Sunday, October 28, 2012

Advice for the Grieving Dodger Fan




There’s no way around it, Dodger fans, the Giants have won the World Series. It sucks, I know, but I’m here to help. 

First it’s important to realize that the pain you’re feeling now isn’t something that’s unique to Dodger fans. When faced with such a painful proposition as a rival winning a championship, most fans I come across on the internets or even that strange world called real life typically just make things worse for themselves, either by making excuses, hopelessly whining, or through some other means I’d rather not hear about. No matter the sport or fan base, it seems to be the same. Maybe it’s the built-in sadomasochistic side of us sports fans. Perhaps seeing a rival win it all simply elicits the same response I observe when I tell people I use Internet Explorer; people just lose their fucking minds. Whatever the cause, you must not let it overcome you.

Anytime a fan sees either its team lose a championship or a rival win it there is a tendency to try to rationalize things (i.e. make up excuses). No doubt we’ll see some Dodger fans engage in this, but they shouldn’t, even if some of these excuses have their merits. In the end trying to explain away a Giants title will just project more of the agony Dodgertown is feeling for the world to see. In order to avoid them let’s first try to understand them. The excuses are always pretty much the same for every fan base. I’ve come to calling them “the four stages of the grieving sports fan”, although the order in which they occur varies from fan to fan:

1. Calling it luck/a fluke – In this case, there’s probably some truth to the fact that the Giants have had their share of luck. Even the media has taken notice to this. But it’s best to avoid making much out of this. In the end, luck plays a much larger role than most fans like to acknowledge, heck the Detroit Tigers had only the 7th best record in the American League this year, but somehow that ended with them being the number three seed in the AL playoffs. So sure, the Giants had a large degree of luck this postseason, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, frankly it’s fairly common for a champion to catch a lot of breaks, how else do you think the phrase “it’s better to be lucky than good” came about?

2. Blame the Umps/Refs – This is pretty much crap for the same reason as #1; even it it’s true it’s pretty much an unavoidable fact of life, sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you. But that’s just, like, my opinion, man.

3. Calling their fans “bandwagoners” – Up and down California (well, between San Luis Obispo and northern Orange County) I saw a pretty noticeable boom in the wearing of “SF” hats after the Giants won the 2010 series. I also came across a few Giants “fans” who were pretty clueless and I’m guessing had just gotten their Giant Nation membership cards. So yes, there’s some bandwagoners… and who cares? No real fans give a crap about bandwagoners and ultimately it has no bearing on the team or its championship. The only people worth pestering about this are the wagon-riders themselves and they’re already at the bottom of the totem pole in the sports world anyway.

3A. Calling their fans “gay” – This one’s pretty much exclusive to San Francisco teams, for obvious reasons. It’s also stupid, for obvious reasons. Cardinal Nation (the best fans in baseball!!!) took to twitter after the NCLS to point out the startling revelation that there’s a large homosexual population in the Bay Area (more like GAY Area LOL!!!1!) and so far I’ve seen a couple Dodger fans make the same observation. Calling someone a “bandwagon” fan can at least be perceived as an insult, using an offensive term like “fag” isn’t insulting, it’s just… retarded… no wait, that’s not right.
 
4. Saying they’ll never win again – You’re on the right track with this one, in that it focuses on future seasons which is pretty much what all the non-championship teams have to do anyway, but it doesn’t exactly exude the confidence the one making the claim would seem to be going for. Instead it sounds more desperate and childish.

So does a Dodger fan do? Well, nothing really, just don’t do any of that. Luckily, there will be some cases where a douchey Giants fan preemptively belittles all the “losers” he happens across for no apparent reason. In my book anyone sad enough to do this has opened himself up to criticism and it might be worthwhile to try and get under their skin just for the entertainment value.

I might be in the minority on this but for the life of me I’ve never understood why a fan whose team has already won all there is to win feels the need to keep trying to inflate their own ego. As a College Baseball fan, I can’t tell you how many South Carolina fans I’ve talked to constantly lament about “not getting respect”. Thank God they had that consolation prize of winning back-to-back College World Series titles or else some of them may still be on suicide watch. If you come across any Giant fans that have the gall to actually complain about this just remember this phrase which probably exists somewhere (and if it doesn’t, then I just invented it): He who requires the respect of others has no respect for himself.
 
Then there’s the curious case of the fan that actually feels the need to go out of their way to counter those aforementioned “stages of grief.” My response to these dullards is always the same: How fragile does your self-confidence have to be when you start defending a team that doesn’t need defending?
 
