Gibbons & Cote in the Evening: Episode 5

Hey everyone. We just recorded our Halloween podcast, and it's up on our Spreaker page. In this episode, we talk about the World Series, Tony LaRussa's retirement, college football, Tim Tebow, and some other fun goodies. Be sure to send us your comments on this episode by posting them below! Thanks for listening, and Happy Halloween!

-Cote

Breaking News: Tony LaRussa Retires

He pulled a John Elway and went out on top.

It was a hell of a managerial career for Tony LaRussa, who retired today at the age of 67. LaRussa will go down as one of the 5 best managers of all time and is a three time World Series champion. He has won the WS with two teams (Oakland Athletics & St. Louis Cardinals), one from each league. He retires in third place on the managerial wins list with 2,728 victories and is only trailing legendary Hall of Famers Connie Mack & John McGraw in that category. The 4-time Manager of the Year won 6 pennants in his 33 years as a manager with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland A's, & St. Louis Cardinals. As one can see, Tony LaRussa was an extremely accomplished baseball manager.

It was not a career without controversy or failure, however. LaRussa was an innovator with his unconventional use of the bullpen. Prior to LaRussa, managers did not incessantly tinker with their bullpens and relief pitchers like they do today. Tony pioneered the tactic of using multiple relievers to get through one inning, even if the team was not in trouble. He basically created the role of the LOOGY (lefty one out guy) in modern baseball. This approach had its fair share of problems though, as demonstrated in Game 5 of this year's World Series. LaRussa had trouble communicating with his bullpen coach, and the wrong reliever warmed up and got into the game. He gave up the game-winning runs and LaRussa was largely blamed for the loss. Fortunately for him, the Cards rebounded and won the series with 2 straight victories at home. When compared to his contemporaries Joe Torre & Bobby Cox, LaRussa falls short in some respects. Cox and Torre both have higher career winning percentages than LaRussa and Torre has won more World Series titles. Another thing that may hurt LaRussa's legacy is that he is not associated directly with one team, as Torre (Yankees) and Cox (Braves) are. Tony's critics point out that he underachieved with the immense talent of the late 80s Oakland Athletics, leading them only to 1 championship in 3 tries.

Personally, I think LaRussa was the best manager of his generation and maybe of all the modern baseball era. His success with multiple teams showed an ability to truly manage talent and achieve results. He will definitely be a Hall of Famer, as will Torre & Cox, and I think he'll go in as a Cardinal. It was a great career and I'm glad Tony went out on top.

BCS Quick Hits

The third BCS standings of the year was unveiled tonight, and there wasn't much change at the top. Every week, I'll go through the newly released BCS standings and give my 2 cents on each spot of the top 10. Now, without further ado....

1. LSU - Nothing has changed here, and it won't until the epic showdown on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa against Alabama (2). The voters couldn't care less about the other 8 teams on this list, maybe even so much so that we see a rematch of next week's game for the national championship.

2. Alabama
 
3. Oklahoma State - The Cowboys laid a whoopin' on the Missouri Tigers on the road this past weekend, and their number 3 ranking is definitely justified. They come back home to face off against K-State this week, and I don't see them losing that game. The big matchup with in-state rival Oklahoma looms large on December 3rd, and that's OSU's only real roadblock to going undefeated and being a legitimate contender for the national title game.

4. Stanford - The Fighting Andrew Lucks played a classic at USC on Saturday night, and narrowly escaped with their perfect record intact. In my opinion, this was the best game of the weekend. Luck showed he has grit and guts and can rebound from adversity. Stanford faces off against Oregon in two weeks, and that will be their biggest test until the Pac 12 title game.

5. Boise State - Boise plays against total crap teams for the rest of the season, so if they don't go undefeated, they shouldn't finish in the top 5.

6. Oklahoma - I think last week's loss against Texas Tech was an aberration, since the Sooners embarrassed the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan this week. It'll be smooth sailing for the Schooner until the big road test at OK State.

7. Arkansas - Never have I known less about a top 10 team this late into the season. I don't think I've seen one Arkansas game all year, so I'm obviously in a great position to forecast the remainder of their season. However, they play South Carolina this weekend and go to Death Valley to face LSU in the final regular season game, which means I don't think they win out.

