The Hot Stove is Sizzling

            Last year, it took until the winter meetings for the hot stove to heat up, but this year it’s already steaming with record-breaking contracts, rumors, and excitement.

            With all of the rumors that fly around during the hot stove season, it makes it almost as exciting to me as the regular season.

            The first move of the offseason was a big one—at least financially. Giancarlo Stanton cashed in huge, and even though he might have liked to have seen what other options were out there—a winning team perhaps—the Marlins made sure that was happening by luring him back with a $325 million 13 year contract, making him the highest paid player in the history of United States professional sports. Giancarlo has made less than $10 million in his first five years in the big leagues, but that changed in a big way for the 25 year-old slugger, who is now one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.

            Let’s have a look at just how filthy rich Stanton will become over the next 13 years. Whether or not he gets traded after the 6^th year of his contract (which is when he can opt out of the no-trade clause), he is guaranteed to make 68,493 per day for the next 13 years. That breaks down to $2,854 per hour and $48 per minute.  That $68,493 that he’ll earn per day is just $1,328 less than the average United States annual income. Wow.

            If Giancarlo were to pay the property taxes for every single taxpayer in Miami he would still have $85 million to burn. Stanton could buy the Miami Dolphins, he could run for Governor in Florida twice, he could send 1,827 kids to the University of Miami, he could take every single citizen of Miami out to lunch at his favorite restaurant chain—In ‘N’ Out Burger—87 times, or he could even buy over 40 minutes of advertising during a Super Bowl game. Giancarlo Stanton can seemingly do anything he wants. He may not be on Bill Gates’ level (yet), but he is darn rich, and what he’ll actually do with all that money, I have absolutely no idea.

            There’s a huge problem with the distribution of wealth in the United States of America, but that issue exists on a less visible scale in the game of baseball. Most people probably look at baseball and think that everyone in the game is making a ridiculous amount of money like Stanton is. But in face, players in Minor League Baseball are making between just $3,000 and $7,500. The issue is getting the attention that it deserves now that some former players are filing suing the MLB, but minor leaguers have been making well below minimum wage for a long time.

            Anyway, back to the offseason. The Red Sox front office staff had a very busy day on Monday, as the team made two huge deals, signing shortstop Hanley Ramirez, along with third baseman Pablo Sandoval. The Hanley deal comes exactly nine years after the Red Sox traded the standout shortstop to the Marlins in exchange for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported that the Hanley deal is worth $88 million over four years with a fifth-year vesting option valued at $22 million.

            For the Panda deal, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported at about 4:30 AM EST that the Sox and Sandoval had agreed to five years and close to $100 million. Pablo’s agent then denied that rumor but at this point I think that it is safe to say that Panda and Hanley will be the left side of the Red Sox infield in 2015.

            I don’t expect any other earth shattering deals to come later in the offseason that will greatly affect the Red Sox offense. The pitching staff, on the other hand, needs some serious help. The Sox need to either make a top-dollar signing or a blockbuster trade if they want to be in contention in 2015. I am still skeptical of the idea that Jon Lester may be coming back. That isn’t because I don’t want to see him in a Red Sox uniform, but more because I don’t think that the club is willing to pay him enough money to come back. I think there’s a chance that Lester takes a hometown discount to stay in Boston but he probably won’t leave too much money on the table to come back.

            Many people are saying that the Red Sox won the offseason in one day, and that may be true, but Boston won’t be able to do anything in 2015 with out acquiring some starting pitching. One idea that I have is to look at trade possibilities with the Cincinnati Reds to try and bring in Johnny Cueto. It’s the final year of Cueto’s contract, which means that the Reds are willing to deal him. Cincinnati shortstop Zack Cozart hit just .221 last year, and now that Boston has a shortstop, they could look into trading Xander Bogaerts to the Reds.

            There are still big-market signings to be made, and surprises to come. The offseason is by far the most unpredictable part of the game, and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

The World Series by the Numbers

            For me, the World Series is huge. It is certainly on my TV every night that there’s a game. Why? Well, it’s America’s national past time, and there’s nothing better than the World Series. However, baseball is no longer the way that Americans pass their time, not even during the World Series.

