My Top 10 MLB Players

My Top 10 MLB Players

Today I will talk about my top 10 Favorite MLB players. I will start with four and put the other favs in future blogs. Let the Countdown begin!

Number 10

Roy Halladay

Ta-Da, here is #10 on my list. On the night of May 29th, the Philadelphia Phillies played the Florida Marlins. The starting pitcher was Roy Halladay. Not long before this game Halladay was traded from Toronto to Philadelphia. This game was a great night for Halladay because he retired all 27 at bats the Marlins gave him. In other words he pitched the second perfect game in the Phillie's history. The only other pitcher to do this was Jim Bunning. In 1964 he pitched a perfect game against the NY Mets. Now that I gave a highlight of Halladay here are some stats:

• Halladay first started playing for Toronto in 1998

• Halladay was traded to Phillie on December 16th, 2009

• Halladay's ERA is 2.40

• 131 strikeouts

• Ranks 1st in NL with 154 innings pitched

So with these stats I would say that he is one of the best pitchers in the MLB today. In my personal opinion one day he will be in the Hall of Fame.

Number 9

Albert Pujols

On the evening of June 14th, the St. Louis Cardinals played the Seattle Mariners. Albert Pujols of the Cardinals was sliding into home plate when outfielder Jose Lopez of the Mariners threw the ball to home and hit Pujols in the back of the head. Pujols was able to come back into the game he just had a great big welt on the back of his head. Now that I have gave a highlight of Pujols it is time for some stats.

• Albert Pujols was drafted to the Cardinals in 1999

• Pujols has a .307 batting average

• 21 HR

• 64 RBIs

Albert Pujols has been one of the best hitters in the MLB for a while now. He has a really unique batting style. He squats low to the ground with his bat high. I think this is why he is one of the best home run hitters. I have no doubt if he can hit 21 home runs he can make it to the hall of fame.

Number 8

Joe Mauer

Congratulations! Joe Mauer you are my numero eight fave player. First, an in game highlight for Joe Mauer. During a game the evening of May 2nd, Joe Mauer was sliding into first when he bruised his heel. Now, from personal experience, I hurt my heel one time and I was out of commission for a while. Now that I gave a highlight or in other words a dim light(pun intended), it is time for some stats on Mauer.

• Mauer was drafted to the Twins in 2001

• Hasn't been traded to any other team

• He has a .297 BA

• (Surprisingly) only 4 home runs

• 40 RBIs

Now looking at these stats I would say he is one of the best hitters. He doesn't strikeout but %9.9 of the time. That is %91.1 that are mainly hits. I will admit 4 HR after the All-Star break is not good. He is one of my favorite baseball players (not because he is on one of my fave video games) because he has hit a bunch of runs and runs batted in.


Number 7

Stephen Strasburg

My number seven pick is Jamie Moyer( KIDDING!) Actually it is Stephen Strasburg from the Washington Nationals. This kid ROCKS! He just started playing about two months ago and he is great. For example, every baseball fan heard about Strasburg's first major league start. Strasburg pitched against the Pittsburg Pirates on June 8th. A sell out crowd of over 40,000 stood as he threw the first pitch, Aww! Man a 97mph fastball thrown for a ball. Although the first pitch was a ball, he pitched for 7 innings with 14 strikeouts. He only had one blemish, he gave a two runner in the game. Needless to say a good big league start. Now that I gave a highlight time for some stats.

• Strasburg was drafted in the first round by the Washington Nationals

• Has 2.32 ERA with a 5-2 W-L record

• 75 Strikeouts

• This season has allowed only 3 HRs

Now from what you have read wouldn't you say that Strasburg is one of the best pitchers today? I would. I can't wait to see this guy pitch a perfect game and trust me it is COMING!

I will be back with another group of favorites soon.

What Has Happened to A.J. Burnett?

Is the Yankees hurler on the slide?

Is it me or has A.J. Burnett of the New York Yankees been on a down-slide lately? One example came on the afternoon of July 17th. Burnett was pitching against Reid Brignac of the Tampa Bay Rays and gave up a two run homer. Later he threw a wild pitch and hit Evan Longoria. The final straw came when Carlos Pena hit an RBI off of him producing another score. His own frustration ended his day in just the third innning (Yankees can't overcome Burnett's short start). Manager Joe Girardi had to pull him from the game.

