The Fightin Phils Win It All by Kyle Butler

Game 5 of the World Series ended last night nearly 50 hours after it started on Monday. For Philadelphia sports fans, a little extra time was worth it, in order to end 25 years of major sports disappointment.

Yes, the Phillies are the champions of baseball after knocking off Tampa Bay’s young guns to capture the 2008 World Series. It was quite a rise for a team that a month ago was far from a lock for making postseason play period. But the Fightin Phils put together another strong September, and that, along with another convenient collapse by the New York Mets, put the Phillies in the playoffs, and did they ever dominate once they got there!

The Brewers? Drowned in pints after four games.
The Dodgers? Even Manny couldn’t derail the Phillies momentum.
The Rays? Youth can get you far, but experience matters. That may sound like a political commercial, but it’s the truth. The Rays, much like last year’s Rockies, looked awesome in the first two rounds, but when it mattered most, the weight and magnitude of the situation squashed Tampa Bay. The Rays are young enough to bounce back though, and the rivalry in the AL East between Tampa and Boston should be tremendous to watch in the coming seasons.

But back to the present. Philly fans can enjoy this title, the first by any major sports team in the city since 1983. And the Phillies should enjoy this one, for they certainly earned it. The team looks solid for the future as well, with stars like Rollins, Utley, Howard, Hamels, and Lidge all in the prime of their careers. Philadelphia sports fans had to wait a long time between titles. But if this nucleus stays together, the City of Brotherly Love won’t have nearly as long a wait next time.

MLB End of Reg Season Power Poll by Kyle Butler

October is here, and so are the playoffs. Before they officially start this afternoon, let’s take a look at the MLB Power Poll through the end of the regular season.

AL EAST:

Tampa Bay: (1)  Divine intervention? Tampa drops “Devil” from team name, ends up in playoffs for first time.
Boston: (4)  Red Sox are beat up, but the defending champs won’t be an easy out in October.
NY Yankees: (9)  The tearing down of Yankee Stadium by this franchise is an absolute disgrace. I’m thrilled they missed the playoffs.
Toronto: (13)  Cito Gaston quietly did a really nice job with Toronto in the 2nd half.
Baltimore: (25)  For some reason, Orioles decided they were a plunger, and went in the toilet in September.

AL CENTRAL:

Chicago WS: (8)  The Pale Hose join the Cubs in the postseason. Question is…will anyone care about the Sox?
Minnesota: (12)  Twins will have nightmares of the Kansas City series all offseason.
Cleveland: (17)  Looking back, if Cleveland hadn’t traded Sabathia, would they have won this division?
Kansas City: (20)  Not finishing in last place for once may have KC fans dancing in the fountains of Kauffman Stadium.
Detroit: (27)  You can come up with whatever excuse you want. The Tigers were a joke in 2008. Period.

AL WEST:

LA Angels: (3)  The deepest rotation of anyone still playing, and a closer who had more saves (62) than the Mariners and Nationals had wins.
Texas: (18)  He slowed down in the 2nd half, but it was a tremendous year (304-32-130) for Josh Hamilton.
Oakland: (19)  Good News: Jack Cust hit 33 HR’s for the A’s. Bad News: Cust struck out 197x, an AL record. Bizarre News: The 197 K’s were only the third most in baseball this year!!!
Seattle: (29)  Like Detroit, M’s had no business being as bad as they were. 101 losses? Pathetic and inexcusable.

NL EAST:

Philadelphia: (5)  Jamie Moyer won 16 gms this year. Not bad for a guy who’s 76 yrs old and throws about half that fast.
NY Mets: (14)  You know Britney’s song “Oops, I Did It Again”? A perfect fit for the Mets, chokers in both of the past 2 seasons.
Florida: (16)  Marlins were one Jorge Cantu HR away from having all four infielders hit over 30 jacks.
Atlanta: (21)  Did anyone think Mike Hampton would be pitching at the end of the year, but Glavine, Smoltz, and Hudson wouldn’t?
Washington: (30)  The only thing worse than the leadership in Washington is the Nationals. Total disaster.

