7 Things Major League Baseball Needs To Do

1. Expand. The game needs to add 2 more teams. This is so that the game can...

2. Eliminate the Wild Card. My main problem with the wild card is that idiot general managers who are at .500, eight back and behind five clubs on July 31st still think that they're in the race and mortgage the farm. All that would have to be done would be to realign into 8 divisions of 4 teams each in 2 leagues.

3. Allow the trading of draft picks, but only for other draft picks.

4. Eliminate interleauge play. The only reason that it exists is because the numbers suggest that it's good for busines. I really doubt those numbers. More people might go to interleauge games, but I'd bet that the overall tickets sold level is about the same that it would be without interleague play.

5. Instant replay. Really, why not? There's no reason that the games shouldn't be called as accurately as possible.

6. Fix the All Star game ballot. They would have to stop putting it out in April, but I think that June 1st would give people enough time. Using a qualifying number of plate appearances instead of an openging day depth chart would eliminate Nomar type disasters.

7. Eliminate revenue sharing, implement market sharing. This is the biggest one and I don't see how it doesn't make sense. Why do the Yankees pay more than the Mets when they have access to the same customers? Why do the Phillies get money from the Indians? Why are cheap owners paid to lose? Why is Bud Selig allowed to run MLB?

All-Star Ballot

It's the first of June and it's time for me to cast another All-Star Ballot. When Joe Sheehan did his, he gave something like 16 automatic votes and 3 votes based on this season. I like to try to balance that a little bit more. So, on to the picks.

Starting Pitchers

Jake Peavy still in the NL with Pedro Martinez hot on his trail. In hitters parks, Myers and Clemens have similar ratios to those two, but each has walked about a batter more per game. Javy Vazquez would be 5th. In the AL it's Roy Halladay. Buehrle's been good, he's vaulted to second as Bedard misses time, but Halladay's been great. Johan Santana and Carlos Silva would be 4th and 5th.

Catchers

In the NL it's Ramon Hernandez who leads the position in OPS despite playing in Petco. He's 8 points of OBP behind Damian Miller for the ratio triple crown at the position. In the AL it's Jason Varitek who's slugging 80 points higher than any other catcher.

First Baseman

Derrek Lee's still having a good enough season to displace Pujols after his weekend revival. Albert will be on the team, so why not let Lee start as an honor for his two months. In the AL it's Teixeira who leads a weak field. Morneau, Sweeney, Sexson and Constantino all have almost the same rate stats as Teixeira. Mark plays in the best park, but he's also the best player and he has the most PAs.

Second Baseman

Brian Roberts. This guy seems to get a hit leading off every game. AL second baseman as a whole have been scary good on the basepaths. In the NL it's Jeff Kent. No one who's doing better than he is is anything resembling a good player. Giles could also easily be the choice. Biggio should make the team if this is his last year. There's room for a once great player.

Third Baseman

Larry Wayne Jones by less than anyone thinks over David Wright. I have a feeling Wright's going to be denied the team. Pedro's a sure thing killing that chance and I have a horibble idea that Joe Randa will be the Reds representative over Adam Dunn. A-Rod's the thing in the AL. This might end up as his best season yet.

Shortstop

Last ballot I put an Oriole and a Yankee on the left side of the infield. This time again, but it's the men who were runners up last time who get it. Tejada and Jeter have equal claim to the spot and Tejada's having the better year. In the NL, Izturis, who might be the best at the position, has passed the number Barmes has put up. Nomar is somehow leading the ballot. Fuck people who vote for him.

Left Field

Manny Ramirez is as close to a guarantee that I will give. Despite his low average, he still has the second highest VORP at the position. In the NL it's Adam Dunn in a squeaker over Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera's been better, but don has more history. Despite hitting .116 points lower than Miguel, Dunn has a higher OBP.

Center Field

Johnny Damon has really heated up and pulled himself away from the pack in the AL. In the NL, Jim Edmonds has taken advantage of Bradley's injury to jump to the top. Andruw's comign on after a horibble April. Carlos Beltran is sitting down.

Right Field

Who's been the best player in baseball? Not A-Rod or D-Lee. B-Ab doesn't roll of the tounge, but Abreu's the king after two months. In the AL Sheffield gets the vote over Vlad because "The Impaler" won't take a walk. I think this is Sheffield's last season whatever happens to the Yankees.

Designated Hitter

David. Ortiz. That is all.

Miguel F'in Cairo

I hate Miguel Cairo. Not for anything that he's done, or even because he sucks, but because some people, including the Mets manager, seem to think he's a good player.

.256/.300/.354 in 90 PA. That's his line this season. His OBP is the same as Eric Valent's. Valent was DFA'd this morning. He had a history with the team, was left handed, had more potential with the stick and wasn't made redundant.

