TEAM	O/U WINS	TORSTEN	SHAUN
Denver Broncos	11.5	Over	Over
San Francisco 49ers	11.5	Under	Under
New England Patriots	11.5	Under	Under
Seattle Seahawks	10.5	Over	Over
Green Bay Packers	10.0	Even	Under
Houston Texans	10.0	Over	Even
Atlanta Falcons	10.0	Over	Over
New Orleans Saints	9.0	Over	Under
Pittsburgh Steelers	9.0	Under	Under
New York Giants	9.0	Even	Under
Cincinnati Bengals	8.5	Over	Over
Chicago Bears	8.5	Under	Under
Dallas Cowboys	8.5	Over	Over
Baltimore Ravens	8.5	Over	Over
Indianapolis Colts	8.5	Under	Under
Washington Redskins	8.0	Under	Under
Detroit Lions	7.5	Over	Under
Miami Dolphins	7.5	Under	Over
Carolina Panthers	7.0	Even	Under
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7.5	Under	Over
St. Louis Rams	7.5	Over	Over
Philadelphia Eagles	7.0	Even	Under
San Diego Chargers	7.5	Under	Under
Kansas City Chiefs	7.0	Over	Even
Minnesota Vikings	7.5	Over	Under
Cleveland Browns	6.0	Even	Over
Tennessee Titans	6.5	Under	Over
Buffalo Bills	6.5	Under	Under
New York Jets	6.5	Under	Under
Arizona Cardinals	5.5	Under	Over
Oakland Raiders	5.5	Under	Under
Jacksonville Jaguars	5.0	Under w/Gabbert Over w/Henne	Even

As we see every Summer with the MLB All Star Game, any time you compile a team of great players there are going to be snubs. We were not restricted to the archaic and nincompoopish rule that each team be represented when selecting our all timers, but still, in the history of baseball there have certainly been more than 50 great players.

 

As a preamble to my snubs submissions, I would like to say that I purposely snubbed Barry Bonds and Ty Cobb from my team, and now I’m snubbing them from my snubs. Clearly, character concern/PED use wasn’t a huge factor for me when assembling my roster, but lines need to be drawn somewhere and I drew mine in front of them.

 

Torsten’s Snubs and Coaches:

 

OF: Ichiro Suzuki – A recent addition to the 4,000 hit club, if you count his career in Japan, which you should, because he’s awesome regardless of what country he is in. The idiots who use Sabermetrics as the gospel will point to a somewhat low .362 career OBP for someone who sports a career batting average of .320, but find me a manager who won’t take that from his leadoff guy. You can’t. Still not enough for you? He’s a 10-time gold glover. I’m not sure how he made neither of our rosters. He’s undoubtedly in the twilight of his brilliant career but he’s a legend. Honorable Mentions – Robin Yount, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Harmon Killebrew

 

IF: Sadaharu Oh – Performance enhancing drugs used: 0. Career home runs hit: 868. Bobby Valentine, who managed in Japan for years, recently said that pretty much all everyday players in Japan could make an MLB roster. I don’t know if that’s an overstatement, but we’ve seen the proof that players can come over here from Japan and be superstars. It’s unlikely that Oh would have hit 868 home runs had he played his entire career in MLB, but it’s entirely plausible he’d have surpassed 500. Maybe even 600. Possibly even… nah… he wouldn’t have reached 700, would he have? Here’s some food for thought. In MLB, sluggers are frequently allowed to swing away on 3-0 counts. They’re also encouraged to expand the strike zone a bit if they see a pitch they can drive but may be out of the zone. If the movie Mr. Baseball is to be believed, neither of those is really true in Japan. Nobody will ever know, but isn’t it fun to wonder if Oh could have reached 1,000 career dingers with a more “Western” approach to hitting? Honorable Mentions – Frank Thomas, Mike Schmidt, Ozzie Smith, Derek Jeter

 

SP: Gaylord Perry – I hemmed and hawed over this, not because Perry isn’t deserving of this recognition, but because there are a lot of pitchers who went “undrafted” in this little exercise of ours with impressive enough careers to seamlessly slot in to the back end of mine or Shaun’s rotation without any noticeable drop off from those already there. But I went with Perry for several reasons. His career statistics (more than 300 wins and 3,500 Ks) speak for themselves, but he did with guile and cunning, as opposed to overpowering people. His spitball was a defining pitch of his generation, though he threw a variety of pitches expertly. Think of him as a Greg Maddux who was willing to take some liberties with the rules. Honorable Mentions – Cy Young, Jack Morris, and when we do this again in five years, Clayton Kershaw

 

RP: Jeff Reardon – I think we pretty much covered the relievers. Reardon had an excellent career. You could plug in guys like Joe Nathan, Robb Nen, or Dave Righetti who had really nice careers, or you could throw in a guy like Randy Myers as an additional lefty, or Dan Quisenberry on the other side.

 

Manager: Earl Weaver – When you have a lineup full of superstars, you need a manager who doesn’t take any crap from anyone. Weaver certainly fit that bill over the course of his career.

 

Hitting Coach: Hiroshi Arakawa – I’ll be the first to admit, I have no idea about hitting coaches. But I stumbled onto the fact that Arakawa mixed Zen and samurai training into his hitting coaching. Samurai hitters?  Pass the guacamole.

 

Pitching Coach: Dave Wallace – Again, don’t know a lot of pitching coaches but I was able to see what he did with the Dodgers in the 90s and that was impressive stuff.

 

Shaun’s Snubs and Coaches:

OF: Barry Bonds – Ok, I will give in, hate him or hate him, he was great.  Regardless of all the things he “supposedly” put into his body, there might not have been a better bat to ball hitter in history.  When Barry Bonds swung the bat, chances are he was making hard contact.

IF: Mike Schmidt – Torsten and I both made strong cases for the third basemen we chose for our teams, but it is hard to argue Schmidt isn’t one of the best players in baseball history.  Personally I have him as the second best third baseman in history, but many have him as the greatest.

