Manny Ramirez Retires

I don't know what to say. One of my favorite players, has retired. Yes, I know what you're thinking, "You posted a blog stating why Manny Ramirez is no longer important."But at that time, Manny wasn't in the best position as a free agent, and I felt as though he would go unsigned for awhile. Now I realize how important Manny Ramirez actually is. At work today, I was on the computer and read on Twitter that Manny was retiring, and instantly I was at a loss for words. He would face a 100 game suspension for performance enhancing drugs in Spring Training. I immediately thought, he'll never get 600 homeruns. Many thought that Manny would achieve the 600 mark in the next two seasons, but he will always be stuck at the 555 homeruns. Who could forget "Manny being Manny," "Mannywood," or my personal favorite, "ManRam." His antics in left field at Boston were great, like being on his phone while in the Green Monster, as well as his fielding, and his sportsmanship. As you may remember from my previous blog about Manny, my favorite memory of him was when he slapped hands with a fan in left field when he played for the Red Sox. When the Phillies played the Dodgers in the post season in 2008 and 2009, there was no other player I was more scared of than Manny Ramirez. Manny was with the Red Sox when they won in both 2004 and 2007, he was also a 12-time All-Star. Hopefully this incident does not taint Manny's chances of making the Hall of Fame, because he truly is a Hall of Famer. If you would like, please post your favorite Manny memory below, good or bad. I wish Manny luck in whatever he does, I will miss him. I will be getting a "Manny" shirt in his honor, because it truly was an experience watching him play.

You'll Be Missed

World Series Champions(?)

Big Papi's Face Says It All

At the beginning of the season, many different sources predicted the Red Sox to win the World Series in 2011. Does anyone still think that? Boston is now 0-5 and if they lose tomorrow, they will be tied with a franchise record of a starting the season 0-6. As I am currently watching the recap of the Red Sox, Indians game, I can only wonder what is wrong with this team. They were swept by the Rangers in the first series of the year and are on the verge of being swept by the Indians. My opinion, the Red Sox can bring it back, but there are so many problems that they facing right now that they need to address. One of the problems being Carl Crawford. After signing a 7-year, $142 million contract in the offseason, Crawford is batting anywhere from the 1st to 7th position because he is 4-19 with two walks. Another problem the Red Sox are facing is the fact that their team ERA is 9.30, which hasn't been that low since the early 1900s. There has not been a quality start by any of Boston's starting pitchers and they are facing many difficulties if this continues. Luckily, Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox tomorrow, and is hoping to give the team a new start to the season. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez did hit a homerun in tonight's game, so maybe Boston's bats will start coming alive. And with a team batting average of .186, they need to produce some offense. There is a silver lining in this dark cloud, and that is that the Red Sox are not alone at the bottom of the AL East. Tampa Bay has also started the season 0-5, but they did not spend near as much money as the Red Sox did. Regardless of their start, I wish the Red Sox luck in the rest of the 2011 season and hope they win tomorrow!

Gallardo Gives Brewers First Win

After the Brewers started the season 0-4, they have finally recorded a win, thanks to Yovani Gallardo. With Cy Young winner Zack Greinke on the DL, Gallardo has reclaimed his position as the Brewers ace. And with that responsibility, Gallardo "flipped the switch" and threw a two-hitter. Across 9 innings, Gallardo gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 2. History was made in this game, and that is:

• Gallardo is the first pitcher in Brewers history to pitch a shutout and score the game's only run. He's the first pitcher to do this in MLB since Pete Harnisch did it with the Astros on June 25, 1991.
• Gallardo is also the first Brewers pitcher to throw a shutout in the team's first five games of the season since Chris Bosio in 1989. He is the first in MLB to throw a shutout with two or fewer hits this early in the season since "King Felix" did it in 2007 with the Mariners.
• This was the 36th complete game in the Brewers' 43 seasons where the pitcher allowed two or fewer hits. The last game was on August 31, 2008, when CC Sabathia threw a one-hitter in Pittsburgh.

