The Pitch

MLB '09 off-season starter: Can LA afford to lose Manny? The Obama Effect on free contracts; Big name pitchers cut loose

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:12:17 +0000

To celebrate the start of what looks to be a competitive and active winter of dealing among big league clubs, The Pitch's Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage weigh in on the biggest stories effecting the market this week in Major League Baseball, including...

Dodgers GM Ned Colleti makes A-Rod-like offer to Manny Ramirez
The Barack Obama tax plan's effect on player negotiations this winter
Matt Holliday's desire to skip a pay day in favor of postseason plans
A.J. Burnett walks away from $24 million and two years with Toronto to hit the free agent market
Cubs leading the Jake Peavy sweepstakes
Nationals unveil some sharp and fugly new jerseys

The guys also rewind to their 2008 predictions from March 2008 and relive the embarrassment and glory of sounding like naive idiots. Listen in and participate via e-mail (thepitch@mvn.com) or in the comments.

MLB 2008 World Series preview: Position-by-position sizing of the Phils and Rays

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:16:08 +0000

If you were nervous about the Tampa Bay Rays pulling through at the start of October -- or after Game 5 of the ALCS -- you can calm down. They may just be the best team in baseball.

The Pitch hosts Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage package their excitement for the Rays with a fair analysis of the Philadelphia Phillies, who boast the better bullpen and quite possibly the better outfield and bench.

The guys go position-by-position, comparing Phils slugger Ryan Howard to Rays 1B Carlos Pena, B.J. Upton to Shane Victorino and rotation to rotation.

Who wins? Who fails? Who steals more bases? The discussion continues on the World Series preview edition of The Pitch. Listen in and participate via e-mail (thepitch@mvn.com) or in the comments.

ALCS, NLCS report: Rays back BoSox into corner; Dodgers mash their way back into battle with Phils

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:26:13 +0000

We know this: The 2008 postseason won't be a non-competitive month of sweeps.

The Pitch hosts Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage provide their breakdown of how the Red Sox lost their grip on the ALCS with questionable pitching management and misguided decisions in extra innings at Tampa Bay. And the discussion moves to Los Angeles, as well, where the Dodgers crushed Phillies lefty Jamie Moyer early in Game 3 to climb back into the series with power and bench-clearing anger.

Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

NLCS and ALCS Previews; Where the Cubs and Angels went wrong; Squeeze play with season on the line?

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:31:44 +0000

Dodgers first baseman James Loney turned Los ANgeles' postseason around in Game One, and didn't stop hitting until they had swept the Cubs. (DoYouMindTheGap/Flickr).

As you might expect, The Pitch's resident Chicago Cubs honk Joe Aiello was in the dumps on Thursday's show. His Cubbies left their bats in the regular season and didn't feel like throwing strikes in the October cold.

But his Cubs may have paved the way for October's most dangerous team: The Los Angeles Dodgers. The NL West champions have youth, health and starting pitching going into Game One of the NLCS. But what did the Phillies show in their division series win over the Brewers? The guys breakdown the NL side of the coin and preview the championship series matchup.

After a bitter finish to the ALCS, which saw the 100-win Angels drop flyballs and produce outs, the Red Sox earned a shot at one more series with the AL East champion Rays. Tampa Bay accomplished everything a postseason team needed to in its win over the White Sox, proving it had speed, health, starting pitching, relief pitching and power hitting. But which one wins out? Experience or momentum? The Pitch hosts offer their take on the matchups for Games One through Four of the ALCS.

Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

MLB Week 26: Postseason Game Ones; Rays look sharp; Gaffes cost Angels; Ice cold Cubs; Abolish five-game series?

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:56:08 +0000

The Rays went into October riding high -- and it continued in Game One of the ALDS Thursday. (lucy.c.c/Flickr).

The Division Series are unlike anything in Major League Baseball in that Game One can make or break a team's postseason chances. And The Pitch's Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage were shocked to watch two of baseball's strongest clubs fall in their opening playoff game.

The guys discuss the Angels' costly passive plate approach, Vladimir Guerrero's base running gaffe and how the Red Sox' defensive advantages are making a difference early in the ALDS.

The Rays-White Sox series debut was less surprising, as both clubs opened postseason play with characteristic play. Tampa Bay's young stars exploded (two dingers from Evan Longoria), White Sox starter Javier Vazquez faltered and the Rays bullpen locked it down.

The Brewers stumbled out of the gate, losing Game One in Philadelphia thanks to a mystifying mistake by Milwaukee CF Mike Cameron. And Phillies starter Cole Hamels avenged his 2007 NLDS Game One performance with dominating work against the Crew.

Joe finally struggled through discussion of his Cubs' flat offensive performance at home versus the Dodgers. With Chicago winds blowing, Ryan Dempster walked the world and Manny's LA bunch teed off.

Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

MLB Week 26: Interview with Cubs 2B Mark DeRosa; Rays sell out ALDS; Vanilla pennant races

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:44:24 +0000

Mark DeRosa joined "The Pitch" Thursday following another Cubs comeback win. (markderosa7.com)

With the NL Central Division Championship in hand Thursday, the Chicago Cubs decided to give Mark DeRosa, one of their most valuable bats and versatile defenders, a few days of rest. DeRosa suffered a strained calf in Wednesday's 9-6, 10-inning win over the New York Mets.

