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The time has come – we’ve reached the midway point of the 2009 MLB season. It’s been an eventful year in more ways than one. From the tragic death of rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart of the Angels early in the season to the resurgence of David Ortiz after one of the worst slumps of his career, there’s a lot to talk about. Winners, losers, surprises, disappointments: let’s talk about the first half of this season.

I’m starting in the National League, and at a logical point: the first-half MVP. Without question, it’s Albert Pujols. He’s always an offensive juggernaut, but this year may see the first Triple Crown winner in the majors since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, and the first in the National League since fellow Cardinal Joe Medwick in 1937. It’s interesting to note Medwick hit 31 home runs that season – Pujols already has 32. He’s leading the NL in home runs and RBIs, and only trails the leader in batting average by 7 points. If anyone can do it, it’s Pujols. Without his offensive dominance, the Cardinals wouldn’t be in first place.

My Cy Young pick for the first half of the season is Tim Lincecum. He won it last year in his breakout second season, and he’s not letting up any this year either. His ERA is a staggeringly low 2.33 (only trailing Dan Haren with 2.01, but considering the state of the Diamondbacks, it’s only a matter of time before that number rises), he has 10 wins (only trailing Jason Marquis with 11), and he leads both leagues with 149 strikeouts. He’s young and overpowering, not to mention the favorite to repeat if he keeps up this pace.

The biggest surprise in the NL this season has been the San Francisco Giants. A miserable 72-90 last year (4^th in a weak NL West), they’re turning it around this year, posting a 49-38 record so far this year behind power pitching from Lincecum, Matt Cain, an unlikely no hitter by Jonathan Sanchez, and a 300 game winner in Randy Johnson (something analysts said was impossible after Greg Maddux achieved that milestone). Also receiving credit is Pablo Sandoval, a likely candidate for NL Rookie of the Year, and Aaron Rowand one of the best defensive outfielders in the game.

The Cubs and Mets have been equally disappointing, and neither of them really have a good excuse. The Mets paid top-dollar to acquire ace closer Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez, who set the single season record for saves last year with 62, and they’re currently only above the Washington Nationals in a very winnable NL East. Only 6.5 games separate first place from fourth, so it’s still (almost) anyone’s division. Acquiring Jeff Francoeur a few days ago is already paying dividends – he went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs in his Mets debut, while the man he replaced, Ryan Church, went hitless in his Braves debut.

I have a bigger problem with the Cubs. They won the NL Central by 7.5 games last year, posting 97 wins, and this year they’re only hanging on to a .500 record entering today, still good enough for third place. Milton Bradley is not panning out, and letting Kerry Wood go after he finally found his niche as a closer didn’t make much sense either. To be fair, the Cubs are banged up at the moment, with Ryan Dempster, Derrek Lee, and Geovany Soto all on the DL at the moment. Even so, it doesn’t make up for falling off that much with basically the same team as last year.

Now let’s move on to the American League, where the MVP race is a lot tighter. For right now, I’m giving the nod to Jason Bay in spite of a recent slump. He has 20 home runs (4 behind Carlos Pena, the AL leader) and 72 RBIs, which is best in the AL. He’s been making great plays in left field and consistently delivering clutch hits, prompting Red Sox fans to forget all about #24. He desperately needs to get his average up to win the award: the lowest batting average of an MVP was .267 by Marty Marion for the St Louis Cardinals in 1944.

Even closer than my selection for first-half MVP is the AL first-half Cy Young winner. Tim Wakefield has the most wins (11), Justin Verlander has the most strikeouts (141), and Zack Greinke has the lowest ERA (2.12). But comparing them against each other, I have to go with Greinke. He has a lower ERA, more complete games and shutouts, allowed fewer home runs and walks, he’s caught more baserunners stealing than bases they’ve stolen, has a lower WHIP and opponent batting average, and has more strikeouts per walk and fewer walks per 9 innings than Wakefield and Verlander. He also has 10 of Kansas City’s 37 wins. Think about that – if they didn’t have Greinke, they’d be only a half game better than the Nationals.

