Welcome To The SEC

Vick Counting His Eggs

Jeter At It Again

Texas Sized Matchup

The Voice Of Reason

The Voice Of Reason

In Grand Fashion

Summit Of Collegiate Sports

Verlander...Then There's Everyone Else

Pryor Joins Black Hole

Dream Weaving

Hendry Out In Windy City

ELI-te

Death Penalty?

KKKKershaw & A Cy Young?

Welcome Thome, To The 600 HR Club

Kemp Making MVP Bid

Hot-lanta

Is He Dunn?

Smiles have been few and far between for
Dunn this season.

It is no secret that the transition to the American League has not been an easy one for the Chicago White Sox' designated hitter Adam Dunn. Now the question is what will general manger Kenny Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen do with the thirty-one-year-old power hitter, or lack there of. Is it possible that a productive hitter like Dunn could be done in the prime of his career?

Dunn, who signed a four-year $56 million contract this winter, has struggled from the get-go and has yet to get acclimated with A.L. pitching.

After posting his second straight hitless day Thursday and the fourth in his last five games, the struggling DH did not find his name posted on the lineup card for this weekend's opening series matchup against the division rival Kansas City Royals.

In his last ten games, the six-foot-six Texas native has batted .139 with only 1 home run and 2 RBIs, including adding 15 punch outs to his league leading total, which now stands 146.

Dunn now sees his season average at a dismal .161, well below his career mark of .245. But capturing batting titles is not what made Dunn one of the most feared hitters in the National League for nearly a decade. His sometimes colossus home runs have and continue to be his bread and butter.

Between the start of the 2004 season and the end of 2010, Dunn has averaged 40 home runs while driving in 101 on a yearly basis. During that time only the Cardinals' Albert Pujols and his 322 home runs are more than Dunn's 293. And while the former Cincinnati Reds slugger has averaged 180 strikeouts during that time span--leading the league three times--it seems he might be a victim of some unfair criticism and never given the recognition he deserves.

To be fair you would think with the numbers Dunn has put up during his eleven seasons in the majors, he would be a perennial All-Star, whose constantly in the Most Valuable Player discussion.

That has simply not been the case.

Dunn has been named to only one All-Star team, that coming back in only his second year in the show. That season he batted .249 with 26 home runs and 71 RBIs and while most of those numbers at the time were career-highs for Dunn, they aren't his best.

Arguably his best season came in '04 where he hit a still-career-high 46 home runs and drove in 102, while batting .266. That year Dunn would finish 28th in the MVP voting, but on a fourth place team never really got much consideration.

Dunn hit 40 home runs five straight years ('04-'08) for Cincinnati and Arizona, something nobody else did during that stretch, but never even mentioned as a potential All-Star.

Known as the "Big Donkey", Dunn, despite the numbers has never been in the top twenty in the MVP voting even though most of his numbers are just as good if not better than previous MVP winners. That was never more apparent than in 2007.

Dunn's power numbers have been
similar to that of Albert
Pujols'.

That season Dunn finished the season with .264 average, 40 home runs, 106 RBIs, and 101 runs scored. He also managed to cut down his league leading 194 strikeouts from the previous year down to 165, but wasn't even considered for the MVP, not even finishing in the top thirty.

However, if you go look at Philadelphia's Ryan Howard and his numbers that same season they are awfully close.

Howard batted .268 with 47 home runs, 136 RBIs, and 94 runs scored, but led the league in strikeouts with 199. Howard, who just happened to be the reigning National League MVP, finished fifth in the voting, well ahead of Dunn.

There is no question with Howard on a first-place Phillies team and clearly better numbers, he should have finished ahead of Dunn and his fifth-place Reds. Even though the baseball writers have shown in recent years you can be on a last place team and win a major award, just like Zack Greinke in '09 and Felix Hernandez just a year ago, both winning the Cy Young.

It is the fact that Dunn had been snubbed yet again after an unbelievable season, despite not having the protection Howard did with players like Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins in the Philadelphia order.