The free time allowed the Cubs right fielder and second baseman to join "The Pitch" and hosts Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage Thursday for a chat about Lou Piniella's enthusiasm for studying video of opponents, his injuries through the '08 campaign, Chicago's stream of comeback wins and recovering from a heart procedure mid-season to correct an irregular heartbeat.

The discussion also covered DeRosa's pre-season struggle with Cubs management over their efforts to find a new second baseman, as well as his risk assessment of blogging in the Chicago clubhouse and managing two personal websites, markderosa7.com and markderosa.mlblogs.com.

To download and listen to only the Mark DeRosa interview portion of the show, click here.

The show also discusses the Tampa Bay Rays' unbelievable closing job on a postseason berth, the Los Angeles Dodgers' NL West championship and Dusty Baker's love affair with Corey Patterson (and Patterson's rumored relationship with Dusty's daughter).

Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

MLB Week 26: Awkward goodbye to Yankee Stadium; Selig takes heat for Houston weather; Milton Bradley black-balled

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:56:05 +0000

What's old is new for Yankee Stadium in 2008. (Breslow/Flickr).

If you're looking for some Yankees love on The Pitch, you might want to get it while you can. Hosts and Yankee-haters Andrew Kappes and Brandon Rosage give the Bronx Bombers props in the early-week edition of the show after the team's theatrical final game at Yankee Stadium.

They also welcome "Tim from NYC" on the program to assess the Yankees' future and the Mets' bullpen woes headed into the final week of their stretch for a postseason berth.

Discussions veers to accusations that Bud Selig screwed the Astros in his reassignment of their September Cubs series to Milwaukee -- resulting in a simulated Cubs home game. Plus, Milton Bradley threatens to quit pro baseball if officials don't stop judging him for previous bad behavior. Gary Sheffield competes for biggest loud mouth, though, with his physical and verbal fight with the Indians, Victor Martinez and Fausto Carmona.

Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

MLB Week 25: Brewers self-destructing; Ichiro?s untouchable milestone; NL All-Underrated Team

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:39:57 +0000

Thanks for nothing, Lou. (daveynin/Flickr).

The NL Central got measurably more interesting this week, as a result of the Cubs-Brewers tussle that included an untimely injury to Milwaukee starter Ben Sheets and an extra-inning upset at Wrigley Field Thursday.

The only bummer for Thursday's show was that The Pitch's scheduled guest Mark DeRosa was unable to make the show due to Cubs manager Lou Piniella's insistence that the Chicago hitters study film prior to their series with the Cardinals. So barring a rescheduled visit with DeRosa, hosts Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage barrelled ahead with chatter about optimism regarding injuries to the Whie Sox, Red Sox fans getting tasered and nutty Yankees fans who love catching baseballs.

The guys also completed the show's MLB All-Underrated Team, marking down the National League nominees position-by-position.

Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

MLB Week 24: The AL All-Underrated Team; Why bullpens are destroying pennant races

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 01:34:12 +0000

The Diamondbacks bullpen has been over-worked (einarfour/Flickr).

September is a time for hype and pennant races. The Pitch took the opportunity Thursday to turn down the hype and turn up the praise for the game's most underrated players.

Position-by-position, hosts Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage strolled through the American League's best players no one hears about. And, yes, there are a fair amount of Tampa Bay Rays on the list. For a peek at Brandon's official AL All-Underrated Team, visit The Pitch's 2008 All-Underrated Team page. The National League list will take center stage next Thursday.

The guys also discuss the demise of bullpens at the hands of managers and GMs that are too scared to let their starters pitch deep into games -- a trend that has dismantled the pennant chase for at least three National League contenders.

Plus, the show features a spirited round of "Do you buy what Ozzie is selling?" and stories of Jonathan Papelbon getting his Dirty Dancing on and Lou Piniella hating on changing rooms.

Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

MLB Week 24: Don?t pitch to Delgado; Rays on the ropes; Pirates the model of losing consistency

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:58:04 +0000

Carlos Delgado hit 860 feet worth of long ball Sunday.

For the indefinite future, The Pitch has initiated a stoppage on all pitches over the plate to Carlos Delgado. The Mets first baseman is too hot to handle coming off an impressive series against his NL East rival Phillies.

But Delgado shares a common challenge with nine other big league ballclubs in the playoff hunt: His team is still two or fewer games separated from its closest division rival in search for October.

The Rays emerged from the weekend bloodied with a 1.5 games lead over the Red Sox prior to the start of their bout in Fenway. The White Sox are now Carlos Quentin-less with only 2.5 games on the Twins. And the Diamondbacks got swept off the NL West lead by the Dodgers, despite some serious defensive questions in LA.

