Justine Siegal, who was already the first woman to coach a professional baseball team (The Brockton (MA) Rox, recently in the news for giving Bill Bucker a job managing, pitched batting practice yesterday for the Indians’ camp.  She confessed to being nervous, called herself an old lady…and still made manager Manny Acta, who also pitches BP on occasion, look bad.

Apparently in her teens, she threw in the upper 70s.  Hey, that’s faster than Tim Wakefield!  She’s scheduled to pitch BP for the Oakland Athletics later in the week, too.

Also, we’re back! Did you miss us?

Apparently, she’s not banned for her antics–just not allowed in after a loss.  ‘Cause clearly she’s…ahem…distracting.

Now, if she actually sleeps with a Yankees player, we’ll be sad. But for the moment, we think this is hilarious post-feminist awesomeness. What do you think?

Last year, for example, one game didn’t go live until the second inning.  Instead, they were showing an episode of the Ed Harvey show.  (We assume someone got fired for something that egregious, but who knows?)

While we’re at it, a few more complaints.

• Analysis:  “You don’t want to go to a three and two count when the bases are loaded.”  Thanks, TBS. Really.  You’re improving our game-watching experience like whoa, there.
• Ads: Remember FrankTV? How could you not, if you watched the playoffs on TBS? The promo spot seemingly showed up between every half inning.  This year, it seems that George Lopez’s new show–which, coincidentally, is going in that FrankTV slot of latenight–will be the culprit. As a result, we will likely go out of our way to AVOID the darn show.  TBS, give your viewers a break: don’t sell ad packages that show an add a hundred million times.
• Commercial cutoffs at game end or after a big play: We all want to see a little celebratory jumping.  We want to learn the special V-Mart, David Ortiz handshake.  BUT WE CAN’T, TBS. Because you had to show us that George Lopez spot. Again.

One thing that looks good, incidentally: we like the onscreen graphics–they show everything we need to know at a glance, and the pitch speed pops up quickly and undistractingly.

For now, a bit of updated playoff analysis.

Clinched

The Yankees have clinched the division title, but playoff questions remain.  Specifically, after you start C.C. Sabathia, then what happens? A.J. Burnett has been good at times, but terribly inconsistent.  Pettite–despite the sore shoulder–is probably your best bet for a number two, because he at least eats some innings, even when he’s off.  Because of the extra days off in the first series, this won’t be an issue right away.

The Angels have also clinched. But they always get swept in the first round.  Will this year be different?  Well, last year they needed a bat, and got swept despite the addition of Mark Texeira.  This year they didn’t add that bat. So….you be the judge.  (They have, however, added Scott Kazmir, late of Tampa Bay, so their pitching is solider than in past years.)

St. Louis….looks like St. Louis. They clinched their division behind Pujols, and they’ll play in the playoffs behind Pujols.  They’re not especially exciting, but they’re getting the job done. Again.

Playoff Bound

The Dodgers have clinched their second playoff berth in a row under manager Joe Torre, and they look good going into the playoffs.  With Manny Ramirez’s famously torrid postseason play on their side, they could go far.

Questionmarks

The Red Sox had a magic number of 1 to clinch a playoff berth …three days ago.  They still have that 1.  They’re imploding, and if Texas weren’t quite so far back…well, actually this might still be a race.  The Sox just got swept by the Yankees and lost one to Toronto last night. Why? Who knows.

Texas is less than likely to make the playoffs–their collapse in the month of August was nothing short of spectacular.  They control their own destiny only minimally, but hey, miracles happen.

The Rockies, the little team that could, could also still make the playoffs.  We’ll see…

Detroit and Minnesota: playing a doubleheader today with the Twins two games back.  Update on that one later.

OK, dying industry.  Only Topps remains of the licensed manufacturers, so maybe we’re hopping on this boat kind of late.

But we always wanted to collect baseball cards, and we were inspired by running into a kid the other day who seems to have a college fund in a binder.  Joe Girardi rookie card! Curt Schilling rookie card!  Jerry Remy before he was a broadcaster!

And we started thinking.  The fun of baseball cards, indubitably, is the grab bag aspect: not knowing what you’re going to get, and knowing it could be anything.  And for a rookie collector, the process is probably easier than ever, with the myriad opportunities to acquire old cards on Ebay and similar internet-y haunts.

We went to a game the other day and bought a couple grabbag boxes…and ended up with a 1994 Trot Nixon card (it’s even all foil-y and shiny!) and a Josh Hamilton rookie card.

That’s pretty cool. Not to mention the new found ability to organize things obsessively and also to interest future small children in baseball.  (And these are DEFINITELY a few of our favorite things.)

Anyone have any good baseball card stories? Or, better yet, baseball cards?

