season this year and this is a good thing for baseball, indeed. MLB now has the greatest player in baseball, in his greatest season ever, playing prime time on a national stage where everything is at stake! What more could you ask for as a fan of this game?

SURE... we've heard it all before: Arod cannot produce in the clutch, he cannot play in NY, he cannot deal with the intense scrutiny... BLAH, BLAH. Arod has been Mr. Clutch all year long. He's batting .315 w/ RISP w/ 28 HR and is hitting .299 w/ RISP and 2-outs. .407 w/ men on 3rd and 2-outs, .417 w/ the bases loaded...

According to James Lincoln Ray of "baseball.suite101.com" --

"Chew on this. A-Rod has come to the plate 68 times in the 7th inning or later when the Yankees are within one run of their opponent. In those plate appearances, Rodriguez is hitting .328, has a .412 OBP, and has 6 home runs and 19 RBI. It gets better. In 46 ninth inning at bats, Rodriguez is batting .447 with 8 home runs (one per every 5.8 at bats) and 20 RBI (one per every 2.3 at bats). He also has four game-winning walkoff hits, two of them home runs, one off Jonathan Papelbon."

SO... not only is Arod having a season for the ages but he's also producing in the clutch. It would've been disappointing if Arod didn't get the chance to bring his act in to October this year. If he wants to dispel this notion that he's nothing but a choke (created by an anti-Arod/anti-Yankee media bias) he seems poised to do so. He'll certainly be given the opportunity to do so!

Let's remember: Arod is a career .280 post season hitter (.315 in ALCS play). His first three bona fide post season performances he hit .313, 308 & .409 (against NY) w/ 3 HR & 16 strikeouts.

I'll revisit Arod's post season record in a moment. First, allow me to paint you a picture:

"Big Papi" David Ortiz (Mr. Clutch himself) in his first four post season appearances hit .231, .313, .095 & .269 w/ 2 HR and 25 strikeouts!

Barry Bonds in his first five playoff series' hit .167, .148, .261, .250 & .176 w/ 1 HR & 20 strikeouts.

Ted Williams in his only post season appearance went 5-for-25 (.200), all singles, 1 rbi and 5 strikeouts.

The list is endless. We could go on and on... Compare Arod to stars who had poor post season performances, compare him to those who never hit in the big game... Blah, Blah. BUT... as you can see already, in his first taste of post season play Arod performed better than Ortiz, Bonds or Williams!

To recap: Before Arod came to the Yankees... He already posted this in his short post season history: 18-for-63, w/ 1 HR (including a 9-for-22 performance against Yanks in 2000 ALCS).

I'll stop here and shift our attention to the main point here. There's only one person you can compare Alex Rodriguez to... and... drum roll please... that person is... BABE RUTH !!!

Babe Ruth is, without a doubt, the greatest player to ever wear a major league uniform. There are no peers, there's only Babe Ruth and then everybody else! WHY?

714 HR
.342 average
.474 OBP
2873 hits
2217 RBI
2174 rubs
506 doubles
123 stolen bases
2062 walks

OK. These numbers are very good. NOW, consider this:

94-46 record as a starting pitcher with 107 complete games (17 shutouts).
4 saves
1222 Innings Pitched (He pitched over 300 innings twice in one season)
He allowed 10 HRs (that's 1 hr every 122 innings!)
488 strikeouts
2.28 era

Let's end the debate RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. Babe Ruth's career is without comparison. He pitched, he hit... and like he said in 1933 when asked to explain why he earned more money ($88,000 salary) than then president Herbert Hover: "Why not? I had the better year than he did."

He was larger than life. He was the rotund face of baseball, rescuing the game from the damaging Black Sox scandal while placing New York baseball on the map. Like the Yankees, Ruth was born in Baltimore and when the two opened their new home in 1923, on the corner of East 161st Street and River Avenue in the Bronx, a new era was born.

BUT... what might have been had today's media existed in the early 1920's !!! Which brings us back to our main point... You're asking what does Babe Ruth have to do with Alex Rodriguez? Let me explain:

Let's compare their respective first seasons in pinstripes:

Ruth (1920) - .376, 54 HR, 137 RBI, 158 runs scored & 14 stolen bases.
Arod (2004) - .286, 36 HR, 106 RBI, 112 runs scored & 28 stolen bases.

Ruth had the better year for sure! But he didn't make the post season. He would have to wait another year for that.

Let's review their respective initial NYY post season performances:

Ruth (1921: WS) - 5-for-16 (.313) w/ 8 strikeouts, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored, 2 SB & 5 walks.

