Making Contact: Don't diss the Dodgers
Yahoo! Sports' MLB analyst Ryne Sandberg steps to the plate every week to respond to readers' emails. To be considered for next week's "Making Contact" column, be sure to include your first and last names as well as your city and state.
Sandberg's comments appear in italics.
More Sandberg: No Nomar, no offense?
DODGERS' DISRESPECT?
Why is that every time you compliment the Los Angeles Dodgers it's because Barry Bonds is not playing for the San Francisco Giants? The Dodgers are their own team. They score their own runs, not because Bonds is injured. There is nothing relative. … Keep in mind that they are playing well despite the fact that Eric Gagne, Brad Penny and Jayson Werth are not in the picture. The Dodgers are off to a great start because they are playing well.
Frank
El Monte, Calif.
When will you give the Dodgers ANY credit? Not only did they win their division last season but they also added some proven players, kept some youth and have the best manager in the league. Now they are the best team in baseball.
Natalie Stewart
Tampa, Fla.
The Dodgers have a fine manager in Jim Tracy, and I said so in my column on Tuesday. I think that he's well-liked and respected in the game, and in the last couple of years, those qualities have showed up on the field in the team's performance. Coming out of spring training, the Giants were the team to beat in the NL West mainly because they mostly have had the upper hand in the division the past few years. With the addition of Moises Alou to a veteran team, I feel that, for the Giants, it's this year or never. Bonds' injury opens up the division for a team that's ready to win, like the Dodgers have proven thus far this season.
DAMN YANKEES ("Power Numbers: Red Sox rising," April 19, 2005)
I respect you as baseball player, but analyzing just isn't your thing. You have the New York Yankees above the Baltimore Orioles and the Seattle Mariners. Did you know they've given up like 84 runs in their past 12 games? The O's have been very potent on the offensive end, and finally the Mariners are winning games. Once all the Yankees do decide to play, then maybe they can be the class of the AL East. But as of right now, they need to be in the bottom five.
David Pfendt
Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Yankees do not deserve to even be mentioned in the top 10 right now. I think they will end up on top, but you have a weekly column and you need to adjust your rankings accordingly. … If all top-10 lists were based on the eventual outcomes of the year, then why would we do them weekly? I'm hoping that you will change your style and approach to your weekly rankings.
Kyle Wilson
San Diego
My philosophy is to not only assess how I think teams rank this week but also how they will eventually finish at the end of the season. At the start of the season, I felt like the Yankees had the best talent overall in baseball. I still expect them to be in the World Series and have a good chance of winning the World Series. I dropped them from No. 1 to No. 4 to reflect how they are playing thus far. I believe they will play up to their capabilities anytime now.
I am a big Yankees fan but I have concerns about this season (even before the slow start). I think that after Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui, the Yankees' offense is a big question mark. No doubt that they will have games and even long stretches like in the first game against Tampa Bay. But with Jason Giambi being an unknown and Tino Martinez, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams being a year older, the bottom of the order may struggle at times. If the starting pitching and bullpen don't pick up the slack, I can see them struggling with 90 wins. What do you think?
Michael Pursu
Las Vegas, Nev.
Any lineup that features Jeter, A-Rod and Matsui has the makings of a good offense. Jason Giambi will have a comeback-type year, and the pitching will come around and perform up to expectations. I wouldn't worry about the Yankees. There's too much talent on that team – and too many high-priced players for it not to be a contender and go far in the postseason.
MORE RANKINGS RANTS
I know you're pro-American, but what about the Toronto Blue Jays? Don't count them out. They are going to be battling it out with the Boston Red Sox this year. Just you watch. They will have a better record than the Baltimore Orioles, and they just might even win the wild card. But don't be mad that a Canadian team is the fifth-best in baseball. Just try to make it fair and add them in the top 10 like they should be.
Garrett
Ontario, Canada
The Blue Jays are in a very tough division trying to match up with the Red Sox, Yankees and Orioles. As the season goes on, I don't see how the Blue Jays can maintain the same pace. There's too much talent on the other teams in their division, not including the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, of course. I am a big Eric Hinske fan, though. I think the Blue Jays' first baseman is a good young player and a good hitter. As for being pro-American, I enjoyed my trips throughout my career to Montreal. I always felt like I had a lot of fans there. Also when I played in the All-Star game in Toronto, I was very impressed with the city, the people and the enthusiasm that the Blue Jays fans have for their team and for baseball.