Now with Dunn struggling in his transition to a full-time DH, everybody wants to hit you while your down.

If Chicago, who is currently at 58-60, wants to meet expectations they will need their struggling slugger to get off the mate. And if and when he does, this season long slump can be a thing of the past and baseball can go back to underappreciating one of the games giants.

No Longer Twins

Nathan, left celebrates his recording setting
255th save as a Twin.

The road back to the Minnesota mound has been a long and treacherous one at that for Minnesota Twins' right-hander Joe Nathan. And while it has been a long journey, you could feel the liberation Wednesday for the now-thirty-six-year-old closer.

After preserving a 5-2 lead with a perfect ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox, Nathan surpassed Rick Aguilera as the club's all-time saves leader. It was the 256th save of Nathan's career and his 255th as a Twin.

Aguilera played 11 of his 16 major league seasons with the Twins with his final save for the team coming in 1999 during his second stint in the Twin Cities. A three-time All-Star, Aguilera was hoping to be in attendance when Nathan passed his mark, but was unable to due to a prior commitment.

As for their current closer, Nathan is coming off a year where he missed the entire 2010 campaign, needing Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament in his pitching elbow. The Texas native started this season as the Twins closer, but had a shaky start and promptly removed himself from the role. Matt Capps, who filled in for Nathan most of 2010, resumed the role up until now.

It was apparent when the season started Nathan had rushed himself back and was not fully healthy. In the 10 April games he appeared in, Nathan posted a career-worst earned run average for a month at 10.00. His May was a little better lowering his ERA to 7.63 on the year, but then only pitched twice in June before resuming his closing duties in July.

The hard throwing right-hander tied Aguilera's franchise record of 254 on the 26th of July. Who knew when they traded for then-twenty-eight-year-old right-hander it would be the beginning of something special.

Nathan was acquired from the San Francisco Giants in a deal prior to the 2004 season, that is still one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history. The Twins shipped their veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski to the West Coast in return for Nathan, and two minor league pitchers. One of those being a young left-hander out of the Dominican Republic named Francisco Liriano.

In their first season with their respective clubs, it yielded very different results. Pierzynski, who was coming off a career-year in Minnesota after setting career-highs in batting average (.312), home runs (11), and RBIs (74), disappointed many in his only season by the bay.

The All-Star backstop saw his average drop to .272, forty points below the previous season. And while he matched his home run total and eclipsed his career-high in RBIs with 77 from the year before, it was his demeanor many didn't like, starting a reputation as one of the most disliked players around the majors.

Pierzynski also killed multiple rallies that season, leading the majors in grounding into double-plays with 27.

Pierznyski only spent one
season with the Giants.

Pierzynski headed back to American League Central following the '04 season, signing with the Chicago White Sox. A place he is has been the last seven years, winning a World Series title his first year on the South Side.

On the other hand, Nathan and Liriano continued to develop into two the brightest young pitching stars in baseball.

Nathan has been making headlines of his own ever since the trade went down. In his first year as a full-time closer, Nathan recorded 44 saves in 47 opportunities, made his first All-Star appearance, finished twelfth in the AL MVP voting and fourth for the Cy Young Award.

Nathan is now a four-time All-Star and recorded 40 plus saves three of the seven season he has been closing for the Twins, including a career-high 47 the year before his injury.

Although Nathan has yet to show his dominance on baseball's biggest stage. In the eight games he has appeared in the postseason, Nathan as posted a 7.88 ERA, converting only 1 of the 3 save opportunities he has been given. Those statistics make the numbers of his piers, like Mariano Rivera, who owns every postseason pitching recording known to man, that much more impressive.

Meanwhile Liriano, burst onto the scene in 2006 with his unbelievable fastball and devastating slider, finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting and was selected to his first All-Star game. Then in 2007 Liriano fell victim to Tommy John Surgery and was headed for the knife.

