It’s poked its ugly head again. That age old question — well not age old, just 42-years old — of should both leagues use the designated hitter in Major League baseball?
Last night, saw yet another abnormality in the rule as the MLB All Star Game was played in a National League park, with the National League owning home field privileges behind the San Francisco Giants World Series championship and yet the DH was used.
What if I told you everything you ever knew about sports was a complete lie?
Don’t be so dramatic, Morpheus. But seriously, folks. What if some of the biggest truths you have been force fed by the media and disenchanted fans turned out to be a total lie?
I know what your asking yourself. Where the heck has The Wayniac been the last few months? Well, you can take that sigh of relief and finally get some shut eye, for The Wayniac has returned.
I haven’t stopped writing, in fact, I have been writing too much, if there is such a thing. I mean after all, I am a writer… what the heck else would I be doing?
When the calendar turned from the Year of Jeter to 2015, I was promoted to the editorial position at Grading on the Curve. So, along with writing about the Minor Leagues, which you know I love so much, I also run a team of top prospect analysts. It has been an awesome experience, but of course, very time consuming. But it is worth every minute.
I also have been writing for NCAA.com more often, which has been an experience like no other. I have covered everything from the DI Men’s Soccer College Cup where I got to interview legendary NCAA player and coach, UCLA’s Jorge Salcedo. I watched Lance Leipold lead his Whitewater Warhawks to one last exciting victory in the DIII Football Championship (The Stagg Bowl) before he makes the jump to DI this coming season. And I got to talk to George Williams, one of the best coaches in NCAA Track and Field History, as well as a US Men’s Olympic Track and Field coach. I even did some work for the New Orleans newspaper The Advocate covering the SEC Gymnastics Championships. It has been a very humbling adventure which I am so very grateful to continue on.
But why am I telling you all of this? I’m not here to gloat and say look at me… well, it is my blog, so I am kind of here to say that. But since I have all of these pieces across the wonderful World Wide Internet, I thought maybe every Monday, I would share with you a few of my better pieces over the week.
So, this new feature: Where’s The Wayniac, will come out every Monday. Instead of having to search through all the sites I write for (Baseball Hot Corner, Yanks Go Yard, Grading on the Curve, and NCAA.com), I’ll just bring them all to you. This way, if you don’t give a crap about Minor League baseball, you can skip it and be on your way to the next article. You know me by now, always looking out for the well being of The Nation!
At Grading on the Curve:
There was a lot of talk this past week about the Yankees and the Braves attempting to trade some of their top prospects. Personally, it made no sense. I tell you why write here!
Another pitcher, Andrew McKirahan, was suspended for PED use today. Last week I looked at the drug and PED problem in Minor League baseball, and what can be done to fix it right here.
If you have been keeping up with all the money thrown around on Cuban prospects the past year, you’ll also realize that few of them can handle the Major Leagues. Here’s the problem with what I have coined the Cuban Prospect Crisis.
At Yanks Go Yard:
My fellow Yankees fans need to pipe down about A-Rod. It’s time everyone accepts A-Rod is here to stay and THE reason our Yankees are winning ball games. My weekly Monday feature: The Bronx is Boiling.
Baseball Hot Corner:
Every Monday, I bring the baseball world recaps of the NL East. Here are Weeks One and Two so you can get caught up!
That’s a good start. I felt it my duty to check in with the Wayniac Nation because I have been kind of silent as of late, but that’s not because I haven’t been pumping out my views on sports. Hopefully, I have won your viewership back, and I will start pumping out some more of your favorite rants on what grinds my gears in the world of sports more often.
Till next time, make sure you wish Le’Veon Bell a Happy 420!
Pedro Martinez. The newest Hall of Famer was one of my biggest nemesis growing up a New York Yankees fan. The fragile, little righty could pitch like no one else, especially in his time with the Boston Red Sox. He was a guy who you loved to hate, but secretly hated to admit you loved.
I had seen Pedro pitch at the old Stadium a few times. But in 2002, I got a call from a friend that had gotten free tickets from work to see the Red Sox at Fenway host the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (this is 2002, remember, they were still satanic). It was July, I was a teacher at the time, so having nothing better to do, I hopped in the car and took her up on the offer.
It was my first time in Fenway Park. I didn’t wear any of my Yankees gear, not because I am necessarily afraid, but they simply weren’t playing and I’m not that guy. I did want to see Pedro get shelled though. Man, did I see the complete polar opposite.
We were about 15 rows behind home plate, not too shabby for my first game experience at one of the most legendary dumps in the history of baseball. And I’m not saying that as a Yankees fan/ Red Sox hater. I think Red Sox players will agree that Fenway is a dump. It’s ancient. The ambience they have there is almost like they want you to feel like your in 1918 (remember in 2002, that was the last time they won).
