One Happy Sunday for Giants Fans

First of all, let me say, it’s been a long, long time since I wrote for a blog…outside of work, that is. If you all want to read about internet marketing, check it out (BOOM just scored another backlink to the company site, we’re really moving up the Google rankings now!). Please excuse the search engine optimization humor, that’s not what I’m here to talk about.

I had a blog a couple years ago (I think it began in January 2010) and really enjoyed writing for it. The three posts that come to mind were Why Pete Carroll Will Be a Success in Seattle (he’s won the division and a playoff game since *humble brag*), Why People Hate Duke Basketball, and Similarities You Might Not Expect between Daft Punk and Richard Wagner. My two loves are sports and music, so expect some good insight about those two topics, especially. This first post is gonna be about sports.

It was an amazing weekend in football, especially if you’re a Giants fan! The first half of the Giants-Patriots game was lackluster at best. Going into halftime, neither team could points on the board. After watching LSU-Alabama the night before, it felt like it had been weeks since I had seen a touchdown. I was pretty shocked, I was expecting a shootout. The Patriots pass defense was worst in the league going into Sunday and Eli Manning has been having a career year…by far. Eli Manning’s passer rating for the season is 98.8, 18.6 points higher than his career rating entering this year. Also, despite what many people are saying, I think the Giants linebackers and secondary are not good. The Giants have a phenomenal defensive line, but the secondary is weak. I figured Tom Brady, always cool under pressure, would be able to stand in the pocket and find open receivers all day.

While I was wrong about the first half, the two teams proved me right in the second by putting a lot of points on the board. I spent the majority of the second half pacing around my living room and after Brady hit Gronkowski for the touchdown with under two minutes to go, I thought it was over. On a side note, that was an awful play by the Giants, leaving Gronkowski open on fourth down. The Pats had just thrown to him on second and third down AND he’s easily their most popular red zone threat.

But you all know what happened; the two teams that combined for no points in the first half, put up 21 points in the final three minutes, culminating with a touchdown pass from Eli to Jake Ballard that left me yelling “All Hail the New York Giants!” I know this is the last thing that Patriot fans want to hear, but that game reminded me a lot of Super Bowl 42. If you remember back, there was very little offense in the first half of that game and the two offenses took over in the second half. On the final drive, Eli took control, hitting Plaxico in the end zone to win the game. This week, it was Jake Ballard (who unless you are a Giants fan or fantasy football player, you probably don’t know very much about).

It may be because I live just outside of Boston, but to me this game felt much more important than a week 9 game. The thing is, I don’t dislike the Patriots. In fact, I would say they’re probably my second favorite team in the league (largely because they’re such big rivals with the Jets and I cannot stand Rex Ryan). But for some reason, when the Giants play the Patriots, I get really up for the game. It also may be because the Patriots are the winningest team of the past decade, but this year’s Pats team is a far cry from those teams. The defense is not good. Aside from Welker, the wide receivers are not good either (they are pretty great at tweeting though). But with two great tight ends, one of the best QBs ever in Brady and an amazing head coach in Belichick, the Pats are still one of the better teams in the league.

A win for the Giants on Sunday was tremendous for this team. It remains to be seen what happens to this year’s Giants but every game is huge for a team that faces the toughest second half schedule I have ever seen. Their remaining out of division schedule includes San Francisco, Green Bay, New Orleans and the Jets. They also still have to play a dangerous Dallas team twice and the disappointing but talented Eagles. After Sunday I’m very excited about this Giants team but still a realist. The remaining schedule is brutal and I won’t be surprised if they miss the playoffs (not writing off the Cowboys just yet). With a ridiculous number of injuries, this Giants team is overachieving right now, and much of the credit is owed to Eli Manning. I remember hearing ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer say after the Giants beat the Eagles earlier this year that, when a group of guys isn’t given much credit and the team becomes much bigger than the name on the back, it’s a powerful thing. That’s what this year’s Giants are and as a fan, I love it.

Big Decisions in Indianapolis

I was watching Mike & Mike this morning on ESPN2 & an interesting topic came up: what should the Colts do with Peyton Manning? They talked a lot about drafting Andrew Luck (which looks like a strong possibility), and then either trading Manning or cutting him outright. Manning's new contract doesn't actually come into effect until next season, so the Colts have the chance to cut him at the end of the season and incur a smaller monetary penalty. Personally, I think that Manning has a few more good years in him and, given the right situation, he could take a second team to the Superbowl. I'm not too sure that the Colts will let Peyton go if they end up taking Luck with the number 1 pick, but for the purposes of this entry we'll assume it is the case. Basically, I wanted carte blanche to write about some fun destinations for Peyton (I'm going to assume he can go to any other NFL team). The three teams I’ll be talking about have Superbowl-caliber defenses, but significant issues on offense.