He missed the entire '07 season, but since has come back with a bang, throwing the first no-hitter of the '11 season earlier this year.

Now with Nathan back to form, we can look for the Twins to get back to their winning ways and compete for another division crown in 2012. Until then Nathan reminds us to remember the past while honoring the present.

Return Of Berkman

A return to the National League has helped
Berkman reclaim his form.

The St. Louis Cardinals made headlines all offseason with the contract situation of their superstar slugger Albert Pujols and the injury to ace Adam Wainwright.

It's the move that didn't catch the attention of many that's paying the biggest dividends.

St. Louis signed first baseman Lance Berkman to a one-year $8 million contract this winter, hoping that possibly a return to the National League Central could re-energize the former first-rounder's career.

Berkman has done just that, having one of the best seasons of his thirteen-year career.

The now-thirty-five-year-old veteran currently leads the National League in home runs with 28 with his 75 RBIs ranking fifth. And while some minor injuries have hindered those numbers from being even better, Berkman managed to be selected to his sixth career All-Star Game in Arizona this season and his first since 2008.

Berkman had been coming off the worst statitical year of his career, posting career lows in almost every major offensive category since becoming an everyday player in the big leagues. It got so bad that the switch-hitter, who is a Texas native and played his college ball at Rice University, was traded from his hometown Houston Astros to the New York Yankees midseason, thinking a change in scenery could do the trick.

An ankle injury hampered Berkman his first month with the team and he was unable to get acclimated with the American League as quickly as he'd hoped. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

New York hitting coach Kevin Long worked with Berkman during his time on the disabled list and he came back with a bang, surging into the postseason. He hit .312 with a home run and 4 RBIs in the five playoff games he appeared in for the Yankees and looks to have carried over into 2011.

As for the field Berkman, who had minor knee surgery back in March 2010, was asked to play the outfield on a regular basis for the first time since 2007 with first base occupied by Pujols. Berkman has made 5 errors thus far with 3 coming while playing his everyday right field. The other two have come at first when he has needed a spell from the outfield or Pujols has been needed at the hot corner.

It was a low risk, high reward deal for the Cards and when nobody else was willing to take a chance on the Big Puma, they were. Now they find themselves in the thick of a pennant race with not only the front-runner for the NL Comeback Player of the Year, but possibly the NL MVP.

Kotchman Making The Most Of An Opportunity

It looks like Kotchman may have found a
home in Tampa Bay.

With the departures of Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, and Rafael Soraino this offseason many believed the defending American League East champion Tampa Bay Rays would take a step back in 2011.


And while they have done just that, they've still exceeded many expectations with a surprising supporting cast.

First basemen Casey Kotchman is no longer a feel good story around the majors, but a prime candidate for the AL Comeback Player of the Year.

In Tampa's 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals Monday, Kotchman put this stamp on the game once again. With the Rays trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning the eight-year veteran singled home Ben Zobrist for the game-tying run. Then in the ninth he launched the first pitch he saw from reliever Blake Wood over the center field wall for his his career walk-off home run. It was his seventh home run on the year.

Kotchman finished the game 3-4 and could have just as easily had a four hit game if not for an outstanding play by Royals' rookie second baseman Johnny Giavotella. With those three hits Kotchman raised his season average to .341, trailing only Boston's Adrian Gonzalez not only for the American League lead, but throughout the majors as well.

Along with his bat, the twenty-eight-year-old has wowed many with his glove this season, making only 1 error in 754 chances, accumulating to an AL best .999 fielding percentage among first basemen.

The Gold Glove caliber first baseman's story is similar to that of the first baseman he replaced. Pena, who won his first and only Gold Glove in 2008 with the Rays, called Tampa his home the past four seasons before signing a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs this offseason.

Pena signed with the Rays following the 2006 season after limited playing time in Boston, joining his fifth team in seven years. His first year in Tampa, Pena hit career-high 46 home runs, finished ninth in the MVP voting, and captured his first career Silver Slugger, launching his career in the right direction.

