From my season prediction's post I had ranked the following teams as playoff teams:
"The American League playoff spots: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. The National League playoff spots: Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks."
Right now, the Yankees, Rangers and Braves are playoff teams. The White Sox and Twins are tied for the division. The Cardinals and Phillies are closing in on the division and are battling the San Francisco Giants for the Wild Card. The Red Sox are six games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the Wild Card, and they have been killed by injuries. The only bad prediction would be the Diamondbacks.
I also mentioned this:
"I feel that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Seattle Mariners will be disappointments in the American League as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Giants will disappoint in the National League."
The Angels and Mariners are disappointments as they are third and fourth in their division. The Dodgers are fourth in their division. The Giants are battling the San Diego Padres for the division and currently lead the Wild Card race.
Stay tuned.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Mustached GM Adds Former ROY Runner-Up
The Los Angeles Dodgers traded two minor leaguers to the Kansas City Royals for 2005 all-star Scott Podsednik.
The Dodgers gave up triple A catcher Lucas May and A-ball pitcher Elisaul Pimentel. The Dodgers will also pay Podsednik's remaining salary this year. In 73 triple A games, May has a triple slash stats line of .300/.356/.500. He turns 26 years old this year, however.
When I first heard about this trade on the radio, my first thoughts were, and I am channeling my inner Ned Colletti by the way, former All-Star (one time), rookie of the year runner up, former stolen base leader and owner of a shiny World Series ring.
Here's Colletti's take:
"He has been a World Series champion with the Chicago White Sox [in 2005]," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "He brings speed, he is a good hitter, he can play left field or center field if necessary, and he can drive in runs. With Reed Johnson and Manny being out and not knowing exactly when they'll be back and not knowing if they will have additional issues the rest of the season, this is a safeguard against them having any trouble staying on the field."
World Series champion is meaningless. Certainly the pitching, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye had a much larger role. Podsednik played well for the Chicago White Sox during their World Series run, but in said World Series, he got on base 28.6% of the time--I know only 22 plate appearances but still meaningless to include that as the reason to trade for him.
He does steal a lot of bases, but he also gets caught stealing a lot too--leading the league in that category two times and the leader this season. For his career, he has stolen a base at a 75% rate. This year, he is at 71.4% and last year he was at 69.7%. He is 34 years old, so it isn't unreasonable to note that his speed has diminished somewhat.
Podsednik isn't a useless player, but it is a mildly useless trade. He fills in nicely as a bench player and an okay pinch runner. It's not as bad as giving up Carlos Santana for Casey Blake, but it's just a ho-hum typical Colletti move--trading away young players for old veterans who once upon a time played in a World Series or an All-Star game.
One more thing. The article ends with this pearl:
"Podsednik is expected to arrive in time for Thursday's game against the San Diego Padres, and the Dodgers will announce a corresponding move at that time. The club probably will do one of three things: (1) Option outfielder Xavier Paul to Albuquerque, (2) designate veteran outfielder Garret Anderson for assignment or (3) send a reliever to the minors, thus reducing the pitching staff from the 13 the Dodgers have carried for the past week to the more conventional 12."
If you had to rank those, wouldn't you rank them (1) designate veteran outfielder Garret Anderson for assignment, (2) designate veteran outfielder Garret Anderson for assignment and (3) designate veteran outfielder Garret Anderson for assignment?
While Anderson used to be an All-Star, he does own a .182/.206/.277 31 OPS+ stat line. While it is ridiculous that the Dodgers carry 13 relief pitchers, keep in mind Joe Torre goes through relief pitchers recklessly. Chad Billingsley pitched the Dodgers first complete game on July 21st since the 2008 season.
What did the Dodgers do? They designated pitcher Jack Taschner for assignment. Sure, that's not a bad idea, but somehow, someway Garret Anderson is on the roster.
The Dodgers gave up triple A catcher Lucas May and A-ball pitcher Elisaul Pimentel. The Dodgers will also pay Podsednik's remaining salary this year. In 73 triple A games, May has a triple slash stats line of .300/.356/.500. He turns 26 years old this year, however.
