All-Time Teams - Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics

Today, we take a look at the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics... Gotta love a team that really wanted to move all the way to the West Coast, but that just seemed to far to do at once. Who amongst us hasn't taken a breather in Kansas City?

Catcher: Mickey Cochrane
1. Highlights: MVP winner in 1928, where he put up .293/.395/.464 line. Though, to be fair, taking second that year was some dude called Heinie Manush. That name is just rough all over.
2. Career Best: three year stretch of batting better than .330 from 1929-31, hit 21 hrs and 112 RBI in 1932.
3. Summary: Hall of Famer, 5 times in the top 20 MVP voting, had an OPS+ over 100 in every year of his career but one (and that one was only a 98...).

First Base: Jimmie Foxx
1. Highlights: Hall of Famer who put up some ridiculous numbers in Philadelphia. 302 hrs as an Athletic, while sporting a .339/.440/.640 line in his time with the club. Career .640???? that's insane!
2. Career Best: Back-to-back MVP seasons in 1932 and 33, with a .364/.469/.749 line and 58 hrs, 169 RBI in 1932; .356/.449/.703 line and 48 hrs, 163 RBI in 1933.
3. Summary: Not much needs to be said... that 1932 seasons is one of the best seasons in baseball history, ranking up there with The Babe and Big-Head Bonds.

Second Base: Eddie Collins
1. Highlights: Hall of Famer who spent about half his career with the A's before becoming a member of what would be come the notorious 1919 Black Sox.
2. Career Best: MVP season in 1914, with a .344/.452/.452 line... weird to see an identical slugging and OBP number, eh.
3. Summary: Career .337 hitter for the A's, and really has no meaningful competition at this position.

Third Base: Eric Chavez
1. Highlights: He put up 4 straight 29+ HR seasons, with OPS+ over 125 each year in the early 2000s. In all, 7 straight 20HR seasons.
2. Career Best: 2001, where he had a sparkling .288/.338/.540 line with 32 HRs and 118 RBI, all while winning the Gold Glove for his defense at the hot corner.
3. Summary: This was a tough one, neck and neck between Chavez and Home Run Baker. It's just too hard to pick this one on offensive stats, as Chavez played in the steroids era and Baker in the deadball era. So I'll give a tip of the cap to defense here, as Chavez is a 6 time Gold Glove winner.

Shortstop: Miguel Tejada
1. Highlights: AL MVP in 2002, 3 straight 30+ HR seasons. Solid athlete
2. Career Best: 2002, Tejada amassed career highs with an impressive .308/.354/.508 line, 34 hrs and 131 RBI.
3. Summary: Solid player for his duration in Oakland, and like all good Oakland players, left when the A's decided they couldn't/wouldn't pay him anymore.

Outfield: Rickey Henderson
1. Highlights: Wow this guy was fast. Seriously. Played for Oakland in 4 separate stints over his career, finishing with over .400 OBP, almost 1300 runs, almost 1800 hits, and 867 stolen bases.
2. Career Best: 130 stolen bases in 1982 set a modern-day record for most in a season. Otherwise, one of his aberrent power seasons in 1990 was a career high, batting .325/.439/.577, 188 OPS+, 28 HRs and 65 SB. What a season.
3. Summary: Career leader in Runs and Stolen Bases, this man defined the leadoff position for the better part of 2 decades.

Outfield: Reggie Jackson
1. Highlights: Mr. October achieved a lot of his fame and fortune after leaving Oakland, but he cut his teeth in those wonderful Yellow and Green unis.
2. Career Best: As a 23 year old in 1969, he hit 47 hrs, 118 RBI and had an OPS+ of 189, all career highs. This coming one year after striking out 171 times in 553 AB.
3. Summary: 4 times in the top 5 for MVP voting while an A, winning in 1973. Generally, he was a quintessential power hitter - home run or strikeout, the occasional double off the wall. I'll take him for my outfield any day.