And don't forget that Gallardo scored the only run for the Brewers. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Gallardo single and was then moved to second by Nyjer Morgan. Yovani then scored after Ryan Braun's single deflected off Chipper Jones' glove and the ball moved into the outfield. Pitchers seem to forget that Gallardo is the reigning NL Silver Slugger. Gallardo was almost pulled at the end of the 8th inning when his pitch count was at 98, because with Zack Greinke gone, and Shaun Marcum experiencing stiffness in his shoulder, manager Ron Roenicke was hesitant. Gallardo stated that it was his game to finish and ended up throwing approximately 110 pitches. Lastly this was Ron Roenicke's first win as Major League Manager and was the last of 12 new managers to get a win. He later received his beer shower for the team. I wish the Brewers luck in the rest of the 2011 campaign in the NL Central.

Undefeated Teams: When Will They Lose?

There are four teams right now who have not lost a game, those teams are the: Orioles, Rangers, Phillies, and Reds. The Rangers and the Orioles each have 4 wins and no losses, while the Phillies and Reds have 3 wins and no losses. The longest streak to start off the season is 13 which was done by both the Atlanta Braves in 1982 and Milwaukee Brewers in 1987. Can any of these teams tie or break this record? The way the Texas Rangers are playing, they just might do it. Baseball Tonight said there must be something in the water at Arlington because the Rangers have a combined 13 HRs. Nelson Cruz is responsible for 4 of them, and now is alongside Mark McGwire and Willie Mays. These three are the only three to hit 4 homeruns in the first four games of the season (one in each game). Straying away from the Rangers, the Orioles are still alone at the top of the AL East. Buck Showalter has led the Orioles to victory, but credits the wins to the healthiness of the players. He says with Brian Roberts back, the team can function properly, and today Roberts hit a 3-run blast to give the Birds the lead. One Oriole who is feeling under the weather is pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, he stated on Twitter, "Initially thought I had BieberFever but turns out I have pneumonia.Feeling better but got myself an overnight stay at hospital. Go #Orioles." What a guy. Other than that, Wieters, Markakis, and Jones have stepped up their game to contend among one of most difficult divisions in baseball. Honestly, the Reds have been playing great baseball and were fortunate to win on Opening Day with a walk-off win from Ramon Hernandez. Other than that, their team is healthy and full of talent, giving them the edge in the NL Central. And who could forget the Phillies? I think we all know what happened, but since I have not recapped Sunday game that Roy Oswalt pitched, I should do that now. Oswalt got the win for the Phils, which was a game full of excitement. Howard hit a 3-run homer, and Hunter Pence blasted one into right field for the Astros. I wish all 4 teams luck in keeping their winning streaks alive, and hope that they get to at least 4/5 wins.

Opening Series Finished. Where does your team stand?

Opening weekend is just about over, but where does your team stand? I know where the Phillies are, and if you've read previous blogs, you know where they stand as well. The Phillies are atop the NL East with a 3-0 record, with the Braves/Mets behind them, both at 2-1. But what about other teams? What are they up to? They go as follows:

