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 Friday, May 29, 2009
Not So Deep Thoughts: Is Bigger Always Better When It Comes To MLB Payrolls
Posted by Tuff Stuff
I was listening to some sports radio based in Chicago the other day and
there was a flurry of callers complaining about the latest troubles
experienced by the Cubs. Everything from injuries, to poor officiating,
to a lack of leadership was brought up as the reason the free-spending
Cubs are sitting in fourth place with a .500 record instead of running
away with the NL Central as many had predicted.
While all of those are valid reasons behind the Cubbies woes, it got me
to thinking about how some of the other big-market, big payroll teams
are doing this season. The Yankees lead the way in market size and blow
away the competition in payroll, and they're currently sitting in second
place in the AL East despite their recent hot streak. New York's other
team is second on the payroll list and they sit atop the NL East. The
Cubs rank third in payroll and we already mentioned their
middle-of-the-road status. Nos. four and five on the list are the Red
Sox and Tigers and they're both leading their divisions. Other division
leaders, the Cardinals and the Rangers don't exactly fit the mold of
the others, with St. Louis ranking 17th and Texas 22nd. The team with
the best record in all of the land, the Dodgers, comes in 9th on the
list and appears to be playing even better without its $25 million man earning a check.
While the top spot in each division will likely change several times
between now and the end of September, there does appear to be a direct
correlation between the teams with the bigger payrolls and the division
leaders. For example, of the 12 teams in first or second place in each
division, seven teams are ranked in the top 10 in payroll and only the
surprising Padres (29th) and the always-tough Twins (24th) rank in the
bottom third on the payroll scale. Of the six last-place teams in each
division, only Houston (8th, who has been decimated by injuries) and
Cleveland (14th) rank in the top half of the payroll chart, with
Washington (26th), Oakland (25th) and Baltimore (23rd) supporting the
bigger-is-better theory.
So what to make of all these numbers: not much. There does seem to be
some correlation between teams with bigger payrolls and success, but
there are always exceptions to every rule and the Padres and Rangers
are proof of that. Let's check back at season's end and see if the
Davids are still hanging with the Goliaths of the world. Until then,
I'll just keep listening to all the Cubs fans whining about yet another
season that got away.
Friday, May 29, 2009 6:02:00 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) 
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Thursday, May 28, 2009
Not So Deep Thoughts: New Summer Show On The Block
Posted by Tuff Stuff
One of our Tuff Stuff partners, FansEdge, has decided to jump into the
show circuit, and if their initial press releases are any indication,
they plan on making a big splash in their first dip in the pool.
With the first annual FansEdge Sports Spectacular show set for July
16-19, just two weeks prior to the start of The National in Cleveland,
some would say the inaugural show could be a huge disaster but there's
a reason the company has been one of the few to turn a profit in the
last couple of years and poor decision-making isn't one of them.
Mounted Memories is handling the autograph portion of the show that
will take place at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in
Rosemont, Ill., and with guests such as Cal Ripken Jr., Peyton
Manning, Bill Russell, Ernie Banks, Willy Mays, Pete Rose, Dick Butkus,
Brian Urlacher and Jim Brown among those scheduled to appear, it
appears as though show organizers have all their bases covered. The
show will also feature a Super Bowl XXXI reunion of the champion Green
Bay Packers but I would bet against seeing the wishy-washy country-boy
QB in the mix.
Realizing collectors, and the public in general, are still treading
water after surviving last year's economic crunch, show organizers have
come up with some creative ways to bring in top-notch talent at
affordable prices so even the most modest collectors can acquire the
signatures they covet. Among the specials the show will feature are: On
Thursday night, the first 1,000 through the doors will receive a free
gift and 200 people will receive a free Pete Rose autograph ticket.
Organizers have put together what they're calling a "Hobby Stimulus
Plan" for guests who attend the show on Friday. "Price Rollback Day"
will feature 16 different athletes including Rose, Brown, Butkus,
Urlacher and others, signing autographs at reduced rates more
reminiscent of days gone by so more collectors can afford to join in on
the fun.
On the final two days of the show, the first 2,500 people through the
doors will receive a free Dick Butkus autograph ticket and on Sunday,
200 people will receive a free Gale Sayers autograph ticket. Two free
HOFers in two days is something you just don't see at shows so
collectors should take advantage of the offer because you may never see
anything like again.
