Baltimore beat the Dolphins today 27-9, ending the Dolphins’ storybook season that took them from 1-15 to 11-5. I think Baltimore is one dangerous #6 seed, and we all remember that Pittsburgh went from a #6 to SB champs just 3 years ago.
AFC: SD at Pittsburgh. A great comeback for SD, who were 4-8 and who won their last four to get into the playoffs then went on to beat Indy at home. I like my team (the Steelers) at home and coming off the bye. I hope the Steelers don’t get overconfident however. I remember when they were HUGE favorites over SD in the AFC Championship Game and didn’t get it done a good decade and a half ago.
Baltimore at Tennessee. I think this could be one great game. The question is how well Flacco (a rookie) can handle the crowd and the most tenured coach in the NFL.
NFC: With Philly’s win over Minny (making it home team winners on Sat., road teams on Sunday), the
Eagles are at the Giants. This will be a tough game between divisional rivals who know each other well and who are not that far apart geographically.
Arizona at Carolina. I like the Panthers in this one.
I saw this on another blog, where a guest blogger was ripping into Cashman. Granted Ca$hman has made his mistakes, but this blogger cited:
· Doesn’t trade for Johan Santana or Miguel Cabrera when he certainly had the chips in hand.
· A season later, signs CC Sabathia to substitute for Santana, so he’d rather CC and Mark Teixeira than Johan and Miguel? Insanity!
I must disagree. For one thing, by waiting a year (and henceforth, surrendering the “birthright” to the playoffs that this blogger apparently believes in) and then getting CC and Teix, Cashman didn’t trade half the farm, which he would have had to do to get BOTH Santana and Cabrera. Hughes, Cano, Melky, Kennedy are still here. That would have been just for SANTANA, and how much more of the farm would have had to have been dealt for Cabrera????
For CC and Teix, all it took was $$$. A lot of it. But NO prospects. NONE. Not only that, put aside the CC or Santana argument. Let’s just concentrate on Miguel Cabrera vs. Mark Teixiera here.
Cabrera: Righty hitter. Great power. But at Yankee Stadium. A stadium built for LEFTIES. The Yanks already have righty power in Jeter, A-Rod. In 2008 they got Nady. Miguel is just 25, but there are already questions about his weight, work ethic, etc. He did hit .292-37-127 in 2008 for the Tigers. OPS+ 130. Career .309, OPS+ 140. 162 g. average of .309-32-120. But the Tigers moved him from 3B to 1B in 2008. Has he won a GG? No. Do you really want three righty hitters in Jeter/Alex/Miggy 2-3-4? Esp. in Yankee Stadium? I don’t. He wouldn’t be playing 3b in Yankee Stadium. A-Rod is there. But then this blogger criticized the A-Rod deal. Hmmm… Mind you Cabrera would only be a Yank (at an enormous price as far as prospects) only if Alex were gone (not that I like A-Rod’s contract, which goes more years than I would like). Miguel’s 3B defensive numbers? Below average FA, slightly above average range. LF? Below average in BOTH categories. Moved to 1B by the Tigers in 2008, above average range but slightly below average in FA. His RF numbers aren’t the greatest either. His fielding? Nothing to write home about.
Meanwhile the Yanks put a switch-hitter at #3. Reminiscent of Mantle or Bernie in the middle of the order. Lefty most of the time, which the Yanks need (remember they lost Giambi and Abreu). Granted not 25 like Cabrera, but still, just 29 next year. .308-33-121 last year, OPS+ 151….higher than Miggy. 162 g. average, .290-36-121, OPS+ 134. About even. But has the blogger completely disregarded defense? Cabrera was moved to 1B JUST LAST YEAR. Teixeira has TWO GOLD GLOVES. Career better than average FA and range factor.
I’m sorry but I must disagree with this person. Teix as a FA (costing just $$$ and no prospects) and better defense beats Miguel Cabrera HANDS DOWN.
Dave Pinto’s Baseball Musings blog has charts on defense. Compare Cabrera to Teix for yourself. You see a higher peak for Teix and better range to his right. Note the blue line and how it dips into the negatives for Cabrera but stays in the positives for Teixeira.
Better defensively. More suited (as a switch-hitter) to Yankee Stadium. Didn’t cost any players who could be used for trade bait in the future. What’s not to like about Teix over Miggy Cabrera? Like I said, I disagree with this person on Teix vs. Miggy.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Jason // Jan 4, 2009 at 10:27 pm
That guest blogger was awful, Mike, and he got completely ripped in the comments section. All negatives and no positives from him about Cashman, and his post was rife with errors. I totally agree with you about Teixeira, a two-time Gold Glove winner, a terrific switch-hitting first baseman, and someone in good shape–unlike Cabrera. Plus, Cabrera struggled so much at third that the Tigers shifted him to first. I’d take Teixeira over Cabrera any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
2 Jason // Jan 5, 2009 at 12:09 am
Lest I forget, I’d both take Teixeira over Cabrera AND the way the Yankees acquired him–not sacrificing prospects as you mentioned. That’s crucial, and something the Yankees had opted for in planning their acquisitions.
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