Best Lineup in the Majors? Nothin' new here...

I was going to retire my Jamblin' Man blog for the extent of this Fan Cave competition, despite my aching desire to keep up my once-a-week New Year's resolution. But who the hell actually keeps those resolutions? And there's no better reason for dusting off the old keyboard on this site than to accept a CHALLENGE from a fellow Fan Cave finalist.

That's right. Brian Boynton (he's kinda a big Rangers fan if you didn't know) has challenged me to a blebate. What? That's a blog debate, don't you know anything?

The best lineup in the majors. His Texas Rangers vs. the New York Yankees. I guess all that money does buy them something - my endorsement in this piece. And a few championships here and there. Sorry, I digress. On to the real stuff.

This is how I expect the Yankees' 2012 lineup to look on Opening Day:

1. Derek Jeter
2. Curtis Granderson
3. Robinson Cano
4. Mark Teixeira
5. Alex Rodriguez
6. Nick Swisher
7. Andruw Jones
8. Russell Martin
9. Brett Gardner

That hurts me to see. Mostly because the only guy I can consciously root against in the lineup is A-Rod, and partially because there is an aching, gaping void at catcher for my Dodgers that Martin used to spectacularly fill.

Texas has an incredibly deep lineup too. From top to bottom, their only weak spot might be 8 or 9. But when comparing stats across the board, I have to believe the Yankees have the best overall lineup in the majors.

Jeter, el Capitan, had better numbers than Elvis Andrus in every category except runs and stolen bases last year. It's a push in hits, home runs and RBI, but in average, on-base percentage and slugging, Jeter won handily.

Curtis Granderson's average lacked last year, but he will easy outperform whatever combination of Julio Borbon and Craig Gentry that Ron Washington trots out to center field.

We don't need to compare Robby Cano to Ian Kinsler (who is a fantastic second baseman, don't get me wrong, but Cano is just better all-around). Advantage 3-0 Yanks.

First base is Tex's territory here. We're not even sure if it will be Mitch Moreland, Michael Young or even Mike Napoli (or some combo of these three) at first for the Rangers this season.

Third base goes to the Rangers. That Beltre guy is okay. Just don't touch his head. Suck on that A-Rod!

Right field easily goes to Nelson Cruz over Swisher and left field goes to Josh Hamilton over Brett Gardner even though they play a completely different style of ball.

Of course, Michael Young is much more of a DH than Andruw Jones is so the Rangers score an extra point there. So, according to my fool-proof statistical evaluation, the Yanks have five positions out of the nine that are more productive on offense than the Rangers.

Here's some real sh*t people say for ya: In 2011, despite a lower batting average and less hits than the Rangers' offense, the Yanks outscored them and had the second-most runs scored as a team in the league, just behind Boston. It's not the quality of the run scored people, it's the quantity.

It's widely accepted that whoever scores the most runs in a game wins. Well, the Yankees are damn good at that. And they haven't subtracted on offense at all this off-season. That might change if Jesus Montero has a big season in Seattle, but until then it's looking like the same old offensive juggernaut in the Big Apple.

Which sucks. For pretty much everyone.

So there you have it - the Yankees, owners of the best lineup in baseball - are still the team to beat.

2010 All-MLB Team

Greatest inventions of all time: the wheel, the camera, Velcro, In-N-Out Burger. Over the last couple years, we can add one more thing to that list; MLB Network. For baseball fans, it is the Mecca of analysis, highlights and coverage. As I sat watching the 2010 Year in Review show yesterday, trying not to throw the remote through the screen as they continually showed those filthy, rotten San Francisco Giants celebrating their World Series victory, I found myself curious as to how they compiled their “All-MLB team.”

First of all, they had to choose just nine position players, one designated hitter, one utility player, one starting pitcher, one reliever and one closer to round out the team. From both leagues combined. Still, they made some…curious choices. In what was such a memorable year for baseball, how do you limit yourself to that tiny roster? So even though it may be more blasphemous than bringing a nun to a strip club, I decided to say, “I can do it better.” I’ve allowed myself a 30-man roster, plus a “backup” starting rotation (give me a break, it was the Year of the Pitcher) in choosing my All-MLB team for 2010:

Catcher:
Starter – Buster Posey, SF
Backup – Joe Mauer, MIN

What better way for Posey to top off a season in which he won Rookie of the Year and a World Series ring? Of course, the next best honor; being a part of my All-MLB team! There were three legitimate candidates in my mind, and Posey, by virtue of winning the ring, edged out Mauer for the starting spot. Not only did he put up monster offensive numbers in just over half of a season, but he handled the best pitching staff in the league with finesse and professionalism. Apologies to Brian McCann (ATL)*

First Base:
Starter – Joey Votto, CIN
Backup – Albert Pujols, STL*

This was by far the most difficult category to choose. I ended up siding with the National League MVP, Votto. He had a crazy offensive season, was extremely clutch, and led the Reds to a long-awaited N.L. Central title. Something I think stands out even more is that according to Yahoo! blogs, he had yet to hit an infield pop fly almost at the season’s end. It’s rare to see a player making contact that good. And of course, the backup is Pujols, who had his typical Hall-of-Fame caliber season. Apologies to Miguel Cabrera, DET; Prince Fielder, MIL; Adrian Gonzalez, SD; Mark Teixeira, NYY

Second Base:
Starter – Robinson Cano, NYY*
Backup – Dan Uggla, FLA

Cano was an easy choice. He almost stole the American League MVP award from Josh Hamilton. Great defense, improved power, 200 hits for the second straight season…easy choice. Cano carried the Yankees at times when they were decimated by injury, poor play, whatever. I chose Uggla as the backup based on his power numbers, but it was tough to say no to these guys: apologies to Brandon Phillips, CIN and Rickie Weeks, MIL

Third Base:
Starter – Adrian Beltre, BOS*
Backup – Alex Rodriguez, NYY

Another tough category, as four of the five A.L. East teams had a legitimate candidate. Beltre had an insane season, his best since his contract year with the Dodgers. That being said, it’s his second great season…both in his contract year. We will see if this is another fluke, and if the Rangers (most likely) end up regretting giving him big money. But as for this year, Beltre led the way at the hot corner on both offense and defense. Apologies to Jose Bautista, TOR; Evan Longoria, TB; Michael Young, TEX; Casey McGehee, MIL; Ryan Zimmerman, WAS

Shortstop:
Starter – Troy Tulowitzki, COL*
Backup – Hanley Ramirez, FLA

Who cares if Tulo missed a bunch of time with a wrist injury? He hit fifteen home runs and drove in 40 runs…IN SEPTEMBER. The guy had possibly his most impressive offensive season even with the injury. And as usual, he was a wall at shortstop. He almost led the Rockies back from a huge deficit to win the N.L. West before a late slide killed those dreams. Either way, Tulo dominated opposing pitchers this year. And even in a down year, the backup Ramirez still put up crazy numbers. Apologies to Derek Jeter, NYY; Alexei Ramirez, CHW; Juan Uribe, SF

Outfield:
Starters – Josh Hamilton, TEX*; Carlos Gonzalez, COL*; Carl Crawford, TB
Backups – Matt Holliday, STL; Ichiro Suzuki, SEA*; Nelson Cruz, TEX

What a crop of outfielders this year. Hamilton won the A.L. MVP, Gonzalez exploded to almost outpace Votto and Pujols for the N.L. honor, and Crawford was his typical blend of power, speed, average and defense. Holliday put up huge numbers again, Ichiro reached 200 hits for the tenth straight season, and Cruz complemented the runner-up Rangers and Hamilton, dropping bombs and driving in runs like nobody’s business. Despite all six players having solid seasons, the starters were surprisingly easy to choose. Crawford and Hamilton were no-brainers in my opinion, and Gonzalez played his way in (why, oh WHY did the A’s trade him?). His walk-off home run, er, moon shot to complete the cycle this summer was just unbelievable. Apologies to Adam Dunn, WAS; Delmon Young, MIN; Austin Jackson, DET; Jason Heyward, ATL

Designated Hitter:
Starter – Vladimir Guerrero, TEX*
Backup – Vladimir Guerrero, TEX

No, that’s not a typo. I am going to toot my own horn here for a second; I chose Vlad in the 15th round of my fantasy draft with the uncanny knowledge that he would bounce back and have a monster year. But, is there any DH in the league last year that opposing pitchers wanted to face less than Vlad? The guy is still the most intimidating hitter in the league and still hits the ball from anywhere in the strike zone 500 feet. If the Rangers don’t shell out some money to re-sign him, they are absolutely crazy. Guerrero was just as instrumental to their postseason berth as Hamilton or Cruz last season. Apologies to pitchers anywhere and everywhere who Vlad steps in against.