While we here at Tuff Stuff and F&W Media will always be rooting
for The National to do well because a successful show strengthens the
hobby and a strong hobby will always be our hope, but it's refreshing
to see a new company emerge and give collectors some other affordable
options. Only time will tell if the FansEdge Show will stand the test
of time but I for one, hope this is the first of many such shows.
Thursday, May 28, 2009 9:36:00 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Not So Deep Thoughts: Similarities between MJ and LeBron are eerily similar
Posted by Tuff Stuff
While I haven't watched as much of the NBA Playoffs as I have in past years, I have watched enough to notice some similarities between LeBron's Cavs and Michael Jordan's Bulls from early on in his career.
In much the same way that it took Jordan several years and several roster upgrades to finally get past Detroit's "Bad Boy" Piston squads, it appears it will take LeBron and the Cavs several more tries before they are ready to claim a title. Early on in Jordan's career, the Bulls appeared to be playing teams in a five-on-one matchup with MJ typically going for 40-plus and the Bulls coming up short against the team-oriented Pistons. Back then, the Bulls supporting class was average at best and the job of team's role players was to basically set a few screens for MJ and get out of his way. While LeBron is well on his way to become every bit the player that Jordan was, he's finding out he can only do so much by himself in much the same way that Jordan did.
 Guys like Anderson Varejao, Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerblak and perhaps most importantly, Mo Williams need to have a bigger presence in this series or the 3-1 deficit the Cavs find themselves in will prove to be insurmountable. When the Cavs acquired Williams this past offseason he was thought to be the perfect scoring compliment for LeBron but his series guarantee and subsequent disappearing act in crunch time of Game 4 have put Cleveland on the brink of elimination and I'm not sure even the mighty LeBron will be able to lead a comeback.
If you recall, it wasn't until the Bulls acquired and molded Scottie Pippen as the perfect sidekick for Jordan and the team assembled the perfect complimentary cast that the rings started pouring in. Prior to that, opposing teams would double and triple team Jordan and basically dare any of the others to be them and they rarely did. While James is still pouring in 40-plus with regularity, the Magic are looking to take the ball out of his hands down the stretch and wait for somebody else to step up and beat them. During the regular season, the Cavs role players were abel to step up to the challenge but lately it's been all LeBron all the time and as MJ can attest to, that's a recipe for disaster.
Unless LeBron and the Cavs can rally and advance, my guess is that you'll see the team spending much of the offseason looking for yet another proven scoring option. That can be easier said than done as some players have trouble taking a backseat to a team's superstar player, but if the Cavs are unable to find that missing link, the similarities between LeBron's Cavs and MJ's (early career) Bulls will persist, and rightfully so.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:37:48 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Beat The Blogger Picks
Posted by Tuff Stuff
We once again fell well short of our goal of getting more than 300 entries in the Beat the Blogger contest, but the good news is we'll give it another shot this week, and if we can eclipse the 300 mark, one lucky winner will claim the authentic, signed Chipper Jones jersey that the Blogger is just dying to give away. We're going to open up the contest to our Collect.com friends this week and see if that can boost our total over the required mark.
For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest,
the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then
selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants
enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler"
and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget
to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning.
If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter
and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for
the weekly contest and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into
play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to  spread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.
Apparently too foucussed on his Memorial Day weekend activities and not the contest, the Blogger managed just four correct responses this week and more than half the field was eligible to win the weekly prize. When the smoke cleared, it was "Kim" and past champion "Sunshine"
who each got 8 of 10 correct to tie for the spot and claim the weekly
prize. Congrats to them and good luck to everybody this week. This week's matchups will be posted later today so check back and make sure you get your picks posted 1/2 hour before the start of the first game
on Saturday to be eligible. And don't forget to spread the word about
how easy it is to win playing Beat The Blogger so we can reach our goal
of more than 300 entries this week.
This week's Matchups w/Blogger picks in parenthesis
Saturday May 30
MLB
Boston at Toronto (Toronto)
Florida at NY Mets (Florida)
LA Dodgers at Chicago Cubs (Cubs)
Cincinnati at Milwaukee (Milwaukee)
Detroit at Baltimore (Detroit, Doubler)
Sunday May 31
Chicago White Sox at Kansas City (KC)
Oakland at Texas (Texas)
Atlanta at Arizona (Arizona)
Minnesota at Tampa Bay (Tampa Bay)
Seattle at LA Angels (Angels)
Good luck and spread the word about the contest
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 10:23:59 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff
We once again fell well short of our goal of getting more than 300 entries in the Beat the Blogger contest, but the good news is we'll give it another shot this week, and if we can eclipse the 300 mark, one lucky winner will claim the authentic, signed Chipper Jones jersey that the Blogger is just dying to give away. We're going to open up the contest to our Collect.com friends this week and see if that can boost our total over the required mark.
