SportsNation Blog Archives
Arizona Diamondbacks
We're poised on the precipice of the second half, caught between the cold reality of the first half of the season and the limitless potential of the second half. We're ... bored. Seriously, the Triple-A All-Star Game is all we get today? Couldn't the Nationals and Pirates play at least? It's not like their rosters are exactly swamped with All-Star Game obligations.
A practice round from the British Open? A midweek NASCAR race? Give us something.
It's the slowest day in sports, but that does give us the chance to look back and look ahead. We've been surveying SportsNation for the best each team had to offer before the break. Some of these votes are closer than the Minnesota Senate race, but the leaders as of Wednesday morning are as follows:
National League Team MVP
Dodgers: Andre Ethier
Phillies: Raul Ibanez
Giants: Tim Lincecum
Cardinals: Yadier Molina (non-Pujols)
Rockies: Brad Hawpe
Brewers: Prince Fielder
Marlins: Hanley Ramirez
Astros: Miguel Tejada
Cubs: Derrek Lee
Braves: Brian McCann
Reds: Brandon Phillips
Mets: David Wright
Pirates: Freddy Sanchez
Diamondbacks: Dan Haren
Padres: Adrian Gonzalez
Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman
As the saying goes, the more things change, the more the Cubs struggle to find .500. At least, that's how we learned it. And by "we," we mean anyone born since 1909.
With the baseball season pausing for its official midpoint at the All-Star Game and its less official one in the firing of the Nationals manager, consider how SportsNation sized up the field after the first week of the season.
1. Florida Marlins
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Toronto Blue Jays
At least the Nationals were properly slotted at No. 30. Congrats on getting that gig, Jim Riggleman. Now the Cubs, Marlins and Braves are fighting for wild-card relevancy, hoping a division leader stumbles, and the Blue Jays are listening to offers for Roy Halladay.
- A Mariners fan, blogger Dawgman0387 gets a little excited about the team's winning record at the break and starts throwing out terms like "World Series run." But hey, with a top three like Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn, maybe he's on to something.
- Things aren't quite as rosy for the Reds. SportsNation blogger xubugg pleads for more "patients" at the plate. We're guessing that's supposed to be "patience," but when it comes to Dusty Baker's lineup experiments, you never know.
- We're all a little worse off having an All-Star Game without "Kung Fu Panda," but a Giants blogger upset that the so-nicknamed Pablo Sandoval won't be in St. Louis takes out his frutrations on the frauds that he feels are the Philadelphia Phillies.
“Love the Mariners, Wakamatsu, Fedex, Ichiro, Branyan, Griffey Jr., Aardsma, Branyan, "Gutierez", and everyone who has helped turn this year's team into an entertaining winning club.
” -- J.Bertelli
“[Jim Tracy] took the Rockies from double-digit games under .500 to Wild Card contenders. Not to mention the fact that the Rockies have the best record in baseball over the span that Tracy has been manager. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, expected the Rockies to be in the position they are now. Thus, Tracy definitely deserves to be National League Manager Of The Year, so far, and it's not really that close.
” -- JTRMS45
Back when the season began, voters ranked the Colorado Rockies No. 22 in SportsNation's Power Rankings. Which seems like a bit of a bucket of cold water on the whole "hope springs eternal" thing until you consider they ranked the Giants No. 28, ahead of only the Astros and Nationals. If divisions were restuarants, the NL West was the one that wouldn't survive the next visit from the health inspector.
So maybe it's understandable that despite waking up Friday morning with the Giants and Rockies atop the wild-card standings in the National League, the 'Nation as a whole, and especially the parts to the right side of the Rocky Mountains, remains skeptical that the West will produce two playoff teams.
Then again, when you've got the two best pitchers in the National League through the first half of the season, maybe optimism is lurking like the fog rolling in off the Bay.
- Half of the country -- the half not in the middle -- likes Dodgers for World Series.
- And while far from unanimous, most think the Dodgers can count on Manny.
- More midseason reviews: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL Central | NL East
- Groups: Dodgers Fan Club | Padres | Brandon Webb Fans
“[Mark Reynolds]? you wanna lead? catch the ball when it is thrown to you..on the fly...by an infielder....and hits you in the chest (or more exact - the glove). you wanna lead? dont strikeout a zillion times. sure you hit some bombs but id rather have you with 10-12 hrs and getting hits with runners in scoring position more rather than waving at the ball as it goes by. you wanna lead? try not being a dolt on the basepaths....10 year olds run the bases better than you most times.
” -- droppin bombs
“For all you rockies fan and people that have jumped on thier bandwagon I would remind you all your still in 3rd place. Doesnt matter how good the rockies are if they can't beat the dodgers they are not going anywhere. So just settle down there kiddies!