When I first heard about this trade on the radio, my first thoughts were, and I am channeling my inner Ned Colletti by the way, former All-Star (one time), rookie of the year runner up, former stolen base leader and owner of a shiny World Series ring.
Here's Colletti's take:
"He has been a World Series champion with the Chicago White Sox [in 2005]," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "He brings speed, he is a good hitter, he can play left field or center field if necessary, and he can drive in runs. With Reed Johnson and Manny being out and not knowing exactly when they'll be back and not knowing if they will have additional issues the rest of the season, this is a safeguard against them having any trouble staying on the field."
World Series champion is meaningless. Certainly the pitching, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye had a much larger role. Podsednik played well for the Chicago White Sox during their World Series run, but in said World Series, he got on base 28.6% of the time--I know only 22 plate appearances but still meaningless to include that as the reason to trade for him.
He does steal a lot of bases, but he also gets caught stealing a lot too--leading the league in that category two times and the leader this season. For his career, he has stolen a base at a 75% rate. This year, he is at 71.4% and last year he was at 69.7%. He is 34 years old, so it isn't unreasonable to note that his speed has diminished somewhat.
Podsednik isn't a useless player, but it is a mildly useless trade. He fills in nicely as a bench player and an okay pinch runner. It's not as bad as giving up Carlos Santana for Casey Blake, but it's just a ho-hum typical Colletti move--trading away young players for old veterans who once upon a time played in a World Series or an All-Star game.
One more thing. The article ends with this pearl:
"Podsednik is expected to arrive in time for Thursday's game against the San Diego Padres, and the Dodgers will announce a corresponding move at that time. The club probably will do one of three things: (1) Option outfielder Xavier Paul to Albuquerque, (2) designate veteran outfielder Garret Anderson for assignment or (3) send a reliever to the minors, thus reducing the pitching staff from the 13 the Dodgers have carried for the past week to the more conventional 12."
If you had to rank those, wouldn't you rank them (1) designate veteran outfielder Garret Anderson for assignment, (2) designate veteran outfielder Garret Anderson for assignment and (3) designate veteran outfielder Garret Anderson for assignment?
While Anderson used to be an All-Star, he does own a .182/.206/.277 31 OPS+ stat line. While it is ridiculous that the Dodgers carry 13 relief pitchers, keep in mind Joe Torre goes through relief pitchers recklessly. Chad Billingsley pitched the Dodgers first complete game on July 21st since the 2008 season.
What did the Dodgers do? They designated pitcher Jack Taschner for assignment. Sure, that's not a bad idea, but somehow, someway Garret Anderson is on the roster.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Garret Anderson
Somehow Garret Anderson has played played 62 games and have 132 plate appearances. He is used primarily as a spot starter and pinch hitter. His line this year:
.183/.198/.286 with a 32 OPS+
Not only is he not a good pinch hitter, but he's not even a pinch walker. Let's see if he is still on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster at the end of the season!
.183/.198/.286 with a 32 OPS+
Not only is he not a good pinch hitter, but he's not even a pinch walker. Let's see if he is still on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster at the end of the season!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Business Card for Biznass
I went to a party with my friend Melissa. When we arrived at the party, it was pretty much dead. We got there at 10, so we were expecting people to show up within an hour. This gave us time to catch-up.
“I still keep getting messages from Amanda,” I said.
“And you guys stopped dating three months ago?” she asked.
“Yeah, and she broke up with me. Apparently, she wants to get back with me.”
“And you don’t want that?”
“No way. Not after the way it ended. Plus, she has too much drama. It’s just annoying. Also, her laughs. She needs an inhaler when she laughs. I can’t be funny.”
“You’re not funny.”
“Well, sometimes I say something that is funny…” I said. “Oh, hey, before I forget, I got a new phone number.”
“What’s the number?”
“I don’t know. I’ll call you.”
I called her. At this time, people started showing up. Melissa went to go talk to guys, and I decided to talk to girls.
“Hey, so we’re at a party,” I said.
“Yeah, looks like we are,” one of the girls said.
“What’s in the red cup?” I asked.
“Beer from that keg,” she said.