As much as I like the fighting spirit of the Texas Rangers or the comeback year by Carl Pavano (he’s won 8 games this year after winning 9 his last 4 years in New York), there’s no bigger surprise in the American League than the Detroit Tigers. Last year, they won only 74 games; only the Orioles and Mariners won fewer than that. This year, they lead the division by 2.5 games over last year’s division champion White Sox. Brandon Inge and Justin Verlander have been unstoppable, and even with injuries to Jeremy Bonderman, Carlos Guillen, and Nate Robertson, they’re still managing to win games through great starting pitching and solid defense.

As with the National League, two teams really have been disappointments: the Minnesota Twins and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Twins lost the division by one game last year, and in spite of the ridiculous season Joe Mauer is having (with a .381 batting average), they can’t seem to pull themselves out of mediocrity. They’re .500 on the season and 5-5 in their last 10 games. It’s not exactly a recipe for success. I know the Angels lost their closer and have been plagued with injuries to Vlad Guerrero and other players, but they were the only 100 win team in the majors last year, and to only be leading the division by half a game over Texas really is unacceptable, especially considering injuries to the Rangers star player Josh Hamilton. I don’t see the Angels being able to hold on: either the Rangers or also surprising Mariners will win the division.

To close everything out, I’ve got two bold predictions and my division winners. First, after having a superstar like Manny Ramirez test positive for a banned substance and get hit with a 50 game suspension reminds me that this is not yet a steroid-free league. I expect another major star will be suspended this season, and I think it will be another Hispanic player as well. Such substances are readily available in the Caribbean, and with many players participating in Winter leagues, it’s obvious there are players still breaking the rules and expecting to get away with it. Another superstar will test positive this season, and they still won’t learn.

I also think the Cubs will take place in a blockbuster trade before the deadline passes. It could happen with any team in a tight division race, but I think it’s going to be the Cubs. Fans have recently been unhappy with the performance of Carlos Zambrano, and I could see him being packaged with some prospects if the Cubs want to make a run at acquiring Roy Halladay. As we’ve seen in the past, getting a starting pitcher can be the difference in a team’s playoff chances. The prime example is CC Sabathia, traded last year to the Brewers, who in turn won the NL Wild Card. Don’t forget Ben Sheets is still a free agent: the Cubs could involve him in a sign-and-trade with Zambrano to sweeten the deal for Toronto.

Lastly, my division winners. Starting in the NL, I’m predicting the Phillies to repeat in the East, the Brewers to surprise the Cardinals in the Central, and the Dodgers to drop the West to the up and coming Giants. I think the Cardinals are still a good enough team to take the Wild Card, driven by Pujols, Chris Carpenter, and Ryan Franklin. In the AL, I think the Red Sox will hold on in the East, the Tigers to win the Central and complete their worst to first season, and the Texas Rangers to win the West. In a bit of cruel irony, the Yankees will miss the playoffs for a second year in a row, showing them it takes more than just throwing big contracts at free agents to make a winning team. I think the Rays are getting their act together enough to pull out the Wild Card, narrowly defeating the Mariners.

If you’ve stuck with it this far, thanks for reading. I’d love to hear your opinions on anything I covered (your picks for MVP and Cy Young, division winners, etc).

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It’s been a busy week for Major League Baseball, and a busy week for myself as well. I haven’t been able to blog as much since classes started back up, so to make up for it, here are my thoughts on a few of baseball’s top stories.

First of all, the last men voted in to the All-Star game – the fans got it right for once. Shane “The Flyin’ Hawiian” Victorino and Brandon Inge were voted in by the fans to claim the final spots in the NL and AL All-Star teams, respectively. They couldn’t have been more right. Victorino is hitting an impressive .314, and he leads the Phillies in runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, and stolen bases. He’s the glue holding them together offensively. Victorino has also committed just one error in 82 games played, and leads his team in innings fielded with 735.1. Currently, the Phillies lead the NL East by 3 games over the Marlins. Inge leads the Tigers with 19 home runs and 54 RBIs. Not only that, his spectacular plays in the field (frequently seen on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight) are helping his Tigers stay atop the AL Central, holding a 3.5 game lead over the White Sox. All things considered, these guys should have been voted All-Stars in the first place, and with this second chance system, the fans got it right. Well done.

