Newfound Respect for Arod...Sort of PS - Register at the new site!

Yesterday was a bittersweet day of baseball for me. I was rooting for the Rockies to beat the Red Sox and try and make a series out of things. This was obviously a disappointment. However, upon finding out that Arod had turned down the Yankees, I was ecstatic and almost proud of him. I thought it was so cool that he was turning down the evil empire to go and play somewhere else. The only problem is in the way in which he did it.

The Yankees were willing to pay Rodriguez the highest salary in history and couldn't even get him to the negotiating table, after his four seasons with the team. I truly admire the fact that he could step away from the money like that, all be it he is financially secure right now (to say the least). However, I agree completely with Buster Olney, the 4th game of the world series was definitely not the appropriate time to make this announcement. This came off to me as a real headline-grabbing, arrogant move to me. The way he did this was totally classless. He had 10 games after the end of the World Series to opt out and he knew that.

I have no idea where Arod will go so I'll try not to speculate too much. The Yankees said they won't pursue him anymore, which is good in my opinion. If i had to guess I'd say he'll go to the Angles, or Giants, However, he could go like anywhere, so please leave a comment letting me know where you think he'll end up. Regardless of where he goes the team that acquires him will have to deal with the good and the bad. The fact that he'll probably go on to break Bonds' record (maybe he should be a Giant!), and the fact that he puts himself before the game.

The New Site!!!
The new site is currently under construction at http://www.thesportsflow.com/ We are going to continue with the blog for atleast probably another year or so while we transition. What we feel we can offer with the new site is a Sports Talk Forum (community based), and podcasts along with everything else we're doingright now.

I invite everyone to come out to the new site to check it out and register and account so we can start some converstions going in the forums! Hope to see you all there.

My World In Sports: Big Night For Baseball as I Return Home

Now, back from vacation the sports world has given me plenty of lemons to make lemonade. So what else but "My World In Sports" to recap the last 24 hrs. Vacation was great but it's good to be back. Now lets get down to business.

Bonds is cheered in San Diego
Well most of you readers know where I stand on the subject. I'm sure you also all know that Bonds tied Hank Aaron as the all-time HR King last night. I was a little surprised that they cheered rather than booed in SD. But I'm happy for him I guess...Even though it may be hard to dispute that he didn't cheat. Even happier for the 33-year old plummer who caught the ball who probably will never have to fix a toilet ever again! Look,It's inevitably going to happen so I hope he can break this record as quick and painlessly as possible. Although I'm guessing that they'll wait and try to get him to do it in SF. We know Selig is going to be there now so I just hope he just hits it ASAP so we can kind of stop talking about it a little.

Arod Drops the Abomb
Just like Bonds tying Aaron....we knew it was coming. Arod became the youngest player to hit 500 career HRs. He hit 500 about a year sooner than Jimmie Fox in what turned out to be a HUGE night for baseball and in baseball history. I think it now probably becomes increasingly obvious to most baseball fans that Arod has the best chance to catch Bonds (wherever that may be) and how seriously good Arod really is. I personally think that Arod should crush Bonds' record someday...especially if he can continue to stay healthy and DH in the AL as he gets older. Also, a move out of the big apple probably wouldn't hurt him as a player either.

NFL Preseason Kicks Off Tonight
It will be pretty refreshing to see a little pigskin fly tonight (8 ET on NFL Network) with the Steelers playing the Saints in the HOF Game. The NFL Network is airing 52 Games in 29 days...which is pretty sweet because I get the NFL Network, so I'll be tuning in. Don't expect to see a lot of Brees, Bush, Roethlisberger, and Co., but it will be nice to just see some football on TV. To prepare you readers may want to check out some Fantasy Football Quicklooks!

That's what I have to say about the bigtime stories in sports in the last 24 hours. Any you think that I missed? What are your thoughts on the big HRs, and the exciting start of the NFL Preseason? Given the circumstances was this one of the biggest, if not THE biggest night, historically, in MLB history?

TSF's 2007 MLB Midseason Awards

Here are my midseason awards. I reserve the right to change these by the end of the season.