I remember the first inning like it was yesterday. The top half of the first seemed like it took Pedro 30 seconds. After a 2-pitch ground out, he blew away the next two batters. Then, in the bottom half of the first, good ol’ Trot Nixon blasted a two run homer, driving in Johnny Damon and the game was over. No lie, it would be a massacre.
Pedro got in trouble once, ONCE, all night. I don’t even know why I say all night as it wasn’t even completely dark by the time we left. He let up a lead-off single to this young rookie playing in his seventh career game named Carl Crawford. He walked someone, I can’t remember who, but of course struck out the next batter and the inning was over. Two more batters would reach the entire game, and I’m pretty sure it was Randy Winn both times if my memory serves correctly!
Pedro would go 8 innings, allowing three baserunners (one on a rare walk) and strikeout 11. The entire game took just over two hours. My one and only experience at Fenway Park was shorter than sitting at a movie. At first I was pissed, but then I realized I saw the greatness that Pedro was, and I saw it on his turf.
Pedro somehow lost his bid at his fourth Cy Young that year to Barry Zito (imagine a young fan reading this and not being able to comprehend that Barry Zito was actually a Cy Young winner!). Martinez went 20-4 with a 2.26 ERA, 239 strikeouts and a microscopic 0.97 WHIP. He was insane.
But that was Pedro being Pedro. At his best he was untouchable, at his worst, you hoped to sneak by one run. And now he is in his rightful place in the Hall of Fame. He had an amazing career. I wish it wasn’t primarily on the Red Sox, even though my Yanks got some revenge in the 2009 World Series when they tagged him for 7 runs over his two starts with the Phillies. Always remember who your daddy is, Pedro.
Welcome to December, folks. December is a big month for sports geeks like you and I. This coming weekend kicks off the winter meetings in baseball. The NFL is heading down its home stretch and the playoff race is currently closer than ever. It’s also championship week in college football. And the NBA and NHL somehow steal ratings here and there in between!
Another week is in the books, folks. It’s hard to believe there are only six weeks left in the 2014 year. That means you are six weeks from the First Annual Wayniac Nation Wacky YEAR in Sports. I know, you can hardly contain yourself.
The MLB helped begin to wrap some stuff up as it’s year-end awards had one superstar doubling up on some shiny new hardware. College football saw some history, a few upsets and the return of a once Heisman hopeful. College hoops kicked off their season and Syracuse is undefeated! Six teams with at least seven wins saw action in the NFL on yet another crazy Sunday and Kobe Bryant proved that you can in fact miss shots you don’t take, and thousands of more that you do.
The 2014 baseball season ended Wednesday night. The Kansas City Royals fell 90-feet short in ending one of Major League Baseball’s most historic postseason (or was it the Yostseason?) runs with a a victory. That being said, the Royals earned the respect and admiration of the nation, and although ratings were down overall for the World Series, those who watched were taken on an amazing ride.
At the same very moment, in the other dugout, baseball fans were in fact treated to history. We watched the culmination of the best overall individual pitching performance in a seven-game series. We also watched the official birth of a dynasty. I think. Wait, did we?
At the onset of the 2014 season, I projected that this would be the year the Kansas City Royals returned to relevance (go ahead, search the March archives and check it out if you don’t believe me). I said that the boys in powder blue would go 90-72 (they finished 89-73), finish right behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central, and win the AL Wild Card game. Heralded and trusted sites such as Fan Graphs had them finishing 79-83, while Covers.com had their over/under wins at 85.5. So, while the baseball world sits in awe at what the Royals have done, The Wayniac beat the experts on this one. Of course, I also projected the Arizona Diamondbacks would be the surprise team of the NL West and take home the Wild Card. How I bet against the San Francisco Giants in an even year is just plain old ignorant.
So how will this World Series go down? Will it be another walk in the park for Buster Posey and his boys from the Bay or will George Brett take home his second ring. It’s tough to say as both teams have many advantages over the other, which coincidentally leads to several disadvantages.
It’s hard to believe that we are a third of the way through the NFL season. It’s hard to believe we are halfway through October! It’s even harder to comprehend what’s going on in the ALCS! That being said, we sports fans certainly had another eventful week in sports. College football was a bit tamer, walk-offs, and late inning heroics continue to shine in baseball and Peyton Manning keeps throwing touchdowns. He’s no Joe Flacco, however (Go BLUE HENS!)
WOW! The only way this week could get any wackier would be if Kirk Cousins came out and dropped 500 yards and six touchdowns on the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. The BCS got turned upside down as Mississippi became the greatest state in the nation. The Dodgers untouchable ace got lit up and the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals are in the ALCS. You can reread that again five times and it will make no more sense than it did the first time.
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