Will the 250,000th Home Run be Hit Today?

I know it’s bad form to use the keys to plug your own stuff, but it is the start of the NFL season and a few weeks from the nitty gritty of the pennant race, so I figured baseball fans might need something to do today.  And I could really use some help as well.  By the best accounting available, there were 249,969 regular season home runs hit from 1876 to the end of play yesterday.  Given there are fifteen games today (The Orioles have no Sunday game scheduled?) and the league averages just over two home runs a game we could get to #250,000 sometime late today.  There were 40+ hit yesterday.  I am hoping to keep a running log on BBTF today so that with some exactness we can determine just who hit #250,000.  Thank you for any help you are willing to provide.

cubs.com: Piniella, Sinatro take a wrong turn on the way to Cincinnati

Their explanation doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

“Matty was driving,” Piniella said, “but we actually ‘Googled’ the trip, and we were ‘Googled’ to East Liverpool, Pa. Who in the heck knows? On the sheet we had, it was ‘Cincinnati to Liverpool.’ I was thinking, I was in Cincinnati three years, and I didn’t remember a ‘Liverpool’ around the area.”

Sounds like they may have been victims of that dirty, no-good, robbin’ Maggie May.

Newsday: A-Rod knows it’s over

For though my Slappy McBluelips may breathe adieu,
I cannot think the thing farewell

You could tell as soon as he said it that he would regret it. But Alex Rodriguez, when asked about the Yankees being passed by the Blue Jays in the standings, said the following:

“Toronto’s playing really well,” he said. “I’ll tell you what, a lot of people should be happy they’re not in the playoff race, because they’d be the scariest team, with the 1-2 punch they’ve got over there with Halladay and Burnett.”

But, Alex, if the Blue Jays are ahead of your team, and they’re not in the playoff mix, what does that mean about your chances to make the playoffs?

Said A-Rod: “I’m too tired to answer that; you confused me.”

When the question was repeated, pointing out that the .Yankees can’t be in the playoff race if the Blue Jays—ahead of them in the standings—are not, A-Rod tried to backtrack. “What I’m saying is if Toronto was to get in the playoffs, they would be the scariest team to face, by far, with those two,” he said. “I’m not saying anything else.”

NL East race: September 7, 2008

MLB.com: Game 2 - Johan, Delgado keep Mets alone in first

Sunday night’s split doubleheader nightcap, a 6-3 win over the Phillies, came only hours after a 6-2 loss in the matinee… Carlos Delgado made certain that Game 2 would end differently than Game 1, homering twice off Phillies starter Cole Hamels to provide most of the offense.

MLB.com: Game 1 - Behind Moyer, Phils move closer to first

[Jamie Moyer] brought his patient, consistent brand of pitching to Shea Stadium, and he pitched the Phillies to a 6-2 win over the Mets to move the club within a game of first place in the National League East.

Moyer limited the Mets to just two infield hits in seven shutout innings.

NYM 80-63
PHI 78-65 (2 GB; 4 games behind in the wildcard)

NL West race: September 7, 2008

MLB.com: Opportunistic Dodgers sweep D-backs

Arizona’s defense unraveled in a two-run seventh inning on Sunday that allowed the first-place Dodgers to complete a perfect homestand and series sweep with a 5-3 victory, extending their division lead over the Diamondbacks to 1 1/2 games and their winning streak to eight.

LAD 73-70
ARI 71-71 (1.5 GB)

AL East race: September 7, 2008

MLB.com: Rays edged by Jays in finale

The Rays came out on the losing end of a tight pitchers’ duel on Sunday, as they were blanked, 1-0, by the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. With the loss, Tampa Bay (85-56) was swept in the three-game series with Toronto and has gone just 1-5 in September.
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Taking the hard-luck loss, Garza (11-9) allowed just the one run on six hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Toronto starter David Purcey managed to upstage Garza.

MLB.com: Byrd soars; Red Sox creep up on Rays

With a 7-2 victory Sunday, the Red Sox head home just 1 1/2 games back in the American League East. [Paul] Byrd tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings for the Red Sox, allowing just seven baserunners and striking out four.

TBR 85-56
BOS 84-58 (1.5 GB; lead wildcard by 6.5)

AL Central race: September 7, 2008

MLB.com: Sox can’t hold on for sweep of Halos

The White Sox were unable to pull off a sweep of the Angels on Sunday, dropping the finale, 3-2, at U.S. Cellular Field.