            A big ratings boost for World Series game seven made MLB executives breathe a sigh of relief, as it ensured that the 2014 Fall Classic would not be the least watched of all time. It came darn close though.

            This year’s Series averaged 13.8 million viewers per game. An average of 8.2 percent of U.S. households watched the game. Nielson calls that a rating of 8.2.

            These are atrocious numbers. Only two other World Series (2012 and 2008) averaged fewer viewers per game than this year. Prior to 2000, not one World Series averaged less than 20 million viewers per game.

            Baseball’s World Series has become a local affair, not a national one. In the Kansas City market, 77 percent of televisions had the game on, so there was obviously huge excitement for it there. But unlike the Super Bowl, it is no longer must-see television across the nation.

            I think that there are multiple reasons for the declining viewership.

Fox/the Fox broadcast crew

            In World Series where Fox’s Joe Buck is the lead play-by-play broadcaster, the average viewership is 18 million onlookers per game. In Fall Classics where Buck isn’t behind the microphone, the World Series averages 33.1 million viewers per game. Coincidence? I’m afraid so. Even though the “Joe Buck Sucks” Facebook page has over 33,000 likes, I don’t think that even any of even those likers, or haters if you will, would go so far as to not watch a World Series simply because of Buck.

            The reason that the numbers drop off so severely when Buck is calling games is because the popularity of baseball today is a fraction of what it used to be, regardless of who is calling it. If Joe Buck had been calling games in the 1980s, when his dad Jack Buck was announcing the World Series, I think that the numbers would improve.

            With that said however, I think that Fox does a mediocre job at best with their baseball coverage. From a production standpoint, they hit out of the park, and all of the people who work behind the scenes for Fox Sports do an excellent job. It’s the ones who are in front of the camera who are the problem.

            Lets first start with Buck. The game of baseball struggles with popularity because it isn’t exciting enough. It needs a play-by-play man who can make it exciting. That’s the job of a broadcaster, and Joe Buck does not do his job. Red Sox fans enjoy the excitement of play-by-play broadcasters Joe Castiglione, Don Orsillo, and Dave O’Brien, whose voices convey the highs and lows of the game. Buck speaks in a monotone, which leaves me aching for excitement. I think that there are better options, such as MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian or ESPN’s Dan Shulman, for the top broadcasting job in the game.

            As for the rest of the crew, Harold Reynolds talks way too much. So much so that Tom Verducci, perhaps the most insightful of the trio, can hardly get a word in, which is frustrating at times as a viewer.

Speed of the game

            The speed of the game is definitely a big part of why the game is so unpopular. I wrote a column a few weeks ago explaining what the executives of the game of baseball need to do to speed it up, and in a nutshell, they need to create new rules to ensure that batters don’t step out of the box as much as they do, enforce their rule that forces pitchers to deliver the ball within 12 seconds, and to limit the number of pitchers on a team’s roster so that there are fewer pitching changes and more offense.

            Baseball is a dying sport but it’s not dead yet, and there is still time to save it. Speeding it up puts the MLB well on their way to doing so, but there also needs to be more offense and more offensive stars for people to watch.

Length of season

            Each MLB team plays 162 games in a season. Every NFL team plays 16. That is why the NFL is way more popular than baseball. The number of games in a season means that each game counts for less, and makes it so that there is very little excitement generated for your average regular season game. When you watch the NFL, part of the draw is that each game counts so much. I’m not suggesting that the MLB cuts their season down by a lot, but they could do just fine with 102 regular season games.

More on TV

            According to Nielsen, the average household receives 190 channels. Only one of those is carrying the World Series. This is an unfixable problem. When the World Series first came to TV, most people only got ABC, NBC, and CBS. Now if you want sports you can turn to any of the 35 cable sports networks, or your local cable sports network(s). There are so much more competition for out attention than there used to be, which, I think, hurts the MLB’s ratings.

