Of All the Dramatic Things! - Episode 4

Of All the Dramatic Things! is back with another week of baseball news, analysis, and just a touch of absurdity. In this, our 4th episode, Matt & I discuss all of the news from this past week in baseball, including the injuries to the best relief pitcher of all time & my AL MVP pick. We break down how each injury will affect the teams and how they can move forward. We also talk about a crazy Wednesday in baseball, complete with Jered Weaver's no-no and 2 walk-off homers from dudes that are over 40! In our feature segment, Matt & I make our picks regarding whether the current division leaders will finish the season that way. Spoiler alert: Vince McMahon is referenced. Finally, we compare mega-prospect Bryce Harper's funky emo fauxhawk to Rihanna's cockatoo look and drop some info on our Stat of the Week. Please leave us any comments in the section below. Hope you enjoy!!

              -Cote

Of All the Dramatic Things! - Episode 3

It's that time again! Of All the Dramatic Things is back for another baseball-filled extravaganza. In this episode, we break down the crazy Red Sox season so far, talk about the absurd Yanks-Sox game on April 21, and predict how long this blog's namesake will last as manager of the Boston squad. Matt & I put together our first Power Rankings of the season and even I was surprised how many NL teams made the cut. Of course we talk about the Phil Humber perfecto and how the Mets just can't catch a break. Listen in for all this and more, including our Stat of the Week and some injury updates. Hope you enjoy this podcast more than Bobby V enjoyed being mercilessly booed. We tip our cap to you.

-Cote

Gibbons & Cote in the Evening: Easter Weekend Review

Welcome back to another fun & exciting installment of Gibbons & Cote in the Evening! This episode, Gibbs & I break down BC's NCAA hockey title and the Frozen Four, as well as compare this championship team to the others in the past few years. We also review the rest of the big sporting events of the Easter weekend, including a Madison Square Garden report on the states of the Knicks & Rangers as the playoffs roll around in both sports. Baseball is a topic too, especially since the Yankees & Sawx started 0-3 in contrast with a 3-0 start for the New York Mets (they play in the NL East in case anyone was wondering who the Mets are). Be sure to check us out for great banter on these topics and more!! Cheers.

-Cote

Of All the Dramatic Things! - Episode 2

Of All the Dramatic Things! is back for another awesome show full of great baseball talk. In this episode, Matt and I break down the Opening Day(s) of baseball in the US, including the Marlins' sweet new ballpark, the Red Sox 9th inning loss to Detroit, and watching baseball at the barbershop. We preview all of today's good games (sorry Royals fans) and go through another Yankees report. Listen in for all these topics and more!! Have a great baseball-filled weekend!

Of All the Dramatic Things! - Episode 1

Baseball season is finally back! If you are as excited as we are here at Bobby V's Fake Stache, be sure to listen to our brand new baseball podcast: Of All the Dramatic Things! Matt Bernarducci & myself will be regularly hosting this look around the MLB, with special focus on our hometown Yankees. We talk fantasy players and news, advanced stats, and look at the humorous stories in the sport. In this debut episode, we are joined by Matt Gibbons to review a wild offseason full of player movement and preview the 2012 baseball season. Will the AL West be the best race in baseball? Is the NL East wide open? Will Miguel Cabrera be the worst fielding 3rd baseman in recent history? For the answers to these questions and more (hint: the above picture is a clue for the last question), tune in below!! Hope you enjoy, and please leave us any comments you have.

The Gibbons & Cote in the Evening All-Star Spectacular

Gibbons & Cote in the Evening is back! In this newest episode, we talk about a few important recent events in sports (marathon Aussie Open final, Prince to the Tigers) and go on some awesome tangents (which I won't spoil for you, faithful listeners). Our main topic of discussion is the All-Star Game concept, and how we think each league handles their version of the idea. We rank the four ASGs and try and find ways to improve each game, except for the Pro Bowl, which should be mercy-killed. Enjoy!

Can Pujols Ever be a "True" Angel?

