Blog Archives

2 And A Hook Podcast Episode #6: Fantasy, Phillies And Rangers Expert Interviews + Notes

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Friday, May.31/2013

MLB reports and The Benchwarmers Show present 2 and A Hook Podcast

MLB reports and The Benchwarmers Show present 2 and A Hook Podcast.

‘2 And A Hook’ is an expression from Baseball:  ‘Throw the guy 2 Fast balls and then a Hook’ (AKA Curve Ball, Wiggly one, Chair etc..)

By James Acevedo – Host (Podcast Veteran) 

People in this Podcast:

On today’s show, brought to you by MLB Reports (www.mlbreports.com) & The Bench Warmers Show (thebenchwarmers.podomatic.com), I started by paying respects to a follower of mine on twitter (the great late Kiley)   who passed away last week…not only she was a great Yankee fan who loved Derek Jeter – but also was the most sweetest giving person ever, R.I.P….

I start to talk about the Subway Series then I interviewed my first guest Derek Jackson (10 Minute Mark  – 20 Minute Segment.   who is a fantasy expert for MLB Reports! We talked about which callups to watch midway through the season,a look at the rookie crop of players & second year players…check out his latest fantasy article here Read the rest of this entry

Triple Play Podcast #10: An Interview With MLB Reports Cards Correspondent Landen Crouch + Poor Show Of Brett Lawrie!

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Tuesday, May 28th, 2013

The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month.  Each show will be about 1 hour

The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month. Each show will be about 1 hour.

By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com)

Guests in this Podcast – Landen Crouch (Cardinals Correspondent) of mlbreports.com  (

Landen Crouch of mlbreports.com is our guest on this episode as we discuss the continuous success of the cardinals. We also cover their rich history as Landen gives us his Mt Rushmore of Cards greats. Finally we bat around Brett Lawrie‘s recent run-ins and lack of maturity.

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 19, 2013

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The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast today is a tribute to my best friend in all things baseball, who also happens to be my dad.

It is his birthday today and I wanted to talk about our special baseball friendship.
Matt Joyce, Joey Votto, Brandon McCarthy and David Phelps owned baseball on May 18, 2013.

To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?,” click HERE.
Subscribe on iTunes HERE.

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 19, 2013
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St. Louis Cardinals – Week 1 Review

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Monday, April 8th, 2013

2012 was a season that ended with disappointment which ultimately distracted us from recognizing what a successful year it really was.  2012 highlighted a lot of the greatness that is to come for this great franchise.  The Cardinals are greatly positioned for the next 5 years with the influx of 6 top 100 MLB Prospects at  League Entry Level Contracts. Having said this, the club started out the year dropping 2 out of 3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, before pulverizing the defending World Series Champions over the weekend - taking the series 2 - 1 and outscoring the Giants 20 - 7, while obliterating Matt Cain's ERA for some time. by hanging 9 Earned Runs on him in just 3.2 IP

2012 was a season that ended with disappointment which ultimately distracted us from recognizing what a successful year it really was. 2012 highlighted a lot of the greatness that is to come for this great franchise. The Cardinals are greatly positioned for the next 5 years with the influx of 6 top 100 MLB Prospects at League Entry Level Contracts. Having said this, the club started out the year dropping 2 out of 3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, before pulverizing the defending World Series Champions over the weekend – taking the series 2 – 1 and outscoring the Giants 20 – 7, while obliterating Matt Cain’s ERA for some time. by hanging 9 Earned Runs on him in just 3.2 IP.

By Landen Crouch ( Cardinals Correspondent)

Week in Review:

The opening week of the 2013 season for the St. Louis Cardinals can now be considered successful after a 14-3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon.  The Cardinals finished their opening week six-game West Coast road trip with a .500-record of (3-3).

This is definitely a huge success for the Cardinals to come back to St. Louis with at least a .500 record.  Of course, they wanted to win the 16-inning marathon against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night (and early into Thursday morning), and the 1-0 pitchers-dual game against Barry Zito on Friday. 

Those were two tough losses.  Overall, though, this week was positive for the Cardinals and should give them some momentum coming into their home opening series against the Cincinnati Reds.