***

            It is a collection of all of those things that lead to the lower ratings that the MLB has been getting for its World Series. It’s also interesting to note, however, that even though the national ratings are poor, every team has a local cable sports network that carries all of their games, with the exception of blackouts, and the ratings for teams in their respective local markets are fairly good. Baseball consistently does well on local cable TV, which means that there is some popularity for the game in areas where there are teams—but it’s important to remember that there are 30 teams in the MLB.

            You can enjoy the game of baseball, but as a fan, you can’t ignore these numbers. They are too important to keeping the game alive and well, and if you don’t focus on how to bring them up now, the MLB may never do so. When Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred steps into office, he needs to take immediate action on the field, to help generate excitement off the field.

World Series Wrap-Up

This year it seemed like all the talk about the World Series was the ratings, and rightfully so because of how how horrifically bad they were, but lets just put that aside for a moment and talk about how incredible the 110th Fall Classic was from an on-field standpoint.

Start with game one. The build up in Kansas City, the host city, was enormous. It was the first time that a World Series had been held on those grounds since 1985, the year of George Brett. Fox’s pregame hosts were forced to yell into their hand-held microphones before game one just to be heard over the electric crowd behind them. However, once the game started, the hometown Royals didn’t give their team much to get up and yell about. Giants starter Madison Bumgarner was on his game from the first pitch that he threw in the seventh inning. The later-to-be-named World Series MVP allowed just one run on three hits in the outing, giving his team the early edge in the series with a 7-1 win.

Though statistics show that game one winners in the World Series are more likely to win the series, I had a feeling that the Royals weren’t going to go down without a fight. My hunch was proven to be true in game two of the series. The KC kids’ offense came alive, tacking on seven runs on nine hits in the game to even the series at one. Royals second baseman Omar Infante came alive, batting in two runs on a two-run homer in the sixth inning. KC starting pitcher Yordano Ventura, who, at age 23, is just nine years older than me, went five and a third innings, allowing just two runs in his first ever World Series outing. I can’t emphasize enough how much he did for his team throughout the year. The righty finished the regular season with a 3.20 ERA, and averaged just 1.8 runs per game in his last 10 outings outings of the year.

The series shifted to San Francisco for game three, where, even though the Giants have won three World Series in the past five years, the crowd is alway energetic.  Game three was an absolutely riveting pitchers duel between Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie and Giants veteran Tim Hudson. Both teams made an interesting decision, which proved to pay off, which was to take their starter out of the game in the fifth inning. Most teams would be hesitant to take their starter, who was pitching well at the time, out of the game in the fifth, but both the Giants and Royals have fantastic bullpens, and managers who know when and how to use them. Even though season awards are voted on before the Postseason, I think that KC manager Ned Yost is a clear choice for AL manager of the year. He actually led his team to the American League title, which is more than any Yankees manager can say for any of the 40 World Series teams that they managed. They were simply at the helm of an extremely well-funded ballclub.

Game four was an offensive explosion from the middle of the order of the San Francisco Giants. San Francisco scored 11 runs on 16 hits, leading them to an 11-4 win, and tying the series up. However, the Kansas City bats weren’t exactly quiet either. They chased Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong out of the game after just two and two third innings, scoring four runs in the top of the third inning. Game four wasn’t exactly pretty pitching like game three, but it was extremely exciting nonetheless due to how much offence there was.

Game five was all San Francisco offensively. The Royals were only able to squander four hits off of starter Madison Bumgarner, who didn’t allow a run and went the distance in his Giants’ 5-0 win.

There was no way the the Royals were going to let the Giants come back to Kansas City and take the series in game six. With Ventura on the mound for KC, I knew right away that we were looking at a game seven. The Royals offense came back to life, as they beat the Giants 10-0 in a one-sided slugfest, forcing a game seven.

