Top Ten: Best Starting Rotations in 2013

1. Detroit Tigers

Justin Verlander

1. Justin Verlander

2. Doug Fister

3. Anibal Sanchez

4. Max Scherzer

5. Rick Porcello/Drew Smyly

Breakdown: Detroit has a solid starter from top to bottom. Justin Verlander is the best pitcher in baseball, so that always helps. Doug Fister wins game for the Tigers and Anibal Sanchez has been outstanding for the Tigers since joining the team at the trade deadline last year. Also, Max Scherzer was second in the league in strikeouts, so Scherzer is capable of dominating an opponent every fifth day. Rick Porcello had some productive years, but the Tigers rotation is better off with Smyly. Any series with Detroit is going to be difficult when you know you’re going to be facing 3 starting pitchers that are capable of shutting your offense down.

Tim Lincecum

2. San Francisco Giants

1. Matt Cain

2. Madison Bumgarner

3. Tim Lincecum

4. Ryan Vogelsong

5. Barry Zito

Breakdown: The defending World Series Champions have their rotation still in tact for the 2013 season. Cain, Bumgarner and Vogelsong are the best starting pitching trio in the game and they’re only going to get better. Zito had a surprisingly good season in 2012, so hopefully he’s figured everything out in San Francisco. The only thing that keeps this rotation out of the number 1 spot is the uncertainty surrounding Tim Lincecum. Is Lincecum going to bounce back or is he going to go through another subpar season similar to 2012? Lincecum controls the fate of this rotation, but on paper, the Giants have arguably the best starting rotation in baseball.

3. Washington Nationals

Gio Gonzalez

1. Stephen Strasburg

2. Gio Gonzalez

3. Jordan Zimmermann

4. Ross Detwiler

5. Dan Haren

Breakdown: A year removed from Tommy John Surgery, Stephen Strasburg should see an increase in innings and will make a bigger impact for the Nationals in 2013. Pending the Miami Clinic investigation regarding PED distribution, Gio Gonzalez has Cy Young Award candidate written all over him going into 2013. Jordan Zimmerman is the best starting pitcher no one knows about, and Ross Detwiler won 10 games for Washington in 2012. Dan Haren rounds out the back of the rotation for the Nationals, and if he can bounce back from a disappointing 2012 season with the Angels, Washington will have the best rotation in baseball.

Clayton Kershaw

4. LA Dodgers

1. Clayton Kershaw

2. Zack Greinke

3. Chad Billingsley

4. Josh Beckett

5. Hyun-Jin Ryu

Breakdown: The Dodgers brought in Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu during the offseason, are both pitchers are vital for the Dodgers’ success. Kershaw will be dominant yet again in 2013, and, in my opinion, should win the National League Cy Young Award. Billingsley is coming off an arm injury, so it is unknown how good he will be for the Dodgers. Josh Beckett was outstanding for LA after coming over from Boston, and if Greinke performs well, the Dodgers will possess a rotation just as formidable as San Francisco’s.

5. Tampa Bay Rays

David Price

1. David Price

2. Jeremy Hellickson

3. Matt Moore

4. Alex Cobb

5. Jeff Niemann

Breakdown: Although the Rays lost James Shields and Wade Davis, Tampa Bay still has the reigning Cy Young Award winner in David Price. Hellickson, Moore, and Cobb all won at least 10 games last year for the Rays, so with the inclusion of Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay will have a very deep and formidable starting rotation for 2013.

C.C. Sabathia

6. NY Yankees

1. C.C. Sabathia

2. Huroki Kuroda

3. Andy Petitte

4. Ivan Nova

5. Phil Hughes

Breakdown: The Yankees return 3 veteran starters in Sabathia, Kuroda, and Petitte who have all had success over their careers. Nova is inconsistent, but when he is on his game, he can dominate any American League lineup. Hughes has been successful for the Yankees over the years, but his issue is staying healthy. If New York wants to compete with Tampa Bay for the best rotation in the AL East, Nova and Hughes will have to step up and stay healthy in 2013.

7. Toronto Blue Jays

R.A. Dickey

1. R.A. Dickey

2. Josh Johnson

3. Mark Buerhle

4. Brandon Morrow

5. Ricky Romero

Breakdown: The Blue Jays starting rotation underwent a complete makeover over the offseason, and boy was it a drastic makeover. The Blue Jays now have the 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner in R.A . Dickey, who will continue to have success even in the AL East. They also acquired Josh Johnson, a legitimate ace when healthy, and Mark Buerhle, who will give the Toronto a crafty lefty that will eat up innings. Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero are the only starters returning, and they should have better seasons now that the pressure of being the top 2 starters is gone. Toronto has a well-rounded rotation going into 2013, and should be a major strength for the Blue Jays.

