1990 MLB Re-Draft

How would the 1990 draft have gone if teams drafted correctly?

In this third installment of the MLB re-draft, we look at the 1990 MLB draft and do it over knowing what we know now.

Before we get into that, let's look at the 1987, 1988, and 1989re-drafts.

1 Atlanta Braves

Select: SS        Chipper Jones         The Bolles School

Jones was the Braves actual selection.

This was the clear cut choice then and now. Chipper was an excellent 3rd baseman for a long time and played his entire 19 year career in Atlanta. An excellent decision with the #1 pick.

2 Detroit Tigers

Select: P          Mike Mussina           Stanford

Mussina was actually selected with the 20th overall selection by the Baltimore Orioles.

Actual Selection: OF        Tony Clark        Christian HS

Clark was actually a solid pick. He made an all-star team in 2001 and was so well thought of that he is the current head of the MLBPA. That said, he did not belong in the top 5 and definitely not at #2 overall. Meanwhile, there is already a 2nd hall of famer from this draft class. Mike Mussina won 270 career games in the challenging AL East. To have that many wins and an ERA under 4 while pitching in that beast of a division your entire career is super impressive. Detroit fielders would have loved playing behind the incredibly efficient Mussina.

3 Philadelphia Phillies

Select: P          Andy Pettitte               Deer Park HS

Pettitte was actually selected in the 22nd round with the 594th overall selection by the Yankees.

Actual Selection: C           Mike Lieberthal        Westlake HS

Lieberthal was an all-star and a decent pick, but no way is he the selection if the Phillies got the chance to do it again. They surely go with the multi-time World Series champion pitcher in Andy Pettitte. They would have loved to add Andy to the rotation. It is crazy that this guy lasted until the 22nd round.

4 Chicago White Sox

Select: C          Jorge Posada              Calhoun Community College

Posada was actually selected in 24th round with the 646th overall selection by the Yankees.

Actual Selection: P            Alex Fernandez         Miami-Dade College

Fernandez was actually one of the best picks in the actual draft and won't be around much longer in the re-draft. There was a better player on the board though, and he was not selected until much later. Posada was an excellent catcher and part of the Yankee core-4 that brought them multiple World Series championships. The White Sox would have loved to have him behind the dish in the 90s. 

5 Pittsburgh Pirates

Select: P           Alex Fernandez          Miami-Dade Collge

Fernandez was actually selected with the 4th overall selection  by the White Sox.

Actual Selection: P        Kurt Miller          West HS

Miller was a terrible selection and the Pirates should have done much better. Through the re-draft, they are lucky to have Alex Fernandez available. He was a much better pro pitcher than Miller. Pittsburgh would have loved to have Alex on the bump.

6 Seattle Mariners

Select: OF         Rondell White       Jones County HS

White was actually selected with the 24th overall selection by the Montreal Expos.

Actual Selection: 1B       Marc Newfield       Marina HS

The Mariners selected Newfield at #6 and eventually moved him to left field. Instead, they could have picked an actual stud outfielder in White. An outfield of White, Griffey, and Buhner would have been the best in baseball. This could have made the Mariners a true contender for a World Series. Instead, they busted and took the underachieving Newfield. 

7 Cincinnati Reds

Select: OF         Garret Anderson        Kennedy HS

Anderson was actually selected in the 4th round with the 125th overall selection by the Angels.

Actual Selection: C        Dan Wilson          Minnesota

Dan Wilson was a solid catcher and one time all-star. He did a great job for the Reds, but he was not near one of the most impactful in this class. Meanwhile, Anderson, who wasn't picked until round 4, had 287 career home runs, and was a huge reason why the Angels won the 2002 World Series. The left fielder was also incredibly loyal spending 15 years with the Angels. Cincinnati would have loved to have Anderson and his winning pedigree with the Reds.

8 Cleveland Indians

Select: P              Troy Percival            California

Percival was actually selected in the 6th round with the 179th overall selection by the Angels.

Actual Selection: SS       Tim Costo            Iowa

Costo had a negative career war and only spent parts of two seasons in the big leagues. The Indians could have done much better with this selection and a better pick could have led to a possible World Series win. The Indians were possibly a strong pitcher away from a 1995& 1997 World Series championships. How about the team getting one of the best closers of the generation. It would have possibly been the difference and would have allowed the Indians to shorten the game if nothing else.

9 Los Angeles Dodgers

Select: OF         Rusty Greer              University of Montevallo

Greer was actually selected in the 10th round with the 279th overall selection by the Texas Rangers.

Actual Selection: P         Ron Walden          Blanchard HS

Walden never even made the bigs, so its safe to say he was a bust. The Dodgers do much better in the redraft. They select a really solid outfielder that makes the team far better. Rusty Greer never made an all-star team, but he was a really solid dependable outfielder for a long time. The 90s Dodgers teams could have really used solid and dependable.

10 New York Yankees

Select: P            Mike Hampton             Crystal River HS

Hampton was actually selected in the 6th round with the 161st overall selection by the Mariners.

Actual Selection: OF        Carl Everett           Hillsborough HS

The Yankees really came out of this re-draft on the losing end. They lost 2 of their core 4. They still do better than their first pick this year and get a really solid contributing piece. It's not that Everett was a bad pick, because he did well as a pro, but it wasn't as a Yankee. New York picks a guy that had a slightly better career and could contribute to their starting rotation. His 148 career wins would have been a welcome sight in New York.

11 Montreal Expos

Select: 2B          Ray Durham              Harding HS

Durham was actually selected in the 5th round with the 132nd overall selection by the White Sox.

Actual Selection: 3B        Shane Andrews         Carlsbad HS

The Expos could have done worse than Andrews and many teams did worse during this 1st round. That said, he was not worthy of being a first rounder. Durham was a fantastic infielder and is an absolute steal here at 11 in the re-draft. He had the potential to be a game-changer for the Expos. This would have been outstanding for Montreal if this happened and perhaps could have helped keep the team in Canada.

12 Minnesota Twins

Select: 2B          Bret Boone                   Southern Cal

Boone was actually selected in the 5th round with the 134th overall selection by the Mariners.

Actual Selection: P         Todd Ritchie        Duncanville HS

Ritchie was not worth a first round pick, let alone being selected in the top half of round 1. Instead, they pick a guy they originally drafted in 1987 back when he did not sign. This time they get him and he is a huge success story for the Twins. Boone has 252 career home runs, which is an incredibly high number for a second baseman. The Twins love this re-draft.

13 St. Louis Cardinals

Select: OF          Carl Everett                Hillsborough HS

Everett was actually selected with the 10th overall selection by the New York Yankees.

Actual Selection: P            Donovan Osbourne          UNLV

Osbourne was an ok selection and had an impact in the majors, but the Cardinals could have done better. Here, they select a guy that was already gone in the actual draft. Everett was a really solid outfielder and would have given St. Louis one of the best outfields in the game.

14 Oakland Athletics

Select: OF             Jeromy Burnitz            Oklahoma State

Burnitz was actually selected with the 17th overall selection by the New York Mets.

Actual Selection: P           Todd Van Poppel           James W. Martin Hs

Van Poppel had a negative career WAR and should not have been a 1st round pick. This re-draft is a chance for Oakland to extend their window and make an impact selection. They select an all-star outfielder that would have complemented the Bash Brothers well with his hustle.