Outfield: Jose Canseco
1. Highlights: More well known as a Juicer... no wait, THE Juicer, Canseco put up some monster years early in his career, and like Rickey, couldn't stay away, playing for Oakland on 2 separate occasions.
2. Career Best: Baseball's first 40 hr - 40 SB man, he won the MVP in 1988 for his .307/.391/.569, 42 hr, 124 RBI, 40 SB season.
3. Summary: Rookie of the Year, 1988 MVP, 4 times in the top 20 MVP voting. Before his mouth and his ego got in the way, and before the steroids did their inevitable damage to him, he was a helluva ball player.

Designated Hitter: Mark McGwire
1. Highlights: Canseco's protege in Roids, this guy exploded onto the scene in 1987 with 49 HRs in his rookie season and rarely looked back.
2. Career Best: In 1996, he hit for power (52 hrs, 113 RBI), but actually kept his average above .300 for the first full season in his career, drawing 116 walks in teh process. Finished with an awesome .730 SLG.
3. Summary: Sure he was a roid monster, but he really didn't start looking too freakish til the end of his time in Oakland, and for 8 seasons, he consistently hit for power (30+ hr every season but one) and was generally a force to be reckoned with.

Pitchers: Rube Waddell, Eddie Plank, Lefty Grove, Catfish Hunter, Dave Stewart, Chief Bender, Tim Hudson, Closer: Dennis Eckersley
1. Highlights: Chief Bender put up a 23-5 record with a 1.58 ERA in 1910. Rube Waddell put up 349 K's in 1904, as he put up 39(?!) complete games.
2. Career Best: ERA: 1.30, Jack Coombs in 1910; WHIP: Catfish Hunter, 0.910 in 1972; K's: Waddell, 349 in 1904; Saves: 51, Dennis Eckersley in 1992.
3. Summary: It's a 107 year old franchise, for God's sake... I'll put up a 7 man rotation if i want. I mean, there are 4 hall of famers in there, Hunter dominated in the mid-70s, Stewart was in the top-5 Cy Young voting for 4 years straight, and Tim Hudson won over 70 percent of his decisions as an Athletic. Plus between Catfish and Eck, you got yourself two pretty sweet moustaches there...

Bench: Bob Johnson, Socks Seybold, Nap Lajoie (hit .420 one year... crazy!!), Terry Steinbach, Home Run Baker
Bullpen: Rollie Fingers, Eddie Americus Rommel, Rick Honeycutt, Bob Welch

Batting Order:
1. Henderson (R)
2. Collins (L)
3. Foxx (R)
4. McGwire (R)

5. Jackson (L)
6. Canseco (R)
7. Chavez (L)
8. Tejada (R)
9. Cochrane (L)

Conclusion: The A's are not much for depth at a few positions (C, 2b, SS), but they boast among the fastest and strongest lineups that I can think of. Not a weak link in there. And that pitching staff is pretty ridiculous too...

California/Anaheim/Los Angeles/Greater Southern California Angels All Time Team

So I figured I'd start with my West Coast bias and plow through the AL West to start. First off are the Halo Havers, the Flying Fellow, the Winged Wonders, the Angels of Greater Los Angeles.

Catcher: Bengie Molina, who isn't great, but put up four solid seasons in his 6 w/ the Angels and benefits from no other good catchers in Angels' history.

First Base: Rod Carew, who was better in Minnesota, but had a good run and finished in the top 2 in AVG and OBP.

Second Base: Bobby Grich, who is in the top 10 of many offensive categories and was a 3 time All Star.

Third Base: Troy Glaus. Steroids or not, he had a few monster years there...\

Shortstop: Jim Fregosi - more popular perhaps for his managerial stint, but was a 5 time All Star and only marginal standout of a dull group.

Left Field: Garrett Anderson - Career-long Angel, stands with a .295/.325/.468 line and is near the top of almost every offensive category.

Centerfield: Vladimir Guerrero - man can flat out hit the ball.

Right Field: Tim Salmon - Standout among a few followers, near the top of all major categories, hit nearly 300 hrs.

Designated Hitter - Chili Davis... not just because his name is Chili, but mostly.

Bench: Jim Edmonds, Wally Joyner, Fred Lynn, Bob Boone (somebody's gotta be a backup catcher) and Brian Downing.

Pitching:

Starter - Nolan Ryan. Enough said.