For those unfamiliar with the Beat the Blogger contest, the idea is simple. The Blogger posts 10 matchups each week and then selects his choices for the winners of those matchups. Contestants enter the Beat the Blogger contest by clicking on the "Comment" section below the post with the matchups and then select their own 10 winners. You can also designate one of your picks as a "Doubler" and you will receive an extra point if you're correct so don't forget to designate your "Doubler" pick and increase your chances of winning. If you Beat The Blogger's total and post the high score for the week, you win. The regular weekly prize is an authentic signed 8-by-10 color photo of stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Catfish Hunter and many more. From time to time, the Blogger will sweeten the pot for the weekly contest and that's where the Chipper Jones jersey comes into play. If we can get more than 300 entries this week, the weekly winner will receive the Jones jersey so we need everybody to  spread the word about the contest so we can reach our goal.
Apparently too foucused on his Memorial Day weekend activities and not the contest, the Blogger managed just four correct responses this week and more than half the field was eligible to win the weekly prize. When the smoke cleared, it was "Kim" and past champion "Sunshine" who each got 8 of 10 correct to tie for the spot and claim the weekly prize. Congrats to them and good luck to everybody this week. This week's matchups will be posted later today so check back and make sure you get your picks posted 1/2 hour before the start of the first game on Saturday to be eligible. And don't forget to spread the word about how easy it is to win playing Beat The Blogger so we can reach our goal of more than 300 entries this week.
Last week's results
Saturday May 23
MLB
Philadelphia at NY Yankees (N.Y. Yankees)
Texas at Houston (Texas)
NY Mets at Boston (N.Y. Mets)
Chicago Cubs at San Diego (San Diego)
LA Angels at LA Dodgers (L.A. Angels)
Sunday May 24
Philadelphia at NY Yankees (Philadelphia)
Kansas City at St. Louis (Kansas City)
Milwaukee at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Tampa Bay at Florida (Florida)
Cleveland at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 4:17:38 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Friday, May 22, 2009
Beat The Blogger Picks
Posted by Tuff Stuff
This week's Beat The Blogger matchups
will feature no gimmicks, no tricks, just 10 Interleague games and 10
winners. It's fifty-fifty odds for everybody, as we once again try to
build the number of participants to more than 300 so we can give away
that shiny Chipper Jones signed jersey (est. value $425) to one lucky winner.![contest[1].jpg](images/contest%5B1%5D.jpg)
If we don't meet our goal, this week's winner will receive an authentic 8-by-10 signed photo of Catfish Hunter, LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Drew Brees
or another star athlete to add to your collection. Simply post your
picks in the comment section under this post before the start of the
first game this weekend, Beat The Blogger's total and get the most
correct answers for the week and you'll be a winner. Don't forget to
designate one mathcup as your "Doubler" pick to receive an extra point. It's that easy. Good luck.
Here are the Blogger's picks so you know what you're up against
Saturday May 23
MLB
Philadelphia at NY Yankees (Yankees)
Texas at Houston (Houston)
NY Mets at Boston (Boston)
Chicago Cubs at San Diego (Cubs) (Doubler)
LA Angels at LA Dodgers (Angels)
Sunday May 24
Philadelphia at NY Yankees (Philadelphia)
Kansas City at St. Louis (St. Louis)
Milwaukee at Minnesota (Milwaukee)
Tampa Bay at Florida (Florida)
Cleveland at Cincinnati (Cleveland)
Friday, May 22, 2009 2:37:38 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Beat The Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff
This week's Beat The Blogger matchups will feature no gimmicks, no tricks, just 10 Interleague games and 10 winners. It's fifty-fifty odds for everybody, as we once again try to build the number of participants to more than 300 so we can give away that shiny Chipper Jones signed jersey (est. value $425) to one lucky winner.![contest[1].jpg](http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/images/contest%5B1%5D.jpg)
If we don't meet our goal, this week's winner will receive an authentic 8-by-10 signed photo of Catfish Hunter, LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes, Gale Sayers, Drew Brees or another star athlete to add to your collection. Simply post your picks in the comment section under this post before the start of the first game this weekend, Beat The Blogger's total and get the most correct answers for the week and you'll be a winner. Don't forget to designate one mathcup as your "Doubler" pick to receive an extra point. It's that easy. Good luck.