SP: Roger Clemens – Another poster child of the steroid era, but even before that, he was as dominant a pitcher as there ever was to start his career in Boston.  He has the most Cy Young awards of all-time, and his stuff was second to none.

RP: Dan Quisenberry – Quisenberry is actually the first guy I think of when thinking back to side armed pitchers, over Eck.  He was the first player to ever record 40 saves in a season, and has the best ERA+ of any reliever in history.  Actually, he is tied with Hoyt Wilhelm, but better than Mo Rivera.

Manager: Sparky Anderson – Torsten and I both live within miles of Sparky Anderson Field, and you would be hard pressed to find somebody who cares about baseball in the area that doesn’t have something great to say about the man.  In addition to being a great guy, the man was a phenomenal manager.  I would have him run my team any day.

Hitting Coach: Rudy Jaramillo – The 2013 season marked the first time Judy Jamarillo was not a hitting coach in baseball since the 1990 season.  He started off with the Houston Astros at the time of the Killer B’s, moved on to coach serial 200 hit man Michael Young in Texas, before finally admitting not even he could save the Chicago Cubs over the past few years.  Cub fans, you know your team is in trouble when the greatest hitting coach in history can’t even help your club.

Pitching Coach: Leo Mazzone – Remember the Atlanta Braves’ pitching staff in the 90’s?  Then you probably remember their pitching coach rocking back and forth every game in the dugout.  That guy was Leo Mazzone.  Did the Braves have incredible talent, yes, but they were also all coached up by this great pitching coach.

Torsten’s take on his picks:

Well, five picks left and four spots on my staff to fill. Good thing pitching is deep, and a couple of guys I had my eye on earlier on are still available.

 

21) Tom Seaver – SP – Tom Terrific isn’t often one of the first guys brought up when the greatest starting pitchers of all time are mentioned, but he really should be. He was the complete package, with more than 300 lifetime wins and a career ERA under 3. Reggie Jackson, one of the premier power hitters in Seaver’s generation once said about him, “Blind men come to the park just to hear him pitch.”

 

22) Barry Larkin – MI – Few infielders in history combined offensive prowess with defensive wizardry the way Larkin did. What team couldn’t use a shortstop with a resume that includes 3 gold gloves, 9 silver slugger awards, an MVP, and 12 all-star selections? And if he didn’t share a position with Ozzie Smith in the early part of his career, those 3 gold gloves may be more like 6… or 12.

 

23) Steve Carlton – SP – Somehow, the best left-handed starting pitcher of the last 40 years is my number five starter. His accomplishments are numerous: He once held the all-time strikeouts record, he was the first ever four-time Cy Young winner, once had a streak of 69 consecutive starts with at least 6 innings pitched, the list goes on. But for me, his most impressive accomplishment is winning 27 games in 1972 for a dogsh*t Phillies team that won a TOTAL of only 59. Awesome? I think so.

 

24) Wilbur Wood – RP – I needed another lefty out of the bullpen, and with all the power arms already in my pen, I decided to go with the knuckleballer, Wood. It’s not a gimmick, though, I assure you. Wood won 164 games in his career, made three all-star teams, and finished 2^nd in a Cy Young vote. His dual experience starting and relieving make him the ideal second lefty in a pen… in case I need someone to finish the last five innings of a 21 inning game carryover game that was suspended, and throw a complete game shutout in the regularly scheduled contest immediately after… like he did in 1973

 

25) Eric Gagne – RP – I know, I know. But hear me out. The brightest flames generally burn out the quickest, but the three year period between 2002 and 2004 where he converted a record 84 consecutive save opportunities is, albeit a brief one, the most dominant period ever experience by a reliever. Injuries derailed his career, and there were allegations of PED use, but if you needed three outs during that three year period, was there a pitcher you’d rather use?

 

Shaun’s take on his picks:

 

 

21) John Franco – RP – Looking back, there were really only two left handed pitchers that has long term success at the back end of a bullpen, Billy Wagner and John Franco.  Torsten took Wagner some time ago, and I am not convinced Franco is not the better of the two.  The seemingly ageless one pitched in the big leagues for 21 years while compiling 90 wins and 424 saves.  He is as decorated a lefty reliever as there is in baseball history.

 

22) Frank Robinson – OF – He has his number retired by two teams, he is the only player to ever win MVP in both leagues, he has won a triple crown, won rookie of the year, won World Series MVP, won an All-Star game MVP, was named manager of the year in 1989, and has a gold glove.  In case the laundry list of trophies aren’t enough, Frank Robinson will patrol the corner outfield or be a guy off the bench who has 586 career home runs and over 1,800 RBIs.  Decent guy to have on the bench.

 

23) Lee Smith – RP – When you really break it down, there is not much of a history of really dominant relievers.  You have the handful that are the cream of the crop, but for the most part, throughout history, you have guys that dominate for three or four years, then fall off the cliff.  Then you have guys that just go out and get the job done for almost two decades and retire as the al-time leader in saves.  For that reason, the last guy in my bullpen was an easy decision, Lee Smith.

 

24) Torii Hunter – CF – My bench has Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr., and Rod Carew…that is enough excellent bats, I want a guy I can put in in the 7^th inning that will save a game with the glove, enter Torii Hunter.  Hunter is no slouch with the bat, he has over 1.000 RBIs, 300 home runs, 2,000 hits, and has nearly 200 steals, but he also has countless robbed home runs and diving grabs.  He can steal my team a bag when I need it, or be the best defensive replacement in history. 

 

25) Carlton Fisk – C – Honestly, there was one name on my mind when it came down to this final pick, but there were two players I was debating.  How you ask?  Simple, the name was Pudge, the players were Carlton Fisk and Ivan Rodriguez.  Neither guy would be the wrong choice, so, I allowed my rooting interests to break the tie.  I was at Fisk’s induction into the Hall of Fame, and he hit the most famous home run in Red Sox history.  Had I originally gone the rout Torsten went at catcher, an offensive guy, I would take Ivan for his defensive prowess, but nobody will accuse Johnny Bench of being poor behind the dish, so Fisk is my backup backstop.

