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Slow Start? What Slow Start?
OK, time to stop the MLB nonsense about whether the Indians are for real.
They’re as real as Justin Masterson’s sinker, Shin-Soo Choo’s right arm, Carlos Santana’s batting eye, Orlando Cabrera’s experience and Asdrubal Cabrera’s talent.
Try this for real: The Indians own a majors-best 66 run differential and an MLB best 18-4 home record. They’ve scored the second-most runs in the A.L. and have the fourth-best ERA. They’re 7-2 against the A.L. East with the revived Red Sox returning to Cleveland looking for revenge after that three-game sweep they absorbed in the season’s first week.
Ron Washington knows they’re for real. Asked if he knew the Indians would be in first place when in spring training he asked Manny Acta to be an MLB All-Star coach, the Rangers managed replied, “I knew the Indians would be tough. They have some talent.”
Washington might have been one of the few to believe that two months ago. But he’s no longer alone. The Indians sit atop the MLB Power Poll for the fourth consecutive week. The Poll is convinced.
1. Indians (1). You can ask the Reds if the Tribe is for real. The Indians’ weekend sweep was first over Reds since 2004.
2. Cardinals (14). When talking about N.L. MVP candidates, Matt Holliday would be the place to start. Unless you started with Lance Berkman.
3. Red Sox (13). About that 2-10 start, perhaps the Red Sox just wanted to play fair and give the rest of the league a head start.
Adrian Gonzalez has provided the offensive punch the Red Sox were hoping for when they traded for him this offseason. (AP Photo)
4. Giants (6). Latest wrist injury to Mark DeRosa could be the end, making his the saddest in a season that has seen more than its share of injuries.
5. Phillies (4). Chase Utley is back in time for rematch of last year’s divisional series against the Reds. Time for the rest of the Phillies’ offense to return, too.
6. Yankees (15). What a debut: Right-hander Hector Noesi gives Yankees four scoreless innings to win 15-inning marathon in Baltimore, providing the difference between a so-so and a good week for the club.
Braves Manager Bobby Cox Speaks About His Success
This is the final regular-season weekend for , one of the most successful managers in major-league history. The Braves’ manager since 1990, Bobby Cox is fourth all-time with 2,503 wins, tied for first all-time with six 100-win seasons and third all-time at 504 games over .500.
Cox, 69, managed the Braves from 1978 to 1981, then the Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. He became general manager in Atlanta before moving back to the dugout in 1990. A year later he started a record streak of 14 straight postseason appearances, interrupted only by the 1994 strike.
What’s remarkable is not only Cox’s record but the respect he has earned throughout the game. Despite a record 158 ejections in his career — if you look at it, fewer than six per 162 games — he is admired for his handling of players, his humility and his class.
We asked people who interacted with Cox in different capacities what made him so good: Read More >>
Bobby Cox and The Braves Focusing on Winning Not Standings
The Cubs gave Bobby Cox a “6″ from the Wrigley Field scoreboard.
The Reds gave him a set of wine glasses etched with the logo of each National League team.
The Braves are giving him heartburn.
Even after getting swept by Philadelphia, which got a dominating performance from Roy Oswalt’s in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory, Atlanta leads the National League wild-card race.
Thing is, the Braves hardly look like a team in the driver’s seat. They look like a team hanging on for dear life.
“We’ve got to get back to square one and get back on track,” catcher Brian McCann said.
It isn’t just the hitting slump (22 runs in eight games). Those happen, and it didn’t help that the Phillies threw three aces at the Braves. Read More >>
Mid-Term Honors to the top 2
Although the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves are the top mid-term honors in the Major League Baseball, the six-month season has just past the half way mark, teams are still continuing the season that follows the All-Star break.
As the American League East Tampa Bay arrive to the Bronx this week for a three-game series this week, world series champion Yankees set the bar with a 56-32 record. They will have little time to mourn the loss of their owner George Steinbrenner who passed Tuesday.
To honour the memory of “The Boss,” knowing how much he loved to win, the Yankees will attempt to expand their two-game lead over the champions who won the 2008 American League. They will also try to expand their winning margin over the Boston Red Sox who seem to be injury-prone. Read More >>
Tom Glavine makes a Pitchless Decision
Tom Glavine makes a hard decision but is not ready to announce his retirement from the game of baseball saying that at this point he will “evaluate things at the end of the season.”
“I’m not going to pitch or do anything in baseball until at least next year.”
With the advent of his off-season surgery and not being able to contribute as much as he once had wit the Atlanta Braves pitching staff, Glavine was released on June 3rd for what he believes are financial reasons which would specifically violate the MLB collective bargaining agreement.
“I don’t believe for a minute that it was totally a performance-related issue, which I’m totally fine with, but I would have appreciated the honesty.”
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