Maybe I spoke too soon...

Cliff Lee is putting up the best numbers in a postseason of any pitcher all-time. In just four games, Cliff has tallied three wins, 33.1 innings pitched, and 30 strikeouts. He has won entire baseball games for the Philadelphia Phillies with some of the most dominant pitching of all time. Without him, that pitching staff would look a lot more beatable than it does right now.

While I can't predict the rest of the postseason, it would be hard to bet against Cliff Lee in his next outing. It would also be hard to change the past, which is why I can't change my post from September 28th, "Top 5 Pitchers in the Major Leauges." Instead, I'll just make my case for Lee to be on that list.

After a string of rough seasons at the begining of his career, his past two years have been stellar. 2008 was a career year that put some serious hardware in Cliff's tropy case. After winning 88% of his games (12th best winning percentage of all time), Lee was awarded the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award, the Players' Choice Award for the AL Outstanding Player of the Year, and Cy Young Award, among others.

His 1.56 ERA is the best playoff mark of all time. Should the Phillies win the World Series, much of that title would be supported by the effort of Cliff Lee. While his resume is short, it is hard to argue with his recent success. And though he did not make the list during the regular season, I will seriously consider him for the postseason edition.

Mark McGwire?

This week, the St. Louis Cardinals made Mark McGwire their hitting coach. When you hear that name, it takes a few seconds to get past the steroid talk and see all of the good moments he had for the game. Many fans only remember seeing him in the courtroom while under investigation for steroid use. At such a critical point in the steroid investigation, McGwire retired and little has been heard from him since. With many big stars of his generation testing positive for steroids, it is hard to believe he had no part in it.

A great example of this is the 1998 season as he chased for Roger Maris' single season home run record. At one point in the season, it looked as if McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr, and Sammy Sosa were all making a run at it. Plagued by injury, Griffey dropped out early. However, the chase was fueled on by the incredible effort of Sosa. Although McGwire would achieve greatness and break the record, this is not the point I am trying to make.

Who was the only player to keep pace with Mark McGwire for most of the season? Sammy Sosa. Who tested positive for a banned substance in 2003? Sammy Sosa. It is amazing that the only man with a hint of his power was cheating.

Who is the only player to hit more home runs in a single season than McGwire? Barry Bonds. Who has been the center of the steroid scandal for the past decade? Barry Bonds. If my point is not made by now, please re-read from paragraph 3.

2009 MLB Playoffs: A down year

When the regular season is over and the playoffs begin, the number of teams still broadcasting drops from 30 to 8. That means that the fans of 22 major league teams can no longer watch their players take the field. For the playoffs to be truly successful, the fans of these 22 playoff-ineligible teams need to tune in and watch the postseason action. Whether it is an overachieving underdog attempting to knockoff a team of superstars or two teams with a storied rivalry, it seems there is always a good reason to pay attention.

What reason, if any, is there for watching the playoffs this year? As the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees approaches, people from around the baseball community are expressing their discontent. The Yankees are supposed to win. Their players earn more than anybody and have access to some of the best facilities around. When they don't make it deep into the playoffs, it usually takes everybody by surprise. As for the Phillies, they won it last year. They have been one of the best teams all season long. With incredible athletes like Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, the Phils are the face of the National League.

As a Cubs fan, it was going to take a pretty amazing storyline to get me to watch any postseason baseball. What we got as fans of the game was quite the opposite. They Phils and Yanks were picked by many to make it to the World Series before the playoffs started. No other team seemed to pose a threat to their chances. Wild card teams were boring, the best players performed well, and solid competition was nowhere to be found. If the most exciting story is A-Rod's first successful postseason trip, I'd rather watch preseason basketball.

A-Rod Update

Anybody who has watched a Yankees postseason game can see the change in Alex Rodriguez this year. He has ridiculously low playoff numbers for signing one of the biggest contracts in history. Things have changed. A-Rod looks like somebody trying to win the Mr. October title.

At this point in the Yankees playoff run, Rodriguez has 8 hits and 4 home runs. He had the same amount of home runs in their 5 previous postseason series. When A-Rod starts heating up, so does the rest of the team. His success seems to have energized the entire lineup. They are all playing good baseball at the most important point in the season.

This is exactly what I was talking about in my previous post, "Off the hook?" Every article you read about Alex Rodriguez is about the amazing series he had in the first round or the energy he brings to the clubhouse. Has he been forgiven that easily?

It would be difficult to argue otherwise. He successfully avoided some of the short term consequences of using performance enhancing drugs. By putting up huge numbers and helping his team win, fans across the nation have softened when it comes to A-Rod talk.

I'm watching SportsCenter right now and they are talking about how he looks like he's taking batting practice! It's possible that I need to get over it and accept his talent, but this seems crazy. He still cheated the game. What he did was wrong, and many have forgotten about his suspension earlier in the season. I knew Alex Rodriguez would eventually regain his throne, I just did not think it would be this soon.

