Southern Fried Specials Arizona Style

Today, the Arizona Fall League, the premier winter league for Major League prospects, announced their rosters today. It is a very high honor for a player to be selected to play in this league. Here are the Mississippians, or those with Mississippi connections that made the league.

• Mitch Moreland, outfield for the Texas Rangers- Amory High School and Mississippi State
• Lance Lynn, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals- Ole Miss
• Cody Satterwhite, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers- Hillcrest Christian High School and Ole Miss
• Zack Cozart, shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds- Ole Miss
• Jason Heyward, outfielder for the M-Braves
• Freddie Freeman, first baseman for the M-Braves
• Brandon Hicks, shortstop for the M-Braves
• Lee Hyde, pitcher for the M-Braves
• Craig Kimbrel, pitcher for the M-Braves
• Jeff Lyman, pitcher for the M-Braves

And one more tidbit- MLB.com released their top 50 prospects for all of baseball today, and Jason Heyward of the M-Braves was named the #1 prospect in all of baseball.

Tips on Tipping Pitches

This Sunday, John Smoltz had a markedly improved performance against the weak-hitting San Diego Padres. Nonetheless, striking out nine hitters, including seven in a row, over five innings and allowing zero runs and only three hits is pretty good for a rehab start- or any start. So, how did Dave Duncan work his magic this time? Well, according to Tony LaRussa, the Cardinals manager, they made some slight mechanical adjustments, but the thing that I found really interesting was that they believed that Smoltz was tipping his pitches.

As baseball fans, many of us have heard about pitchers tipping pitches, but many don't know exactly what the pros (and everyone else) are looking for. Well, today, I'm going to talk about some very common ways that pitchers tip pitches. Of course, a pitcher could literally do any little thing and tip a pitch, but there are some things that are more common than others. And I also need to make note that in some rare instances, tipping pitches may not be that bad of a thing. Case in point- Sandy Koufax used to tip that he was throwing his curveball by snapping his wrist before his wind up. The thing was, his curve was so good that even though the hitters knew it was coming, they still couldn't hit it. It was almost to the point where Koufax used his pitch tipping to intimidate hitters- "Here it comes, let's see if you can hit it." Case in point, here is a quote from Joe Torre, who had to hit against Koufax-

"There were some coaches who were good at picking things up. You always look for it," he said. "Then you had a guy like Sandy Koufax. You could call his pitches, but it wouldn't do you any good." - Joe Torre

But that's the exception rather than the rule. But anyway, here are some common things that players look for with pitchers that tip their pitches:

• How the pitcher holds his glove. This is fairly self explanatory- sometimes pitchers will hold their glove vertically, like Johan Santana is doing in this picture for their fastball.

And then they will hold their glove horizontally for a curveball, like the pitcher in this picture is doing.

• Another common thing that pitchers will do to tip pitches is noticeably wiggle their fingers in their glove. What the pitcher is trying to do is line the seams up so that he can get his fingers on the ball correctly to throw a certain pitch, usually a breaking ball.
• Along those same lines, sometimes a pitcher will widen his glove when throwing a certain pitch.
• And tipping pitches can sometimes be just from the wind up or just from the stretch. Andy Pettitte of the Yankees was known to bring his hands straight down in the stretch for a fastball and when he was going to throw a curveball, his hands would go in a more circular motion to his waist before going to home plate.
• One of the most common, and potentially amusing is a pitcher's body habits. There was a pitcher that would wag his tongue before throwing his fastball. Dwight Gooden would wiggle his index finger on his glove hand before throwing his curveball.

So, what are these poor pitchers supposed to do? Well, pitch tipping can go unnoticed for a long time- often years. A lot of times what will happen is someone will get traded to the team that the pitcher is on, or vice versa, and they will inform the pitcher. At that point, it basically becomes a matter of breaking habits, which can sometimes be very difficult. Sometimes it can be rather simple- to fix Gooden's pitch tipping problem, the Mets had someone put a cover over the index finger hole in his glove. Problem solved.