The next day, the amount of work that got done in offices in the bay area and in Kansas City was at a bare minimum. Butterflies floated through the stomachs of baseball fans all across the country, as it was time for the most exciting thing in sports: a World Series game seven. Every game seven is special, but this year, the deciding game of the World Series was one for the ages. Tim Hudson started for the Giants, but he lasted just an inning and two thirds, giving way to Jeremy Affeldt who went two and a third, before manager Bruce Bochy handed the ball to the most popular guy in San Francisco: Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner threw five rock solid innings, allowing just two hits and striking out four. Bumgarner was sensational, especially considering that he was only throwing on two-days rest, three days less than he is used too. San Francisco could not have asked any more MadBum.

Bumgarner was nearly flawless until there were two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and Alex Gordon stepped up to the plate. Gordon knocked a single that got by Giants centerfielder Gregor Blanco, and Gordon took two bases on the error, advancing to third.

It’s a situation that every young baseball fan dreams of being in...two outs, bottom of the ninth, game-tying run on third. Heck, Sal Perez probably dreamed about it when he was a kid, just the only difference between his difference between his dreams and reality are that he probably pictured himself hitting the base hit to tie it and send the game into extras instead of popping out to end the World Series. Perez got under a pitch and sent it a mile high before it came down in the glove of Pablo Sandoval to crown the Giants the 2014 world champions.

In my next column I’ll look into the ratings of the World Series and give a breakdown of the numbers to find out how much the sport of baseball really is struggling with popularity.

League Championship Series Preview

            So far, the excitement level of the 2014 MLB Postseason has not disappointed. My predictions from two weeks ago on the other hand…well, let’s not get into that.

            In the American League, it has all come down to Royals and the Orioles, two underdogs who both went up against two powerhouse teams in the divisional series. After the trade deadline when the Tiger picked up starter David Price, and the Athletics got Jon Lester, everyone thought that it was fairly safe to say they would face off in the ALCS. That turned out not to be the case.

            It’s incredible, when you look at what’s happening with Kansas City. Out of the MLB’s 30 teams, only 11 have a lower payroll. Only three members of their roster have ever even played in a postseason game before. They are last in the league in home runs. Those facts alone would lead you to believe that Kansas City is not a postseason contender. However, the young Royals have come alive in October, winning the do-or-die wild card game, sweeping the Angels, who had the best regular season record, and now beating up on the AL East Division winners, the Baltimore Orioles.

            Going into the postseason, Kansas City’s strong points were that they had good starting pitching, speed, incredible relief pitching, great defense, and amped up fans. However, you may have noticed that the Royals offense has been the thing that has led them to their recent success. Prior to game three of the series, the Royals had a slugging percentage of .429, while their opponent’s slugging percentage has been limited to just .349. In fact, in every major offensive category except for at bats, the Royals’ statistic tops their opponents statistic, which is a credit to how good their pitching has been this postseason also.

            On the other side, of the diamond, the Orioles pitching, and relief pitching in particular, has not looked particularly impressive. Birds submarine reliever Darren O’Day got the loss in the first two games in the series, allowing three earned runs in just 1.1 innings pitched over the first two games of the ALCS. The second man in the Birds’ supposed 1-2 punch, Zach Britton, has been pathetic. He came on in game one of the series, pitched a third of an inning, walked three batters to load the bases, cutting the path for O’Day to come in and blow the game.

            At this point, I’m going to jump on the bandwagon and pick the Royals. KC has the upper hand at this point with the series lead and the way they’ve been playing, I don’t see Baltimore stopping them.

            In the National League Championship Series, which is now tied up 1-1 between the Giants and the Cardinals, we are going to see some hard fought baseball from here on out. In tonight’s game, the Cards send John Lackey to the hill to face off against Tim Hudson. If you’re St. Louis, Lackey is the guy who you want. He has pitched more playoff innings than any other active pitcher, and last year threw sensationally in the postseason for the Red Sox. However, Hudson is on nine days rest going into tonight, and in his one outing against the Cards this year, he threw seven scoreless innings and allowed just three hits. I like the Cards in the game, but the Giants in the series. The next three games in the series will be in San Francisco, and Giants fans are always pumped up, especially so in the postseason. Tonight’s game starts at 4:00 PM on Fox Sports 1.