 

 

Torsten’s take on Shaun’s picks:

 

I love the Frank Robinson and Torii Hunter picks. If you’re rounding out a roster on the back end, you’re picking for a specific purpose and I think he did that really well. I’m not entirely convinced that he couldn’t have picked slightly better than Franco or Smith, but you can’t really argue with their fairly gaudy lifetime statistics. Fisk was probably a better fit for my team, as Piazza was for his, but that is what it is.

 

My starting line-up ends up like this:

 

1. Rickey Henderson

2. Alex Rodriguez

3. Willie Mays

4. Babe Ruth

5. Josh Gibson

6. Miguel Cabrera

7. Rogers Hornsby

8. Chipper Jones

9. Edgar Martinez.

 

 My rotation stacks up like this:

1. Warren Spahn  

2. Christy Mathewson

3. Pedro Martinez 

4. Steve Carlton

5. Tom Seaver. 

 

I’m feeling confident.

 

Shaun’s take on Torsten’s picks:

Torsten finished off his rotation with Seaver and Carlton, which are two great pitchers, and no real criticism can be placed there (other than the fact his rotation clearly falls short of mine).  Barry Larkin as his middle infielder, not really sold on him.  His starter is A-Rod, who had to move to third because he was a lesser fielder than the overrated (defensively) Derek Jeter played short when A-Rod was traded to the Yankees.  Larkin was a great player, but Ozzie Smith would fit his team better here, and I think he really dropped the ball.  Clemente, Rose, Piazza, and Mantle were already on his bench, he really could have used the defensive help.  I like Wood as another addition to his bullpen and I do find it interesting we both end up with a knuckle ball specialist in our pens….interesting.  With roster spot 25 Torsten failed.  I get that Eric Gagne was phenomenal when he was in his prime…those two or three years…but he was terrible the rest of his career.  If you want to look at these rosters merely as the best season of the players career, you can’t deny Gagne belongs, but a guy that tallied a career save total under 200 and an ERA near 3.50 just seems like the one name of the fifty chosen that doesn’t belong.

My starting line-up ends up like this:

 

1. Ken Griffey Jr.

2. Ernie Banks

3. Ted Williams

4. Hank Aaron

5. Stan Musial

6. Johnny Bench

7. David Ortiz

8. Brooks Robinson

9. Joe Morgan

 

 My rotation stacks up like this:

1. Sandy Koufax  

2. Bob Gibson

3. Randy Johnson 

4. Nolan Ryan

5. Greg Maddux 

 

In the end, I truly believe I win a series regardless of the length based purely on my rotation.  These teams are very evenly matched, but I would start my fifth starter against any of Torsten’s five any day of the week.  I really think that is where the scales tip in my direction.   Not to mention my rotation and lineup are a perfect mix of lefties and righties that will take the game out of the manager’s hands in large part.

Ok, we get it. Everyone hates A-Rod, except maybe his mom… but probably her too. It’s still puzzling though, that Ryan Dempster was not ejected after drilling him on the FOURTH try! Regardless, the aftermath is why people who don’t watch baseball, citing that it’s boring, have a leg to stand on. A-Rod got the last laugh, drilling a home run off of Dempster later on in the game, but that’s pretty much it it. He paused for a moment at home plate after his trot, and may or may not have taken a jab at Big Papi David Ortiz with a gesture skyward, but that’s really it.

Now, the fact that Dempster hit Rodriguez intentionally is not debatable. He should probably get a similar suspension to what Ian Kennedy got for beaning Yasiel Puig and Zack Greinke earlier this season. But he won’t. Why not? Because it was A-Rod.

Now, knowing that it’s him against the world, why didn’t A-Rod take full advantage of his moment? Why didn’t he stand at home plate for the entire length of the flight of his home run? Why didn’t he take a super slow home run trot, pausing at each base as the crowd boos and putting his hands up to his ears as if to say, “I can’t hear you!” And when it was all said and done, why didn’t he pause at home plate and do some body builder poses? It’s not like class and tact have been anywhere near the top of his priority list any time recently. Why start now? His popularity with fans is unsalvagable. Why not turn himself into a WWE-type villain that embraces the vitriol from fans and hams it up? I think people would tune in for that.

On to the next bit, if MLB is going to establish itself as a credible operation again in the wake of all the PED crap, they have to do something about the umpiring. Saturday’s game between Detroit and Kansas City featured one of the worst displays of umpiring in history, and not just the call. With a runner on first, the Kansas City batter swung at a Doug Fister pitch in the dirt. The ball came up off the ground, hit the bat, and deflected past catcher, Brayan Pena. Not a teensy deflection, a clear contact on the bat that if you listened closely to the tv, was audible. No foul ball was called by home plate umpire, Mike Muchlinski and the runner advanced to third base. Of course, manager Jim Leyland hollered from the dugout and was ejected by first base ump, Bob Davidson, who sneered while doing so. That is a problem. What’s more a problem is that any of the four umpires on the field were in good position to get the call right, but nobody did. And then, before play resumed, Pena was tossed too. He had put his mask on, assumed his spot behind the dish, and then told Muchlinski what he felt. Again, he did this with his mask on, not showing the umpires up. Usually catchers never argue with an umpire because they feel their pitchers will get shafted on balls and strikes calls the rest of the game, or in some umpires’ cases, the rest of their careers if they do.

Now, what’s going to happen to the umpires? Probably nothing. At best, this was a horribly missed call by four umpires that could have potentially changed the course of the game. At worst, it was umpires taking an opportunity to make it personal with Leyland. If this is the case, which I personally feel it was, MLB would have to send a stern message. Suspend the umpires for the rest of the season. Especially Davidson, who sneered and laughed at Leyland as he ejected him and again during the subsequent argument.

But MLB won’t. Because like any cash cow, they care little about their credibility. Perhaps things will be different when Bud Selig, or as I like to call him, Bud @$#%^@(*^%&*&$#^% Selig is no longer commissioner. We can hope, because if MLB will ever reclaim its rightful place up alongside football and basketball as a premier, fan experience-oriented sport, it will have to.