• NL East - 1. PHI 2. ATL 3. NYM. 4. FLA 5. WSH. Since you probably already know about the Phillies. I would specifically like to talk about the Marlins and the Nationals
• Nationals - The Nationals lost their home opener to the Braves. Which in the Philadelphia Inquirer, there was a lengthy article about Jayson Werth and how appreciated he is in D.C. Apparently Werth was cheered beyond belief as his scraggly picture was placed on their scoreboard. At every half-inning, his picture or highlights of his performances on the scoreboard. Even though Werth went 1-4, he was seen as a hero for taking so many pitches in each at-bat. And he also made sliding/diving catches in the outfield. But I'm sure the Nationals would like to reassure that their decision was a good one.
• Marlins - The Marlins Opening Day was a great win. Pitching ace Josh Johnson was on the mound for the Marlins and came through with the win, pitching 6.2 innings with 2 earned runs. Catcher John Buck hit a grand slam, which is the first time a catcher hit a grand slam on Opening Day since 1900. Unfortunately, the Marlins dropped the next two games to the Mets, placing them in a tie for last with the Nationals. 
• NL Central - 1. CIN 2. PIT 3. CHC 4. STL 5. HOU 6. MIL. No surprise that the Reds are at the top of the NL Central, but some shakeups within the rest of the division. 
• Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh has won 5 straight Opening Day games in a row, but why is it that they finish in the bottom of the division each year? Regardless, Neil Walker hit a grand slam on Opening Day, and the last time that happened within the Pirates organization was by Roberto Clemente. In todays game, Neil Walker also dashed from 2nd all the way to home to help score 2 runs in the top of the 9th to beat the Cubs, 5-4. 
• NL West - 1. LAD 2. SD 3. COL 4. ARI 5. SF. Wait what? The 2010 World Series Champs are at the bottom of the NL West?
• Dodgers - The Dodgers have been slamming the Giants in a 4 game series. After beating them 2-1 on Opening Day, where Tim Lincecum got the loss after pitching 7 innings, no earned runs. Broxton has been on a roll by gaining 3 saves. The Dodgers only downfall: allowing 2 HRs to Pat Burrell.
• San Diego - San Diego is apparently doing fine without Adrian Gonzalez.
• Postponement due to snow: The last game of the Colorado, Arizona series was postponed due to snow. It would be a safe assumption to say that the two previous games were played in Colorado.
• AL West - 1. TEX 2. SEA 3. OAK 4. LAA. Nothing really special going on in the AL West.
• Texas - The Rangers swept the Red Sox, and were able to set some records along the way. Ian Kinsler was the first player to lead off the first inning with homers in the first two games. And Nelson Cruz is only the second right-handed player to hit a homerun into right field's upper deck. So far Kinsler/Cruz each have 3 HRs and Napoli has 2 HRs
• Seattle - Seattle isn't looking too bad at the start of the season. On April 2, Ichiro celebrated his 10th anniversary of his Major League debut in Seattle where he went 2-5 with a run scored. Ichiro is now 37 and shows no signs of slowing down.
• AL Central - 1. KC 2. CHW 3. CLE 4. DET 5. MIN. There is a little bit of a shakeup in the AL Central in that, Kansas City is at the top of the AL Central.
• Kansas City - After playing 4 games, Kansas City is at a 3-1 record after playing a 4 game series with the Angels. This series included a walk-off homerun by Kila Ka'aihue on Friday, as well as a win today which the Royals won in the bottom of the 13th inning with a walk-off homerun from Matt Treanor. (8 homeruns in that game total)
• Chicago White Sox - One player has really contributed to the White Sox, and that player is Adam Dunn. As a DH, Dunn has 5 RBIs, 1 HR, and a .400 BA. Good pick up White Sox.
• AL East - 1. BAL 2. NYY 3. TOR 4. BOS 5. TB. This division makes no sense to me, but let's break down some performances by the teams in the AL East.
• Baltimore - A sweep over the Rays puts them atop the AL East. The Orioles beefed up team beat the Rays dismantled and then reassembled team. Johnny Damon made a valiant effort in the outfield, but came up short with a very amusing play.
• New York Yankees - All I can say is that Mark Teixeira has hit 3 HRs and will hopefully stop his poor starts to every season. A homerun the first, second, and third game of the season really has Tex fans happy. Tex fans like myself.
• Boston - Big Papi hit a homerun and is off to a great start, which is unusual, because he is also known for his slow starts to the season. Boston was swept by the Rangers in some very exciting games, especially the Opening Day game, which they unfortunately lost to the "long ball."
• Toronto - Jose Bautista has hit two homeruns. That's about it.
• Rays - ManRam hasn't done anything. Rays stink.