In closing- pitchers, watch your habits. Because it might come back to haunt you one day. Unless you're Sandy Koufax, of course.

Conner Powers Doesn't Wanna Be Your Monkeywrench

OK, MSU fans, let's rewind to June. Russ Sneed was going to play first base. Jarrod Parks was going to play third and the coaching staff really liked him. Cody Freeman days behind the plate were done, and he was definately going to be either a corner outfielder, or a first baseman, and Conner Powers was gone thanks to the draft- but wait.

All right, we now know that Conner Powers was not only drafted lower than he expected in the 11th round, but we later learned that he couldn't come to terms with the Dodgers, and ended up going back to the Cape Cod League to prove his mettle. Powers started off slowly, but recovered won the Cape Cod League Home Run Derby, and eventually never came to terms with the Dodgers.

Don't get me wrong, I am very fired up that Conner Powers is coming back to MSU, but it certainly creates some other issues at other positions. Powers has to play. There is no doubt about that. He is a bona fide possible All-SEC and maybe even All-American at first base. He has the potential to hit 20 home runs and hit .350. That's certainly not a problem, especially given the fact that Powers plays very good defense as well. The problem is everyone else's defense. In particular, Russ Sneed and Jet Butler. We'll get to them later, but I'm going to start at the catcher position.

OK, word on the street is that John Cohen loves JUCO transfer Wes Thigpen from Meridian CC. Fair enough. Thigpen was signed out of high school by LSU, so he obviously has some talent. Ironically, he went to Nicholls State, a team that MSU had some issues with last year, this off season for summer school, but that's neither here nor there. Despite Thigpen's crdentials and Cohen's endorsement, he has no SEC experience. And the back-ups have even less. Kolby Byrd is a True Freshman, Carlos Leal is a True Freshman walk-on, and Jet Butler is learning how to catch with very mixed results to say the least. Ryan Duffy has experience behind the plate, but his defense was so atrocious that Cohen benched him in the middle of an inning last year and he has not seen any more action behind the dish since. Then you have Cody Freeman. Freeman has had some injury issues since he has been at MSU. Last year, I do not believe he was very healthy either. Cody was a very good catcher at high school super power West Lauderdale in Meridian, and he has had some success at the plate while at MSU- particularly when he was healthy. I sincerely hope that John Cohen looks at Cody Freeman at catcher this fall. I don't think that Cohen has seen what he can do when he's 100%. And the depth issues and the current Conner Powers situation may force him to give him a long look, which I think might be beneficial to MSU. And I'm not necessarily knocking Thigpen. I personally believe that any team should have at least two capable catchers that they can depend on becuase of the physical demands of the position. I'd rather have two capable juniors than a junior and a freshman.

Now, on to the infield. Conner Powers has first base locked up. The other positions are very unsettled. Jet Butler is the incumbant at second base. While he is not exactly a great defender, and is an even worse baserunner, he can hit and has pretty good power. I really wouldn't be shocked if he hit 10 home runs next year as a senior. The other options are Frank Rawdow, who can play defense, but is still learning how to hit, and JUCO transfer Johnathan Ogden, who is more of a defensive specialist. I wish there were a way to morph Butler and Ogden, but that would probably screw the scholarship situation up too much. Powers coming back also probably throws Russ Sneed back to third base, where he had a fielding percentage below .900. Sneed is similar to Butler in that he can hit for power and average, but he is a better baserunner than Jet. I think Sneed can put up similar numbers at the plate as Butler as well, maybe even a little bit better. I would have to think that Jarrod Parks would come in as a defensive replacement late in games, as he has not shown that he can hit SEC pitching yet. State's shortstop position is the only one that has no one with any real experience at the postion in the SEC. I think Nick Vickerson, a Florida State, Shelton State CC, AND Meridian CC transfer is going to likely get the nod there. The scary thing, according to someone who has seen him play is that he "airmails every four throws to first base". I expect some of the glove players like Ogden and Rawdow to get looks at short as well. If I were John Cohen, I would really, really, really focus on infield defense. They were not good last year, and it was overshadowed by the lack of a pitching staff. But if State can shore up their defense, they could five more games this next year. Remember, the old saying is pitching AND defense win ballgames.