Alex Gonzalez to the Red Sox

The struggling Sox’ current best defensive lineup would feature Casey Kotchman (recently acquired from Atlanta after spending years with the Angels) at first, Kevin Youkilis at third.  But the Sox can’t hit lately, and as a result they need the resurgent Mike Lowell in their lineup daily as long as his body holds up.  THAT, in turn, means they need some compensatory defense at short, since Lowell–a gold glove third baseman–doesn’t have the range he once did, especially this year given his injury.  Gonzalez isn’t a heavy bat, but his range to his right is phenomenal, so acquiring him means you can slot Lowell back in at third and let Youk and Victor Martinez have the days off they want or need at first without sacrificing power entirely.  This is big.

Alex Rios to the White Sox

This one was the shocker: a longtime Blue Jay put on waivers–salary dump, clearly.  Four teams professed interest or put in claims, the White Sox won the war.  Rios can play all three outfield positions, giving the White Sox a way to rest the aging Jermaine Dye and Scott Podsednik.  He hits lefties and righties about equally well, too, so you can put him in the lineup every day.  And so far, his RBI numbers have made a difference.  To us, this could push the White Sox over the top.

Greg Zaun and Russ Springer to Tampa Bay Rays

Zaun has spent time with many clubs, mostly Baltimore.  He gives the Rays the kind of veteran bench presence they need if they’re going to pull it together and contend again in their “young guys reaching the playoffs for the first time” mode, as last year.  Springer, a bullpen pitcher claimed off waivers from the As, has bounced around like crazy, but is arguably a serviceable bullpen arm against a righty-heavy lineup (lefties bat .352 off him this year, which means he’ll be useless against the Yankees, but useful against the Sox, both of whom the Rays have to deal with if they want to make the playoffs.)  His ERA on the year is actually slightly lower than his career ERA, and in the last 30 days, his ERA’s under 3. 00.  Good acquisitions both, though under the radar.

Carl Pavano to the Minnesota Twins

…Actually, we’re kidding.  We think Pavano’s done.

Daniel Cabrera to the Diamondbacks

Cabrera is an enigma…he was supposed to be so good, but has struggled with command despite at times having overpowering stuff.  He’s still a couple years shy of thirty and can hit the high nineties on the gun, but Baltimore kept using him as a starter and finding they couldn’t depend on him.  In last year’s down market, he went unsigned in the off season.  The Diamondbacks can use his speed, assuming he can be consistent.  He’s not currently on the roster, so we don’t know how much of a difference he’ll make, but he’s worth noting.

These won’t be the last of them, as we’re still waiting for a lot of people–Ryan Freel et al–to clear waivers or be claimes, but in the meantime who else do you think made a difference? Sound off in the comments….

He just wants you to know, and that’s why he told USA Today he’s been taking supplements since age 5–up to 20 different kinds a day–and half of them aren’t on the approved list and NOBODY FREAKIN’ CARES.

He brings up an interesting question:

I can see where guys like Hank Aaron and some of the old-timers have a beef with it,” Arroyo says. “But as far as looking at Manny Ramirez like he’s (serial killer) Ted Bundy, you’re out of your mind. At the end of the day, you think anybody really (cares) whether Manny Ramirez’s kidneys fail and he dies at 50?

Hm. Does anyone care? Does UPH?

Arroyo thinks Americans, most of whom put all kinds of crap in their bodies (just ask Morgan Spurlock!) don’t give a damn about steroids as long as their team keeps–or starts–winning, and owners don’t care about anything but making money.

We’re not sure we want to believe that, but we have a sinking feeling it’s true.  At least someone’s saying it.

AND he has a rock band.  In fact, if it weren’t for the current unfortunate hairdo, Bronson Arroyo would officially be our Yum of the day.

NL East

The Phillies just lost three games and are still four games up in this race, but they’ve been up and down all year.  We think that the roller-coaster ride has made them tough enough to stick this race out.  Pedro Martinez is coming to this club, and he’s a playoff persona to be reckoned with even outside of his pitching.  The addition can fire up a team that has at times lacked fire.  We think they’ve got it.

NL Central

Sure, St. Louis is leading, and they have Pujols.  We know that, we get it, he’s perhaps the most purely talented player of all time, etc. etc.  The Cubs have a homestand coming up in which they have to play the Phillies for three.  If they get through that, they get Pittsburgh and then San Diego, and we’d love to think they’ll take advantage and take some steps to actually winning a World Series for once in their poor, benighted lives, but winning the NL Central this year just ain’t to be for the Cubs, much as we hate to agree with Cards fans.  St. Louis’ schedule for the rest of August features two sets of games with the Padres and some tilts against the Nationals.  They spend much of the rest of the year playing Pittsburgh and Houston, guys. You just can’t bet against the Cards, here. Even if you really, really want to.

NL West

The Dodgers started off the year with a fabulous record and a big, silly scandal.  Now, the scandal is over and they’re playing better ball, percentage-wise, than any team in baseball not in pinstripes.  However, they have a lot of big series coming up: Chicago, St. Louis, and Colorado for the rest of this month.  We think they’ll come through, though–in part because September is such smooth sailing.  They’ll be happy to see the Pirates, Diamondbacks and Nationals, and they’ll run away with the division, no matter how often Troy Tulowitski hits for the cycle.  End of debate.