NL CENTRAL:

Chi Cubs: (2)  Is a century of disappointment and torment coming to an end? Cubs are the favorites in the NL.
Milwaukee: (6)  I still think firing Ned Yost was a lousy move, but nothing has stopped CC Sabathia.
Houston: (10)  Don’t expect any Astros players to name their kids “Ike” anytime soon. The hurricane blew away any playoff hopes.
St Louis: (11)  The Cardinals, 4th in the Central, would have won the NL West by 2 games.
Cincinnati: (22)  Dusty Baker has 5 former Cubs from his time in Chicago. They weren’t any good back then. They still aren’t any good now.
Pittsburgh: (26)  Pirates just finished their 16th straight losing season. One more, and they’ll hold the record in all of professional sports.

NL WEST:

Los Angeles: (7)  Manny Ramirez’s Dodger numbers, averaged over a full year, would have read .396-51-159.
Arizona: (15)  Mark Reynolds hit 28 HR’s. That’s great, but D’Backs could have done without the 204 K’s, a new MLB record.
Colorado: (23)  Another disappointment. The NL Champs never got it going in a division there for the taking. 
San Francisco: (24)  Giants hit a measly 94 homers as a team, a number 8 less than the number of walks Barry Zito issued.
San Diego: (28)  Someone needed to put out an APB for the Padres offense. It totally disappeared.

KB’S PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: (i was actually right last year for a change)

Division Series:
Tampa over White Sox in 3
Boston over Anaheim in 5
Cubs over Los Angeles in 5
Philadelphia over Milwaukee in 4

Championship Series:
Tampa over Boston in 6
Cubs over Philadelphia in 7

WORLD SERIES:
Chicago Cubs over Tampa Bay Rays in 5 games.

MLB Power Poll 8/5/08 by Kyle Butler

Here’s the latest MLB Power Poll with games played through August 4th, 2008.

AL EAST:

Tampa Bay: (2)  If Rays can hold their own on the road, they’ll actually win this division! Stunning!
Boston: (4)  Manny Ramirez forced Sox to trade him, but did the trade have to be so awful for Boston?
NY Yankees: (8)  Just shy of 40 yrs old, Mike Mussina has a shot at winning 20 games.
Toronto: (16)  If power was lard, Blue Jays wouldn’t grease too big a pan.
Baltimore: (19)  Aubrey Huff (.303-22-73) having the best season that nobody knows about.

AL CENTRAL:

Chicago WS: (7)  Carlos Quentin leads AL with 28 HR’s. Not bad for a guy who had 14 career jacks coming into 2008.
Minnesota: (6)  I give up. I have no idea how the Twins are in contention, much less tied for 1st in the Central.
Detroit: (17)  Trading Pudge for Farnsworth was idiotic move in what’s been a season to forget for Detroit.
Kansas City: (21)  KC isn’t great, but also isn’t a laughingstock for a change. Gotta start somewhere.
Cleveland: (24)  Good news: Cliff Lee is 15-2. Bad news: The rest of the Indians pitchers are 34-60.

AL WEST:

LA Angels: (1)  “K-Rod” on pace for an unthinkable 65 saves. Rotation is so good…he might just get there!
Texas: (11)  Rangers offense is unstoppable. Unfortunately, their pitching can’t stop anyone either.
Oakland: (22)  A’s stupidly gave up on the season in mid-July. Has Beane become a bonehead?
Seattle: (28)  Seattle’s so bad that its most famous psychiatrists (Frasier and Niles Crane) could make the M’s.

NL EAST:

Philadelphia: (5)  Utley, Howard, and Burrell are all on pace for over 40 HR’s for the first place Phils.
Florida: (13)  The Fish hit for a lousy average and can’t really pitch either, but just won’t go away.
NY Mets: (12)  Johan Santana has a 2.59 ERA over his last 10 starts, but only has a 2-3 record to show for it.
Atlanta: (25)  What takes longer to read? War and Peace…or the Braves injury report?
Washington: (30)  The nation’s capital might want to consider giving the team back to Montreal.