Finally the outfield, with the DH position thrown in. The outfield is every bit as crowded as the infield, but there are players that are a little more established. Ryan Collins is a very good outfielder, and I think he has to start. He could have a very good junior season next year. The centerfielder is probably going to be former Reds draft pick Jaron Shepherd, the son of former Toronto Blue Jay outfielder Ron Shepherd. I expect Collins and Shepherd to be at the top of MSU's lineup next year. Left field is a lot more crowded. Luke Adkins has a lot of experience, and had a pretty good year last year. Then there's JUCO transfer Trey Johnson and Brent Brownlee, another Cohen favorite. I like Adkins, but I think he might be the odd man out here. I think it's going to be either Johnson, who showed some pretty good power last year in JUCO, and then Brownlee, who is developing as a hitter and is a very good defensive outfielder with speed. The designated hitter for State is probably going to be senior Ryan Duffy, who may be the best clutch hitter on the team.

So, that's what State is looking at right now going into fall camp. And then there are going to be some players that are going to get cut, so that's going to answer some questions right there. As for me, I'm ready for October and some banana splits.

Captain Obvious Playoff Predictions

OK, I know these picks are going to be hardly Earth shattering considering that the season is almost over and the fact that most of the pennant races this year aren't that close. But one of my friends asked me who I thought would make the playoffs, and I thought it was a good enough topic.

Here are the picks:

National League

East- Philadelphia Phillies- No Roy Halladay, but it's not going to matter. Cliff Lee and Pedro are more than enough to pad their lead and get them in to the playoffs.
Central- St. Louis Cardinals- This team is one of, if not the hottest team in baseball right now, and they have a very favorable schedule the rest of the way. They play the Cubs three more times in St. Louis.
West- Los Angeles Dodgers- Their hot start has carried them over, and while the Giants and Rockies are making runs, I think they have enough to hold them off. If someone is going to fade in the National League, it will probably be the Dodgers.
Wild Card- San Francisco Giants- I like the Giants pitching over the Rockies, and I think that could be the difference. Not only that, but the Ginats also play the Rockies nine more times- including six in San Francisco. And the Giants actually have a pretty legit shot at the Dodgers as they play them three times in San Francisco as well and could do some damage there.

American League

East- New York Yankees- If the Cardinals aren't the hottest team in baseball right now, it's gotta be the Yankees. They have built a solid team with probably the best defensive infield in the game. They've found answers to any questions that they might have had in the bullpen as well.
Central- Detroit Tigers- I'm picking them over the White Sox because I think that their schedule is a little bit easier, although they have a big stretch next week with the Angels on the road and the Rays. If they can navigate through that stretch well, I think they win it. And something to look out for- the last series of the year for them is against the White Sox in Detroit. That could be for the Division.
West- Los Angeles Angels- They have a fairly comfortable lead in the West, and they have more than enough to hold off the Rangers.
Wild Card- Texas Rangers- My main reason for picking the Rangers is because they have a much easier schedule and the fact that the Red Sox are struggling right now, and I think that they lack confidence. The Rangers are young, and they're just having a good time. I think that's going to keep the pressure off of them.

John Smoltz a Cardinal

Some things are just hard to accept. For example, Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker's father. Right now, I'm having a hard time accepting former Atlanta and M-Brave (rehab assignment, OK, I'm stretching it) John Smoltz as a... Cardinal? Some people, especially those that know me may have a hard time understanding why I'm in such a state of flux over this. I mean, I know how the "business" side of baseball is- players change teams very frequently. Very few baseball players spend their entire career for one team. It's all part of it. But, as a Cardinals fan in the South this is very, well, weird.