How in the world could you leave the New York Mets out of your top 10? Six wins in a row bolted them right back ahead, record-wise, of many of your chosen teams.
Michael Kelleher
Brooklyn, N.Y.
How can you put the Minnesota Twins above the Chicago White Sox in your weekly rankings this week? The White Sox have outscored the Twins by a 21-11 margin this year and the South Siders have owned them. Please consider this next week when you do the rankings again.
Danny Harris
Crete, Ill.
I thought the Twins were the team to beat in the AL Central going into the season. But I also gave great respect for the White Sox by picking them to win the AL wild card. The past several years, the Twins have been the cream of the division. Until somebody knocks them off, it's hard to think that they're not the favorite to win the AL Central again.
How could you possibly rank the Cleveland Indians that low? Of their seven losses, five were by one run. How can the 5-8 Yankees and 6-6 Braves be in the top seven, while the Indians are No. 26? It boggles my mind.
Dan Walk
Erie, Pa.
BEST CLOSER? ("4-for-4: Give Tracy credit," April 19, 2005)
I just wanted to comment on your off-hand remark about Mariano Rivera being the best closer in the game. I'm sure you weren't thinking about it at the time, but how did you forget Eric Gagne? It wasn't the main point you were trying to make I'm sure, but it made me cringe when you said that. Rivera was the top closer but has not been good in the clutch recently, the playoffs being a good example. Once he wins a Cy Young then maybe you can put him on the pedestal a couple of hundred feet below Gagne because that's as far up as he'll get.
Sam Kenning
London, England
Unless you mean Mariano Rivera is the best closer in the game because Eric Gagne is injured, I would have to say you are incorrect. What exactly did you mean?
Trevin Lingren
Mission Viejo, Calif.
When I talk about Mariano Rivera's greatness, I'm talking about the past 10 years, which includes four World Series championships. He has been the key figure in what the Yankees have accomplished the past 10 years. That's why I give Rivera so much respect – not because of what happened in the postseason last year but because of his longevity. I think Rivera, at this pace, is headed to the Hall of Fame. I don't know if I can say that about Gagne at this point.
MISCELLANEOUS
Do you agree or disagree with the argument that today's baseball players are better athletes than the players of years ago, but they are not as fundamentally sound (i.e. bunting, throwing to the right base, knowing the situations, etc.)? I realize it is a different type of game today, but I have noticed the fundamentals are lacking. Today's players do not "know" the game.
Chris Berg
Johnson City, Tenn.
In a lot of ways, I agree with that statement. I think baseball players are better athletes today than they were, say, 20 years ago. I think they're stronger and they've had more opportunities to educate themselves with the game by having more technology at their disposal. On the other hand, I think the game the last several years has changed as far as the way players think. They've been focused on hitting home runs. Also, I have noticed a lack of technique in laying down a good bunt or bunting for a base hit or executing a hit-and-run.
You have been the target of one fan's interference when Morganna the Kissing Bandit laid a wet one on you. Do you have an opinion on all the fan interaction?
Rich
Chicago, Ill.
As far as fan intervention in baseball, I think it's time for fans to start taking responsibility for their actions. Major League Baseball has educated the players on how they should react when an incident happens, such as the one last week in Boston when Gary Sheffield showed restraint against a fan. I understand that there are rivalries in baseball, but those rivalries need to happen among the players on the field, not with the fans and players.
Now, let me clarify the incident with Morganna the Kissing Bandit. In 1988, during the first night game at Wrigley Field, I was well aware that I was at the top of her list of baseball players to kiss that year. In my first at-bat, she started running from the right-field corner only to be taken away by security when she reached first base. Once the crowd stopped booing the situation, I stepped back inside the batter's box and hit the second pitch over the left-field wall for a two-run home run. The bottom line: She never did kiss me.
CUBS CORNER
If the Chicago Cubs had the opportunity now to improve themselves in only one area, what do you think it should be? In other words, what is their most glaring weakness?
Lisa Lev
Lombard, Ill.
If the Cubs would've had the opportunity to pick up a proven closer at the start of the season, they would've jumped all over that chance. That would've made their whole pitching staff that much better. As of late, LaTroy Hawkins has done the job, but picking up a closer during the season is something the Cubs would do if the right guy were available – maybe someone like Troy Percival.