Wow… I can’t say that I saw this coming. It is now official that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have signed Albert Pujols for 10 years and a staggering $254 million dollars. Even with numerous rumors swirling that the Miami Marlins were courting the slugger, I (naively) assumed that Pujols and the Cardinals would ultimately hash out a deal. Pujols on the Cardinals always seemed right. Pujols is a truly transcendent baseball player and the passionate St. Louis fans are knowledgeable enough to recognize and appreciate this. I originally wanted to write this column about how loyalty in sports has disintegrated, but I will avoid that at risk of sounding like an old, out of touch curmudgeon. A quarter of a BILLION dollars is a lot of money for anybody to turn down. Instead, I think it is more interesting to examine what Albert Pujols has to accomplish over the next ten years to be “remembered” as an Angel. Pujols has spent the past 11 years establishing a legacy with the Cardinals. It will take a lot to replace these memories.

Gibbons & Cote in the Evening: Episode 9

Oklahoma St. fans celebrating their berth in the BCS Championship...oh wait...

Gibbons & Cote in the Evening is back! For our first of (hopefully) many December podcasts, we talk MLB hot stove, conference championship weekend in college football, and the return of the National Basketball Association. And of course, we analyze Bobby V's move to the Red Sox, as well as his claim to have invented something we all know and love. Listen to us on Spreaker!

-Cote

The Chicken Wolf All-Stars: A Compilation of the Best Old-Timey Baseball Names

One of the main reasons that I love baseball is the historical aspect of the sport and the ability to compare players across eras better than in other sports. Comparing players across the 130 or so years of organized professional baseball has been made significantly easier by statistic compilation websites like Baseball Reference and Fangraphs, but there will always be one area that cannot be compared whatsoever between today's game and the game that was played at the turn of the 20th century: the names and nicknames of old school players. Today's MLB is full of diversity in names, as players from across the world compete in the league, but is surprisingly lacking in quality nicknames. Far too often, today's fan simply abbreviates a player's name and calls it a nickname (e.g. A-Rod), but the creativity has really left the process. Fortunately, the late 1800s and early 1900s had the baseball names category locked down. I've always been infatuated with old-timey baseball names and have finally compiled a list of the all-time greats by position. I included a starting 9 and filled out a 5 man rotation, but there are still a ton of classics out there, so please let me know who I've missed by posting in the comments section below! Now, without further ado, let me introduce you to the Chicken Wolf All-Stars (the listed team is the one with the best name that the player played for):

How did he get the nickname Candy?

Catcher: Ossee Schrecongost, 1902 Cleveland Bronchos
- Ossee played for 11 seasons from 1897 to 1908, with a variety of teams. This isn't really a nickname, but the name was preposterous enough to fill out our catcher position. Mr. Schrecongost was quite fast for a catcher today; he had three seasons where he registered 5 or more triples!!

1st Base: Candy LaChance, 1896 Brooklyn Bridegrooms
- Candy played for many teams, and had a fabulous mustache, as you can tell by his headshot on the right. I generally don't understand how a man that looks like Mr. LaChance gets the nickname Candy, but I'd love to hear the story. Candy was actually part of the 1903 Boston Americans team that won the World Series, possibly becoming the only stripper-named person to win a championship.

2nd Base: Cupid Childs, 1899 St. Louis Perfectos/1900 Chicago Orphans
- Cupid Childs' nickname is much more understandable, as he looks quite cherubic in his Baseball Reference picture. I had to pick two teams for Cupid, since you can't go wrong with either the Perfectos or the Orphans. I also found it quite funny that he seriously downgraded in team name, and went from riches to rags. On a related note, can we call the 2007 Patriots the Perfectos for purely ironic reasons? Too soon?

Shortstop: Pebbly Jack Glasscock, 1884 Cincinnati Outlaw Reds
- Pebbly Jack Glasscock is one of the superstars of the Chicken Wolf All-Stars, both for his odd nickname and his, frankly, hilarious last name. I'm hoping the Glasscock part was not a nickname of any sort, because I do not want to know how he got it. Pebbly Jack put up a beastly .419 average with 72 hits in 38 games for the 1884 Outlaw Reds, who actually only existed for that one season.

