Curt Schilling Creates Ethical Dilemma

Curt Schilling has agreed to return to the Boston Red Sox for what's likely to be his final season. His one-year contract contains an incentive clause that earns him $1 million if he gets one vote for the Cy Young award -- any vote, even third place. Peter Abraham of the LoHud Yankees blog points out the ethical dilemma this creates:

Every AL city gets two votes for each award. In big markets, the votes are divided up. You might get MVP one year, Manager of the Year the next. But two people who cover the Red Sox will get votes on Cy Young in 2008.

We usually learn sometime in the summer what we’re voting for. In the case of Cy Young, you vote for first, second and third. Let’s say Schilling goes 15-9 with a 3.95 ERA next season. He’s not the Cy Young, but you can make a case he deserves a third-place vote.

Your one vote gets him $1 million. What is keeping some writer from saying, “Hey, Curt, I’ll vote for you. I want $500,000.”

It’s wholly unethical. But every business has unethical people. $500,000 is serious coin for a reporter. People have gambling problems, drug problems, etc. What’s keeping Schilling from agreeing to the deal? He’s gets $500,000 he wasn’t counting on.

On the other hand, let’s say the two people with votes in Boston don’t vote for Schilling and he finds out why they are. What if he resents them and tells his teammates, “Hey, these SOBs cost me $1 million.” How are those people supposed to cover the Red Sox now?

Abraham is right as far as he goes, but he doesn't go far enough. Let's take his example. What if Schilling finishes 15-9 with a 3.95 ERA, and another starter somewhere finishes 16-7 with a 3.85 ERA. Wouldn't a writer who likes Schilling be inclined to toss a vote his way, to ensure he makes an extra million, rather than to a more deserving pitcher?

This type of incentive clause is simply wrong. I think the only appropriate remedy is to take away the Red Sox last two World Series trophies.

And Josh Beckett.

Indians over Yankees: Lord of the Flies Edition

In 25 years or so of watching baseball, I think this is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen:



The pictures are from the MLB site here.

They were a group of bugs clearly partial to the hometown Indians, as they began to appear during Doug Mientkiewicz's at-bat in the top of the eighth and arrived in full force when Joba Chamberlain took the mound in the bottom of the frame...

Blake's words provide the essence for this latest chapter of "When annoying bugs attack." The Indians went about business as if nothing out of the ordinary was taking place, pretty much how they have adeptly handled the first two games of this playoff encounter.

New York, meanwhile, temporarily became a bit unglued. Players were sprayed down with Off before the inning, with shortstop Derek Jeter swatting at the nuisances using his glove, and third baseman Alex Rodriguez using his hat to move them away.

Chamberlain looked as if he was conducting some sort of entomology experiment with the 20 or so bugs perched on his neck. They provided more than just a physical distraction, though, as the hard-throwing right-hander, rushing fastballs to the plate at 98 mph, threw two wild pitches to bring home Grady Sizemore with the game-tying run.

According to crew chief Bruce Froemming, who spoke to a pool reporter after the game, stopping action because of the bugs never was under consideration. It certainly wasn't necessary in the collective minds of the Indians players...

A reporter for Friday's broadcast on TBS identified the bugs as Canadian Soldiers, but apparently they were smaller. Since these bugs weren't looking for food, and probably had come from nearby Lake Erie in search of moisture, the bug spray actually had very little effect on getting rid of the pests. According to the Associated Press, in a game taking place against the Angels at Jacobs Field in September 2004, play was stopped several times after players complained of swallowing the bugs while running the bases. The situation played out very similar on Friday, with the bugs ending up in players' mouths, eyes, noses...

The Indians have a commanding lead because they weren't affected the way the Yankees were. Still... just bizarre.

Oh well -- back to the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium. With Clemens and (God-willing) Chien Ming Wang going in games three and four against Jake Westbrook and Paul Byrd respectively, the Yankees still have a chance.

Story of the Day

Professional athletes are often seen as vain, greedy, primadonnas. The Colorado Rockies -- who seem poised to advance to the National League Championship Series -- have gone against type.

When a team makes the playoffs, it earns a 'bonus' from Major League Baseball, tied to how far the squad advances. The players decide among themselves who's entitled to a share of the pot. They award shares among players who spent the entire year with the team, players who were traded, trainers, etc.

The Colorado Rockies have voted to award a playoff share to the widow of a coach on one of the team's minor league affiliates, who was killed by a line-drive during a game:

On July 22, Double-A Tulsa coach Mike Coolbaugh, 35, died after being hit in the neck with a line drive while coaching.

Few players on the Rockies knew Coolbaugh, who joined the organization in early July, but last week, they unanimously voted his widow a full playoff share that could be more than $350,000 if the Rockies win the World Series.

"I'm completely shocked in a good way," Coolbaugh said. "I don't even know the correct words to use. I know Mike would feel very honored and proud. This would mean a lot to him, and it means a lot to our family."

