Thursday, August 22, 2013

Throwback Thursday x Ichiro

While the 2013 New York Yankees have looked more like the second installment of the Bronx Zoo with all that has gone on with Alex Rodriguez who has once again found himself in hot water regarding PED's, there has been some highlights in a season that'll most likely see the Yankees miss the postseason, unfamiliar territory to baseball's most storied franchise. In the Bronx for game two of a three game set with the division-rival Blue Jays, Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki stepped up to the plate on Wednesday needing one hit to give him 4,000 total hits in an illustrious career that started overseas. The Japanese star would waste little time to etch his name into the record books by slapping a single to left in the first inning against Toronto's R.A. Dickey who served as a teammate of Ichiro's in 2008 with the Seattle Mariners. The hit also helped him surpass Lou Gehrig on the all-time hits list.
After play stopped for a few moments while the Yankee dugout poured onto the field as each player hugged and congratulated Ichiro individually followed by a standing ovation from the 36,000+ fans in attendance to which Ichiro took a bow and waved his helmet in appreciation, play resumed but not before baseball added the legendary Ichiro to its list of all-time greats. Standing at 5'11" and weighing in at 170 lbs, Ichiro is small in size but has been anything but at the plate, having hit his way into the record books and pave his way to Cooperstown when it's all said and done. Beginning his professional career at the age of 18 for the Orix Blue Wave of the Japanese Pacific League, Ichiro Suzuki embarked on his journey as an unlikely candidate to reach one of baseball's most prestigious class of hitters. In 2001, the first Japanese-born non-pitcher to sign a Major League deal was introduced to the United States with lofty expectations, arriving to the show with 3 MVP Awards and 7 consecutive batting titles to his name while in Japan. How would he translate that success to the American scene? -- By hitting .350 with 242 hits and swiping 56 stolen bases on his way to winning both the Rookie of the Year Award and the MVP Award in his first season, becoming only the second player in MLB history to win both in the same year.
It didn't stop there, in fact the legend only grew as Ichiro went on to set an MLB-record by amassing 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons from 2001-2010 as well as set the single-season mark for hits in 2004 when his 262 hits broke George Sisler's record of 257 which stood since 1920. While Wednesday's first-inning single may have looked like just any other hit, it was more than that. The now 39-year old Ichiro who will celebrate his 40th Birthday in October, joined the elite class of Pete Rose and Ty Cobb as the only other players with 4,000 hits during a professional career. Though Ichiro's hits total is split from both leagues with only 2,722 of them coming in a big league uniform and the rest in Japan, 4,000 hits is a lot of hits no matter where they're from. While there are those that argue that the level of skill in Japan's baseball league isn't quite up to par with that of the Major Leagues, former Major League player and coach Bobby Valentine who spent six seasons managing in Japan's Pacific League, said when describing the talent in Japan that every player in Japan is good enough to make a big league roster. In fact, Japan has been every bit as good as the U.S. at baseball if not better as Team Japan won each of the first two ever World Baseball Classic's. Japan's passion for the game of baseball has even been felt throughout the Little League level as Japan knocked off Chula Vista, California to claim the Little League World Series earlier this week, the countries ninth LLWS title.
But back to the man of the hour -- Ichiro, who has 1 more year remaining on his contract, has been the benchmark of a professional wherever he's played regardless of continent or team. Having taken a backseat to all the buzz and media attention that Yankee teammate Alex Rodriguez has garnered as of late, Ichiro's milestone is undoubtedly one worth mentioning and celebrating. A lifetime .330 hitter between both Japan where he hit .353 and the Majors where he's compiled a .320 bating average, Ichiro has seen his numbers regress over the last few seasons but his fan base remains among the top of the list in the history of the sport and rightfully so. He's also as cool as the other side of the pillow off the field. Watch this vintage interview he did some years back with Bob Costas, it's one of my all-time favorites.



Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

2013 San Francisco 49ers Season Preview and Super Bowl Prediction

With the start of the NFL's regular season looming and the San Francisco 49ers looking to bounce back from their disappointing loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl 47, here's three things to keep an eye on heading into the season as one of the most storied franchises in all of football looks to capture their sixth title and their first since the 1994 season.
1. Will Colin Kaepernick continue to run rampant on the NFC West or will they figure him out? - Though 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Colin Kaepernick didn't invent the pistol formation, they utilized it to perfection in 2012 and made it one of the hardest formations for an opposing defense to adjust to. With little known about the pistol offense at the professional level aside from college footage, the 49ers used it to their advantage, catching defenses guessing on more than one occasion. On the biggest stage of his career making his first playoff appearance, the duel-threat Kaepernick torched the Green Bay Packers for an NFL-record 181 rushing yards, the most ever by a QB in a single game. But with months of preparation and studying film during the offseason to get up to speed with this formation that has taken the league by storm and has catapulted the 49ers young quarterback to instant fame, teams most notably those within the division figure to create defensive schemes to best counter the pistol and put a stop to the human gazelle that is Colin Kaepernick.
2. What about the D and can we count on the 49ers secondary? - Finishing the 2012 regular season with a record of 11-4-1, beating out the Seattle Seahawks for the division crown by a half a game, the 49ers had a tougher road than anticipated while capturing their first set of back-to-back NFC West titles since the franchise won four straight from 1992-1995. And with a target on their back in the NFC, division foes Seattle, the St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals plan to do everything possible to prevent coach Harbaugh and company from raising a third consecutive pennant. The best way for San Francisco to maintain their supremacy in a division full of hungry playoff hopefuls and a conference far superior than their opposite, is through their defense. Two years removed from having the league's most formidable defense from top to bottom, head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio saw San Francisco's secondary regress in 2012 and hope to breath life back into the heart and soul of the team. Though they weren't exactly terrible, there were some gaps and there's plenty of room for improvement as indicated in their loss to the Ravens.

