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2010RadhaMITCHELL

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THE CRAZIES’

MARCH_2010

The Beauty Issue

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THE CRAZIES’

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March To-Do List

MLB SPRINGTRAINING

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2010The Beauty Issue

GettinG into the swinGAngels in waitingThere is no one better than Mike Scioscia at winning close games. He is the Angels’ ace in the hole, and, entering the 2009 postseason, he gave them the added confidence of knowing they wouldn’t be outcoached. On the contrary, Yankee manager Joe Girardi entered the playoffs with grave doubts surrounding his ability to coach a team through a month of high pressure baseball. And his post-season efforts didn’t do much to dispel those doubts. From poor handling of his bullpen and lineup to thoughtless late inning offensive substitutions, Girardi looked lost in the moment. Yet, thanks to Alex Rodriguez’s late inning heroics and Carsten Charles “CC” Sabathia’s sheer awesomeness on the mound, they outlasted the Twins, reached the ALCS, and hosted Anaheim. The series looked to be a classic Anaheim- New York confrontation—the precision and guile of the Angels versus the brute force of the Yankees. Recently, the Angels owned the Yankees in post-season play, a testament to their superior coaching and ability to execute the fundamentals. It was a definite source of pride for the Halos who saw their postseason success over the Yanks as proof that Big Baseball could be beat, that precise team play in the postseason is more reliable than a lineup of superstars going at it hammer and tongs. However, in 2009 the tides turned, and the Yankee lineup proved irrepressible. The Yankees, for the first time, overpowered the Angels and, after signing Sabathia, A.J Burnett and Mark Teixiera in the offseason, made a strong case that Big Baseball is superior if it’s big enough.

The Angels have battled with that harrowing possibility this offseason, and it no doubt led them to sign World Series MVP Hideki Matsui to add some pop to their lineup. The absence of Chone Figgins atop the Angels lineup also suggests that the team may be pursuing a lineup that can slug with Boston and New York. 2009 was a definite blow to the status quo in Anaheim, but it may have been just what the team needed to get them back to the World Series for the first time since 2002.

straw ManLast season, before Stephen Strasburg was on everyone’s baseball radar, Tim Kurkjian delivered a piece on ESPN calling him “the best prospect of all time.” He lionized the kid in every aspect imaginable leaving the ESPN studio anchor almost speechless. His only question: “How good is he going to be?” The piece, for as tantalizing as it made the young pitcher seem, was absurd. Kurkjian sounded like Don King promoting a fighter; the story about Strasburg was less a prospect watch than a guarantee of what the future holds. Furthermore, it created a narrative wherein the young pitcher’s talent was a foregone conclusion, and what was left to be decided were how many victories he’d have in his rookie season, how many strikeouts, how many innings pitched. People were counting their chickens.

It’s not that this doesn’t happen all the time with talented prospects, but what it leaves Strasburg, now a signed Washington National, and those in his camp feeling, is a sense that his early success will rely more on his

numbers and less on the traditional methods of assessment: how he looks on the mound, how he handles pressure situations, how he works with his teammates. In this way he’s in unfamiliar territory. More importantly, those in the mainstream sports media need to be cautious in how they hype a young man who has yet to throw a pitch in the majors.

talent turnoverWhen Evan Longoria entered the league three years ago, people touted his potential as a third baseman and rising MLB superstar. He had the glove, the arm and the bat for the job, and after a year in the Bigs there were only two third basemen with better numbers than Longoria: Alex Rodriguez and David Wright. Longoria now is entering his third full season and making good on his potential. Defensively, he outperforms both A Rod and Wright, and his 2009 offensive numbers were a hair behind Rodriguez’s and well ahead of Wright’s. So, maybe he’s now the second best 3B in baseball, maybe the best if you disqualify A Rod for steroid use. Undoubtedly, he’s lost the “rising” prefix in front of his superstar label, and his situation begs a question: When do baseball’s rising stars become, simply, stars? Let’s look at a few young players who are on the cusp of entering the league’s coterie of young stars and see how they’re also casting off the “rising” prefix.

> Felix hernandez: Pitcher, Seattle Mariners.

They call him King Felix in Seattle and his 98 MPH fastball underlines that title. In 2009 King Felix had the most wins in the AL and finished second in the CY Young voting. He’s a legitimate number ace a pitching staff that also has Cliff Lee in the rotation. He’s become a star by limiting his walks, commanding three devastating pitches, and pitching at his best with runners on base.

> Justin Upton: Outfielder, Arizona Diamondbacks. Justin, the younger brother of B.J. of the Tampa Bay Rays, is entering his third full season with the D’backs and coming off a year where, after a rocky start, he absolutely crushed the ball. Upton has a short stroke that goes for both power and average, and he’s fast. He’s a star to watch because he’s limited his strikeouts, hits well with runners in scoring position and has the speed to steal thirty bases.

> troy tulowitzki: Shortstop, Colorado Rockies. After a rough patch, Tulo finished 2009, his third full season,

with a bang. He ended with 32 homers, 20 stolen bases and a .300 average. Not only that, his defense was fundamentally perfect. Tulo’s sophomore year was absolutely horrendous, but he showed real toughness bouncing back in 09. What makes Tulo a star is his toughness as well as his leadership. He’s solid in the clutch, thrives under pressure, and gets on base when it’s absolutely necessary.

SPRING TRAINING 2010

Writer>>TYLER ANDREWS

26 LIVEMAGS.NET MARCH>>10 LIVEMAGS.NET MARCH>>10 27

“There is no one

beTTer Than Mike scioscia aT winning

close gaMes.”