3rd Base: Hick Carpenter, 1881 Worcester RubyLegs
- Hick was born before the Civil War, made his professional ball debut in 1879, and lived to the age of 81. That's all I really have to say about the man, but his picture is decidedly more interesting. Whose hand is grabbing his head? It sure as hell isn't his own, since he would have to be in a very uncomfortable pose or have a detachable arm, which would hurt his burgeoning baseball career. I don't think this mystery will ever be solved...

Outfield: Chicken Wolf, 1883 Louisville Eclipse

What a man.

- Now we get to the real studs on this squad, including Chicken Wolf, the captain and namesake of the all-time old-timey baseball names team. Chicken Wolf had a mediocre 11 year baseball career, but his name was as good as it gets. As you can see by his picture, he also had unbelievable facial hair and personal style. I think he looks like he is either a steamship captain or some kind of World War I German official, both of which are fantastic professions that William Van Winkle Wolf could have explored had he not died at the young age of 41. I'm sure he went out in a suitably spectacular way, like a pistol duel or a horrible prospecting accident.

Outfield: Welday Wilberforce Walker, 1884 Toledo Blue Stockings

-WWW, as I'll call him, only played for one season in 1884, but made a lasting impact with his fantastic name. If you click on the link above, you'll be able to see that WWW is black, which is quite odd for 1880s baseball. The Toledo Blue Stockings were actually the only major league team with African-American players (WWW's brother also played for the team) and white players playing together until Jackie Robinson's debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Outfield: Peek-A-Boo Veach, 1890 Cleveland Spiders
- Unless he was an adult baby, I don't really get this nickname. Veach was joined in the Peek-A-Boo club by 1990s Olympic skier Picabo Street, who I'm sure was named after the short-lived professional baseball player. Why else would she have such a dumb name?

Starting Pitcher: Old Hoss Radbourn, 1887 Boston Beaneaters
- Old Hoss is the only baseball Hall of Famer on the Chicken Wolf All-Stars, and is regarded as one of the best pitchers of the dead-ball era. In 1884, when playing for the Providence Grays, Radbourn threw an unbelievable 73 complete games and went 59-12 on the year. He was a 300-game winner and had a career winning percentage of .614. No wonder he's a Hall of Famer. Well, that & his awesome nickname.

Starting Pitcher: Urban Shocker, 1927 New York Yankees
- I had to throw in my favorite Yankees name of all-time, and no old-timey baseball names list is complete without the immortal Urban Shocker. Shocker was one of the starters on the Murderer's Row Yankees in 1927 and helped lead them to a World Series title. Shocker has two International League records to his name: longest scoreless innings streak (54) and lowest single season ERA (1.31). He was also the last Yankee to ever throw a spitball in a game, but he will always be remembered (at least by me) for his legendary name.

Starting Pitcher: Pretzels Getzien, 1886 Detroit Wolverines
- This is one of my favorite baseball names ever, since I'm sure he got the name either by being constantly tangled up in his own legs or by loving him some hot pretzel. Pretzels was an unspectacular player over his 9 season career, and definitely didn't make the Chicken Wolf All-Stars for his performance as a pitcher. But his nickname was as good as anybody's, and that's what really counts.

Starting Pitcher: Phenomenal Smith, 1888 Baltimore Orioles
- One of the most nonsensical nicknames of all-time: Phenomenal Smith was decidedly mediocre. He jumped from team-to-team over his 8 seasons in professional baseball, and wasn't particularly 'phenomenal' for any of them. He has a career ERA approaching 4, and only pitched over 200 innings three times. Phenomenal, my ass.

Starting Pitcher: The Only Nolan, 1884 Wilmington Quicksteps
- Were there any other Nolans at the time? Or was The Only Nolan actually the only Nolan? Nolan only played for 5 seasons, and wasn't particularly spectacular in any of them. However, he seems to be the forefather of the modern archetype of the cocky, self-involved athlete in the vein of Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens. I guess he will be remembered for that, and his fabulous nickname.