Harbaugh and co. hope safety Eric Reid who the 49ers selected 18 overall in this year's draft NFL Draft can fill the shoes of the departed Pro-Bowler Dashon Goldson. Fingers are also crossed for positive contributions from cornerback's Carlos Rogers who had a down year in 2012 compared to his Pro-Bowl year the season before. Nnamdi Asomugha is another player at the corner position that looks to rebound with his new team and will be called upon to help fill the void of the injured Chris Culliver who sustained a season-ending ACL tear earlier this month. That's if Asomugha makes the squad as early reports had him being the odd man out towards the end of training camp. But that might all change now that Culliver is no longer in the 2013 picture. 
3. Who will step in and pick up the slack at wide-out? - With the 49ers receiving corps currently in shambles as two of the top three options in Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham are on the shelf nursing injuries and aren't expected to be back until mid-season, the team will be seeking contributions from a list of 10 players vying for a roster spot at a position the 49ers are paper thin at. While Vernon Davis poses an enormous threat worthy of double-coverage from the tight-end position and the newly acquired Anquan Boldin has done nothing but impress at training camp, who Kaepernick calls his go-to target outside of the two aforementioned names is anyone's guess up to this point. While nothing is set in stone, Kyle Williams and newcomer Austin Collie lead the pack and are early candidates to most likely win over the last vacant spot. Also worth noting is that Boldin and Collie who has shown flashes of talent but has suffered from lingering concussions during his stint with the Peyton Manning-led Colts, are the only active wide-receivers on San Francisco's roster that have amassed at least 100 career receptions. That alone should describe just how inexperienced the team is in the wide-out department.

Coach Harbaugh had envisioned for last year's first round pick A.J. Jenkins to be the next bright young star to carry the torch at the wide-out position but after watching his rookie season from the sidelines followed by a forgetful training camp and a preseason that is better left unmentioned, speculation of the former Illinois standout failing to make the team arose. But instead of getting nothing in return, the 49ers dealt Jenkins to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for receiver Jon Baldwin, pulling the plug on the A.J. Jenkins experiment. Like Jenkins, Baldwin is a former first round pick that was selected 26th overall out of Pittsburgh in 2011, four picks earlier than Jenkins and has also failed to live up to the hype. But considering both players are still young (Jenkins 23 years old and Baldwin 24) the fresh start a change of scenery brings might do both players some good and could benefit both parties in the process. It definitely couldn't hurt given they've been declared busts up to this point. Unlike Jenkins who has yet to haul in his first career reception, seeing action in only one game where his lone target was a drop, Baldwin has over 500 receiving yards to his name and 2 touchdowns. Unfortunately, Baldwin will have to learn the playbook and build chemistry with his new quarterback in a fraction of the time those he'll be competing with received.

Now, with all that said, I think it's about time for my Super Bowl prediction: Last year at the start of the postseason, all signs pointed towards a rematch of Super Bowl 24 between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos, a game in which the Joe Montana-led 49ers demolished John Elway and the Denver Broncos in blowout fashion -- 55-10. But as we all know, 2012 didn't end to well for Denver who fell victim to a late collapse and a desperate hail mary that resulted in a miracle touchdown from Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones which ultimately put an end to Peyton Manning's stellar first year with the Broncos. But with all of that behind them now and a new weapon in receiver Wes Welker for Peyton to throw to, I'm predicting the 49ers and Broncos to meet at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on February 2 for Super Bowl XLVIII. 