“You’ll never see juice in a keg. It’s always in a box. I want to do a keg stand to minute maid. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
At this point, we just kind of looked at each other and parted ways. I never have productive things to say. Conversation wise, I’m best suited to find a girl who watches VH1.
I met back up with Melissa.
"I completely bombed," I said.
"Bad jokes?" she asked.
"I gotta start writing jokes beforehand. I can't make anything up on the fly.”
"Do you think that would make a difference?"
"Probably not. How about yourself? I saw you talking to a guy over there.”
"Yeah, Brad. He's okay. He gave me his business card and told me to call him for a date.”
"Are you going to call him?"
"No, he should make the first move. It's tacky.”
"Let me see the card.”
Melissa hands me the card.
"Okay, while you're looking at that, I'm going to talk to my friend," she said.
The card was plain white with the phone number in black. Under the number, it read “call me, baby.” I stuck the business card in my pocket and went for a walk around the party.
While I was walking, I overheard two girls talking about The Surreal Life. That caught my attention, so I decided to join in.
“Hey, sorry I couldn’t resist, but I love that show,” I said.
“I can’t believe C.C. botched that Go Fish game,” she said.
“No kidding. I’m Ryan, by the way.”
“”Hi, I’m Ariel.”
“Who do you think is the most famous? I think it's Vanilla Ice.”
“It has to be Ron Jeremy. I mean, Sublime referenced him in a song,” she said. “But I really have to get going. I have work in the morning.”
“Well, I’d love to hang out with you. Perhaps we could watch The White Rapper Show together some time.”
She gave me her number, so I called her so she could have mine.
“So you don’t have a business card?” she asked as she showed me a card Brad gave her.
“So that guy gave you a business card?” I asked.
“Yeah, what a tool.”
“I know. He gave my friend a business card. I guess he’s hoping someone will call or text him.”
We gave each other a hug, and Ariel left. I met back up with Melissa. I told her all about Ariel, and she told me about a cool guy named David. Our night was going well. That was until I saw Amanda walking in. She saw me and walked toward me. Fortunately, Melissa was next to me. That is until she decided to go talk to David some more. I was alone.
“Hey Ryan, I’ve been thinking about you. What’s up?” Amanda asked.
“Oh, nothing much. Just drinking fruit juice,” I said.
“That’s funny. I tried calling you yesterday, but it said that the number was no longer in service. Did you get a new phone?”
“Yeah, it’s the new chocolate. It’s pretty cool.”
“What’s your new phone number? We should hang out soon.”
“Ummm,” I hesitated.
I reached into my pocked, pulled out Brad’s business card, and I gave it to her.
“I still keep getting messages from Amanda,” I said.
“And you guys stopped dating three months ago?” she asked.
“Yeah, and she broke up with me. Apparently, she wants to get back with me.”
“And you don’t want that?”
“No way. Not after the way it ended. Plus, she has too much drama. It’s just annoying. Also, her laughs. She needs an inhaler when she laughs. I can’t be funny.”
“You’re not funny.”
“Well, sometimes I say something that is funny…” I said. “Oh, hey, before I forget, I got a new phone number.”
“What’s the number?”
“I don’t know. I’ll call you.”
I called her. At this time, people started showing up. Melissa went to go talk to guys, and I decided to talk to girls.
“Hey, so we’re at a party,” I said.
“Yeah, looks like we are,” one of the girls said.
“What’s in the red cup?” I asked.
“Beer from that keg,” she said.
“You’ll never see juice in a keg. It’s always in a box. I want to do a keg stand to minute maid. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
At this point, we just kind of looked at each other and parted ways. I never have productive things to say. Conversation wise, I’m best suited to find a girl who watches VH1.
I met back up with Melissa.
"I completely bombed," I said.
"Bad jokes?" she asked.
"I gotta start writing jokes beforehand. I can't make anything up on the fly.”
"Do you think that would make a difference?"
"Probably not. How about yourself? I saw you talking to a guy over there.”
"Yeah, Brad. He's okay. He gave me his business card and told me to call him for a date.”
"Are you going to call him?"
"No, he should make the first move. It's tacky.”