MVP

AL: Alex Rodriguez - NYY
Magglio Ordonez is the next best choice but it should be a no-brainer. Without Arod the Yankees would be utterly pathetic. He had arguably the best April in baseball history and has driven in about 20% of the Yankees' runs.

NL: Prince Fielder - MIL
I might be a Brewers fan and I might be a homer but I think Fielder makes a great case for NL MVP thus far. The Brewers are winning and he's carrying them and holding them up in first place. Matt Holliday is a guy a lot of other bloggers might go with but I think because of what the Brewers have done in comparison to the Rockies I gotta go with Prince. PS -can't wait to get me one of these

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

AL: Daisuke Matsuzaka - BOS

Doesn't seem fair that he is so much older and experienced than other rookies but he meets the definition of rookie by the rulebook and therefore he has definitely been the AL ROY thus far I would say
NL: Ryan Braun - MIL

Call me a homer again but Braun came up and bat 3rd in the 1st place Brewers' lineup almost immediately and has done wonderful. The next best bet would be Hunter Pence of Houston but I give Braun the edge because he has more BBs & SBs, equal HRs, only 10 less RBIs, and an average of .350 with 100 less ABs than Pence. Not to mention that the Astros are bad and the Brewers are a first place team (right now).

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

AL: Mike Scioscia - LAA

Our AL Manager of the Year to this year would have been Mike Hargrove for his job with the M's, but being he has resigned, will give it to perennial contender, Mike Scioscia for the great job he's done with the Angels
NL: Ned Yost - MIL

He's been the one leading the way of the turnaround in Milwaukee over the past few years and now I think it is time he gets the recognitions. He's done a great job with all the young players and I really think he deserves this one....even if some sites can be overly critical of him at times!

LVP (Least Valuable Player)

AL: Julio Lugo - BOS

Lugo is trying to make history this season. He has a legit shot at being the first Red Sox Player ever to bat below .200 and have an OBP and SLG both of under .300. He's got a shot...
NL: Pat Burrell - PHI

I'm guessing when they formulated the contract they were expecting Burrell to be a star being as he is getting paid $13 Mil this season to fight for a starting spot. And to think that I wasted a middle pick on him in my fantasy draft!

COMEBACK PLAYER
AL: Carlos Pena - TB

He's hitting .287 with 20 HRs, 52 RBIs, .395 OBP, .609 SLG. Can't say I saw that coming at all!
NL: J.J. Hardy - MIL

He's rebounded tremendously after the gruesome ankle injury he sustained last season which required surgery. I looked for the play-at-the-plate on YouTube but couldn't find it.

CY YOUNG

AL: Dan Haren - OAK

There a lot of great choices for this award (think Sabathia, Beckett, Lackey, Santana, and others) but I'm giving it to Haren. Haren has been lights out with a 10-2 record and a 2.20 ERA. He has been a nightmare for opposing hitters and if the A's were without Haren, they would be behind the cellar dwelling Rangers.
NL: Jake Peavey - SD
This is a pretty easy pick in my opinion I love to watch him pitch and I think this one is relatively indisputable.

Take Your Pick: Who Can a Fan Like Me Start to Root For?

So, Barry Bonds hit his 748th career homer putting him 7 shy of Hank Aaron for what is probably the most heralded record in all of sports. I hate Barry Bonds and if you are a repeat reader you probably know that already. Anyways, I am starting to come to the realization that this is probably going to happen and instead of killing myself when it does I decided that I need a guy to root for. I need to find the next player who is going to beat Barry's steroid-injected ass (pun intended) in the HR standings. So take your pick and help me figure out who is the going to be the best guy to take the record away from Barry.

Personally Arod is my guy. You have Arod at 492 having hit his 27th HR of the season tonight against the Mets. Arod currently ranks 24th all-time but in my opinion probably has the best foreseeable chance to surpass Bonds of all current players. He is 32 years-old right now and if you disregard this year's 27 HRs he needs 8 seasons with a rough average of 36 dingers a season. Now I think it will take him even less than that because he is obviously going to hi more than 36 this year. So, really at the most I think he would have to play until he was 40. If he can stay healthy and stay with the Yanks so he can DH as he gets older I think he can do it.