Coolbaugh said her due date is in two weeks, but her "doctor was saying with stress and everything," the baby could arrive sooner. Mandy also is the mother of two sons, Joseph, 5, and Jacob, who turned 4 last month.

The boys will throw out the first pitch before Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Saturday at Coors Field...

Teams with a chance to play in the postseason typically meet late in the regular season to decide whom to allot full shares, partial shares and cash awards.

Rockies player representative Josh Fogg brought up the possibility of giving Mandy Coolbaugh a full share, although Fogg would not take credit for the idea.

"We felt as a team it was the right thing to do," Fogg said. "We're obviously happy with the decision."

I'm not sure that it's about the money -- although the pregnant widow of a career minor leaguer can probably use it. To me it's more about the fact that the team remembered and honored a guy that few of them ever met.

Good for the Colorado Rockies.

Yankees Face Red Sox; Cubs vs. Rockies

Update: ALL thinking Republicans MUST root for a Yankees-Cubs World Series, just to see Hillary Clinton's brain explode as she tries to decide whether to back her home-town team, or the one she adopted for political opportunity.

ESPN has run the four Major League Baseball division series one thousand times each, concluding that the Yankees and Red Sox are heavy favorites to reach the American League championship series. Over in the 'senior circuit,' the Cubs are heavily favored over the Diamondbacks, while Rob Bluey's Cinderella Rockies are a slight favorite over the come-from-behind Phillies.

It's fun to see the results of the simulation, but I don't expect things to play out that way.

As a Yankee fan, it will surprise no one that I foresee Alex Rodriguez overcoming his previous September swoons and establishing himself as 'A True Yankee.' The Yankees will avenge their 1997 loss by topping the Indians in four games -- with Joba Chamberlin making several appearances and continuing his dominance. They'll beat the Red Sox in six, having proven their ability to knock around most of the Sox starters, and Josh Beckett can't pitch every game.

Over in the National League, I think it's a Philadelphia year. Phillies over Rockies in five, while the Cubs top the Diamondbacks in four. (How sad that former Yankee Randy Johnson won't get the chance to take the mound.) Then the Phillies will earn their first Series trip since 1993 by beating the Cubs in six.

The Series? Yankees over Phillies in five. And Jorge Posada is the Series MVP.

A Little Something for the Yankees Fans

Regular readers of this blog are aware that I am a Yankees fan, although I try not to indulge myself about baseball excessively. Nevertheless, occasionally my nature as a fan comes through.

After the way the Red Sox blew their lead last night, I had to check the Boston papers to see the reaction of Red Sox nation. This piece from the Herald is enough to warm the heart of the Big Stein:

The Red Sox swallowed a bitter, 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays last night, though their magic number nonetheless dwindled to four. That is all that stands between the Sox and a fourth playoff spot in the past five years. Yet because their lead in the AL East has been trimmed to a mere 2 ½ games on the hard-charging New York Yankees, many Sox followers simply cannot help themselves.

We’ll never make it. We’re doooooooooooomed.

“It means a lot, but it means nothing as far as winning a World Series,” Sox manager Terry Francona said before the game when asked about the importance of a division title. “It means a lot for what you set out to accomplish, I think. I don’t think there’s any getting around that, and I don’t think we want to. But when it’s all said and done, it won’t have any bearing on how far we get into the postseason.”

Some of us thought Red Sox history changed forever in 2004. We thought the inferiority complex went out with the 86-year drought, the Curse of the Bambino, and all the other nonsensical stupidities that unnecessarily burdened a franchise and its followers.

Maybe we were wrong.

Maybe Red Sox fans need something silly to worry about because they are unhappy unless they are miserable.

Lest there be any doubt, the Sox are in tune-up mode with regard to the postseason. For them, at least, the Yankees are not as much of a concern as Eric Gagne, Daisuke Matsuzaka or Hideki Okajima. The Sox now lead the Detroit Tigers by seven games with 10 to play, and they are not about to sacrifice potential postseason success simply so they can say they won the division.

“Is it going to make or break things? No,” Red Sox captain Jason Varitek said of a potential division title. “Do I want it? Yeah...”

So really, what’s more important here: when you play, or against whom?

Sure the Red Sox have blown 12 games out of their 14.5 game division lead. Sure they've lost 5 of their last 6 to the Yankees, and 11 out of their last 21 overall. What's really important is getting into the playoffs. This swoon? Just a tune-up.

This Herald columnist has it wrong. What's really important is neither who you play or when you play, it's how you're playing. And if you're playing poorly enough to blow a 14.5 game lead, and to lose a lead of 2.5 games with just 10 games left to play, then you're not playing well enough to go very far. How many teams can you think of that crumbled in the stretch and then rebounded to win titles? Thought so.

The Red Sox aren't doomed, but if they do blow their division lead, it will be a sign that you shouldn't expect anything from them come the postseason.

What is the Gyroball?

American League hitters will be asking themselves that question much of the year, apparently. Yahoo sports claims to have tracked down the answer.

Hat Tip: Mystic Chords