15 San Francisco Giants

Select: C                  Mike Lieberthal           Westlake HS

Lieberthal was actually selected with the 3rd overall selection by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Actual Selection: OF         Adam Hyzdu           Archbishop Moeller HS

Lieberthal was long gone in the actual draft, but provides great value at 15 here in the real draft for the Giants. The opportunity to get an all-star backstop in the re-draft would excite the Giants very much. It would have been a much better selection than Hyzdu that is for sure.

16 Texas Rangers

Select: P                     Bob Wickman              Wisconsin-Whitewater

Wickman was actually selected  in the 2nd round with the 44th overall selection by the White Sox.

Actual Selection: P             Dan Smith               Creighton

Dan Smith didn't do anything productive in the MLB, but Bob Wickman had himself a solid MLB career. Wickman was a really solid starter that eventually was converted into a closer. He should have been a 1st rounder instead of a second rounder. Here in the re-draft, the Rangers make sure it happens.

17 New York Mets

Select: IF                     David Bell                     Archbishop Moeller HS

Bell was actually selected in the 7th round with the 190th overall selection by the Cleveland Indians.

Actual Selection: OF           Jeromy Burnitz       Oklahoma State

Burnitz was a wonderful selection and he had a really good pro career. However, he was selected already in the re-draft. If the draft happened today, the Mets would take the player that had the best career, and that was David Bell. The longtime big leaguer had quite the pro career and the Mets could have certainly lived with selecting him.

18 St. Louis Cardinals

Select: C                      Dan Wilson                     Minnesota

Wilson was actually selected with the 7th overall selection by the Cincinnati Reds.

Actual Selection: SS            Aaron Holbert         David Starr Jordan HS

Aaron Holbert never did anything of significance in the pros. The Cardinals could have made a selection of somebody else instead. Dan Wilson was gone in the actual draft, but the Cardinals are thrilled to get the all-star catcher in the re-draft.

19 San Francisco Giants

Select: 2B                     Fernando Vina                 Arizona State

Vina was actually selected in the 9th round with the 253rd overall selection by the Mets.

Actual Selection: C              Eric Christopherson     San Diego State

Christopherson was another guy that was drafted way too high. This guy didn't even make the majors. They could have done better picking 100s of different guys. With the re-draft, they have the opportunity to select former all-star second baseman Fernando Vina.

20 Baltimore Orioles

Select: OF                     Tony Clark                       Christian HS

Clark was actually selected with the 2nd overall pick by the Detroit Tigers.

Actual Selection: P               Mike Mussina          Stanford

No pick during this draft was better than Mike Mussina. He was a Hall of Famer and the Orioles ace for years. The team is quite unlucky in the re-draft losing him. However, they could pick up slugger Tony Clark. Clark's best season was 1997 and that was the season the Orioles won the AL East. That year Clark would slug 32 home runs and drive in 117 RBIs. Perhaps the slugger could have slugged the Orioles into the World Series.

21 Houston Astros

Select: P                          Eddie Guardado              San Joaquin Delta College

Guardado was actually selected 21st round with the 570th overall selection by the Twins.

Actual Selection: SS             Tom Nevers              Edina HS

Nevers never made the big leagues, but one guy that did was Everyday Eddie. The reliever was an outstanding closer with a long career. The Astros are thrilled to get him at number 21 in the re-draft. During the actual draft, Guardado didn't go until the 21st round.

22 Toronto Blue Jays

Select: P                Steve Karsay            Christ the King HS

Karsay was the Blue Jays actual selection.

The Blue Jays selected well in 1990 by getting the solid pitcher in Karsay. He would have an 11 year big league career and be solid for many years.

23 Chicago Cubs

Select: IF              Tony Graffanino        East Islip HS

Graffanino was actually selected in the 10th round with the 264th overall selection by the Braves.

Actual Selection: P                 Lance Dickson         Arizona

Dickson accomplished nothing in his big league career, but one guy that did was Tony Graffanino. The infielder had a 13 year big league career and was quite the bargain in the 10th round. Here in the re-draft, he is still a bargain for the Cubs at 23.

24 Montreal Expos

Select: P                James Baldwin            Pinecrest HS

Baldwin was actually selected in the 4th round with the 105th overall selection by the White Sox. 

Actual Selection: OF              Rondell White          Jones County HS

The Expos made an excellent selection by nabbing White at 24. However, in the re-draft, he is long gone. They select the best player available happens to be former starter James Baldwin who was absolutely fantastic up until about 2001. He has 79 career wins and an all-star appearance under his belt.

25 San Diego Padres

Select: P                Dave Fleming              Georgia

Fleming was actually selected in the 3rd round with the 79th overall selection by the Mariners.

Actual Selection: P                 Robbie Beckett         McCollum HS

Beckett did nothing as a pro, and the Padres wisely select one that did in the re-draft. While Fleming only lasted 5 years in the pros, they were wonderful years before he started having arm problems. He even won 17 games in 1992. Those 17 wins on the Padres, could have helped the team make the postseason.

26 Oakland Athletics

Select: OF               Rich Becker                  West HS

Becker was actually selected in the 3rd round with the 85th overall selection by the Twins.

Actual Selection: P                 Don Peters                 University of St. Francis

Don Peters never made the big leagues, it would have done the Athletics well to pick a player that would have made it. Here in the re-draft, they pick the best player left. That player is Rich Becker, who had a solid 8 year career. He was not a world beater, but he was a much better pro than Peters.

- Noland

Team Names Changing

This summer the Washington Redskins name change controversy came to the forefront once again. The name change will officially happen soon and it made me realize a few things about team names. Many nicknames in professional sports are terrible and many teams have no tradition associated with their name. In that light, what if some of those teams had to change names as well. What if every team that has never won had to change names. Here is a look at this fun exercise. I have re-named every team that has not won the major championship in their professional sport.

Major League Baseball

Colorado Rockies

This is one of the best team names on the list and one that probably should stick. That said, I said every team that has not won, so it includes this one. Colorado is known for its beautiful landscapes and wildlife. The new name for the Colorado Rockies will be the Colorado Coyotes.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers were another fantastic team name that fits the city and franchise well. However, like the Rockies, the name should be changed. A lot of people do not realize that Harley Davidson actually started in Milwaukee as well. It would make sense to name the team after that and do some cool sound effects at the stadium for it. New name will be the Milwaukee Motorcycles.

San Diego Padres

Now we are getting into names that aren't so great. Most people don't even know what a Padre is or why it is a sport team nickname. Why does it fit for San Diego as well? San Diego is known for its wildlife, its attractions, and above all its perfect weather. However it is difficult to name a team after the weather. We can easily name a team after an awesome animal in San Diego. New team name will be the San Diego Sand Sharks.

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners had the best player of this generation, but a boring team name. Most people think of rain when they think of seattle and the city likes alliterative nicknames. Why don't we make the Mariners the Seattle Storm. Way better name and its alliterative.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays actually are a great team name and the team is arguably the best in the area. However, I do prefer the old Devil Rays name and logo personally. There is a minor league team named the Tarpons in Tampa and its a great name. The Tarpon fishing in Tampa Bay is the best in the world. This franchise shall rename itself the Tampa Bay Tarpons.

Texas Rangers

This nickname isn't awful either, the Texas Rangers are a great name. The worst team names have won though in this sport and here is another solid name being changed. Now, the team will recognize the city and become the Arlington Admirals instead of the Texas Rangers.

Bonus: Houston Astros

The Astros are a dumb name from a team that cheated to its way to its only championship in 2017. They should absolutely be on this list and should have their recent history erased for their embarrassing cheating. The colors are terrible too by the way. Orange and blue should never be together. Let's go for some alliteration and re-name this team the Houston Hornets. Change their colors to gold and black.