"Let me see the card.”
Melissa hands me the card.
"Okay, while you're looking at that, I'm going to talk to my friend," she said.
The card was plain white with the phone number in black. Under the number, it read “call me, baby.” I stuck the business card in my pocket and went for a walk around the party.
While I was walking, I overheard two girls talking about The Surreal Life. That caught my attention, so I decided to join in.
“Hey, sorry I couldn’t resist, but I love that show,” I said.
“I can’t believe C.C. botched that Go Fish game,” she said.
“No kidding. I’m Ryan, by the way.”
“”Hi, I’m Ariel.”
“Who do you think is the most famous? I think it's Vanilla Ice.”
“It has to be Ron Jeremy. I mean, Sublime referenced him in a song,” she said. “But I really have to get going. I have work in the morning.”
“Well, I’d love to hang out with you. Perhaps we could watch The White Rapper Show together some time.”
She gave me her number, so I called her so she could have mine.
“So you don’t have a business card?” she asked as she showed me a card Brad gave her.
“So that guy gave you a business card?” I asked.
“Yeah, what a tool.”
“I know. He gave my friend a business card. I guess he’s hoping someone will call or text him.”
We gave each other a hug, and Ariel left. I met back up with Melissa. I told her all about Ariel, and she told me about a cool guy named David. Our night was going well. That was until I saw Amanda walking in. She saw me and walked toward me. Fortunately, Melissa was next to me. That is until she decided to go talk to David some more. I was alone.
“Hey Ryan, I’ve been thinking about you. What’s up?” Amanda asked.
“Oh, nothing much. Just drinking fruit juice,” I said.
“That’s funny. I tried calling you yesterday, but it said that the number was no longer in service. Did you get a new phone?”
“Yeah, it’s the new chocolate. It’s pretty cool.”
“What’s your new phone number? We should hang out soon.”
“Ummm,” I hesitated.
I reached into my pocked, pulled out Brad’s business card, and I gave it to her.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Brennan Boesch All-Stars
With the All-Star game weeks away, I thought I would compile a list of deserving players who should make the All Star team but may or may not be All-Star worthy. Think of this list in terms of say Chris Coghlan robbing Andrew McCutchen in the Rookie of the Year last year. Sure Coghlan had a nice season and maybe deserved the award, but we knew that it was mildly flukey. Right?
Anyway, this isn't Rookie of the Year debate. I just wanted to post some numbers as of June 27, 2010 and then revisit this at the end of the season. For this post, I am focusing on hitters.
Brennan Boesch: .337/.389/.611 162 OPS+
Paul Konerko: .302/.396/.583 157 OPS+ At 34, he is having a career year, and the last two seasons indicated a downward trend.
Vernon Wells: .281/.336/.562 141 OPS+
Alex Rios: .311/.369//.541 139 OPS+
Corey Hart: .272/.339/.576 144 OPS+ and leads the national league with 18 home runs
Josh Willingham: .277/.408/.498 144 OPS+
Aubrey Huff:
.298/.389/.520 138 OPS+
Kelly Johnson: .264/.366/.494 121 OPS+
Anyway, this isn't Rookie of the Year debate. I just wanted to post some numbers as of June 27, 2010 and then revisit this at the end of the season. For this post, I am focusing on hitters.
Brennan Boesch: .337/.389/.611 162 OPS+
Paul Konerko: .302/.396/.583 157 OPS+ At 34, he is having a career year, and the last two seasons indicated a downward trend.
Vernon Wells: .281/.336/.562 141 OPS+
Alex Rios: .311/.369//.541 139 OPS+
Corey Hart: .272/.339/.576 144 OPS+ and leads the national league with 18 home runs
Josh Willingham: .277/.408/.498 144 OPS+
Aubrey Huff:
.298/.389/.520 138 OPS+
Kelly Johnson: .264/.366/.494 121 OPS+
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Max Scherzer Shuts Down the D-Backs
Former Arizona Diamondback Max Scherzer threw a rare gem in a victory over his former team.