Torsten’s take on his picks 11-15:

16)  Pete Rose – Utility – Every roster needs to have a guy that can fill in at the corner infield positions. I figure mine should be baseball’s all-time hits king. Bet you didn’t see this pick coming… see what I did there?

17) Pedro Martinez – SP – There was a period of about 9 years where he was simply the most dominating pitcher of his generations. Other flames may have burned as brightly, but none for as long. Personally, I think he could have tacked a few years onto the back end of his career by switching to relief, but who cares. Happy to have him in my rotation.

18) Mike Piazza – C – I now have the TWO best offensive catchers in history on my roster. Sure, he won’t do much to shut down the opposition’s running game, but his offensive prowess far outweighs his defensive flaws.

19) Mickey Mantle – C – Wow, center field is a deep position. How does Mantle last to the 37^th pick? You can look at the stats and see that he had an unbelievable career, but if you want to visualize how he played, think switch hitting Mike Trout. Trout is the best player in the game today, Mick was right up there in his day.

20) Goose Gossage – RP – Again, my staff is now where I need to focus. There are several awesome starters remaining but only a handful of dominant relievers, so I go with the Goose here. The prototypical closer before Tony LaRussa reinvented the position, Gossage couldn’t have been more intimidating on the mound if he was holding a machine gun. Plus, he could easily go multiple innings, as evidenced by the fact that he multiple time totaled more than 130 innings in relief in a season, and turned in 15 complete games in his one season as a starter. That’s a CAREER for most guys these days.

 

Shaun’s take on his picks 11-15:

 

16)  Cal Ripken Jr. – SS/3B – At this point, it is a lot about squad roster makeup.  Going in I wanted to be able to spend just two roster spots on the infield.  I expected to go with a middle infielder and corner infielder, but I decided to go Cal here to back up the left side.  He is a bat off the bench that can deliver a big hit regardless which of his seemingly 3 million batting stances he sported throughout his career.

17) Nolan Ryan – SP – Honestly, as I mentioned in the last installment, I was a bit torn between two guys to complete the fourth spot in my rotation, which is why I took Greg Maddux to be my fifth starter before selecting my fourth starter.  It was a toss-up for my second power righty between Pedro and the Ryan Express, so as soon as Torsten selected Pedro, my decision was made.

18) Rod Carew – 2B/1B – Since I took Cal earlier, I was left with a roster composition dilemma.  I am left needing a guy that can back up second and first.  I could pick up a catcher that has experience at first, but a backup catcher is too valuable to also be backing up first.  I could also take an outfielder that also has experience at first, or I could pick Rod Carew, one of the few that fills both second and first.  The decision was easy,

19) Rollie Fingers – RP – Honestly, the thing I have written that I had the most fun doing was my Mustache Ride Through Time, so how could I possibly pass on the guy at the top of that list.  Oh, not to mention the dude could deal.

20) Trevor Hoffman – CL – I have decided to select Hoffman as my closer.  I will admit, if I am managing a baseball team, that position doesn’t exist.  That said, if there is someone to take the ninth inning, up 2-3 runs, nobody on, and three outs to get, only one guy has done it more than Hoffman.  Oh, and his circle change can eat up any hitter regardless of era.

 

 

Torsten’s take on Shaun’s picks:

 I have to admit, I thought he began to round off his roster really well with these last five picks. Cal Ripken and his 431 lifetime homers to back up short, Ryan and his 7 no hitters, Fingers and Hoffman to help out a bullpen that he’d essentially neglected until now. If I was going to nitpick, and you know I will, it’s Carew. While brilliant in his own right, I personally would choose Tony Gwynn here, citing slightly superior batting average, and a vastly superior slugging percentage. That said, I can’t truly make a spirited argument against any of these picks.

 

So far: I had a plan going into these five picks, and I deviated because of the sheer awesomeness that was still available. I’m thrilled to have Pedro, the Mick, and everyone else… though if I was going to nitpick against myself, maybe a defensively better catcher in the mold of a Gary Carter, Yogi Berra, Benito Santiago, et al would have been a better choice. We’ll see…

 

 

Shaun’s take on Torsten’s picks:

Well, Torsten isn’t winning any good guy awards with his squad.  A-Rod and Pete Rose on the same team, imagine the media circus.  Pete Rose is the all-time hit leader, and can pretty much play any position.  In an exercise like this, if he found himself in a starting lineup it would be a travesty, but as a utility guy, I get it.  I mentioned earlier my thoughts on Pedro, but him as Torsten’s third starter and Ryan as my fourth, I feel I get the win there.  Piazza is an amazing hitter, but it feels like a fantasy team pick rather than a real team pick.  Granted, little is really known about Josh Gibson’s defensive prowess, but you certainly aren’t bringing in Piazza to help defensively late in a game.  Torsten nailed it right on the head, center field is deeeeeeep.  Mantle is often considered to be top ten best player in baseball history, but looking back, I don’t disagree with him falling this far.  Goose is a great add to a bullpen, nothing more to say there.

So far: I love the development of my squad.  The balance is there.  I have waited on my bullpen, but I like the way it is coming together, and give me the first five picks to develop a rotation and I don’t think I could develop one I like more than the rotation I ended up with.  My lineup is matchup proof, perfect balance of right handed and left handed bats, but looking back, I failed in that aspect on my bench, and spoiler alert, I will round it out with three more right handers, dropped the ball there.

Thursday night is the first night with a full slate of NFL preseason games.  Most people tune in because they have been itching to watch some football, and halfway through the first quarter the field is full of guys they have never heard of and stop paying attention.  Tonight, do yourself a favor and stay tuned.

I will start off by saying I can’t stand giving ESPN credit, let’s face it, they haven’t been a credible source for news since about 1997.  The “Butt Fumble” has made an entire network giggle like a group of 12 year olds that just made a dick joke for eight months. 

I digress, this time, ESPN got one right.  ESPN’s first preseason game is a matchup between the Cincinatti Bengals and the Atlanta Falcons, but the player to watch isn’t A.J. Green, Julio Jones, or Matt Ryan, no, the player to watch is a 28 year old rookie free agent linebacker who never played a down of football in college.