And that is about it. Let me know if I have forgotten anything. Yes I realize I did not cover each and every team, but this was a long blog nonetheless, so I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Cliff Lee's Return to Philadelphia

Yes I know, I stated in January that this would not be an all Phillies blog, but the past two days have been pretty exciting in Philadelphia. Cliff Lee returned Philadelphia last night for the first time since the 2009 World Series, and pitched a great game. I would know I was there to witness the game. Lee pitched 7 innings, 4 hits, allowing 3 earned runs (1 homerun), and struck out 11. Before the game, Citizens Bank Park erupted, and all 45,455 fans that were there were on their feet applauding. Something that I truly admire about Cliff Lee is that he is always the first one out onto the field, preparing himself for the next batters. Then after he retired the first three batters, 1, 2, 3, Lee was the first to run off the field. Other than Yankee fans, who doesn't love Cliff Lee? I can distinctly recall the 2009 World Series, where Lee dominated Yankees and on one play, stuck out his glove to catch a pop-up. The Cy Young winner knows what it's like to pitch in the World Series, but unfortunately does not know what it's like to have a ring. Lee pitched in both the 2009 and 2010 World Series, only to lose both times. After losing to San Francisco, Cliff Lee was still itching to get a ring and as we all know, Lee then decided to take less money to come back to Philly to be apart of R2C2. The "worst" part of coming back to Philadelphia was seeing that Roy Halladay had taken his jersey number "34." Lee settled for 33, the number he used in Texas, and is 1-0 with the Phillies in the 2011 season. So Cliff Lee fans, break out your Cliff Lee 34 jerseys and shirts if you bought them the first time he came around, or go out and by a 33 jersey today to show support. The gentleman next to me at the Phillies game referred to Lee as a "sexy-beast" and I find this to be very fitting. I wish Cliff Lee good luck in the 2011 season, and hope he continues to pitch well for the Phillies in the next 5 years.

Walk-Off Win In Philadelphia

Phillies Fans, that was a great game right? Other baseball fans, if you have not heard the news, there was a huge rally in Philadelphia today as the Phillies beat the Astros 5-4. Opening Day in Philadelphia was a somewhat "gray" day, but was full of excitement. Roy Halladay got the start for the Phillies and now has 9 consecutive Opening Day starts, beating Roy Oswalt's streak of 8 (which ended today). Halladay started in his true fashion by retiring the first 8 batters, and then Brett Myers made contact for an infield single (I know?!). Through 6-innings, Halladay posted 1 earned run, 5 hits, and 6 strikeouts. As I anticipated, Brett Myers dominated the Phillies, and did just what he said he would in 2009 and "Stick it to the Phillies." But after a long time in the dugout, Myers came out stiff and gave up two runs. And by the way, Myers has an average of 1.000 while Michael Bourn has an average of .250, c'mon Bourn, step up your game. Charlie Manuel commented on Myers great performance, "I think that his days of throwing 95 [mph] have come and gone, I think that's he's a better pitcher now. He mixes up his pitches. He threw some hooks, cutters, fastballs. He threw a few changeups. He kept us off balance. He made us make outs. It wasn't like he was overpowering. He pitched." Which is 100% true, this is the fourth time in five years the Brett Myers started at Citizens Bank Park. In the bottom of the 9th, Brandon Lyon was sent in to retired the Phillies 1, 2, 3, just as his duty of a closer entails. Some background information about Lyon against the Phillies, his ERA was 7.71, before today. His ERA after today for the 2011 season is 84, go figure. Lyon allowed 6 straight singles, and only recorded one out. John Mayberry Jr. hit the 6th single on a 2-2 count to win the game for the Phillies. And this has not been the only walk-off win in the past 24 hours. The Reds won against the Brewers on a walk-off 3-run homerun by Ramon Hernandez, and the Royals won against the Angels on a walk-off homerun by Kila Ka'aihue. Talk about some Hawaiian Punch! And incase you did not know, Ka'aihue is from Hawaii. Regardless of those to wins, the Phillies walk-off win is closer to home. I cheered and watched in amazement as the Phillies won. As Jimmy Rollins said, only 99 or 115 more to go. Good luck Phillies on your race to 100 or to beat the Mariners season record of 116 wins.

(Gotta show some love for Brett Myers)