Scherzer pitched 7 strong innings striking out eight and only giving up two walks. The Detroit Tigers defeated the Diamondbacks 3-1 on Sunday. Diamondback starting pitcher Ian Kennedy, who like Scherzer, was featured in last off season's three team blockbuster trade, pitched a strong 6 2/3 innings issuing zero walks and striking out five batters. His downfall? He gave up two home runs to Carlos Guillen and Brennan Boesch.
Going into this game, it looks like Kennedy has had a better year than Scherzer--especially if you use ERA as the basis of your argument. Scherzer has a 6.14 ERA and Kennedy has a 3.57 ERA.
Looking at Scherzer's stats, through 66 innings, his bb/9 are consistent with his career averaged at 3.4/9 (not that great), but his hr/9 has sky rocketed to 1.6/9 and his k/9 have dipped slightly at 8.0/9. The dip in strike outs could be due to the fact that he is facing a designated hitter instead of a pitcher or pinch hitter.
Kennedy has been a nice surprise for the Diamondbacks. He was the most intriguing player in the trade because he had GREAT minor league numbers, but has been injured for much of the past two seasons. In 88.1 innings, he has 7.8 k/9, 3.2 bb/9 and 1.5 hr/9.
Both pitchers have very similar rate stats. If Scherzer can lower his home run rate to somewhere closer to his career of 1.1/9, his ERA will drop and if Kennedy can do the same, he will be able to sustain his ERA.
Scherzer pitched 7 strong innings striking out eight and only giving up two walks. The Detroit Tigers defeated the Diamondbacks 3-1 on Sunday. Diamondback starting pitcher Ian Kennedy, who like Scherzer, was featured in last off season's three team blockbuster trade, pitched a strong 6 2/3 innings issuing zero walks and striking out five batters. His downfall? He gave up two home runs to Carlos Guillen and Brennan Boesch.
Going into this game, it looks like Kennedy has had a better year than Scherzer--especially if you use ERA as the basis of your argument. Scherzer has a 6.14 ERA and Kennedy has a 3.57 ERA.
Looking at Scherzer's stats, through 66 innings, his bb/9 are consistent with his career averaged at 3.4/9 (not that great), but his hr/9 has sky rocketed to 1.6/9 and his k/9 have dipped slightly at 8.0/9. The dip in strike outs could be due to the fact that he is facing a designated hitter instead of a pitcher or pinch hitter.
Kennedy has been a nice surprise for the Diamondbacks. He was the most intriguing player in the trade because he had GREAT minor league numbers, but has been injured for much of the past two seasons. In 88.1 innings, he has 7.8 k/9, 3.2 bb/9 and 1.5 hr/9.
Both pitchers have very similar rate stats. If Scherzer can lower his home run rate to somewhere closer to his career of 1.1/9, his ERA will drop and if Kennedy can do the same, he will be able to sustain his ERA.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Ken Griffey Junior's Retirement
Ken Griffey Junior's retirement is similar to Michael Jackson's death.
I heard about Griffey's retirement at work, likewise, I heard about Jackson's death at work. After hearing about Griffey's retirement and Jackson's death, I immediately thought about how great they once were and how irrelevant they became later on in life.
Think about this: Griffey owned baseball in the 90s while Jackson owned music in the 80s. Look at the following stats.
Ken Griffey Jr. OPS+ throughout the 90s:
1990 135
1991 155
1992 149
1993 171
1994 170
1995 122
1996 153
1997 165
1998 150
1999 139
Then not much.
Michael Jackson number one hits:
1972 Ben
1979 Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
1980 Rock With You
1983 Billie Jean
1983 Beat It
1987 I Just Can't Stop Loving You
1987 Bad
1988 The Way You Make Me Feel
1988 Man In The Mirror
1988 Dirty Diana
1991 Black Or White
1995 You Are Not Alone
Then not much.