The Yanks lose the World Series to the NY Giants. Babe did hit a HR in Game 4... but... Ruth didn't really do much after that. The Yanks would lose 3 of the final 4 games while Ruth went 1-for-5 in those 4 games (1-for-4 in one, and 0-1 in another). Not only did the Yanks lose to another team in NY but after belting 59 HR in the regular season, the Babe hits one when it counts. Fortunately for Babe Ruth, their wasn't much talk radio back then to bash him!

Arod (2004: ALDS) - 8-for-19 (.421) w/ 1 strikeout, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored, 3 doubles, 2 SB & 2 walks. These numbers are good but they don't even tell half the story. Arod actually had TWO GAME WINNING HITS... BOTH coming in extra innings nonetheless. One coming when the Yanks were two outs away from falling behind two games to none and facing the grim prospect of heading to Minny one game from elimination, Arod belts a double off the closer (Nathan)... The other... He hit a double in extra innings, stole 3rd & then scored on a wild pitch! Basically, Arod won two games by himself!

SO... as we see... Ruth had the better first year regular season but Arod had the better inaugural post season debut. Moving along... Because Arod carried the Yankees into the ALCS, he earned the right for another post season series... Here's how Arod did in the ALCS in 2004:

Arod (2004: ALCS) - Games #1-4... Arod goes 7-for-19, with TWO HRs, 5 rbi, 8 runs scored... How big were those HRs? Well, in Game-3, after falling behind 3-0 (& trailing each-n-every inning for the first 20 innings of the ALCS) Boston finally takes the lead by scoring 4 in the 3rd... SO... Arod crushes a HR in the 4th... recapturing the lead right back... sending a ball over the Green monster... Yanks cruise to HUGE victory after that. The other HR? Well, it's now Game-4... Yanks ahead three games to none... score is tied (0-0) in the 3rd... Arod belts another HR unto Lansdowne Street... Yanks ahead 2-0. IF MO doesn't blow the game in the 9th... Yanks are carried to to the World Series on Arod's back! He's a hero and has a GREAT post season. It's not meant to be ... SO... Games 5-7... Arod goes 1-for-12... not great... But he does finish this ALCS with: 8-for-31, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 8 runs scored, 2 doubles & 4 walks!

In total, for the complete 2004 playoffs: Arod goes 16-for-51, 3 HR, 5 doubles, 8 RBI, 11 runs scored, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts & 2 SB. I REPEAT... Arod had 6 strikeouts in 51 ABs while Ruth had 8 strikeouts in 16 ABs.

NOW... Let's look at the second year in pinstripes... shall we?

Ruth (1921) - .378, 59 HR, 171 RBI, 177 runs scored & 17 stolen bases.
Arod (2005) - .321, 48 HR, 130 RBI, 124 runs scored & 21 stolen bases. (MVP)

OK, as we can see... Arod had the better year number two in Yankeeland. Let's see how they both faired in the second post season appearance for the Yanks:

Ruth (1922: WS) - 2-for-17 (.118), 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 run scored, 3 strikeouts & 2 walks. OUCH! One little single and one double.

Once again, the New York Yankees lose to the New York Giants in the World Series. Two consecutive seasons losing to an inter-city rival... AND, this time they are swept! They never even had the lead in any game! Fortunately, again, for Babe Ruth.... Sports Talk radio aint what it is today so he skirted by just fine!

NOW, if you added up both 1921 & 1922... Babe was 7-for-33 with 11 Ks and 1 HR. Yanks lose two World Series, back-2-back, losing twice to another NY squad! Imagine what they would've said about the Babe on talk radio or ESPN then? The great Yankee savior manages to blow it twice! CHOKE RUTH? Even Reggie Jackson was able to deliver the WS, but not Babe in his first two years.

WHAT ABOUT AROD?

Arod (2005: ALDS) - Arod goes 2-for16 (.133), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 runs scored, 6 walks & 5 strikeouts. Just like Ruth, in his second post season appearance Arod hits one little single and one double.

It was obvious the Angels WERE NOT going to let Arod beat them... they pitched around him almost every at bat... Arod felt the pressure and wouldn't differ to his teammates (who had done nothing either as the Yanks were losing), Arod refused to be patient and accept the walk... BUT he did post an on-base percentage of .381!!!

Let's Recap their first two collective post season performances:

Ruth: 7-for-33, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 runs scored, 1 double, 11 K, 7 BB.

Arod: 18-for-67, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 13 runs scored, 6 doubles, 12 K, 12 BB.

Ruth has one less strikeout in 34 less ABs!