Moving right along, the Mets sent Ryan Church to the Braves for Jeff Francoeur. I have to say I’m highly disappointed in the Braves for this move. He may not be hitting very well this year, but Francoeur is not only a spectacular fielder (a career .982 fielding percentage, including a perfect 1.000 this year) and has one of the strongest arms I’ve ever seen, but he’s one of the leaders on this team. Aside from Chipper Jones and Brian McCann, he’s who you think of when you think of Atlanta today. He also stays healthy, which is more than I can say for his replacement, Ryan Church. Church only played 90 games last year, while Francoeur played 155. That’s a pretty big difference. Church may have a higher batting average this year, but has fewer hits, runs, home runs, and RBIs. Also, he’s six years older than Francoeur. You expect to get better by getting older and trading for a guy with only one year more major league experience than the guy you just shipped off? I just can’t wrap my head around this one. I take back part of what I said last week about the Mets – they robbed Atlanta blind on this move. I can understand if Atlanta had received a draft pick or a minor league prospect or two, but as a straight up man-for-man trade, I just don’t get it.

Last night, Jonathan Sanchez became the most unlikely pitcher in the Giants rotation to throw a no-hitter, the franchise’s first in 33 years. I would easily have expected Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, or Randy Johnson to do it. Maybe even Barry Zito, even though he hasn’t been that good since signing with the Giants. I’m not here to sell Sanchez short. What he did was incredible, but he owes a lot to that brilliant catch made by Aaron Rowand, as he robbed what was nearly a home run. It may be what he needs to turn his season, possibly even his career, around. He’s only 3-8 this year and 16-26 career, but throwing a no-hitter gives a pitcher a boost of confidence like nothing else can. I’m happy for him, and here’s to hoping he only gets better.

The Angels have taken a rather large hit, losing both Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter to the disabled list. Vlad the Impaler has been banged up all year, and has played in just over half of his team’s games. The loss of his big bat seriously damages their ability to hit the long ball. Speaking of home runs, guess who’s leading the team in that statistic so far? That’s right, Torii Hunter. He’s hit 17 this year, along with a team-best 65 RBIs and 159 total bases. Both hitters are batting near .300 (Vlad slightly below, Torii slightly above), so these are devastating losses. The Angels are only a half game behind the surprising Rangers, and the remaining players (in particular Figgins, Morales, Abreu, and Rivera) need to pick up the pace if they don’t want to fall too far behind. It’s only the 15 day DL, but factor in rehab starts and it may be early August before these guys return.

Lastly, it just wouldn’t be an article about baseball without mentioning Manny Ramirez. Are the fans honestly going to forget he just did 50 games for juicing and accept him with open arms yet again? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. He does play for the Dodgers, and that Hollywood lifestyle produces enough phonies and frauds to begin with. He’s still the same old selfish, lazy fielding clean-up hitter the Red Sox got sick of and dealt for Jason Bay (who could easily become the new captain of the Red Sox once Varitek retires – but that’s another article for another time) and I don’t see him ever changing. He runs his mouth, he doesn’t put his full effort into the game (shown clearly by his choice to take steroids instead of working hard alongside his teammates), and to be perfectly honest, Juan Pierre was playing better while he was gone. The Dodgers were in first place when he was suspended, and they didn’t miss a step once they lost him. Pierre is faster, a better fielder, and while he may not hit as hard, puts so much more effort into his job it’s insulting to start an egomaniac like Manny over such a hard worker like Pierre. I don’t blame Joe Torre. He’s only the manager, and he has to do what’s best for ticket sales – win. If you’re going to play this overpaid loudmouth, rotate Pierre in and out of the whole outfield when other guys need to take days off. Don’t punish the guy for working hard: reward it. Show your team hard work pays off and you’ll yield results like your early days as Yankees manager.