In the end, however, my fellow Dodger fans just need to ride this out. It might suck, but Spring Training is only four-plus away and believe it or not, things could be worse. Hell, they were worse, remember? The worst thing that could ever happen to Dodgertown was that faint chance of the Giants actually winning their first title since 1954… and then they did. Dodger fans have moved on. Nothing that ever happens again will be as bad as that. 2010 was soul-crushing, 2012 on the other hand is just kinda shitty. So stop being a bunch of wimps. We've been through News Corp, McCourt, the Giants finally winning, and James Loney. Life 'aint that bad going forward.

And if none of that isn't enough to console you just remember this: Pablo is still a lard-ass.
 
 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Derek Jeter Needs to Retire

Editor’s Note: This week we welcome friend and special guest columnist Tavis Whimbley to Dirtbag Blues. Tavis is a 14-year veteran of the world of sports journalism, writing for various publications, and is a highly respected by many of his peers. If Mr. Whimbley’s schedule permits, he may become a regular contributor to the blog.  Please note Mr. Whimbley’s views do not necessarily reflect that of this blog. You can follow Tavis on twitter @TavisWhimbley. Also be sure to follow us @Dirtbag_Blues.

 
The focus on the Yankees demise this October has been heavily geared toward Alex Rodriguez, no doubt with good reason. With all his baggage, and $114 million remaining on his contract, you can’t blame Brian Cashman if he attempts unload A-Rod in the off-season. However, there’s something else that can be done to help the Yankees. They could find themselves freed from another albatross of a contract belonging a player who’s well past his prime, that is, only if this player is selfless enough and smart enough to walk away now (or hobble, what with his broken ankle and all). That’s right, Derek Jeter needs to take the hint his body is giving him and retire.

Now I know suggesting such a thing sounds about as un-American as Barack Obama, but it needs to be acknowledged that at this point in his career most of the accolades Jeter receives are based on reputation and not results. You don’t even need to dig too deeply into the facts to see this.

Once upon a time Derek was the face of the franchise, the most prominent figure in the dugout during a playoff game and the first guy to the press conference afterward. This October, after breaking his ankle, Jeter was nowhere to be seen. The team captain didn’t even so much as travel with the team to Detroit for the rest of the America League Championship Series, not that I blame the guy for not wanting to get on a plane with a bum leg but it does illustrate the larger point that “as Jeter goes, so go the Yankees” is no longer true.

Manager Joe Girardi seemed annoyed the moment Jeter’s injury (and not the Yankees) became the focal point of the series. Girardi bitterly spoke to reporters after game 1 when the world first learned the extent of the injury. “I haven’t told them yet, buster,” Girardi snapped at one reporter during that press conference. “Them” being Jeter’s teammates. Girardi hadn’t told them Jeter was hurt? Why not? I find it very telling that the Yankee skipper felt the need to disclose Jeter’s injury the media before Jeter’s own teammates. I guess when it comes down to it Derek Jeter is more a concern of the media than of the Yankee clubhouse. A frustrating week for the Yankees, which started with Jeter’s injury, was capped by two quick losses in Detroit to end the Yankees’ season. At this point who’s to say how much of a distraction Derek Jeter, absent or not, was to the team.

If we (foolishly) put the injury and leadership qualities aside for a moment and look purely at the numbers, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson are now the most feared hitters in the Yankee lineup and if Ichiro is retained the Yanks won’t even have a use for Jeter as a table-setter anymore. Even on a purely cosmetic level Jeter may no longer be the franchise’s leader. Nowadays the Yankee you see all over TV is Nick Swisher, who also happens to be a perfect face for this new “Moneyball-era” given that he was a former first round pick of Billy Beane’s Oakland Athletics. No, these are no longer Derek Jeter’s Yankees, but the Yankees of the Canos, Grandersons, Ichiros, and Swishers of the world.

It’s also pretty obvious he’s no longer “Captain Clutch.” After playing in six World Series in his first eight seasons, the man who’s supposed to be carrying this storied franchise on his back has taken the Bronx Bombers to the Series once in last nine years. So much for “Mr. November”, heck, A-Rod probably could’ve done that himself.

But I don’t want to go on disparaging a good guy like Jeter too much and frankly I don’t have to. There’s plenty of reason, besides his diminishing abilities, for Jeter to bow out now.

After five World Series titles and more all-star selections than I care to count the only real milestone left for Derek is Pete Rose’s all-time hit mark of 4,256. To even approach that record the now 38-year-old Jeter would have to labor on for about five more years, at least. Does anyone really want to see that? Heck, does Derek Jeter even want to see that? When asked about the hits record this month Jeter replied “I’m not talking about Peter Rose, man.” It’s nice to know the game’s greatest competitor doesn’t care about something so important to the history of baseball. One has to wonder at this point if Derek Jeter has lost that competitive edge that made him Derek Jeter in the first place.