National Basketball Association

Brooklyn Nets

Nets is a boring team name and since the team is no longer New Jersey, it doesn't flow as well. The best possible name is a throwback to a wrestler. This team is now to be known as the Brooklyn Brawlers. Its long past time for this to be a team nickname.

Charlotte Hornets

Any name is better than the Bobcats, but having to Hornets back in Charlotte hasn't exactly been a great thing. The colors are nothing like hornets either. That said, the color scheme is unique and should stay. A truly unique name could be the Charlotte Carriers. The carrier pigeon is green and purple and since they eat hornets, they have to be considered more intimidating. 

Denver Nuggets

I like the name Denver Nuggets and Rocky the Mountain Lion is one of the best mascots around. However, the team hasn't won, so I am going to submit a name change. An intimidating and alliterative new name is the Denver Dobermans. There are a lot of teams with Bulldogs as their nickname, but not many other dog breeds. The doberman is more intimidating than a bulldog though.

Indiana Pacers

It's crazy that the Pacers never won the NBA Championship. They had Reggie Miller! They didn't win though, so they are on the list. To tie in the rich history that Indiana has with cars, they shall be named the Indiana Ignition.

Los Angeles Clippers

The LA Clippers are serious contenders now with Kawhi and Paul George. The team hasn't won yet though and the name is terrible. The team could be named the California Condors instead. This bird with the largest wingspan in North America would make a wonderful mascot. It's majesty would go well with the red, white, and blue color scheme.

Memphis Grizzles

There are so many Grizzles in Memphis....How about a name that actually goes with the area. Memphis has a rich musical history, but the Jazz isn't the best name that they could use. Their new name shall be the Memphis Soul.

Minnesota Timberwolves

One of the best logos and names in the NBA, and not one that should be changed. As a team that hasn't won, they still go on the list. They shall now be named the Minnesota Mussels. There is a lot you can do with the Mussel as a logo, as the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels have shown us. This is a great name for a team.

New Orleans Pelicans

I actually like the name Pelicans, the uniforms and everything. This is a unique name among pro sports teams. They also will probably eventually win with Zion in the fold. For purposes of this exercise, we will still rename them. The team colors should be purple and gold for the Mardi Gras history of the town and be renamed the New Orleans Night Owls.

Orlando Magic

The Magic is one of the best names in pro sport and goes well with the city and the nearby Disney attraction. It is not one to change, but will be for purposes of these changes. To incorporate the other theme parks and thrills of the area, the new name will be the Orlando Adrenaline. Just bring back the pinstripe uniforms.

Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns isn't a bad name, but it is boring. Let's get something a little bit better. What animal is one of the best known ones out west? The roadrunner is an iconic bird and they could possibly tie in a bunch of looney tunes stuff with the team. That roadrunner has some purple, just like the current Phoenix team uniforms. The Arizona Roadrunners shall be the new name.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz are another team that has come close to winning, but fallen just short. They shall be renamed the Utah Grizzles. That name is great, it just doesn't fit in Memphis. It fits much better in Utah. There is a minor league ice hockey team that goes by this name, but the top league of the NBA gets dibs.

Washington Wizards

Technically the Wizards did win the NBA Championship back when the team was the Bullets. They were a good team back then and a return to the Bullets would be a welcome change. The Wizard is the worst nickname in professional sports though. It's just dumb. It has to change. If we can't have the Bullets, give us something else. Give me Freedom, Freedom Fighters, Americans, Generals, anything Patriotic. We will just say the Washington Generals for now.

National Football League

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons had a huge lead in the Super Bowl a few years back, but blew it. Just like they blew this unoriginal nickname. They can keep the colors and the bird theming. Just change it to a bigger and more powerful bird. The Atlanta Red Hawks.

Arizona Cardinals

Speaking of unoriginal team names, do we really need a Cardinals in every pro sport? Let's get something different. How about another team named after the deadly snakes in Arizona. The Arizona Copperheads is a lot more threatening of a name.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills made 4 straight Super Bowls and didn't win a single one. The team could change on that alone. I actually love the college team and mascot and think its a tad better. Let's do the Buffalo Bulls instead.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers have had their chances at winning too. They have an awfully boring and generic team name though. Carolina could be the Blue Crabs which sounds better and fits better with the area. It makes the blue make sense as well. Blue Panthers don't exist. 

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have some of the best uniforms in the NFL and have great colors. That said, you don't exactly think of Bengal Tigers when you think of Cincinnati. This city is known for its architecture. What is something associated with architecture? Construction. Cincinnati Construction doesn't sound great, but the Cincinnati Cranes sounds alright and gives the team a lot of options.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns will eventually be renamed. Fans of the team are often called the Dog Pound. Why not name the team after an intimidating breed of dog. The Cleveland Bloodhounds is an infinitely better name than the Browns.

Detroit Lions

Let me give you a little secret...Lions are not blue and they are not from Detroit. This nickname makes no sense and is forever linked with a loser. Time to change it. The Detroit Drive would be a nice recognition of the city's history with motor vehicles. It also allows them to go several different ways with logo and color scheme. I'm biased to silver and gold together and nobody else does it.

Houston Texans

The Texans is such a boring nickname. They had a great nickname, logo, and color scheme before the team moved. Time to go back. Houston Oilers with the baby blue instead of Navy.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars is a cool nickname from the standpoint of it being a unique nickname in pro sports and sounding cool. There are no Jaguars in Jacksonville though (unless you count the zoo) and the uniforms are terrible. Let's name them the Jacksonville Redfish after a popular fish in the region. Their colors can change to garnet and black for a more unique uniform. It can have some gold trim in there too.

Los Angeles Chargers

The powder blue uniforms of the Chargers are among the best in sport. What is not the best in sport is that there is another team in Los Angeles. This team shall move to another Californian city (San Diego, Oakland, or Sacramento) and be renamed the California Sea Lions. Just make their main color that blue.

Minnesota Vikings

Since the timberwolves changed their name, the Vikings can take the Timberwolves and adopt a purple and gray color scheme. The Vikings aren't a bad name, but the Timberwolves are a better one.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans are a solid team name and the team has great uniforms. They will now be known as the Nashville Noise giving recognition to the city's musical background. It gives them quite a bit of freedom with logos and colors as well.

Washington Football Team

The Redskins name was changed this summer to Washington Football Team. Obviously it will eventually change in to another team. I love the Red Wolves idea, but if they don't go with that, I'd love a patriotic theme. How about the Washington Freedom and have them get red, white, and blue uniforms like the other teams in Washington.

National Hockey League

Arizona Coyotes

There are plenty of coyotes in Arizona and the name isn't that bad. I'm not a huge fan of the uniforms though despite a great color scheme and the nickname can improve. Let's do the Arizona Racoons and change that desert sand to white. The team can be black and white with garnet as the third color.

Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo fans are passionate, but their teams are terrible. Their city is known for the cold and not much else. How about the Buffalo Blizzards? Their colors can be baby blue, white, and black.

Columbus Blue Jackets

What a dumb name? This is the dumbest name besides the Wizards. It's hard not to think of something that  improves this nickname. Additionally, the color scheme is overused. I love the old red, white, and blue, but it can't be used for every team. The team shall be renamed the Ohio Owls and their colors should change to brown, black, and yellow. A color scheme not used anywhere else in sports.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers have some of the coolest uniforms in hockey and a solid logo. This is one I wouldn't change, but the team hasn't won. A solid change could be the Miami Manatees. Their main color could be silver with orange as their secondary color.