The Angels trailed by two runs after six innings, but came from behind to reclaim what they had lost the night before in a 15-inning White Sox walk-off win.

MLB.com: Twins can’t contain Tigers in finale

Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau had four RBIs and scored a run on Sunday afternoon, but it was another day of pitching troubles for the Twins that led to a 7-5 loss to the Tigers at the Metrodome.

CHW 80-62
MIN 78-65 (2.5 GB)

MLB.com: Indians’ [Cliff] Lee first in Majors to 21 wins

With another gem of a performance against the Royals on Sunday, [Cliff] Lee picked up win No. 21 in the Tribe’s 3-1 victory at Kauffman Stadium. Lee, the only Major Leaguer with 21 wins, went 7 1/3 innings, allowing just a run on seven hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

Lee has now won each of his last 10 decisions to improve to 21-2 with a 2.28 ERA.

Fein: Measuring the Accuracy of Baseball’s Win-Percentage Estimators

There are several formulas out there that can be used to estimate a team’s “real” record: Pythagorean Formula, Pythagenport, Pythagenpat, etc. Some use run differential and some use a run-to-runs-allowed ratio.

The question is: Which is the most accurate? The least?

Using the Lahman Database, I ran tests of 13 different methods on every team since 1921 (the end of the Dead-Ball era) to find the most accurate way to measure a team’s expected record, with 1981 and 1994 excluded for obvious reasons.

...What’s funny is that Clay Davenport, inventor of Pythagenport, denounced his method in favor of Pythagenpat, yet it is in reality the best method when compared to actual record.

Earnshaw Cook may have been the first to create a win-percentage estimator, and the Double Edge method created by Bill James was never actually used, so their finishing near last can both be forgiven.

The Kross method, on the other hand, cannot be, as it was supposedly a precise way to estimate winning percentage.

Thanks to Son of Samos.

NL Central race: September 7, 2008

MLB.com: Wood’s blown save costs Cubs

Jolbert Cabrera hit a tie-breaking RBI single with one out in the ninth inning Sunday to lift the Reds to a 4-3 victory over the Cubs.

Trailing 3-1, Edwin Encarnacion singled and advanced to second on Jim Edmonds’ error to open the Reds’ ninth against Kerry Wood—who was pitching for the first time since Sept. 2. Jay Bruce walked, and Encarnacion was out as first baseman Derrek Lee scooped up Ryan Hanigan’s bunt and threw to third. Wood walked pinch-hitter Javier Valentin to load the bases, and Chris Dickerson—scratched from the starting lineup—bounced the ball to short, but it deflected off Ronny Cedeno’s glove for an error, allowing two runs to score to tie the game.

MLB.com: Parra struggles, bats fall silent in loss

Chris Young came excruciatingly close to the 18th perfect game in Major League history, and the San Diego Padres thoroughly shellacked the Brewers on Sunday, taking a 10-1 decision and forcing Milwaukee to settle for a series split against the last-place team in the National League West.

Young retired every batter he faced for 7 2/3 innings, but Gabe Kapler hit a two-out homer to left to salvage an otherwise abysmal offensive day.

CHC 86-57
MIL 82-61 (4 GB; lead wildcard by 4)

WEEI.com: Speier: Whither, Papi’s Pop?

We know Ortiz likes Scarface, Anaconda, Analyze This, Rambo 3, and Pink Panther, but we don’t know where his power went.

There is the lingering curiosity about what, exactly, is going on with David Ortiz. The Sox designated hitter has not gone deep since August 16. He is now amidst a 19-game streak without a homer, tied for his longest power drought since he came to the Sox in 2003.

During that span, he is hitting .294 with a .442 OBP and .426 slugging mark. Obviously, he is taking his walks (18 of ‘em, to be exact), a development that the Sox welcome in the spirit of their “keep the line moving” offensive philosophy. But Ortiz has not been a game-changing presence.

Mets, Yankees tell fans to keep hands off souvenirs at stadiums

Good thing I scraped rusted girder flakes off in the 60’s. Bubble Zip ® Bags are go!

It’s the one souvenir fans want to avoid in their final visits to Yankee and Shea stadiums - an official pair of NYPD handcuffs.

With both the Yankees and the Mets set for their final regular season home stands this month, security and scrutiny have been set on high to deter vandals intent on swiping even a small piece of New York baseball history.