Here's a little background on Burnett:

• He's 33 years old
  
• Has been playing in the major leagues for eleven years
• Played for the Marlins from 1999 (his debut in the MLB) until 2005
• Played for the Blue Jays from 2006 until 2008
• In 2003 until mid-2004 he was out for Tommy John surgery
• He ended his first game of the 2007 season with a 27.00 era
• in 2008 he led the league with 231 strikeouts

When he was playing with the Marlins (I believe those were the best years of his career) he led the NL with 5 shutouts, Now his ERA is over 6.00 and his losses outweigh his wins. To me this is a sign that A.J. Burnett is either getting old or losing his touch. I bet the Yankees are wishing they would've gotten him in his younger days. In my opinion, Burnett is on the ropes, and eventually those ropes are going to snap. In his case, his weak rope is his arm. The Tommy John surgery may have actually hurt him. It seems like everyone who gets this surgery comes out worse than when they went in. I believe Burnett is going to go from the Yankees eventually, and it will be soon.

The Officials

Love 'em or hate 'em, the men in stripes are here to stay

Nobody loves an official. While watching baseball, have you ever wanted to yell, "Kill the umpire!" Ever since they were brought into sports they have been known to make the dumbest calls we've ever seen.

For example, during the recent World Cup, USA player Maurice Edu kicked the ball into his opponent's goal, but a penalty was called on the USA team. Replay clearly showed that it should have been called on the opposing team (Slovenia). If that goal would have counted, the USA would have possibly remained in the running for the World Cup.

Another example comes from baseball. Detroit's pitcher Armando Galarraga was close to pitching a perfect game when the umpire, Jim Joyce, messed it up. The ball was thrown to the first baseman with the runner still about a foot away. The first baseman caught the ball with his foot on the bag before the runner got there, but Joyce called the runner safe. My eyes bugged out when I saw that replay. Honestly, I think Instant Replay needs to be used a lot more in baseball.

Don't even get me started on football, where they always seem to call the wrong player on holding or call holding where there wasn't any holding at all. How many times have we seen them call pass interference on a player when the ball was uncatchable. Also, let's not forget that the Denver Broncos lost to the San Diego Chargers last season when Ed Hochuli's whistle malfunctioned. I'm being sarcastic. It didn't malfunction, he just blew it TOO SOON!

It's needless to say that officials make mistakes--they can surely put the err in error. Love 'em or hate 'em, they will always be a part of sports--so maybe I should just try to get used to them.

A Gripe About the MLB All-Star Game

A Gripe About the MLB All-Star Game

July 13th of this year, the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star game will be held in Los Angeles. The Angels must be happy that their stadium was picked for such a special event. In addition to holding just over 45,000 spectators, Angel Stadium has a peaceful atmosphere (it even has a little stream just to the left of center field--real nice.)

Now, here's my gripe--something the MLB needs to change are the uniforms the players wear. If you've ever watched an All-Star game, then you know the players wear their team uniforms during the game. This is so confusing to me; I sometimes can't figure out which player is playing for which league--I'll be thinking Is he playing for the American League or the National League? I usually pull for the American League, and I'll be like, "Get him out, Wright! Oh! Wait, that guys on the other team!" So, what I think the MLB needs to do is to make cool uniforms with only the leagues' names on the front and their name and number on the back, and use distinguishable colors for both of them. They should also have a helmet identifying what team they play for. An idea that the MLB could do for the fans would be to let them design the uniforms, have a vote(sort of like what Mountain Dew does), and then pick the winner. Believe me, then, during the game, you would know which players play for which league.

Starting Pitchers of the New York Yankees

Starting Pitchers of the New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have had a 26-18 year so far, and they are second in the AL East. In this post I will talk about their starting pitchers and provide some of their most interesting stats.