Besides all that, what about poor condemned Pete Rose? He doesn’t have the Hall of Fame waiting for him the way Jeter does. One of baseball’s great icons deserves to at least have his name in the record books, if not in Cooperstown.

Ultimately, though, Jeter needs to quit for the Yankees. Five straight years of maintaining a payroll over $200 million has taken it’s toll, cupcakes-turned-legitimate rivals Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and Toronto have all taken huge strides in recent years, and the old guard Yankees are almost all gone with only Jeter and Andy Pettitte (baseball’s answer to Brett Favre) still hanging on while Mariano Rivera attempts to revive a career he too might be better served to surrender. Jeter has $20-25 million worth of commitments left. That’s $20-25 million which could be spent on developing future Derek Jeter’s, building the next New York dynasty, or used toward an old fashion Yankee spending spree on some new franchise players, such as Josh Hamilton.

Jeter can still hang around; no doubt he already has a lifetime front office job waiting for him. Who knows, maybe he’ll become the new Yankee skipper as soon as Joe “Buster” Girardi inevitably reaches his boiling point. Let’s just hope Coach Jeter has the foresight and integrity to tell his players about things concerning the team, before the media.
 
So come on Derek, hang ‘em up. Better to do it too early than too late. Chipper Jones is a perfect example of this. Had he retired at the right time he could’ve gone out gracefully rather than see his end come in an embarrassing playoff game and gone out like a broken down old man. Learn from this, Derek, and move on now.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Consolation Day

Good morning. In less than 30 hours, Dodger fans will join Tigers fans from around the world. And you will be cheering the hardest any fans have against a team in the history of baseball. "Baseball." That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests.

Perhaps it's fate that today is the 23rd of October (the anniversary of the Dodgers first win in the '81 series), and you will once again be cheering for a team in the World Series... not for championships, pride, or bragging rights... but from humiliation. We are cheering for our right to live as Dodger fans.... to exist.

And should we win the day, the World Series will no longer be known as a mere championship series, but as the time the Dodger world declared in one voice: We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today, we root for, the Detroit Tigers!


Just imagine it's in Vin Scully's voice.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

The Ten Best MVP selections in Baseball History****

This time a year it’s easy to find crappy blogs like this one (or Bleacher Report) use the baseball MVP debate to post some list about the worst MVP selections in history (go ahead and google “worst MVP” + Baseball). I thought writing about that was a little too boring, and giving my input on who should win the 2012 awards (Trout/Posey) wouldn’t add anything unique to the discussion. So instead I decided to take the subjective topic of MVP worthiness and make it subjectivier.

Presenting; The Ten Best MVP selections in Baseball History****.

*Actually, I only came up with nine, because the BBWAA screws up that much.

*Best=The voters getting it right when every indication suggested they’d get it wrong.

*I only went back into the 1960s because this is partially based on what the public/media perception was on the players at the time. Call me lazy but I’m not going through pages of microfiche to see what Shirley Povich had to say about Roy Campanella. Plus the voters definition of “valuable “ has evolved greatly over the years. Pitchers use to win the award (or came close to winning) with much greater regularity. Having so few playoff spots meant there wasn’t so much of a premium put on players whose teams would play in October. Then there were a few years when the voters apparently just said “the hell with it.” (Dick Groat in 1960? Really?)
 
*Even after only coming up with nine selections there are about two or three picks that are a little sketchy.



In researching for this list a found a LOT of times the voters screwed up, it was very tempting to just go with the standard “worst MVPs ever” list. Instead I decided to cheat and spin one of those “worst MVPs” into one of the best.
 
The rightful winner of this award probably should’ve been Dave Winfield, who finished third, but Hernandez netting a share of the award at least kept this vote from getting too ridiculous. Stargell was the team leader of the World Series winning Pirates and hit 32 home runs, but was in just 126 games, played poor defense, and posted a merely above-average on-base percentage of .352. Hernandez on the other hand, while only hitting 11 homers, lead the league in batting and doubles, played gold glove defense, and had an OPS of .930. In not Winfield, Hernandez should’ve been the sole winner of this award. Sorry, Pops.



Okay, so Greg Maddux probably should’ve won the ’95 award, but let’s ignore that for now. The top two position players vying for the MVP were Barry Larkin and big, bad, Dante Bichette. Bichette lead the league in homers and RBIs, but did so at brand new Coors Field, while posting a good-but-not-great .364 on-base percentage, and playing some really crappy defense in the process. It all culminated for a WAR of 1.0. One. Point. Zero.
 