It's not that I think this is a bad move or anything. I mean, the Cardinals do have Dave Duncan after all, and he has salvaged many a pitching career through the years. Smoltz has shown that he can start and relieve, and even the talking heads on MLB Network are talking about what a good move this is for the Cardinals. Smoltz has also appeared in more postseason games than any pitcher in Major League history, something that will serve the Cardinals well in the postseason should they get there. The Redbirds are basically asking him to be a fifth starter, and he can be a good mentor for some of the Cardinals pitchers like Jason Motte and is well respected by Adam Wainwright. And yes, I know that Smoltz is 42, has struggled this year in Boston, and has an arm that has had just about every known surgery known to man.

But it's none of that. It's that growing up as a Cardinals fan in the 90's, the Braves were the bane of my existance. Early in the 90's, the Cardinals were very cheap until a group led by Bill DeWitt bought the team and started to resurrect the franchise. They did this by getting Tony LaRussa, and essentially a bunch of new players and renovating Busch Stadium II. This was 1996. Ever since then, the Cardinals have enjoyed a good bit of success and continue to today. Now, when the Cardinals were building up, there was one team in the National League that they had to go through. The Atlanta Braves.

The Braves were the class of the National League in the 90's. I liked them in 1991. After that, I loathed them. I think a lot of it had to do with their snide announcers like Don Sutton, and remember at this time, there were very little baseball watching options, and it was either Braves, Cubs, or hope that ESPN would show someone other than those two. All you would ever hear about was the Brave's pitching- Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Steve Avery, and Denny Neagle/Pete Smith/Kent Merker or whoever. ALL THE TIME. Then you would hear all about basically how the Braves did "everything right" and it came across as everyone else in baseball was basically a big ship of fools. And here I am a Cardinals fan hoping that my team can get five solid innings from Rene Arocha. And then I got to watch the helpless Cardinals hitters take every pitch that was five inches off of the corner and the Braves get the call every time. I think if MLB Network had been around, I would have had fewer annoyance issues towards the Braves.

And then there were the bandwagon Braves fans. I loathed them worse than the actual Braves themselves. They're the people that would go out and buy Braves gear circa 1991, and ditched it all for Yankees gear circa 1996. I like REAL Braves fans though- like one of my very best friends from Tupelo. The bandwagon Braves fans were easy to identify- they usually try to disguise themselves with a Dale Murphy reference, but then ask them about Bob Horner, Rafael Ramirez, Rick Mahler, Andres Thomas, and then Biff Pocoroba, and you could spot them fairly easily. And for the record I don't like any bandwagon baseball fans. I can respect fans of any team- even Cubs fans. But bandwagon baseball fans don't have to suffer through hard times like other "true" fans of teams.

So, for the Cardinals that were trying to re-emerge, the Braves and their pitching staff were the team that they had to go through. The Braves were the bad guys. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz were the main bad guys for me. It's just the way it was. Heck, there was even the now infamous "Chicks Dig the Longball" commercial where it showed Mark McGwire, the Cardinals main star of the late 90's, hitting home runs and girls going nuts over him, and the Braves pitchers- Maddux and Glavine shaking their heads and learning how to hit home runs to try to impress the women. That's just how the Cardinals and Braves were in the late 90's. The two did meet in the playoffs, with the Braves winning in 1996 4-3 and the Cardinals winning in 2000 with a three game sweep. And now, here we are and one of the main bad guys is now a good guy? I just can't process it.

Let me put it this way- This is like Ernie Banks becoming a Cardinal and Stan Musial being a Cub. It's like Willie Mays being a Dodger. It's like Ted Williams being a Yankee. It just doesn't seem right. For me, this is like the cowboy in black joining forces with John Wayne. It's just crazy.

I'll bet I get over it though- especially if Smoltz helps lead the Cardinals to the World Championship. Until then, I'm doing double takes and shaking my head.

Southern Fried Special

Bill Hall of Nettleton, who was released by the Brewers recently, has been picked up by the Seattle Mariners. I think this is a great fit for both teams, especially since the Mariners are likely to lose their current third baseman, Adrian Beltre, to free agency in the offseason. Seattle is an awesome city and they do a great job with their baseball at Safeco Field. I recommend going for those of you trying to plan a vacation for next summer.

