Baseball’s Basement Dwellers: Worst of 2008
Baseball basement dwellers deserve attention too! Even the worst of 2008 has a chance in this new season. Baseball fans are among the most optimistic people in the world. For a hundred years, Cubs fans have believed this is their year to win it all. They came close in 2008 and are eager to erase their postseason spill with another shot at the Major League playoffs. Unfortunately, that’s Spring Training plus 162 games away. A lot can happen in that time, like the team being sold and moving to Des Plaines.
Finishing first in division one is the surest way to guarantee at least a chance at a coveted World Series appearance. A few years ago, the MLB instituted the ‘Wild Card Team’ to equalize the number of teams in the postseason. It also served to generate revenue from an additional playoff series. However, getting there is difficult. The season is long, starting when snow is still flying in most cities north of Mason-Dixon and ending after the first flakes hit the ground the following fall. Many hearts will break during that time.
Teams that showed promise in fantasy camp will go on extended losing streaks to finish a half-game out of a playoff spot. Others head straight for the tank from the first game. Baseball is a game of streaks, some of which last the entire season. Giving up a hundred more runs than you score in 162 games is a surefire way to be the worst player in the division.
Spring training is just around the corner, now, and fans are looking for reasons to hope that the next time they wear their team’s gear in public, people won’t be putting nickels in the cup. Starbucks of the fans. At this time of year, when people look towards the end of winter, people are inspired with all kinds of irrational hope. The Americans hope and convince themselves that this is the year for their team to win a championship. Hope at this level is based on the magic that a champion from a team with the 22nd highest payroll sometimes produces.
Sure, baseball is a game of streaks, but it’s also a game of outrageous sums of money. If a team competes for decent players by dishing out money, the team usually competes on the field. Owners spend entire seasons looking for players to hit the field for minimum salary and expect them to hit .325. They usually finish last. Still, by threatening to move their teams, the owners get bigger and better deals from their city to keep the team in place. The Mariners allowed 140 more runs than they scored in 2008. But if fans don’t show up this summer, they may follow the Sonics to that bustling metropolis of Oklahoma City.
The last place is not where you want to find your team. Being a laughingstock at the family gathering when you show up in a sailor hat is no fun. Fortunately, there are only six divisions in the Major Leagues, so thankfully there are only six doormats. These underperforming players deserve some recognition as we head into the 2009 season. So here are some team notes for Baseball’s 2008 ‘Cellar Dwellers’.
washington citizens
The Nats were told last week that one of their outfielders was facing possible prison time if he didn’t turn over $40,000 to an ex-wife. This is the kind of problem off the field that directly affects a team’s performance. It’s hard to get the full swing extension in an 8 x 8 room. The team will look for a way to keep their star from wearing an orange jumpsuit and standing in line for his dinner, but this is no way to start a season.
The Nationals’ new stadium is also making headlines, as well as causing major bank overdrafts. Finishing $60 million plus over the original budget, the city and team are trying to figure out what to do next. Interestingly, the size of this excess could have been used to sign a decent player. Instead, as of this writing, the team still has four unsigned players who appear headed for arbitration. The Nats should figure all this out and field a significantly different team than they did in 2008. At least DC-area fans hope so. Last year’s team allowed 184 more runs than it scored, so getting to respectability will take more than adding a few players.
pittsburgh pirates
The Pirates managed to score a few runs last year. Unfortunately, they couldn’t stop other teams from scoring more. Seeking to build on the success of the NFL’s Steelers, baseball’s black and gold team has invested heavily in bringing in young players. Additionally, the team is sending out the annual announcer caravan to build excitement and interest for the upcoming season. Showing up in 17 degree cold in Pennsylvania to watch the broadcast team is an odd way to do this, but it seems to work.
The Pirates also introduced a new uniform to wear on select Fridays. One Pittsburgh fan wrote that new jerseys should include baserunning instructions so players don’t wonder what to do in the unlikely event they do reach base. A good suggestion that could improve the team’s performance on Fridays at home.
The caravans and the uniforms are interesting, but the team has to generate offense and produce defense to get out of this basement. The 2008 version of the Pirates finished 30.5 games out of first place and 7.5 games out of the next worst team in the division.
San Diego Padres
How can a team from sunny SoCal finish last? The weather alone should attract some good players. But if these players are more into the bikinis on Mission Beach, they probably won’t hit much out of the infield.
The Pads, in fact, struggled to get the ball out of the infield, scoring a whopping 637 runs throughout last season. Combine that piece of history with the owners’ efforts to cut payroll to $40 million, and all the ingredients are in place for the Padres to repeat as the “welcome mat” of the NL West.
Baltimore Orioles
A good way to generate fan interest during the offseason is to make trades. The O’s just completed a trade for Felix Pie from the Cubs, a speedy outfielder with the potential to become a solid contributor. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Orioles gave up a couple of pitchers to get it done. As the O-birds allowed 87 more runs than they scored in 2008, it is not yet known how this trade will affect the team’s performance. If the O’s can develop a couple of good replacement pitchers, they have a chance to get out of the bottom rung of the AL East.
detroit tigers
Playing in a city with a remarkable record of success (see the NHL’s Red Wings) as well as ineptitude (see the Detroit Lions in the last generation), the Tigers chose to marry their luck with the remnants of football to finish last. at the AL Center. This is a sad development for one of MLB’s oldest and most storied franchises. The team’s dismal record is not due to a lack of effort on the part of the owners. The Tigers had the third-highest payroll in the major leagues. The mega deals and trades that increased payroll just didn’t happen.
Investing in players is only one piece of the championship puzzle. With the Tigers kicking off spring training in Lakeland, FL next month, all eyes will be on actual player production. With a little late-inning relief help, the Tigers could get out of the basement and at least get them thinking about how the Red Wings turn out to be winners every year. Otherwise, they will end up being blood brothers with the Lions.
Seattle Mariners
Pity the poor Seattle sports fan. The NFL’s Seadogs posted four wins this year. That’s four more than the local Washington Huskies produced. The Sonics eventually gave up on the city entirely and left for Oklahoma. And then there are the Mariners. Mariner ownership is not against spending money. They can’t seem to get what they pay for. This team produced over 100 losses in 2008 and finished 39 games out of first place in a four-team division. Oh!
The Mariners have several players on international teams, but haven’t managed to get a single one on Team USA. The United States still produces some of the best quality athletes in the world, so perhaps Mariner management needs to look a bit closer to home to staff your team. Still, the property is moving aggressively, albeit ineptly, to compete in the field. If the Mariners end up at the bottom of Puget Sound one more time, it won’t be for lack of effort. However, effort without skill can also drive a team to the bottom of the bay just as easily.