Cubs Should Find At-Bats for Fox

The Chicago Cubs (35-35) currently sit in 3rd place in the NL Central, a mere 2.5 games out of first. They are 13th in the NL in runs scored, 13th in AVG, 12th in OBP, and 11th in SLUG. And yes, they still play thier home games at the hitter friendly Wrigley. Alfonos Soriano is playing awful, both at the plate and in the field, Aramis Ramirez is injured and Mike Fontenot hasn’t done a single thing with the bat, Derek Lee is finally hitting along with Geovany Soto, and Milton Bradley just had another meltdown and manager Lou Piniella is considering benching him. So, where am I going with this you ask? It’s simple: The Cubs need to insert Jake Fox into their lineup as much as possible.

Fox is a soon-to-be 27 year old that, prior to this season, had 14 career big league at-bats. Fox raked in Double-A last season to the tune of .307/.397/.580 and a .428 wOBA with 25 homers in 388 at-bats (459 plate appearances). He was old for the leage so they promoted to Triple-A where he struggled mightily.

Fox began 2009 in Triple-A and has hit .409/.495/.841 with a .557 wOBA and 17 homers in 164 at-bats (194 PA). Fox was promoted earlier but got little playing time. He since been promoted during Interleague play and has done nothing but hit. He is currently at .395/.395/.684 with 2 homersand 5 doubles in 38 at-bats.

Again, Fox is turning 27 in less than a month and the Cubs have expensive options at the positions he can “handle”, so there is no immediate spot for him once the Cubs return to National League play. But, I think Piniella would be wise to play Fox at third until Ramirez is ready and then give him a lot of time in right, some in left, and even a game or two behind the plate. Some how, some way, the Cubs need to find Fox at-bats even if it is at the expense of their struggling high-priced stars.

-From my site 3guysandasportspage

 

MLB Draft Round-Up: AL East

Below are my thoughts on how each American League East team did in the 2009 Rule-IV draft (from my site 3guysandasportspage.

Baltimore Orioles – The Orioles seemed, to me at least, to take a conservative approach in this draft. I was hoping they would’ve been more aggressive with the impressive group of youngsters coming up thier system now. Matthew Hobgood was a good pick, but I thought they should’ve gone with a Tyler Matzek or Aaron Crow here. Round 2 pick Mychal Givens is an intriguing pick. He has plus tools as a runner and a fielder but his bat needs a lot of improvement. He is a good prospect on the mound and I would develop him as a pitcher, but it is unclear to me how the O’s will develop him. 9th round pick Ryan Berry is a good late pick with a big arm that could be in the pen by next season.

Boston Red Sox – I can’t say that I ever dislike the Red Sox drafts. I absolutely love their first pick, Reymond Fuentes. He was my favorite high school position player in the draft and he has good bloodlines (he’s Carlos Beltran’s cousin). He has blazing speed (clocked at 3.68 seconds from home to first on a bunt) and should hit for average with power to come once he fills out his frame. William Wilson is a candidate, for me, to be in the Sox’s bullpen by next year although I believe the Sox like him as a starter. Other picks of note are David Renfroe (3rd) and William Volz (9th).

New York Yankees – Top pick Slade Heathcott is an interesting pick for the Yanks in the first round. He is a true centerfielder with plus speed and defensive skills. He has power that should develop into 15+ homers a year. The main knock on Heathcott is his make-up. He is a guy that I would not have taken in the first but he offers high reward. John Murphy is a good catching prospect that should have no problem staying behind the plate. He has a stroke that should produce line drives and a good average. I am a bit surprised the Yanks didn’t take more signability guys. They seemed to appraoch this draft like they had a low budget.

Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays took a high-risk/high-reward appraoch in this draft. They also steared towards toolsy high school players early on. LeVon Washington is a guy that should sign fast, and for slot. He’s a local kid (Gainesvile, FL) with good speed and defensive skills in center. He has room in his frame to fill out but the risk/reward is high. My favorite pick by the Rays is Luke Bailey (4th). Before being injured, Bailey was a potential first rounder. He has a chance to be an All-Star caliber catcher and is already a pretty polished hitter. He is set to go to Auburn but if the Rays throw some money at him, especially since they saved on their first round pick, they will get themselves their best catching prospect. 2nd rounder Kenny Diekroeger was a slight reach for me but has tools to develop into a solid regular. I also love the picks of Todd Glaesmann (3rd), Jeffrey Malm (5th), and big-time catching prospect sleeper (if he signs) Austin Maddox (37th).

