Sully Baseball Honors GARRET ANDERSON

Garret Anderson was designated for assignment today by the Los Angeles Dodgers and unless a team that needs a veteran bat (White Sox? Giants? Red Sox?) picks up Anderson, his wonderful career might be over.

And like my salute to Jermaine Dye, whose career unceremoniously ended this last off season, I felt the need to pay tribute to Anderson. His career wasn't Hall of Fame worthy, but he should always be loved by a fan base. Like Dye, Anderson drove in the World Series winning run.

He is a native of Los Angeles who played for the California Angels, Anaheim Angels AND the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

In his 14 years (plus a few games) in the many incarnations of the Angels, he played more games, collected more hits, doubles and RBI and hit more grand slams than anyone in franchise history.

He was part of the 1995 Angels that came so close to a Division Title...
And he was a key member of the 2002 team that won it all...
And also was part of the 2005, 2007 and 2008 Division winners.

And he came up big in many big games.
He clocked an 8th inning game tying homer off of El Duque Hernandez in Game 2 of the 2002 Dvision Series that turned the tide of the series in favor of the underdog Angels.

And, much to my dad's dismay, he crushed a 3 run double in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series that gave the Angels a 4-1 lead over the Giants... which turned out to be the final score.

In 2005, again against the favored Yankees, he homered in Game 3 of the Division Series off of Randy Johnson that turned a Yankee advantage into an Angels slugfest. In the clinching Game 5, he homered off of Mike Mussina and drove in another as the Yankees again finished off the Yankees.

The very next day, he homered in Game 1 of the ALCS, sending the '05 White Sox to their lone defeat in the post season.

He was a great Angel... one of the best and #16 should be retired.

His career is worth a solid sendoff.

Perhaps he can finish the season (and his baseball tenure) back in Anaheim... or Los Angeles... OK in California where he belongs.

I told the Mets not to sign Francisco Rodriguez

There is a tale of two closers in New York.

Both are from Latin America… both are slight… both have World Series rings… both have experienced the thrill of being the pitcher on the mound when their team wins a post season series.

One, Mariano Rivera, is stoic, clutch, doesn’t let the rare blown save get on his nerves and is one of the classiest and easy to like Hall of Fame legends in Yankee history.

The other, Francisco Rodriguez, beats the crap out of his elderly father in law.

See the difference? It is subtle.

Seriously… I said back in 2008 the winner of the Francisco Rodriguez sweepstakes was the team that DIDN’T sign him.

I’ve felt he was overrated, coasting on the reputation earned in the 2002 post season when nobody had a scouting report on him. (Yet when Bonds figured him out, he launched a homer in the 2002 World Series that I don’t think has landed yet.)

Yeah he piled up tons of regular season saves. So did Armando Benitez. As a Red Sox fan, there were fewer more welcomed sights than seeing Rodriguez coming out of the bullpen in the playoffs. (His 0-3 record with a 7.36 ERA in 3 playoff series against Boston can attest for that… as can Manny Ramirez standing and admiring his walk off homer in the 2007 Division Series.)

But, like Manny, I never anticipated “beating up the elderly” to be on his debit column.

He’s got baggage now… along with a HUGE paycheck. Good luck dealing him. And this is coming of course at a time when, even with Santana’s complete game shutout today, the Mets are floundering at .500 in August.

And while it not seem fair, but this sort of crazy distraction coupled with the season slipping away, could be the nail in Jerry Manuel’s coffin.

Now I’m not saying the Angels are world beaters since Rodriguez left.
But with all their problems, Los Angeles of Anaheim is above .500.

And they drafted Randal Grichuk and Garrett Richards in Rodriguez’s place.

And oh yeah, when Brian Feuntes faced the Red Sox in a playoff situation last year… he came through!

Why don’t teams LISTEN TO ME?

No NL Team has more wins than the Giants

It looks strange when you see that sentence typed out, doesn't it?

I mean the Giants were supposed to be better this year... but here we are in August and the Giants have as many wins as any NL team (and that team they are tied with is the Padres, which is even stranger.)

I mean weren't the Phillies supposed to be the powerhouse of the NL?

Even with the divorce woes, weren't the Dodgers supposed to be in this?

How about the Rockies or Cardinals? They were destined for 90+ wins this year.

Nope... Los Gigantes are better than all of them.

And it brings up a very interesting scenario for the many Giant fans who read Sully Baseball. If the Giants pass the Padres in the standings (and they are only 2 back in the loss column) and finish the season with the best record in the NL... then they would have home field advantage in the Division Series... in the NLCS... and the World Series.

That's what is at stake in the NL. For the first time since 2001, the National League team will host Game 1 of the World Series (and potentially a Game 7.)

Let's take a look at each American League team since 2001 who finished the season with the best record and how they did in the post season:

2002 - Yankees (Lost in Division Series)

2003 - Yankees (Lost in World Series)

2004 - Yankees (Lost in ALCS)

2005 - White Sox (Won World Series)

2006 - Yankees (Lost in Division Series)

2007 - Red Sox (Won World Series)

2008 - Angels (Lost in Dvision Series)

2009 - Yankees (Won World Series.)

OK, it isn't a lock for anything... but in those 8 years there were 4 pennant winners and 3 World Series winners.

It's a small sample, but half of the teams that home field advantage since the All Star Game determined which league would host the World Series opener went on to win the pennant.

Can you picture it Giants fans?

Can you imagine how 2002 could have been different if Games 6 and 7 were by China Basin?

The Giants have the pitching, the hitting is coming around and the Padres have lost 3 of their last 4 games.

Could this be the year the Giants fans have been waiting for?

Just keep winning and it is there for the taking.