2013 St. Louis Cardinals Preview by MLB Network:

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St. Louis Cardinals 2013 Payroll and Contracts Going Forward

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Wednesday, March.25/2013

2012 was a season that ended with disappointment which ultimately distracted us from recognizing what a successful year it really was.  2012 highlighted a lot of the greatness that is to come for this great franchise.  The Cardinals are greatly positioned for the next 5 years with the influx of 6 top 100 MLB Prospects at  League Entry Level Contracts

2012 was a season that ended with disappointment which ultimately distracted us from recognizing what a successful year it really was. 2012 highlighted a lot of the greatness that is to come for this great franchise. The Cardinals are greatly positioned for the next 5 years with the influx of 6 top 100 MLB Prospects at League Entry Level Contracts.  The Cards were 1 one away from the World Series in 2012 before the Giants won 3 elimination games.  Can the franchise withstand the losses of Lohse, Carpenter, Furcal and even Hitting Coach Mgwire

By Landen Crouch ( Cardinals Correspondent)

I believe we can expect more of the same from the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013. This is a franchise that has proven they can be competitive on a consistent basis, even doing so last year without Albert Pujols. The Cardinals enter 2013 following consecutive runs to the National League Championship Series (won World Series in 2011).

On the heels of a very quiet offseason, the Cardinals seem to be entering the 2013 season with a very clear plan: get younger while simultaneously maintaining a high level of success on the field. The franchise has clearly begun this transition already with the departure of a few key players in the last several years – Kyle Lohse being the latest.

In the money department, the Cardinals have never been afraid to spend money to help the ballclub; however, they have always done so wisely. They are not among the teams that seemingly are just trying to buy championships. They have always been a team that uses a healthy balance of money and a solid farm system for success.

In 2013, the Cardinals will rank 10th in all of Major League Baseball in overall payroll – in the upper tier, for sure, but not overspending by any means – and their farm system is ranked 1st overall in baseball. The Cardinals have the money and the players it takes to continue being competitive for a long time to come.

2011 Cardinals World Series:

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – March 25, 2013

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There is some bad news for Cardinals fans all over the world. I’m picking the Cardinals to win the World Series in 2013, and my picks are almost always wrong!

But I have a good feeling about this Cardinals team and that is the topic for today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – March 5, 2013

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On today’s Sully Baseball Daily Podcast, I celebrate the 8th birthday of my twin sons. They were my guests and we talked about baseball (and animals which is THEIR obsession.)

Subscribe to Sully Baseball Daily Podcast on iTunes.

Why The Orioles And Lohse Make Sense

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Saturday February 16, 2013

Lohse has had an up-and-down career since making his debut in 2001. He has bounced around cities and has experienced some good seasons, and some less than impressive seasons. He was a big part in the middle of the rotation during their 2011 World Series run finishing 14-8 while posting a 3.39 ERA.

Lohse has had an up-and-down career since making his debut in 2001. He has bounced around cities and has experienced some good seasons, also with  some less than impressive seasons. He was a big part in the middle of the Cardinals rotation during their 2011 World Series run – finishing 14-8 while posting a 3.39 ERA.

By Kyle Holland (MLB Reports Writer):

2012 was a career year for the Cardinals’ RHP Kyle Lohse. At Age 34, Lohse has become one of the most inconsistent pitchers in the game of baseball. Since making his debut in 2001 at 21 years old with the Minnesota Twins, Lohse has had some stellar years, and some not-so-great years. This includes a 2008 season – where he went 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA. He followed that great season with ugly 2009 finishing 6-10 while posting a 4.74 ERA.

In 2012,  Lohse turned back to his ace pitching ways. Coming off a solid 2011 season – with a 14-8 record, it didn’t look like Lohse could improve too much. He proved everyone wrong and pitched his way to a 16-3 record. His .842 W-L% lead the National League – while his 2.86 ERA wound up eighth in all of the Majors.

Why the Cardinals will not sign Kyle Lohse:

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The Texas Rangers Payroll In 2013 And Contracts Going Forward

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Saturday, January.19th,  2013

Texas has doubled their total team payroll since the new ownership group took over.  As good as they are doing right now for Payroll - the Angels still have them beat by 35-40 Million Dollars

Texas has doubled their total team payroll since the new ownership group took over. As good as they are doing right now for Payroll – the Angels still have them beat by 35-40 Million Dollars.

By Nicholas Rossoletti (MLB Reports Trade Correspondent):

It is easy to equate a big market team’s success with merely a willingness to overspend on free agents and use their superior earning power to dominate the sport. While the Rangers certainly are not afraid of spending all that money that playing the Dallas/Fort Worth area provides, it would be inaccurate to equate the team’s recent string of success with only their ability to outspend a fair portion of their competitors. As we enter the 2013 season, the Rangers have built a very strong base – while managing to not tie themselves to any back-breaking, future altering contracts. That is a testament to the organization’s belief in its system – and its refusal to spend on player just because they are able to. With that being said, let’s take a look at the Rangers 2013 payroll as of now and see where Texas will be spending its money next season.

