baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
What Went Wrong: You Have to Score More Than ONE RUN a Game, Brewers
"Built for Fall," it says. Built to fall is more like it. In past stories, I've mentioned the concept of "fool ya teams." It's a phrase my dad made up for teams who look good, look like they'll go all the way, are pushed up as big favorite, but they fizzle when it counts. The original Brooklyn Dodgers spent decades as MLB's original "fool ya team" until they finally won the big one in 1955. In recent years, that torched has been passed, though it can be said that the Cleveland Guardians have fooled people for many years now.
By Clyde E. Dawkins4 months ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Where's Henry Rowengartner When You Need Him?
Remember when it looked like the Chicago Cubs would run away with the National League Central this year? It definitely looked like the Cubs would take the Central after a couple of seasons of being out of postseason contention in the final weekend. The Cubs started falling off during the late summer months, allowing the Milwaukee Brewers to return to their routine position of leading and eventually winning the NL Central. At least the Cubs did get something this time. The Cubs did get in as one of the National League's three Wild Cards; in fact, they finished as the best of the three Wild Cards, meaning that they had the Wild Card Series at home.
By Clyde E. Dawkins4 months ago in Unbalanced
What a World Series Title Would Mean for the Mariners
The Seattle Mariners have surprised everyone by becoming one of the best teams in the league. Currently, they're playing against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS as they aim to win their first pennant in franchise history and make their first ever World Series appearance. Their late season surge and outlasting their division rivals, the Houston Astros, for the American League West crown, shows that they're dangerous and not here to play around. In case you've been living under a rock, the Mariners won the AL West title for the first time since 2001. They have greatly turned things around under manager Dan Wilson. Since the firing of Scott Servais, Wilson, who was a Mariners catcher and was part of the 2001 team that clinched the AL West title, deserves all the credit for getting this team to where they are today. Now, the Mariners have a chance to win the AL Pennant and make their first World Series appearance. Their last playoff appearance was back in the 2022 ALDS, where they were swept. I love a good underdog story, and the Mariners are an example of that.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Unbalanced
2025 League Championship Series Preview
It's mid-October, folks, and you know what that means: it's LCS time! The League Championship Series has arrived; the last stop before the Fall Classic. Introduced in 1969 as a result of the American and National Leagues splitting into East and West Divisions (marking the start of Divisional Play), the League Championship Series originally served as the lone playoff round prior to the World Series, and was originally played under a best-of-five format for the first 16 seasons. It was in 1985 that the LCS increased to a best-of-seven format, but even so, the LCS still originally pitted the champions of the East and West Divisions against each other until 1995, when the LCS pitted the winners of the Division Series against each other.
By Clyde E. Dawkins4 months ago in Unbalanced
Favorite MLB Players of the Last 25 Years
There's a saying that time flies when you're having fun. The same can be said when it comes to the 2025 MLB season. There have been outstanding moments, and we're eager to find out wait on who will become World Series Champions. A few months ago, I wrote and published about my favorite World Series games of the last 25 years. If you would like to read that entire story, you can click the link down below and share your favorites.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Unbalanced
15 Glorious Innings
The Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners faced off in one hell of a Division Series, and that's an understatement. Game One went extras, needing 11 innings before the Tigers won it in Seattle. The Mariners took Games Two and Three, and looked to finish it in Game Four. Seattle led 3-0, but the Tigers took over; nine unanswered runs. The nine runs in Game Four stand as the most in a game in Tigers postseason history. Wow.
By Clyde E. Dawkins4 months ago in Unbalanced
16-Year World Series Drought For the New York Yankees Explained
The 16-year World Series drought for the Yankees is explained in this article. There are three causes for the Yankees’ 16-year World Series drought. People did not like the Yankees winning every year. So, things started to change around 1970. First, Major League Baseball held its first draft in 1965. Drafts, from that time, were in reverse order of record.
By Total Apex Entertainment & Sports4 months ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: It's Not Always Sunny in Philadelphia
You know, we have spent the entire season so far enjoying the Kansas City Chiefs' downfall, and rightfully so. They started 0-2, got back on track winning back-to-back games, but then, they were defeated by a Jacksonville Jaguars team they had bested forever. Chiefs are 2-3 and are on the verge of being knocked down a few more pegs than they already are.
By Clyde E. Dawkins4 months ago in Unbalanced
The Blue Jays Understood the Assignment
Well, well, well. The New York Yankees fall short yet again. They perform great during the regular season, but fall apart in the Postseason. This has been their MO for who knows how long. This was the same team who was in the World Series a year ago. Aaron Judge and the Yankees made multiple errors during Game 5, where they had a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning. All of a sudden, it went straight to hell from there. Before this season began, I predicted that the Yankees would miss the playoffs. Now, after they were eliminated by the Blue Jays in the ALDS, whom I'll discuss in a bit, the Yankees front office has a lot of decisions to make. Will Aaron Boone return as manager? Does the starting rotation need to undergo some changes? If this team doesn't make any changes, they'll never return to becoming the dominant team they once were over 20 years ago. Aaron Judge is the Dan Marino of Major League Baseball. A great player, but he fades in the playoffs. No World Series titles...yet, but it's unacceptable for a player to have lackluster on-field performances. I no longer have any confidence in the Yankees, because they look so lost every year. They got outperformed by the Blue Jays and it revealed their weaknesses and were exposed. If the goal of the Yankees is to win World Series titles, like I said, changes need to be made and fast. Otherwise, they'll endure more years of disappointing seasons and playoff exits.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Unbalanced
Boston Red Sox Star Mike Greenwell Dies At 62
It is a tough day in Boston. A cloud hangs over Fenway, and it has nothing to do with the New England weather. Mike Greenwell, the man they called “The Gator,” has passed away at 62 after a hard-fought battle with thyroid cancer. For those of us who grew up watching him patrol that monstrous green wall in left field, this one stings. Anytime a former player passes away it is always great to look back on their career. With so many great players having played the game, it can be easy to forget the accomplishments of past players. Greenwell was a great player that not many people talk about today.
By Total Apex Entertainment & Sports4 months ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: 22 Days Early
This is going to be a long offseason. We Yankees fans love to play the game of "What if" when we come up short. We didn't really play it too much last year because we were in the Fall Classic. That was an emotional October for me. When Juan Soto hit that home run in Cleveland last year, I was bouncing all over the walls. It had been 15 years since we even played in the World Series, and here we were, playing in the Fall Classic. Even better for this baseball fan, it was Yankees/Dodgers. We didn't win, but we got there. That's the thing.
By Clyde E. Dawkins4 months ago in Unbalanced
The New York Mets Nightmare 2025 Season Will Lead To Big Changes
The New York Mets were seen by many as World Series Contenders heading into the season. After signing Juan Soto to the largest contract in the history of sports, they were destined to finally make a deep run in October. Unfortunately for the Mets, everything that could’ve gone wrong did.
By Total Apex Entertainment & Sports4 months ago in Unbalanced