Starter - Chuck Finley - 6 15+ win seasons, another 4 with 10 plus, career ERA under 3.70.

Starter - Dean Chance - only with the club for a few seasons, but that 1964 season is crazy good.

Starter - Frank Tanana - neck and neck with Langston, but had more solid seasons.

Starter - John Lackey - the brightest of a new crop of aces in Southern California.

Closer - Troy Percival - 300+ saves, great WHIP, H/9, BB/9. All-around stud.

Bullpen - Frankie Rodriguez, Scot Shields, Brendan Donnelly, and that's it. If we needed a couple long relievers, I'd throw in Langston and Blyleven (for the one really good year he had there).

Next up, we'll head north to the Oakland Athletics!

Baseball All-Timers--Tampa Bay Rays Edition

So leading up to the All-Star game, and probably beyond, Zaqq and I have decided to rank the All-Time rosters for every Major League team.

Daunting task you say? Not for men with time on their hands, and Large Red-eyes at their disposal.

I figured start small, and who's smaller than the Tampa Bay Rays( not counting this year).

: )Fun Facts : ): The Rays have the worst franchise winning percentage in MLB history. They have never even had a .500 season. They are the only MLB team to never play in the postseason. These things are about to change.

Catcher: TOBY HALL
1.Highlights: four straight seasons with 20 doubles.
2.Career Bests: .287 AVG in '05, .315 OBP in '05, .380 SlG in '03, and a .992 fielding in '04.
3.Summary: Played three full seasons and part of another. Now a backup with the White Sox.

First Base: FRED McGRIFF
1.Highlights: Basically the '99 season where he posted highs of 32 HR, .310 AVG, .405 OBP, and .552 SLG.
2. Career Bests: The aforementioned stats plus a 33 doubles season in '98.
3. Summary: Nice coda to one of the nearest just missed Hall of Fame careers (493 HRs).

Second Base: MIGUEL CAIRO
1. Highlights: 28 stolen bases, and 18 doubles in 119 games in 2000.
2. Career Bests: .295 AVG, .335 OBP, and a .368 SLG all in '99. 26 doubles in '98.
3. Summary: Will be overtaken by Iwanmura after this year is over. Is currently batting second for one of the all-time stinker teams: the '08 Mariners.

Third Base: AUBREY HUFF
1. Highlights: a great 2003 season when he should have made the All-Star team (198 hits,47 doubles,3 triples,34 home runs,and 107 rbi's).
2.Career Bests: .313 AVG in '02, .367 OBP, and .555 SLG both in '03.
3.Summary: Solid player with an All-Star caliber season in there. Not a good fielder in any aspect, and now a full time DH.

Short Stop: JULIO LUGO
1. Highlights: Hit a career high 15 homers after coming over from Houston after 22 games in 2003.
2.Career Bests: .295 AVG,.362 OBP, and .403 SLG in 2005.
3.Summary: Not a very good player. For someone with his size, and defensive position you'd like to see more SBs and triples. SS is also a defensive position, and Lugo has never been a very good defensive player either. Currently stealing money from the Boston Red Sox.


Outfield: CARL CRAWFORD
1. Highlights: 4 seasons with over 50 SBs. 3 straight seasons with double digit doubles, triples, and home runs (and just missed a fourth by one triple).
2.Career Bests: .315 AVG, and a .355 OBP both in '07. .482 SLG in '06. 19 triples and 59 stolen bases in '04.
3.Summary: An All-Star Caliber player for four years running. At this point is the best Ray of all-time. Could start for any current MLB team.

Outfield: RANDY WINN
1. Highlights: Played a full season in 2002 after four straight shortened seasons.
2.Career Bests:.298 AVG in '02,.362 OBP in 2000,.461 SLG in '02.
3.Summary: Hurt a lot; a Tampa outfielders theme. The definition of an average everyday player, except for above average doubles numbers.

Outfield: ROCCO BALDELLI
1. Highlights: His first season in the majors he played start to finish. Because of injury has yet to do so again.
2.Career Bests: .289 AVG '03, .326 OBP in '03 and'04, .436 SLG in '04.
3.Summary: Until he got snake bit, was being called a poor man's Joe D. Now he's just a sad story, and may never play again.