Starting Pitcher:
Starting Rotation – Felix Hernandez, SEA; Cliff Lee, TEX/SEA; Jon Lester, BOS; David Price, TB; Roy Halladay, PHI*
Backup Rotation – CC Sabathia, NYY; Tim Lincecum, SF; Adam Wainwright, STL; Josh Johnson, FLA; Trevor Cahill, OAK

This was a fun one. There were so many amazing pitching seasons this year that I just had to take ten on my roster. In my starting rotation, I had to include the annually underrated, under-run-supported, A.L. Cy Young-winning Hernandez, the twice-unhittable (once-perfect) N.L. Cy Young-winning Halladay, and a few other A.L. studs. Lee and Price were easy choices and Lester bounced back from a horrible start to claim a spot on the first team. And if my backup rotation was made up of the ace of the Yankees, the ace of the World Champions, and three other guys who almost hit 20 wins, with ERA’s under 3.00? That’s just unfair. The hardest part of this was not being able to find a spot for any of these guys: apologies to Justin Verlander, DET; Carl Pavano, MIN; Ubaldo Jiminez, COL; Matt Cain, SF; Mat Latos, SD; Chris Carpenter, STL; Tim Hudson, ATL; Clay Buccholz, BOS

Relief Pitcher:
Set-up Man – Hong-Chih Kuo, LAD
Rest of the Best – Mike Adams, SD; Joaquin Benoit, TB*; Arthur Rhodes, CIN; Daniel Bard, BOS; Johnny Venters, ATL

Kuo came back from an elbow injury to have a ridiculous season setting up the porous Jonathan Broxton in Los Angeles. He ended the season taking over the closer’s role temporarily and still had a microscopic ERA. Adams and Benoit were set-up men for two of the most dominant closers this year, Bard is the heir to the closer’s throne in Boston, and Rhodes and Venters were un-hittable lefty specialists. A pen with these guys might guarantee victories after the starters hit the shower. Apologies to Scott Downs, TOR; Luke Gregerson, SD; Tyler Clippard, WAS

Closer:
Starter – Brian Wilson, SF*
Backup – Neftali Feliz, TEX

I hate to do it, but I had to give this spot to Wilson. I don’t think he’s the most consistent, and he certainly doesn’t do it without a scare, but he still had a sub-2.00 ERA, had almost 50 saves, and was untouchable in the postseason. I hate the antics, I hate that he’s on the Giants, but I need a stopper on my team, and based on 2010, Wilson is the guy. Feliz was just as good, he just didn’t record quite as many saves. The kid is young though, give him time! Apologies to Heath Bell, SD; Joakim Soria, KC; Rafael Soriano, TB; Billy Wagner, ATL; Mariano Rivera, NYY

*denotes MLB Network’s pick

Calling the Wambulance: Jonathan Papelbon

Everyone who watches sports, plays sports, used to play sports; they have all had problems with officiating. Fans and athletes (humans in general) are inherently biased. If the 49ers have a pass interference penalty called against them, I ignore the actual rules and list all the reasons why Nate Clements was not at fault. Naturally, if it's called against the other team, I comment on how fantastic the officiating has been this game.

Major League Baseball may be the toughest league to umpire in, and despite being harshly scrutinized, statistics show that MLB umpires do an unbelievably accurate job making calls every season. Still, one missed call can change an entire at-bat, which can change an entire game, which can change an entire series, which can change an entire season. But, human error has been a part of the game forever and despite the possibility of the expansion of instant replay, I highly doubt that umpires will ever be completely replaced by emotionless machines.

That being said, there is a fine line between complaining and protesting. And even when considered a protest, there better be a damn good reason for it. After Sunday night's game against the Yankees, Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon criticized home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, placing partial blame on him for a blown save that led to a 4-3 extra inning loss. From Yahoo! Sports, via the Boston Globe:

“Really rough tonight, considering the fact that I'm not only pitching against the hitter, I'm pitching against the umpire,” Papelbon said. “When you've got to do that against this lineup, you'll never be successful.”

Yes, the pitches were close and he didn't get the calls. But Cuzzi's strike zone was consistently tight all night, as manager Terry Francona acknowledged in the original Boston Globe article. Regardless of the calls made in the at-bat in which Alex Rodriguez walked to load the bases, prior to Robinson Cano's game-tying single, a few questions burn in my mind for Papelbon.