Finally, let's look at year number three:

Ruth (1922) - .315, 35 HR, 99 RBI, 94 runs scored & 2 stolen bases.
Arod (2006) - .290, 35 HR, 121 RBI, 113 runs scored & 15 stolen bases.

HA! Arod was killed for having a "bad" year in his third go-around. As you can tell, his third year in pinstriped was better than Ruth. Ruth didn't make the post season in his first year so this season was the follow up to his World Series collapse. SO far, we've established that Babe Ruth had the better first year in a Yankee uniform (regular season) but Arod had the better first post season performance. Arod also had the better years #2 & #3 (regular season) and that both had lousy second post season appearances!

Here's a look at their respective third post season performances:

Ruth (1923: WS) - .368, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 8 runs scored, 8 walks & 6 strikeouts.

Yanks finally win the World Series!!! FOUR years after Babe Ruth came to town. In his third post season appearance, everything clicks for the Babe. BUT... In Game-1, Ruth goes 1-for-4 with a single & run scored but no rbi & obviously no HR. In essence, up to this point, Ruth's post season run with Yanks thus far: 8-for37, ONE HR, 11 whiffs and six rbi in FOURTEEN WORLD SERIES GAMES! THIS IS BABE RUTH FOLKS!

Then came game #2... Babe hits 2 HR... And from here on, in his Yanks career... Ruth goes 33-for-81 with 14 HR, 25 rbi & 26 walks... as Yanks win 4 WS titles (and lose another) from 1923-1932... Yippee! BUT, as is the case with Arod, they must have been calling for Ruth's head. He loses back-2-back World Series to crosstown rivals... Hits 1 HR in 14 games?

Arod (2006: ALDS) - 1-for-14, .071, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 runs scored, 0 walks, 4 Ks. OUCH!

In Summation, let's compare the two droughts:

Ruth: 8-for-37, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 11 Ks, 7 walks (14 games)
Arod: 5-for-46, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 12 Ks, 9 walks (13 games: Game-4 2004 ALCS-Present)

Looks like these numbers look about the same, no? GRANTED, Babe Ruth won the World Series in his third try but it did take him four years in pinstripes to bring the crown home.

WOW, this happens to be year number four for Arod. Imagine that. AND, like Ruth, Arod has posted some ordinarily pedestrian post season numbers. BUT, unlike Ruth, Arod has posted good numbers before. AND, unlike Ruth, Arod was a hero in his first ever post season appearance in a Yankee uniform.

What would have happened if the media exited in 1922 as it does today? What if the media ran Babe Ruth out of town before the 1923 season? I shudder to think...

SO, let's sit back and enjoy what's going to be the Arod show. I have no doubt he'll show up and do something special. He's been doing it all season, he has done it before and he is no stranger to adversity. Like Ruth, he has both is on-field and off-field issues... Will this be the year Arod goes bonkers? Will the new stadium be known as the 'House that Arod Built.'

Arod began September on a hitting spree. He hit 8 HRs in 8 games. I was worried he would be red hot all Sept. and then cool off come October. I'm actually glad he's in the midst of a mini-slump right now (3-for-his-last-29 w/ 2 RBI). The way his season has gone so far, he'll heat up at just the right time... right as October rolls along! As a fan, I look forward to see the greatest player perform o the greatest stage!

Will The Cowboys "Tank" With "Tank?"

Well...Jerry has done it again....another bold move from Jerry and the boys. The Cowboys take a chance of 25 year old Terry "Tank" Johnson. There is no doubt that Johnson is incredibly talented, and will really bolster this defensive line, although he may have a hard time wrestling away the starting nose tackle job away from 25 year old Jay Ratliff.

Johnson is a talented, yet troubled soul that most teams in the NFL would not take a chance on, darn near Pacman Jones in that regard. This is a move that the boys really hope works for many reasons. The court of public opinion can be cruel sometimes, and many times justifiably so. In a league where scandal rears it ugly head, and accusations of no character persist, the boys and the league desperately need this to work out. If anyone can get a hold of a wayward guy, it is Calvin Hill who works wonders with players. But let us not forget back in the day when guys like Demetrius Underwood, Alonzo Spellman, etc...have not come thru.

In the good ol' days, it was the Oakland Raiders that was the NFL's center for wayward and aged players. It now seems that the boys wear this distinction. Let us all hope that this works. as a Cowboys homer, I certainly hope it works since the deed is done. But I for one still feel that character matters not only on the field, but off the field, and no matter how gifted and talented you might be, you must still be a man of character. At some point the NFL, teams, management, must draw the line. It doesn't really look like we are there yet.

When it comes to resuming your career, second chances, maybe even third chances are fine. Beyond that, you are all out of chances.

