The Power of a No Hitter

What makes a meaningless late-September game at Yankee Stadium, with nothing on the line for either team, exciting? The possibility of a no-hitter. On the way to the Stadium for the game, I did not think that the game was going to be very good, especially after hearing that Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez would not be playing for the Yankees, and that Darell Rasner, a rookie pitcher would be making the start for New York. The crowd was intense throughout the last four innings of the game, even though the Yankees were losing 5-1 and then 7-1. The reason for the intensity was that the Yankees were being no-hit by the Baltimore Orioles' pitcher, Daniel Cabrera. The rabid Yankees fans could not bear to see their team be no-hit and while in normal circumstances, many fans would have left to beat the traffic, almost all of the 50,000 fans in attendence stayed to cheer the Yankees on, staying to see Robinson Cano break up the no-hitter with a bloop single in the 9th inning, with one out. Cabrera then sealed the one-hitter by forcing Bobby Abreu to ground into a game ending double play.

The fans in the crowd were energized all game long. While my favorite baseball moment ever was going to Fenway Park, this game was a close second. The thrill of wondering if Cabrera could get another out was amazing. The fans watching their powerful team getting no-hit was fun for a diehard Red Sox fan, who hoped to see the Yankees lose. Most say that they want to see offense, but I will take a pitching duel anyday, I think that is a lot more exciting, especially when the pitcher who is doing excellent is the one you are rooting for.

Soriano's Season

On Saturday, Alfonso Soriano, the Washington Nationals' leftfielder, became only the fourth player in MLB history to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season. Soriano has 45 home runs and with 13 games left, he has the chance to become the first ever 45-45 man. Soriano's season is already better than those of the other 40-40 players, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Jose Canseco. Soriano has more home runs than the other three players and is also having a good defensive season, recording a league leading 20 outfield assists, becoming only the seventh player in history do that. Soriano is hitting .286 with 38 doubles and 91 runs batted in. Soriano is a legitimate contender for the National League Most Valuable Player Award, but the Nationals' poor record puts him at a disadvantage behind the Mets' Carlos Beltran, the Cardinals' Albert Pujols, and the Phillies' Ryan Howard.

Soriano is having a career year at the best time for him. He is a free agent after this season and is the best hitter on the market, just barely ahead of Rangers' outfielder Carlos Lee. Soriano can play second base relatively well and has developed nicely in the outfield, with his strong throwing arm proving to be a solid weapon. The Nationals will try hard to resign Soriano, to make him the cornerstone of their franchise as they attempt to continue building as their new stadium is constructed. With Ryan Zimmerman already making an impact, the additions of outfielder Austin Kearns and shortstop Felipe Lopez, as well as a strong, young bullpen led by Chad Cordero and the currently injured Luis Ayala, the Nationals are on the way back up. The team needs to resign Soriano to continue their progress. The new owners should be willing to put their money into the team and Soriano would be the best place to put it.

If Soriano is not resigned by the Nationals, many teams will be gunning for his services. The Chicago Cubs, the Houston Astros, the San Diego Padres, and the Baltimore Orioles are all looking to add impact offensive players to the lineup. The Cubs may not be willing to throw enough money at Soriano, considering that the addition of him to the team is not enough to turn it around, same with the Orioles, who both need pitching, in the Cubs situation, they just need their star pitchers healthy. The Astros have solid pitching and a developing lineup and the addition of Soriano could bring them closer to the St. Louis Cardinals and make them a Wild Card favorite. The Padres are already a NL West contender with good pitching, so the addition of a powerful offensive threat like Soriano could push them towards being a World Series threat.

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees always seem to be in the mix when a top player is on the market, but the Yankees have nowhere to play Soriano, with Robinson Cano at second base and a crowded outfield with Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and Melky Cabrera. The Red Sox, however, seem unlikely to resign Mark Loretta and Trot Nixon, and may trade Coco Crisp, so Soriano could be tried at center or right field or moved back to second base, although the Red Sox seem to be ready to turn over that position to prospect Dustin Pedroia and may turn center field over to David Murphy, as he has been playing well since his major league debut, hitting a lead-off home run today against the Yankees has helped him prove he is ready to be a major leaguer. The Sox also have Jacoby Ellsbury, who tore up Double A this season with Portland, is waiting in the wings and may be just one season away from being the Sox starting centerfielder.