Chris Carpenter

8. St. Louis Cardinals

1. Adam Wainwright

2. Chris Carpenter

3. Jake Westbrook

4. Lance Lynn

5. Jaime Garcia

6. Shelby Miller

Breakdown: Assuming Chris Carpenter doesn’t miss the 2013 season, the Cardinals have one of the most experienced pitching staffs in the National League. Lance Lynn was the Cardinals best pitcher in 2012, and should improve after one year of experience under his belt. Wainwright and Westbrook are both coming off solid 2012 seasons, and should continue to stabilize the Cardinals rotation.  Everything comes down to health for the Cardinals; if Carpenter and Jaime Garcia can stay healthy, St. Louis will be in contention for another postseason berth.

9. Texas Rangers 

Yu Darvish

1. Matt Harrison

2. Yu Darvish

3. Derek Holland

4. Alexi Ogando

5. Colby Lewis

Breakdown: Harrison, Darvish, and Holland are the 3 pitchers who will carry the load in the 2013 season. Ogando is erratic at times, but if he can limit the walks, Ogando will be a dangerous number 4 starter. Getting Colby Lewis back from Tommy John Surgery is huge for the Rangers. Lewis will complete the Rangers rotation and will make Texas contenders in the AL West yet again.

Jarrod Parker

10. Oakland A's

1. Brian Anderson

2. Bartolo Colon

3. Jarrod Parker

4. Tommy Milone

5. A.J. Griffin

Breakdown: The A’s 2012 season was fueled by pitching and timely hitting, and Oakland seems to have all of its starting pitching returning for this season. Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone, and A.J. Griffin are 3 of the best young starting pitchers in the game and Brian Anderson will continue to improve coming back from Tommy John Surgery. The only question mark is Bartolo Colon; how will he perform after testing positive for PEDs? Even with the speculation surrounding Colon, Oakland still possesses a young and talented starting rotation. 

-Hayden Carter

Top Ten: Greatest Baseball Movies of All Time

The other day my coach cancelled practice because of the rain, so I went to see the movie “Mama” with my Aunt. She wanted to get there really early to make sure we could get a good seat. Turns out only four other people were there to watch the 2 o’clock matinee, but during the previews this came on…

That was worth the $11.50 by itself! He needs no introduction, or review… He is a saint.

Jay-Z’s Brooklyn We Go Hard coupled with Branch Ricky’s famous line “I want a player who has the guts not to fight back” literally gave me the chills.

So you get it, my expectations for this movie are through the roof. If it’s anything short of the best baseball movie of all time I will be disappointed. So when I got home from “Mama” with my Aunt (which was ok, kind of jumpy with a weak ending) I immediately created my list of the greatest baseball movies of all time. I took it to practice the next day and asked my teammates for some input. With their help, this is my final standings.

10. The Rookie

-A true story based on a high school teacher/baseball coach whose playing career was cut short from injuries. After healing from his injuries he discovers that he can throw really hard, so his high school baseball team convinces him to sign up for a Major League tryout if they win the state championship. It’s Disneyfied but still a great story.

9. Bull Durham

-Kevin Costner’s second best baseball movie in his career gets knocked because it focuses more on romance than actual baseball. It’s still a great movie and definitely worth seeing.

8. Eight Men Out

-A great movie that tells the story of the 1919 Black Socks scandal. It’s meant for the more sophisticated baseball fan and I would recommend reviewing your baseball history book before you watch it.

7. 61*

-The story of Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris chasing Babe Ruth’s single season homerun record. A must see if you haven’t already.

6. Bad News Bears

-The original and the remake are both hilarious movies with great characters and liners. An ultimate classic ranking 6^th shows that baseball movies are the best of any sport films.

5. A League of Their Own

-Tom Hanks is hilarious in a movie about the first female baseball league. A must watch for a good laugh.

4. Field of Dreams

-Kevin Costner is awesome in a classic film about a farmer who hears voices that tell him to build a baseball diamond in the middle of his struggling cornfield. It’s a definite “I can’t believe you haven’t seen that!!” if you haven’t seen it.

3. Moneyball

-Moneyball shows the origin of baseball’s saber metric revolution. The story of portrayed by Brad Pitt will go down as a big moment in baseball history.

2. The Natural

-The scene where Roy Hobbs hits a homerun off the lights, enough said.