CC Sabathia

CC Sabathia is first in line on the pitching roster. He has played for the Indians, Brewers, and now the Yankees. He is 29 years old and a 9 year veteran who amazingly didn't go to college. He was a 1st round draft pick by Cleveland. Here are some of his 2010 season stats:

• A 3.86 ERA

• 4-3 pitching record

• 49 strikeouts

• 65.1 innings pitched

CC Sabathia Stats, News, Photos - New York Yankees - ESPN

A.J. Burnett

A.J. Burnett is the second pitcher in the lineup. Burnett is 33 years old and an 11 year veteran. He has played for the Marlins, Blue Jays, and now the Yankees. In his first year, he was drafted in the 8th round by the New York Mets but didn't get any playing time. His stats are as follows:

• A 3.86 ERA

• 4-2 pitching record
  

• 40 strikeouts

• 58.1 innings pitched

A.J. Burnett Stats, News, Photos - New York Yankees - ESPN

Javier Vazquez

Javier Vazquez is the 3rd pitcher in the lineup. Just like A.J. Burnett, he is 33 years old and an 11 year veteran. He has been with the Twins, Yankees, White Sox, Braves, and now again back with the Yankees. Vazquez was drafted in the 5th round by Minnesota. Here are some of his stats:

• A 6.69 ERA

• 3-4 pitching record
  

• 34 strikeouts

• 36 innings pitched

Javier Vazquez Stats, News, Photos - New York Yankees - ESPN

Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte is the 4th pitcher in line. He is 37 year olds and a 15 year veteran. Pettitte was drafted in the 22nd round by the Yankees, and his career has allowed him playing time with both the Yankees and the Astros. Here are some of his stats:

• A 2.68 ERA

• 5-1 pitching record
  

• 32 strikeouts

• 50.1 innings pitched

Even with one of these pitchers having a slow start, I expect great things from the Yankees pitching squad. I will be back soon with a new blog.

Andy Pettitte Stats, News, Photos - New York Yankees - ESPN

A Walk Through NFL History with the New York Giants

A Walk Through History with the New York Giants

I think it is time to take a history lesson about an NFL team. The New York Giants have been playing the game of football since 1925, and during this 85 years they have not changed their name. Also, they have had 18 coaches, and produced such career players as Tiki Barber, Phil Simms, and Michael Strahan. Let's look at some of their stats:

Tiki Barber

• 10,449 yards rushing in career

• 55 touchdowns in career

• 4.7 average yards rushing

• 2,217 career carries

Tiki Barber


Phil Simms

• 199 touchdowns in career

• 157 interceptions in career

• 33,462 career passing yards

• 78.5 average passer rating

Phil Simms


Michael Strahan

• 429 tackles in career

• 141.5 career sacks

• 14 forced fumbles in career
  

• 4 interceptions in career

Michael Strahan


These are just a few of many great players who have had good careers with the New York Giants.

Who Will Win the 2009-10 Stanley Cup? Part II

Who Will Win the 2009-10 Stanley Cup? Part II

Montreal Canadians

The Montreal Canadians gave the Capitals a run for their money in their series. In the seventh game, Montreal pulled off the upset by beating the Capitals 2-1. The Canadians have had a bad year at 39-33. The Canadians have such great players as Mike Cammalleri, Tomas Plekanec, and goalie Jaroslav Halak. Montreal currently has no major injuries, only nagging minor ones. I believe Montreal won't make it past the Quarters. They will be playing the Pittsburg Penguins--so that will be the end of their upset streak.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins took control of the playoffs from the beginning. They won their series against Buffalo 4 games to 2. The Bruins have not had the best year. A 39-30 year is not good, so I'm surprised they even made it to the Semis. The Bruins' key impact players are Mark Recchi, Zdeno Chara, and goalie Tuukka Rask. Boston's one key injury is to defenseman Mark Stuart who has an infected left pinkie and will not play in the second round. I think Boston will make it to the Finals and lose.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks have had their share of losses in the Quarter-finals. The Blackhawks have had a great season at 52-22, and won their series 4 games to 2 against Nashville. I wouldn't be surprised if they made it to the Finals. The Blackhawks have such great players as Patrick Kane, Jonathon Toews, and goalie Antti Niemi. The Blackhawks currently have no injuries but they will most likely have some before the end of the year. I have a feeling that the Blackhawks will make it to the Stanly Cup.

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings, in their Quarter-finals, played a 4-3 series against Phoenix. The Red Wings have had a 44-24 season which is pretty average. They have great players like Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterburg, and goalie Jimmy Howard. Detroit has no injuries so far, but they will have some sooner or later. I think they will make it to the Finals but lose.

Soon I will post about the Stanley Cup. I will pick the winner once the two teams are set up.


(Everybody doesn't get there pick right)