Soriano is one of the best players in the game today. He is 30 years old and in his prime, with great speed and great power ability. No player has ever had a 40-40 season twice in their career, but Soriano definitely has the chance to do that. This is his fourth season with at least 40 stolen bases, and he has had 30 and 35 twice. He seems to be in his prime when it comes to hitting and his power numbers should remain the same for the next few years. Soriano is often overlooked when the top players are considered and may be just outside the top tier (with Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, and possibly Carlos Beltran and Ryan Howard), but he is up near the top. Whether it is with the Nationals or someone else, Soriano should be exciting to watch once again in 2007. 50-50 is out of reach now for this season, but who knows about next year, he has the ability.

Response to Peter Morris' A Game of Inches

In his book, A Game of Inches, Peter Morris discusses the evolution of judgment calls by the umpire in the game of baseball. Morris explains how from the early 1850s to the 1870s, the role of the umpire in the game changed. In the early days, the umpire was called upon to make a decision only when the team's appealed to him. The players were expected to make the correct calls themselves and the umpire was there only to mediate an argument between the two sides. As the game developed and competitiveness and cheating crept into it, the umpire was called upon more and more to make the call.

By the 1860s, the umpires were calling more, but not much. For example, an umpire only called a ball foul, but never said if it was fair or not. So if a runner mistakenly thought the ball was foul, it was not the umpire's duty to inform him it was fair. Baseball writer and one of the main spokesman of the game in the mid 1800s, Henry Chadwick, described the amount of judgment calls an umpire was forced to make by the late 1860s, "The constant cry of judgment call...Has become a nuisance...There should be one spokesman in a nine and he should be the captain, and no captain...Will make appeals on points of play which it is the duty of the umpire to decide without any appeal, such as calling balks, balls, and strikes." (The Ball Player's Chronicle, July 11, 1867, taken from Morris, A Game of Inches). By the 1870s, the umpire was called upon to make a ruling on every play.

However, the idea that an umpire only makes a call on plays when appealed to has not disappeared from baseball altogether. In today's game there are three times when an umpire does not make the call unless appealed to. A batsman hitting out of order, a base runner failing to touch a base, and a player leaving a base too soon when tagging up for a sacrifice fly. Also, the umpire or the player may appeal on a checked swing.

In today's game, the umpires are relied upon for every call. If the umpire was not making a judgment, cheating would be rampant in the game and it would not be played fairly, which has always been an important theme in baseball. In the early days baseball players considered in manly and the correct thing to do to make the right call themselves. Now it has become so competitive and worth so much money, that no player would ever call himself out if the umpire made the wrong call. In the early days of baseball, it was considered dishonorable and against the game to not make the call. The game has certainly changed since the 1850s.

The Silent Candidate

When most people are asked who the AL MVP should be, the usual answer is Derek Jeter or David Ortiz. But the most valuable player in the American League is one who is often overlooked, Jermaine Dye. The Chicago White Sox would not be in playoff contention without the clutch hitting, solid fielding, and great leadership that they have received from the veteran outfielder. While Derek Jeter and David Ortiz banter back and forth in the media, Dye has let his on field play do the talking, which is what a true MVP should do. Last season Ortiz had a legitimate gripe in not being chosen as MVP, but this season he is not the top choice. No matter how good he has been, the Red Sox have not been good enough for him to be named MVP. All his talking and whining has made it even worse for him. Jeter has put together a great season, with an excellent batting average and a great RBI total for someone hitting in the second spot in the order, but Jeter plays on a team with top hitters at every position. Dye in no way plays on a team lacking in talented hitters, with Paul Konerko and Jim Thome in front of him, but Dye's contribution to the White Sox goes far beyond Jeter's contribution to the Yankees.

