Thursday, November 3, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Selig's main requirement for a new Dodger owner: SIGN PUJOLS!
I don't believe in random events.
I don't believe in first causes.
I don't believe that actions take place in vacuums.
Even me typing this blog post is the result of a long chain reaction of events.
And a chain reaction of events could be conspiring to bring Albert Pujols to Dodger Stadium.
I have no evidence to back up these theories. But I still think it makes sense.
- Albert Pujols launches 3 home runs in one World Series game, putting him in World Series history with Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth. And he helps spark one of the World Series saving rallies in Game 6. (The fact that he was basically a non factor in the other World Series games is forgotten by everyone.)
- Albert Pujols is a free agent... a perennial MVP candidate and one of the few marquee stars in the game. Plus he is a class act, free of scandal and has multiple rings in St. Louis. He's probably staying in St. Louis with his father figure, Tony LaRussa.
- LaRussa retires, ending his career with his crowning achievement. He can spend his days saving animals and writing his Cooperstown speech.
- SO Pujols has nothing left to prove in St. Louis. He can leave St. Louis on top and take on a new challenge and more money than any of us can ever dream of. ($30 million a year?)
Meanwhile in Los Angeles...
- The Dodgers fiasco might be finally grinding to a halt. Frank McCourt, in denial like William H. Macy's character in Fargo, might finally realize that he ISN'T just one deal away from keeping control of the team. MLB might take over the Dodgers. They did that once before with the Expos.
- This is a different scenario. That was saving a team from contraction and getting them to Washington DC. The Dodgers need to be lifted from the humiliation of bankruptcy and mismanagement. The Dodgers SHOULD be one of the glamorous franchises. And it would behoove baseball to have a big west coast superpower (sorry Giants fans. Your team isn't a superpower.)
- So if MLB takes over the Dodgers, they can hand pick whomever takes over the team. They will have to be committed to turn the Dodgers back into a powerhouse, make L.A. as baseball crazy as New York and Boston and bring some star power to Dodger Stadium.
- The Dodgers just HAPPENED to have a hole at first base (sorry James Loney). They just HAPPENED to have an MVP candidate to protect Pujols in the lineup with Matt Kemp. They just HAPPEN to play in a winnable division. (Sorry Diamondbacks.) And unless Juan Uribe has more pull than I thought, #5 just HAPPENS to be available in Los Angeles.
- The Dodgers also just HAPPEN to be a team in a desperate situation to have some positive press after all the off the field embarrassment. And they need something, besides a face who ISN'T Frank McCourt, to jumstart season ticket sales.
- If MLB can control who buys the Dodgers, they COULD make "Will you make a big push for Albert Pujols?" a requirement. It would be good for the franchise and could make the Dodgers a marquee franchise again.
Fans are going to show up in St. Louis. It's a new era there anyway.
Pujols (paired with NL MVP candidate Matt Kemp and Cy Young candidate Clayton Kershaw) could have his new challenge.
Bud Selig, someone NOT above colluding, could be in a unique position to handpick someone to bid on Pujols.
Where else is Albert going? Sure Theo Epstein wants to make a big splash with the Cubs, but he has to weed OUT big contracts before bringing in a new one. The Mets are a mess. And maybe the Marlins would make a run at him, but they are a dark horse at best.
Of course the Rangers, White Sox, Nationals and Orioles are never shy about throwing money around. But I can't see Albert going to any of those places.
The Dodgers are the most logical landing place in many ways.
It's a boost to the franchise.
It's a bump in West Coast baseball's interest.
And it could make Albert even more marketable than he is now.
Don't think this ISN'T going through Bud Selig's mind.
It's a chain reaction of events... and it could lead to the image of Albert Pujols playing first base for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
(For the record, I think Pujols is staying put... but you never know!)
Monday, October 31, 2011
Owen Good joins The Sully Baseball Show
Sports writer and comedian Owen Good stopped by The Sully Baseball Show tonight.
We talked Cooperstown, Pete Rose and why we both like Mike Greenwell.
