Cesar Valverde's New York Yankees friend's fan blogs

The Braves rookie has become the team's "stopper."

When Atlanta called Hanson up to make his Major League debut against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 7th, expectations were sky high from people all over the league. The heralded righty turned in a rather sub par performance that day, but since then has been very R.O.Y.-esque.

His next start against Baltimore he allowed 2 earned runs, and those would be the last two he has given up to date. His consecutive scoreless inning streak is up to 21, which is no small feat for any pitcher, much less a rookie. Those 21 innings have come against some pretty solid offenses such as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Ever heard of those teams?

What most people have already forgotten, is that Hanson is the main reason that Tom Glavine was cut. Some blamed it on those tight wads at Liberty Mutual, and the one million dollars that would have been owed Glavine had he been placed on the active roster. The real story was, Atlanta needed a fifth starter. Jo-Jo Reyes had been getting drummed every outing and Kris Medlen was a stopgap until the decision was made between the two Tommy's. Braves management deemed Hanson the most suited to fill out the rotation, and so far, he has made them look pretty smart.

Continue reading "Tommy Hanson Continues to Impress"

The Bronx Bombers unleashed their fury in Atlanta, Georgia for two nights this week.

As an avid Braves fan, I should have known it was far too good to be true. The first game and a half of a three game set went as perfect as a game and a half could go for Atlanta. They shut out a 200 million dollar lineup for 14 straight innings. Hell, Kenshin Kawakami and Kris Medlen had combined for a perfect game for the first five innings of the second game. Then, the law of averages caught up with the Braves.

You see, winning those 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 to 2005 really has us screwed now. Having Cy Young Award winners filling the rotation for all those years has simply caught up to the Braves. And now, Atlanta cannot get the ball to take a single bounce their way. And in a game of inches, one bounce means a lot.

Continue reading "Braves Get Bombed"

Cleveland, don't start planning the first Cavaliers victory parade in franchise history for 2010 just yet. Shaquille O'Neal is far from the answer.

One of the first things I heard when O'Neal was dealt, is that Cleveland now has a low post scoring option. I cannot argue with that. Shaq can still be a valuable contributor when he is on the floor. There is no doubt, if he can stay healthy over an entire year, a 20 and 10 campaign is certainly not out of the question. He put up a very solid 17.8 points per game along with 8.4 rebounds per game last season. He is entering a contract year,  and perhaps that motivation can provide a little improvement in both areas.

Motivation can only go so far though. Contract year motivation cannot do anything if Shaq is in a snazzy suit on the sideline. Before last season, in which he played in 75 games, O,Neal was on a definite downward spiral. In 2006-07 he played in 40 games, followed by a 33 game year, and then in 07-08 he played a measly 28 games. In fact, O'Neal's 75 game year this past season, was the most games he had appeared in since the 1999-2000 campaign. Not to be pessimistic, but as a guy that believes in the law of averages, Shaq is due to miss some serious time next year. He is a 37 year old, 325(generous) pound man that has carried and thrown that weight around more last year than he has in any of his previous 10 years. It will be defying the odds if Shaq plays in more than 50 games next year. Bottom line.

Continue reading "Why Shaq Is No Final's Ticket for Cleveland"

The Colorado Rockies, a team that went from the N.L. West cellar to just a half a game out of the wildcard spot, have won nine of their last 10 games. They have gone from hosting an 18-28 record to currently standing strong at 37-33.

 

Better yet, they have won 17 of 18 games, very much similar to the run to the World Series just two years ago. Colorado is 19-5 under head coach Jim Tracy and is 8-2 in interleague play, the best in the majors by percentage points. They have also won nine games in a row on the road, which is unheard of based on previous history.

 

Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be. This is what should be expected, even with the off-season departure of Matt Holiday.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is no fluke. No one ever seems to take the Rockies seriously, which in 2007, and now, has provided an advantage, which has led to six-straight series wins. Also, a lot of the great play has been catered to Tracy. Since he has taken over, the team seems to be playing much looser, and are smiling more, which is evidence that they are having fun on the diamond.

Continue reading "Surprised with the Rockies? Well, you shouldn't be!"

Chipper Jones was one of three Braves to be ejected in the 7th inning of Sunday's loss to the Boston Red Sox.

Finally emotion from an Atlanta Brave. This club has appeared to be dead to the world for much of the last two weeks. Not only have they been playing poorly, the losing seems to have no affect on them. I know these guys collect a paycheck whether they are ten games over .500 or ten games under, but it would certainly be nice to see these guys actually have one, single shred of pride.