.292/.340/.439. That's Chris Woodward's line. Yet, Cairo is the one starting in place of the injured Kazuo Matsui. Cairo shouldn't even be on the team. There is no reason to keep two right-handed utility infielders, especially when the one who can't hit is also the one who can't play shortstop.

I've got to think this is all because Cairo played for Randolph last year and because the press knows who he is. I hate that that's how Omar runs his team, but at least Victor Diaz is back.

Mets Mock Draft

Link

25 Things The Mets Need To Do

In no particular order...

1. David Wright needs to hit 3rd. He's not only the future, he's the best hitter on the team.

2. Jeff Keppinger shoud hit leadoff. The team needs someone who can get on base at the top of the order. Reyes isn't getting it done.

3. Righties Cameron and Piazza should hit fifth and sixth. No one cares about Meintkiewicz hitting between them.

4. Reyes should hit eighth. It's the only spot in the lineup he's qualified for.

5. Beltran should be disabled. He's signed for seven years. Two weeks doesn't matter in the scheme of things.

6. Diaz should be up, forever. He should be starting and hitting fifth, while Cameron hits second, while Beltran is out.

7. Cairo should be released as soon as Beltran comes back. He can't hit or play short. Woodward's better than him at every facet of the game except the 'played on the Yankees' facet.

8. Matsui should be traded away for anything. There's no point in having two backup infielders. If he'd accept a demotion to work on his fielding, that would be fine too.

9. Valent should be given some time, but he should also be used. Daubach really isn't likely to be any better.

10. Woodward, Cairo and Anderson should never start in the outfiled again while Victor Diaz is alive.

11. "Hey, Schureholz, you're short a pitcher, we've got one for you, free of charge. Ishii. Kaz Ishii."

12. Victor Zambrano looks much better to me already. He's the fifth starter.

13. Aaron Heilman is the fourth starter.

14. Jae Seo and Royce Ring are up. Manny Aybar is out.

15. Mike DeJean is no longer a setup man. He's a mop up guy. Heath Bell is the setup man.

16. If anyone will give up something valuable for Braden Looper, Heath Bell is the closer.

17. Someone needs to be hired to do all of the in-game managing and lineup card setting for Willie.

18. If he won't listen, Willie needs to be fired right away and replaced. Wally Backman would be a good replacement who fans would feel better about even if he made a mistake.

19. Mike Piazza needs his mustache back.

20. The Mets need to draft Jeff Clement if he's available. If he's not they need Stepehen Drew or Jed Lowrie. They don't need Craig Hansen.

21. Cliff Floyd should be in Anaheim. Casey Kotchman should be in New York. Omar should throw in whatever he needs to get this deal done. Money, Seo, Bannister, anything but Milledge, Humber or Petit.

22. The Mets need a better backup catcher. Castro had potential, but he's not getting it done. There are people out there who can probably be had for a song. Mike Rivera, Bobby Estalella. Omar needs to get one.

23. Ramon Hernandez needs to be signed during the offseason.

24. Tom Glavine needs to not reach his incentives.

25. If the Mets can't get Kotchman, they need to find someone. Pena, Adrian Gonzalez, Jason Dubois could probably play first. It's supposed to be the easiest position to fill.

I give up

Scott free: General manager Omar Minaya indicated Sunday the Mets had no plans to promote Scott Strickland. So by the terms of the agreement Strickland's agent negotiated with assistant general manager Jim Duquette last weekend, Strickland becomes eligible Monday to become a free agent.

The Mets don't know if other clubs have interest in the veteran relief pitcher. But they are not inclined to disturb their bullpen at this point, and they can't afford to reduce the number of position players on the 25-man roster, especially with Beltran and Matsui injured.

Why don't they want to disturb their bullpen? Is it because Aybar and Dejean are so good? Is it because Zambrano has to be in the major leagues to suck as much as he does? I really don't get it, but this is the worst decision that the Mets have made all year. Any goodwill that Minaya got during the offseason is disapperaing quickly. Is their goal to prove Buster Olney right? Because the Mets certainly have the arms to assemble a good bullpen if they want to, they must be doing this so that they can say their bullpen blew it when they finish fourth.

Lineup

Everyone's down on Willie Randolph and his lineup choices. It's painfully obvious to everyone else that Wright should hit at the top of the order and Reyes at the bottom. Joe Torre's lineup is worse. His best hitter hits fifth. His worst hitter hits second. That should be enough right there to get him fired. He's obsessed with lefty righty matchups to the point where he puts Tony Womack second. Didn't A-Rod hit second last year? What happened during the offseason that made Torre reconfigure his lineup?



It's good to see that Buster Olney keeps up with the game he's paid to cover.