This is so sick and perverted but I'm going to have to start cheering for a Yankee...Arod no less. I've always thought of him as a bit of a sell-out (think of him going to Texas completely for the $$) and is now noticed as a cheating bastard. However, I think he's my guy. Now, I'm not by any means going to go get myself an Arod jersey. I'm just rooting for him to bring Major League Baseball -along with myself- out of a state of misery as fast as he can.

My second choice is Albert Pujols. He's only got 266 right now but is only 27. If he can continue to hit his average of 42 HRs a year he could be at 770 when he is 39. So he's got a good shot, but I'm still taking Arod over him. Some goes for him. If he can get away from the Cardinals and onto a team where he can do some DHing down the road that will increase his chances as well.

Active players ranked above Arod in HRs are Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, and Ken Griffey Jr. In my opinion both are just way too old to be considered a serious threat to surpass Bonds someday. No way for those 3.

Also, guys who I think can be overlooked include , Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Gary Sheffield, and Chipper Jones. Manny is ranked 25th with 480 but is 3 years older than A-Rod so he's not my pick....plus he doesn't even care. Basically the lowdown on everybody else is that I think they are just too old. They are high on the list but there's just no way they can play long enough with their production to be seriously considered.

If I wouldn't take Arod or Pujols I would rather take my chance with a young kid like Prince Fielder or Miguel Cabrera. They are so young though that it is just a real risky pick. There are too many intangibles to consider to try and accurately project if and when they could be in position to pass Bonds.

My Picks
1. Arod
2. Pujols
3. Someone young like Prince Fielder or Miguel Cabrera

Agree with my Picks? Who is your pick to surpass Bonds on the all-time HR list (however many that may end up being)?

Make-Up Sex In The Bronx

Yea, so in case you haven't noticed Arod seems to have temporarily gotten back together with Yankees fans everywhere this April. For those of you who are oblivious to the sports world he is hitting .400 with 14 HRs, 34 RBIs, and a .453 OBP...slightly amazing.

Just for fun this morning in AP English I was doing some computing and it is worth noting that right now Arod is on pace to hit:.400 with 126 HRs, 306 RBIs, with a .453 OBP. I'd say those would be MVP type of numbers and probably would break just a couple records.

So as the sports world (Yanks fans especially) is/are going crazy with this right now and there is something that I wanted to talk about. I know what it's like to be an avid baseball fan and all, and I'm still jacked about Prince's game-winning bomb last night but Yankees fans need to wake up! As they obsess over Arod's stats and performance as if they had never doubted him since he dawned pinstripes their team is a pathetic 8-10 and is nearly in the cellar of the AL East. Look at your payroll! Look at your lineup! Look at what Mr. Rodriguez is giving you! There is no way that you shouldn't be well above .500 right now!

Now, obviously you nor I really believe Arod will hit .400, 306 RBIs, 126 HRs, so it's fair to say at this point that he's going to cool off. And then the excitement and new found love from the back together make-up sex is all gone. Yankee fans everywhere realize that they don't even have a winning record, have no pitching staff, and are underachieving big-time. Then the break up comes (again) and it's back to the ugly relationship between Arod and NYY fans and sports fans everywhere have to listen to the thought of Arod leaving next season.

Joe Torre owes Arod a big hug right now. Because instead of answering questions like, "why don't you have a pitching staff"" and "What do you need to do to get a winning record?", and "Why the hell don't you have a winning record?" he gets to just answer questions about how great Arod is....I got news for you Joe, it's not lasting forever so you better be ready answer the real questions if the Yanks don't start to turn it around. I know it's early but this is a very tough division and it's quite obvious that your pitching sucks. When you have a guy in the heart of your lineup hitting like this it seems like now would be the appropriate time to be putting some space between you and the Red Sox, not the Red Sox and you (if you know what I'm saying).

Point being, yea everyone is talking this up right now and why not!? He's having the best April in baseball history, but the Yanks are wasting it. And while Yankees fans everywhere seem to have taken Alex back, don't expect it to last...I see a breakup in the future.