We will be watching this closely!!

Double G, Over And Out.

MLB Wild Card Races

The HOTTEST Team in MLB: Cleveland Indians

Hitting their nadir, from Aug. 10th-14th, the Cleveland Indians were almost left for dead after getting swept by the NY Yankees and dropping a game to the Detroit Tigers. Losing four in a row, and five of six, they had fallen in to second place in the AL Central division, and were trailing the Yanks in the Wild Card race. Most believed this would be the last time we heard from Cleveland in 2007. However, that would not be the case...

Since then, the Cleveland Indians are 25-8 in their last 32 games.

On 8-14, Joe Borowski got the loss giving up 4 runs to the Tigers. Since then, he's 2-0 with 10 saves. He's blown two saves but has allowed only four earned runs!

Since 8-14, Travis Hafner has 25 RBI.

People talk about Boston, NY & LA but beware of Cleveland. They have two LEGIT starting pitchers in CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. With Sizemore-Hafner-Martinez they have enough offense. Perez-Betancourt are lights out lefty-righty RP option and Borowski is getting the job done. Are they peaking too soon or heating up at just the right time?



The American League Playoff Situation:

This is boiling down to this: not who will make the playoffs but who will be seeded where?
BOS-NY-LA-CLE are all in. LA will win the West, CLE the Central and right now the East is still up for grabs. All four of these teams have a chance to finish with the AL's best record, earning home field advantage throughout.

The Yankees have to contend with Halladay-Burnett, Mcgowan-Marcum this weekend so I suspect BOS will be able to hang on and win the East. Who will play whom? Stay tuned!



The National League Playoff Situation:

WOW. What to make of this situation right?

NYM-PHI (East)
CHI-MIL (Central)
ARI-SD (West)

CHI-MIL loser is out... no chance at Wild Card.

NYM-PHI-ARI-SD are basically playing musical chairs, with 3 spots to divide between these four teams.

The NL East will be decided by the Washington Nationals. They have 7 games against Philly and 4 against the Mets. The Mets also have 7 against Florida while the Phils have 3 against Atlanta. BUT... I suspect the Nats will relish having a say in which team wins the NL East, playing the role of spoiler!

ARI has to deal with PITT-COL-LA so their road wont be an easy one... BUT, San Diego's road is even tougher: They play Pitt-SF-COL and have to finish the season playing four games in Milwaukee. OUCH!

BUT... ARI-SD have the slight edge on NYM-PHI in the Wild Card race so the runner-up may still get their reward.

In the Central division... The Cubs play Pitt-FLA-CIN, playing their final 6 on the road. The Brewers have a brutal stretch: HOU-ATL-STL-SD... OUCH!

I would guess that the Mets hold on and win the East, the Cubs win the Central, San Diego wins the West and the Phils finally make it across the finish line heading toward October, as they capture the Wild Card!

Rookie Pitchers Lead the Playoff Charge in the Bronx

The New York Yankees entered September in the midst of an extremely tight, three-team Wild Card race, jockeying for position and battling for one playoff spot, against the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners.

Less than three weeks later, the Yankees have practically buried their competition in their wake, opening up an almost insurmountable lead while steamrolling toward October ball.

The Yanks are 15-5 in their last 20 games! Keeping pace with the Cleveland Indians and LA Angels as the three hottest teams in MLB.

The Yanks are 12-4 so far in September... And a large part of this effort is directly attributed to the success of their rookie pitchers, who have gone for a combined 5-0 this month!

wonder-PHIL "Phenom" HUGHES (21)
i am-IAN "Impressive" KENNEDY (22)
agent-JOBA "the Hut" CHAMBERLAIN (22)
say it again-EDWAR "what!?!" RAMIREZ (26)
what's the fuss-Ross "Ivy League" Ohlendorf (25)

These five rookie pitchers have excelled down the stretch run of this year's playoff race...

Their combined production for this month:

5-0
2.75 era
52.2 IP,
42 hits,
16 earned runs,
20 BB,
48 K

WOW... Not too shabby eh?

These kids are already battle-tested, already producing under the heat lamp and pressure of this NY gothic atmosphere... Sort of like 1996 when Mo, Andy & Jeet rose to the occasion!

