July 2007 - Posts
How badly did Barry Bonds want to hit milestone home runs No. 755 and No. 756 in San Francisco? The 43-year-old played six of seven games on the Giants’ homestand which concluded Sunday -- missing only a game following a 13-inning complete game.
Bonds, as suspected, wants desperately to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record before the adoring fans of San Francisco. Notice the lack of past tense in the previous sentence. That’s right -- this corner maintains that Bonds will not hit those homers on the road.
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It was a weekend of interesting thoughts and happenings from around the majors.
HERE COMES KANSAS CITY! That’s right. The Royals just finished a road trip against the three best AL teams -- Cleveland, Boston, and Detroit. And they went 5-4.
Since June 23 they are 14-8. Kansas City's Buddy Bell and Washington’s Manny Acta are the most unsung managers this season. The young Royals are starting to come into their own, and Mike Sweeney’s ongoing injuries have turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Billy Butler is thriving in the DH role.
Closer Octavio Dotel is throwing lights out for Kansas City. Question: Can the Royals, a team that has suffered through horrendous bullpen pitching for years and is breaking in young talent, afford to move Dotel before the July 31 trade deadline, thereby subtracting from the team a pitcher who has become their long-sought stable closer?
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His second-inning blast soared over the rightfield stands and onto Sheffield Avenue in Chicago, and while Barry Bonds circled the bases, the voice inside my head went quiet. Bonds’ second homer of the day, in the seventh inning, was the silencer. Those whispers of Bonds experiencing sore legs -- whispers which surfaced just days after the Giants announced a future plan wedded to youth -- seemed to hint at a stay on the disabled list.
Would this aging superstar in search of a baseball home for next year milk his chase of breaking Henry Aaron's all-time home-run mark by extending it into next season to guarantee himself a contract for 2008?
Well with his two home runs at Wrigley Field on Thursday Bonds silenced those voices in my head. He stunned even the most veteran Bonds observers with a classic performance. He heard the hatred. He felt the anger. And he did what has defined Bonds’ career -- he defied all with his two home runs and six RBI.
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Making his weekly guest appearance on a Miami radio program, Florida Marlins president David Samson was brutally critical over Seattle’s signing of Ichiro Suzuki to a five-year contract extension reportedly worth $18 million a year.
In this space it's thought prudent to deal with just the facts when examining Samson's criticism.
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Tension swirls around Barry Bonds a week after the All-Star Game. And it’s most unusual to have the man who is headed towards becoming the all-time home run king immersed in it as well. Usually Bonds creates the tension, but is not touched or affected by it himself. Not this time.
Let's look at all those involved in this increasingly drawn-out saga, which now appears could be adding the twist of a conspiracy theory to boot.
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The Giants are hosting the Dodgers, their archrivals this weekend in a series the San Francisco Chronicle breathlessly and irrationally calls a “make-or-break” weekend. The Giants dropped the opener 9-1 on Friday night, and lose the series, goes the story, and the Giants descend into full-scale rebuilding mode, something unseen in San Francisco for nearly 20 years.
So here’s what you need to know about how Barry Zito’s first half of the season went with San Francisco: The so handsomely paid lefthander isn't even pitching in the series against the Dodgers. Matt Cain (3-10) took the ball and the loss on Friday. It's Matt Morris (7-5) getting the call on Saturday, and Noah Lowry (9-6) with the nod on Sunday.
This is what the Giants' seven-year, $126-million investment in Zito buys? That he sits instead of pitches with a season on the brink.
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Last night's All-Star Game in San Francisco allowed the Giants, a franchise that has appreciated its greats, to properly honor its greatest: The Say Hey Kid.
Did you catch the exchange with Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr. talking to Mays. Every time the Hall of Famer spoke, the two stars smiled. There was no generation gap. There was only unabashed admiration for the legendary center fielder.
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Baseball in Chicago at the All-Star break:
The buzz is over Mark Buerhle's new four-year deal with the White Sox, and the Cubs having gone 12-4 leading up to their four days off.
Both developments are worthy of smiles from Windy City baseball fans.
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Last week I listed my five most surprising teams of the first half of the season. As we hit the halfway pole this week, here are the five most disappointing clubs.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX: The World Series aura has crumbled. It's hard to believe the White Sox sat on top of the baseball world just two years ago. The team is going to be remade. Free-agent-to-be Mark Buehrle has reportedly agreed to a below-market deal, but management won’t include a no-trade clause. A compromise on a partial no-trade provision probably gets the deal done. If not, there are plenty of suitors ready to deal for the left-hander before the July 31 trade deadline -- the Mets reportedly at the front of that pack. Jermaine Dye, also on his way to free agency at the end of the season, is a leading candidate to be moved before this month is out. What to watch most here: Do the White Sox stay with the volatile and controversial Ozzie Guillen as their manager?
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Some thoughts on managing in the big leagues. Mike Hargrove quits the Mariners and Jerry Narron is fired by the Reds. Narron garners sympathy from many quarters while I read too many questions about Hargrove’s intentions and makeup. Narron is portrayed a victim, and Hargrove is questioned for leaving in mid-season with Seattle playing surprisingly well.
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