Already this year, fans have been found stealing outfield bunting, Shea Stadium seats, even a Yankee Stadium toilet seat - an indication of possible trouble ahead.

“We’re going after this like a World Series game,” said a Yankees spokesman. “This is a part of history.”

Salisbury: Fond farewell to a dump

The Flushing mechanism! Siphon jets overhead! Shea, It’s a major dump!

While Yankee Stadium is often referred to as a baseball cathedral, Shea Stadium is often called a dump. Yankee Stadium is baseball’s big stage. Shea Stadium is shaped like a toilet seat. Yankee Stadium is the House That Ruth Built, so dubbed by Philadelphia-born writer Fred Lieb. Shea Stadium is the house that some construction company built.

Despite its warts, the unsightly chop shops that used to be visible before new Citi Field began to rise beyond the center-field wall, and the annoying cacophony of jet engines from nearby LaGuardia Airport that interrupted at-bats, Shea does have some history. It hosted four World Series. In 1965, it contributed to the cause of Beatlemania in the United States. Shea Stadium opened in 1964. The Mets have played more games there than the Brooklyn Dodgers played in beloved Ebbets Field.

...Dallas Green managed both New York teams in both of New York’s soon-to-be-replaced ballparks. He says it’s time for run-down Shea Stadium to go, but before it does, the Phillies need to have a good weekend there.

“It better be the best last trip they ever have there,” Green said.

Cepeda gets a statue, but Bonds steals the show

Three People on Four Benches…

Barry Bonds made a surprise appearance at Orlando Cepeda’s statue ceremony Saturday, and everybody on hand made it clear they want Bonds to be the next Giant immortalized at the waterfront ballpark.

...Bonds sat on the dais next to his godfather, Willie Mays, for the ceremony but did not speak. He received the loudest cheers among the former Giants greats when he was introduced. Bonds smiled and waved when the crowd broke into a chant of ‘Barry! Barry!’

Cepeda was more than happy to share his big day with Bonds.

One day after telling reporters that Bonds deserves to have a statue, he began to conclude his often emotional speech to the crowd by saying he wanted to thank, “My hero, the best hitter, the best ballplayer ever to play the game: Barry Bonds.’’

Stone: M’s should be inspired by “Cleveland approach”

I was inspired once by the “Palmer Fallgren approach”...three straight washouts later, I reverted back.

And it is a royal mess, deeper and far more complicated than just the 100 losses, give or take a few, that the Mariners will get for their $118 million payroll this year.

I know some of you are saying — screaming — that the Mariners don’t need to stop investing; they just need to invest more wisely.

Very true. That is why the single-most important decision looming this winter — more vital than any single trade or signing, even the naming of a new manager — is the general managership.

It is more crucial than ever to find a visionary, someone with guts, imagination, sabermetric knowledge and a scouting foundation, to blaze the Mariners’ trail out of the darkness. And to let that person do their job without undue interference from ownership or upper brass, who know how to put together a profitable, well-run business plan but should leave the baseball decisions to baseball people.

Houston Chronicle: Levine: Luck a factor for Astros’ pitchers

Among the Astros with more than 25 innings pitched this year, the lowest BABIP figures belong to relievers commonly thought of as two of the best this year in Wesley Wright (.224) Geoff Geary (.234) and Tim Byrdak (.250), while the highest belongs to Dave Borkowski (.381) whose stats perhaps shouldn’t be as bad as they are.

But BABIP only tells the whole story of luck if you believe that how the ball comes off the bat is luck.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, the BABIP on line drives is .717, compared to just .233 on grounders and .147 on fly balls.

So if Geary and Byrdak give up low line drive totals, maybe it’s not entirely luck as much as it’s just inducing bad contact. And that’s exactly the case, as Wright (13.4 percent), Geary (13.6 percent) and Byrdak (16.3 percent) fall below the NL average of 19.1 percent of all balls that come off the bat as line drives.

In Borkowski’s case, it’s further proof that he’s been to a large extent unlucky this year as only 15 percent of the swings in play against him are line drives, but he still has that .381 BABIP.

Wow!...7th straight year Borkowski has been unlucky.

STLtoday: BOB COSTAS — NBC sportscaster —

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is running a special McGwire: Then and Now feature. Let’s hear from Commissioner Pantsload.