Designated Hitter: JONNY GOMES
1.Highlights: '05 when his splits against righties and lefties were close to even. Since then he has sat a lot against the opposing teams best right-handers.
2.Career Bests: .282 AVG, .372 OBP, .534 SLG all in '05. 21 doubles, and 20 home runs in '06.
3.Summary: There were actually a lot of candidates here, but most of them only played one full season with the Rays. I'm thinking Canseco, and Pena ( Pena will be somewhere on this list after this season, as will BJ Upton, and the year after Evan Longoria.)


Pitchers: SCOTT KAZMIR, ROLANDO ARROJO, JAMES SHIELDS, VICTOR ZAMBRANO--Bullpen: Danny Baez

Highlights:Surprisingly Cuban defector Arrojo's 1998; also the inaugural season for the Rays. His '98 season as it ranks all-time for the Rays: 202 innings pitched is fourth, second in ERA but first in adjusted ERA, first in wins ( at only 14), and second in WHIP at 1.287.
2.Career Bests: ERA Scott Kazmir 3.48 '07, WHIP James Shields 1.107 '07, IP Tanyon Sturtze 224.0 '02, SO Scott Kazmir 239 '07, Saves Roberto Hernandez 43 '99.
3.Summary: Pathetic. ( 239 Ks is pretty good actually)

Bench: Greg Vaughn, John Flaherty, Travis Lee, Ben Grieve, Jorge Cantu.
Bullpen: Roberto Hernandez, Tanyon Sturtze, Joe Kennedy, Travis Harper, Edwin Jackson.

Batting Order:
1. Crawford-L
2. Baldelli-R
3. Huff-L
4. McGriff-L
5. Gomes-R
6. Winn-S
7. Lee-L
8. Cairo-R
9. Hall-R

Conclusion: Worst franchise in the history of baseball. That bullpen is so bad it wouldn't even be a good bullpen for the '08 AL East, much less an All-Time Roster!!!

But fret not Rays fans. You have a young team that is in the hunt for a playoff spot. And also the Nationals are out there to take over your ineptitude.

Quick Thoughts

With zombie-like persistence, I return from the dead (undead?) to make a post... If I were a lesser person, I'd blame my lack of posts on the ubiquitousness of NBA playoff activity and my inability to follow that. But I'm not. I'm just lazy. There, I said it.

So I did not make BS's prediction come true - I did not get through a whole Lakers-Celtics game... However, I did catch the second half of Game 4, which was just ridiculous. Those Celtics just put on a clinic on how to play hoops. Felt great cause I do now and always had an irrational loathing/hatred of the Lakers. Probably stems from their constant dominance of my former sweethearts, the Sonics. But like the Sonics themselves, I've moved on from Seattle and basketball to the legal system... coincidence?

Baseball has managed to depress the hell out of me this year, and yet make me endlessly captivated. My Mariners are just unbelievably terrible. For the love, we have Jose Vidro(!!!) of all people batting 3rd! For a good summary of my thoughts on this, i suggest you look at two things. First, the fact that Vidro is currently in third to last place in the Major Frickin Leagues in OPS - trailing only Freddy Sanchez and Jason Bartlett. And second, go here http://ussmariner.com/2008/06/18/open-letter-to-mclaren-on-lineups/. Very eloquent pleading on behalf of the best Mariners blogger out there (well, both DMZ and Dave from USSMariner are great).

But the benefit of my Mariners sucking is that I can pay more attention to other teams. Like the seemingly plague infested Yankees - seriously, dude, is there something in the Yankee Stadium dugout that causes injuries? Maybe that Ortiz jersey in the new stadium is spreading some witch-like hex on all in the South Bronx that make upwards of 500,000 (surely every person in the South Bronx, right?)...

Or the DeeRays... I think it was their association with Beelzebub that was holding them back. Here's hoping they get the wild card. I think I may actually shit my pants if they win the division over the Sox, so I'll just root for the playoffs.