Minnesota Wild

This is an uninspiring name with a weird logo that shows nothing about the state of Minnesota. There new name should be the Minnesota Miracle. A shout out to the Miracle on ice for which the coach of Team USA came from Minnesota. Of course the color scheme would have to change to red, white, and blue.

Nashville Predators

A cool team name, cool mascot, and sweet uniforms. This is one of the keeper teams. If it has to change, they should keep Gnash as the mascot. The story behind the name and that they found a saber-tooth tiger at the digsite is awesome. This team will be the Tigers and it will make sense.

Ottawa Senators

There are better nicknames than the Senators. A better name for the Ottawa NHL team would be the black bears. The Ottawa Black Bears is a much better team name.

San Jose Sharks 

This is a great team name, a great logo, and the sharks are crazy underutilized as a team name. Since by my rules it has to change, it should change to another underused team name. The San Jose Swordfish is another solid name.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks? That's the name? We already have the Canadians. Let's go with a team that would be far different, how about the Vancouver Lynx. That name isn't used in sports and could be a cool mascot.

Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas was on the right track, but their mascot makes no sense and this isn't 1890. They should be renamed the Golden Eagles. The golden eagle is the largest raptor in North America and makes for a wonderful team name. A golden eagle mascot would be far superior to their weird mascot which they claim is a gila monster.

Winnipeg Jets

This nickname leaves a lot to be desired. It also is the name that was used for a team that left town. They do have a solid logo though so we'd want a similar variation to that. How about the Winnipeg Wolves with a wolf where the jet is on the logo. You could keep the color scheme. This way the name has some alliteration and sounds way better.

- Noland

Baseball Please Come Back

We all miss sports so much. The action, the competitiveness, the unpredictability, the thrills, there is just nothing like live sports. I have absolutely hated the fact that we have not live had sports. No sport exemplifies this like the fact that we don't have baseball right now. Baseball is America's pastime, it is the sport of the spring and summer, and now it can be America's hope. We need baseball and this country needs to do what is necessary to make it happen.

That may mean playing games without fans.

That may mean changing divisions.

That may mean the American League having to have pitchers hit.

That may mean the National League having to have a DH.

That likely will mean no American League or National League at all.

Whatever that may entail, it needs to be done. America needs baseball.

Baseball helped America out of the Great Depression. Baseball helped America after World War 2, heck many baseball players even served in the war effort. More recently, baseball greatly helped the country after 9/11. Now, it is time to let baseball help a country that has been terribly affected by this pandemic. Everything is shutdown, we may be shutout, but we need baseball.

We need the sound of the bat hitting the ball.
We need to see the pitch cross the plate.
We need to see the plays.
We need to see somebody making a catch.
We need to see people having fun on the grass.
We need to see runs crossing the plate.
We need baseball.

This country needs something to cheer for. Even if it is not how we picture it. Even if its not how we are used to it. Even if its just through a TV screen, this country needs baseball.

I don't care that the Orioles will finish near the bottom of the entire league. I wish I could go to the games, but I will live without. It will be much harder to live without it in its entirety. Please give me baseball however you can.

One day we will get to go back, hopefully sooner rather than later, but please keep it here for us. Please give us baseball.

Any baseball this year will be a plus. I need baseball, especially on the 4th of July. Need to see my summertime sport. I may not be able to go to a game with the family like the past few years, but at least let me see a game.

Put all the games on tv, minor leagues too. Anything. Just give us what we want.

Please give us baseball.

- Noland

The 2017 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

It is time to consider some new (and some old) candidates for the Baseball Hall of Fame. For some reason the baseball Hall of Fame is the biggest lightning rod in all of sports. People just care more about this vote than others and it is more complicated than the other halls as well. The reason it is more complicated is because of the use of performance enhancing drugs from the generation currently on the ballot. Why it is a big issue in baseball and not football where drug use is just as if not more rampant is beyond me. Back on topic though, the issue does make it a difficult vote and one that many writers struggle with. Therefore I thought I would share my thoughts on the issue.

I decided to break the ballot into 5 categories so it is easier to cast my imaginary ballot. This is how I think many guys do vote.

Category 1: Guys that just straight up don't belong
1) Matt Stairs
dude was mostly a pinch hitter
2) Freddy Sanchez
3) Pat Burrell
4) Arthur Rhodes
One of my personal favorite players, but not a Hall of Famer. He gets a longer look though because of the longetivity which was amazing. Above Average for a long time is not a Hall of Famer though.
5) Orlando Cabrera
6) Casey Blake
7) Jason Varitek
I'm sure some Boston fans would try to argue, but not even close.
8) Carlos Guillen
Had a few really good years, but again not close
9) Melvin More
One of my all-time favorite Orioles and a candidate for the Oriole Hall of Fame, but not the baseball Hall of Fame. Deserves more of a look than 1-8, but simply not a Hall of Fame player.
10) Edgar Renteria
Played SS and had a GW hit of a World Series. Not Hall of Fame caliber, but may get a few votes.
11) Tim Wakefield
Not a Hall of Famer, but very consistent
12) Derek Lee
We are getting closer and he was a really strong player with some phenomenal years, but not quite there in my opinion.
13) JD Drew
Always dogged by people that think he never gave 100%, but very productive career. Not a Hall of Fame player, but I love the guy. I would have loved to have that bat in Camden Yards. Drew will always be one of my personal favorites for what he did for FSU.

Category 2: The known cheaters of guys that could belong
1) Mike Cameron
WIll not make it, but should have gotten a lot longer look than he will. The dude was very solid for a number of seasons. Suspended for steroids which erases the need to give him a longer look. Caught cheating and should be eliminated from consideration.
2) Manny Ramirez
One of the greatest hitters of all-time, but suspended multiple times for PED usage.
3) Sammy Sosa
I can't imagine finding anyone that thinks Sosa did not use PEDs and he has been caught corking his bat including to win the HR derby which has led to his prestige.
4) Gary Sheffield
Has admitted steroid use. Was an absolute stud, but shouldn't make it due to steroids. How many of those 509 home runs were aided.
5) Barry Bonds
The greatest position player ever and would have made it easily without steroids, but he cheated and should be disqualified for that cheating. I really understand people that vote him and Clemens in anyway, but I cannot do it personally because he cheated.
6) Roger Clemens
See Barry Bonds, but change position player to pitcher. Clemens was the most obvious cheater to me because of his age and throwing high 90s heat into 40. Come on!!!

Category 3: The suspected cheaters
1) Magglio Ordonez
Here is a perfect example for why to seperate into categories. Was absolutely incredible there for a few years, but too short of a timeframe to make it into the Hall of Fame. However, had he used drugs to try to stay healthy longer, could have easily made it and produced better numbers. A prime example of why the cheaters should be left out if he is left out. That being said, was named in Canseco's 2nd book so he too could be guilty.
2) Ivan Rodriguez
One of my personal favorite players, but there have been reports of PED usage. Named by Jose Canseco in his book and there are a lot of rumors. So while he is one of my favorites from my childhood and while he may be the greatest catcher of all-time, I am okay with waiting. It seems there is a lot more to find out here. He will remain on the ballot. While we should not punish him, we can give it time to sort out.
3) Jeff Kent
I like Kent and think he should receive the benefit of the doubt, but the talk has been there. I personally would not include him because he was a liability defensively, but he is a legitimate candidate. I like the guy and maybe he could get in one day.
4) Curt Schilling
Most of the controversy surrounding Schilling is self imposed. He himself said Red Sox officials urged him to consider PED use. Most of it seems suspect and I do not believe he did any, but there is some smoke there with Schilling. He is a borderline guy that I have just off.
5) Jeff Bagwell
There is some smoke with Bagwell and PEDS, but he has been on the ballot for 7 years. If they haveb't found anything yet, they are unlikely to find anything. We have to give him the benefit of the doubt and vote him in unless there are enough guys over the line that have 0 controversy.