Costas already was entrenched as NBC’s top sportscaster by the time McGwire and Sammy Sosa made their assault on Roger Maris’ single-season home run record, and living in St. Louis gave him a front-row seat to watch many of the dramatics.

“At the time I was deeply skeptical about everything that was going on in baseball, and in general terms — without mentioning any specific players’ names — I had said that on the air. In 1996, ‘97, I said things like the game had been ripped from its historical moorings, that you’d have to discount these numbers the way you would adjust financial figures for inflation. ... Did I think it was peculiar that someone would reach 60 homers in 100 less at-bats than it took Maris to do it? Yes, I was very skeptical.

..."There were reasons why you couldn’t say with certainly these guys should be singled out. I didn’t have a basis, because this was pre-BALCO, pre-Congressional hearings. I was skeptical, yes. But did I see things that were admirable and even endearing? Yeah — not the least of which was how Mark McGwire comported himself.

..."First and foremost I feel Mark McGwire is a very good man. That doesn’t mean that his home run totals are completely authentic, because I don’t think they are. But he’s a good man, he was a good teammate and has many admirable qualities as a person and I feel bad for him that he’s in kind of a purgatory place when it comes to baseball history. I feel bad for him as a person. I know him and I like him.’’

Runelvys Hernandez tests positive for PEDs

Bah! The real Elvis had Codeine - Morphine - Quaaludes - Valium - Diazepam - Placidyl - Amytal - Nembutal - Carbrital - Demerol - Sinutab - Elavil - Avental and smooth Valmid hurtling toward his twisted colon.

Runelvys Hernandez, who made four starts for the Astros this year and most recently pitched for Triple-A Round Rock, was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for an amphetamine, the Commissioner’s Office announced on Saturday.

Amphetamines are considered a performance-enhancing substance and are in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

The suspension of Hernandez will be effective at the start of next season.

“We strongly believe in the Commissioner’s drug-testing program, and we are disappointed in the choice that Runelvys made,” Astros general manager Ed Wade said. “Major League Baseball and the 30 clubs have taken great strides toward eliminating the use of performance-enhancing substances in baseball, and we are fully supportive of all measures to ensure a clean game.”

AL Central race: September 6, 2008

MLB.com: White Sox walk off on Thome’s homer

The White Sox made sure Francisco Rodriguez didn’t get any closer to Bobby Thigpen’s single-season save record on Saturday, and in the process, rallied for their third straight win with a 7-6 victory in 15 innings over the Angels at U.S. Cellular Field.

Jim Thome actually provided the walk-off winner, driving a mammoth clout off Justin Speier with one out in the 15th. The blast almost reached the concourse in right field.

MLB.com: Twins’ ‘pen falters in loss to Tigers

Over the past few seasons, the Twins’ bullpen has been considered one of the club’s biggest strengths. Lately, it’s been their Achilles’ heel.

The club watched yet another late-inning lead vanish on Saturday afternoon, this time in the eighth inning, in a 6-4 loss to the Tigers at the Metrodome.

CHW 80-61
MIN 78-64 (2.5 GB)

MLB.com: Giants bring up 2008 Draft pick Gillaspie

The Giants accelerated their youth movement toward warp speed Saturday by purchasing the contract of third baseman Conor Gillaspie, who completed the fastest ascent to the Major Leagues in club history since being drafted.

Gillaspie, 21, not only became the first player from this past June’s First-Year Player Draft to reach the Majors, but also eclipsed right-hander Jeff Robinson, who made his Giants debut on April 7, 1984—306 days after he was drafted. As of Saturday, Gillaspie had been drafted 92 days previously.
...
Gillaspie, the 37th overall selection in the Draft, hit a combined .269 with no home runs and 15 RBIs in 24 games for the Giants’ Rookie-level Arizona League affiliate and short-season Salem-Keizer. But [Giants’ director of player personnel Bobby] Evans indicated that Gillaspie’s potential transcended those statistics.

“I think [with] the bat… every staff person who has seen him come through Arizona and Salem has been very impressed,” Evans said. “And he plays a key position for us right now. He’s in the right place at the right time.”

MLB.com: Oswalt tosses one-hitter vs. Rockies

Oswalt was dominant, allowing just one hit while notching his fifth career complete game to lead the Astros to a 2-0 win over the Rockies and even the series at one win apiece.