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Deadline Dud

This year's MLB trade deadline was a whisper in the night opposed to years passed as there were no major splashes made in baseball's trade-o-sphere. However, a few clubs managed to address their pitching needs without dealing for marquee names. Perhaps the biggest name dealt was starting pitcher Jake Peavy who relocated from the Chicago White Sox to the Boston Red Sox. Though Peavy, a 4-time All-Star and former Cy Young Award winner isn't quite the pitcher he once was with the San Diego Padres as he's had a hard time adjusting to the offense-friendly American League, he gives Boston a much needed arm in a rotation that's been without arguably its best pitcher in Clay Buchholz who's been idle since June 8 with a shoulder injury. The move also benefits the player as the 32-year old Peavy (8-4, 4.28 ERA) departs a last place Chicago team for Boston who currently sits atop the AL East with an MLB-best 66-wins. Peavy is under contract through 2014.
One team hoping to spoil the party and prevent Boston from making the postseason if not meet them there, are the Baltimore Orioles who answered their division-rivals with a move of their own, acquiring hurler Bud Norris from the last-place Houston Astros. Norris, who served as the ace for a Houston ball club that's had a torturous 2013 campaign, owning baseball's worst record at 36-71 in their first year in the American League, has gotta be as happy as anyone now that he'll be shifting from the race for the worst record in all of baseball for what's expected to be a pennant race in the AL East. Orioles skipper Buck Showalter who helped turn the franchise around in 2012, leading them to their first playoff appearance in 15 years, knows his squad has been highly dependent on its power hitting offense while the team's mediocre pitching staff has fallen by the wayside, putting up numbers near the bottom of the pack in almost every major pitching category. That's where Norris comes in and hopes to make his presence felt.
However, as far as importance goes, both of these deadline deals fail to match that of the Texas Rangers acquiring Matt Garza from the Chicago Cubs for Mike Olt, C.J. Edwards and Justin Grimm, which took place last week. Nolan Ryan and company hope the addition of Garza will help the Rangers catch up to and pass the Oakland A's who dethroned Texas for the American League Western Division title last season and currently lead the division by 3.5 games. Garza who's been surprisingly consistent despite playing a majority of his career in the powerhouse AL East while with the Tampa Bay Rays and in the hitter-friendly Wrigley Field, will now be given the daunting task of having to pitch in Arlington, Texas where the triple-digit temperatures are no friend to a pitcher's earned-run average. But who wouldn't sacrifice a few notches on their ERA to play for a contender that's made two World Series appearances in the last three years.
Another name or beard rather that is quite popular among baseball fans is Brian Wilson. The former All-Star closer for the San Francisco Giants has been M.I.A. from the big league stage since April of 2012 while recovering from a second Tommy John surgery. After watching his team win the World Series without his help in 2012, negotiations with the San Francisco ball club went sour when the team he compiled 171 career-saves for over seven seasons failed to offer Wilson a contract following his second surgery. Wilson didn't shy away from expressing his disappointment with the Giants front-office as his feathers were ruffled so much so that he chose not to accept an invitation to the team's ring ceremony back in April. And to spite them even more, the former ringleader of the 2010 Giants club which were best known as a band of misfits, signed with the team's arch rival -- the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Signing with the Dodgers gives Wilson a chance to prove he still has something in the tank as well as play for a contender as it appears the blue crew is primed to run away with the division, barring a setback of suckage like the 2013 Dodgers prior to Yasiel Puig's arrival. The deal which keeps Wilson under contract for the remainder of the season is a low-risk, high-reward type of signing for L.A. considering they didn't have to give up any prospects to get an arm that helps bolster the bullpen assuming he resembles the Brian Wilson that led the National League in saves in 2010 with 48. And if not, they won't be obligated to his services past 2013 which makes it a win-win for Don Mattingly and company. 
Last but not least is Alfonso Soriano, the lone position player acquired before the deadline worth mentioning. After beginning his Major League career in 1999 with the New York Yankees where he spent five seasons, two of which he made the All-Star team in while donning the pinstripes, Soriano was dealt to the Rangers for Alex Rodriguez who he'll now call his teammate. The Yankees began the season as one of the better teams in the AL and remained near the top of the AL East standings until just recently where they're now looking up at everybody in the division except for the Toronto Blue Jays who still can't get over the .500 mark and continue to disappoint. Soriano is due $25 Million over the remainder of 2013 and through 2014, with the Cubs picking up nearly $18 Million owed to the 7-time All-Star. Though Soriano's batting average has dropped drastically over the years and he no longer poses a major threat on the base paths, he can still pile up RBI's as evident in 2012 when he racked up a career-best 108 ribbies while swatting 32 home runs, his largest total since 2007 when he hit 33 homers with the Cubbies. But even the addition of the 37-year old Soriano doesn't look like it'll be enough to help the Bronx Bombers overcome the much younger and talented teams ahead of them in the division. At least not this season.

The limited action at this year's trade deadline is most likely an indication that teams feel more eager to hang onto key players since the MLB's adoption of a second Wild Card team in each league which was introduced for the first time in 2012, thus making teams that would normally be sellers at the deadline into hopeful contenders. That move may have forever altered the landscape of the trade deadline we once knew to be one of the more exciting week's of baseball. But that's not to say moves still can't be made as there's always the waiver wire that teams can resort to. The waiver deadline is a whole different ballgame though, which doesn't end until August 31. With that said, lets keep our eyes peeled for any forthcoming deals made through waivers. For all we know, they might be more groundbreaking than what this dud of a trade deadline offered.


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