Free Kicks: Manny, O's, and NBA Playoffs Edition

Why am I Not Surprised?
I was not one of those baseball fans who cheered with glee when A-Rod finally admitted to his steroid use, and didn’t yell a quick “A ha!” when Selena Roberts’ upcoming book asserted that he has used for years even after his move from Texas. As such, when it was discovered that Manny Ramirez had been suspended for 50 games for use of a banned substance I simply shook my head. I, like many baseball fans, simply want all of this to be gone. Honestly, I don’t want to know anymore which players were juicing or whatever other chemicals were in their system. I am tired of every great hitter being attached to substance violations in one way or another. Bonds, Sosa, McGuire, A-Rod, Palmeiro (who was my favorite player growing up), and now Manny? I want to believe Albert Pujols when he defiantly goes out and says he has never and will never use performance enhancing drugs, but unfortunately for him I just can’t believe it anymore.

Is the Commissioner’s office partly culpable? Absolutely- Selig could have put a stop to this early but chose to ignore it, riding the waves of popularity in the sport before reality hit. Are doctors responsible? Partly. They sometimes gave their patients these supplements and assured them they were legal under the drug policy, only later finding out they were badly mistaken. But in the end it comes down to the players. Three years ago this would have been huge news. How sad it is that it is now just something to shrug about and move on.

An Uncomfortable “Sweep”
A two game “sweep” is a bit of a misnomer considering the Orioles won their first two games of their first two series and failed to take the third. But if I get to say that the Orioles swept the Twins I will take it, and I do think we learned a lot over this game and two-thirds (considering the first was called after 6 innings). The good news is that the top of the order doesn’t necessarily have to run the show, as Jones, Markakis and Roberts all went hitless in last night’s ballgame. Additionally, Lou Montanez and Gregg Zaun have started to come around, with Zaun getting a hit in 8 of his last 19 at-bats and Montanez driving in a game winning run in the 8th. We should also be pleased that Brad Bergesen is settling into about where we expected- he could have easily been blown up on his call up to the majors. Sure, his 4.98 ERA is not ideal and his WHIP is higher than it should be, but he has shown consistency in his last two starts, going 6 innings and giving up 3 runs in each. That is more than one can say about Mark Hendrickson, who has yet to pitch 6 innings this season. The bad news is that the bullpen is still not solid, with Dennis Sarfate going on the DL with a circulatory problem that could threaten his career. All things considered this could be the right way to open up a homestand against the struggling Yankees, even with the return of Alex Rodriguez to the lineup.

NBA Predictions
Okay, I have long lamented the lack of an NBA presence on this blog, for the simple and irreconcilable reason that Baltimore does not have a rooting interest anywhere. I would never root for a DC team, and most Baltimore fans couldn’t care less about my team (the 76ers). However, there is nothing quite like the NBA playoffs, and so I had to share some thoughts on the conference semifinal action:

Cavs lead Hawks in the series, 2-0: Honestly, I figured at some point they would tack on an extra win with the way the Cavaliers have beat down on the Hawks. At first I had this series going to 6 games… now I can’t see anything but a sweep. This team is on a mission.

Lakers tied with Rockets in the series, 1-1: I really like the way the Rockets are performing in the playoffs. Yao Ming has been so physical inside (which had been a problem in the playoffs in the last few years) and Ron Artest, when able to produce offensively is one of the best overall players in the game. The loss of Derek Fisher will hurt the Lakers more than they think, and Aaron Brook’s sharpshooting will give the Rockets a win in game 3. This one will go to seven, with the Lakers taking one in Houston and game seven at home.

Celtics tied with Magic in the series, 1-1: I am very worried if I am a Magic fan about game 3. Without Rafer Alston, the Magic lack the floor general required to distribute the ball to Orlando’s sharpshooters and create opportunities for Dwight Howard. This could get ugly if the Magic simply force the ball inside and aren’t able to move the basketball around the perimeter. I think Orlando is the better team, but Boston has the playoff experience to take game three tonight.

Nuggets lead Mavericks in the series, 2-0: I like the Rockets, but I love the way the Nuggets are playing right now. Having lived in Michigan (and about to move back there), I have had my share of experience watching Chauncey Billups and I loved the trade for Chauncey from the Nuggets side of things. He has provided a solid leadership figure, a confident clutch performer, and a desire to play great defense to this Denver squad, something they never had before he arrived. He has given this team a little bit of Detroit grit and they are showing it in the playoffs. Expect this series to end in 5, with the Mavs pulling it all together for just one game.

