Ichiro Suzuki Joins 4,000 Hit Club

In the world of professional baseball, picking up 4,000 hits in a career is a rare feet. Heading into last night it had been done by only two guys, Pete Rose and Ty Cobb. Now we can add another member to that club. With a 1st inning single of Blue Jays starter RA Dickey, Ichiro Suzuki joins that 4,000 hit club. Unlike the first two members of this club, Ichiro joins the club with a bit of a twist. Ichiro's accomplishment comes as a combined total between Japan and the American major leagues. In his seven seasons in the Japanese Pacific League, Ichiro collected 1,278 hits. During his 13 years in the United States, he now has 2,722 major league hits. He surpassed Lou Gehrig for sole possession of 59th place on the all-time major-league hit list.

Rose is the all-time hits leader with 4,256, while Cobb had 4,189. Since Ichiro joined Major League Baseball in 2001 with the Seattle Mariners, Ichiro has 375 more hits than any other player and needs 34 more this season to tie Richie Ashburn for second place with his 13th consecutive 150-hit season to begin a career. Ichiro's first hit came in 1992 for the Orix Buffaloes. Suzuki has been one of the best pure hitters in the game, not only during his time in Japan, but in his time here in the States. During his big league career, Ichiro picked up 2,722 hits, which puts him atop two very interesting lists.

Those 2,722 hits are the most by any player in the majors since 2001, which tops the list of some pretty big names. Since 2001, heres the list of guys with the most hits in the big leagues:

Ichiro Suzuki     2,722
Albert Pujols     2,347
Michael Young  2,344
Derek Jeter      2,300
Juan Pierre       2,147

Ichiro may not be able to pass Pete Rose as the all time hit king in Major League Baseball, but he does have more hits than Rose had during his prime. In fact, the 2,722 hits are the most by any player aged 27-39. Here's the list of the most hits in the Majors for guys from age 27-39:

Ichiro Suzuki   2,722
Pete Rose       2,658
Ty Cobb         2,300
Derek Jeter     2,300
Stan Musial     2,229
Hank Aaron    2,200

With all the things that Ichiro has done during his pro career, this begs the question of is he worthy of induction into the Baseball Hall Of Fame? The answer is an easy yes. Nobody has been more consistent over the years than Ichiro. He has been there day in and day out for both the Mariners and Yankees. He has never won a World Series title, which is the only donwside to an otherwise stellar career.

So congratulations to Ichiro Suzuki for picking up hit #4,000 in his professional career.

Did Ryan Dempster Intentionally Hit Alex Rodriguez?

It's been no secret over the past month or so that Alex Rodriguez has been the spark of much controversy, what with the steroid suspension, the appeals, and everything else that has gone on with the whole situation. Things got even more interesting last night in Boston. In the second inning, Boston Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster drilled Rodriguez with 3-0, 92 mph fastball. When Dempster plunked Rodriguez in the elbow with a fastball, it resulted in both benches being issued warnings, the ejection of Yankees manager Joe Girardi and the bullpens of both teams emptying onto the field. No punches were thrown.

With the Fenway crowd chanting "You're a cheater" to start the second inning, Dempster's first pitch to Rodriguez, an 89 mph fastball, sailed behind him, nearly catching him on the left leg. After two more inside fastballs, Dempster's 3-0 pitch nailed Rodriguez squarely on the left elbow pad. Rodriguez interpreted it as Dempster's way of saying he did not like how Rodriguez has handled the 211-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug violations that Rodriguez is appealing.

In the sixth, Rodriguez belted the second pitch he saw from Dempster in the inning into the center-field seats to cut the Boston lead to 6-4. The Yankees would go on to take the lead and would not relinquish it.

Now that everybody knows exactly what happened with the whole thing, here's a few different possible takes on the incident. First things first, I really feel that Ryan Dempster had no real right to go after A-Rod. Don't get me wrong, I can, to a certain degree, understand where Dempster is coming from in this instance. He feels A-Rod is a cheater and felt that Rodriguez needed to be taught some kind of lesson. All Dempster said was he was just trying to pitch inside. I really don't buy that for a minute, I think it was intentional to throw at him who are you kidding Dempster? The first pitch I think was just a warning pitch. Again why Dempster felt the need to do something like this is really beyond me, because he had no say in any of the investigation. What business is it of his whats going on between Rodriguez and the league? I get it if this had something to do with Dempster being unhappy that A-Rod is playing with all the steroid stuff going on but he really has no business taking a shot at him like that he really doesn't.