NL Wild Card

Every year, the Astros make a run for the wild card that is miraculous in nature and takes place after the All Star break.   This year, they came roaring out of the break…and then went back to playing their usual .500 ball.  Let’s be honest: if they hadn’t made a run in each of the past few years, they wouldn’t even be in this paragraph.  Moving on.  Colorado, San Francisco, and the Cubs are the real contenders here.   We’re giving a very slight edge to the Giants–they’re hungry, which we feel is key in wild card races, they’ve got Lincecum, and even Zito is settling in.  Also, Randy Winn is playing for them.  We didn’t know he was still alive, but since he is, his veteran presence will do a lot for some of the young ‘uns.  Giants it is.

AL East

It’s hard to believe that the Yankees’ 6.5 game lead isn’t a commanding one at this point, especially given the Sox still-slumping bats (here’s looking at you, Jason Bay), and exhausted bullpen.  The Sox schedule is tough from here on out, too, with lots of games against contenders and plenty of time to face Tampa Bay, seemingly everyone’s nemesis.  (A few years ago, Derek Jeter was quoted as saying that the Devil Rays really had the Yankees’ number that year, and everyone laughed.  Now, nobody in Red Sox Nation’s laughing.)  Meanwhile, the Yankees get to play Oakland and Kansas City. Case closed.

AL Central

This is the AL race that could really surprise us.  Detroit’s in the lead right now, but we think that the White Sox, especially with the addition of Alex Rios, are going to end up taking it: Detroit’s been too spotty in recent years, and while the White Sox have a slightly tougher schedule, they also have a more reliable bullpen, Mark Buehrle, and now, a bat they needed.  Rios has been with the Blue Jays a long time before this, and he might well be one of those players who does phenomenal things when suddenly playing for a contender.  We think the White Sox are a force to be reckoned with, and it’ll be the Tigers doing the reckoning from their couches, come October.

AL West

This one is also close, but the Angels have Guerrero back, are coming off a sweep of the Giants, are used to making the playoffs, and have an easier month of August.  September’s another story for all these teams, when they all play each other like crazy, but we think the Angels are going to slowly pull away from Texas, who are currently hanging just 3.5 games back.  Whether they make it out of the first round of the playoffs, well, that’s been a historical problem for them.  But that’s another column.  (One that’ll piss off one of UPH’s best friends, so we’ll hold off.)  The truth here is that the Angels don’t need rally monkeys–they just need to keep doing what they’re doing and ride the wave.  As for Texas?  See below.

AL Wild Card

Boston, Texas, Detroit, and Tampa Bay are the real contenders here: the White Sox are going to play spoiler, even if they make the playoffs.  They’re 7 games back in the Wild Card race, but we think they’ll end up taking their division, and playing havoc with the rest of the standings in September.  In one crazy period of a bit more than a week, they play Boston, the Angels, and Seattle. and then at the end of the month three versus Detroit.  Meanwhile, the rest of these teams are all playing either each other or other contenders as well.  We’re not really seeing a late surge from Tampa Bay–they don’t seem to have the chemistry they did last year–but we think Texas is hungry, and might finally end up in the playoffs again. We’re looking forward to revisiting this during the craziness of the September schedules, but for now, that’s our pick.

It might make a big difference, and the difference it makes might be to the players.

We first noticed it while watching the Hall of Fame game–and boy, did we miss football–when the kicker for the Buffalo Bills, Rian Lindell, tried a fieldgoal…relatively routine anyplace but Buffalo, where it is always windy as hell no matter what, that is.  And the TV told me that, in fact, he had a 98% fieldgoal percentage from 40 yards or less.  So for Lindell, that’s less than nothing to hit–even in Buffalo, because he knows he can do it.  The man has the second-highest fieldgoal completion percentage in the NFL.  That makes any kick easier.

Simultaneously, we were watching the Sox and the Yankees on ESPN Sunday night baseball, and thinking about baseball stats.  A lot of the time, pitcher-hitter splits don’t really matter, but when they get to more than ten at-bats between a duo, they begin to do so in two cases.  One is when the batter’s average is over .325 or so versus a pitcher in that many at bats.  The batter starts thinking he has the guy figured out.  For example, Trot Nixon used to have  Roger Clemens figured out.  The solid but non-HOF left fielder for the Sox had a .371 average versus Clemens in THIRTY FIVE at bats.

Another instance is when a pitcher has a batter figured out: when A-Rod walked into Yankee stadium this evening, he was 1-12 in his career versus Jon Lester.  For a sensitive soul like A-Rod–and we say that without irony, because whatever else the man is, he’s clearly pretty worried about expectations, etc. More on this sometime.–that’s a big deal, and you could see it in his first two at-bats: he walked into the box like someone who was already walking out.

A third and final (since we don’t want to talk your ear off) time split-stats matter?  When a pitcher and catcher–like Posada and Pettite–have worked together so often, it’s like they have a mind-meld.   Pettite and Posada have been battery-mates 173 times, counting tonight.   That’s the most of any pitcher and catcher all-time.  At that point, you’ve got a big advantage.

So don’t mock the statheads, OK? Players don’t, and we see a reason.