My prediction of DBacks over Injuns is looking questionable, due to the Indians abject failure to hit the ball. That pitching staff was looking ruhdonkulous for a while, but VMart and Hafner hitting a combined 4 hrs??? Who saw that coming? Cubbies are looking strong, but I fully expect a late season slide and Lou Piniella's head to literally explode somewhere between the dugout and second base, where he would have ripped out second base and actually eaten the whole damn thing. Highlights at 11!

And finally, early prediction for next year? Reds win the Central, Texas makes the playoffs (after making one or two big pitching pickups this off-season), Mariners still suck balls, the Rays mature and actually beat the Yanks and Sox outright, but the Yankees renew their bargain with the devil and, unlike the Rays, work it to their advantage and win the series. To be revisited...

Congrats Celtics

In honor of a hugely satisfying, and entertaining finals, I present the all-time Celtics (and Lakers) teams.



CELTICS
PG: Bob Cousy
SG: John Havlicek
SF: Larry Bird
PF: Dave Cowens
C: Bill Russell

Bench:

Sam Jones
Paul Pierce
Kevin McHale
Reggie Lewis
Dennis Johnson
Robert Parish
Cedrick Maxwell

Great team with an all -time bench.


LAKERS
PG: Magic Johnson
SG: Jerry West
SF: Kobe Bryant
PF: Wilt Chamberlin
C: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Bench:
Shaquille O'Neil
Elgin Baylor
James Worthy
Norm Nixon
Gail Goodrich
Nick Van Exel
Bob McAdoo

Best first team by far of any NBA team. Best all-time bench as well but but not by much.

and one more for the hell of it.

76ers
PG: Allen Iverson
SG: Julius Erving (Dr.J)
SF: Charles Barkley
PF: Moses Malone
C: Wilt Chamberlin

A better starting five than Boston. Hell, you could make the case that this is the best starting five of all time. I'll tell you what, you'd better hit your first shot against this team because they are getting every rebound. Not a great defensive starting team.

Bench:
Hal Greer
Andrew Toney
Maurice Cheeks
Dolph Schayes
Billy Cunningham
Bobby Jones
Darryl Dawkins

Weaker bench than the Celt and Lakers. Still, they got three Hall of Famers on the pine.

NBA Finals Predictions

First and foremost there's no way for this series to live up to the hype surrounding it. But it is still the most compelling finals match-up since the first Bulls/Jazz series. My predictions are always off, except when they aren't, but it decants my vintage to do it, so here goes.


Lakers win in game seven by eight points in a devastating body blow victory.

Gasol's offense will be the deciding factor in a Laker's title, but Kobe's late game heroics will win him the MVP.

Kevin Garnett will have at least one "Chris Webber" moment that will forever be referenced when discussing his career.

The best players in this series for the Lakers--Gasol, Kobe, Fisher, Vujacic, Odom.

The best players in this series for the Celtics--Pierce, KG, Rondo, Perkins, Posey.

The magnitude of the Lakers winning a game seven at the Boston Garden,while simultaneously Phil Jackson ties Red Aurbach for most finals won by a coach will end up being only surpassed in misery for Bostonians by the 86 WS, and the Patriots phoneing in the last game of their heretofore undefeated season and getting beaten by the NY Giants.

Neither team will make it back to the finals next year. The Celtics will be one year too old, and the addition of Andrew Bynum back to the line-up will create roster playing time issues, and bring the dysfunction back to the Lakers.

The highest rated game of the series will garner an 18 share; just a huge number for the NBA at this point.

Kobe will find a way to turn people off.

There will be a couple fabricated and overblown scuffles as the participants feel obligated to live up the chippy past of the rivalry.

Zaaq will almost watch an entire game, and will find himself with nostalgic feelings for NBA.

Quick Hits June Edition

Things have been busy here, what with the witch burnings, and hop-scotch( not to mention the witch-scotch and hop burns ), so I thought "what a great time for some incomplete ideas"!

Big Brown will win the Belmont, becoming the first horse since Affirmed to win the Triple Crown.


Bad year for Cleavland so far. The Cavs sputtered against Boston and the Indians have quietly had one of the worst producing lineups in baseball. Lebron can go to the Nets but can the Indians get back with Balco?