Dye is a player who has had a career that has gone mostly under the radar, at least until he won the World Series MVP Award last season for the White Sox. He hit .438 with a home run and 3 RBI in the Series to help the White Sox win. The Oakland, California native was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1993, but was traded to the Kansas City Royals after his rookie season in 1996. Dye won the NL Rookie of the Year Award that year with the Braves. Dye broke out in 1999 as a 25 year old, hitting 27 home runs and driving in 119 runs for the Royals. Dye's best season came in 2000 when he hit 33 home runs with a .321 batting average and a .561 slugging percentage. That season made Dye to expensive for the small market Royals and he was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 2001. After three seasons in Oakland, the 31 year old right fielder signed as a free agent with the White Sox and hit 31 home runs en route to the World Series victory.

This season, Dye leads the talented White Sox in six different batting categories, which is impressive, seeing that Jim Thome and Paul Konerko are in the same lineup as he is. Dye has 41 home runs, third in the AL, is sixth in batting with a .322 average, fourth in RBI with 112, second in total bases with 313, second in slugging percentage at .637, and ninth in batting average with runners in scoring position at .353. Dye's .983 fielding percentage is fifth best among rightfielders and he has committed just 5 errors, which is also fifth best.

Just as how the question, who is the American League MVP, garners the response of Jeter or Ortiz, the response of who is the most clutch hitter in the AL draws the response of Ortiz. But not this season. This season the best clutch hitter in the AL is Dye, who has 18 home runs that have either tied the score or put the White Sox ahead. In close and late situations, Dye is hitting .306 with 5 home runs and 18 runs batted in. Dye has stepped it up against the top competition in the majors, with a .417 batting average, 7 home runs and 13 RBI against division rival Detroit, a .360 average against the New York Yankees and a .321 average with five home runs and 17 RBI against the Minnesota Twins, who have the top pitchers in the AL. Dye has also hit ninth-inning, game-tying home runs off two of the league's best closers, the Twins' Joe Nathan and the Red Sox Jonathan Papelbon.

In a win last week against the Cleveland Indians Dye's performance proved his MVP worthiness. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Dye made a leaping catch, connecting with the wall. His catch stunned the crowd and he was left on the ground, shaken up. When he rose to his feet the crowd begin chanting, "MVP! MVP!" In the top of the sixth, Dye came up to lead off the inning and hit a home run, leaving him a single short of the cycle (he would ground out in his last at-bat), beginning the MVP chant once again.

Dye has competition, from Jeter, Ortiz, the Twin's Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Johan Santana, and the Athletics' Frank Thomas. But if the Chicago White Sox make the playoffs, Dye will certainly be the top contender for the World Series. But you won't see him on ESPN telling you that, you're going to have to catch a White Sox game to see him make his case.

Tris Speaker: An unrecognized great

Tristam "Tris" Speaker was one of the greatest Red Sox of all-time, but sadly not many modern day Red Sox fans know him, and those that do, know little about him. No outfielder other than Ty Cobb was a better ballplayer than Speaker was in the early 1900s to the 1920s. Speaker is the definition of an old-time baseball player. He could hit well, he could run well, and he was the finest defensive outfielder of his generation. Speaker, who was nicknamed the "Grey Eagle", was born in Hubbard, Texas on August 4, 1888. Speaker played major league ball for 22 seasons, 9 of those with the Boston Red Sox. Speaker later played for the Cleveland Indians for 11 seasons, managing the team for nine of those, the Washington Senators for one and the Philadelphia Athletics for one. Speaker's lifetime batting average, .345, is sixth best all-time and his 3,514 career hits is fifth best all-time. Speaker is one of baseball's greatest players because of his success with the Red Sox, his hitting ability, and his amazing fielding skills. Speaker represented exactly what a star baseball player of his generation hoped to be.

