At any given time, there are probably no more than a dozen pitchers that are widely considered No. 1 starters. But, of course, that’s not right. There are 30 No. 1 starters in baseball. So here are my 30. The most glaring one missing, I will admit, is Matt Harvey. I wanted to put Matt…
Month: July 2015
500 Words on Ben Zobrist
In 2009 and again in 2011, Ben Zobrist led the American League in Wins Above Replacement, which in some households translated to him being the best player in the league. People have strong opinions both ways about WAR as a statistic, and Zobrist was a perfect case study. In 2011, for instance, his WAR according…
Ten Most Lopsided Trades Ever
If you look closely, you will see No. 36 on the all-time baseball list. Let’s make a steal
A Zack Greinke Story
So, I wrote about Zack Greinke for like the 11 millionth time. Whew, I’ve been writing about Greinke for a dozen years, going back to when he was 19 years old. I relate the first time I ever interviewed him. Fun stuff. There is another Greinke story I wasn’t able to get into the piece,…
Golf, Stardom and Jordan Spieth
It was pretty amazing being in St. Andrews to watch Jordan Spieth make his bid for the third leg of golf’s Grand Slam. I think of the cab driver’s line after it ended: “The young bloke ’bout did her, dint he?” He did. He really did. Golf, Stardom and Jordan Spieth
500 Words on Golf and Getting Old
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Here is a stubborn little fact I just noticed: No golfer my age has ever won a golf major championship. A sportswriter grows older not by the calendar but by horrifying little tidbits like this one. When I began writing, I was the same age as the college baseball and basketball…
Tom Watson’s Final Round
Tom Watson played his final round at The Open Championship on Friday. He finished as darkness covered St. Andrews. As he reached the Swilcan Bridge, I noticed that every single person reached for a camera of some kind. I fumbled for my phone, pointed in Watson’s general direction. This is what I got. As you…
500 Words on Pete Rose
A friend of mine believes that Pete Rose should have gone into the Baseball Hall of Fame a long time ago, but he thinks this for a reason you might not expect: He despises Rose. He believes most of the bad things you can believe about Rose — that he bet on his own team…
500 Words on Collapses
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Dustin Johnson looked befuddled by the question. How long did it take him to get over the disappointment? Dude, what disappointment? He played great. Why in the world would he be disappointed? There is something mesmerizing about sports collapse. You have some of the most wonderful athletes in the world —…
500 Words on John Daly
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — John Daly is one year older than I am, and even though we couldn’t be more different, I still see my reflection in his weather-worn face. We came across each other years ago, when we were both young and trying to figure out the world. He was a 25-year-old golfing phenomenon….