Toronto Blue Jays – I love what they did at the top of their draft. They nabbed two college starters that should be big-league ready in no more than two years in Chad Jenkins and James Paxton. Paxton has more upside as a potential #1-2 guy but Jenkins has the frame to be a good #3-4 that will eat innings. High school starters Jake Eliopoulos (2nd) and Jake Barret (3rd) are great high risk/reward picks after Jenkins and Paxton. Jacob Marisnick (5th) is another solid pick if they can sign him away from Oregon. He should be a plus defender in a corner with a very good all-around skill package if all works out.

 

Been a While

It has been a while since I blogged here and at my 3guys site. I finally got to post my Spring Training notes to 3guys but I have neglected this site. So, here is a post for you, my site!

 

America, I Am Scared For Us

I am scared of what will happen if a certain person is elected into office.  I started this election season as a man wanting an independant in office.  Wishful thinking on my part.  Ron Paul was my top pick but there is no hope of him getting in.  Once I came to my senses and realized this I had to back a candidate.  I did my homework and chose Mitt Romney as the man I wanted in office (I am not party partial by the way). 

Well, again my hopes were dashed when John McCain was chosen to represent the Republican party.  He was far from close on my list of people I was rooting for.  At that point the final candidates running were McCain, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton.  At the time I was leaning slightly towards Obama as the man I wanted in office.  Then I did my homework and that has changed dramatically.

I fear what will happen with him in office.  I have been doing my homework, digging, researching, and I am now backing a guy I refused to back:  John McCain.  I can’t vote for the man I want to vote for (Ron Paul) because then I would be voting for Obama. 

I can’t help but wonder how uneducated we as Americans are in this political race.  We look for the television, for actors, and for musicians to teach us on politics.  Wrong idea.  The media is biased, no matter which way you slice it.  Articles like this one and many more prove how biased our media is and how blind we have become.

Again, I am an independant and have no bias towards the democratic or republican party. I want a fair election. Good luck with that. I want answers and I am not getting them from the general media. The personal connections (Ayers, ACORN, Rev. Wright…) of Obama scare me. His inexperience scares me. His borderline social views bother me. The mere possibility that if he gets elected he, Pelosi, and Reid could make a filibuster-proof Senate.

As an independant I cannot sit back and watch this happen. My voice has to be heard and I don’t want a democrat in office when there is a chance we can become like Venezuela. I know that sounds harsh but it is reality. The general media will hide footage and information of Obama that is incriminating and replace it in their coverage with wardrobe prices.

Wake up people! Let’s put party differences behind us and dig up the facts and then make an educated decision.

 

Umpires in World Series

I don’t mind balls being called strikes or strikes being called balls as long as it goes both ways.  That’s not the case for the 2009 World Series.  It seems that the Phillies have gotten each close call go their way and now they are getting strikes called balls.  It is way beyond ridiculous.

Not only is the strike zone way off but balks aren’t getting called, guys who are tagged within 10 feet of a base are now called safe, no infield fly rules, and check swings that are actually checked don’t matter.

I feel like the umps are part of what went on in 1919 with the Black Sox.  SCANDAL!  This has gotten so bad that wether you are a Rays fan or not you have to feel sick watching these umps “work”.

MLB has to do something about this.  They have to make sure the best umps are in the World Series.  The stupid deal that umps can’t work back-to-back World Series is utterly ridiculous.  An investigation has to be performed because this is just beyond belief.

I am done… for now.

 

New Site Dedicated to Tampa Bay Sports

I created a new site that is dedicated soley to Tampa Bay sports called “Center of the Sports Universe” or COTSU for short. It is here: http://centerofthesportsuniverse.wordpress.com/ and I plan on having a domain name for it soon.

 

My First 2008 NFL Fantasy League

This is a deep league.  10 teams, head-to-head, and a 25 man roster.  The roster breakdown looks like this and my selections:

QB – Carson Palmer
QB – Donovan McNabb
RB – Brian Westbrook
RB – Ernest Graham
WR – Andre Johnson
WR – Lee Evans
WR – Kevin Curtis
TE – Chris Cooley
W/R – Edgerrin James
W/R – Rudi Johnson
DEF – Pittsburgh
K – Matt Bryant
DB – Sean Jones
DB – Champ Bailey
DL – Barrett Ruud
DL – Shawn Merriman
D – Bob Sanders
D – Will Witherspoon
BN – LaRon Landry (DB, D)
BN – Santana Moss (WR)
BN – Lorenzo Booker (RB)
BN – Matt Leinart (QB)
BN – Ray Rice (RB)
BN – Maurice Stovall (WR)
BN – Bobby Engram (WR)

Here is the scoring system:

Stat Categories: Passing Yards (15 yards per point)
Passing Touchdowns 8
Interceptions (-2)
Rushing Yards (6 yards per point)
Rushing Touchdowns (6)
Receptions (2)
Reception Yards (10 yards per point)
Reception Touchdowns 8
Return Touchdowns (6)
2-Point Conversions (2)
Fumbles Lost (-2)
Offensive Fumble Return TD (6)
Field Goals 0-19 Yards (3)
Field Goals 20-29 Yards (3)
Field Goals 30-39 Yards (3)
Field Goals 40-49 Yards (4)
Field Goals 50+ Yards (5)
Point After Attempt Made (1)
Sack (1)
Interception (2)
Fumble Recovery (2)
Touchdown (6)
Safety (2)
Block Kick (2)
Points Allowed 0 points (12)
Points Allowed 1-6 points (9)
Points Allowed 7-13 points (6)
Points Allowed 14-20 points (3)
Points Allowed 21-27 points (0)
Points Allowed 28-34 points (-3)
Points Allowed 35+ points (-6)
Tackle Solo (2)
Tackle Assist (1)
Sack (2)
Interception (2)
Fumble Force (1)
Fumble Recovery (1)
Touchdown (6)
Safety (2)
Fractional Points: Yes
Negative Points: Yes

I am very happy with this team. I got a lot of backs, two good QBs, great individual defenders, and a top TE. My bench needs some help but so does everybody else in our league since it is so deep.

 

espn1470.com and 1470 AM in the Tampa Bay area

Tune into 1470 AM if you are in the Tampa Bay area or go to espn1470. com and watch the show if you can’t get the station. I’ll be on for about 5-10 min starting around 6:40 pm talking about the Rays.

 

Some teachers need to be shot

We have teachers sleeping with students, teachers bringing guns to school, teachers allowing students to cheat, and teachers humiliating their students. This is a case that went way too far.

From paretndish.com:

It sounds like somebody has been watching too many reality shows. Namely, Wendy Portillo, a teacher at Morningside Elementary in Port St. Lucie, Florida. She turned her kindergarten classroom into a cruel version of Survivor by allowing her students to vote a fellow student out of the class.

The banished child is 5-year-old Alex Barton, who is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a high-functioning type of autism. Not uncommon to his condition, Alex has had some behavioral issues and as a result, spends a lot of time in the principal’s office.

After returning to Ms. Portillo’s classroom after a recent visit with the principal, his teacher decided to punish him with humiliation. She had Alex stand at the front of the class while his fellow students listed off what they didn’t like about him. After informing him that they found him “disgusting” and “annoying”, the class was instructed to vote on whether or not Alex should be allowed to stay in the class. By a 14 to 2 margin, they voted him out.

Alex hasn’t been back to school since then, but his mother, Melissa Barton, says he is still reliving the incident. The night after it happened, she says she overheard him saying “I’m not special” over and over.

Incredibly, an investigation by the state attorney’s office concluded that Alex’s treatment did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse and no charges have been filed. I don’t know what the criteria for emotional abuse is, but if this doesn’t meet it, what does? My heart breaks for all the children involved in this incident.

This teacher needs to lose their job right now. There is no excuse for this type of behavior. To do this to any kid let alone one that suffers from autism is the exact definition of the word inhuman (lacking pity, kindness, or mercy).

The state attorney’s office is obviously inhuman as well if they can’t see that this is abusive behavior.

On a brighter thought, I would love to know who the two kids who voted for Alex to stay are. They obvioulsy have more heart and are more human than an adult that is over them and teaching them. Those two kids probably have great parents and I hope they are blessed for doing the right thing.

 

Jerk Hut

I finally got to eat at a Jerk Hut thanks to my class making us do “culturally different” activities. The design of the Jerk Hut much like I would picture a Caribbean hut to look like.

I started out with a Ginger Beer. It was strong but very good and unlike any other soda I have had before. My salad was a basic iceberg lettuce with one tomato and some cucumber but the dressing was authentic. It was spicy with hints of red pepper in it; almost like a spicy french dressing but homemade. My main course was jerk chicken with rice and beans. The jerk glaze was ok, not as spicy as I would want. The rice was dry but the beans were good with good texture. The best and most authentic part was the homemade sauce that you put on the chicken. It was spicy and tangy like a saucier spicy bbq sauce. The chicken was moist but the bones were broken and got mixed in and it kinda grossed me out. I also sampled the pineapple soda but it was just like any pineapple soda you would find here in America or in Mexico. Overall it was a good experience and I look forward to trying their pork in the future.