After the hit-by-pitch, home plate umpire Brian O'Nora issued the warnings as an enraged Girardi charged out of the Yankees' dugout, gesticulating wildly. Girardi was kicked out after one of his gestures, which looked like a left hook, nearly hit O'Nora. Now with Brian O'Nora, there's a double edge sword here too. First of all I give him credit for issuing the warnings to the two benches, just so that way this wouldn't get any further out of hand. The other side of the coin here is, he should have thrown Dempster out of the game right away. I just feel that Dempster threw at Rodriguez on purpose, and he should have been tossed right away after the plunk job. The first pitch that missed, that was a good call to just let it slid by. I would like to think that it should have been the end of it with Dempster. Once he hit Rodriguez, Dempster should have been thrown right out of the game without even another thought/ I'm sorry but there is no way in hell Dempster should have been allowed to stay in that ball game. So the umpires did a good job in squashing this kinda quickly, but it could have been a little better.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi had every possible right to flip out after this. He was livid and with good reason. So I give Girardi full credit for standing up to his players the way he has, not only during the plunk job last night, but during this whole steroids situation.

The final piece to this whole puzzle is Alex Rodriguez. I give him a lot of credit for how he handled it. First of all he just kept his cool after getting plunked and took his base without saying a word. And besides, he didn't have to say anything. Rodriguez got revenge in a big way when he homered of Dempster in the 6th inning. That's the best way to get revenge!

MLB Decides To Expand Replay Rule With Challanges

It came down yesterday in Cooperstown, in what commissioner Bud Selig called an "historic moment." Major League Baseball that during the 2014 season will likely have a dramatically expanded replay system, that will also include managers challenge and a central review office to help with the process. According to the program outlined, there is about 89 percent of the plays in baseball that can be considered "reviewable" meaning they can be challenged by a manager. Of course there have been no specifics announced as to what is reviewable and what isn't, but we do know for a fact that balls and strikes are not a reviewable. Also with the managers they are allowed three challenges per game, one through the first six innings, and two from the 7th inning through the conclusion of the game.

So what will happen is if the challenge is issued by the manager, he has to let the nearest umpire to him that he is going to challenge a call. Then either the home plate umpire or crew chief will use a nearby communications center, somewhere near the backstop or camera bays, which has a direct, secure line to the MLB Advanced Media offices, which are located in Manhattan. This central office, will have umpires and technicians that will monitor each game to provide an instant ruling on the play. Of course this whole system has to meet approval with the umpires union and the players union, which will vote on this during meetings in November. Once this goes through, if it does, the umpires will be trained during fall ball and spring training to make sure it works right, before they put it into use during the 2014 season. According to the outlined plan for this system, it will take a total of 90 seconds to review the calls, as compared to three minutes, which is how long it takes now on home run calls.

This system adds in some influence from the NFL and the NHL. Baseball is using the challenge system from the NFL and the video review system from the NHL. Will this system actually work? I have no idea. On paper it looks like something that could possibly work. How it looks on paper and how it translates to on the field, could be two different things.

So that's how the system is supposed to work. i will give baseball a lot of credit for trying to figure out a way to eliminate the errors that are made in making some calls. Umpires are human, they are going to miss calls. It's not possible to be able to nail every call right, but this system at least will help get calls as close to accurate as possible.

Sure there are those positives with this system. At the same time there are also negatives involved with this system. First things first, why does somebody watching a game in New York City decide a game in LA between the Dodgers and Pirates? I mean it would make a little more sense to have somebody have the same capabilities to do that from inside each major league park. That decision doesn't make much sense. I feel the same way about using the war room in Toronto in the NHL. Having somebody make a call quickly from inside the park will make things go faster, I feel, than having to go through the City.

There's also a problem I have with allowing managers to challenge plays. And there/s a few reasons. One is they could use a challenge as an excuse to buy time to get a pitcher warmed up in the bullpen. That's just one small idea,. Here's the big problem I really see with the challenge. What would happen to the challenge if you should lose the challenge? If you win it you get the challenge back again. In the NFL, if you challenge a play and lose it, then you lose a timeout. Right now in baseball, if you lose a challenge, then you don't really lose anything. Again this ruling could change between now and the start of next season, but as it sits right now there's nothing in place if you lose a challenge. I really think they should lose something, like say a mound visit. See most teams get two mound visits before they really have to pull a pitcher. If you challenge a play and lose that challenge, then you lose a mound visit. So if you lose a challenge then when you go out to the mound, as a manager, then you have to take the pitcher out, regardless. There are so many different ways this ruling can be put to use, so its going to be really interesting to see how this thing plays out over the next few months and so on leading into next season.