Easter Weekend Roundup

I would first like to start off by saying Happy belated-Easter to everyone and I hope all you students out there had a good break. With no more college basketball to talk daily it's time to get ready to hit the NFL Draft and Major League Baseball (Sigh, I love summer). However, I'm feeling less than creative right now and a lot went down in the sports world over the last few days....I'll break it down for you

- I would like to welcome The Big Lead back to the blogosphere. I'm sure most of you readers already know what this is all about but incase you don't: Here it is. Even though Mr. Colin Cowherd apologized on-air (barely) I want to make sure everybody knows that he still sucks, and that was still a dick move.

- Arod officially won the hearts of Yankee fans everywhere for the next week and a half. He has started the year on a tear: .381 BA, 4HR, 11RBIs, .458 OBP. Thus making my fantasy baseball team, the BALCO busters, a one man show. The walk-off Slam against the O's was great (hint of sarcasm) but it is only the first week of the season. I think 2 curtain calls in opening week is enough and people are being a little too over-exuberant with this. Let's see how long this side of the love-hate relationship lasts.

- Zach Johnson out-Tigered Tiger to win the green jacket this weekend. The Masters is the only golf even that I really pay close attention too. I've been to the PGA Championship once before and it was a lot of fun to watch in-person, but on TV The Masters is all I really watch. I never really at any point that Tiger wouldn't win until he bogeyed number 17 on Easter Sunday. I'm always the kinda golf fan to take Tiger vs. the field almost always, but this just really wasn't Tiger's weekend. Without a round under par he was less than spectacular. For a change we saw a guy wearing blue (not red) pumping his fists on a Sunday of a major event.

-D-Wade came back to game action dropping 12 off the bench last night...I think that this restores the Heat's chances of going deepish into the playoffs even if he isn't 100%, but I don't see them getting by the Pistons.

- The Mariners and Indians series was postponed as Cleveland was pummeled with snow, also collectively taking a toll on my fantasy team (I need Ichiro to get the ABs). This makes things like say, oh I don't know, the retractable roof seem like quite the novel idea. And obviously MLB thought it was too as the Angels vs. Indians series has been moved from Cleveland to beloved Miller Park. Tickets will be 10 bucks and parking will be 8...so any displaced Angels or Indians fans may want to look in to that.

- Don Imus made a huge lapse in judgement when he called the Rutgers University Women's Basketball team something to the effect of "a bunch of nappy-headed ho's." Now I'm not black, nor a woman, but even I can see how terrible and unwarranted that was for him to say that. This may even make him a bigger retard than Mr. Cowherd.

- I'm told the NHL playoffs are starting...I don't plan to really write about it until the finals so if you are looking for some analysis or breakdown or whatever....look elsewhere.



*Chime in on any thoughts or comments in regards to these tidbits or any others you would like to add.*

Take your pick: Jeter vs. A-Rod

I'll be the first to admit that I hate the New York Yankees and almost all of their players, coaches, fans, and affiliates. With the recent rumors of an apparent rift between the two star infielders I thought it would be fun to play a game with it.

Ok, so you can only pick one guy and here's the deal. You are starting your own team and can pick one to be your centerpiece. One guy to build your whole team around. Take everything into consideration; I'll go first.

My Guy

I'm going to take Derek Jeter as my pick. There is no doubt that A-Rod may wind up hitting 500 hrs in his career and has more power to his bat but given the criteria of the game I'm going with Jeter. If I am starting my own team there is possibly no other guy in MLB that I'd rather build my team around than Jeter. Here are some of the reasons that I'd go with Jeter over A-Rod:

• He's a great leader on and off the field
• Great defensive player at the heart of the infield
• Comes drastically cheaper
• Commands much more respect in the clubhouse
• Has 4 rings - knows how to win and specifically win "The Big One"
• Much better defensively than A-Rod
• What he lacks to A-Rod in power he makes up for as a great contact hitter while supplying adequate power numbers
• What can you say?...He's clutch
• He's coming arguably his best season ever, while A-rod had an up-and-down year both at the plate and in the field.

Now, both of these players are great, don't get me wrong. Furthermore they are great in their own respects. Comparing the two like this might be a touch unfair because of how different they are. It is kind of like comparing Grady Sizemore to Travis Hafner, or Mark Loretta to Big Papi, etc. It's basically comparing apples to oranges; but that is what makes it fun. So you've heard my choice. Now what's yours? You're starting your own team who do you want, A-Rod or Jeter?