Category 4: The borderline guys that have no controversy
1) Jorge Posada
Will look more at Posada in future years, but not quite enough production from me. I do consider Posada a strong candidate though and believe him staying clean should hold some importance.
2) Billy Wagner
I have Wagner as in. He should be in. Closer is a position and he was one of the best ever. A truly excellent closer for years. He is in trouble, but could gain steam as advanced metrics guys get an increasing say.
3) Fred McGriff
This is the one that gets to me and a guy that is killed by the steroid era. He hit 493 home runs. He is not tainted. McGriff drove in 1550. Yet you want to punish him because some other guys inflated the numbers of the era?
McGriff was not inflating the numbers, he was producing and doing it clean. Maybe he should be on the slam dunk side, because he certainly is a Hall of Fame player. However, he is hovering around 20% of the vote and seems to be losing traction.
4) Lee Smith
Already seeing what was written about Wagner, it is pretty easy to see why I think Smith is a legit candidate. Smith had 478 career saves and was the all-time leader before some Hoffman guy came around. He was one of the first closers to be used in the way they are today and excelled at it. Certainly worthy, but likely falls short.
5) Edgar Martinez
I think Martinez should be considered because he is perhaps the greatest DH ever. That being said he should not be considered over a comparable player that played a position. He should be considered over those he was a better hitter than. I'd vote him in at the bottom of my ballot as the 10th guy, but understand why some don't.

This group really needs to get bonus points for staying clean and above controversy in an era filled with it. If voters want to take a stand, they can elevate these players above their suspected counterparts.

Category 5: The slam dunks
Every year there are some slam dunks that you absolutely must vote for and they have strong character. To me there are 5 slam dunk guys on this ballot.
1) Tim Raines
It seems Tim Raines will finally get into the Hall of Fame this year. How he hasn't been considered a slam dunk to this point is amazing to me. Raines is the 2nd greatest leadoff hitter of all-time, I guess he is hurt because he played in the same generation as the best. Raines was a 5 tool player and honestly was a better player than Craig Biggio who was a slam dunk Hall of Famer in his own right. Luckily, he seems a lock to be included this year.
2) Vladimir Guerrero
Best player on his team everywhere he went (except Baltimore late in his career). Best bad ball hitter ever. Rocket arm. 5 tools. Amazing baseball player.

3) Larry Walker
People consider Edgar Martinez a borderline Hall of Famer and he is. Martinez was one of the best of his generation, but Martinez was a DH. Walker is a 5 tool player that won 5 legitimate gold gloves. His arm rivaled Guerrero. I think people forget just how good Larry Walker was. He was/is an all-time great. Forget that he played in Colorado. His numbers were nearly as good on the road. He also had no controversy in a very controversial time and was a true 5 tool guy.
4) Mike Mussina
The highest career WAR of any eligible player besides Bonds and Clemens. 270 wins and an ERA under 4 playing his entire career in the AL East when the AL East was perhaps at its best. He pitched against the Yankee dynasty and was successful. Not to mention that when he left the Orioles, their incompetent run of finishing under .500 started. The team fell apart when he left and was ultra competitive while he was with the team.
5) Trevor Hoffman
I don't care what you feel about the stat, 601 career saves is 601 career saves. Hoffman deserves in. I believe that he will get in sometime soon. Whether it be this year, next year, or a few years from now.

It is important to include those last 5 first and go from there.
Here is my full ballot of who gets my vote
1) Tim Raines
2) Vlad
3) Larry Walker
4) Mike Mussina
5) Trevor Hoffman
6) Billy Wagner
7) Lee Smith
8) Fred McGriff
9) Edgar Martinez
10) Jeff Bagwell

I expect Bagwell, Raines, Vlad, and Hoffman to get in and deservedly so. The rest of us can get into this talk again next year. Should be interesting.

Best of luck to all of the deserving candidates.

-Noland

The Historical Greatness of Bumgarner and Posey

This World Series was one of the most entertaining series of my lifetime. I would put this series at number 2 behind the 2001 World Series where the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees.
(You must remember that I was born in 1987 and don't fully remember the Twins win in 1991.)
However, this win goes beyond that when you think of San Francisco's two biggest stars, Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey.

For both of these terrific athletes, their first full seasons in the league was 2010. During that season, the duo led the Giants to the World Series. Now, in their 5th full season each, they have won their 3rd World Series Championship for the Giants. Wow! 3 World Series Titles in 5 years! Do not forget their age either, because as impressive as this is, Bumgarner is 24 years old! Posey is only 27! There is more to come from this impressive battery. They have not won for a historical powerhouse either. The Giants had not won since 1954 when they were the New York Giants prior to this duo. Jeter has his 5 championships in 20 seasons, but it was for the team with the highest payroll every year except the last two (Dodgers) while the Giants are nowhere near that. The Giants were 7th in payroll this season, a full 80 million behind the Dodgers and 50 million behind the Yankees. In 2012, the San Francisco Giants were 8th in payroll. They were 10th in payroll in 2010. These payroll numbers show that the team wasn't cheap, but they also weren't buying superstars left and right like the New York Yankees were doing.

To further illustrate the dominance of Posey, look at the 2011 season when the Giants lost him to a broken leg...

Those 2011 Giants missed the playoffs by 8 games. They were beaten out by an inferior Arizona team that couldn't hold water with San Francisco. Posey would only come back to win the MVP of the league coming off said broken leg. He of course would win that MVP and lead the Giants to another championship in 2012. Then obviously they won it this season. San Fran not only doesn't win without Posey or Bumgarner, they don't even make the playoffs without either one. You sub one of the two out for a league average guy and they have 0 championships.

That brings me to my next point on Bruce Bochy. Look, Bochy is a Nole and I love the guy for that. However, there is no doubt that the guy doesn't sniff the Hall of Fame without these two players. Those 3 rings that this team won though should put Bochy in Cooperstown. The rings put him in an elite class of manager and are truly impressive. There is absolutely no way though that if another team had Posey and/or Bumgarner that these Giants win. It just doesn't happen. During the Yankee wins in Jeter's career I would argue that you sub any of those guys for a league average player and the Yankees win at least 3 titles and Torre is still a HOF. However, with one of these guys switching, that same thing doesn't happen for the Giants. This team would win 0 titles. The Bruce Bochy factor must be considered.

Look, I realize there is a lot of baseball left in these young players' careers. I also realize that neither of these guys did it alone. They had strong personnel around them. In addition to that though, I just realize how historically great they are. It is no coincidence that these two came up and this team started winning. It is no coincidence that Madison Bumgarner completely dominated the World Series multiple times. There is no coincidence behind this guy being compared to the greatest of all-time in the playoffs and stacking up favorably. That guy and his catcher Posey are simply fantastic. The best thing is that they got a lot of good baseball left in them. There are no two players in all of Major League Baseball right now that I would rather have than Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey. That should say all it needs to about what I think of this duo. Unfortunately, for the rest of baseball they are on the same team.