Alfonso Soriano Stepping Up Big For Yankees

Ever since Alfonso Soriano made a return to the New York Yankees, he has seemed to find his game again. Something has certainly clicked for Soriano during his second stint in pinstripes. He homered twice for the second straight night and drove in a career-high seven runs, giving him a staggering 13 RBIs in two games while powering the suddenly potent New York Yankees to an 11-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. This coming after he set a career best with six RBIs during New York's 14-7 win Tuesday. He became the seventh player since 1920 with at least 13 RBIs over consecutive games and the first since Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa had 14 in August 2002. The record is 15 by Yankees second baseman Tony Lazzeri in May 1936.

Soriano has found his power stroke again the past few games, showing baseball fans that there is still a little left in the tank for Alfonso. After spending his early years in New York from 1999-2003, the 37-year-old Soriano was reacquired from the Cubs on July 26 to give an injury-depleted lineup a boost. He got off to a slow start upon returning but has certainly turned it on lately. This surge out of Soriano could not be coming at a better time for the Yankees. With all the steroid issues going on with Alex Rodriguez, the team, its players, and its fans need something to focus their attention on besides this three ring circus with steroids. Soriano is providing that in a big way for two reasons. First things first, its a coming out party for Soriano, as he has been quiet for most of this year. Soriano needed 144 at-bats to reach 13 RBIs this season with the Chicago Cubs on May 14. Back for another tour with the Yankees, it took him seven trips to the plate over nine innings the past two nights to match that number. So having him back in the lineup has resurrected his career.

The other major thing this has done is it has really helped out the Yanks in their push for the playoffs. Don't get me wrong I still think its a bit of a long shot here for the Yankees to even make it into the playoffs, but with the way Soriano has played the last few days, things don't look as bleak as they once did. With the win last night, it puts the Yankees record at 62-57, which has the Yanks in 4th place in the East, 8.5 games back of the Red Sox. What makes this so interesting is that the Yankees now have a chance to pull themselves past both Tampa Bay and Baltimore in the division. The Yanks are now within striking distance of both teams and might be able to pass them if the offense keeps going the way it has.

When it comes to the Wild Card, the Yankees are now in better striking distance of that, as they are now only 5 games back from the last wild card spot. They still have a chance to try and catch Tampa Bay and Oakland for those spots, but things really have to fall into place for the team. Pitching has got to settle down and be as dominant as it was during the middle stretch of the year. Right now pitching has looked a little off, but with the offense going the way it has the past few days, being powered by Soriano, the Yanks could be set to make things very interesting in not only the AL East, but the AL Wild Card race too.

Baltimore Ravens Add Veteran Presence By Signing Dallas Clark

When training camp opened up for the defending Super Bowl Champions the Baltimore Ravens, they had a full, healthy squad to work with. Then about a week or so into Camp, star tight end Dennis Pita goes down with a season ending hip injury. So instead the Ravens get set to go with his replacement, Eric Dickson, who hasn't caught a pass at all a year ago. Now he goes down with a hamstring issue, but in all likelihood will be back to play again this season. So now what do the Ravens do for a tight end? Simple.....sign Dallas Clark.

The 34-year old Clark has been one of the more productive tight ends in the NFL during the last decade. He has 474 catches 5,322 yards and 50 touchdowns in 10 NFL seasons, the first nine of which he spent with the Indianapolis Colts. Clark's numbers have dipped in recent years, but he still had 47 catches for 435 yards and four touchdowns with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.

Look i know Clark's numbers have been on the decline the last few years, especially ever since he left the Colts. Don't get me wrong, Clark can still be a threat catching the ball from the slot, but he isn't as good as he once was. This is a great move from a Ravens perspective though. Think about this. Baltimore lost a good receiver and solid pass blocker when Pita went down. Dickson wasn't, at least in my book, good enough to be able to fill that hole left by Pita. That's where Clark comes in. Clark can still catch and is still a pretty good blocker and can be able to pick up a blitz and give Joe Flacco time in the pocket to make the throws he needs to.

So it may not be as good a solution to the problem as having Pita back in the lineup, but its a start. Clark can do a good job in filling in and then some.