Oswalt and his mound opponent, Rockies lefty Jeff Francis, cruised through the first half of the game with barely a blemish. Oswalt was perfect against the Rockies through four; Francis was the same against the Astros through three.

Ultimately, Hunter Pence’s two-run shot off Francis in the sixth made the difference, and sent the Astros to their ninth win in 10 games.

NL Central race: September 6, 2008

MLB.com: Nothing like a slugfest to shatter a skid

Alfonso Soriano notched his third career three-homer game, Mark DeRosa hit a three-run shot and Jason Marquis helped himself with a solo homer to spark the Cubs to a 14-9 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, ending their slide.

MLB.com: Sheets shuts out Padres in win

Despite the second injury scare in as many games, [Ben Sheets] turned in a dominant effort on Saturday, helping the Brewers to a 1-0 win over Jake Peavy and the San Diego Padres. Sheets, who left his last start with tightness in his left groin, also appeared to hurt his finger after his first at-bat in the second inning. He needed extra warmup time before the third, but continued where he left off, allowing three hits in nine innings.

It was Sheets’ fifth complete-game of the year and third shutout.

CHC 86-56
MIL 82-60 (4 GB; lead wildcard by 4.5)

AL East race: September 6, 2008

MLB.com: Percival, Rays drop series vs. Jays

Greg Zaun hit a walk-off grand slam in the 13th inning to hand the Rays a 7-4 loss at Rogers Centre on Saturday. With the loss, Tampa Bay (85-55) has now dropped four out of its last five games.

Rays closer Troy Percival entered the game in the 13th inning looking to earn a save. However, he could not do so after loading the bases and allowing the slam to Zaun.

MLB.com: Red Sox can’t dig out of early hole

Making his 500th career appearance in a Red Sox uniform, Tim Wakefield lasted just 1 2/3 innings before getting pulled. He surrendered seven runs in the second inning, digging a hole the Red Sox couldn’t climb out of in a 15-8 loss at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

TBR 85-55
BOS 83-58 (2.5 GB; lead wildcard by 5.5)

NL West race: September 6, 2008

MLB.com: D-backs lose hold on first place

The D-backs fell out of first place in the National League West for the first time since April 5 as they fell, 7-2, to the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. The loss was the second straight for the D-backs, who have gone from being 4 1/2 games up just one week ago, to a half-game behind the Dodgers.

Arizona ace Brandon Webb (19-7) lost for the third straight start. The right-hander allowed seven runs on five hits while walking a career-high six in 5 2/3 innings.
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[Manny Ramirez] smacked a three-run homer in the fifth and drove in two more in the sixth when Justin Upton misplayed his fly ball to right into a ground-rule double.

LAD 72-70
ARI 71-70 (0.5 GB)

Seamheads: Joseph: Webb’s Elusive 20th Win

Para-futzing Joe Morgan last week..."Webb isn’t pitching well because the pressure of winning 20 games is getting to him.”

By the time you read this, my weekly entry to the Seamheads readers might be a moot point.  Brandon Webb takes the hill against the Arizona Diamondbacks with two failed attempts to pick up his 20th win.  Stuck at 19, if Webb fails to pick up his 20th win, he will join 23 other pitchers since 1956 to have multiple attempts at 20 wins but fail.

Unlike the difference between 14 and 15 wins, the difference between 19 and 20 wins is huge.  Since 1956, 104 players have fallen short of the magic number of 20 by just one win but only 23 have tried and failed more than once including a handful that had some shots in relief to pick up their 20th victory.

Nine players — Billy O’Dell (Giants, ‘62), Gary Peters (White Sox, ‘63), Jim Bunning (Phillies, ‘66), Joe Horlen (White Sox, ‘67), Dock Ellis (Pirates, ‘71), Steve Blass (Pirates, ‘72), Ed Figueroa (Yankees, ‘76), Len Barker (Indians, ‘80) and Rick Langford (Athletics, ‘80) — failed to notch a win in two starts after picking up their 19th win and O’Dell received an additional shot in relief.

FOX Sports: Perry: In Big Apple, Reyes has passed Jeter by

From the handstakingly hilaripus comments section..."I can’t believe someone pays you to trash him!!!! Again, your a knob!!”

