Around the Horn (6/20)

[General]

Why don't you tell us how you really feel?

++++ I love a hearty rant.

Alright, shifting gears to baseball now. Being a Braves fan, I can't stand baseball anymore, as my team's a bunch of crying babies who can't hit, pitch, or play defense.

Which team or player has been the biggest disappointment this season? Around the Horn to Dam.

[Dam8610]

This is easy. The Cleveland Indians are easily the biggest disappointment. On Opening Night, all the buzz was about the upcoming battle for the AL Central in 2006 between the Indians and White Sox. 65+ games later, the Indians are fighting the Minnesota Twins for third place and struggling to stay above .500 while sitting WELL in the rearview mirror of the two best teams in baseball to this point in the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox. Clearly the losses of Kevin Millwood, Bob Howry, and Coco Crisp hurt them more than anyone would've imagined before the season.

[General]

++++

GoYankees?

[RockSports17]

I may surprise a few here and say the Yankees. I'm a long time Yankees fan. Have grown up loving Tino Martinez, Scott Brosus, O'Neill, etc. Lately I've just been not able to watch the team at all. I almost feel like I'm falling out of love with the Yanks. It's like watching a car crash. As much as I like Steinbrenner, I think he's lost it. I rather have a new manager than to watch Torre run this mess. Yes, they are second in the AL east. They've lost their magic. As much as they spend on the damn team, they should be the best team in baseball. Yankees are going to be dissappointing until they hit their full potential which is being the best team in baseball and winning a world series. Yanks have gotten old. Their talent in the minors are alright. I just don't see Yanks having a good future and the whole "i'm going to buy every player on free agency" just doesn't work for them anymore. I'd like to see the Yankees play some better baseball and return to glory.

[General]

+++

Mofo?

[realmofotalk]

Statboy, your perennial NL East Braves are the most disappointing team this season. Marcus Giles and Jeff Francoeur were expected to carry the slack along with the Joneses and they haven't done that. Leo Mazzone bolted to Baltimore but if you were a close friend of a Braves pitcher, perhaps you may catch him in a drunk conversation saying that Mazzone is overrated, like Tim Spooneybarger once said. Or not, but Mazzone hasn't solved the Orioles' pitching problems and he sure as heck hasn't figured out Bruce Chen yet.

As for the most disappointing player, it's Rafael Furcal. He was expected to be a productive leadoff hitter, but apparently the $13 million man pulled a 50 cent: He got rich and stopped trying.

[General]

++++

And with that, we'll take a quick commercial break. Buy or sell is next!

[General]

Buy now, sell later!

First up: the Detroit Tigers. A surprise 1st place team in late June, they've got a 2 game lead on the World Champion White Sox in the AL Central. Buy the Tigers in the playoffs this year? Around the Horn to GoYankees.

[RockSports17]

BUY. This team is amazingly..............good. Other teams have commented after playing the Tigers that this is the best offense that they have faced, it's true. A lot of our players hit power or for contact. We're on a five game winning streak right now and I only see it continuing. Look at our rotation with a Verlander, Kenny Rogers, Bonderman, Nate Robertson, Zach Miner (Maroth when he comes back). They've all been pitching great. We have one of the best coaching staffs in the league. Leyland is a genious. Gene Lamont has made some amazing calls that have even surprised Leyland. Detroit Tigers are red hot. I don't want to hear about this schedule in August (cough Dam). It's bullshit. I've reviewed the schedule and it's actually not that difficult. The Tigers are going to continue their winning ways because they have such a great hitting and pitching team. They have the lowest total pitching ERA in the whole league. I'm not only going to buy on them going to the playoffs, but I'm here to say that the Tigers are going to the world series this year. It's a special season and I don't see them stopping short of the world series.

[General]

Geez. Bravery is rewarded on the show, Rocksports. ++++

MoFo?

[realmofotalk]

Buy. I still think Leyland is a overrated senile diaper wearer who mailed it in during his final seasons at Florida and Colorado, but he's looking like a magician with this Tigers club. The Tigers have a formidable 5-man rotation as long as Kenny Rogers isn't smashing video equipment and injuring cameramen (allegedly). And that doesn't include the injured for now Mike Maroth, who was absolutely thrown into the fire and took those 20 losses for the team. Think he wants redemption? The Tigers are scoring runs like they have never seen since the days of Sparky Anderson and maybe back to the Greenberg era. Plus, Ozzie's too busy worrying about beaning opposing players and getting pissed when his rookie pitcher doesn't do that.

[General]

++++

Dam?

[Dam8610]

Sell, sell, sell! This is a team powered by good fortune and players on pace to have career years. Unless you actually believe that Brandon Inge is one of the best defensive 3B in baseball, Chris Shelton is a god of hitting, Craig Monroe is capable of .300/30/100, their staff is the best in baseball, Verlander is capable of a 200+ inning season, etc., you shouldn't believe in this team. I don't, but more importantly, I do believe in the team behind them, the Defending World Champion Chicago White Sox, who sit only one game back in the loss column. The Sox have it all. They have great pitching, great defense, above average offense after filling their only hole in 2005 (the DH position), and a solid bullpen. Also, every single one of their players has shown that they're capable of producing at their current rate or better for a whole season in past seasons. Championship clubs know how to take care of their own business, and the White Sox have 10 games against the Tigers in July and August. If the Tigers are within 5 games first place on September 1, I'll be shocked.

[General]

++++ but a - because they can still win the WC. Didn't mention that, did ya?

Next...a little football, the European variety. The FIFA World Cup in Germany's currently going on, and I've been following it a lil' bit. Germany looked quite impressive today vs. Ecuador...buy Germany winning the Cup at home, ala France in 98? Around the Horn to Mofo.

[realmofotalk]

Sell. I'm underestimating the impact of a home crowd of hundreds of thousands of screaming fans for Germany, but if recent history is any indication, Germany will fall short of winning the World Cup. This is the same country that lost to freakin Bulgaria and Croatia in the quarterfinals in 1994 and 1998. They had the best goalie in Kahn during 2002 and that wasn't enough to beat Brazil. IMO, Germany without Kahn still can't beat Brazil if they were to meet in the tournament. Brazil is just a dynasty whose naturally talented young players are getting better all the time.