-Noland

Looking Back At My Sports Predictions

Before making predictions for the upcoming season, I believe that it is important to look at the predictions that I have made in the past. This helps for accountability purposes and as a good frame of reference for the next set of predictions. I will go over the major hits and misses and the close calls in this piece. Hope you enjoy.

March Madness Predictions
Here is my 2013 March Madness Prediction. My most confident pick to make it to the final four that season was Georgetown and they were upset early. Since, I have vowed to never pick Georgetown to advance far again. I missed on several picks. However, I did pick Louisville to win the National Championship and still won my pool.

My 2014 predictions were not posted on this blog. I picked Michigan State to win it all in my main bracket, but did have UCONN winning one of my brackets. I was not even close on Kentucky this past season. My biggest mistake by far though was being so critical of the selection committee on their selection of Dayton. The selection committee really does a great job and proved the haters (including me) wrong once again. Dayton made the Elite 8 and played a great tournament. I still think UVA got an unfair shake with a loaded bracket though.

NCAA Football Predictions
I actually already did a recap of my college football predictions for 2012 late in the season that year. It can be found here. I predicted Georgia would win the National Championship that season and they came so close, but eventually fell to Alabama. I absolutely love that I hit on the rise of Duke football and the return of FSU to the BCS. Both predictions were certainly not universal. FSU fell a little short of my expectations that season, but took a valuable step forward.

My 2013 predictions were better in some spots and a lot worse in some spots. Those predictions were not ones that anybody else was making though. I don't like following the script.
I picked FSU to go undefeated and win their bowl game, but I did not think they would be selected for the National Championship. Then FSU went out and completely destroyed every team they played and I was pleasantly surprised.
Stanford won the Pac 12 in impressive fashion as I predicted, but did not finish undefeated.
Louisville did not win the American Conference losing a head-to-head game with the University of Central Florida. Central Florida came out of nowhere and even won a BCS Game.
Texas and Nebraska didn't come close to the National Championship Game. This is the worst prediction I have had to date. Texas was so bad last year it was not even funny.
South Carolina had a strong year, but didn't win the SEC. They did beat Clemson though which is one game that I had wrong. Their best player played injured the entire season and did not sniff the Heisman as I predicted. Who could have predicted a Freshman QB to win the Heisman though?
I was wrong about Clemson beating SC, but I did have them winning a BCS game and they did just that knocking off Ohio State!
My other big misses were that Virginia Tech was not a Top 15 team and Michigan State was a Top 5 squad. I had Michigan State finishing ranked 22nd.
Sometimes you are glad to be wrong though and these predictions are proof of that.

Major League Baseball Predictions
My 2013 season predictions were okay.
We will look at the American League first. I picked the Boston Red Sox to finish last in the AL East largely due to their breakdown the year before and they won the World Series. I did not think that Napoli and Victorino would get them that far. Apparently, I underestimated the ability of a healthy Shane Victorino, because that team exceeded expectations for sure. The 2014 Red Sox have him hurt and Jacoby gone and they are in last place. Cleveland got a wild card and I also predicted them to come in last place. Anaheim and Baltimore did not come through as division champs for me either. Albert Pujols was far from an MVP candidate.
It was not all bad though, I predicted Tampa Bay to win the wild card game and had the bottom two teams in the AL West correct as well. Additionally, I had the easiest pick in the league which was the Detroit Tigers winning the AL Central. There were a couple other teams I had correct like Minnesota in 4th, Texas in 2nd etc., but its more important to get the playoff teams right and I was not too accurate at that.
For the National League, I fared a little better. This league I got most of the playoff teams correct. While I missed on the Nationals in the playoffs and had them winning the division, I didn't pick them as far as many others. There were several people picking the Nationals to win the World Series. I foolishly picked St. Louis to finish 4th though. What a horrible miss. St. Louis would obviously make the playoffs like they do every year. I also predicted the incredibly consistent Giants to win the entire National League and they missed the playoffs. They have been so good with Posey in the lineup though that it was hard to resist. There are 5 playoff teams and I missed on 3, but I was incredibly close. I missed on the Nationals who were the next team out, the Giants who are always in the fight, and the Pirates who I correctly predicted would finish 2nd in the division.
Like I said about the National League I was pretty good. I correctly had Atlanta and Cincinnati in the playoffs. I had Pittsburgh and the Dodgers in contention as well and they both made it. The last place teams in the National League Central and East were also correct. The National League Cy Young was obviously going to Clayton Kershaw if he stayed healthy and I nailed that prediction. I flip flopped San Diego and Colorado in my predictions, but they were at the bottom of the National League West as predicted. I also correctly predicted that Milwaukee would not be a factor, but I had them in 3rd place and not 4th. I missed my predictions on the Mets and the Phillies standing order by 1 game too. I don't think that's bad at all over 162 game season.

For the 2014 season I did not make any predictions on this blog. I would have picked the Dodgers to win the World Series though and Clayton Kershaw to win the Cy Young again. In the American League I would have picked Felix Hernandez because he's the next best pitcher in the game. The American League Champions I would have picked would have been the Angels. I have been counting on Hamilton and Pujols to have bounce backs for a while now, so we will see if they finally do it. There is a lot of baseball still to be played.

NBA Predictions
I have yet to make season predictions for the NBA, but here are predictions I have made about the NBA. In this piece after Lebron won his 1st title, I predicted that the Spurs would win another title before the Heat trio came close to catching them. It was another Duncan vs. LeBron piece and it was largely correct.
Here I incorrectly predicted the Spurs to win the NBA title in 2012 as the playoffs were getting underway. However, I still dispute some of the Thunder's comeback in the Western Conference Finals that year. There were quite a few Joey Crawford shenanigans. I also incorrectly predicted though that the Heat would not make the finals and that they would be knocked out by the Celtics. Very wrong!
Way back in December of 2012, I guaranteed that as soon as David Stern or Joey Crawford retired, the Spurs would win the next NBA Championship. Stern retires mid-season and the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Championship. It was easy to predict because the Spurs were screwed out of multiple titles by Joey Crawford. Duncan has 5 rings and should have at least 7 by now.
After the Thunder won that 2012 Western Conference Finals, I predicted that the Spurs dynasty was not done and was proven right.
I also called for the removal of Joey Crawford again after that season, but didn't make any new predictions. I just talked about how the Spurs got robbed and Crawford needed to stop doing Spurs games.
You see most of these predictions were centered around the NBA being similar to pro-wrestling and Joey Crawford and Stern needing to go. Crawford didn't do a deciding game this year and Stern is gone and magically the Spurs are NBA Champs! Who could have guessed?

NFL Predictions
In 2012 my predictions for the NFL season were decent. I did not have the Redskins making the playoffs and was surprised at the success of two rookies there. The New York Giants are who I predicted to win the division and that team ended up finishing 9-7. I did not have the Minnesota Vikings making the playoffs and figured they would struggle coming off of Peterson's devastating injury. I had the Rams getting the wild card though instead of the Seahawks. The only AFC Team I missed in the playoffs was the Indianapolis Colts (who had a rookie QB), I foolishly picked Buffalo, but surely I wouldn't make that mistake again....
Correctly, I predicted the Green Bay Packers to win the NFC North, but so did everyone else. Additionally, I had the Atlanta Falcons winning the NFC South correctly. The San Francisco 49ers also won the NFC West as I predicted. I got the order of all the AFC playoff teams right with the exception of Houston having home field and as I said the Colts making it. 5 out 6 playoff teams is pretty dang good though if you ask me. Although some of those predictions were pretty easy.
The playoffs were not quite as good to me as I had the Houston Texans advancing to and winning the Super Bowl. I figured that Denver would eventually fold in the playoffs given Peyton's playoff history, but did not expect Joe Flacco's dominance in the playoffs. Flacco was amazing during this postseason and knocked everyone out. The Falcons made a good run at the Super Bowl too, but San Francisco was too strong and it was hard to deny the all brothers coaching match-up. These predictions were pretty solid though other than the Greg Schiano one. That was an awful pick. Not as awful as my 2013 NFL predictions though.