NL CENTRAL:

Chi Cubs: (3)  The Billy Goat might be getting a bit nervous. The Cubs are the team to beat in the NL.
Milwaukee: (9)  Prince Fielder restrained yesterday after attacking his pitcher. Who’s he think he is? Steve Smith?
St Louis: (10)  Weekend series in Chicago will determine if Cards focus remains on division or wild card.
Houston: (18)  Astros should borrow Yao Ming from the Rockets and see if he can pitch. Nobody else can.
Cincinnati: (23)  It was nice of the Reds to trade Griffey and give him a shot at the playoffs.
Pittsburgh: (26)  Pirates haven’t had a winning season since Barry Bonds was on the team.

NL WEST:

Arizona: (14)  Micah Owings sent to AAA. You would be too, if you were 0-7 in your last 10 starts with an ERA nearing double digits.
Los Angeles: (15)  Don’t know how well Manny will do in LA, but can’t be worse than Andruw Jones (.161-2-13)
Colorado: (20)  Rockies 7 gms out, but in this division, they can’t be counted out just yet.
San Francisco: (27)  More than 2/3 of the way thru the season, no Giants player has reached double digits in HR’s.
San Diego: (29)  Padre means “Father.” These fathers are playing like bed-ridden geezers.

Something new this month: If Awards were issued today…

AL Manager: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay
NL Manager: Fredi Gonzalez, Florida
AL Rookie: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
NL Rookie: Geovany Soto, Chi Cubs
AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Cleveland
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, Arizona
AL MVP: Justin Morneau, Minnesota
NL MVP: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee

Brains in Baseball Hit New Low by Kyle Butler

The MLB Trading Deadline passed yesterday around 4pm. Granted, as we’ve discovered in the past, baseball really doesn’t have a trading deadline. Guys are still going to get traded after July 31st. (Don’t ask me why…I don’t understand it either) That said, 3 major deals went down over the last 2 days. Each trade had 2 common factors:

1- They involved future Hall of Fame players.
2- They made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Trade 1: Detroit trades catcher Ivan Rodriguez to NY Yankees for pitcher Kyle Farnsworth.

Analysis: I read a number of online articles praising this trade for both teams. Apparently none of those authors want to see Detroit go anywhere this season. This trade is fine for New York, but is a terrible trade for the Tigers. Rodriguez doesn’t have the power he used to, but still hits nearly .300, and along with Derek Jeter will provide great leadership in the Yankee clubhouse. Farnsworth, on the other hand, will do nothing to shore up the Detroit bullpen. The only thing consistent about the hard-throwing right hander is his inconsistency. For Detroit, a team just 6 games out in the AL Central, this move appeared to be more of a surrender than anything resembling a charge.

Trade 2: Cincinnati trades outfielder Ken Griffey Jr to Chicago WS for a pile of junk…er, 2 minor leaguers.

Junior is one of the all-time greats whose career is a mixture of triumph and tragedy. Great personal statistics, but countless injuries derailed his chances at further glories. Well, Griffey is healthy this year, but so what? He’s hitting just .245 at a great hitter’s park in Cincinnati. Plus, the White Sox have no place to put him. At least Griffey gets a shot at the postseason again, but I doubt he’s gonna have much to do with whether the White Sox make it into October or not. Cincy got nothing of value either. This one stinks no matter which way you slice it.

Trade 3: Red Sox trade Manny Ramirez + 7 million dollars to Dodgers. Red Sox trade Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to Pirates. Dodgers trade 2 prospects to Pirates. Pirates trade Jason Bay to Red Sox.

Ok, so these three team deals can get a bit complicated, but just understand this. Manny Ramirez is a great ballplayer. Manny Ramirez is also an idiot. He forced Boston’s hand by deciding to mouth off to the media, but more importantly, by not hustling in the field and basically refusing to play against the Yankees last weekend. Boston knew they had to ditch this clown, but in their desperation they made a mindblowingly bad deal. The Sox basically traded a future hall of famer, 7 million dollars, and two top prospects for Jason Bay. Huh? They might as well have not made the deal. Sure, their clubhouse would have been wrecked, and the team easily could have gone in the toilet, but they’re likely headin to the toilet anyway after this trade. The Pirates made a terrific deal, which is rare for that franchise. The Dodgers now have some power in the lineup…is it enough? Hard to say.

