I know I used a dog days theme last week, but I wanted to expand on this theme in a baseball only context pertaining to the pennant races. In the old days when day baseball was the rule, August was probably the toughest month of the year. Players are tired, the month is hot, energy is low. The year of the great Cub Collapse in 1969, Ron Santo was talking about this topic on a recent radio broadcast. I remember him saying that 1969 was rough in that he wished they could have some night games as means to be away from the constant grind of the hot weather. Those weren’t his exact words, but that was the sentiment. That team was a great team, but they plain just ran out of gas. At this point, what teams are likely to wilt? What teams will hang in there?

Teams that will wilt:

-Florida. I’ve been saying this probably since May. I think the inexperience will be the likely cause. The Marlins are getting good experience now and this will help in future years. The fact they are hanging the race probably has to do more with the teams surrounding them.

-Detroit. I thing the Tigers have already faded and I don’t see them making the race interesting. The pitching is horrible.

-Tampa Bay. Like their Florida counterpart, I still see the Rays fading for the same reason. And yet, as they are set to break their franchise record for wins, the Rays are still around. I think the Red Sox will eventually overcome them.

-NY Yankees. They can’t seem to get close enough to make it more interesting. I think their pitching is a mess and will be the cause of their downfall.

-Chicago White Sox. Ozzie finally kills this team. A big mistake in getting Ken Griffey.

-Milwaukee. Eventually the pressure gets to them, if it hasn’t already

Teams most likely to hang in there:

-Chicago Cubs. They are the hunted and using all of their energy to stay there would hurt most teams. Unbelievably, it won’t hurt the Cubs. If the bullpen doesn’t fall apart, the Cubs will be in great shape.

-Arizona. How can they not considering the division? Or their pitching. Manny or no Manny, Arizona still wins their division

-Philadelphia and NY Mets. Both are solid teams and should fight it out to the bitter end, like last year.

-Boston. I keep waiting for the Red Sox to overtake the Rays and I think their experience will eventually lead them to first place. If Manny were around, I’d say this doesn’t happen.

It will be hard for baseball to keep the spotlight considering the Olympics and the NFL Preseason. But this has been an entertaining year and hopefully baseball does not get lost…

Hunter Flops

Luckily, the flops (the award itself) have not gone to the dogs. But the performances of those listed probably have. This week’s floppers are who I feel are dogging it

Teams:

-Detroit Tigers. As mentioned above, I think the Tigers have started to wilt and bad bad pitching have dogged this team all year.

-Oakland A’s. Recently had a ten game losing streak. Not Moneyball. Maybe doggy ball.
-Seattle Mariners. I know…quit whipping a dog when it’s down. But…this team has been barking up the wrong tree all year.

-Arizona. Yes, I think the Diamondbacks will eventually win the Worst division. But right now, they are dogging it.

-San Diego Padres. You’ve been dogging me with my bad prediction all year long. Front runner for Flop of the year.

Players:

Will these dogs still hunt, Chris Berman??? I doubt it….

-Khalil Greene. DFL among qualifiers in BA (.213), with a broken hand to boot. Bad doggy….

-Andruw Jones. I’ve been dogging you all year long. When you hit .161, no yummies for you.

-Omar Vizquel. At .181, is it time for the kennel??

-Jason Varitek/Paul Konerko: As team captains, your performances are not leading the pack

-Nate Robertson. Your 6.11 ERA is DFL among qualifiers. Hope your tail is between your legs

-Barry Zito. 6-14 and a 5.55 ERA. No more ALPO for you.

-Carlos Silva. At 4-13 and a 5.93 ERA, you should be whimpering

Don’t dog me today….