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Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees) and Freddie Freeman (Atlanta Braves)
These two ballplayers are headed in opposite directions. Alex Rodriguez is literally out, as in sitting out the 2014 season due to a suspension for violating the MLB drug policy. Freddie Freeman, on the other hand, just signed a new contract and figures to be the heart of the Braves organization for years to come.
Darnell McDonald of the Boston Red Sox leaps …
… and does he catch it?
The fans and the Blue Jays bullpen know the answer to that question.
It’s February, and that means spring training for MLB will begin soon. Boston will seek to defend their title, but the Yankees have spent a fortune this off season to try and stop them.
The guy who hit the ball that was caught, above, Kelly Johnson, is now a Yankee. I was actually hoping this hit had turned into a home run as Johnson was on my fantasy team at the time.
Jemile Weeks
Oakland A’s
Jemile Weeks exploded on the baseball scene in 2011, winning the MLB Rookie of the Month Award during his first month in the bigs. He quickly became a fan favorite. However, despite flashes of greatness from time to time, he didn’t produce much thereafter. By the end of 2012 he was back in the minors where he spent most of 2013.
The A’s parted ways with him this past week by trading him to Baltimore. In exchange the A’s received closer Jim Johnson who will hopefully do as good or better than departing free agent Grant Balfour.
Wally Bell
I sat behind Wally Bell on an April evening last year. Today he died. As someone who didn’t care about the outcome of the game (my A’s weren’t playing), I found nothing about his calls to dislike. His punch outs on called third strikes were quite entertaining.
RIP Wally.
Oakland A’s World Series Champion years
The 2013 Major League Baseball post-season spots are all locked up and the “experts” have all been proven wrong yet again. The Washington Nationals are not going to the World Series (or even the playoffs!). Nor are the Anaheim Angels or New York Yankees. Other big spending teams that came up short are the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Nobody predicted that low-budget teams like the A’s and Pirates would make the playoffs, and yet here they are alive and well despite payrolls less than half many teams that didn’t make it to the postseason. The A’s payroll is less than a third of the Yankees or Dodgers even though the A’s have more wins than either of those teams. The A’s paid about half a million in player salaries per win while the Yankees forked over about $3 million for each victory. The Giants and Phillies won’t come close to winning half their games despite spending about $100 million more than the A’s or Pirates.
Let’s hope the Dodgers, Tigers, Red Sox, and other big spenders make a quick exit this post season.
Not by Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves @ Yankee Stadium last year…
… but by the fan in the first row. Check out the kid next to him who has his glove up but isn’t even looking for the ball.
This home run by Alex Rodriguez was one of many on the day as the Yankees and Braves tied a Yankee Stadium record for most home runs.