If we keep going with the WAR stat, then Maddux is a clear favorite over Larkin, but at least Barry had a decent-enough case for MVP, stealing 51 bases, posting an .886 OPS, winning the gold glove for shortstop, and being a revered leader of his team. Maybe this isn’t one of the “best” MVP picks, but it could’ve been one of the worst.



A few players had good MVP cases to be made in ’88, but the award ended up coming down to Gibson and the power-hitting wonder kid, DarrylStrawberry. Gibson’s winning of the award is pretty shocking when you take into account Strawberry had better marks in homers, OPS, and the favorite stat for voters, RBIs. Still, Gibson was able to out-value Darryl by posting strong numbers in pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium and playing superior defense. It’s also pretty clear who the winner is on the intangibles side of things.
 
Not that anyone knew at the time, but Gibson also ended up posting a WAR of 6.2 to Strawberry’s 5.1. Chalk this one up as another “it could’ve been worse” selection.



The voters pretty much made this pick by accident. Still, I’ve give them credit for it. A-Rod was clearly the league’s top player in 2002, but lost the MVP because Miguel Tejada played for a better team. In 2003, a few voters apparently decided it was time for A-Rod to get his award (he was also robbed of the 1996 trophy, and maybe '98 as well), and even then he barely beat out a crowded field of candidates. In the end, ten different players got first place votes, so despite actually seeing his vote-share go down from ’02 to ’03, A-Rod got just enough support to come away with an award he should’ve won handily for the third time.

Bonds was the favorite to take home this award, anyway. I added him to the list mainly because he was robbed of the ’91 award by the same guy he had to beat the next season, Terry Pendleton. In ’92, Bonds had a 30-30 season, won a gold glove, and posted an OPS of 1.080. Still, Pendleton somehow got four first-place votes. Gary Sheffield got two votes of his own, but at least had a near-triple crown season (and .965 OPS) to justify it.
 
Had Bonds won the award owed to him in ’91 he would’ve ended up taking home four consecutive MVP awards (having also won the ’90 and ’93 awards) and set the record for most MVPs by the ripe old age of 28. Keep in mind this is pre-steroid Bonds; does anyone remember that guy?
 
Guys like Jacoby Elsbury and Jose Bautista had decent cases to be made (and one has to wonder if Elsbury would’ve won MVP had the Red Sox won just two more games and gotten in the playoffs), but the great thing about Verlander’s winning was the fact his being a pitcher wasn’t used against him.
 
One of the worst MVP robberies in recent years occurred when Pedro Martinez’ historic 1999 season was completely let off of the ballot by some voters. Despite having the most first place votes, Pedro finished a close second to Ivan Rodriguez. The voters didn’t repeat that same mistake with Verlander, who had a very MVP worthy 8.2 WAR, although it does kinda suck that he probably won because of “his” 24 wins.

2008 seemed like a repeat of the 2006 season. Both years the top candidates were Pujols and (for some reason) Ryan Howard. Howard won the ‘06 award despite trailing Pujols in WAR, 8.2 to 5.0. The 2008 numbers weren’t nearly as close, with Howard posting a Bichette-esqe WAR, but the race seemed like another toss-up. Thankfully, Pujols’ 1.114 OPS beat out Howard’s 148 RBIs to net Albert his second MVP.
 The final first-place vote count had Pujols getting 18 votes and Howard 12. Two voters, apparently suffering from Groat’s syndrome, voted for Brad Lidge.
 
If this vote were held today, Cecil Fielder would probably win. I don’t know if this means the voters are getting a little big dumber or just more objective (since Ripken won the ’91 award partially because he was so much more liked than Fielder) and a LOT bit dumber.
 
Ripken’s Orioles had 95 losses on the season, while Fiedler’s Tigers went 84-78 and were at least in the pennant chase for part of the season. Looking at the numbers, this one should’ve been Ripken in a walk. Fielder lead the Iron Man in runs, homers, RBIs, and nothing else. Still, the big first baseman got nine first place votes and finished just 32 “points” behind Cal in the voting.

 
Let this be an example of how we can allow arbitrary milestones to artificially inflate a player’s value. Three years earlier, Mays lost the NL MVP to Maury Wills, and his .720 OPS, all because Wills had set a then-modern record of 104 stolen bases. Mays’ 49 homers went overlooked (along with his .999 OPS and 10.2 WAR, not that the voters would’ve known what those were).
 
Well, in 1965 Mays and Wills were in the MVP race again. This time Mays hit .317 with 52 homers (plus a 10.9 WAR) while Wills regressed to a pathetic 94 stolen bases. Apparently stealing 10-less bases was enough for Wills to go from MVP in ’63 to a distant third in ’65 (Sandy Koufax was second).