All in all, it was a weekend big on name recognition, but short on common sense, a quality becoming quite rare in the front offices around baseball these days.

The Great “Ham”bino Puts On A Show by Kyle Butler

It’s All-Star Weekend for MLB, and the eyes of the sports world are focused on Yankee Stadium for the midsummer classic. This year’s game is particularly important. Not only will it once again determine which league gets homefield advantage in the World Series, it will also put Yankee Stadium in the limelight one last time. “The House That Ruth Built” is in its last months, as the Yankees will move across the street to a new Yankee Stadium in 2009. The grand park has seen a tremendous amount of history over the years, most memorable of which have involved the home run. Babe Ruth’s 60th swat. Roger Maris’ 61st shot. Reggie Jackson’s 3 jacks in the 1977 World Series. So it was fitting on Monday night to see the Home Run Derby held at the old park for the first, and last time. Despite a relatively weak slate of sluggers, you had a feeling something amazing might happen.

Enter Josh Hamilton.

Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe Hamilton’s story. The former #1 draft pick was on the fast track to the majors when he became addicted to drugs and alcohol…an addiction much more difficult to master than the art of hitting a curveball. It appeared the young phenom was finished, but he persevered and beat his demons. Now in his 2nd season in the bigs, Hamilton came into Monday night leading the league with 95 RBI’s.

Just being at the derby would have been a great story considering his past. But Hamilton turned a great story into the type of story Hollywood can’t even approach. In the first round of the competition, Josh Hamilton hit 28 home runs. Not just cheap home runs…the kind that barely clear the fence. No, these were gargantuan, mammoth blasts, soaring through the night into Yankee Stadium’s upper deck in right. Three particular clouts flew over 500 feet, reaching fans who probably didn’t expect a ball to come within 50 feet of them all night. The 28 bombs were 20 more than anyone else hit in round 1, and also 20 more than the number of trips Hamilton made to rehab just a few years ago. Truly unbelievable.

Though he went on to lose in the final round to Minnesota’s Justin Morneau, the winner was undoubtedly Hamilton, the Raleigh native who had the Bronx fans on their feet chanting his name. It was a fantastic display of power in a stadium that has seen its share of it over the past 85 years.

Some Major All-Star Snubs by Kyle Butler

Believe it or not, the MLB All-Star Game is next Tuesday. I was starting to think we wouldn’t see it this year, considering that teams passed the actual midpoint of the season a week and a half ago. Thankfully, the Fox network promotes the game approximately every 3 minutes. I can also thank Fox for the 2,342 reminders that the game does in fact count.

Anyway, the All-Star rosters were announced on Sunday, and were naturally accompanied by controversy. This year’s picks weren’t as bad as years past (the selection of Mike Williams and his +6.00 ERA springs to mind) but still featured some glaring errors.

NOTE: These errors do not include players that were voted in by the fans. While Kosuke Fukudome, Manny Ramirez, and some others should not be starting the game, the fans picked who they want to see…and isn’t that the real point of the game?

1- Brian Wilson over Cole Hamels:  Look, I love the Beach Boys as much as the next guy, but did we really need Brian Wilson in the game? We could have had him sing the National Anthem instead. Ok, in all seriousness, Wilson (the Giants closer) leads the NL in saves, but his ERA is 4.37. Hamels is in the top 10 in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, complete games, and ERA. Plus, the NL has 3 other closers on the roster.

2- Jose Reyes over Miguel Tejada: The Mets shortstop got off to a slow start, but has kicked it into high gear of late. He’s ahead of Tejada in runs, hits, doubles, triples, stolen bases, and batting average. Plus, Reyes allegedly had to be restrained from punching former Mets star Keith Hernandez last week. I don’t know if Hernandez mistook Reyes for Kramer on “Seinfeld” and spit on him, or if Reyes is just sick of those stupid “Just For Men” commercials and finally lost it. Either way, Hernandez probably deserves to be decked. Reyes belongs in the All Star Game either way.