The Pitch hosts Andrew Kappes and Brandon Rosage sort through it all in the Monday edition of the program, complete with listener comments and more Little League talk. Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

MLB Week 23: A-Rod tests instant replay; Sabathia begs for a no-no; Zito sports the best ass in baseball

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:49:45 +0000

Barry Zito prefers to be seen from behind. (Eric Giberson/Flickr)

Only a week after it debuted instant replay, MLB was forced to use it after an Alex Rodriguez home run clipped the foul pole in Tampa Bay. The Pitch hosts Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage waste no time making quick judgment of how it affected the game and might come into play in future, more intense competitions.

The discussion then veers toward criticism of the Brewers and ace CC Sabathia after his non-no-hitter was rebutted by Milwaukee with the argument that the pitcher's gaffe on Andy LaRoche's single should've preserved his no-no. And the show doesn't sneak by without a few jabs at Cubs fans' armor through their one-week skid and news that Carlos Zambrano is headed to the disabled list.

The show also features great community e-mail about Barry Zito's ass in new jeans all over metropolitan billboards and predictions for all-time home run No. 250,000.

Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

MLB Week 22: Instant replay debuts; Floridians don?t care about the Rays; Alvarez walks away from $6 million

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:41:16 +0000

MLB umpires get the help of instant replay starting today for boundary calls on home runs (adrisbow/Flickr)

The world is upside down in Major League Baseball this week, starting with the debut of instant replay for big league umpires and the AL East's top team (the Rays) drawing 13,000 in their home ballpark in August. The Pitch tears apart both issues, as well as the Pirates' second-overall MLB draft pick Pedro Alvarez and his attempt to void his $6 million deal with Pittsburgh.

Hosts Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage also weigh the decisions by the Red Sox to trade for Mark Kotsay, by Jimmy Rollins to call his fan 'front-runners,' by the Twins to reacquire "Everyday Eddie" Guardado and by Angels manager not to let up on their push to improve their record and lead in the AL West.

The discussion also veers into a Connecticut Little League Baseball league that booted a nine-year-old for being too good and the impending 250,000th all-time home run in MLB.

Plus, the show features more divisional notes and the conclusion to August's Pick-Off competition. Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

MLB Week 19: Griffey slashing throats; How to brawl without throwing a punch; Dodgers and ManRam a sure thing?

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:45:08 +0000

Manny Ramirez (edward a. bacho/Flickr)

The biggest names that changed cities on deadline day made some immediate impact through the weekend. Manny Ramirez predictably went yard in Los Angeles, Jason Bay busted out the big stick and defense at Fenway, Mark Teixeira clutched up for the Halos, Xavier Nady dropped a six-RBI game and Ken Griffey Jr. got his lumber going with the southsiders.

But what about the other parts of the deals that sent the stars to new teams?

Hosts Andrew Kappes and Brandon Rosage picked apart the winners and losers from the trade deadline, focusing on teams like the Pitsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, who stockpiled new talent for the pennant race and the future. The discussion also looks at the teams that stood pat (like Oakland), but may be regretting not unloading their bait.

Plus, the show features more divisional notes and great community e-mail. Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

MLB Trade Deadline Show: Manny headed to LA, Bay to BoSox; Konerko?s dirty little secret that brought Griffey to the ChiSox

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:06:43 +0000

Ken Griffey Jr. was traded to the White Sox Thursday. (Brendan Sullivan/Flickr)

The Pitch's 2008 MLB Trade Deadline show -- presented by Liveboard -- is a whopper of a program, featuring highlights from a two-hour live broadcast during the final two hours before the deadline expired.

Hosts Sam Panayotovich and Brandon Rosage packed the program with minute-by-minute analysis of reports related to Manny Ramirez' departure from Boston to Los Angeles, Ken Griffey Jr's trade to the White Sox in light of Paul Konerko's admission, the Angels' early-week move for Mark Teixeira and more of the biggest names on the trade block.

Guests joining the discussion included Yankee Fan Club Radio's Ty Hildenbrandt, Fireside Chat's Tim Daloisio and MVN Outsider's Cory Humes.

The MLB Trade Deadline Special also features a photo-finish for the July Pick-Off competition and the latest on the rules for participating in the August game. Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.

MLB Week 18: Manny never asked for a trade; Why are teams rolling over for Yanks? Blake completes Dodgers

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:14:28 +0000

Manny Ramirez (Boston Wolverine/Flickr)

Don't believe the headlines and don't believe the morons on terrestrial sports talk radio. "The Pitch, presented by Liveboard" sets it straight: Manny Ramirez never asked for a trade from the Boston Red Sox last week.

An assortment of quotes and off-hand remarks by analysts would have you believe otherwise, but hosts Andrew Kappes and Brandon Rosage remove the spin from trade rumors around Ramirez, Jarrod Washburn and Mark Teixeira, among others.

The guys also discuss whether Shane Victorino crossed the line in plowing Braves catcher Brian McCann Sunday and what crazy pitch Randy Johnson will throw next at the most inopportune moment. And the conversation winds through every division, covering big upcoming Cubs-Brewers series and White Sox-Twins matchup.

The program sorts through another solid bag of listener e-mail and crazy stories. Enjoy and interact via e-mail at thepitch@mvn.com or via phone at 360-450-MVN3.