Well, that winds up our whirlwind tour of the Chicken Wolf All-Stars, but the quest for great old-timey baseball names never ends. Please let me know who I might've missed and your personal favorites by commenting on the post. Hope you enjoyed the rundown, and be sure to look to Bobby V's Fake Stache for all of your fictional All-Star team lists!

-Cote

The Triumphant Return of Bobby V & his Fake Stache

The namesake of this blog is finally relevant again, thank god.

As you may know from either knowing me, or reading this blog, I'm a huge Yankees fan. And baseball is by far my favorite sport. So you may be wondering, why is the blog named after a Mets manager?

Well, it's for the same reason that I'm excited for Bobby Valentine's new position as manager of my most hated team in all sports, the Boston Red Sox. The man is a good manager who is also comedy gold, but he doesn't have what it takes to win against the Yankees or consistently contend for the division crown.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not lambasting the Red Sox for picking my mustachioed friend as their manager; one could easily make an argument that he was the best available candidate and has experience managing in a big media market. However, I don't see Valentine's tenure with the Sox as being nearly as successful as Tito Francona's was. Francona had the benefit of a then-revolutionary GM in Theo Epstein and an absolutely loaded lineup featuring Manny Ramirez at his juiced-up best. Bobby V won't get the benefit of either of those. But Francona had something else that Valentine doesn't: the ability to beat the Yankees when it counts and win the division title multiple times.

Valentine's record with the Mets against the crosstown rival Yankees was anything but stellar: 12-18. His Amazin' Mets in 2000 were very nearly swept by the Yankees in the World Series, and only ended up winning one game in the series loss. As any Yankees or Mets fan can tell you, the Subway Series games are often just as intense as games against the Red Sox or Phillies/Braves. Not winning these games was not solely a product of the Mets' talent level, but an indication that Valentine had difficulty winning key rivalry games against elite opposition. This also came up in the games the Mets played against their main divisional competition at the time, the Atlanta Braves. During Valentine's tenure as Mets manager (1996-2002), his teams went 41-59 against the Braves and only made the playoffs twice. The Braves won the division every single year that Valentine was with the Mets. This doesn't bode well for the Red Sox. Valentine is entering a division that is perennially the best and most competitive in baseball, one that the Red Sox have only won once since 1996. The Sox completed the most epic collapse in the history of baseball last September, and the division is only going to get harder this year; the Yankees and Rays will be in the playoff hunt again and don't sleep on the Blue Jays, as GM Alex Anthopoulos is absolutely fleecing teams in trades and building a quality contender in the Great White North.

I think Valentine will be loved by Red Sox fans, as he is a funny guy who doesn't pull punches when it comes to his team (see the infamous Whartongate incident for an example), but much to the Nation's chagrin, he will engender the same feelings among Yankees fans for entirely different reasons. Let's just say that it'll be a fun couple of years with the master of disguise back in the managerial ranks.

-Cote

The New MLB Labor Deal: The Death of Parity

The murderers of baseball parity.

As a sports fan, I will remember 2011 not for the Packers winning the Superbowl or the St. Louis Cardinals' amazing run to the World Series title, but for the labor deals (or non-deals in the case of the NBA) that have been the pivotal stories of this year. The NFL and NBA both decided to lockout their players in their respective offseasons and those lockouts led to contentious negotiations and union dissolutions, along with many, many lawsuits filed by both the player and owner sides. The NFL lockout was eventually decided before any actual games (I'm not counting the one cancelled preseason affair) were missed, but the NBA has not been so fortunate. It's still a serious question mark whether the NBA will have any sort of season this year, which is absurd given the insane popularity and success the league enjoyed last season.

With all of this labor chaos unfolding in professional sports, it blows me away that Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association, who have historically been the bitterest of rivals, worked out a 5 year labor deal without a problem. The deal itself is very interesting and it is quite easy to see why the MLBPA had no problem approving it: nothing really changes for today's players. However, future players have had their earning potential severely curtailed by the, in my opinion, draconian new draft bonus pool system.