3- Jon Lester or Mike Mussina over Scott Kazmir:  Please don’t think I’m hating on the Rays here. What Tampa has done is nothing short of phenomenal. Kazmir is the Rays’ best pitcher…but he’s only made 12 starts this season! I think his spot should go to Lester. The young lefty pitched the game of the year when he no-hit the Royals, and an All-Star selection just adds to a tremendous comeback from cancer. Mussina also deserved a slot. Left for dead last season, “Moose” has 11 wins, a solid ERA, and is one of the main reasons the underachieving Yankees still have life in the AL East.

-and last, but most certainly not least-

4- Just about every AL Catcher over Jason Varitek:  Jason Varitek has been a terrific catcher for the Red Sox for many years. That said, he has as much business being on this team as a 3 month old sandwich. Varitek is hitting an abysmal .215 with 7 HR’s and 27 RBI’s. A better case can be made for AJ Pierzynski, Ivan Rodriguez, Rod Barajas, and about 5 other AL catchers. It seems like a blatant case of favoritism from manager Terry Francona, but apparently Varitek was picked by the players. I’m not sure what the players saw in the Boston catcher. What I saw was a lot of whiffs, which is what the players did by selecting Varitek.

Despite these snafus, it should be a great game. Enjoy it!

MLB Power Poll 7/2/08 by Kyle Butler

Here’s the latest MLB Power Poll with games played through Wednesday July 2nd.

AL EAST

Tampa Bay: (1)  The team with the best record in baseball only has one player hitting above .300. Amazing!
Boston: (3)  JD Drew very kindly woke up from his 3 yr hibernation, but the Sox miss Big Papi.
NY Yankees: (13)  At 38, Mariano Rivera is more unhittable than ever. Too bad the starters can’t say the same.
Baltimore: (15)  I don’t know most of these guys. Adam Jones? When did Pacman start playing baseball?!
Toronto: (18)  Hoping to spark team, Jays bring back former manager Cito Gaston. Who’s next…Joe Carter?

AL CENTRAL

Chicago WS: (6)  Team has about as much speed as Rosie O’Donnell, but South Siders still leading Central.
Minnesota: (9)  Twins stellar bullpen, and Justin Morneau are keeping them in the hunt.
Detroit: (12)  One of these days, Tigers might remember how to pitch. When that happens, watch out!
Kansas City: (24)  Royals aren’t in the basement?! What in the name of Mark Grudzielanek is goin on there!
Cleveland: (26)  Tribe not sure what to do with CC Sabathia. Here’s an idea…make him your DH.

AL WEST

LA Angels: (4)  The team with the 2nd best record in the AL has zero players hitting over .300. Good grief! 
Oakland: (10)  As the weather heats up, usually Oakland does the same. Keep an eye on the A’s.
Texas: (14)  Josh Hamilton grabs the headlines, but Ian Kinsler’s actually having a better all-around year.
Seattle: (29)  NBA’s Sonics are leaving Seattle for Oklahoma. Fans probably wish the M’s went with them.

NL EAST

Philadelphia: (7)  Ryan Howard on pace for 40 HR, 135 RBI, and mindblowing 225 strikeouts!!!
Florida: (11)  Nothing ugly about Dan Uggla’s first half stats: .289-23-58.
NY Mets: (17)  Apparently a 137 million dollar payroll won’t buy you a title…or division…or winning record! 
Atlanta: (21)  Braves have lost an astounding 23 consecutive 1-run games on the road dating to last year.
Washington: (27)  Ryan Zimmerman leads Nats in HR’s…not surprising. He’s only got 8…most surprising.

NL CENTRAL

Chi Cubs: (2)  Kerry Wood has turned into a dominant closer for the Cubs, who need Zambrano and Soriano back.
St Louis: (5)  Cards have taken a whole mess of former relievers and somehow made them effective starters.
Milwaukee: (8)  The Beer Men are 3rd in the Central, but would be 1st in either of the other two divisions.
Houston: (19)  Shawn Chacon released after choking the Astros GM. We’ll just call him Sprewell from now on.
Cincinnati: (22)  It’s great that Adam Dunn has 20 HR’s, but shouldn’t he have a better average than Paul Bako?
Pittsburgh: (23)  Pirates pitching is awful. Maybe Steelers will let them borrow Ben Roethlisberger.