8. Oregon - Oregon is going to be an interesting team to watch going forward, especially if they beat Stanford and USC in back to back games in November. Right now, the Ducks' only loss is to number 1 LSU. I think a 1-loss Pac 12 champion Oregon squad could and should get some support for a national title run.

9. South Carolina - The Gamecocks and their famous head coach, the Great Visor, are surprisingly ranked in the top 10 this week. I think they are primed for a drop, as they really haven't impressed me too much. They lost their only real game against Auburn, and their only other good games this season are against Arkansas and Clemson. Not a great schedule. They lucked out and avoided SEC West foes LSU and Alabama, but would get dominated by either in the SEC title game.

10. Nebraska - The Huskers looked good in their game against Michigan State this past Saturday, and are positioned well for a chance at the brand spanking new Big 10 (12?) championship game. On a total side note, does anyone else really hate the names for the new Big 10 divisions? Legends and Leaders? Really? I can't believe the people behind ESPN2's crappy Big 10 game of the week couldn't come up with better names.

-Cote

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Apologies to the newly minted world champion St. Louis Cardinals, but I've already moved on from the WS. At 12:01 AM this morning, the baseball offseason began. For me, this is by far the best time of the year. I love the fast-paced nature of the offseason wheeling and dealing and the way it contrasts so much with the long, slow pace of the regular season. One of the reasons I consider the national pastime my favorite sport is that baseball is definitely the most active when it comes to trading, free agency, and player movement in general. Instead of wrapping up the baseball postseason with some Game 7 talk (not nearly as good as Game 6, but that's tough to do), I thought I should preview the offseason activities with possible landing spots for some of this year's biggest free agents.

Let's start with the two biggest free agent targets out there: Albert Pujols and Prince 'Largest Vegetarian Alive' Fielder. Both guys played 1B in the NL Central this past year, and had very good seasons. Pujols was hurt for some time, but came back strong and proved he can take a team to the World Series title with his superhuman effort in Game 3. Prince had a seriously MVP-caliber season in 2011, batting a career high .299 with 38 HR and 120 RBIs. He also drew over 100 walks and had an OPS (On-base % + Slugging %) of .981. Both of these guys are studs and will get huge money this offseason, but the big questions are who is better and where they will land. Personally, I think Pujols is the better all-around player and he definitely has a more extensive and impressive track record than Fielder does. When it comes to who will be the better signing or generate more interest this winter, I think it'll be a much closer match-up. Fielder is younger and has more offensive upside, but he is limited in the field and could become Mo Vaughn 2.0. Pujols is older, but is more consistent. I think Albert will end up staying in St. Louis, as I doubt the Cardinals will part ways with the face of their franchise and someone who has the chance to go down as one of the best players of all time. He will be richly paid, but I think he will be inclined to stay as well. Prince, on the other hand, is more than likely done in Milwaukee. There are a few suitors out there for the big man, but the usual suspects (Yankees, Red Sox) are already locked into long-term commitments at 1st. He could very well become the new first basemen for the Brewers' division foes, the Chicago Red Sox Cubs. Theo Epstein & Jed Hoyer were hired to blow up the roster and start anew, and Fielder could be a great 4-hole power hitter to anchor their lineup for the next 6 or 7 years. Two other clubs that I could reasonably see Fielder signing with are in the AL: the Anaheim Angels (I refuse to call them by their geographic monstrosity of a name) and the Baltimore Orioles. Anaheim is in need of a power bat to solidify their lineup, and Prince could split time with Mark Trumbo at 1st and be the most fearsome DH in the AL. Anaheim has been outbid by the Yankees and Red Sox on multiple hitters in the past few years (Mark Teixeira & Carl Crawford) and their owner definitely seems to want to land at least one big-time name. Baltimore is always a possibility for a big hitter and has spent serious money in the past few winters, but the front office hasn't always spent wisely. Vlad is probably not coming back at DH, and Derrek Lee was only a temporary solution at first. Fielder would be lethal in that ballpark, but I'm not so sure he'll agree to such a downgrade in franchise. It'll really be interesting to see where he goes.