But before I get into the nitty-gritty of the economics of this new deal, I'll do a quick rundown of what I think of the non-economic aspects of the agreement. First off, the Houston Astros will be moving to the AL West for the 2013 season, which I think is long overdue. I always found it so weird that the leagues didn't have the same number of teams, and this will rectify that issue. Of course, it'll mean that there will be constant interleague play throughout the season, but I don't have a problem with that. In fact, I hope that this will be MLB's first step towards a fully balanced schedule. Personally, I find the current scheduling format terrible and unfair, due to the seemingly random interleague matchups and the fact that divisional rivals play each other too often. It just isn't fair that the Blue Jays and Rays have to deal with the Yanks and Sox almost 20 times each year, while the Tigers get to beat up on crappy teams like the Royals and Indians. Another non-economic aspect of the new deal is the fact that there will be one extra wild card team added to each league's playoffs, and this team will play the other wild card in a one game playoff to decide who advances to face a division winner. I have no problem with this addition, mostly because I am a diehard Yankees fan and this  basically ensures that my Yanks will never miss the playoffs again (knock on wood). HGH testing was also added to this new CBA, and I'm extremely glad that baseball is out in front of the performance enhancers issue by being the first American sports league to make HGH testing mandatory. Other issues that were addressed include a semi-ban on smokeless tobacco (who cares), a more extensive replay process (long overdue), and enhanced player safety measures (this seems to be a big issue in all sports today).

And now we get to the fun part of this CBA - the economic issues that really define where professional baseball will be going in the future. Let's begin with the changes to free agency rules, which I am a big fan of. There will no longer be any Type A or Type B free agents, which means that there will be significantly fewer compensation picks doled out to any team that doesn't re-sign its top free agents. Also, for free agents that will actually be worth compensation picks (only the few elite players), picks are only granted if the player stays with one team for the whole season. Gone are the days of teams trading for a year-end free agent solely to pick up the compensation draft picks. Thank god. Other changes to the compensation rules increase the minimum MLB and minor league salaries and make an extra 5% of Super-2 players (those players with between 2 & 3 years of MLB service time) arbitration-eligible each season. This new Super-2 rule may actually be a perverse incentive for teams to hold young players in the minors for even longer so as to delay arbitration eligibility. Currently, this is seen when teams often wait until June or July to call up young stars, and this new rule may lead to even fewer call-ups before rosters are expanded in September.

The changes in revenue sharing are very interesting, and I personally find them refreshing. First, the 15 clubs in the largest markets will be totally ineligible to receive any revenue sharing money starting in 2016. I think this is a good thing, as any team in a big media market has no excuse for not making money. Another long overdue change that was made in this CBA involves what revenue sharing dollars can and cannot be used on. Far too often, owners of teams that receive revenue sharing money use this money for 'debt service', which basically means that the Yankees and Red Sox are paying the personal bills of the owners of teams like the Royals and Athletics. This has been a huge problem with the revenue sharing system since its inception, and the Yankees bring it up every year in a fairly scathing letter they attach to the revenue sharing check they send into the MLB offices. I'm extremely glad that Bud Selig finally realized that this has been an issue, and has addressed it in this CBA. It's definitely one of the big positives that has come out of this new agreement.

