Pitchin' Ain't Easy: Why I Love The MLB Playoffs

The Major League Baseball playoffs began Wednesday, and there was one common feature found in each of the three games.

Damn. Good. Pitching.

$$ brings CC to NY

After I left that machine, Brian Cashman hit the jackpot

There is really no reason to leave bright lights and loose women of Las Vegas for San Francisco.

Unless of course you are Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who apparently took the jackpot he won at a slot machine yesterday and left it on the front porch of CC Sabathia's door with a note that said "CC you in New York."

Sabathia is rumored to be close to signing a 7-year, $161 million deal which blows out any offer anyone made and could make. Heck, the Yankees opened the bidding at 6-and-140 and Sabathia didn't jump at it immediately. So what did the Bronx Bankers do? They decided to outbid themselves because they wanted to make a splash now.

But it's hard to say yes to a hometown discount that the Brewers put on the table (5-years, $100 million) when the baseball's most beloved/hated franchise is offering you $61 million more. And while the the beer and brats of Milwaukee are tantalizing, $61 million could buy a lot of that oh-so-cheezy New York style pizza.

And in these economic hard times, there are two things that are on my mind when thinking about this deal:

1. Is baseball recession proof?
2. Is CC getting his in straight cash, homey?
   

STFU, Ned Yost

[Ed. Note: How'd you like that Cardinals post? Yeah, I know some of you who read this want to throw me to the wolves, but hey, let's be fair to the new guy. We all make mistakes, his is being a Cardinals fan, it's not a sin.

TBDS will be operating slow for a few days until I get my laptop back.

Read on, please, if you'd like to learn why Ned Yost is the initial recipient of the TBDS STFU award.]

I wonder if Ned Yost ever thinks before he speaks.

On second thought, I don't. I already know he doesn't.

Instead of focusing his attention on his team's ever growing lead in the NL Wild Card or even catching the first-place Chicago Cubs, Yost is up in arms over one stinkin' hit.

"He accomplished a no-hitter and wasn't given what he deserved. That should have been a no-hitter.... That's a stinking no-hitter we all got cheated from. I feel horrible for CC."

On top of that, the Brewers are going to make an appeal to the head honchos of MLB to reverse the call. I can't believe it. Nothing says "no-hitter" like getting a call from Bud Selig saying "Hey, CC, you've got yourself a no-hitter. Congratulations."

That moment would likely rank behind Sabathia's Cy Young Award and maybe the day he discovered all-you-can-eat buffets.

As for CC Sabathia, who was masterful over the Pittsburgh Pirates:

“The ball was still rolling, and I probably should have picked it up with my glove,” he said, adding, “I think if I pick it up with my glove, I get him.”

You see that? Sabathia doesn't care! He's got his mind on three things right now: winning, eating and getting a boatload of George Steinbrenner's money in the off-season.

While the rest of Milwaukee is huffing and puffing about the no-hitter that wasn't, CC 's going to continue to mow down the competition until his arm falls off or the season ends, whichever comes first.

You know why? Because he's got his priorities in order.

For crying out loud, Ben Sheets' groin knocked him out of the game against the New York Mets and I bet you Yost spent the majority of his press conference STILL bitching about the Pittsburgh scorekeeper.

And I know there will be a Brew Crew Baller somewhere saying "but he was so dominant against the Pirates..."

You know who else was dominant against the Pirates last week?

Jason Marquis.

Case closed.

Is CC Cy Worthy?

Is the defending AL Cy Young Award winner the front-runner for the NL award?

Before being traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Milwaukee Brewers, Carsten Charles Sabathia posted a pedestrian 6-8 record with a 3.83 ERA.

Then Sabathia realized he was pitching for a new contract, and since being moved to the land of cheese, CC's got an 8-0 record and a 1.60 ERA. And even though he'll only have half a year as a National Leaguer under his belt, Sabathia should get some serious CY Young consideration.

Sabathia's competition:

• Brandon Webb (ARZ): 18 wins (leads the league) 145 strikeouts, 2.85 ERA
• Tim Lincecum (SF): 13 wins, 192 strikeouts (leads league), 2.60 ERA (leads the league)

Not only could CC make a run at the Cy, he could land the Silver Slugger Award, too.

Johan Santana got $137.5 million just to pitch, how much could Sabathia fetch with a golden arm and a silver bat?

Daily Dosage: My arm hurts, thanks Ned

I know I'm not the only person who has a thing for Alyssa Milano, but I'm sure I'm the only one who has a thing for her because of her love of baseball. Don't believe it, even she's got a baseball blog. Much love, Alyssa.

Taking the lead. Let the record show that I might be one of the handful of people that realize that Ozzie Ball is a joke. That whole small-ball/smart ball doesn't exsist. And Sox fans, you shouldn't care because the South Siders are slamming their way to another division title.

For the second consecutive game, the ChiSox hit four homers in their 13-5 win against the Mariners on Monday night. The Men In Black lead the major leagues with 182 long balls.

Leading the attack is Carlos Quentin, who hit his ML-leading 35th and is solidifying his case as AL MVP. And teammate Alexei Ramirez is really making a push for the AL Rookie of the Year. Ramirez is hitting .308 with 13 homers and 51 runs batted in, despite hitting .121 in April.

The Sox took sole possession of first place with the Minnesota Twins' loss against the Oakland Athletics.

Ned Yost doesn't care about CC Sabathia's arm. I probably should lead with the fact that the Brewers beat the Astros 9-2 on Monday night. Or I could have led with the fact that CC Sabathia has been flat-out dominant since coming to the NL. Instead, it is apparent that Ned Yost is riding Sabathia 'til he's on 'E'.

