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This week, I once again joined Clint as co-host on “The Baseball Show.”  Clint is the head editor of Diamond Hoggers Baseball Blog (and my alter-ego). Follow Diamond Hoggers on Twitter here, and bookmark the site.

Clint and I discuss:
-Does instant replay belong in baseball?
-Top 5 fond memories from the MLB Postseason
-Postseason Awards which we’ll be voting for shortly for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance

The first time the Rays and Yankees played this season was April 9th at Tropicana Field. Both had taken two of three in their first series and were eager to keep the early season momentum rolling. This game was significant for two reasons. First, I was watching it from the right field bleachers and it happened to be my birthday. It was the first Major League game I’d been to in a while and there is no better way I could have brought in my new year. The second, arguably greater, significance behind this April matchup is that with less than a dozen games left to play these two teams still find themselves separated by only a half game for the American League East crown.

This Thursday the squads finished their last regular season head-to-head series. Tampa Bay won in a 10-3 blowout and Carl Crawford had three hits while four other Rays had multi-hit performances. This split the series 2-2 and cut the Yankees’ lead to under a game. More importantly, it also gave Tampa Bay a 10-8 season series lead in what is the first tiebreaker should they end the regular season in a tie. These two teams have been sitting atop the AL East all season long and both are going to make it to the playoffs, but this edge would give the Rays home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Continue Reading ‘Longo’s Little Guys Battle Jeter’s Bronx Bullies’>>

After a thrilling Rockies win at Petco Park in Game One of our four-day, four-city, four-game road trip, it was time to visit Dodger Stadium. Following dad’s aforementioned seven-dollar breakfast of bread and coffee at the Toscano Café, only a quick two-hour trip north on I-5 separated us from Ballpark #2.  Since we were traveling on a Sunday, traffic was almost a non-issue on the way up to our hotel in Anaheim, and we even had time to stop at the OC Sports Bar and Grill for burgers and the first few innings of Rockies vs. Padres on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain before it was time to head over to the ballgame.

Open since 1962, Dodger Stadium is by far the oldest of the four ballparks we visited and is in fact the third-oldest park in all of Major League Baseball, the two oldest of course being Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.  Dodger Stadium has plenty of history, having hosted eight different World Series, three World Baseball Classic games, and ten no-hitters.  And of course, it is home to the greatest broadcaster of all time in Vin Scully, the true face of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise.

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It is doubtful that Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Gavin Floyd will pitch again in 2010, following an unexpected early exit from his start against the Oakland A’s on Monday night.  Floyd threw just 7 pitches before leaving the game due to soreness behind his pitching shoulder, a discomfort that apparently might have affected his previous start against the Twins.  On Thursday, Floyd will travel to Los Angeles to have his shoulder examined by the Angels team physician, Dr. Lewis Yocum.

Now that the Minnesota Twins have clinched the American League Central, the White Sox are likely to shut down Floyd for the remainder of the season and allow him to properly heal and prepare for 2011.  Neither Floyd nor White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen have seemed particularly optimistic about the right-hander’s lingering shoulder discomfort.

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When the Atlanta Braves signed Billy Wager to a 1-year/$6.75 mil contract prior to the 2010 season, there was a general skepticism regarding his health, as well as his level of effectiveness at 39 years old.  Luckily for the Braves, Wagner has surpassed what little expectations the club had at the time of his signing, by notching 35 saves while sporting a 1.43 ERA.  Despite the fact that Wagner is having one of the best seasons of his 15-year career, it was made clear at the beginning of the 2010 campaign that he plans on retiring at end of Braves season.

Normally, the thought of losing one of the best closers in baseball, let alone a guy who has been so vital to the success of his team in 2010, would be incredibly worrisome and drives a GM towards action.  Yet, the Atlanta Braves will find themselves in a unique situation with a vacant closer’s spot and 22-year old Craig Kimbrel ready to continue his dominance on the mound.  For those who have not seen Kimbrel pitch this season, there is only one, accurate way to describe him: utterly filthy.

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