Here's how they breakdown:

Phil Hughes: 17.2 IP, 14 hits, 5 earned runs, 7 BB, 10 K... 2.55 era (2-0)

Ian Kennedy: 19.0 IP, 13 hits, 4 earned runs, 9 BB, 15 K... 1.89 era (1-0)

Joba Chamberlain: 6.2 IP, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 1 BB, 6 K... 1.35 era (2-0)

Edwar Ramirez: 7.0 IP, 9 hits, 5 earned runs, 2 BB, 12 K... 6.43 era

Ross Ohlendorf: 2.1 IP, 1 hit, 1 earned run, 1 BB, 5 K... 3.86 era

With the resurgence of Mike Mussina, one could easily predict Joe Torre's post season rotation: Wang, Pettitte, Roger, Moose (no particular order)... BUT... I'll say this: If the Yanks are to go far this post season, the five aforementioned rookie pitchers will have a big say in determining the fate of the 2007 New York Yankees!

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NEW YORK YANKEES Farm System Review for 2007 Season

NEW YORK YANKEES Farm System Review for 2007 Season:

Now that the Minor League Affiliates have completed their respective seasons...

Let's review their campaigns:

AAA- Scranton/Wilkes Barre (International League- North Division)
84-59-58 (First Place by 7.5 games)

* Upset in the first round of AAA playoffs by Richmond (Braves) 3 games to 1.

RECAP: The roster is filled with a plethora of AAAA type players. Too good for the minors but not good enough for the majors. The Yanks have sprinkled in some prospects who are gearing up for their major league careers and this combination has served SWB well. They've had a great season. Shelley Duncan and Jim Brower were selected to the All-Star team. Andy Phillips, Kevin Thompson, Kei Igawa, Matt Desalvo, Tyler Clippard, Chris Britton are just a few of the familiar names. The few bright spots were a couple of AA players who were promoted to SWB... Most notably was Brett Gardner. He's a speedy CF with 31 stolen bases and On-Base Percentage of .372. A Juan Pierre type lead-off prospect. Another OF prospect, Justin Christian, also faired well (batting .325) Two prospects: Bronson Sardinha (OF) and Alberto Gonzalez (S.S) played poorly in AAA but got it together after they were demoted to AA.

On the pitching side. Well, Colter Bean played himself out of the Yankee organization. One name on the cusp is Steven White. Of course, Ian Kennedy was promoted here and is pitching well. Chase Wright, Matt Desalvo, Jim Brower, Kei Igawa & Ross Ohlendorf. Relievers like TJ Beam, Ben Kozlowski, Steven Jackson, Chris Britton & Jose Veras might help this year.

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT: Eric Duncan (1B-3B).

His fall from elite prospect status has unfairly tagged him as a "bust." This couldn't be further from the truth. Duncan is still only 22 years-old. MOst college players drafted in this year's draft are 21-22 years-old. Obviously Duncan is not the next Andruw Jones with the bat but to say he's a bust is nonsense! He's got experience under his belt, he's still on pace (22 years-old in AAA) and still has potential to have a bright future. He's a lefty-swinging stick and that is a good thing for Yankee stadium.

His 2007 numbers are decent: 23 doubles, 10 HR, 1 triple, 44 walks. HIs .234 batting average, .314 OBP and .377 slugging (.691 OPS) are poor but he still shows flashes of his power... He's gotten some late-game BIG hits. 41 runs, 55 RBI... 73 K... 12 errors. He's definitely not ready for MLB next year but he could be by 2009 (at which point he'll still only be 24 years-old).

He's finally healthy and comfortable. He's handled position changes, being shuffled through the system and being labeled the TOP DAWG. This season showed that he's settling down and finding his groove. I expect a breakout season from him in 2008.

AA- Trenton Thunder (Eastern League- Northern Division)
83-59 (First place by 12.5 games)

* Won the Eastern League Championship defeating Akron (Indians) 3 games to 1.

RECAP: Pitching, Pitching and more pitching. This squad is loaded and it has shown on the diamond. With a staff of Alan Horne, Jason Jones, Jeffrey Marquez, Brett Smith, Justin Pope and many more, Trenton has been virtually untouchable. Relievers like Scott Patterson, Michael Gardner. Kevin Whelan, Jeff Kennard (traded to LAA) & Gerardo Casadiego have done an outstanding job as well. There hasn't been a clear-cut closer here (Jim Brower closes in AAA) so this has been accomplished by a committee. One recent promotion from A ball is Daniel McCutchen and he's been pitching well too!

In terms of position players, just as is the case in AAA, there aint much MLB ready. There are three prospects that havepotential. One is Cuban defector Juan Miranda (1B), Aarom Baldiris (3B) and Matt Carson (OF). Carson is 26, Baldiris is 24 and Miranda is 24. Also, Reegie Corona (S.S) was just promoted from A ball and has played great baseball this year.

Carson, Horne and Marquez were selected to the All-Star team.