Griffey's irrelevance came mostly from injuries and then ineffectiveness due to age. Jackson's irrelevance came mostly from accusations, bizarre behavior, plastic surgery and not putting out much music. Griffey had an effective, healthy and all-star worthy 2007 season. His slash stats that year were .277/.372/.496 (119 OPS+). Jackson had a nice hit with You Rock My World in 2001, which reached to number 10. For the last 10 seasons, Griffey wasn't in the baseball spotlight--save for a couple all-star appearance, worthy or not. The talk was Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and other big names. Strange because Griffey was THE biggest name in the 90s. For the last 14 years, Jackson wasn't in the music spotlight--save for a few appearances at music shows and the 30th Anniversary Special. Usher, Eminem, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Beyonce and other musicians were featured at clubs. Jackson was THE biggest name in the 80s.
The talk about Griffey was the injuries. Was it shocking to see Griffey come up limping on the base paths or hurt himself while tracking down a fly ball? The talk about Jackson was the plastic surgery. Was it shocking to see Jackson with a new nose or facial bone structure for that matter?
Griffey also depicted cool. Who didn't want to wear the backwards hat after seeing him rock the style in batting practice? Jackson depicted cool. I know I wanted to wear the one glove while attempting to do the moon walk on the playground.
I thought about the two after Griffey announced his retirement, I thought about how he was my favorite player at one time and how I haven't thought about him much since his first season with the Cincinnati Reds in 2000. It's not that I stopped liking him, but he wasn't around for me to enjoy. I recalled how much I loved him after watching some YouTube clips and sifting through my baseball cards. After Jackson's death, I started listening to some of his songs again on YouTube. I always had Man in the Mirror on my iTunes, but I forgot how much I loved Black or White, Will You Be There and Beat It.
I also started thinking about the two when I read the comments section from the Rob Neyer article. Neyer had a rational perspective on Griffey's career, and it contained a lot of praise. However, fan boys didn't see his point and didn't recognize the praise and attacked based on some of the negative comments. If you scour message boards (yes, guilty pleasure), you will see people attack any negative, fair or not, comment about Jackson.
For Griffey, the fan boy response is something like, "He saved baseball in Seattle, and he played like a kid and was a great 5-tool player."
For Jackson, the fan boy response is something like, "He was a misunderstood beautiful man who cared about his fans and did a lot of charity work. He was a great musician and a poet."
It's amazing how a retirement and a death can make people recall all the good that someone did and forget the not-so-good. I will conclude with my thoughts on each subject.
Ken Griffey Jr. was one of my favorite baseball players growing up: the others being Frank Thomas, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and Kevin Appier. He and Bonds were the two best players of the 90s and absolutely owned their skills. Griffey could hit, run and field. That being said, after a nice, what I thought to be, farewell season in 2009, he came back for one more year. I don't blame him for taking the money. I blame Jack Z for offering the contract. Regardless, he accepted the contract, and this season was disastrous. He took a nap, couldn't hit and was ultimately benched. None of this will affect my childhood memories of him, but as an adult, it is a part of his profile.
Michael Jackson was one of my favorite musicians growing up: the others being MC Hammer, The Cars, B52s and Tom Petty. He and Prince were the two singers who owned it in the 80s. Jackson could sing, dance and write. That being said, he was extremely weird. His skin tone, plastic surgery and hanging his youngest son from a hotel balcony made me wonder what's in his mind. Of course I have failed to mention the big elephant in the room: the sexual allegations with kids. We'll never know the truth, and I won't even pontificate my thoughts on the situation. None of this will affect my childhood memories of him, but as an adult, it is a part of his profile.
I think really, at this point, all I can do is enjoy their skills. And for that, I'm going to find my old Walk Man and put in my Will You Be There cassette and pop in my Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. for the N64 and rock out. Don't worry, the N64 is already hooked up to my TV. Always.
I heard about Griffey's retirement at work, likewise, I heard about Jackson's death at work. After hearing about Griffey's retirement and Jackson's death, I immediately thought about how great they once were and how irrelevant they became later on in life.
Think about this: Griffey owned baseball in the 90s while Jackson owned music in the 80s. Look at the following stats.
Ken Griffey Jr. OPS+ throughout the 90s:
1990 135
1991 155
1992 149
1993 171
1994 170
1995 122
1996 153
1997 165
1998 150
1999 139
Then not much.