This is the Atlanta Braves. America's team. The team whose fan base spread all over the nation when its owner, Ted Turner, put them on his little television network in the 90's. This is the team that won 14 consecutive division titles and one World Series in its glory days from 1991 until 2005. This club should have some freakin pride about them. They aren't the Chicago Cubs, who are more famous for how they always find a way to lose. They aren't the Washington Nationals, who are routinely mathematically eliminated from playoff contention in May. They are Chief Knockahoma and city of "The Chop." And it is about time someone acted like they care.

Continue reading "Thank You Chipper"

Alex Rodriguez' s slow start is certainly a cause for concern in Yankee-land. Could the lack of certain P.E.D's be the root of his poor performance this year?

How quickly things have changed. A little over a month ago, Rodriguez homered in his first at bat of 2009 and the joyful "pie in the face" celebration seemed to be a nightly occurrence for the New York Yankees. Now Rodriguez is facing a two game benching in his hometown of all places, Miami, Florida. A-Rod had reserved around 100 tickets for his family and friends for the three game set against the Marlins. It looks as if Pro Player Stadium will have to wait until Sunday for its attendance to double.

Manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman met with Rodriguez and the group decided a two day break would be best for the slugger. While Alex claims he is experiencing no soreness, it is hard to ignore that only a few short months ago Rodriguez had hip surgery. Perhaps his .212 batting average can be accredited to that damaged hip. Hitting is so dependant on timing and any small hitch can completely alter a player's swing. It is very possible that Rodriguez's hips are not rotating through the zone like he is accustomed to.

Continue reading "Fatigued A-Rod Benched Two Games"

Knicks great, and current assistant to the President of Basketball Operations, Allan Houston represented the Knicks on draft day, and brought along a special lucky charm –– Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson.

Although grabbing the eighth spot wasn't as high as they would have hoped, the spot isn't bad at all, especially with the talent at the guard position in the pool.

And if history proves itself again, just like it has oh so many times, the eighth spot is golden. Since 1985, current NBA stars drafted eighth include Andre Miller, T.J. Ford, Rudy Gay, former Knicks Jamal Crawford, current Knicks Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox. Former player, Vin Baker, who was also taken at No. 8, was an All-Star with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1993.

While Knicks GM Donnie Walsh is confident that the Knicks will get a starting-caliber player, recent history has suggested against it. In the last five drafts, the No. 8 selection has been: Joe Alexander, Brandan Wright, Rudy Gay, Channing Frye (Knicks draft pick) and Rafael Araujo. There are no All-Stars among that group, while only Gay is a starter.

Continue reading "Draft Preview: What do the Knicks need at the No. 8 spot?"

The Yankees lost to the Nationals tonight. That is not that glaring of a problem, because they will still be right there in September and October. The Yankees have the pieces to get the bat that their lineup seems to be missing. I know that Xavier Nady is hurt and he was supposed to be the right handed power, protecting Posada or Cano. But there might be a need to look close at Holliday. Matt that is, he could do serious damage in the new Yankees stadium. He can be the rental that pushes them over the top. Johnny Damon and Hiedki Matsui come off the books. They can resign Matt and still have a smaller payroll than they do this year. I just think that A-Rod is looking human, and without his added energy boost for the dog-days of summer these men play through. They have some young pitchers a

Continue reading "The Yanks have the pieces to get a bat"

Knicks best and worst in the NBA Draft

If you read my previous piece about the evolution of the NBA Draft, and how its become one of the most watched drafts in all of professional sports, it's only fitting that I elaborate further by providing the three best and three worse in New York Knick history.

Especially since the draft is right around the corner.

Also if you recall, the 1989 draft was the first one that was condensed to two rounds, rather than the near 20 it used to be in the early days. I will only go based from the '89 season and beyond.

So yea, that does not include the great draft picks of Richie Guerin ('54), Willis Reed ('64), Mark Jackson ('74) and Patrick Ewing ('84), just to name a few.

I will begin with my Top 3 best, then go into Top 3 worse.

Continue reading "Knicks best and worst in the NBA Draft (opinion)"

After Sunday's 11-2 defeat by a last place Baltimore Orioles team, it is apparent that the Atlanta Braves need to seriously consider replacing Bobby Cox.

Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones are the last two links in a Braves uniform to their World Championship team of 1995. I, along with every other Atlanta Brave fan, should be appreciative of what Cox has accomplished in his tenure as the Braves skipper. And I am. But all good things must come to an end. Cox's good thing in Atlanta ended with their last playoff appearance in 2005.

Watching Atlanta play over the last week or so, has been painful. Not only have they been losing frequently, they have played uninspired, ignorant baseball. From base-running mistakes, fielding errors, and other miscues defensively that do not show up in the boxscore, this club needs someone lighting a fire under them. Atlanta needs a Fredi Gonzalez/ Ozzie Guillen type manager that is not afraid to get in his players' faces.

Continue reading "Time for Change at the Top in Atlanta"