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT: Who else but Right-hander Alan Horne, recently named the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Year.

Horne is 12-4 with a 2.97 ERA at Trenton. In 26 starts: He allows less than a hit per inning and has a 3:1 K:BB ratio.

148.1 IP
140 Hits
161Strikeouts
53 Walks
48 earned runs
8 HR

Selected by the Yankees in the 11th round in the 2005 draft...William Alan Horne...led the 2005 University of Florida team with 10 wins and 108 strikeouts...helped lead his team to the Finals of the 2005 College World Series...

He previously played at Chipola Junior College in 2004 and was selected in the 30th round of the 2004 draft by the Anaheim Angels (did not sign)...

Horne underwent "Tommy John" surgery on his right elbow in 2003...was ranked No. six on Baseball America's list of the nation's top 50 sophomores prior to the 2003 season and also rated as the SEC's No. 2 prospect for the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft...also listed as one of the top players to watch in the SEC by Collegiate Baseball...

He earned honorable mention Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball newspaper in 2002...helped lead Marianna (FL) High School to four consecutive appearances in the state 3A Final Four, including a state title his junior year...

ALAN HORNE was originally drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Indians with the 27th overall pick in the 2001 First-Year Player Draft...was a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Year finalist and a three-time all-state honoree.

A-Advanced (Florida State League- West)
42-28 (Second place, out by 2 games)

RECAP: Talent-rich team indeed. In first most of the season until promotions and injuries stripped the club. Let's start with those who were selected to All-Star team: Daniel McCutchen (P), Eric Wordekemper (Closer), Francisco Cervelli (catcher) & Jose Tabata (OF). Austin Jackson (OF), Kevin Russo (2B) and recently promoted Eduardo Nunez (S.S) are three more players to watch. Pitchers like George Kontos, Anthony Claggett, Joshua Schmidt, Zachary Kroenke & David Robertson are producing. Eric Wordekemper was named Most Valuable Pitcher in the Florida State League.

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT: NO, this isn't going to be Phenom Jose Tabata... That would be too obvious. Tabata broke his wrist and suffered set back playing winter ball in Venezuela and that impacted this season, so much so he's on DL and having surgery to remove hamata bone in his wrist. BUT... The prospect I want to discuss... Austin Jackson! This kid from Texas has power, speed... He's the full package. 5-tool type. He needs to cut down on his strikeouts. He doesn't have the eye or plate discipline that Tabata has but boy can he hit it and run thereafter! Jackson-Tabata served as a wonderful 1-2 punch for Tampa!

Jackson is 20 years-old. 29 stolen bases, 214 total bases, 28 doubles, 81 runs, 12 HR, 55 RBI. WOW. Nice year! Yankees drafted him and signed him and he was a top talent. He was slated to play hoops at GT and yanks paid top dollar to sway him their way. Think Curtis Granderson folks! Jackson played a game for SWB (AAA) and was playing for Trenton (AA) in their post season championship run.

A Low- Charleston River Dogs (South Atlantic League- Southern)
41-29 (Second place, out by 2.5 games)

RECAP: Yanks had 4 players selected to All-Star team: pitchers David Robertson and Jonathan Hovis along with Eduardo Nunez (S.S) and Mitch Hilligoss (3B). Yanks have a bunch of solid position prospects here. Christopher Malec (1B), Timothy O'Brien (3B), Kevin Smith (1B), Seth Fortenberry (OF)... There's also a bunch of pitchers... Robertson and Hovis are RPs and so is Ferdin Tejeda... Starters like Michael Dunn, Grant Duff, Ivan Nova & Eric Hacker had their moments (Dunn looks the best). Too early to tell but the future looks bright!

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT: Mitch Hilligoss (S.S-3B). 22 years-old. Batting .313, 81 runs, 50 RBI, 33 stolen bases, 33 doubles, 4 HRs.

The only tool that Hilligoss lacks is power. He has an incredibly efficient swing, which will result in high batting averages throughout his career. It is quick, mechanically sound, and he compliments it with superior strike zone judgement. A college scout once called him "The best pure hitter I have ever seen". That said, for all the praise he profiles to hit less than 10 home runs in a season, slugging near .400. His defense is excellent at shortstop, even though he was moved to 3rd base temporarily for the short season. His arm is especially strong, and he is quite the athlete. (h ttp://firetorre.blogspot.com/2006/10/prospect-profile-mitch-hilligoss-25.html).

A Short Season- Staten Island Yankees (NY-Penn League- McNamara)
47-28 (Second place, out by 2.5 games)

* Lost in the first round of the NY-Penn League Playoffs to Brooklyn (Mets) two games to none.