The same now could be said for Kotchman.

Pena helped lead the Rays to their first
World Series appearance back in '08.

In January, the Rays signed Kotchman to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league camp, rejoining former Angels bench coach Joe Maddon, hoping a change in scenery could ignite a spark. Kotchman was coming off a season where he batted .217 in 125 games with the last-place Seattle Mariners and his career at a crossroad.

Kotchman was originally drafted by the Anaheim Angels in the first-round of the 2001 amateur draft, becoming a fixture and fan favorite in Southern California upon making his debut in 2004. In 2008, the Angels, in a debatable move, shocked many by trading Kotchman at the trading deadline to the Atlanta Braves for fellow first baseman and All-Star Mark Teixeira.

Kotchman had been having arguably the best season of his career batting .287 with 12 home runs in the teams' first 100 games, but was seen as expendable with a player of Teixeira's caliber on the market.

The former Angel struggled to get comfortable in the National League batting only .237 the rest of the way. Tampa Bay is now Kotchman's fifth major league team and might just be the one that saves his once highly touted career.

The St. Peterburgs native has returned to where it all began, proving once again there's no place like home. 

Take That Tiger

In just their fourth event together Scott,
right, grabbed his first World Title.

When Australian golfer Adam Scott approached the eighteenth green in search of his first World Golf Championship Sunday, it was not his name the crowd was chatting, but rather the name of his new and former caddie of Tiger Woods, Steve Williams.

Scott, who shot a 5-under 65 to close out his first significant tour victory since he won The Players Championship back in 2004, should have been the story, but Williams stole the spotlight.

Williams was first seen on Scott's bag at the U.S. Open earlier this year while Woods was still recovering from multiple leg injuries that have hampered him since his last PGA Tour victory in 2008. Days before announcing his return from a three month leave of absence, it would be made public that Woods had in fact decided to part ways with Williams and end their 13-year relationship.

This weekend's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational was not only the first tournament in Woods' quest back to the top, but the first for the longtime duo since their spilt.

After the event Williams, who has been know to make noise before, called it the "best win and week of my life". That saying a lot coming from a guy who has caddied for thirty-three years, now has 145 tour victories, and thirteen major titles, most of those accomplishments coming during his tenure with the world's former No. 1.

There seems to be no question those comments were directed at Woods and his way of showing his displeasure with the fourteen-time major champion and former employer.

The New Zealand native first latched on with Woods in 1999 following the firing of his original caddy Mike Cowan, beginning one of the best player-caddy duos the game has ever seen. Together they managed to win 13 of Wood's 14 major championships, 16 world titles and 72 victories worldwide. Williams, who is loyal as they come, stayed true to form and never made a peep during Woods' darkest hour back in November of 2009, but as they say all good things must come to an end, for Woods and Williams it was no different.

For Scott, he is the true champion here landing one of the greatest best caddies and playing some of the best golf of his career. The thirty-one-year-old finished 17-under for the tournament after a bogey-free final round, 4 strokes ahead of American Rickie Fowler and world No. 1 Luke Donald, who both finished at 13-under.

His 263 stroke total after 72 holes of play at the WGC is the second lowest in the event's history only to none other than Woods himself at 259. And while this is Scott's first victory at Bridgestone, this will be the eighth time his bag carrier has won in Akron, the seven other times coming on Woods' bag.

While his former caddie tasted glory, Woods
 was nothing but mediocre yet again.

The win now puts Scott, who finished tied for second at this year's Masters, as the ninth best player in the world and back in the world's top ten for the first time in nearly two years.

As for Woods with his thirty-seventh place finish Sunday, he now drops to thirtieth in the world rankings, leaving him searching for answers and his game in disarray. He is now winless in his last 21 PGA Tour starts, by far the longest drought of his brilliant yet diminishing career.

One thing is for sure Williams may be Tiger's ex-caddie, but he is now Scott's ex-factor.