NL WEST

Arizona: (16)  Best of a pathetic lot. Seriously. The Orioles would be in 1st place in this division!
Los Angeles: (20)  You’d think a team with 9 former All-Stars would be doing a little better than this.
San Francisco: (25)  In Year 1 of the post-Bonds era, nobody on Giants on pace to hit a mere 20 homers.
Colorado: (28)  Home run numbers substantially down for Rockies. Not surprisingly, so are the win totals.
San Diego: (30)  If this is the final year for Maddux and Hoffman, it’s a shame it’s on a team this awful.

MLB Power Poll 6/2/08 by Kyle Butler

Here’s the latest MLB Power Poll with games played through Sunday, June 1st.

AL EAST

Tampa Bay (3)  Maybe Tampa should’ve dropped “Devil” from Devil Rays 5 years ago.
Boston (4)  Manny Ramirez is proof that even total nutcases can hit 500 homers.
Toronto (9)  Not a good sign when your top power hitter is Matt Stairs.
NY Yankees (15)  Is moving Joba Chamberlain to the rotation really a good idea?
Baltimore (22)  O’s in last, but still playing far better than expected.

AL CENTRAL

Chicago W.S. (14)  The lineup’s been awful, and Mark Buehrle is 2-6, yet White Sox are tops in the Central.
MInnesota (16)  Delmon Young and Joe Mauer have a combined 393 AB’s and 0 HR’s.
Cleveland (23)  Indians hitting a horrific .233 as a team. Hard to believe an MLB team could be that lousy.
Detroit (26)  Tigers have 5 former All-Stars from the Marlins. All of them have been disappointing.
Kansas City (27)  Kind of hard to recover from those pesky 12 game losing streaks.

AL WEST

LA Angels (2)  Outstanding starting pitching has lifted Halos to the top of the West.
Oakland (10)  A’s get Eric Chavez off the DL, just in time to put Frank Thomas on it.
Texas (19)  Josh Hamilton is single-handedly keeping Rangers relevant.
Seattle (29)  As if watching the Sonics wasn’t bad enough, now Seattle fans have to watch the M’s.

NL EAST

Philadelphia (7)  Chase Utley continues to annihilate opposing pitching.
Florida (8)  Entire Marlins team makes 6 million less than A-Rod, and Marlins have better record than Yanks.
Atlanta (13)  Braves should watch The Road Warrior. Have lost 20 consecutive one-run games on the road dating to last season.
NY Mets (17)  Pedro’s coming back, but is he enough to save Willie Randolph?
Washington (25)  Nats hitting .231 as a team…wow, that’s worse than the Indians!!

NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs (1)  Cubs have best record in MLB through May. Last time that happened…1908.
St. Louis (5)  Albert Pujols closing in on 300 HR’s at the age of 28.
Houston (11)  Five straight losses for Astros. Houston…we have a problem.
Milwaukee (12)  Brewers desperately need a #2 guy behind Ben Sheets in the starting rotation.
Cincinnati (18)  In his first 6 MLB games, Jay Bruce is 13 for 22 with 3 2B’s, 2 HR’s, and 2 SB’s. Not too shabby.
Pittsburgh (21)  Pirates are 3-9 against the Cubs, and 23-21 against everyone else.

NL WEST

Arizona (6)  More good news for the Rocket. Randy Johnson’s next strikeout will push him past Clemens for 2nd on the all time list.
Los Angeles (20)  Nobody on the Dodgers has more than 5 home runs. In a word…pathetic.
San Francisco (24)  Father Time may have finally caught up to Omar Vizquel (.188-0-5)
San Diego (28)  Can Greg Maddux get some run support here? Not in San Diego.
Colorado (30)  Rockies have hit rock bottom, blowing an 8 run lead in Chicago on Thursday.

Lester Inspires The Masses by Kyle Butler

Negative stories.

It doesn’t matter where you look lately, there seem to be no shortage of these types of stories in sports. Steroids in baseball. Gambling in basketball. The Cincinnati Jailbirds…er, excuse me…Bengals in football. It can get depressing after a while.