RECAP: Nicholas, Chigges (SP) has been a nice surprise. Ryan Zink has done well. Zachary McAllister and Dellin Betances are the two superstars but had rocky starts. RPs Jonathan Ortiz (great), Jason Stephens (very good) and Angel Reyes (so-so). MY TWO FAVORITES... BY FAR... Ryan Pope (SP) and Damon Sublett (2B). Both of these two are 2007 draft pick... And Yanks may have found something in both of these kids.

Sublett is batting .307 (.411 OBP), 7 HR, 16 doubles, 2 triples, 48 RBI, 35 runs, 39 walks and 45 strikeouts (in barely half a season)... WOW...

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT: Ryan Pope... the man from a fashion design school! What did he do last night? 6 IP, 8 whiffs, no runs, no walks, 3 hits!

On the season so far: 36.2 IP, 38 strikeouts, 9 BB, 32 hits, 8 runs, 1 HR. He is 2-0.

Ryan Pope is 21 years-old and Yanks s\drafted him this year in the third round from Savannah College of Art and Design.

Pope, who was the second player selected from an NAIA institution in the 2007 draft, became SCAD’s first-ever NAIA All-American in baseball during the 2007 season. The 6-foot-3 junior right-handed pitcher from Bradenton, Fla., was named the Player of the Year in both the Florida Sun Conference and NAIA Region XIV in 2007. He helped the pitching corps for the Bees to a 3.27 ERA, which was ranked 10th in the NAIA. Pope’s college-record 1.15 ERA was third-best in the NAIA, while he ranked third in opponent’s batting average (.162), fifth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.03), 11th in batters struck out per nine innings (10.76) and 36th in victories (9).

Pope, who was named Pitcher of the Week in the conference four times this season, had 14 complete games and registered five shutouts in 15 appearances (14 starts). Pope, who earned the Paul E. Poetter Male Athlete of the Year award for the second consecutive season, struck out 122 while walking just 13 in 102 innings pitched in 2007. Pope, who was named to the All-FSC and all-region teams a year ago, threw a no-hitter—the second in college history—to open the season against Tennessee Temple University and tossed two two-hitters and one three-hitter. Pope, who is the highest-ever drafted player among the current members in the Florida Sun Conference, holds college career records in games started (42), complete games (32), innings pitched (289.1), victories (24), strikeouts (284) and earned run average (2.36).

Rookie- GCL Yankees (Gulf Coast League- North)
42-17 (First place by 6.5 games)

* Won Gulf Coast League Championship defeating GCL Dodgers two games to one.

RECAP: Brandon Laird (3B), Wady Rufino (OF), Abraham Almonte (2B) and Prilys Cuello (2B) are just a few names. Super-Uber Phenoms-Draft picks such as Austin, Romine (C-1B), Bradley, Suttle (3B) and Carmen Angellini (S.S) have just started playing. Then there's the other top International signing from last year, pitcher Jairo Heredia... 52 Ks, 39 hits in 42 IP! Dickson Marquez, Manuel Barreda, Josue Selenes, Wilkins De La Rosa and Noel Castillo are also off to nice starts!

PROSPECT PROFILE: Jesus Montero. The catcher of the future? Compared to Miguel Cabrera... This kid is a BIG, pure power-hitting catcher. Can he pull off feat Jorge Posada did? Who knows. He's only 17 years-old... He dominated the GCL Championship hitting 2 HR.
On a side note: Ben Blumenthal is also a nice catching prospect on the same team!

NOW... IF I HAD TO CHOOSE... If I were to select or nominate an ALL-STAR team from our farm... take a squad from our combined minor league affiliates... based on performance this year + potential that these prospects might be able to attain... Hmmm... Let's give it a try shall we:

AGAIN... Im taking a team based on this season's production and I'll label those my starters... in parenthesis I will also include those who I think have the highest ceilings in their respective positions... HERE WE GO:

Catcher: Francisco Cervelli (Jesus Montero or Austine Romine)

First Base: Juan Miranda (Eric Duncan)

Second Base: Damon Sublett (Abraham Almonte if he doesn't play OF)

Shortstop: Eduardo Nunez or Reegie Corona (Carmine Angelini)

Third Base: Mitch Hilligoss or Aarom Baldiris (Bradley Suttle? NAH, I'll stick with Mitch Hilligoss)

RF: Matt Carson or Bronson Sardinha (Jose Tabata)

CF: Brett Gardner or Austin Jackson (Austin Jackson)

LF: Chase Odenreider (Taylor Holiday)

*Not sure who to put in LF... Kevin Reese? Most of our better OF prospects play RF or CF. BUT... Odenreider and Holiday are playing well!