Unfortunately, the biggest changes that were made by this CBA are fairly negative in nature, at least in my opinion. I'm talking about the wholesale changes to the amateur signing structure, both in the Rule 4 draft and the international arena. These modifications severely hamper the ability of small-market teams to compete, as most lower-budget teams gain talent almost solely via the draft and international signings. In the Rule 4 draft (the MLB draft of high school & college players), MLB is changing from a 'recommended' slotting system that was almost universally ignored to a signing bonus pool system that comes with heavy penalties for teams that exceed their bonus pool. In the new system, teams will be allotted a specific amount of money for their signing bonus pool, which applies to picks in the first 10 rounds of the draft. Each team will only be able to give signing bonuses up to the bonus pool amount without penalty, and these penalties are severe, to say the least. Penalties include at a minimum a 75% tax on the overage, and this figure goes up to 100% once the bonus pool amount is exceeded by 10%. Any team that exceeds the bonus pool amount by over 5% will lose at least one 1st round draft pick, and teams that go over by more than 15% will forfeit their 1st round picks for the next 2 years. These penalties are extremely harsh, and will realistically only be enforced on small-market clubs. These teams often use large signing bonuses to attract young talent, as they believe their money is better used on amateurs in the draft than on high-priced free agents that are the main targets for big clubs like the Yanks and Sox. This is one of the only areas that small-market teams have an advantage in, and MLB looks to be doing all it can to eliminate that advantage. Major League Baseball is also changing the way teams are allowed to scout and sign international players, which is both good and bad. It is good in that the league is attempting to organize an international draft in the future, which would allow the international signing process to be much more transparent and would help eliminate the often sketchy 'academies' that funnel Latin American talent into the minor leagues. When the international draft is instituted and teams get used to it, the process will be much improved. However, until then the process is as bad as ever. MLB has instituted a similar bonus pool system as the Rule 4 draft for international prospects. The overage penalties are just as harsh as those in the draft, and again, small market clubs are the ones that will feel the hurt the most. On a small positive note, the CBA has a provision that redistributes forfeited picks (as the result of bonus pool overage penalties) to teams based on their winning percentage and revenues, but this is a small consolation prize for small market teams that are being severely hamstrung by the new draft and international signing rules.

When I look at this labor deal, it seems obvious that Major League Baseball, which already has the most capitalist economic system of all the major sports, is heading even further towards a system where cash is truly king. As a Yankees fan, I love this CBA, since it makes it even easier for teams like the Yankees to dominate the talent acquisition market. However, as a fan of the sport of baseball, this deal greatly saddens me. One thing that makes baseball my favorite sport is the fact that on any given day, any team can beat any other team. The randomness of each independent game is so exciting to me, and I would be devastated if this aspect of baseball vanished. Unfortunately, Bud Selig and the MLB seem to heading down that dark path. Just consider this post a eulogy: MLB parity, rest in peace.

-Cote

I Hate Talking Politics, But.......

As you can see by looking at the entries below, this blog has really leaned heavily towards baseball-related pieces. I'm an unapologetic hardcore baseball fan, and it seems that I'm having some difficulty letting this season go. Part of my feeling stems directly from the fact that I should be watching the NBA right now. I didn't think that I'd miss basketball that much, having just really got back into the sport over the past two years. But the NHL (aka the Habs) has been underwhelming so far and it just doesn't get any coverage on TV besides on the artist formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network (Versus, or is it NBC Sports?). I usually get sick of the NFL storylines by midweek, after the media has shoved them down my throat for a few days. And I don't want to write about college football until after the first leg of the Allstate BCS National Championship Game this weekend. So.......I guess I'll write another baseball piece!

Now here's where the politics come in: I am very angry at a letter written by two congressmen to MLB commissioner Bum Bud Selig (I can't wait to type someone else's name after the words 'MLB commissioner'). The two representatives are both Democrats and one of them, Frank Pallone, is from my home state of New Jersey. In the letter, the politicians urge Selig and the MLB to ban chewing tobacco and enforce strict HGH blood testing. I'm not going to go into more specifics here, but if you're interested in more of the facts, check out this ESPN article.

Personally, I don't think that the federal government should interfere with these kinds of sports issues when there is a worldwide economic downturn & significant unrest throughout the nation. I'm not here to comment on any of the political issues that should be addressed, only on the ones that shouldn't. Why does the government care about chewing tobacco use in baseball? The heyday of smokeless tobacco is long gone, unless you're former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, and I don't think that too many kids are dreaming of spitting out dip in the big leagues these days. HGH is a substance that has the potential to launch baseball's Steroid Era 2.0, but it's not the government's job to regulate drug testing inside of a private business. There is also little reason to send these appeals to the Commissioner; the wildly powerful MLB Player's Association is the real barrier to Olympic-style testing. The MLBPA successfully fought stringent steroid testing & the related tough consequences for years; what makes the congressmen think that appealing to the league will do anything?

