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Pro Sports Wrap - Sports Personality of the Day:Tony Romo

8/2011 Team Scope: Seattle Mariners

August 16th 2011 14:15
The Mariners have the worst offense in baseball, and Dustin Ackley is the only player with at least 200 plate apperances who has an RC-plus of over 100. Franklin Gutierrez, Miguel Olivo, and Chone Figgins have been so bad that they might as well sign Carlton Lassiter (for you Psych fans out there). I mean really, this team just can't hit! Ackley has been outstanding, but nobody else has been around the league average in hitting (100 RC-plus ). Chone Figgins? He has an atrocious 35 RC , has a -0.8 WAR, and he only provides value on defense (marginal value really).

The funny thing is that offseason acquisition Brendan Ryan has the highest WAR on the team. His RC is only 90, but that's the fourth highest on the team. We all know Ryan can't hit, and the reason why he has value is because of his glove. He has been very good in the field, and Ryan has also been smart on the basepaths this year.


Dustin Ackley will overtake Ryan in WAR, and he has been on fire since his call-up. Ackley's RC of 141 will definitely cool down, but he has really produced for the M's. His ISO is .201, his wOBA is .374, and he has provided value defensively and on the bases as well. In short, Ackley is the team's best non-pitcher. I don't care about regression, because frankly, nobody else on this roster is really that good (again, non-pitchers only).

The Mariners don't really have a good pitching staff either; it's only OK. Even though Casper Wells has been great since the Doug Fister trade, I still don't think the M's should have traded Fister. That mindset might change if Francisco Martinez ends up being a solid major leaguer.

Anyway, Felix Hernandez is a beast so we don't need to talk about him. Now what about Michael Pineda? Nobody is talking about him much anymore, but he's still been very good. His fastball is still getting up there in a hurry (95 mph), and his slider has been nasty. The K's are high (9.13) but so are the walks (3.13). Pineda has had a great season, and he definitely deserves to be the AL Rookie of the Year.


Brandon League has surprisingly held up as a closer and is having a pretty good year. I can't say the same for the rest of the bullpen; especially Jamey Wright and Aaron Laffey. Those two are pitching much worse than what the raw stats would indicate.

In summary, the Mariners stink and will continue their losing ways until some influx of competence in the lineup is created. This offense doesn't nearly resemble a Major League offense, and they have no true power hitter or table setter. If you don't have either of those two, I don't see how you can hope to be at least an average team at this level. And heck, they don't really even have much of a bullpen either. They should be thankful that teams like the A's and Astros exist, because the Mariners would probably be the worst team in baseball, from a pure talent perspective, without them. Well, they might actually be worse than the A's, but that's a debate for another day.
Dustin Ackley
M's best hitter

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6/18 Daily Rundown: Osi vs. LeSean

June 18th 2011 06:13
1. Osi Umenyiora Shoots Back at LeSean McCoy

I think Osi Umenyiora just hurt himself some more in terms of league-wide respect. He once threatened to retire, and now he said that Jerry Reese lied to him. LeSean McCoy called Osi overrated and the third best defensive lineman on the Giants. I don't agree with what McCoy said at all, but it is his opinion. I think that he is the third most important defensive lineman on the defense. Justin Tuck is better, and Barry Cofield is an important leader. Osi is a great player, but he's such a head case.

You have to read Osi's response to McCoy's comments. He called McCoy Lady Gaga, and he said that he refers to McCoy as a "she". His reasoning for this sexist remark is that LeSean McCoy did what a woman would do. Huh? What are you talking about man? Everybody calls people overrated and soft all the time. There was no reason for him to make a sexist remark.

It's no secret that these two hate eachother, but this is the first time that we've seen it off the field. Thank Twitter for the sudden interest in this rivalry. What's more is that he called McCoy a nobody and said McCoy should stop talking. Memo to Osi Umenyiora: LeSean McCoy is one of the best all-around running backs in the National Football League.

2. Michael Pineda Helps Break Phils' 7 Game Win Streak

If you have the fastest fastball in the majors, you throw strikes, and you have nice offspeed stuff; you're going to be a successful pitcher in the majors. Right now, Michael Pineda is very successful. The most recent young pitching sensation on the M's is tearing up the league. On a team bereft of offense- bereft is a kind word- performances like Pineda's yesterday are necessary.

Michael Pineda took a no-hitter through six, and Brandon League got his 20th save in a rocky ninth. Roy Oswalt gave up eight hits and four runs in six surprisingly poor innings. Recent call-up Dustin Ackley got his first base hit through the veteran ace's legs. The second baseman who should change positions is one of the biggest prospects in the majors. Ichiro had three hits- including a double- and three runs to help lead the M's to victory. And yes, Ichiro was their lead-off hitter so I just made another really bad pun.

3. Red Sox Win Again

The Boston Red Sox beat a tough AL Central opponent 10-4 thanks to some big hitting from A-Gone. He went 3-4 with three runs, one RBI, a walk, a double, and a homer. Big Papi went 3-5 with a double, a run, and a run batted in. Nyjer Morgan went 3-4 with two runs. After three poor innings, John Lackey bounced back and finished off the game with five solid, scoreless frames.

4. Lockout '11: Owner News

A handful of NFL Owners are stalling negotiations because they don't like the deal that Roger Goodell is offering the players. They believe that the deal offered benefits the players more than the owners. The recent summit is for the owners to talk everything together amongst themselves rather than to actually negotiate.

5. Owners Allow Guaranteed Contracts

An important debate among the owners and players in the NBA, the issue of guaranteed contracts has been resolved with the owners allowing the current system of guaranteed contracts to continue. This is good news for the players, but the issue of a hard salary cap also needs to be resolved. Both sides really want to get a deal done and settle their differences even if it means letting the other side get what they want- meaning you didn't want such a thing to happen.
Osi Umenyiora
Were you born this way? Or do you like the Paparazzi covering the crazy stuff you do? Or is it just that you and LeSean have a bad romance?
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