Let's start off with a team that would definitely be in on the Manning sweepstakes if it were to occur: the San Francisco 49ers. I know, the Niners are in the driver's seat to be one of the top 2 teams in the NFC this season and it doesn't look like they need much help. However, there is no way that Alex Smith remains a semi-competent QB for more than 1 or 2 years, and I don't think that Smith at his best could lead a team to a Superbowl victory. Peyton Manning can, and has before. I think Manning would respect Jim Harbaugh as a coach, and would immediately become the team leader in the locker room. In Indy, he consistently made stars out of his main targets (Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark) and he would upgrade at most offensive positions with San Fran. I'm not sure if Manning has ever played with a wideout as naturally gifted & talented as Michael Crabtree and I think he could bring the best out of a player that has been maligned for work ethic. Vernon Davis is at least as good a tight end as Dallas Clark is, and Frank Gore is much better than every Colts RB since Edgerrin James in his heyday. The 49ers offensive line is flush with high draft picks, with 3 first rounders (Joe Staley, Mike Iupati, Anthony Davis) and a second rounder (Chilo Rachal), so Manning would be well protected. I think Peyton could definitely put this team over the hump, since their defense is already elite.

The second team that I'll consider for Manning is one that I am a fan of: the New York Jets. I'm not sure if the team would be willing to give up on the Sanchize yet, but I think you have to jump at a hypothetical opportunity to snag one of the best QBs of all time. Sanchez has been thoroughly underwhelming in his first two and a half seasons with the Jets, although he has helped them to 2 straight AFC Championship games. I give more credit for those gutsy postseason victories to the stellar Jets defense, and the once potent running game. This season the Jets have been streaky, but have put together some quality wins over the Chargers and Cowboys. With the addition of Manning instead of Sanchez, the Jets offense would be much better. The good wide receiver talent that the Jets have could be boosted further by the on-field intelligence and vision of Peyton Manning, and the passing game would open up holes for Shonn Greene and LT to burst through. I don't know how Manning would work with coach Rex Ryan's brash style, but the two could combine for a Superbowl title. I also don't think Eli Manning would be too happy about his big brother coming in and stealing his New York City spotlight. I'm pretty sure Jets fans would embrace Peyton if he helped Rex back up his big Superbowl talk with a win in February.

The last destination I'll talk about is by far the least likely to actually happen, at least in my mind. I am not a big fan of the team itself, but this is the most interesting place Manning could end up, both for his success and his ultimate legacy. I'm talking about the big, bad Baltimore Ravens. Bear with me. Manning would have to, in wrestling parlance, take a serious heel turn for this to happen. His image would completely change, especially if he embraced the attitude of the Ravens that the defense has built over the past decade or so. Of the three teams discussed here, I think Baltimore would be the place where Manning could have the most success. The Ravens defense is insanely good, and really hasn't dropped off at all in the past few years. The offense has some legitimate weapons: RB Ray Rice (who can catch the ball well out of the backfield) and WRs Anquan Boldin & Torrey Smith. Manning would be able to bring his unique style of offense to the Ravens, who have put good players around current QB Joe Flacco. Although the Ravens have won a Superbowl, they have never really had a great quarterback and Manning would be one. I can't even imagine how much of a juggernaut this team would be with a QB as historically good as Peyton Manning, so I would love to see him in those awesome all-black uniforms celebrating a Superbowl with T-Sizzle & Ray Lewis.

-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

Fight of the Century?

Apparently, former baseball legends players Jose Canseco and Lenny Dykstra are really down on their luck. This Saturday night at 9 PM, they will duke it out in a celebrity (really?) boxing match. It's being aired on some website, and I think it's free. I wonder how much money each guy is getting from this? I don't even know why Lenny is doing this; he has a very good chance of spending the next 4 years in prison and won't exactly be rolling in the dough. Canseco is a regular on the celeb boxing circuit and has actually been accused of sending his twin brother and one-time teammate on the Newark Bears Ozzie Canseco to fight in his place. Mets & Yankees fans everywhere should be stoked for this matchup of former ballplayers. I know I am!

Check out this ESPN story to learn more deets on this epic showdown.

-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.

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