AL MVP?

After listening to MVP talk for the last month on ESPN, I noticed that one of the all-time greats is in the running. He has never won the award despite being one of the most consistent position players over the past two decades. This 10-time All-Star, 3-time Gold Glove winner, former AL Rookie of the Year, and World Series MVP is the most deserving of any candidate.

I realize that there are several other candidates making their case for MVP. For instance, the Minnesota Twins Joe Mauer. Without a doubt the best catcher in the game today, he is hitting .366 with 28 home runs and 93 RBI. These are surely MVP numbers, but will the Twins make the playoffs? No. Is the most valuable player in the league truly valuable if that team doesn't have a shot to win it all?

Many would argue the case for another Yankee, Mark Teixeira. His current stats look like this: .294 BA, 39 HR, and 121 RBI. These are unquestionably MVP-type numbers. While this is a solid season, much of the reasoning behind his candidacy is what he did for the team while Alex Rodriguez was serving his suspension for testing positive under the MLB testing policy. People keep talking about how he handled the pressure of a big contract with great poise while playing on one of the biggest stages in baseball. To this I say, "Derek Jeter!"

This New York Yankee has played as well as anybody in the running. After posting his seventh 200+ hit season, Jeter is hitting .335 with 18 home runs and 66 RBI. If it seems like I am dwelling on past achievements, I'm not. He has done all of this while playing impeccable defense, acting as glue for a team filled with controversy and young talent, and maintaining a flawless public image. It doesn't hurt that his team looks to be a front runner in the American League playoffs.

While I am not eligible to vote Derek Jeter as the AL MVP, I sure hope the people who do recognize his achievements as one of the most consistent, unselfish shortstops in the game.

Top 5 Pitchers in the Major Leagues

As we exit the age of the long ball, it is exciting to see a new crop of pitchers taking over the game. They take the time to be the best, and it shows in their performance. In no particular order, here are five of the most talented stars playing the game today.

1. Zack Greinke

This 25-year-old star plays for the Kansas City Royals. After several tough seasons to start his major league career, he has broken out and leads the majors in ERA. Notable performances this season include a 15 strikeout game, a complete game one-hitter, and a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in the All-Star Game.

2. Roy Halladay

Unlike Greinke, Halladay has cemented his place a top pitcher in all of Major League Baseball. He is a 6-time All-Star with a Cy Young Award under his belt. Before the start of the 2009 season, Halladay's 113 wins, 9 shut outs, and 37 complete games were the best in the American League since 2002.

3. CC Sabathia

Now a starter for the New York Yankees, CC made his name with the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers. This flame-throwing lefty has arguably the most devastating fastball/slider combo in the game. In 2007, he became the second Cleveland Indian to win the Cy Young Award. After holding the Milwaukee Brewers together in 2008, he was awarded a $161 million contract from the Yankees (biggest contract for a pitcher to date).

4. Tim Lincecum

"The Freak" is the most exciting young pitcher in the game today. Built more like a high school senior at 5' 11", 172 pounds, he won the 2008 Cy Young award in only his second year. Lincecum was voted to his first All-Star Game in 2009, and looks to continue his dominance for many years to come.

5. Johan Santana

This man is a star for the New York Mets and has the resume to prove it. He is a 4-time All-Star, already has two Cy Young Awards, and flashed the leather in 2007 for a Gold Glove Award. After recording his 1,000th strikeout in 2006, Johan is now the ace of the Mets pitching staff.

One of My Favorite Blogs

When I started posting on this blog, I began looking at some of the other sites around the community. With drug use being such an important topic in baseball, I found that I people had a lot to say. After browsing a number of different pages related to my content, I found a few that I like to visit daily. One of these is baseballcrank.com, a blog about the most recent baseball and political news.

While a majority of the posts are directly related to the sport, some pertain to current political happenings and war coverage. For those who come to the site just view baseball posts, clicking the headline titled "Baseball-Only Content" will allow visitors to do just that. This is convenient for people like myself who are most interested in what is going on in the baseball world.

The major draw when I first started visiting Baseball Crank was the broad spectrum of information on baseball. Upon scrolling down and examining the left side of the page, one can find articles such as "Changing Pitcher Workloads 1920-2004" and "Hall of Fame Outfielders, 1920's-1930's." Having access to accurate historical data like this is invaluable, especially with the amount of information being posted on the internet today.

After returning to the site over the next couple days, I realized that this was a truly interesting perspective on the game. If I did not have a new post to check out, I found hundreds of others that kept me reading. I'll admit baseball can get a little dry with games almost daily for several months. Baseball Crank examines stories from around the league to keep readers updated and does it in a way that exposes the brighter side of the game.