The man I am referring to is Brian Banks.  There have been countless, yet still not enough, stories documenting his journey, the most incredible is his first-hand account on the Rich Eisen Football Podcast. 

Banks was a star high school linebacker at powerhouse Long Beach Poly and was committed to USC where he would be teammates of Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart and win National Championships.  But that never happened.  Instead a girl in his class, Wanetta Gibson, asked him to meet her in in a known make out spot on campus, where they made out and went about their day, but that was a day that would change Banks’ life forever.

Gibson accused Banks of raping her.  Banks’ mother sold her home to pay for an attorney to help defend her son’s innocence, but that attorney had a motive of her own.  Banks’ attorney was looking to move up in the legal system, and instead of building a strong case to prove Banks’ innocence, she negotiated a plea deal and explained to him that it was his best option. 

At the age of 17, Banks took the word of his legal counsel and agreed to plea guilty to a crime he never committed and was sentenced to five years in prison and five years probation.

Then, in March 2011, after serving his full five year term behind bars and three years into his probation, where he walked around as a registered sex offender, Banks logged onto Facebook.  There he had a message from Wanetta Gibson herself, and she wanted to meet.  After dealing with plenty of emotions, Banks spoke to his best friend’s father, a private investigator, and agreed to meet Gibson, and recorded their meeting.

Gibson admitted to fabricating the story, but refused to testify as much because she did not want to lose the $1.5 million she had won from the Long Beach Unified School District.  (She has since been ordered to pay back $2.5 million)

The taped admission was enough for Banks to get his name cleared thanks to the help of the California Innocence Project.

With his name finally cleared nearly ten years after he went to prison for a crime he never committed, Banks refocused his life to accomplishing the dream that once belonged to that innocent 17 year old kid, to play in the NFL.

Thursday night, on ESPN, after the starters have finished their token series or two and are standing on the sidelines with hats on, a linebacker wearing the number 53 for the Atlanta Falcons will take to the field.  The man under that Falcons helmet, the man with the NFL jersey with a 53 on his back will be Brian Banks.  

Time will tell if he is able to make the final roster, but dream seemingly gone on that day in July 2003, the day after his 18^th birthday, when he walked into prison to serve his first day of a five year sentence, against all odds has become a reality.  He will play in a real NFL stadium, for a real NFL team, and he will become a real NFL player.

So, do yourself a favor, don’t change the channel  tonight, instead, keep an eye out for number 53, and cheer him on, because the man deserves this opportunity.

You can follow Shaun Kernahan on twitter @shaunkernahan, add him to your network on Google, and like Shaun on Facebook.

Torsten’s take on his picks 11-15:

11)  Warren Spahn – SP – I said I was going to address my starting pitching and I did. Fortunately for me, it’s a deep position, as evidenced by my being able to grab Spahn here. One of the greatest ever, his 363 career wins are tops all time for a lefty. The dude has an award named after him for MLB’s best lefty, and despite not being known as a hard thrower, still struck out more than 2,500 batters. If Koufax’s career had not been cut short by injury, the award would probably be his, but Spahn stayed healthy, and excellent, into his 40s.

12) Roberto Clemente – OF – With every starting position filled, it’s time to start working on the reserves. It does sound kind of weird calling a guy with 3,000 career hits and 12 gold gloves a “reserve,” but there it is. He’s one of two players in history to have the five year waiting period for Hall of Fame eligibility waived. (the other is Lou Gehrig.) He represents an incredible value pick here.

13) Christopher “Christy” Mathewson – SP – The National League’s all-time winning pitcher with 373, Mathewson was the most dominant pitcher of his era. He pitched 79 career shutouts and finished his career with a 2.13 ERA. Ridiculous. Need someone to win a big game? He tossed THREE shutouts in the 1905 World Series. They say pretty much everybody liked him, but I’m pretty sure there were quite a few people who eventually got frustrated by their inability to hit anything he threw.

14) Dennis Eckersley – RP – Remember, we’re drafting a team to win a 7 game series, not a fantasy team. Eckersley’s run in the late 80s and early 90s was every bit the level of Mariano Rivera. Mo just sustained his dominance for his entire career. Eck makes an awesome addition to the back part of my bullpen, which is going to be a huge strength.

15) Billy Wagner – RP – These days, every team has a LOOGY (lefty one out guy). I’m not saying that his 422 career saves don’t give him the credentials to face hitters on both sides of the plate, but if I needed to bring someone in to face a tough left handed hitter (see Williams, Ted) with the game on the line, I’ll take Wagner and his 100mph fastball. I was convinced Wagner wouldn’t be here to snag, which is the reason I went back to back reliever here.

I couldn’t be more thrilled with how these picks turned out. My bullpen is going to be dominant. Spahn and Mathewson give me the starters to matchup to Sandy and Gibson. And my 4^th outfielder is Roberto freakin’ Clemente. To quote Lou Brown, “It’s all coming together, Pepper. It’s all coming together.”

 

Shaun’s take on his picks 11-15:

 

11)  John Smoltz – RP – This pick is the epitome of taking a guy that fits the roster over pure talent.  That is not to say Smoltzy isn’t extremely talented, but he is nowhere near a top 20ish player in the history of the game.  He is, however, as valuable a guy as there has ever been.  Need a guy to go out and win 20 games, he can fill that role.  Need a guy to get 40 saves, done.  Need a guy to eat three innings when the starter is struggling, he will give you three scoreless.  He represents insane value.

12) Ernie Banks – SS – The best hitting short stop of all-time, I was shocked to get him this late.  If this draft were to be handled by a Cubs fan, he would go first overall.  He is a guy that can hit near the top of the lineup and get on base, or in the middle and drive in runs.  He wasn’t incredible defensively, but I have the Brooks Robinson at third, so Banks won’t even have to worry about a ball to his right.

13) Hoyt Wilhelm – RP – Wilhelm is a monster.  I am not going to slide him in as my closer, I like him as a guy to come in in the 6^th, 7^th, or 8^th when the opponent is in the heart of the lineup, and shut them down.  He is really the only guy that made a career in the bullpen with the knuckler, but he rode that pitch to the Hall.  He is a great guy to come out of the pen as a knuckle ball doesn’t care what side of the plate you hit from, it will eat you up.