” -- michaeldavies0
“What I do like is the fact that Manny and Juan are platooning in left field, now that makes sense to keep both of them happy while playing, hitting & contributing to another divisional title, this year with consistent hitting and good pitching the Dodgers might make it to the World Series.... time will tell... Thinking positive without a cocky attitude will afford many wins and good karma.
” -- tmohr48
“Earlier in the year, I thought I recall reading that the plan with Evereth [Cabrera] was to have him come up and get some experience, protect him , then have him go to A or AA next year. Is there any remote chance that this guy will ever see another day in the minor leagues anytime soon? He is one reason to have hope for the near future. If we can get some value for Peavy, Kouz, et al, we should be in decent shape within 2 or 3 years...
” -- claykirby1969
“Tim Lincecum is the best pitcher on the face of the Earth
” -- vikg43
We salute NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for summiting Mount Rainier, although running a league that includes the Bengals does give him at least a little experience with things that tend to erupt and leave a swath of destruction in their wake. But as the MLB All-Star Game approaches, Goodell's trip takes second place to the high-altitude exploits of Rockies pitcher Jason Marquis.
Passing the still-frozen bodies of Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle (proverbially speaking, of course) on his way to the summit, Marquis is a legitimate Cy Young contender with 11 wins. We get that the humidor makes Coors Field slightly less ominous than the setting for the next "Saw" for pitchers these days, but there's still not exactly a line forming to go face batters a mile above sea level.
- Continuing the self-proclaimed third annual "Half-way Awards," blogger whitstatman hands out hardware in the NL, where a familiar (baby) face loses out to a teammate in the Cy Young race and the Mets ... stink.
- SN midseason awards: Rank AL MVP contenders | Rank AL Cy Young contenders
- Groups: ROCKIES ROCK!! | The Arizona Diamondbacks | National league
“Vazquez is, and has been, an over-rated bum his whole career. Can't win with run support, can't win without it. There's a reason why his career numbers hover around .500, and its nothing to do with the rest of any team he's been on.
” -- JeffSigmaChi
“Start Tim Lincecum for the NL. The man is a serious freak of nature and an amazing picture. Just ask the last 3 teams he has pitched against.
” -- jaws2355
When it comes to All-Star selections, Keith Law thinks fans failed like a 24-year-old in Rookie Ball with poor plate discipline (too early on a Monday for sabermetric humor?). Then again, SportsNation's occasionally cantankerous guru thinks managers and players didn't fare much better in picking the reserves and pitchers. But until Law is established as baseball's supreme overlord, we're stuck with the current system.
There are 23 first-time All-Stars this year, including Yadier Molina, the first of the Molina brothers to make an appearance (leaving them just 18 Grand Slam titles and two Super Bowl titles shy of the Williams sisters and Manning brothers). The rookies also run the gamut, from 42-year-old Tim Wakefield to 21-year-old Justin Upton, who was born the year before Wakefield was drafted by the Pirates.
And if that doesn't make you feel old, consider that Tim Wakefield debuted for the Pirates in 1992 on a team that also included pitcher Dennis Lamp, who was born six years before Kevin Bacon.
- SportsNation can't pick if it should be allowed to pick the All-Star starters
- No surprise that AL is the overwhelming early All-Star Game favorite
“pedroia is a great player but based on how he has played this season, he doesn't deserve to start in the all-star game. aaron hill should be starting and kinsler should be the reserve. josh hamilton shouldn't be up there either. adam lind has played phenomenal this season and should at least be a reserve in the outfield. i also think that jered weaver should be there over wakefield. i mean wake is up there in wins, but only because he the sox give him great run support. just look at his numbers, he's pitched mediocre this season.
” -- bkzwhitestrican
“It's an All-Star game, not a best first half stats game. The fans want to see Jeter becase he's the most famous shortstop and a sure Hall of Famer. Fine. They want to see Pedroia because he's the MVP, you silly people. What's wrong with that? They voted for Hamilton because he was THE story of last year's game. Makes sense. The game is for the fans, and they want to see who they want to see. You Fantasy guys just go play your imaginary All-Star game with your make-believe players...
” -- Captaincompliance
We get that it's nice for fans of the Nationals and Pirates to see their team's jersey at the All-Star Game. But instead of actually using a roster spot on someone from one of those teams, even with the addition of yet another roster spot, we have a simple suggestion
Let fans vote to see which actual All Star who would otherwise have been snubbed should wear that team's jersey during the game. Everyone wins. The best players make the game, and for at least one night every year, Pirates fans get to see what it's like to cheer for a real star in the second half of the season.
Not buying it? We're just ahead of our time. In the meantime, Freddy Sanchez or Zach Duke will probably represent the Pirates in St. Louis, but we're asking you to size up which players most deserve to start.
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