And then there’s defense. Jeter, despite constant hosannas from the mainstream media, undeserved Gold Gloves, and the comically partisan objections of Yankee fans, simply isn’t an adequate defender. And he never has been. He’s a great player, and that in part is why people have such a hard time wrapping their heads around the idea that Jeter can’t field his position. So let’s put this another way: in his prime, Jeter was great at every aspect of the game — hitting, running the bases, being a leader, tracking fly balls, showing arm strength, making routine plays — except demonstrating range on ground balls. On this point, the numbers are in total and unflinching agreement. Don’t believe the chorus of statistics? Then use your eyes and watch Jeter, particularly when he’s moving to his left. What you’ll see is a player who has no business manning shortstop. (There’s a reason that his derisive nickname in some quarters is Derek “Past a Diving” Jeter.)

...As for Reyes, he’s much better in the field. He’s not a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop, but he’s above average and figures to remain so for some time. And unlike Jeter, he’s got a first step that allows him to get to an acceptable percentage of ground balls hit into his zone. Now let’s put it all together ...

TSN: Jones: Why I’m admiring and rooting for Francisco Rodriguez

Even when Todd Jones is at work...he finds time to watch where he’s not going.

Players watch (like hawks) how other players act, and I can tell you that over-the-top antics are not forgotten. As a rule of thumb, whatever you might do is accepted as long as you do it every time. Sammy Sosa’s homer hop, for example. Well, every time K-Rod gets a save, he points to the heavens and blows a kiss. The key there is that he does it every time. What once was perceived as a guy saying, “Look at me and how good I am,” no longer was construed as any kind of attempt to show anyone up.

When you look at K-Rod, you should look at him as a guy who’s having a dream season as far as the save opportunities he is getting and how he is converting them. He is doing a remarkable job and remains on pace to blow away Bobby Thigpen’s record for saves in a season (57).

The Pilot: White: Language Rule a Bad Idea

In any language...Ol’ Gordo is loopy.

If Major League Baseball required its players to speak English well, imagine the many past and present Hall of Fame players and other greats who would have never made it into MLB. Most notable among current MLB all-stars with mediocre English skills is Ichiro Suzuki, the 35-year-old Japanese outfielder, who is in his eighth season with the Seattle Mariners. One of the most proficient hitters in MLB history, Ichiro is in a class with Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Pete Rose and Rod Carew.

Ichiro spoke nary a word of English when he came to MLB in 2001.

Think of all the excellent Latin-American players who would have been barred from MLB if they had been required to speak English before playing in the big leagues.

High-tech Matt Tuiasosopo makes M’s debut

If I’m not mistaken..."High-Tech Tuiasosopo” was a conga growling outtake from the Fela Ransome-Kuti and The Africa ‘70 Live ! (with Ginger Baker) sessions.

Some computer savvy and ingenuity helped Matt Tuiasosopo prepare for his family’s latest foray into Seattle sports lore.

...With no video footage of Pettitte to watch on the team’s off day, he pulled out his laptop and downloaded some YouTube files of some of the lefty’s more impressive moments.

“He looked pretty nasty in those videos,” Tuiasosopo said. “He was striking everyone out.”

But Tuiasosopo did come away with some useful information.

“Tendencies that he might fall into,” he said. “Pitches he might throw in counts. Movement on his balls.”

Bradford: Why I Would Take Pedroia Over A-Rod

Yea...and I would take Olive Brasno over Alix Talton.

“Insanity Grips Bradford Files” is being printed up in 100-point type on some intraweb concoction right now, I’m sure. But, as we sit here, I believe the player you want down the stretch is Pedroia, not the highest-paid baseball player in the history of historic history.

One baseball executive was asked to what player Pedroia would be equivalent if he was 6-foot-4. The answer: “Alex Rodiguez.” I’m saying save the extra nine inches for savings, Pedroia is doing more to fill the quota for baseball-playing importance than his much taller Yankee counterpart.

...That said it all right there — Pedroia likes coming to the park, likes playing baseball, likes being a teammate, and, above all, likes winning. I’m not around ARod, but that’s not the vibe I get from him. Sure, he wants to win, play well, and all that other gobblygook. But does he HAVE to have baseball every day, like Pedroia? I don’t think so. And that is the reason for one the biggest differences between the two — pure baseball instincts.

This is my thing with ARod. I just have always believed that his biggest roadblock is that his baseball instincts are just a bit off. The flaw is just big enough that it has become a serious divider between a great talent and what could be great achievements.