It is the second hour of the Seamheads block on Monday night after What's On Second, the flagship show of the Seamheads National Podcasting Network.
TITO!!! CALL ST. LOUIS NOW!!!
The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals have a job opening!
Their Hall of Fame manager is leaving on top.
They have the foundation of a great team being left behind.
They can hand the reigns of the team over to a coach like Jose Oquendo or Dave McKay or Joe Pettini.
Maybe long time pitching coach guru Dave Duncan can manage the team.
Or 800 pound gorilla Mark McGwire.
OR they can insert a respected manager who happened to have a bad month.
Someone with two World Series titles of his own... including one at the expense of the Cardinals.
Terry Francona... Cardinals manager.
St. Louis is just as great a baseball city as Boston without the grief or inferiority complex.
The inferiority complex is in Chicago... and who is running the Cubs now? THEO!
Oh this could be a NEW wrinkle in the Cubs/Cardinals rivalry!!!
Become the Cardinals manager, win a World Series title in St. Louis... be beloved forever and rehearse your Cooperstown speech.
Give them a call.
Hats off to Tony LaRussa
I've never been a Tony LaRussa fan... but man you have to respect him.
He is probably the greatest manager of our time. If he's not, he's in the conversation.
And he retired as a World Series champ.
No backstabbing, book writing, passive aggressive swiping at management here.
This isn't Torre or Francona's ending where you need to remind people of the good times.
He's out on top after winning the best World Series in a decade.
He has three World Series titles. No need to apologize for not winning more. He has as many World Series titles as Leo Durocher, Earl Weaver and Whitey Herzog combined.
I was never a fan.
But man I am an admirer.
Ozzie Guillen, Bruce Bochy, Charlie Manuel, Joe Girardi, Davey Johnson, Mike Scioscia and Jim Leyland are the only current managers who have won a World Series title now.
None more than one.
Who will take the title of "Best Current Manager?"
We'll see.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
New Sully Baseball Video - "The John Lackey Horror Show."
In the latest Sully Baseball video, I reacted to the news that the Padres were supposedly interested in picking up John Lackey.
They didn't make a deal before Lackey had season ended surgery.
Awful news. But I don't get mad. I make videos.
As always, all the Sully Baseball videos can be found on my ShortForm TV channel.
Kids St. Louis Cardinals World Series Champs T-Shirt, Youth
Kids St. Louis Cardinals World Series Champs T-Shirt
Youth Sizes S, M, L, XL
What a joy it must have been for your kids to witness the Cardinals miraculous 2011 season. When you never give up, you never know what may happen! Kids LOVE to wear apparel of their favorite team. The St. Louis Cardinals World Series Champs t-shirts shown below are sure to be one of your kids favorites!
Youth St. Louis Cardinals World Series Champions Gray T-Shirt
This youth t-shirt displays the St. Louis skyline, the Arch, and has 2011 World Series Champions screen printed across the chest. Reinforced collars to help prevent stretching.
- Machine washable
- Kids sizes : S, M, L, XL
- Made by Majestic
- Screen printed graphics
Red St. Louis Cardinals 2011 World Series Kids Tee
After watching the Cards win it all youth fans were celebrating and dreaming of the day when they become future All Stars! This tee is sure to become one of your kid's favorites. Vibrant Cardinal team colors with screen printed graphics proudly displayed across the chest.
- Youth Sizes : S, M, L, XL
- Reinforced collar
- Made by Majestic
- Cardinals Championship Ring screen printed on the front and center of t-shirt
- Officially licensed by MLB
Youth St. Louis Cardinals Caricature Champs T-Shirt
- Sizes : S, M, L, XL
- World Series Champs screen printed across front of tee
Youth St. Louis Cardinals Customized Jersey Tee
Looks like a jersey, feels like a tee. Maybe it's just a combination of both. Does your child have a favorite player? With this tee you can easily add the name and number of any player on the current roster! Pujols, Holiday, Freese, or anyone else! Simply click on the tee and choose the player from the drop down menu.
- Add any players name and #
- Officially licensed MLB apparel
- Kids sizes : S, M, L, XL
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