1. The Sandlot

-The greatest baseball movie far and away. It portrays baseball at its purist form coupled with a great story line. “You’re killing me smalls”

That’s your competition Harrison Ford, don't screw this up. I will be waiting vehemently until April 12, 2013

Sincerely

-Blake Dale Lepire

Top Ten: Most Imitated Swings of All Time

We've all had those moments playing whiffle ball in the backyard and for whatever reason its time switch up the ole stroke. Maybe the pitcher is throwing a breaking ball that starts four feet behind you and crosses the plate on the outside corner, or maybe you simply can't miss and you are playing pepper with your  Dad's tool shed in left field. No matter what the situation, its time to stop caring about all of those swings off of the Tee perfecting your swing, and time to capture some magic that lies in the most awkward yet effective swings of all time.

10.) Morgan Ensberg

-You've been tense all game, missing pitches you usually hit, swinging at pitches you usually don't. It's time to relax and do what feels natural. You raise your hands up higher than normal... and then a little higher. Wiggle the bat in no particular pattern, just make sure its wiggled really hard because that will make the ball go farther. Open your stance a little, and when the pitch comes UNLOAD! You aimed for Billy's house, which is four blocks away, but you whiffed. However, its ok because the pitcher is now scared out of his mind.

9.) Albert Pujols

-For whatever reason your mechanics are just off today. You've popped up to the pitcher off of Johnny's knuckle slider three times and you've had it. So you decide to imitate the most technically sound player of all time, you widen your stance and put your hands as far back and up as possible so that your bicep covers your mouth. You rock back and forth lifting your front toe off the ground as you rock back. It doesn't matter what happens next because with this stance a flawed swing is impossible.

8.) Derek Jeter

-Its time to clutch up, you are down a run with two runners in scoring position and it's the bottom of the not important, but Dan's knees hurt so he faked a call from his mom who told him he needs to run home to empty the dishwasher, so we all declared this the last inning. You give your best Derek Jeter impersonation and try to hit the ball to the opposite field, which probably works because Derek Jeter is a boss.

7.) Ken Griffey Jr.

-You have been hitting seeds all game, but nothing has gone over the fence. Of course you turn to Griffey's swing because it's perfect. You are probably right handed but you can't imitate Griffey from the right side so you take your chances and assume the smoothness of the bat path will send the ball into orbit.

6.) Andres Galarraga

-Johnny's front door slider has been buckling you all day. You know its a whiffle ball, but it still hurts when it hits you. The only logical adjustment is to open your stance completely so you are facing the pitcher, that way you can track the slider that moves a whole body length into the strike zone a smack it for a hit.

5.) Sammy Sosa

-Sammy was well known for hitting lasers that left the park in a hurry and it's time for you to do the same. You widen your stance, bend the knees a little, give a little toe tap and smack it out of the park. You know its gone before you even hit it, so you give two Sammy shuffles and sprint around the bases.

4.) Ichiro Suzuki

-You've been swinging for the fences all day and it hasn't been working. You decide that it's time to utilize your speed. No you aren't fast usually, but when the base is 50 feet away you feel like Usain Bolt. You bat left handed, even though you are a righty, and give the bat a huge Ichiro windmill and point it at the pitcher. When the pitch comes you lift your right leg and swing and run to first simultaneously. The ball only goes five feet but that running start helped you beat out the infield single.

3.) Jeff Bagwell

-You are the only kid playing who never played past Little League but you are an avid baseball fan. You can't hit anything because even the best hitters have trouble hitting whiffle balls that move like this.   It's your last at bat and you think back to Jeff Bagwell's game winning hit at your first ever MLB game. You spread your legs out as far as you can and squat down as low as you can. It immediately starts to burn because you can only squat up a max of 180 pounds. You immediately begin to regret this decision, revert back to your normal swing, take your strikeout and sit back down on the bench.

2.) Craig Counsell

-You are the funny guy in the group, you are worse than the Jeff Bagwell kid but your friends don't care because they think your jokes are funny. You walk up for your first at-bat and ask all of your baseball playing friends if this looks correct, and you give your best Counsell impersonation. They all laugh and you proceed to strike out.

1.) Gary Sheffield

-Its time to hit a bomb. You tried the Griffey swing, but that didn't work at all. So its time to copy the most recognizable swing of all time. You wave the bat back and forth very violently and as the pitch comes you lift your front leg and swing out of your mind. You whiff, pull something in your back, but try again because its important that you show your friends that you can hit a whiffle ball 100 feet over the tool shed.

-Blake Dale Lepire