Alex Rodriguez Biggest Name Among 13 Players Suspended

Yesterday was a day that Major League Baseball has been looking forward to for a long time now. The league made the announcement to suspend 13 total players for their use of PED's and links to Biogenesis. Biggest name on that list? That would be one Alex Rodriguez. Don't get me wrong there are some big names on this list, but Rodriguez is by far the biggest name on that list, and the one facing the stiffest punishment from baseball. Don't get me wrong, the other 12 guys suspended have an impact on their teams in some way, but Rodriguez is the biggest fish in this pond. Rodriguez was the one who was hit the hardest.

Rodriguez's suspension is the equivalent of 211 regular-season games because he has 72 hours to inform baseball that he will appeal. Rodriguez will be allowed to play until his appeal is heard. This process could drag out until the middle of September and carry over until April of 2015. Now there is a lot to get into here with this whole thing. First off is why is Rodriguez even considering trying to appeal this? He took steroids, then tried to steer investigators off the course. So he interfered in the investigation, and thought he could get away with it. Right away there should be no appeal allowed and should be forced to take the suspension as it is. I know I'm about to contradict myself, but here goes. At the same time the appeal has to be allowed because if it isn't it would open up a whole can of worms that Bud Selig's office doesn't really want to deal with, so they are allowing the appeal to go through.

Rodriguez has been trying to save face the last few weeks, and has tried to make out to be innocent in this whole thing. Come on A-Rod, you aren't innocent, people aren't stupid they can see right through you give me a break. This suspension also proves to me that A-Rod is a liar too. Think about this. Back in 2009 A-Rod came out and admitted that he used steroids from 2001 to 2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers. In that same press conference, he said that he should be judged from here on out and that he had stopped using steroids. Well we now know that he is full of it. With Rodriguez now back in the Yankees lineup until the appeal process is over, this brings into question what it will do for them going towards a possible playoff push. It doesn't matter whether or not Rodriguez is in the Yankees lineup, they are still a long shot to make the playoffs, especially with how tough it is sitting in 4th place in the AL East and the three teams ahead  of you are all on hot streaks and playing much better baseball. So this suspension really hurts both the Yankees and Rodriguez.

And lets not forget, there are also 12 other players here who were suspended, but unlike Rodriguez, these other 12 guys aren't going to appeal their suspensions and they will serve them. Here are the other players who were suspended for PED use without appealing:

Nelson Cruz OF,Texas Rangers
Everth Cabrera SS, San Diego Padres
Jhonny Peralta SS, Detroit Tigers
Antonio Bastardo, Philadelphia Phillies reliever
Francisco Cervelli, Yankees catcher (on DL)
Jordany Valdespin, New York Mets outfielder (minors)
Jesus Montero, Seattle Mariners catcher (minors)
Cesar Puello, Mets outfielder (minors)
Sergio Escalona, Houston Astros pitcher (minors)
Fernando Martinez, Yankees outfielder (minors)
Fautino De Los Santos, free-agent pitcher
Jordan Norberto, free-agent pitcher

So there is the full list of suspended players. Oh course the Rodriguez suspension is the biggest one, not only based on player name but also on length of suspension. There are two others who were suspended, that have an impact on their team more so than the others. Those suspensions being Nelson Cruz of Texas and Jhonny Peralta of Detroit. The reason I say this is because both teams, Texas and Detroit, are in the middle of possible tough pennant races. Don't get me wrong, the other suspensions have a big impacy too, lets not short change that fact. What I mean is the loss of Cruz and Peralta have playoff implications for their clubs.

Texas I feel was hit hard by the suspension of Cruz. He was the best player on the team, leading the club in homers with 27 and RBI's with 74. He was also the best player in the outfield. Now without him in the lineup, leaving manager Ron Washington in a bit of a pinch. Texas right now sits in 2nd place in the AL West and they are desperate to try and catch the 1st place Oakland over the last two months of the season. Texas at the moment is just two games back of Oakland for 1st place in that division. So the loss of Cruz for Texas I feel is huge. As far as Peralta goes for Detroit, it is a loss but not as bad as the one in Texas. Sure he's a good shortstop, I won't deny that. But the Tigers offense can still roll right along without Peralta in the lineup. Yes it's a loss, but I don't think its as damaging as Texas. Detroit right now is four games up on the 2nd place Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.

So now that steroids suspensions have been handed out, we can all try and move on with the rest of the year, and enjoy what is sure to be an exciting final two months of the regular season.