Thankfully, even in such dark moments of despair, there comes a great story that can provide inspiration to sports and non-sports fans alike. Enter the story of Jon Lester. The Boston Red Sox pitcher threw a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals last night in a 7-0 win. It was the 18th no-hitter in Red Sox history, and the first no-hitter in the majors since Lester’s teammate Clay Buchholz tossed a no-no against Baltimore last September. Lester walked 2 and struck out 9 while throwing 130 pitches against a Royals team that had won 6 of its last 7 games.

No-hitters are rare, and are obviously tremendous achievements. This one was particularly inspiring when you consider what Lester has gone through in his brief MLB career. The 24-year old Lester was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in late 2006. In an instant, his focus changed from fighting for a roster spot to fighting for his life. The young lefty courageously battled the cancer in time to return to last year’s Red Sox club, helping the team return to the World Series. It was fitting that Lester got the ball for the final game of the Fall Classic, shutting down the vaunted Colorado Rockies offense and delivering another World Series championship to Beantown.

You could have ended Lester’s story there and it would have been a classic. However, with last night’s heroics, this story keeps getting better and better. How inspiring is it for folks battling that awful disease to see Lester out there on the mound? I’ve got to imagine it’s incredibly helpful to them, much as Lance Armstrong’s incredible run at the Tour de France has been to cancer survivors for several years. Watching someone who was in their shoes fighting that disease gives strength and hope that they too can fight…and win.

Congratulations to Jon Lester on his no-hitter. A remarkable achievement for a remarkable young man.

The Master Of His Generation by Kyle Butler

When San Diego Padres pitcher Greg Maddux decides to call it a career, writers and statisticians can debate over which of his many accomplishments is most impressive. However, his latest milestone might win the debate, because you almost assuredly won’t see it again. The masterful Maddux won his 350th career game on Saturday night, becoming only the 9th pitcher in MLB history to reach that mark. What? That doesn’t knock you over? Not rare enough company? Ok, how’s this? Of those 9 pitchers, only 3 pitchers whose careers started after 1911 (yes…1911!!) have reached the 350 win mark. Warren Spahn, Roger Clemens, and now Mr. Maddux. Unbelievable.

Just one year ago, a survey of baseball historians would have told you that Clemens was, hands down, the greatest pitcher of this generation. However, a little thing called the Mitchell Report and other recent events have made it quite clear that the Rocket’s name might have been prematurely injected into that category. So if Clemens is out, then who’s in? It’s a tough call, but I’m going with the Mad Dog. Here’s why.

While pitchers like Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez have been more dominating on the mound, I think what Maddux has done is way more impressive. He doesn’t have Pedro’s 95 mph fastball and killer changeup. He doesn’t have Johnson’s 6′10 frame or wicked slider. He doesn’t blow you away. He just pitches. Plain and simple. He’s a 6′0 right hander with an 85 mph fastball (on a good day). Folks, if he were coming out of college today, Greg Maddux almost certainly wouldn’t be drafted!!! Yet his accomplishments over the past 22 1/2 seasons are extraordinary.

You decide which stat is the most impressive:
-3299 K’s, 11th on the all-time list. Stunning, since he’s only had over 200 K’s in a season once.
-Over 200 IP in 18 out of 20 seasons. The years he didn’t reach 200 IP, he had 199 and 198.
-17 straight seasons of 15 or more wins, an MLB record. Can you say consistency?!
-17 Gold Gloves, an MLB record.
-Under 1000 walks issued in nearly 5000 innings pitched.
-4 straight Cy Young awards.

Those are just a small sampling of Maddux’s accomplishments. He’s the smartest pitcher, and maybe the smartest player in baseball history, and he gives his team a chance to win every time he takes the mound. With 5 more wins, he’ll pass the now-tarnished Clemens. If he can find 14 more wins in that right arm of his, he’ll pass Spahn for the most wins outside the dead-ball era, and Maddux will have done it in the steroid era.

There are rumors that this will be his last season, so watch Greg Maddux while you can. You’ll never see another one like him.