14) Randy Johnson – SP – Here is my third starter, and my second power lefty to go with Sandy Koufax.  Randy Johnson had as good a slider as anyone, and, at 6-10, was as intimidating a sight as the game has ever seen.  He stopped 125 strikeouts shy of becoming the second pitcher to ever reach 5,000, and also had the biggest gap between no-hitters.  Plus, in a pinch, say a 2001 World Series, he can come in and close a game.

15) Greg Maddux – SP – Maddux is my fourth starter added to my team, but will actually fill my fifth spot in my rotation.  There are two power righties I want to fill my fourth spot in the rotation, so I will let Torsten break the tie for me, but I know I want Maddux to be the change of pace pitcher.  He is as cerebral a pitcher the game has ever seen and regardless of how good his stuff was on any given night, he made hitters look absolutely foolish.  He was one of the greatest fielding pitchers of all time, winning 18 Gold Gloves, with 2003 the only season in a 19* season stretch he did not win the award. 

 

Torsten’s take on Shaun’s picks:

 

I think Shaun slipped a little here. To be fair, Ernie Banks, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Hoyt Wilhelm are all names that belong in the discussion for this exercise. And you can’t argue with going 4 pitchers out of the five picks at this stage. But were they the 4 best pitchers remaining for the spots they fill? Maybe Maddux and Johnson are. Smoltz gets an uptick in value because of his versatility. Shaun is picking great players, which I fully expected, but I’m not convinced they’re the right ones. Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks was a wonderful ballplayer and is a great dude, but does he offer anything that Ted Williams, Junior Griffey or Henry Aaron didn’t? When I chose Clemente, it was him specifically because he makes the ideal late inning defensive replacement for The Babe and his limited foot speed. The devil is in the details, as they say. Regardless, the last ten picks are going to be important because the cliché is correct, it takes 25 guys to win.

 

Shaun’s take on Torsten’s picks:

Cleary we both went on a pitching run, and see the value of specialists in the bullpen.  Wagner is a great lefty, and I can’t fault him for making that pick here, but I do feel it is a bit early.  Torsten clearly has an affinity for dead ball era pitchers, and that is fine, Spahn and Mathewson are phenomenal, just an interesting take on the structure of his staff.  A little surprised to see a Dodger fan pick the guy that gave up the biggest home run in Dodger’s history, maybe sentimental, maybe just being smart enough to realize Eck gets Gibby about 90 times out of 100 in that spot, and is a huge value to his team.  Love the Clemente pick.  Yes, it is a bench guy, but he is as good a guy coming off the bench I can think of.  He can steal a bag, rob a home run, or deliver a long ball of his own.  Not bad.

Torsten’s take on his picks 6-10:

6)  Josh Gibson – C –  Looking back, since Shaun already grabbed Johnny Bench, I probably could have waited on the Negro League legend. That said, even though much of the history on Gibson is anecdotal, his offensive exploits are borderline mythical. Some of his estimated stats (nearly 800 home runs) may be on the high end, and potentially bloated by exhibition games against lesser competition, but you can also argue that since he died at the age of 35, four years after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, he didn’t get to fully experience the tail end of his prime years.

7) Willie Mays – CF – This (brilliant, if I do say so myself) pick by me accomplishes two things. It allows me to have one of the greatest defensive players in the history of baseball patrolling center field, and it allows me to move Rickey Henderson to left.  Of players who didn’t cheat, only Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron hit more than his 660 Major League home runs.

8) Mariano Rivera – CL –  Shaun took an early run at the starters so I’ll build my staff in reverse. Mo is in his own category of excellence. By time he hangs up the spikes at the end of this year, he will have in the neighborhood of 700 saves, counting the post-season. At 43 years old, he’s on his way to posting his 12^th season with an ERA of less than 2. Not counting his rookie year, he’s had exactly one season where is ERA was over 3. That was in 2007 when it was 3.15, and he still saved 30 games. His cut fastball is the single greatest pitch in history. Need proof? He’s thrown it 99% of the time over a 19 year career and big league hitters still can’t hit him.

9) Miguel Cabrera – 1B – I don’t adore picking active players in exercises like this, but he’s our generation’s greatest hitter, and a Triple Crown winner. That, and his first base eligibility based on our 100 game minimum criterion, allowing me to go after a better defender to play 3^rd, makes him a steal. The scary thing about him, he keeps getting better, maintaining his elite power while his strikeout totals drop. His gaudy batting average is made even more impressive by the fact that he’s righty, and with his portly physique, he’s not exactly out there legging a bunch of worm killers out.

10) Chipper Jones – 3B – Close call here between Chipper and Mike Schmidt. I’d love Schmitty’s 10 gold gloves manning the hot corner, but ultimately, Chipper’s switch hitting and superior average wins out. Could be a generational thing too, but ask any of my contemporaries who are not under the influence of anything, and Chipper is the best third baseman of this era. Want confirmation? Ask any Mets fan who their biggest nemesis was between, say, 1996 and 2008.

Shaun’s take on his picks 6-10:

 

6) Ken Griffey Jr. – CF – Yes, I took Ken Griffey Jr. over Willie Mays, and I feel good about it.  Mays was incredible, and will not argue with those who say he is the greatest center fielder of all-time, but I want “The Kid” to patrol center for my team.  Nobody played the game harder on D, I still cringe thinking of the time he snapped his wrist leaping into the wall.  He also had the prettiest swing I have ever seen.

 

7) Bob Gibson – SP – After I got Koufax early, I looked at Bob Gibson and knew how I wanted my staff to work.  I want lefty-righty-lefty-righty power pitchers that can scare the crap out of a hitter, then finish it off with a guy that will outsmart everyone.  Gibson is the most intimidating man to ever step onto a pitcher’s mound.  Championships are won with pitching and defense, and I am well ahead on the pitching category with this pick.