Joba should be starting. I'm impressed with the Yanks thinking outside of the box; making the transition from reliever to starter without a minor league demotion.

Washington is the worst team in the majors and it is not even close. They might have the worst line-up, the worst starting pitching, and the worst bullpen in all of baseball. Quite the triple crown of infamy.

The Mariners should fire their GM. They are wasting the prime years of one of the most unique players in baseball history. If not, MLB should intervene and force Seattle to trade Ichiro to a contender.

I don't know who is winning the World Series this year, but I do know it won't be Boston.

Rasheed Wallace completely failed the Pistons in game 6 against Boston. Four points with one attempt to post-up the entire game: pathetic. They should trade him now while he still has value to someone like Washington, or Phoenix.

Paul Pierce is hard not to like. He is also very slow. Kobe drinks his milkshake.

San Antonio needs to get Duncan some inside help now. The way the Spurs are currently constructed he is their number one inside scorer, and rebounder, and defender. There has never been a team in the history of the NBA where a player has had to carry that kind of load inside, and go on to win a championship.

The Hornets need to sign a big free agent who can score or they're going backward next year. For all of the talk of David West being the most underrated player in the NBA, the playoffs proved why he's been an acquired taste: his lack of reliable scoring, even with the best point guard on the planet, Chris Paul, setting him up.


The Utah Jazz were a top four team this year, and just a unique group of players. They had a seven footer center, Okur, who wanted to be a two guard and shoot threes, an undersized power forward, Carlos Boozer-ridiculously listed at 6'9"-, who only posts up, and a point guard who's as strong as most forwards. Just a truly bizzaro line-up. I don't think they can ever win it all, unless they bring in Don Nelson(not happening) or get more conventional positionally.

The NHL is still dead. And by dead I mean buried and skeletal never to return. They get their dream match-up for this year's finals and no one cares. NBC carries the games and they got a better rating for their midnight poker series. Wow.

It's amazing how Kobe always find a way to undermine his own success. He's at the cusp of his first title without Shaq, he just won his first MVP, and what does he do? He gives an interview where he gets all pissy about being compared to MJ, and to top it off credits, the Laker's success this year to his ability to finally "instill my DNA into the rest of the team". And no, I didn't make that quote up. And yes, insert your prison jokes here. Or OJ jokes. I mean the possibilities are endless. Just a complete turd sniffer that guy.

The Rays are for real the Marlins are not. Look for Olson and Uggla to be traded after the All-Star break, and the Rays to make the playoffs. (Props to Zaaq for calling that)

Granted I'm a Boston-hater but the level of ESPN schilling ( no pun intended) for the Sox and especially the Pats has risen to Fox news levels. The main offenders are Karl Ravech and Peter Gammons; just the host of Baseball tonight and it's main commentator, but the whole network suffers from its isolated location as a broadcast site. Even Turner broadcasting in its heyday had enough minority viewpoints in Atlanta to give it a sense of jurisprudence. Not the backwater of Bristol, where clam chowder is used to baptise the inbred New Englanders leading to the inevitable dropped "r"'s in the speech patterns.

KG missing two free throws in game 6 when the verdict was still in doubt is just more evidence that his value is overblown. He is a top 100 player all time at best. He is not a top fifty player; no matter what happens the rest of these playoffs. He is one of the weakest Defensive Player of the Year award winners ever. Gasol will torch KG in the post, and if the refs come close to calling the games both ways, then Garnett will spend every game on the bench in foul trouble, or guarding Lamar Odom. A dubious honor for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

The Bulls take D. Rose first in the NBA draft. He's the right choice. And after the 2005 draft debacle, where the teams with the top two picks both passed on Chris Paul and Deron Williams (the two best point guards in the league already)just as the new no hand-checking rule switched the league from big man dominance to perimeter dominance; there's a chance, albeit small, that Chicago actually makes the right choice.

Clinton doesn't want and won't receive a Vice-President offer. And it won't matter.
Obama wins and she runs and wins for NY Governor in 2010.

John Edwards- Att. Gerneral, Joe Biden- Sec. of Defense, Bill Richardson Sec. of State,

and Kathleen Sebelius as Vice President.



You heard it here first, loudest.