Saturday May 23
MLB
Philadelphia at NY Yankees
Texas at Houston
NY Mets at Boston
Chicago Cubs at San Diego
LA Angels at LA Dodgers
Sunday May 24
Philadelphia at NY Yankees
Kansas City at St. Louis
Milwaukee at Minnesota
Tampa Bay at Florida
Cleveland at Cincinnati
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 9:14:13 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Not So Deep Thoughts: The National and L.A.'s other team
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Just chiming in with some hobby news and some thoughts from around the sports world. First off, we're inching closer to this year's National Convention in Cleveland at the end of July. There's a pretty solid autograph lineup as of now and there has been some mention of trying to get LeBron James to make an appearance, but I'll believe that one when I see it.
As for us, F&W Media is busy putting together a gameplan for the big show and although our plans have yet to be finalized, I can tell you that we will be giving away tons of great items at our booth that week so make sure you stop by. In addition to offering the lowest possible prices on Tuff Stuff and SCD subscriptions, we'll also be raffling off  a new batch of signed 8-by-10 color photos, giving away free subscriptions, DVDs, and it appears as though we'll also be having a drawing for that now-famous Chipper Jones signed jersey. So if you can make your way down to Cleveland for the National, you should plan on stopping by the F&W Media booth and checking out all the great deals we'll have for you not to mention all the free stuff you can take home.
I checked out the NBA Draft Lottery last night and couldn't feel more sorry for Blake Griffin. The reason I feel bad for him is because the Clippers won the lottery and the right to draft Griffin in the NBA Draft. Although Griffin has been saying all of the right things since hearing of his impending career with L.A.'s "other" team, deep down you know he wishes last night's proceedings would have worked out differently. Sure the Clippers have a solid nucleus with Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby, but the team hasn't produced a winner in well, ever, and the team is widely considered the worst franchise in professional sports so welcome to NBA purgatory Mr. Griffin.
Could it be that when players get drafted by the Clippers they go in with much lowered expectations than they would if they were drafted by the Lakers or Celtics? My belief is that because of their poor history, players head to L.A. with their sights set on the buzzing nightlife, the beautiful babies on the beaches and the star-power in the seats every night and they lose their focus on why they're actually there which is to play basketball. Because they play for L.A.'s other team, new arrivals to the Clippers see it as an opportunity to enjoy all of the spoils of L.A. without the responsibilities that come when you're drafted by a historic and proven franchise. Why? Because the bar has been lowered so far it's scraping the ground and the expectations of producing a winner aren't in place like they are in other cities.
While it will only take a season or two of success to turn that around in Clipperland, that's obviously easier said than done or the team would have pulled the 180 years ago. Perhaps the workmanlike Griffin will break the spell and not get caught up in the lure of L.A.-L.A. Land. My prediction is that he will avoid the many temptations, produce on the court and the Clippers will end the decades of futility and make the playoffs. Then again, I think I said the same thing in 1988 when the Clips drafted Danny Manning and then again in 1998 when then took Michael Olowokandi.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 5:32:44 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Sorry for being a day late with the results but every once in a while, they let the overworked guys get a day off so I took advantage and hit the links. Fared a little better on the course than I did with my picks last week but that just made it easier for a pair of contest regulars to take home the prizes. Sam and Brian (please e-mail at scott.fragale@fwmedia.com your mailing addresses so I can send you your photos) both scored 7 to win (2) photos each. Two questions, No. 3 and No. 8 were thrown out because No. 3 was a tie and No. 8 was postponed because of inclement weather.
We once again fell way short of our goal of getting 300 entries so we could give away the Chipper Jones signed jersey to one lucky winner, but I'll keep it ready in case everybody decides they want to up the ante and play for even better prizes and starts recruiting the necessary numbers to make it happen. If we don't every get to the designated target, we'll likely end up raffling off the jersey at this year's National in Cleveland so stay tuned either way.
So, let's give it another try this week and send out e-mails to all your friends
and relatives that wouldn't mind winning a great prize and let's reach
our goal and make one lucky player a big-time winner. Send your e-mails
along with this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ to make it easy for the newcomers to get in the mix and we'll see how many new recruits we can get.