Free Kicks- Baseball Free Agency Edition

The Winter Meetings have wrapped up, and a lot more happened than I expected. Tex is down to 4 teams and the O’s are bringing up the rear (has the season started already?), CC has donned the hideous pinstripes, and Baltimore picked up a decent shortstop, dumped Ramon Hernandez for a good deal, and and set themselves up to get another stop-gap at catcher while Matt Wieters waits until June or July to take over. I will take it, though I would have liked some talk of pitchers… for now though, it seems like MacPhail is picking up where he left off last offseason. So, for the first Free Kicks bereft of football in what feels like months, let’s line up for the kick…

Silver Lining is Bigger than the Cloud for Teixeira Sweepstakes
Okay, so it looks like the Orioles may be falling out of the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes, and perhaps even the Nationals could get him (if the Red Sox don’t get him first). Now the Red Sox effort is pretty transparent- as soon as the Yankees sign CC Sabathia, the Red Sox became interested in Teixeira. These franchises are constantly trying to one-up the other, and this is as much a PR stunt as anything. Having Tex would mean moving Kevin Youkilis and trading Mike Lowell, and while it would upgrade a position, it is by far not their biggest deficiency. Unfortunately for teams like the Orioles, the Sox have $160 million to spare on a PR stunt and a slight upgrade. As for the Nationals, I would hate to have him across the state but at least he isn’t in the division and honestly, the Washington Expos aren’t going anywhere. They are not rebuilding like the Orioles are, and a free agent bat or two isn’t going to help them. What does this mean for the O’s? I would celebrate if we got him, but I will also be celebrating if we don’t. When A.J. Burnett costs $80 million to sign, the Orioles could get some great pieces to their rebuilding project with the $150 million they would save from not signing him. I mean, couldn’t that money be used to get 2 (or even 3) decent starters, and a lower-tier utility man? I think the Orioles need that a lot more than a superstar first baseman, even if he is home-grown.

Manny Ramirez is like the Stock Market- Volatile, and Losing Value
Do you remember the time before “Hot Stove” became the most overused cliché of the month? Remember when Manny Ramirez was among the superstars up for free agency? Nowadays it sounds like we are hearing more about Raul Ibanez than one of the best pure hitters of our time (I say “pure hitter” to sugarcoat the fact that he is an idiot in the field), and when you look back at it, it makes sense. In this economy (yes, it does matter even to the big fish), teams are looking for solid investments. Manny is not one of them. While everyone seemed to gloss over the fact that he completely gave up on his team last season and only plays hard when he feels like it or has been properly pampered, it seems to be hitting home as teams start to back off and wait for his demands to decrease as the winter wears on. Sure, Manny was happy in L.A. But who knows about next year? What about next week? There is no consistency, and anyone who can pull the antics he does WHILE he packs it in in June is not a player who GMs want to invest a lot of money in. In a bull market year, sure, they might be more apt to take a risk, but nowadays no one wants to make this clown the centerpiece of his franchise, and I don’t blame them. Manny will get signed for a boatload, but perhaps on someone else’s terms this time.

The Yankees Back to the Traditional Formula
It was only last year that we heard that the Yankees were adopting a more nuanced approach to baseball. They would focus on their farm system, build from within, save their money for contracts to their young talent, try not to get older as a team. It sounded smart, and it was the familiar trend that has been sweeping baseball over the last few years. How funny is it that that has already fallen by the wayside. No, I am not only referring to buying a starting rotation in A.J. Burnett and CC Sabathia, which smacks of classic Yankees spending sprees of the past, but the upcoming trade of Melky Cabrera for Mike Cameron. Cameron, a 35 year old outfielder with his best year’s behind him, could not be more opposite to Cabrera, a 24 year old outfielder who had a down year this year but is still a solid young prospect. Sure, Carbera hit .249 this season, but the whole Yankees team was down this year, not just him. The fact of the matter is that Mike Cameron did even worse last year. This is an old-school Yankees move- dump the youth for the old veteran who can only get worse. Hey, as a division rival I will take it, but this makes all that talk from Yanks GM Brian Cashman last year sound like that much hot air. Forget the youth movement, these Yankees can’t (or won’t) change their pinstripes.

Photo Credit: AP