Speaker was a key ingredient on the Red Sox when the team won the World Series in both 1912 and 1915. The Red Sox teams of 1912-15, were arguably the best Sox teams of all-time, with just one poor season in 1913. The Sox won over 100 games in both years, something that no Sox did again until 1946, and none have done since '46. The 1912 season was also the best statistical season for Speaker. At just 24, the Texan hit .383 (second best of his career, he hit .386 in 1916), with a career best 222 hits, 53 doubles, 10 home runs, with a .464 OBP and a .567 SLG percentage. Speaker would later manage the Cleveland Indians to a World Series win in 1920, proving he could be successful in that role as well.

Speaker's hitting ability led the team to those titles. He was not a power hitter, but no hitters were power hitters when he played. The skill that was valued most during Speaker's generation was the ability to hit for contact, to place the ball where the fielders were not playing. Speaker could do this with the best hitters and his 3,514 career hits proves that. With his speed, he turned many of those well placed hits into extra bases. His greatest offensive skill was hitting doubles, leading the league eight times and still holding the career record for most doubles with 793.

"The Grey Eagle" was a player who epitomized what was expected of a star ballplayer in the early 1900s. His combination of speed, defense, and hitting made him an all around player, while his toughness and willing to get dirty made him a fan favorite. He was a "Boston Dirt Dawg" before the term was popularlized.

Speaker's ability is exemplified through an unassisted double play during the 1910 season. Speaker caught a low line drive in centerfield and was fast enough to beat the runner to second base for the double play. Speaker holds the career record for most assists with 450.

As his teammate, "Smokey" Joe Wood said, "He simply did everything well. You couldn't ask for a better all-around player."

Speaker became the seventh ever player inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1937, with the phrase, "the greatest centerfielder of his day", inscribed on his plaque.

Baseball and Recovery

Sports are a very important part of American culture and in times of sadness and despair, the games that Americans love to watch become even more important. After times of tragedy, such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, sports have played a key role in the recovery of the nation. While sporting events were put to the side for awhile after 9/11, the games came back strong and help to unite the country. Fans and non-fans alike tuned in or attended sporting events to distract themselves from the pain of the horrific events of 9/11. The distinctly American game of baseball is the game that brought this country together more than any at that time.

Looking back on 9/11, amazingly now 5 years ago, all Americans can remember where they were when the tragedy occured. Whether you were at work, at school, at home, or wherever, you remember hearing and watching the events unfold before your eyes. Then with nothing else to do and unable to react, most Americans, including myself, watched coverage of the tragedy on TV, seeing the same thing over and over, always shocked as it happens. However, while most of us Americans were sitting and watching the events on TV, American heroes were out trying to save lives. In normal everyday life, most baseball fans look at the game's stars as heroes, but following 9/11, we had a little persepective. The first-responders who sacrafice their lives to help others are the true heroes of this country and we all saw that clearly after 9/11. The "baseball heroes" did not just sit back, however. Some of the game's biggest stars, Derek Jeter, Mike Piazza, and other New York Yankees and Mets went to Ground Zero, to try and cheer up the firefighters and rescue workers, as well as the mourning families still left searching for loved ones. They used their fame to help make things just a tiny bit brighter for those who were suffering greatly.

Baseball resumed on September 21, 2001 with an emotional game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets at Shea Stadium in New York City. The sold out crowd, most with American flags, showed the world that America was not afraid of the terrorists and would not back down. The game was one that will be remembered by all, it is in many ways my most lasting memory of the days after 9/11, watching as grown men cried in the crowd during the National Anthem, and as the fans cheered for their Mets, forgetting for just a moment about the horror outside the stadium. The game ended with an eighth inning home run from Piazza, a fitting end to the game.

For the end of the 2001 season, the two New York baseball teams became "America's teams." With even some Boston fans admitting that they just could not root against the Yankees, not that they wanted them to win, but they wouldn't root against them. The Yankees went on a run to the World Series, which was one of the greatest post 9/11 stories. President George Bush threw out the first pitch of the Series in New York City, again sending the united message of no fear. America recovered from those tragic events of 9/11 and in many ways baseball helped that recovery along. It united this country around something uniquely American and helped distract us, if only for a moment, from the horrific events of that year.