No Olympic Baseball (Or Softball) For Now

Recently, the IOC voted to not include baseball or softball to the 2016 Olympic Games. Of course, I find this very disappointing. The Olympics main reason for not including baseball has a lot to do with the fact that Major League Baseball does not send the best players to the Games, but rather sends minor leaguers (and Stephen Strasburg) to represent USA. Some leagues, such as the Nippon (Japan) League did send some of their pros to compete. Essentially, the Olympics want a baseball "Dream Team" like basketball.

Baseball has their reasons for not sending their players to the Olympics, though. These include the fact that the summer games take place in August, which is in the middle of the pennant race. August is also a time where Major League teams want to have good crowds, and sending some of their top players overseas could impact attendance. The biggest issue has to do with the pitchers- which is not surprising considering the crys from the World Baseball Classic and even the All-Star game where teams are afraid that their prized commodities will be injured in something that doesn't involve their team. I think both sides have compelling arguements. There just seems to be no middle ground here.

So, I'm going to arbitrate between the two because I think baseball in the Olympics has a lot of potential- I remember watching Ben Sheets and Tom Lasorda beat the Cubans for the Gold in 2000, which was awesome.

So, what's the solution? I think it's actually fairly simple- if you think outside the box. But I think I've found it. Baseball should be played not in the Summer Games, but...wait for it...the Winter Games.

OK, now take a deep breath and let me explain myself.

And now for the inevitable questions- Why should the Boys of SUMMER play in the WINTER Olympic Games? What in the name of Brian Boitano are you thinking?

First of all, there are some very tangible reasons for this. First of all, when is spring training for baseball? February and March. When is the World Baseball Classic? The earliest WBC games began on March 5th, less than a week after February. And now for the clincher- when are the Winter Olympics held? According to their website Feb. 12- 28th. This would be a pretty good for Major League baseball because there are no meaningful games in February and it wouldn't interfere with any pennant race, although it might interfere with PFP- pitcher fielding practice, but I think the pitchers will survive. The players would have to start getting ready a little bit earlier, but I don't think that would be that big of a deal. Especially if they get promised big time endorsement deal like the basketball Dream Team. And speaking of that, with the Winter Olympics having fewer sports, baseball would get more of a center stage position to show itself off. This would help Internationalize baseball even further, and also take into consideration that the Olympics would be bringing baseball to a place where baseball is not played very much- like Sweden.

Oh yeah, and the Olympics would benefit from this to. How? Because it would be another major sport added to the Winter Games and it would add the participation of countries like Cuba, the Dominican, Japan, and etc., which would help their ratings world wide.

Uh, Todd. That sounds great, but don't they play the Winter Olympics in places like Norway? Won't it be, uh, you know...cold?

Yep. It'll be cold all right. But baseball doesn't have to be played outside. Just have the Vikings build a dome and there you go. This is not the time to go all purist on everybody. We're talking about a week long tournament or so. We put up with Montreal and Olympic Stadium for how many years? I doubt a domed stadium in Helsinki would be any worse than that.

OK, but what are they going to do with a baseball stadium after that?

Who cares? They'll probably turn it into apartments or a parking lot like every other country does when the Olympics leaves.

Like I said, have an eight team tournament and play it the last week of the Olympics with two four team pools. For example for 2010:

Pool A:

USA/combined with Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic
Mexico
Canada/host country which is variable. I picked Canada because they are hosting in 2010.

Pool B:

Cuba
Venezuela
Japan
Korea

The pools play three games round robin to decide seeding for the medal round, which will be single elimination. If someone wants to make the arguement that the medal round should be best two out of three, I could buy that. But if that was the case, the top two teams in both pools should advance, which I have no problem with either. Under my plan, the winners of the first round of the medal round then go on to the second round. The winners of the second round play for the Gold Medal, and the losers go on to play for the Bronze. Also, World Baseball Classic pitch count rules will be enforced, and there will be a DH. To further ensure that pitchers are protected, three will be 30 man rosters for all teams. Major League and other professional umpires will be used.

So, now all someone has to do is forward this to Bud Selig and the IOC and then we can play some baseball!