SP- Ian Kennedy

SP- Alan Horne

SP- Jeffrey Marquez (Jairo Heredia)

SP- Jason Jones (Daniel McCutchen)

SP- Ryan Pope

CLOSER- Eric Wordekemper (Humberto Sanchez)

RP- Kevin Whelan

RP- Scott Patterson (JB Cox)

RP- Jonathan Hovis (MArk Melancon)

RP- David Robertson (Andrew Brackman)

WEEK TWO RECAP (NFL)

Since we just started the blog I feel it's futile to post a WEEK ONE RECAP. That's history now so I'll just incorporate that within this week's recap... Anyway... a-way we go!

Here's a review of our picks:

Week One:
MF:  12-4
GG:  12-4
MS:  10-6

Week Two:
MF:  8-8
GG:  11-5
MS:  9-7

AGAIN, since operation of this blog began after WEEK TWO,
there's no reason to list all our picks.  We'll post the
picks from now on before the games are played!

Some Facts:
Home teams went 10-6 (same record as week one).
In Head-2-Head Division play,
the home teams went 5-3 (they were 4-2 week one).

MY WEEK TWO GAME BALLS:

Carson Palmer
Tom Brady
Jeff Reed
Jamal Lewis
Bob Sanders

MY WEEK ONE GAME BALLS:

Tony Romo
Jay Cutler
Mason Crosby
Randy Moss
Mario Williams

My Power Rankings (Top 15)

Patriots
Colt
Steelers
Chargers
Broncos
Cowboys
Bears
Bengals
Redskins
Packers
Niners
Lions
Texans
Bucs
Titans

Final Thoughts:

We're still waiting for the SAINTS to come marching in...
Eagles and Broncos are trying to figure out how to score a TD...
Bucs still have a great defense...
Garcia and Kitna will make some noise this year...
Are the Pats that good or did we over-hype the Chargers...
Steelers will survive losing Cowher...
How do you stop that Cowboy offense...
I guess Colts don't have the best defense after all...
Don't bother passing on Bly-Bailey & the Broncos...
The Phillies outscored the Eagles on Monday...
Calvin Johnson looks pretty good...

MM's Bio: Benchwarmer #9

What a glorious time of the year it is, eh?

The NFL season has started and is already unfolding, College football has kicked off and MLB is churning quickly towards its climax. Summer lingers but Autumn's calling.

What a perfect day it is today... September 18th, 2007.

Today is replete with nines. My favorite number is nine. I wore it when I played and it's carved on the bicep of my left arm.

9 (9x1) & 18 (9x2) & 2007 {or 27} (9x3). 9=9. 1+8=9. 2+7=9 (9x1). 9+1+8=18 (9x2). 9+1+8+2+7=27 (9x3). It continues, 9x18=162 (1+6+2=9) & 162 divided by 9 = 18!
9x18x27=4374 (4+3+7+4=18) & 4374 divided by 9 equals 486 (4+8+6=18).

Are you still reading? Thank you. I just wanted to illustrate that today is the perfect day to be my first post.

Anyway, my name is Matthew Michael Fraguela and I'm a co-host of 'The Good Sports' Radio Show. I've been in radio for six years now and I've followed sports since I was in the belly.

Baseball is favorite. I root-root-root for the New York Yankees. Baseball is a statistical, mathematical wonder without a clock and this is the root of all happiness!

Next comes the NFL and the special something-something it brings to each-n-every Sunday. Here, I cheer for the Denver Broncos.

I follow the NBA and love my New York Knicks.

Finally, I enjoy College football and I'm a bona fide Cameron Crazy who goes bonkers for DUKE hoops!

I've played all three of those aforementioned sports: Basketball, Baseball & Football.

I'm a playground legend, an All-Pro bench warmer and I've been inducted into the Wiffle ball Hall-of-Fame! I've got my masters degree in Monday-Morning-Quarterbacking and I'm currently working on my doctorate in Second-Guessing.

I'm from New York. I live in Dallas. I'm 33 years young. I'm building my fantasy profile where I've been wining and losing for six years now. I've worked for the New York Yankees Radio Network, Texas Rangers Radio Network, Texas Longhorns Radio Sports Network.

That's about it. Enough about me right! Let my opinions speak for themselves and if they're worthy... then... they'll be worthy!


"There is no absolute up or down... no absolute position in space; but the position of a body is relative to that of other bodies. Everywhere there is incessant relative change in position throughout the universe, and the observer is always at the center of things."

[Giordano Bruno]