For the 2013 NFL season I had a disaster as far as predictions. There was not a lot I had right. I predicted the wrong team to win every division in the NFC. I had Washington, Minnesota, New Orleans, and San Francisco. The latter two were actually solid predictions, but those first two were colossal misses. I also had Atlanta making the playoffs and Carolina finishing in last place. There were only two correct playoff teams for the NFC (San Fran and New Orleans). I once again thought the Rams would break through and I still believe they are incredibly close, but they fell just short. That NFC West is so loaded that I am not embarrassed by that pick at all. Washington, Minnesota, and Carolina though were horrible misses. Picking San Francisco to win the Super Bowl was also a really good prediction. Those guys were so close and were the second best team in the NFL all year long. They came the closest to knocking off the champs.

The AFC saw me pick slightly better for the playoff teams, but I made two major mistakes. One I am not embarrassed about is picking the New England Patriots to fall out of the playoffs. This is a team that had an awful last season and it was reasonable to think they would struggle mightily. The Bills having the injury to EJ Manuel also effected the race a little bit in my opinion. He missed out of several valuable snaps. Tom Brady is absolutely terrific though and deserves the benefit of the doubt. The other awful mistake in the AFC was once again picking the Texans to make it to the Super Bowl. Two swings and misses on that prediction. I was not the only person to make that pick, but they had an awful season. I got 3 of the 6 playoff teams right and actually picked San Diego to have a better record than they did. San Diego was the next team closest to a playoff berth in my predictions.
For the individual awards and predictions I had mixed results. EJ Manuel was hurt for a majority of the season so my prediction on him winning the rookie of the year was off. Keenan Allen, and Eddie Lacy had fantastic years and one may have beaten him anyway though. Eddie Lacy ended up winning the award, but I would have picked Allen and Manuel being a factor may have changed the votes. Another Sam Bradford injury prevented Jeff Fisher from his coach of the year, but I still think that was a decent pick. Picking Adrian Peterson to be MVP back-to-back was pretty foolish now that I think about it. Having that many carries in consecutive seasons would have ruined him. There was no way he'd produce at that high a level either with the other teams watching more film. Which leads me to the guarantee about Ponder. Not a smart call on the Ponder guarantee. My last dumb guarantee was my bonus guarantee about CJ Spiller. Spiller didn't even sniff the yardage I was assuming. This guy has got to start producing soon or I consider him a huge draft bust. He has been nowhere near as good as advertised yet. Vernon Davis did have double digit touchdowns though with 13 in the regular season. He also had 2 in the playoffs. Finally, Mario Williams was top 5 in sacks as well as I predicted. Mario Williams was 4th in the league and 2nd in the AFC in sacks. The only person that beat Mario Williams in sacks in the AFC was Robert Mathis who has since tested positive for PED use. Mario Williams is an absolute monster.

-Noland

The Baseball All-Star Game Sendoff

There are several things that you want for incredible athletes that do things the right way. Many of us want them to go out on top and some get to do that, but that is rare. It's rare that they get to enjoy it too, but it does happen sometimes. In basketball I can only really think of David Robinson announcing he was leaving that season and going out on top. It is equally rare in football, with only Ray Lewis and John Elway coming to mind (I think many would say Ray didn't do things the right way either). That feat doesn't really happen in baseball either. I cannot remember the last time a guy said he was retiring before the season and won the World Series in baseball. It most likely has happened, but I do not remember it. However, there is one thing that baseball does far better than the other sports.

Baseball has mastered the all-star game sendoff for these fantastic athletes with legendary careers. They honor guys that are great for the game and great for the community. This has really been true the last few years, but it happened long before that. When there isn't a current athlete to celebrate, baseball makes sure to honor a hometown legend like Stan Musial or Ted Williams. Sometimes baseball is able to do both. Major League Baseball just does a great job with their all-star game and it is truly a great thing to see.

Back in 2001, one of my childhood heroes, Cal Ripken Jr., took his personal farewell tour to the all-star game. To this day, I consider this my favorite all-star game experience to watch. I was a Freshman in High School that was so moved by the way that baseball honored its Iron Man. Here was Cal Ripken, the gold standard for hard work, excellence, and integrity being honored for being the incredible example that he was. During a period of drug users and cheaters, Ripken did things the right way and did things the best way. He was the centerpiece of this game and I loved it. They honored him the whole week long and Joe Torre was great with how he handled Cal. The Yankee manager at the time made a plan to have Cal Ripken Jr. play SS for an inning (eventhough he moved to 3B by that point in his career). Many argue that Ripken is the best SS ever and I agree so that was an awesome gesture for his last midsummer classic. It is also easily the single greatest moment of Alex Rodriguez's career where he put the game before himself. That is another story for another day though. In 2001 the All-Star game belonged to Cal Ripken Jr. He even hit a home run and won MVP which added to the festivities. This really was a shining moment for baseball. It was mainly a celebration of Cal passing the torch to the younger players in Major League Baseball, like Derek Jeter.

That moment was one of those once in a lifetime things. Major League Baseball surely would not be able to do that again most of us thought. Many of us predicted that would be one of the only times we saw that. All of us that thought it was the only time were wrong though. The last three years, every year has been an awesome all-star sendoff.

In 2012, during Mike Trout and Bryce Harper's first all-star game when baseball received a huge injection of youth, it honored a classic superstar. This all-star game would be played during the last season for Atlanta Brave legend, Chipper Jones. Now, Chipper isn't a Hall of Fame lock for everyone, but for me this guy certainly is. Especially given the era he played in and the fact that he did it clean. Chipper Jones was absolutely a guy that baseball needed to honor. Baseball did a great job with it too, eventhough Chipper had to be added after the initial rosters were announced. Major League Baseball realized that they needed Chipper in the game during his final season. As a Virginia resident at the time I loved the baseball tribute. I grew up watching Chipper and followed his career all the way back to the Richmond Braves in 1993 when I was 6 years old. We saw Chipper play minor league baseball and come up and become a superstar. It is great to see guys like Chipper pass the torch.

The following season in 2013, we saw Mariano Rivera on his farewell tour. The legendary closer who happens to be the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history, is one that everyone admires. He is one that we have been spoiled by recently and did things the right way. His whole career he conducted himself with class. I was thrilled that baseball gave him such a classy sendoff.Mariano also won MVP during his sendoff with a great performance.

A guy like Mike Trout was already spoiled by this point, but Tuesday's game really sealed the deal for the Major League Baseball sendoff. In his 3rd year in the league, Mike Trout was at his 3rd all-star game and witnessing his 3rd legendary sendoff. This time, the sendoff featured the Captain on his farewell tour. It was time to say goodbye at the all-star game to Derek Jeter. Jeter would help lead the American League to victory. With a brilliant defensive play in the top of the first, and a leadoff double in the bottom half. He would score the first run and collect another hit later in the game. Then in the 4th inning, Jeter came out so that the AL could get some other guys in and he could get the proper sendoff. He received multiple standing ovations during the game and baseball showed the world what a classy sport it was. We all Re2pect Derek Jeter and that commercial was one of the best commercials of all-time.