A Sinking Ship

It's Prime Time

A Little Brave

Like Drving A Car-L

Tales Of Tim Tebow

Move Over San Fran

Moss To The Sidelines

When motived there's no question Moss was a
cut above the rest.

Thirteen years ago the Minnesota Vikings selected a slender wide receiver out of Marshall University setting the stage for one of the greatest careers in NFL history, now that career has apparently come to a close. Future Hall of Fame wideout Randy Moss made a surprise decision Monday by announcing his retirement from professional football at age thirty-four.

Most forget how great Moss really was as his on and off the field issues overshadowed an eventual trip to Canton career. If in fact this is the end of the line, what a ride it was.

Prior to the 1998 draft many believed that Dallas Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones would select Moss with the eight overall pick, instead Jones went in a different direction selecting defensive end Greg Ellis out of North Carolina.

Thirteen picks later Minnesota would take a chance on the former Florida State castoff. In his rookie season in Minneapolis he caught a rookie record 17 touchdowns grabbing the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and leading the Vikings to 15-1 regular season mark.

Although the Vikings would come a field goal kick away from the Super Bowl that season it began one of the most decorated careers the game has ever seen.

As for the Jones and the Cowboys, Moss would torch them every time he stepped onto the gridiron carrying a chip on his shoulder. In his eight career games against America's team he had 40 receptions for 789 yards and 11 touchdowns.

After bursting onto the seen, Moss electrified the Metrodome crowd with his dynamic speed and circus act catches. He spent his first seven seasons in Minnesota leading them to four playoff appearances while appearing in five of his seven Pro Bowls before being ship to Oakland prior to the 2005 season.

Like it has been for many players Oakland was a black hole for Moss in the prime of his career. Many believed his days of torturing defensive corrdinators were over after only tallying 11 touchdowns in two seasons with the Raiders.

Then on draft day of 2007, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots shocked the football world by trading for the disgruntled wide receiver, hoping to catch lighting in bottle. They did just that. Moss caught a single-season record 23 touchdowns from quarterback Tom Brady that season, helping the Patriots cap off an undefeated regular season before losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

It was the first time in his career he had played with a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback after years of making mediocre signal callers like Daunte Culpepper, Jeff George, and Brad Johnson look like world beaters.

While the Patriots never got back to the Super Bowl during Moss' tenure in New England they made the playoffs his final three years in Foxborough racking up 27 touchdowns.

Last season he started with Brady and Co., but wore out his welcome by voicing his displeasure with his expiring contract in a post-game press conference, days later he was traded back to where it all began.

The Minnesota experiment last all of four games before then-Vikings head coach Brad Childress decided he wasn't the type of player his team needed and released the thirteen-year veteran. Moss latched on and spent the final eight games of the season with the Tennessee Titans as a non-factor catching a total of 6 passes for 80 yards with no touchdowns.

Moss mooning the Lambeau crowd is only one
of many actions that was frowned upon by
his piers. 

Despite being one of the most colorful and controversial athletes in recent memory, Moss' place among the elite cannot be denied.

His 153 career touchdowns has him tied for second most among wide receivers and third all-time behind only Jerry Rice (207) and Emmitt Smith (175). He is currently 46 receptions shy of 1,000 for his career with 954, good enough for eighth on the all-time list. His ability to lure defenders to sleep has him second in games with 100 receiving yards or more with 64 and fifth all-time with 14,858 receiving yards.

While it's not even up for debate that the greatest receiver in NFL history title belongs to Rice, Moss is the closest thing we have to compare. His freakish ability earned him the nickname "Super Freak" and leave many to wonder what could have been if Moss would have been able to put in all together on a consistence basis.

For thirteen seasons Moss wowed NFL crowds on Sundays with his jaw-dropping receptions and ability to do what other great players dare to dream. A Super Bowl ring is the only piece that eludes his already impressive resume, but nonetheless if this is the end, it was one hell of a show.