Michael Jackson number one hits:
1972 Ben
1979 Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
1980 Rock With You
1983 Billie Jean
1983 Beat It
1987 I Just Can't Stop Loving You
1987 Bad
1988 The Way You Make Me Feel
1988 Man In The Mirror
1988 Dirty Diana
1991 Black Or White
1995 You Are Not Alone
Then not much.
Griffey's irrelevance came mostly from injuries and then ineffectiveness due to age. Jackson's irrelevance came mostly from accusations, bizarre behavior, plastic surgery and not putting out much music. Griffey had an effective, healthy and all-star worthy 2007 season. His slash stats that year were .277/.372/.496 (119 OPS+). Jackson had a nice hit with You Rock My World in 2001, which reached to number 10. For the last 10 seasons, Griffey wasn't in the baseball spotlight--save for a couple all-star appearance, worthy or not. The talk was Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and other big names. Strange because Griffey was THE biggest name in the 90s. For the last 14 years, Jackson wasn't in the music spotlight--save for a few appearances at music shows and the 30th Anniversary Special. Usher, Eminem, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Beyonce and other musicians were featured at clubs. Jackson was THE biggest name in the 80s.
The talk about Griffey was the injuries. Was it shocking to see Griffey come up limping on the base paths or hurt himself while tracking down a fly ball? The talk about Jackson was the plastic surgery. Was it shocking to see Jackson with a new nose or facial bone structure for that matter?
Griffey also depicted cool. Who didn't want to wear the backwards hat after seeing him rock the style in batting practice? Jackson depicted cool. I know I wanted to wear the one glove while attempting to do the moon walk on the playground.
I thought about the two after Griffey announced his retirement, I thought about how he was my favorite player at one time and how I haven't thought about him much since his first season with the Cincinnati Reds in 2000. It's not that I stopped liking him, but he wasn't around for me to enjoy. I recalled how much I loved him after watching some YouTube clips and sifting through my baseball cards. After Jackson's death, I started listening to some of his songs again on YouTube. I always had Man in the Mirror on my iTunes, but I forgot how much I loved Black or White, Will You Be There and Beat It.
I also started thinking about the two when I read the comments section from the Rob Neyer article. Neyer had a rational perspective on Griffey's career, and it contained a lot of praise. However, fan boys didn't see his point and didn't recognize the praise and attacked based on some of the negative comments. If you scour message boards (yes, guilty pleasure), you will see people attack any negative, fair or not, comment about Jackson.
For Griffey, the fan boy response is something like, "He saved baseball in Seattle, and he played like a kid and was a great 5-tool player."
For Jackson, the fan boy response is something like, "He was a misunderstood beautiful man who cared about his fans and did a lot of charity work. He was a great musician and a poet."
It's amazing how a retirement and a death can make people recall all the good that someone did and forget the not-so-good. I will conclude with my thoughts on each subject.
Ken Griffey Jr. was one of my favorite baseball players growing up: the others being Frank Thomas, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and Kevin Appier. He and Bonds were the two best players of the 90s and absolutely owned their skills. Griffey could hit, run and field. That being said, after a nice, what I thought to be, farewell season in 2009, he came back for one more year. I don't blame him for taking the money. I blame Jack Z for offering the contract. Regardless, he accepted the contract, and this season was disastrous. He took a nap, couldn't hit and was ultimately benched. None of this will affect my childhood memories of him, but as an adult, it is a part of his profile.
Michael Jackson was one of my favorite musicians growing up: the others being MC Hammer, The Cars, B52s and Tom Petty. He and Prince were the two singers who owned it in the 80s. Jackson could sing, dance and write. That being said, he was extremely weird. His skin tone, plastic surgery and hanging his youngest son from a hotel balcony made me wonder what's in his mind. Of course I have failed to mention the big elephant in the room: the sexual allegations with kids. We'll never know the truth, and I won't even pontificate my thoughts on the situation. None of this will affect my childhood memories of him, but as an adult, it is a part of his profile.
I think really, at this point, all I can do is enjoy their skills. And for that, I'm going to find my old Walk Man and put in my Will You Be There cassette and pop in my Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. for the N64 and rock out. Don't worry, the N64 is already hooked up to my TV. Always.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)