First, how did the first two hitters get on? Whoops. Second, after the close call that took the count to 3-2, why didn't you strike A-Rod out, or induce a ground ball, or do anything but walk him to put the winning run in scoring position with an MVP candidate coming to the plate? Right. Third, once the bases were loaded, why didn't you shake it off and just make a good pitch to get Cano out? Hmm. My point is, while you can complain all you want about the umpiring in that at-bat, Paplebon is the only person at fault. He has a history of failure against the Yankees and has had a rough season, by an established closer's standards. This makes me think that the end of a subpar season against arch rivals in a difficult place to pitch got to Papelbon, and he simply blew the save.

Complaints about officiating is all well and good. It's a part of sports. But it's a matter of sportsmanship and respect that we're dealing with here. If Terrell Owens had publicly-criticized an NFL official, he would have been fined an arm and a leg. If Papelbon had a problem with the umpiring in the game, you rant about it to a teammate or a coach in the clubhouse after the game. You call your friends or family and complain about the unbalanced strike zone. It's totally understandable for him to feel slighted, but as a professional athlete he has to know the limitations. He has to know that in the end, he didn't do his job. Going to the media was absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing. All that comes out of complaining to the Boston Globe is a loss of respect among other players, pure annoyance of the fan base, and a potential punishment from the Commissioner’s office. Papelbon already blew a save and essentially lost the game for the Red Sox. Don't rub salt in the wound and turn it around on the umpires.

Let me contrast Papelbon's situation with a now infamous event that happened mid-season, on June 2nd. Tigers starter Armando Galarraga had a perfect game through 9 2/3 innings against the Cleveland Indians. The 27^th batter of the game, Jason Donald, hit a routine ground ball to first. In picture-perfect form, Galarraga covered first base and took the flip from first baseman Miguel Cabrera in time for the out. Fans and players threw their hands in the air to celebrate the third, and most unlikely perfect game of the 2010 season, until first base umpire Jim Joyce yelled, “Safe!” Replays clearly showed that the runner was out and that Joyce had just accidentally altered baseball history by missing a very easy, average call.

Joyce tearfully admitted later that he blew the biggest call of his career and denied Galarraga a place in history. Now that is a reason for a player to call out an umpire. Galarraga, after an initial look of shocked disappointment, cracked a smile, took the mound and got the next batter out to complete a 1-hit, 3-0 win. After the game, no ill will was directed at Joyce by Galarraga or any of his teammates. He had every right in the world to bitch and moan to the media about how he had been screwed, but instead he talked about how good he felt after throwing the best game of his life. Not once did Galarraga throw Joyce under the bus or blame him for blowing his perfect game.

Fast forward to Sunday. Realistically, the Red Sox are out of the playoffs. The Yankees are in. All that remains to be determined are whether the Yankees will be the division champions or in as a wild-card team. It was a game with far less meaning than Galarraga's gem. This Red Sox vs. Yankees game would not have gone down in history, and was hardly an out-of-the-ordinary news story. Until Papelbon summoned his inner, spoiled 10-year-old and opened his mouth to reporters about the incompetence of a respected, veteran umpire. My guess is that if Papelbon had done his job and secured the win for the Red Sox, he never would have said anything about the umpiring. Something more along the lines of, “I didn't have all my stuff tonight, but fortunately I was able to keep making pitches and get out of that jam” would have been in order.

Papelbon didn't throw a belt-high fastball against Rodriguez and not get the call (of course, if he had, the game would have been over before Cano had a chance to come up...). Cuzzi didn't call anyone safe when they missed the bag. Things just didn't go Papelbon's way, and he let it get to him. Mariano Rivera blew a save on Sunday as well, and you would never hear him blame it on a bad call. That's part of the character that makes Rivera so likeable, so well-respected; a complete professional, who will eventually be enshrined forever as one of the greatest.

Papelbon has a lot to learn if he is still placing blame for his failures on the officials enforcing the rules of the game. He had no good reason to question the strike zone of Cuzzi and should be fined, justly. My only hope is that Papelbon grows up and starts taking credit for his own mistakes. From now on, the only people who should hear those kinds of gripes are his teammates, friends and family, all in private. Stay away from people with microphones, recorders and notepads. Because next time Cuzzi is behind the plate, you might find yourself with an even tighter zone to operate in.