So those are my thoughts about baseball for now. In a few days, I’ll post my second-half predictions. Stay tuned.

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As Red Sox fans know, and still celebrate even today, Boston won the 2004 World Series. It was a year of destiny, as the Red Sox came back from a 3-0 deficit against their nemesis, the New York Yankees, to reach the World Series. After a 4-0 sweep of the St Louis Cardinals, the “Curse of the Bambino” was lifted, and fans rejoiced. But did the Red Sox leave the Yankees with a curse of their own?

Curt Schilling. Hear me out on this one. The Yankees last won the World Series in 2000, a 4-1 victory over cross-town rival New York Mets. The Yankees had also recently won the World Series in 1996, 1998, and 1999, making them a modern dynasty of baseball greatness. But things would change the next year. The Yankees went for their fifth title in six years against the recent expansion franchise Arizona Diamondbacks, founded in 1998. The series was tied at three games each going into Game Seven, with Curt Schilling pitching against Roger Clemens. Schilling pitched 7.1 innings, holding the Yankees to two runs. Mariano Rivera blew a save in the bottom of the ninth to give the Diamondbacks a 3-2 win and their first World Series.

Fast forward to 2003. Shortly after the Yankees lost the World Series to the Florida Marlins, another relatively young team, Schilling was traded to Boston, the team the Yankees had beaten in the ALCS to reach the World Series. Everyone knows about the rivalry, so I won’t go into a lot of background on that. Come postseason, history repeats itself, and the Yankees and Red Sox meet in the ALCS for the second straight year. Schilling lost Game One after pitching badly due to an ankle injury. The Red Sox dropped the next two games, and trailing 0-3 to their hated enemies, the series looked to be all but over. But you play the games for a reason, and on the strength of David Ortiz and his two walk-off, extra inning hits in games four and five, the Red Sox went back to Yankee Stadium with Schilling on the mound and a chance for redemption. Team doctors had deployed an experimental procedure to Schilling’s injured ankle, temporarily reattaching the tendons to the ankle and medically clearing him to pitch. Game Six, known as the “Bloody Sock Game”, became an instant classic as Schilling pitched seven innings, giving up one run, and tying the series for Boston. Game Seven was an embarrassment of a performance by the Yankees, and the Red Sox advanced to the World Series, winning baseball’s championship for the first time in 86 years.

Making the connection yet? Schilling, with the help of Randy Johnson, stopped the Yankees from winning the 2001 championship, and he fueled Boston’s comeback performance in 2004. Since then, the Yankees have not only not reached a World Series, they haven’t got out of the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Angels in 2005, the Tigers in 2006, and the Indians in 2007. Also in 2007, the Yankees lost the division to the Boston Red Sox, the eventual champions. Manager Joe Torre was fired, and replaced by former Yankee catcher Joe Girardi, and the Yankees failed to even make the playoffs for the first time since their devastating 2004 breakdown in the ALCS. After throwing large amounts of money at free agents such as A.J. Burnett, Mark Texeira, and CC Sabathia, the Yankees have been playing well so far in 2009. Well, except for games against – you guessed it – the Boston Red Sox. Dating back to last season, the Yankees have now dropped a humiliating eight in a row to the Sox, and it seems as if their glory days are over. All because of Curt Schilling and his never-say-die attitude.

I’m not telling you this is fact. After all, what defines a curse? Going too many years without a championship? Isn’t a curse a story fabricated by fans, the players, or management as an excuse for why they aren’t winning? Don’t tell that to a fan of the Cubs or Indians. Ask a fan of a team that broke their curse. The Red Sox, the White Sox, the New York Rangers, any of them. They’ll tell you how they could literally feel the curse as it was lifted away. Are you going to question a diehard sports fan like that? I’m not. It may be too early to tell, for all we know. It could be some wild coincidence. But wasn’t it a coincidence that Babe Ruth single-handedly made the Yankees a winner after he was sold by the Red Sox? Yankee fans have no reason to worry. It’s not like they believe in curses in the first place, right?

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