Derek Jeter did not win the MVP, although he obviously could have. Maybe he should have, but him not winning it just shows you how great baseball is. Major League Baseball is fantastic at passing the torch. For the past couple years we have seen these superstars exit the game and an injection of new talent into it. An injection of the guys that will one day receive these same sendoffs. One of those guys happened to witness these three sendoffs in his first three years in baseball. He is soaking up the knowledge that they imparted and becoming a fan-favorite. Know he won the 2014 All-Star Game MVP and is quickly becoming the new face of Major League Baseball. Now that the captain is leaving, somebody else has to become the face of the game, and who better than Mike Trout?

The torch has been passed once again. You have to love Major League Baseball.

-Noland

100 Best MLB Players

With all this talk about top 100 in my past few posts, I decided to start doing my own top 100 list for the 3 major sports. These lists will be based on value provided the rest of this season and into next year. For instance, Mariano Rivera is not eligible because he will not play in 2014. It is a list for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Past accomplishments factor in, but it isn't an all-time list, so a guy like Derek Jeter will not be in the top 10, eventhough he is arguably the best player of today over his career. Defense will factor in a great deal with these rankings. Finally, no players linked to steroids will be included, so no A-Rod or Braun from me

The hardest thing in all of sports is to compare position players with pitchers, but I did my best to take care of everything here.

100. Chris Tillman             Baltimore Orioles        SP

99. Aroldis Chapman        Cincinnati Reds           P

98. Jarrod Parker              Oakland A's               SP

97. Yoenis Cespedes        Oakland A's                OF

96. Shane Victorino           Boston Red Sox         OF

95. Mike Napoli                Boston Red Sox         1B

94. Wil Myers                   Tampa Bay Rays         OF

93. Kyle Seager                Seattle Mariners          3B

92. Hisashi Iwakuma         Seattle Mariners          SP

91. Wei Yin Chen             Baltimore Orioles         SP

90. Alex Gordon               Kansas City Royals     OF

89. Curtis Granderson       New York Yankees    OF

88. Chris Archer               Tampa Bay Rays         SP

87. Cole Hammels            Philadelphia Phillies      SP

86. Matt Wieters              Baltimore Orioles         C

85. Shelby Miller              St. Louis Cardinals       SP

84. Prince Fielder             Detroit Tigers               1B

83. Jed Lowrie                 Oakland A's                 SS

82. Michael Bourn            Cleveland Indians         OF

81. Carlos Gomez            Milwaukee Brewers      OF

80. Jayson Werth             Washington Nationals   OF

79. Ian Desmond              Washington Nationals   SS

78. Brandon Beachy         Atlanta Braves             SP

77. Joe Nathan                 Texas Rangers             CP

76. Torii Hunter                Detroit Tigers               OF

75. Chris Sale                   Chicago White Sox      SP

74. Cliff Lee                      Philadelphia Phillies      SP

73. James Loney               Tampa Bay Rays         1B

72. Anibal Sanchez            Detroit Tigers              SP

71. Matt Holiday               St. Louis Cardinals      OF

70. Yasiel Puig                  Los Angeles Dodgers  OF

69. Coco Crisp                 Oakland A's                OF

68. Brett Gardner              New York Yankees    OF

67. Andrelton Simmons     Atlanta Braves             SS

66. JJ Hardy                      Baltimore Orioles        SS

65. Ben Zobrist                 Tampa Bay Rays         IF/OF

64. Mike Minor                 Atlanta Braves             SP

63. Matt Moore                Tampa Bay Rays          SP

62. Jordan Zimmerman      Washington Nationals   SP

61. Starling Marte              Pittsburgh Pirates         OF

60. Derek Holland             Texas Rangers             SP

59. Justin Masterson          Cleveland Indians         SP

58. Jay Bruce                    Cincinnati Reds            OF

57. Dominic Brown           Philadelphia Phillies       OF

56. Pedro Alvarez             Pittsburgh Pirates          3B

55. Craig Kimbrel             Atlanta Braves              CP

54. Jose Reyes                  Toronto Blue Jays        SS

53. Brandon Phillips          Cincinnati Reds             2B

52. Joe Mauer                  Minnesota Twins            C

51. James Shields              Kansas City Royals       SP

50. Shin-Shoo Choo         Cincinnati Reds              OF

49. Julio Teheran               Atlanta Braves               SP

48. Giancarlo Stanton        Miami Marlins                OF

47. Patrick Corbin            Arizona Diamondbacks   SP

46. Justin Upton                Atlanta Braves               OF

45. Jon Lester                   Boston Red Sox             SP

44. Elvis Andrus                Texas Rangers                SS

43. Chris Johnson              Atlanta Braves                3B

42. Carlos Beltran             St. Louis Cardinals          OF

41. Allen Craig                  St. Louis Cardinals          1B

40. Stephen Strasburg       Washington Nationals      SP

39. Hyun-Jin Ryu               Los Angeles Dodgers      SP

38. Matt Harvey                New York Mets              SP

37. Troy Tulowitski            Colorado Rockies           SS

36. David Wright               New York Mets              3B

35. Bryce Harper              Washington Nationals      OF

34. Freddie Freeman         Atlanta Braves                 1B

33. Hiroki Kuroda             New York Yankees        SP

32. Jason Kipnis                Cleveland Indians            2B

31. Evan Longoria             Tampa Bay Rays             3B

30. Justin Verlander           Detroit Tigers                  SP

29. Clay Buchholz              Boston Red Sox             SP

28. Jeff Locke                    Pittsburgh Pirates            SP

27. Adrian Gonzalez           Los Angeles Dodgers      1B

26. Salvador Perez             Kansas City Royals          C

25. Jose Fernandez            Miami Marlins                  SP

24. Josh Donaldson           Oakland A's                     3B

23. Matt Carpenter            St. Louis Cardinals            IF

22. David Price                  Tampa Bay Rays              SP

21. Adam Wainwright        St. Louis Cardinals            SP

20. Jacoby Ellsbury            Boston Red Sox               OF

19. Carlos Gonzalez           Colorado Rockies             OF

18. Max Scherzer               Detroit Tigers                    SP

17. Joey Votto                   Cincinnati Reds                 1B

16. Paul Goldschmidt         Arizona Diamondbacks     1B

15. Chris Davis                  Baltimore Orioles              1B

14. Jean Segura                 Milwaukee Brewers          SS

13. Dustin Pedroia             Boston Red Sox                2B

12. Robinson Cano            New York Yankees          2B

11. Miguel Cabrera            Detroit Tigers                    3B

10. Andrew McCutchen     Pittsburgh Pirates              OF

09. Adam Jones                 Baltimore Orioles              OF

08. Yadier Molina              St.Louis Cardinals              C

07. Yu Darvish                   Texas Rangers                   SP

06. Adrian Beltre                Texas Rangers                   3B

05. Mike Trout                   Los Angeles Angels           OF

04. Manny Machado           Baltimore Orioles              3B

03. Felix Hernandez            Seattle Mariners                SP

02. Clayton Kershaw           Los Angeles Dodges         SP

01. Buster Posey                 San Francisco Giants         C