 

8) Joe Morgan – 2B – Morgan might be a bit overrated because he was on so many championship teams loaded with hall of famers, then had an great run on Sunday Night Baseball, but he was a damn good second baseman.  He will provide some pop on the back side of my lineup and will be a great glove when turning two.

 

9) Stan Musial – 1B – His name is not Stan Musial, it is Stan “the man” Musial, because he is just that, the man.  He played in the perfect city for him in St. Louis and was an incredible ambassador for the game all the way up to his death.  On the field though, all he did was rake, which is reflected in his triple slash line of .331/.417/.559.

 

10) David Ortiz – DH – I mentioned in the last installment that I feel this is too early for a DH, but with Torsten taking Edgar Martinez to lead us off, I had to secure Big Papi for fear of Torsten completely screwing my lineup and picking him as those are the only two DH’s worthy of making either team.  Ortiz is the greatest DH ever, so I can’t complain about getting him here at 10.  He holds all the records for the position, and has even flashed some speed this year with a career high 4 steals.

 

Torsten’s take on Shaun’s picks:

 

Shaun landed a couple of my favorites with Stan Musial and Ken Griffey Jr. And the front end of his rotation is rounding out nicely with Bob Gibson following Sandy. I’m also not against the Big Papi pick. Because of the DH not being around all that long, he’s really the only other guy in Edgar Martinez’s zip code. Who else was there really? Chili Davis? If I have a criticism of any of his 6-10 picks, it’s Joe Morgan. I’ve always thought he wasn’t as good as he got credit for. Nice player who came up big in the clutch? Absolutely. In the same echelon as Roberto Alomar, who I would have taken if Shaun had swiped Hornsby from me? Not in my book.

 

So far, I like how it’s looking for me. I’ve got all of my starting position players lined up and I literally got all 8 guys I wanted. Shaun’s got the head start on pitching, as I’d love to have ended up with either Sandy or Gibson, but there’s still plenty of talent there to be scooped up, and you can bet I’m addressing that in my next five picks.

 

Shaun’s take on Torsten’s picks:

Torsten started off well.  Josh Gibson is the greatest offensive catcher to ever play and it is an absolute shame he never played a game in the Major Leagues.  Stories about Gibson are incredible, from a 580 foot home run in Yankee Stadium to the near 800 he hit in the Negro Leagues, he was incredible, and a little jealous he is not on my team.  I let my feelings on Willie Mays be known when defending my Griffey Jr. pick, he was simply terrific.  Mo Rivera is the greatest reliever of all-time, and there is nobody close so a solid pick there.  I am not in love with his last two picks of this sequence.  Miggy is a beast, and who knows where he will fall in the all-time first baseman list, but I doubt it will be ahead the likes of Gehrig and Foxx.  I like Chipper, and I do like adding a switch hitter to the lineup, but too early for him.  He was not even on my list, Schmidt would be a better selection, as would George Brett or Eddie Mathews.

At this point, I feel my team is superior, but am nervous on one position.  After Torsten took Mariano Rivera, I know his team will win on the rare occasion they get to the ninth with a lead, I looked and realized there really isn’t another closer I can rely on, so I need to build a strong bullpen.

One of the great things about having a blog is that you wax poetic, conspiracy theorize, and operate in the realm of “what if” as opposed to absolute fact. When Ryan Braun’s initial suspension was overturned, we pretty much laid it out there that Braun WAS a doper, and there was possibly a conspiracy in place because of Commissioner Bud Selig’s connection to Braun’s Milwaukee Brewers.
That theory was floated by others with more exposure than us, and quickly shot down those in the know over some nonsense about the “integrity of the man” and how they knew him to not be that type of person. “I know Bud Selig and he would never!!!” Oh, you know him? Well in THAT case, let’s all go on our way!

The question is now this. The numbers 150 and 100 have been floated out there a lot in regards to how long some of the suspensions in connection with the recent Biogenesis Labs controversy. Why did Braun only get 65? Was it because he came “clean?” Was it because MLB wanted a number that wouldn’t be appealed? Was it because Milwaukees prodigal baseball son gets special treatment? Who the hell knows…

But the real question that should be asked is, why did Braun suddenly change his tune and cop to his PED use? After months upon months of brazenly lying about his innocence, he’s suddenly admitting “mistakes.”

Reports are that there was overwhelming evidence pointing to his PED use. Overwhelming evidence? As in more overwhelming than a testosterone level 20-something times above what any normal adult male would have? Color me skeptical. What is overwhelming evidence, anyway? Do investigators have overwhelming evidence that Aaron Hernandez committed the murder of Odin Lloyd? What exactly does “overwhelming” mean, and whose whelm is it that needs to be overed?

Here’s what I think, evidence be damned. I think the Brewers are out of contention. I think Braun has had an injury-plagued season, and may require surgery on his thumb. Copping to his guilt now will allow him to get his thumb taken care of in a season that is a lost cause for the Brew Crew, so him missing the rest of it has no real effect. Now the team can focus on getting rid of the contracts of Yovanni Gallardo and Aramis Ramirez, and start over next season with a rebuilt squad around Braun and baseball superstardom’s latest member, Carlos Gomez.

Could I be wrong? Of course I could. But I don’t think I am. We’ll see what kind of punishments eventually come down for the other Biogenesis guys, but it’s unlikely so you’ll see such a sweetly reduced penalty negotiated for any of the others. And to be clear, THIS one I don’t necessarily think has Bud Selig’s dirty hands on it. I think this is a smart team of advisors around Braun devising a very sneaky plan. Only time will tell.