This week's matchups will be posted Wednesday so in the meantime, phone a friend and recruit some more players. Chipper Jones just called and said he feels bad because nobody wants to play the easiest game out there to try to win his signed jersey. I think I talked him off the ledge for now but he was pretty distraught and I'm not sure how many more weeks of this he can take.
Good luck.
This week's Results are as follows:
Saturday
MLB
N.Y. Mets at San Francisco: Which team will have more combined stolen bases? (NY)
L.A. Dodgers at Florida: Which set of innings will produce the most combined runs? 1-3, 4-6 or 7-9? (1-3)
Colorado at Pittsburgh: Which team will have more combined 2Bs? (Tie)
Baltimore at Kansas City: Will any player on either team collect 4 or more hits? Yes or No (No)
Sunday
Cincinnati at San Diego: Which pitching staff will record more strikeouts? (SD)
Chicago White Sox at Toronto: Which team will commit more errors? (Toronto)
Minnesota at N.Y. Yankees: Which team will win? (Yankess)
Arizona at Atlanta: Which team will win? (PPD)
NASCAR
Sprint
Cup All-Star Race: Which duo will combined to post the best finishing
spots? (Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson) or (Carl Edwards/Kyle Busch) (Edwards/Busch)
PGA Tour Golf
What will the winner's final total be: 17 under or higher or 18 under or lower? (17 under or higher)
Spread the word and good luck.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 8:17:48 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
Beat The Blogger Picks
Posted by Tuff Stuff
I've decided to double the weekly prize (signed 8-by-10
photo) for this week. And to be fair, if anybody posted a perfect score
(which would be 8 with the matchups that were eliminated) last week,
you will still receive your prize, you will just need to send me your
original post for verification. We will again try and get the number of
particpants to more than 300 so we can give away the Chipper Jones signed jersey and the first week we do, the jersey will go to the one lucky winner of that week.
I
try and get the matchups posted early in the week so more people can
get involved in the contest. I also try and get the best prizes
available so we can try and recruit more people to play. Unfortunately,
neither resulted in us getting enough contestants to give away the
Chipper Jones signed jersey like I was hoping. I realize that by
recruiting more people your odds of winning decrease, but a 1-in-300
chance of winning an item valued at nearly $500 is pretty good odds where I come from. So, let's give it another try this week and send out e-mails to all your friends
and relatives that wouldn't mind winning a great prize and let's reach
our goal and make one lucky player a big-time winner. Send your e-mails
along with this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ to make it easy for the newcomers to get in the mix and we'll see how many new recruits we can get.
Remember, two signed photos to this week's winner or one lucky person will receive the signed Chipper Jones jersey. All you have to do is Beat the Blogger and post the high score for the week. Here's the Blogger's picks. Good luck.
This week's Matchups are as follows:
Saturday
MLB
N.Y. Mets at San Francisco: Which team will have more combined stolen bases? (SF)
L.A. Dodgers at Florida: Which set of innings will produce the most combined runs? 1-3, 4-6 or 7-9? (4-6)
Colorado at Pittsburgh: Which team will have more combined 2Bs?(Rockies)
Baltimore at Kansas City: Will any player on either team collect 4 or more hits? Yes or No (No)
Sunday
Cincinnati at San Diego: Which pitching staff will record more strikeouts? (SD)
Chicago White Sox at Toronto: Which team will commit more errors? (Chicago)
Minnesota at N.Y. Yankees: Which team will win? (Twins)
Arizona at Atlanta: Which team will win? (Atlanta)
NASCAR
Sprint
Cup All-Star Race: Which duo will combined to post the best finishing
spots? (Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson) or (Carl Edwards/Kyle Busch) Edwards/Busch)
PGA Tour Golf
What will the winner's final total be: 17 under or higher or 18 under or lower? (18 under or lower)
Spread the word and good luck.
Thursday, May 14, 2009 7:57:23 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Not So Deep Thoughts: The 2009 MLB "Way Too Soon Awards"
Posted by Tuff Stuff
I realize the MLB season is only 20 percent complete and the whole marathon not a sprint contention that people love to toss around at this time of the year still applies, but after a quick review of the standings and statistical leaders, I thought it might be time to hand out the "Way Too Soon" Awards for the 2009 season.
While some of these winners could go the way of Mark McGwire and completely fall off the surface of the universe by season's end, many will be there for the duration and their early season heroics should be noticed.