Sabathia threw 130 pitches in Monday night's win and has five complete games in his nine starts in Milwaukee. Even ESPN's Steve Phillips (who traded top prospect/Rays ace Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano) said he would trade an inning in August for a fresher arm in October.

If this pace keeps up, buyer beware when Sabathia hits the open market this winter.

Quality Linkage:

• Curt Schilling buries the lead. Can you find it? [38 Pitches]
• Charles Barkley: Gone off Patrone! [You Been Blinded]
• Women don't like fantasy sports? Say what!?!? [Lion In Oil]
• The Dodgers are bringing back Greg Maddux [LA Times] and don't have to trade Cesar Izturis to do so.
• Kanye West's favorite white girl is...Scarlett Johansson. [Kanye Universecity]
  

Daily Dosage: Wheelin', Dealin' and Winnin'

Not to be outdone by their North Side counterparts, the Chicago White Sox added first baseman Paul Konerko to the line-up.

Say what? He was already on the team and is coming off the DL. Sorry about that Sox fans.

'We're Taking Over.' All-Star Cubs starter Ryan Dempster celebrated the addition of fellow Canadian Rich Harden by allowing one run, two hits (but four walks) and five strikeouts in seven innings of work to pick up his 10th win of the year in the Cubs' 7-3 win over the Reds.

All-Star battery-mate Geovany Soto took Aaron Harang (a surprising 3-11) deep...and not to diminish the feat...so did Mike Fontenot.

Sox Snag Victory In Lucky 13th. In a few years when Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen rewrite the Grinder Rules, example 1A should be the play of Alexei Ramirez. It was the Cuban Missle's hustle down the line for an infield single and the hit-and-run that followed that helped put the Sox up for good in the top of the 13th.

However, the Sox are about to go through some bullpen troubles seeing that closer Bobby Jenks is headed to the DL. Scott Linebrink is slowly turning into LaTroy Hawkins and the Minnesota Twins are still creepin' 2.5 games behind the only pair of first place Sox.

Hold Your Horses. What a difference a game makes. No. 2 pick Michael Beasley followed up his 28 point performance with a game in which he scored only nine points and committed almost as many fouls (7).

As for Derrick Rose, he put up 14 points in the Bulls' 89-84 victory over the Pacers despite jamming his knee on a drive to the basket (in which he scored, by the way). The much maligned Tyrus Thomas had 17 points to go along with 7 boards.

Quality Linkage: Harden v. Sabathia Edition

• Rich Harden's gonna have to get over the 'shock' factor of being traded. (SF Chronicle)
• Dave Cameron thinks Billy Beane and the A's got another steal. (Fangraphs) However, AccuScore gives the Cubs another win. (Chicago Sun-Times)
  
• Joel Sherman evokes the memory of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. (NY Post) Here's hoping Dusty Baker doesn't give Lou Piniella advice on managing a pitching staff.
• The Yankees apparently required a signing window. (NY Times) On the other hand, I only require a window seat.
• The Mets looked to be pretty close to landing another former AL Cy Young award winner. (MetsBlog)
• And remember...no periods! (CastroTurf)
• BONUS LINKAGE
• Jay Mariotti vs. Rick Telander ... who wins today's columnist battle?
  

That's no gouda!

Ahh.. let's bask in the aftermath.

The Cubs may have won the battle after capping a winning series in St. Louis with a 7-1 victory Sunday but so far, they are losing the war for NL Central.

With the Brewers picking up C.C. Sabathia for much ballyhooed uber-prospect Matt LaPorta, Milwaukee puts themselves in a prime position for this year and next year. It doesn't really matter what happens with Sabathia this year because he's likely leaving for the big bucks and bright lights in the Bronx.

The Yankees have both Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte coming off the books and they'll be looking to spend. Heck, they may even snatch up the other ace in Ben "awe" Sheets.

The good news for the Brewers is that they'll get a chance to give Chicago and St. Louis a run for its money in the the central the rest of the year. Let's say this fails miserably and the Cubs win it by five games. Milwaukee will pick up four compensation picks for both pitchers leaving. These are technically first round picks too.

Besides, LaPorta likely projects as a first baseman and they already have the Prince there.

Now, back to Chicago for a minute. This is truly a difficult time now. They have to pursue either Rich Harden from the A's or A.J. Burnett from the Blue Jays. Sure, Harden sounds great. His first loss was earlier Sunday against the White Sox. But Harden is an injury waiting to happen. Burnett's ERA is in nearly 5.00.

Neither is C.C. and the Cubs are in a desperate position.

Sorry, Ted Lilly, Sean Marshall, Sean Gallagher or Jason Marquis doesn't scare me. Neither does Ryan Dempster outside of the Gum Stadium.

Sorry folks but even in a weak National League, the Cubs don't even look like anything but a one-and-done in the postseason. Honestly, the offense is better than last season and it appears Kerry Wood is managing to stay healthy long enough to lock down the 9th inning but is this rotation much better?

I just don't think so and that's the most important thing in October. Right now, the 1-2 punch of Sabathia and Sheets sounds scary good. Mix in Manny Parra, a potent offense and voila, 2008 NL Central Champions.

As for the Brew Crew?

http://lacubanagringa.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/its-all-gouda.jpg

BREAKING: C.C. Sabathia To The Brewers!

In an attempt to channel former Pittsburgh Pirates GM Dave Littlefield, the Cleveland Indians GM Mark Shapiro has sent 2007 AL Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for two truckloads of Miller Lite, three cases of real Wisconsin cheese and a tub full of bratwursts.

Even though the deal strips Wisconsin of its three biggest assets, it gives the Brewers a formidable one-two punch at the top of the order with Sabathia and Ben Sheets, both of whom are in their contract years.

Is it time for the Cubs (53-36, 1st) to counter the Brewers (49-39, t-2nd, 3.5 GB) acquisition of Sabathia?