Everybody loves to debate who is the best of all-time at this position, or at that position. Everybody loves to debate lists of the top 10 players of all-time. Here at The Stain Sports, we love doing those things too, but we are too competitive to just put down a measly list. Instead, we decided to draft teams. 25 man rosters, 5 starters, 6 man bullpen, and a five man bench. This draft was not to just pick the greatest players of all time, but the best team we could draft. There are defensive replacements, left handed specialists, and even long relievers. We will be doing a weekly Smear breaking down 5 rounds at a time, then a final Smear looking at the rosters as a whole, debating which team would win a 7 game series, and highlighting the best players to go undrafted. We will each show off our picks and why they are the perfect fit for our team, then we will both explain why the other guy got their picks wrong. Without further ado…Torsten take it away:

Torsten’s take on his first five picks:

1) Edgar Martinez – DH – No, I don’t think he’s the greatest player ever. However, as far as full time DHs go, there’s some real position scarcity. Big Papi’s the only one close, and has comparable numbers, but has played in a hitters’ park for the last 100 years. Martinez spent a long time as one of the most feared and complete hitters in baseball. His excellence was sustained over a lengthy period, and while Papi is great in his own right, his numbers are also bloated a little by two or three massive seasons that make up for some middling ones. This was a pick I had to make to ensure I got the best player in history at his position.

2) Babe Ruth – RF – I’m not sure I really need to justify this pick. But in case I do, if someone hit a dozen home runs a season, they were considered a power hitter. Okay, slight exaggeration there, but you get what I mean. Then The Babe came along. He was unquestionably the hitter who set the standards of slugging for future generations. Plus, who couldn’t use a not-too-shabby left handed emergency pitcher should a game go into the 20^th inning?

3) Rogers Hornsby – 2B – His .358 lifetime average is second to only Ty Cobb, and Hornsby played a premium position. His .424 single season mark is still the highest ever. Grover Alexander, one of the greatest pitchers of that era, said about Hornsby, “I’ve tried to fool him every way possible but it just cannot be done. Personally, I don’t think a more skillful man ever stepped up to the plate.” High praise, no?

4) LF – Rickey Henderson – LF – Remember, we’re drafting a REAL team. And a real team needs a leadoff hitter. Why not the best ever? Before he hung on too long at the end of his career, and his play failed to live up to his boasting, he was the single most disruptive force at the top of a lineup that baseball had ever seen. He got on base, had power, and drove pitchers to apoplexy with his speed. Few players, if any, could change a game like him. The career stolen base record is icing rather than a primary reason he gets picked this high.

5) SS – Alex Rodriguez – SS – We didn’t make a PED rule before we did this draft. A Rod, controversy being what it is, is indisputably the greatest offensive shortstop in history. Power, speed, the whole package. And unlike many power hitters who also run reasonably well, he didn’t abandon that aspect of his game as his career went on, stealing 24 bases as recently as 2007, his 14^th season in the league. By the way, that season he also hit 54 home runs, drove in 156, and led the league in runs scored and slugging percentage.

Shaun’s take on his first five picks:

1) Ted Williams – LF – As a Red Sox fan, there is no way I am passing on starting my team with the greatest bat in baseball history. The guy could hit in his sleep. He is the last .400 hitter, and it is well known he could have sat out the final game of the year to secure the .400 average, but refused, went out to play, and raised his average. Oh, and he fought in two wars, won a bunch of military accommodations, and may or may not have turned water into wine a time or two, just saying.

2) Brooks Robinson – 3B – Mike Schmidt is often referred to as the greatest third baseman of all time, but I disagree. At the age of 63 I had the pleasure of watching him in a legends game at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY. At that age, he was still the best fielding third baseman in baseball. He may not have had the greatest bat at third, but he was no slouch. His overall value to a team was an easy choice for me here.

3) Johhny Bench – C – Johnny Bench is only the greatest all-around catcher in history. He was masterful behind the dish, and could have made the Hall on offensive ability alone. He mashed 389 long balls while gunning down 43% of the guys who dared to run on him. In addition, based on stories I have been told by a guy a used to coach with that spent 7 years playing with Bench, and a guy whose name I will not disclose to protect the not so innocent, Johnny Bench used to host toga parties that made Animal House look like priests. He is worthy of a top 5 pick just for the post game festivities.

4) Sandy Koufax – SP – Not gonna lie, I may have taken Koufax here because I was very upset with Torsten for taking Rickey Henderson just before this pick. That being said, there isn’t a better pitcher in his prime than Koufax. He went 165-87 with an ERA of 2.76 and racked up 2,396 strike outs in just an 11 year career. It is unfortunate his career didn’t last longer, but calling his career short did prevent his arm from falling off.

5) Hank Aaron – RF – I get the real career home run leader and RBI leader at the fifth pick, steal. The man dealt with as much hate mail as Jackie Robinson, but just went out every day and played with class. He hit for a high average, crushed home runs, and simply produced runs. He had 150 or more hits in an MLB record 17 consecutive seasons and made the All-Star game just 25 times.

Torsten’s take on Shaun’s picks:

There’s no way to argue Teddy Ballgame, a worthwhile number one choice, the greatest hitter of his generation and a war hero. I think he reached a little on Brooksy, but the guy did invent the gold glove… or something like that anyway. I think Johnny Bench, his excellence notwithstanding, may have been a bit of a reach too, considering the abundance of excellent catchers available. If I made a mistake, it was in not grabbing Sandy before Shaun could. For my money, the greatest pitcher that ever lived was worthy of a top five pick. I’m just not sure who I would have put off grabbing in order to get him. Baseball’s all-time LEGITIMATE home run king in the fifth round is great value any way you configure it. So far, I think I’ve got the edge but we’ll see how the next five rounds shake out.

Shaun’s take on Torsten’s picks:

One pick into the draft and I won the series. Edgar Martinez was a fantastic hitter, and there can be an argument over who is better, he or David Ortiz, but either one will do, and #1 overall is way too high. Now, I will admit, in a later edition you will see I grab Ortiz, and I grabbed him earlier than I would have liked because Martinez was off the board and I couldn’t risk Torsten taking him and screwing me at a position. Then Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby, no argument can be made, both are the best there was at their position. I will bypass my feelings for Ricky Henderson going in the fourth because it would simply be an expletive laced rant that Torsten received via text that day. A-Rod fifth is fine, assuming our make believe commish doesn’t ban him for life for his part in the biogenesis investigation. While Torsten way over reached for Martinez, he is off to a solid start, but I love the makeup of my squad so far. There is a bonafide ace, defensive wizard, a power source, the greatest hitter ever, and hands down the best guy at his position, a pretty good way to start off for me.