Best Player In The Game (Still): The award goes to Albert Pujols. Unless he suffers a major injury or is somehow connected to steroid use (a strong possibility considering the times we live in), King Albert will likely go down as one of the best players to ever suit up. Batting .328 and leading the National League in HRs and RBIs, Pujols continues to amaze me. Still not sure why more pitchers don't walk him and take their chances with the likes of Ryan Ludwick and Chris Duncan, but let's hope it stays that way forever because Pujols is simply fun to watch.
Best Young Player In the Game: The award goes to Tampa's Evan  Longoria. No Sophomore Slump in sight for Longoria, who, if he keeps up his current pace will have the media cranking out the Triple Crown chatter any day now. Longoria is leading the Majors with 45 RBIs, is secnd in the AL with 11 HRs and is batting a sizzling .362, which is good enough for fifth. I'm fairly certain I won't see another Triple Crown winner in my lifetime but that won't stop the Jason Stark's of the world from talking about how Yaz won the triple crown three decades earlier.
Best Pitcher In The Game: Nothing new to report here, Roy Halladay is the best pitcher in baseball and has been for quite some time. Because Halladay has pitched on a medicore team that resides north of the border he hasn't received the fanfare of Johan Santana or CC Sabathia, but this guy is really good and should get the recognition he deserves now that the Jays are playing good ball. Halladay is 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA with one complete game in his last four starts and has a MLB best seven wins already.
Best Young Pitcher In The Game: Hands down, Kansas City's Zack Greinke gets the nod in this one. With four complete games, a microscopic 0.59 ERA and a 6-1 record, Greinke is good, really good, and people are starting to take notice. The Royals are no longer the AL doormat they used to be and Greinke is a major factor in their resurgence.
Best Free Agent Signing: The Nationals have been and will likely continue to be the brunt of many jokes but you've got to tip your hat to their front office for going out and signing Adam Dunn when few others came a calling. The 29-year-old slugger was relatively cheap at $8 million per year and apparently has learned how to hit for average now which makes him even more of a bargain. Dunn is batting .313 (64 points higher than his career average), has blasted 11 HRs, has cut down on his strikeouts and is drawing more walks these days. I wouldn't expect the average to remain over .300 all season but stranger things have happened.
Worst Free Agent Signing: This one was easy and it made me giggle a little just thinking about it. The winner, or in this case, loser is Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees. It just didn't seem like Teixeira was a good fit in the Big Apple right from the get go and the Big Texy appears to be feeling the pressure of the $21 million/year contract he signed at the plate. While I do think he'll eventually get things turned around and post some decent power numbers, I expect him to receive a lot more Bronx cheers than curtain calls. Teixeira does have seven HRs but his .191 average and .418 slugging percentage isn't exactly what Yankee fans were hoping to get when they dished out the big dollars in teh offseason .
I'll check back and dish out some new awards in a couple months. In the meantime, make a comment and post your award winners. Whether you agree or disagree, we want your feedback.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 4:10:59 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Beat The Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff
One of the tough parts about setting up the weekly matchups early in the week is that factors can arise prior to gameday that eliminate some of those matchups. That was the case this week, as three matchups were scratched, two because of injury and another was a push (tie). We also had a glitch on our site late last week so I believe some of the posts made later in the week may have been lost. So because of all the various issues, I've decided to double the weekly prize (signed 8-by-10 photo) for this week. And to be fair, if anybody posted a perfect score (which would be 8 with the matchups that were eliminated) last week, you will still receive your prize, you will just need to send me your original post for verification. We will again try and get the number of particpants to more than 300 so we can give away the Chipper Jones signed jersey and the first week we do, the jersey will go to the one lucky winner of that week.
I try and get the matchups posted early in the week so more people can get involved in the contest. I also try and get the best prizes available so we can try and recruit more people to play. Unfortunately, neither resulted in us getting enough contestants to give away the Chipper Jones signed jersey like I was hoping. I realize that by recruiting more people your odds of winning decrease, but a 1-in-300 chance of winning an item valued at nearly $500 is pretty good odds where I come from. So, let's give it another try this week and send out e-mails to all your friends and relatives that wouldn't mind winning a great prize and let's reach our goal and make one lucky player a big-time winner. Send your e-mails along with this link http://blog.tuffstuff.com/7thinning/ to make it easy for the newcomers to get in the mix and we'll see how many new recruits we can get.
