2011 Baseball Predictions

Here are some Major League Baseball predictions for the 2011 season...

In the American League I have the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Oakland Athletics winning their respective divisions with the New York Yankees winning the Wild Card. The Red Sox and Tigers will face each other in the American League Championship Series with the Red Sox moving on to the World Series

In the National League I think the Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies will win their divisions with the San Francisco Giants winning the Wild Card. The Phillies will play the Rockies in the National League Championship Series with the Phillies moving on to the World Series.

In the World Series, pitching and defense will dominate with many low scoring games. The team who's starters go the deepest into games will win and I think that team will be the Philadelphia Phillies who will again win the World Series for the second time in four years.

As far as the awards go, Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers and Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals will have monster years and win the MVP races in each league. Justin Verlander of the Tigers will edge out Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners for the A.L. Cy Young Award. The N.L. Cy Young award will go to the San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain.

It should be another great baseball season in 2011. It starts today with the Tigers and Yankees at 1pm on ESPN and Fox Sports Detroit. Can't wait!

The Only Pro Baseball Game My Grandma Ever Saw

My grandma, Lola Wirtz (my dad's mom), enjoyed watching baseball. She wasn't the biggest fan, but she enjoyed watching the Tigers on TV, watching her kids and grand kids play as well. I remember growing up she would even go out and pitch wiffle balls to my brother and I. What I didn't know, until a phone conversation with my dad, Mike, today, was that she only went to one Tigers game in her lifetime that we know of. Oh what a game it was.

It was Sunday, July 15, 1973 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The California Angels were in town to play the Detroit Tigers. It was the fourth and final game of the series. The Tigers had won the previous three games and had a five game winning streak going. The pitching match up for that day was Jim Perry (brother of Hall-of-Famer Gaylord Perry) versus the great Hall-of-Famer, Nolan Ryan. In 1973, Ryan set the Major League record for most strikeouts in a season with 383. It was his second season with the Angels after coming over from the New York Mets after the 1971 campaign. Up to that point in the season, he had pitched his first career no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals in May, and was off to a great start with a ton of strikeouts. That day, my mom, dad, grandma, and a couple of other family members went down to see the game. As my dad recalls, they sat down the first base line near the bullpen (I have the ticket stub from the game somewhere). The game was one for the ages.

Ryan dominated the Tigers that day. He walked four and struck out 17. He also happened to pitch the second no-hitter of his career. He dominated the Tigers so much that in the bottom of the 9th inning, with two outs, Norm Cash came to the plate. As the story goes, home plate umpire Ron Luciano, who along with Cash, had a great sense of humor, noticed Cash with something other than a bat in his hand. Luciano told Cash he couldn't hit with that and asked what it was. Cash replied that it was a table leg and what was the difference? He wasn't going to hit Ryan anyway. Cash went on to get a regular bat and hit popped out to the shortstop. Ironically, in the 9th, that was the only inning Ryan didn't strike anyone out.

Ryan's performance that day was just one of many outstanding pitching performances that he'd have over his 27 year Hall of Fame career. That game, however, was the only game my Grandma ever went to see in person. I think she made a great choice. I just wish she was still around so I could ask her how much she remembered from it. Miss you Grandma...

Courage Outside the Ring

As he entered the picture on television last night, he didn't look like the same person boxing fans were accustomed to seeing. His suit seemed to be just draped over his thin body, his face gaunt and pale behind the TV make up, his once thick black hair, now in thin gray strands atop his head. When he opened his mouth to speak though, his voice, perhaps a little weaker, was still there and the passion for the sport he loved and called for the last 10 years was present as well.

Nick Charles might not be a name the casual sports fan knows. He began on the national stage in 1980 when he was one of the first personalities, and the first sports anchor, that was hired at a new cable news channel called CNN. A new sports television program, called Sports Night, began as Charles teamed up with Fred Hickman for a successful 17 year run as they battled the up & coming ESPN and SportsCenter. Charles won three Cable Ace Awards as its' host as his thick, black hair, dark complexion, and good looks, were his calling card. In 2001, Charles left CNN to do boxing on Showtime's boxing series, ShoBox: The Next Generation. Charles again won a few awards for his blow-by-blow commentary. In August of 2009, things changed for Charles as he was diagnosed with stage 4 bladder cancer.


He took a leave of absence from Showtime to treat the cancer that August. He came back to do a couple of more fights, but around Christmas time of last year, he knew the end was near. Doctors told him that his cancer was back, and more aggressive than ever, and that another round of chemo may extend his life by a couple of months...He decided to turn it down. His days of calling fights was likely over, as his battle is coming to an end. However, it was an article in Sports Illustrated's March 7, 2011 edition by Joe Posnanski, that caught the attention of some executives at HBO. In that article, Charles said he wanted to do one more fight, but also stated that it likely wouldn't happen. Once his wish was presented to HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg, the wheels were in motion. HBO's regular blow-by-blow announcer, Bob Papa, agreed to graciously step aside to allow Charles to fulfill his dying wish.

So here we are, Saturday, March 26, 2011 at 9:45pm. A couple of minutes into HBO's Boxing After Dark broadcast, Papa introduces Charles to call the first fight of the night between Mikey Garcia and Matt Remillard. When Charles enters the camera, you can see the excitement in his eyes and hear it in his voice. His hands look older than they should on his 64 year old frame as he his holding his note pad. After thanking all people in boxing who have expressed their well wishes, he dives into the broadcast like the pro he is. Along with Roy Jones, Jr and Max Kellerman, Charles delivers a great broadcast of a fight that was clearly dominated by Garcia. His questions and transitions to his analysts were seamless. He was well prepared and did a great job, something we are accustomed to in a Charles worked fight.

After the fight is over, Charles comes on camera again with Papa. They talk briefly about the fight. Charles then transitions to say that calling this fight was one of the highlights of his life. He thanks HBO for the opportunity and Papa for being so gracious in sharing the microphone with him. Papa wraps up with Charles by saying, "Buddy I love ya." Charles last words as he steps off camera, "Likewise". Is this the last we hear from Nick Charles? He has been given just weeks to live, so sadly, it might be. As he said before the bout, he wanted to do this one last fight to inspire others to carry on and do what they love, no matter what adversity they are facing. He certainly did that. Not only did he inspire those people, he inspired all of us with his courage to put himself out there one last time, despite all he is dealing with. Papa I think spoke for all of us when he said, "Buddy I love ya." Anyone who saw Charles work, past or present, and especially after Saturday night, would say the last word that he uttered on camera and agree with Papa and say, "Likewise".