Rangers 2011 ALCS Clincher:

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MLB Player Profile: Yadier Molina

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Thursday, January.17/2013

Yadier is the best defensive Catcher in the Major Leagues right now.  He has won 5 straight Gold Gloves for the position.  In the last few years, the 4 time ALL-Star has started to hit with more authority.  He finished in 4th for NL MVP Voting in 2012.

Yadier Molina is the best defensive Catcher in the Major Leagues right now. He has won 5 straight Gold Gloves for the position in the National League. He has added a big offensive attack to his arsenal in the last few years, as the 4 time ALL-Star has started to hit with more authority. He finished 4th in NL MVP Voting for 2012 –  based on a 3 Slash-Line of .315/.374/.874 – with 22 HRs and 76 RBI in 505 AB. All of these were Career highs.

By Landen Crouch ( Cardinals Correspondent)

For the majority of his career, Yadier Molina has been highly touted as one of the top catchers in the game of baseball. In recent years, that label has evolved even deeper, as it could now be said that Molina is one of the game’s best overall players. With yet another fantastic year under his belt in 2012, the question remains: how long will Molina be this good? Hopefully for Cardinals fans, this peak of Molina’s career will last several more years and possibly even continue to rise.

From 2005 to 2007, Yadier Molina was best known for his abilities on defense, but he struggled to be a consistent hitter. That changed in 2008, as Molina really seemed to grow as a hitter. He posted a career high .304 Batting Average – that stood until he set a new career high in 2011 (.305). New career highs have been the theme for Molina over the last couple years, as he seems to be consistently topping great years with even better ones.

Yadier Molina Highlights in 2012:

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The 2013 Texas Rangers Roster: State of The Union

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Monday January 14th, 2013

The Rangers had back to back World Series Appearances in 2010 and 2011 - does this club have another run in them without Josh Hamilton?

The Rangers had back to back World Series Appearances in 2010 and 2011 – does this club have another run in them without Josh Hamilton and Michael Young?  They regressed in the 2012 Season – losing a 13 Game Division Lead in the AL West before barely capturing a Wild Card Spot.  They eventually lost the Play In Wild Card-Game to the Baltimore Orioles.

By Brooke Robinson (Rangers Correspondent): 

Looking back on the end of the 2012 season, and how the AL West lead was given up in a matter of days to Oakland, it’s clear the Texas front office wanted change in the clubhouse for 2013. It seems as though GM Jon Daniels’ motto for the offseason is “out with the old, in with the new….er”. Daniels is eager to bring a World Series victory to Arlington and has pieced together a team of new players with old postseason successes. There is also a chance that the Rangers will also bring up some of their promising prospects that they protected throughout the offseason trade frenzy. This makes for some very interesting lineup possibilities for the upcoming season, especially with the major roles needing to be filled by former Ranger departures such as 1B/C Mike Napoli, U Michael Young, OF Josh Hamilton, and P Ryan Dempster.

Ian Kinsler Highlights for 2012:

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St. Louis Cardinals Roster For 2013: State Of The Union

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Wednesday, January.09/2013

The Cardinals have been the most consistent Franchise in the National League, having appeared in 7 of the last 11 NLCS since 2000 (3-4).  They have also won 2 World Series in that time (2006 and 2011.)  They held a 3-1 NLCS lead over the San Francisco Giants before losing to the 2012 World Champions.

The Cardinals have been the most consistent Franchise in the National League, having appeared in 7 of the last 11 NLCS since 2000 (3-4). They have also won 2 World Series in that time (2006 and 2011.) They held a 3-1 NLCS lead over the San Francisco Giants before losing to the 2012 World Champions.  They are ready for another great 2013 campaign.  The NL Central goes from 6 teams to 5 – with the departed Houston Astros.

By Landen Crouch ( Cardinals Correspondent)

The current St. Louis Cardinals roster, set to take them into the 2013 season, has seen little changes from what was a very successful 2012 season.  This really is not much of a surprise, though, as the front office has told fans they were not planning to change too much this offseason.  After a gut-wrenching offseason a year ago, in which Albert Pujols headed west to the Angels, a quiet offseason really does not seem like such an awful thing.  In the upcoming season, the St. Louis Cardinals will be hoping for more of the same from a team that was one win away from a second straight World Series Berth.  The Cardinals will look to continue recent success, while filtering in some young prospects in the process.

Game #5 of the NLDS (Comeback win versus the Washington Nationals)

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