This week's Matchups are as follows:
Saturday
MLB
N.Y. Mets at San Francisco: Which team will have more combined stolen bases?
L.A. Dodgers at Florida: Which set of innings will produce the most combined runs? 1-3, 4-6 or 7-9?
Colorado at Pittsburgh: Which team will have more combined 2Bs?
Baltimore at Kansas City: Will any player on either team collect 4 or more hits? Yes or No
Sunday
Cincinnati at San Diego: Which pitching staff will record more strikeouts?
Chicago White Sox at Toronto: Which team will commit more errors?
Minnesota at N.Y. Yankees: Which team will win?
Arizona at Atlanta: Which team will win?
NASCAR
Sprint Cup All-Star Race: Which duo will combined to post the best finishing spots? (Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson) or (Carl Edwards/Kyle Busch)
PGA Tour Golf
What will the winner's final total be: 17 under or higher or 18 under or lower?
Spread the word and good luck.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 2:07:29 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Beat The Blogger Matchups
Posted by Tuff Stuff
Unfortunately, we fell well short of the
300 (80 contestants) participants needed to give away the Chipper Jones signed jersey, so we'll load up 10 new macthups and try again this week. If everybody that played this last week can recruit four new players, we'll give the jersey away to this week's winner so spread the word about Beat the Blogger so we can reach our goal. As some of you may have heard, the Blogger was able to get a hold of a great, authentic MLB jersey signed by 2008 NL batting champion and future HOFer Chipper Jones (estimated value:$425) and he would love to give it away to one lucky Beat The Blogger winner
so he's putting out the following challenge to you: Spread the word
about the contest to your friends, family, co-workers or basically
anybody with access to a computer, and if we can recruit enough
entrants to push the weekly total over the 300 mark, the Chipper Jones jersey will then be given to the weekly winner during that week. If everyone of our regular players can get 4 new players on board, we'll make our goal and the jersey will become available.  Until we reach that total, we we'll continue to give away authentic signed 8-by-10 color photos featuring athletes such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, Drew Brees and Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, among others. Of course to win any of the great weekly prizes you must first Beat The Blogger and post the highest score for the week. To enter our Daily Sweepstakes and have another chance to win some great sports memorabilia every day, click here.This week's matchups: SaturdayMLB
1. Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee: Which pitcher will record more strikeouts: Dempster (Chicago) or Gallardo (Milwaukee)? 2. Kansas City at LA Angels: Which team will have more 2Bs. 3. Tampa Bay at Boston: Who will have more stolen bases? Carl Crawford (TB) or Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston). 4. St. Louis at Cincinnati: Which team will win? NBA5. Denver Nuggets at Dallas Mavericks: Which team will win? 6. Cleveland at Atlanta: Who will have more points? LeBron James (Cleveland) or Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams (Atlanta). SundayNBA7. L.A. Lakers at Houston: Which total will be higher? Kobe Bryant's points (LA) or Yao Ming's points and rebounds. 8. Boston at Orlando: Which will be the higher total: Ray Allen's made 3-pointers or Dwight Howard's blocked shots. NHL9. Who will win: Chicago Blackhawks or Vancouver Canucks? GOLF10. How many balls will find the water on the island green 17th hole during this week's Player's Championship Tournament? 40 or more or 39 or less Good Luck
Wednesday, May 06, 2009 2:22:59 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Not So Deep Thoughts:Tiger, LeBron and some horse
Posted by Tuff Stuff
While I didn't get a chance to witness as much as I would've liked to, I did manage to cram in some sports viewing this past weekend and noticed a few things in doing so. One of the unusual things I noticed was that from time to time, even the great Tiger Woods can seem somewhat ordinary. Woods trailed 3rd-round leader Sean O'Hair by two strokes heading into the final day and all the talk in the media was focused on Tiger making a charge on Sunday and stealing the show in typical Tiger fashion. Then, when Tiger scuffled around and finished two strokes behind O'Hair after the final 18 holes, the  commentators began to ask what is wrong with Tiger? Why was there no Sunday charge? Why didn't he shoot 66 and cruise to a 4-5 stroke victory? Is his knee bothering him again? Did he come back to soon? The reason he didn't rally for his 67th PGA Tour win was because, this just in, Tiger Woods is human. Plain and simply. No need to question his health. No need to question if he's lost his killer instinct. Even the great ones fail from time to time and let's not forget that Tiger has finished in the Top-10 in everyone of the stroke play events he's played in since ACL surgery. Not bad for a guy who's lost his killer instinct and his health. Another major factor in Tiger appearing to be less dominant than in year's past is that there is a strong contingent of young players emerging these days. Guys like O'Hair, Anthony Kim, Nick Watney, Lucas Glover, John Merrick and others, who all hit it as far, if not farther, than Tiger and have pattered their swings to replicate Tiger's, which makes it tough for the now, 33-year-old to dominate with the next generation of golfing phenoms. But before you start thinking Tiger's best days are in the rear view, remember that most golfers typically play their best between the ages of 30 and 40. And despite what some have uttered in recent weks, Tiger isn't like most golfers, so I would plan on many more years of domination before we start to see a regression.  