The other marquee free agent hitter is former New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes. I'm saying former because I really don't think the Mets make a strong play for Reyes this offseason. The lightning-fast SS had an up and down season this year, only playing 126 games due to injuries. When he was fully healthy, prior to the All-Star break, Reyes was lighting up the NL and batting over .350 while stealing 30 bases. There were many rumors of the Mets trading Reyes before the deadline, but they held onto him for the remainder of the season. I think the main suitor for the shortstop this offseason will the same team that pursued him so heavily during the season: the San Francisco Giants. The Giants are one year out from a World Series win and are loaded with aces both in the starting staff and the bullpen, so they give Reyes his best chance at contending right away. The other possible destinations for Jose are less appealing, for various reasons. The St. Louis Cardinals could really use a good leadoff hitter and have a hole at shortstop. I know, they just won the World Series on Friday, but they will have a lot of money left if Pujols skips town. If he doesn't, it'll be hard for the Cards to make a competitive offer on Reyes. The other two clubs I can see Reyes playing for are both in dire straits financially: the LA Dodgers and New York Mets. The Dodgers have a good young lineup, but are weak up the middle. Owner Frank McCourt is not exactly flush with cash right now, so I'm not sure if his Dodgers will be able to afford Reyes' steep price. The Wilpons, owners of the Mets, have similar money problems and it seems like the front office has decided to keep David Wright over Reyes. There is one more place where I personally would love to see Reyes land, but I'll talk about that in a bit.

The starting pitching market this winter is pretty thin, with Rangers ace lefty CJ Wilson headlining the class. He will most likely test the free agent market, as there have been rumors of disagreements with management recently. He is the prime target of the New York Yankees, and any other team that needs a good starter. I think Wilson will end up with my Yanks, as they will pay him the most. The Yankees need to stabilize their starting rotation after CC Sabathia and Wilson is their best option in free agency. Sabathia can opt out of his contract and become a free agent this winter, but it has been widely reported that the Yankees are trying to sign him before that happens. I think that the Yankees will get it done and up CC's dollars without necessarily adding the extra years he wants.

Speaking of the Yankees, they picked up the 2012 options on 2B Robinson Cano and RF Nick Swisher today. It was a given that the Yanks would pick up Cano's option since he has blossomed into the best 2B in the AL and is making an extremely club-friendly $14 million next year. Swisher's option was more of a question mark. He is making around $10 million in 2012 and plays a decent right field. He hits in the bottom of the Yankees order and will most likely not be back after next year. I wish the Yankees went for more of a splash with the RF position, and although I love Swish's personality and what he brings to the dugout (namely, fun), he isn't the best option available. There has long been talk of Derek Jeter moving to the outfield once he becomes ineffective at shortstop, and I think now is the perfect time for that switch. Jeter could play a serviceable left field, where his arm would not need to be stellar for him to be effective. Granderson could stay in center and Gardner could easily move to right. This would open up the shortstop position for Jose Reyes. The Yankees need to find a long-term replacement for Jeter sooner than later, and Reyes is a game changer with his speed. It would make for an interesting experiment, but I no longer think it is in play. Too bad.

Be sure to check back here frequently this baseball offseason for all the hot stove news and opinion from your friends at Bobby V's Fake Stache!

-Cote

World Series Game 6: Night of the Living Dead

Twice last night the St. Louis Cardinals were down to their last strike, down 2 runs each time. Both times they seemingly came back from the great beyond and tied the game. The game went 11 innings, and the hometown Cards ended up winning 10-9 in one of the best World Series games that I have ever seen. I don't think that any other WS game between two teams that I have no rooting interest in has captured my attention quite like the one last night. Coming back from 2 runs down in the bottom of the 9th inning is nuts, and doing it again in the 10th is even crazier. Now put that on as large of a stage as is possible in the sport and, just for good measure, give the batter 2 strikes each time. When Ryan Theriot struck out in the bottom of the 9th, the Cardinals had a 4.1% chance of winning the game, according to Fangraphs. When Josh Hamilton hit what looked like the game-winning home run in the top of the 10th, the Cardinals again had only a 7.7% chance of winning the game. Somehow this team defied the odds and won the game. Ridiculous, right? However, as good as the last few innings were, the first 7 were pretty damn sloppy. I can't believe these teams combined for 5 errors!! Without the remarkable comeback by the cardiac Cards, this would have been a very poor ending to a good series. Thankfully they did come back from the dead twice and I get to watch one more game of baseball this season.