The writing of this letter probably cost taxpayers millions of dollars, but that's just how politics works (especially when one representative is from NJ). I generally am not a big fan of government wasting time by interfering with sports leagues and issues, and this is no exception. Small things like the ones discussed in the letter should be left to the people who run the business daily, and government should work on big picture issues. And don't get me wrong, there are some huge sports issues that I think need government intervention (e.g. unfair compensation for student athletes, sports league antitrust exemptions), but they can be shelved until things get better in this country.

-Cote

Big Day for the Bronx Bombers

Today was a big day for my favorite team, the New York Yankees, as they re-signed GM Brian Cashman for 3 more years and extended the contract of CC Sabathia by 1 year. They did add guaranteed dollars to Sabathia's deal, and the number has been reported to be in the $30 million range. I really like both of these deals for the Yanks and I think they will pay dividends in the near term.

After signing a new extension with the team, Sabathia will be a Yankee until at least 2016 (there is a vesting option for the 2017 season). When his contract is up, CC will be 37 years old, and more than likely will be in serious decline. Although the end of the contract may seem onerous if Sabathia does not age gracefully, I think the Yankees needed to make this move, and get it done quickly. The one constant the team has in the starting pitching staff is CC, and he has actually been very successful in his 3 years with the Bombers. He has a record of 59-23 (.720 winning percentage), with declining ERAs each season (3.37 in 2009, 3.18 in 2010, 3.00 in 2011). Sabathia is also the horse that drives the rotation, having pitched over 700 innings since his arrival in the Bronx. Without CC, the Yankees rotation is an even bigger mess and one that could not be adequately addressed via free agency. However, I think that the team still needs to acquire, by trade or signing, at least 2 other good starters to backup the big man before the Yanks can be considered a serious WS contender. By locking up Sabathia before he could opt out and become a free agent, the Bombers' front office accomplished their biggest goal this offseason and can now focus on improving the existing squad by filling out the starting rotation and bench.

As important as it was for the Yankees to avoid a Sabathia opt-out, it was even more crucial to re-sign long time general manager Brian Cashman. Cash has been fantastic for the team and has put together 4 World Series champions. Since 2006, when Cashman successfully lobbied the late (great) George Steinbrenner for more power & organizational control, I have been a huge proponent of the new strategy. Gone (mostly) were the days of foolishly & blindly throwing dollars at old (Kevin Brown), decrepit (Carl Pavano), and downright horrible (Jaret Wright) players. The Yankees still spend the most money in the MLB, but it is more wisely invested now in quality free agents and retention of young home-grown talent. The one thing that Cashman has done since 2006 that I liked above all else was the focus he has put on developing the farm system. Before the organizational change in 2006, the Yankees farm system was often maligned as being weak and for good reason: the team had been dealing top prospects for pricey veterans for the previous few years. In 2005, the Yankees had only 1 of Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects (#36, Eric Duncan). In 2011, the team had 5 players on this list, including the number 3 player overall, catcher/DH Jesus Montero. Cashman has built this farm system through aggressive scouting and signing of Latin American players, as well as a strong commitment to preparing for the future of the big league squad. Montero is a great example of both of these initiatives. The Yankees signed Montero, a native Venezuelan, at the young age of 16, which demonstrates how aggressive the front office is in evaluating foreign talent and taking risks by signing players this young. Montero rose quickly through the organization and was looked on as one of the Yankees' top prospects by 2008. Cashman repeatedly declined possible impact trades (Johan Santana, Cliff Lee) over the past few years because they included Montero, a player the front office sees as being a future franchise cornerstone. Jesus rewarded his GM's confidence by hitting 4 home runs and batting .328 with the MLB club in albeit limited action as a September call up. Look for Montero to be the favorite for the DH position going into training camp next spring. Altogether, re-signing Brian Cashman was the biggest and best deal the Bombers are going to make all offseason.

Even though the Yankees didn't change their team at all today, they make a huge splash and set themselves up for immediate success next season. I look forward to having CC Sabathia anchor the rotation for the next few years, but I am even more ecstatic that the Yanks decided to keep the real franchise cornerstone: Brian Cashman.

-Cote

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.

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