I also had a chance to see the Kentucky Derby over the weekend and was reminded how as a youngster, it sure seemed as though horse racing and specifically the Kentucky Derby, used to be a much bigger draw than it is in today's sports landscape. Not exactly sure why that is. Maybe it's the fact that there hasn't been a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed pulled off the feat in 1978. Or maybe because Horse Racing is such a high-brow "sport" and most of us blue-collar types can't relate to it. Not really sure, I just know that sitting down in front of the TV for the "most exciting two minutes in sports" was must-see TV back in the day and it's anything but these days. In other sports news, LeBron James won his first MVP. Not a big surprise after James finished the season with the most triple-doubles, led the  league in scoring and helped lead the Cavaliers to the best record and the top seed in the East. While I would've voted for James first, Dwyane Wade second and Kobe third, I couldn't help but feel bad for guys like Wade, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, who despite posting some amazing numbers and nightly Sportscenter highlights, we'll always be playing second fiddle to LeBron. While those guys are incredible in their own right, because this appears to be the beginning of the "LeBron James takes over the world" era, they will always be stuck in the King's shadow. Then just as I start to feel sorry for them, I remembered that those guys make an average of $10 million a year and suddenly the sympathy I felt for them disappears.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009 4:47:39 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Monday, May 04, 2009
Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff Stuff
The Blogger posted a solid total of 8 this week but it wasn't enough to deny "Joann" and "Shannon" the top spot in this week's Beat the Blogger contest. Both ladies missed two questions but by virtue of hitting their "doublers" of taking the field in the NASCAR race, they will both be receiving the weekly prize. Unfortunately, we fell well short of the 300 (80 contestants) participants needed to give away the Chipper Jones signed jersey. If everybody that played this last week can recruit four new players, we'll give the jersey away to this week's winner so spread the word about Beat the Blogger so we can reach our goal. As some of you may have heard, the Blogger was able to get a hold of a great, authentic MLB jersey signed by 2008 NL batting champion and future HOFer Chipper Jones (estimated value:$425) and he would love to give it away to one lucky Beat The Blogger winner
so he's putting out the following challenge to you: Spread the word
about the contest to your friends, family, co-workers or basically
anybody with access to a computer, and if we can recruit enough
entrants to push the weekly total over the 300 mark, the Chipper Jones jersey will then be given to the weekly winner during that week. If everyone of our regular players can get 5 new players on board, we'll make our goal and the jersey will become available. Until we reach that total, we we'll continue to give away authentic signed 8-by-10 color photos featuring athletes such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, Drew Brees and Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, among others. Of course to win any of the great weekly prizes you must first Beat The Blogger and post the highest score for the week. To enter our Daily Sweepstakes and have another chance to win some great sports memorabilia, click here.Here's The Blogger's results for the week:Saturday
MLBCleveland vs. Detroit: More combined runs in innings 1-3, 4-6 or 7-9? (4-6) N.Y. Mets vs. Philadelphia: Which pitching staff will combined for more strikeouts? (Mets) Oakland vs. Seattle: Which team will win? (Oakland) Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh: Combined 5 runs or less or 6 or more? (6 or more) Houston vs. Atlanta: Which team will win? (Houston) Boston vs. Tampa Bay: Which team will combine for more doubles? (Boston) SundayFlorida vs. Chicago Cubs: Which team will hit more home runs? (Chicago) Arizona vs. Milwaukee: More combined stolen bases? (Arizona) NASCARWho
will win this week's Sprint Cup Series race in Richmond: Kurt Busch,
Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson or the rest of the field? (the field) NHLAnaheim vs. Detroit: Which team will win? (Anaheim)
Monday, May 04, 2009 2:47:04 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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