Now for the best part of the day-after analysis: the blame game! It seems to me like most pundits are piling onto the Nelson Cruz for goat bandwagon, but I definitely disagree. Obviously, the Rangers were ridiculously close to winning their first World Series title in franchise history, so the Cardinals (cough, David Freese, cough) deserve a lot of credit for finding a way to win. I'm not letting the Rangers skate away free though. I think the one man who hurt the Rangers most last night was their manager, Ron Washington. In fact, I think if the Rangers lose tonight and fail once again to win the elusive championship their fans crave, the blame for the series loss would fall squarely on Mr. Washington's shoulders. Here's my case. Throughout the series, and this whole postseason for that matter, Wash has severely mismanaged the two phases of the game in which he has the most control: pinch-hitting and bullpen. It seems to me that he always goes to Alexi Ogando out of the pen in big spots. I know Ogando is a fireballer who had some serious success this season, but you have to look at how he has performed more recently. Ogando has pitched in all but 1 game of the WS so far, and has a whopping 11.57 ERA in only 2.1 innings pitched. He has also walked 7 guys so far this series! Why is he still pitching on this team? Washington's pinch-hitting decisions are just as mystifying as his bullpen moves are. The Rangers are not a light-hitting team, especially when they have an extra batter on the bench in the NL ballpark. Unfortunately for fans of the franchise, Washington insists on using his weakest bench players in huge pinch hitting at-bats. He has already utilized Esteban German 3 times so far, a player who, coming into the WS, had last hit a meaningful pitch in August. Suffice it to say, German has not registered a hit so far, and has looked supremely overmatched in most of his plate appearances. I guess that's what happens to a hitter when he hasn't had 100 ABs in a season since 2008.

In Game 6, Washington's mismanagement of the bullpen and his bench came to a head. In the top of the 11th inning, with the game tied, 2 outs, and a runner on first base, Washington decided to pinch hit for his pitcher, Scott Feldman. Feldman was brought in to clean up the mess left to him by Darren Oliver in the bottom of the 10th, and did give up the two runs that tied the game. Up to that point, however, Feldman was regarded as one of the best bullpen options Texas had, and was pitching well in the postseason. Washington, although there were no reliable pitchers left in the bullpen, decided to pinch hit for Feldman and try to keep the slim hope of scoring that inning alive. Instead of pulling Feldman for the best hitter he had left on the bench, Yorvit Torrealba, Washington put in German. Torrealba has hit .500 so far this series, and had more ABs this year than German has had in the past 4 years combined. German grounded out weakly to end the inning, as I'm sure most people watching expected him to do. To further compound this mistake, Washington brought in Mark Lowe, a relief pitcher I had not heard of until he entered the game. Lowe had not pitched for the team at all this postseason. David Freese, a very good young hitter, came to the plate to lead off, and promptly took Lowe deep for the walk-off homer. So to sum it up, Rangers fans, if you lose this series, there is only one man to blame: Ron Washington.

All that being said, I am extremely excited to watch tonight's series-deciding Game 7. It starts at 8:05 PM tonight and airs on FOX. The starting pitching matchup is Matt Harrison (TEX) vs. Chris Carpenter (STL). Anyone who considers themselves a sports fan should be watching tonight. There hasn't been a Game 7 in the WS since the Angels beat the Giants in 2002. Even if it doesn't come close to being as good as last night's game was, it'll still be a great watch.

-Cote

Gibbons & Cote in the Evening: Episode 4

Hey everyone, welcome to the Bobby V's Fake Stache blog. We'll be posting often (hopefully) about lots of stuff, but especially sports and pop culture topics. We also do a podcast on Spreaker, which will be posted here after each episode is uploaded.

On this episode of the G&C podcast, we talk mostly NHL, along with some baseball and college football recaps from last weekend. We also answer some questions from our first ever mailbag!

Check it out!

-Cote