            While the Cards and Giants are both veterans to postseason play, Baltimore and KC are two underdogs who haven’t had the chance to play for a World Series title in a long time. Whatever happens in the NL, I think it’d be nice, and good for the sport of baseball of either the Orioles or the Royals could come out on top for a change.

Postseason Predictions

            It truly did take 162 games to decide this year’s MLB season. It came right down to the wire on Sunday before we knew what the 2014 MLB Postseason picture would look like. At the risk of looking like a fool of before the ink is dry, here are my predictions.

Angles vs. AL Wild Card

            The LA Angels will face the winner of the one-game playoff Wild Card game between the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics tonight. I think that regardless of who wins the Wild Card, the Angels are in pretty good shape for the series. With a lineup that features Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton and David Freese, LA gets it done with their star power. Pujols slugged 28 homers and drove in 105 runs this year and he’s hungry for another run deep into the postseason. I predict the Angels to go to the ALCS.

Orioles vs. Tigers

            This looks to be the best of the American League divisional series. Detroit looked virtually unstoppable at the trade deadline but they struggled out of the gate after picking up Rays ace David Price. It’s time for Price, and starting pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to come around and start pitching up to the hype. Verlander won his last three regular season starts but prior to that was not the pitcher that Detroit will need him to be in the postseason. The Orioles waltzed their way to the AL East division win, and the Tigers will be a wake up call to them. On paper, Detroit wins this series, but Baltimore is full of passion and they feature a middle of the order that can be very dangerous. With that said, I don’t think that the Birds’ pitching will be able to hold up against the Detroit staff that is full of postseason experience. I predict the Tigers to go on to the ALCS.

Nationals vs. NL Wild Card

            The NL Wild Card game on Wednesday will be a battle. It features two teams who ended up with identical records and will have to throw everything at that game to stay alive. That puts a strain on the pitching staff of the Wild Card winner going into the NLCS. I Like the Giants to win the game, but not the series. San Francisco will have to throw ace Madison Bumgarner in the Wild Card game, which will leave Tim Hudson to start the divisional series. Hudson has won just one of has past 10 starts, and is not the guy who you want to start a series. The Nats on the other hand are a well-rounded team who won 96 games in the regular season. Three of Washington’s five starters finished the year with ERAs below 3.00, and they also have one of the best bullpens in baseball. The Nationals also have an outfield that is filled with offensive pop. Center fielder Denard Span finished the year with a batting average of .302, and let’s not forget what corner outfielders Bryce Harper and Jason Werth can do offensively. I predict the Nationals to go on to the NLCS.

Dodgers vs Cardinals

            The Dodgers came up short last year, losing to the Cards in the NLCS, and they will be as hungry as a lion going into the divisional series. LA’s rotation is led by Clayton Kershaw, who features the dirtiest curveball that I’ve ever seen, and who ended the season with 21 wins and a remarkable 1.77 ERA. The offense includes Matt Kemp, who is finally starting to look like his old self, and produced up to expectation offensively for the Dodgers this year. Even though this may be hard for Red Sox fans who remember the Boston version of Carl Crawford, the speedy outfielder finished the season with an even .300 average, and has produced well in his last 10 games. They are facing a Cardinals team that hasn’t seen a whole lot of changes from last year and are still very dangerous, but I think that this rematch will end differently than last time around. I predict the Dodgers to go onto the NLCS.

            If you’re picking one series to watch, this is it. It’s going to be some great baseball and both teams are going to have to fight hard if they want to win.  

            Red Sox fans can enjoy being world champions for a few more weeks. We can brag all we want up until then, but it’s time to pass the glory on, as a new champion will soon be crowned.

            For baseball fans, there is no time of the year that is more exciting than right now. Lets enjoy it while we can.

            Also make sure to tune in tonight at 6:30 on WDEV for The Kid & The Geezer Postseason Special. The geezer Mal Boright and I will welcome your phone calls and give our in-depth postseason analysis.