This is the final edition in a monthly series called “Down on the Farm” that chronicled my visits to various minor league parks throughout the 2011 season. (Part 1 can be found here, part 2 here, part 3 here and part 4 here.)

In this edition, I regale you with tales and photos from my visits to brand new Werner Park in Omaha’s suburbs to see the playoff-bound Storm Chasers. Lastly, I’ll update you on how the seasons ended for my new home team, the Lincoln Saltdogs of the Independent American Association, and my former home team, the Indianapolis Indians.

The Omaha Storm Chasers were the “O-Royals” for multiple decades before they changed the team’s nickname this off-season to complement their opening of a great new yard. As you pull up to the ballpark off Highway 370 in Omaha’s rapidly growing suburb of Papillion, you feel as if you’re entering a scene out of Field of Dreams, just one state to the west. There is literally nothing around the park — other than soy bean fields and signs advertising future development — though that will change in the coming years with planned retail shops, restaurants, offices and hotels.

Werner Park sits atop a hill with a clear view of downtown Omaha’s skyscrapers – 20 or so miles northeast — on a clear day. Parking is just $2, but if you’re willing to park on gravel in the tailgate lot, just about 500 feet farther out, it’s FREE. Good deal.

As with any new park, you first notice how clean the facility is, and how friendly the staff is. We were given private seats in one of the six press boxes, with money to spend on food. Prior, Media Relations Manager Mike Feigen spent about 20 minutes explaining to me and my wife some of the nuances of Werner Park.

And there are many, as this is a top notch facility that, though built for under $30 million — the land was donated by a developer — spent wisely. Groundbreaking was August 2009.

Werner Park is one of the more unique baseball ballparks I’ve seen around the nation, as it does not resemble a traditional minor league ballpark.   It’s wide open, with great views of the field from the moment you enter, as well as a 360 degree concourse (about 1/3 of a mile)  to amble around.

A classic ballpark, and not necessarily a “stadium,” there’s no upper deck general seating — which is odd for any level of Minors, much less the highest.  Werner Park employs something of  a “pit-design,” with all 6,434 fixed seats below the concourse.

And needless to add, the Storm Chasers have kept the “family experience” strong, which is what makes Minor League ball so popular in America. Not only are there the usual food options, play areas, and abundant space for kids (basketball court, merry-go-round, wiffle ball field, picnic areas, grass seating), but for adults: social areas/party decks to grab a beer, 14 luxury suites up high, low, and even a 15th along the left field  foul line that seats up to 18 people – with netting for protection.

In many ways, the verandas, canopies and ushers in straw hats, give Werner Park the feel of Major League Spring Training–and believe me, that’s a compliment. But whereas Spring Training prices have skyrocketed to $25 on average for a decent seat, you can sit as low as third row — in a 21 inch seat with cup-holder and a great view of the field — at Werner Park for $9 on a weeknight. The first 50 kids into the park each night are charged just a $1 admission.

Fans have responded by showing up at nearly 6000 per night, which makes this semi-small yard look quite full. Through 2010, the Omaha Royals played at Rosenblatt Stadium, which held well over 20,000. Even with a “big crowd” there of 5000 — which was rare — that ballpark would still look empty most nights. I recall this experience from when I stopped by on a cross-country drive in August 2005.

As explained in a recent Omaha World Herald piece about this halcyon season:

Attendance at the new park is up 4.3 percent — or 248 fans per game — from last year, but the size of the crowds has been much more consistent. Instead of swinging wildly from more than 10,000 for some weekend games to 1,000 for weeknights, the Chasers have consistently drawn 4,000 or more, with two “hard” sellouts of 9,023. In other words, had Rosenblatt’s capacity been capped at 9,023, attendance this season would be up 16.1 percent.

On the field, like in Indianapolis where I’ve chronicled, the Storm Chasers had to adjust to the Royals plucking their best players all season. Future starts now starting down I-29 in Kansas City like Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer were both long gone by the time I arrived in late July, and Johnny Giavotella followed a few weeks later.

Catcher Salvador Perez, starting pitcher Danny Duffy and relievers Greg Holland, Louis Coleman, Blake Wood and Everett Teaford also departed for the big stage at some point in 2011. Nearly all these guys are well under 25.

But believe it or not, a ton of talent remains in Omaha.

The pitching is led by four men with big league time: PCL Pitcher of the Year Luis Mendoza (who had a would-be no hitter in July and will start the playoff opener Wednesday), Vin Mazzaro, Sean O’Sullivan, and 2006 World Series champ Jeff Suppan, still going strong at age 36. 22 year-old first round pick Mike Montgomery  rounds out the league’s second best rotation in terms of ERA.  Recently-promoted to KC, Jessie Chavez, who spent 140 games with three different clubs in The Show, and 21 year-old Dominican Kelvin Herrera, shared closer roles this season.

Giavotella and Mendoza were named Omaha’s Pitcher and Player of the Year on August 30.

As for the bats, they fell off a tad with all the promotions, but the team still posted nearly a .290 average, and was second in steals. Specifically, the top three hitters were speedy outfielder David Lough (who has hit at every level), Lorenzo Cain (who had a 43 game stint in Milwaukee last year), and 26 year-old DH Clint Robinson, who ranks near the top of the Pacific Coast League in most major offensive categories, and became only the second player in franchise history with 100 RBIs in a season.

Omaha placed more players (3: Mendoza, Giavotella and Robinson) on the All-PCL team than any other squad. And as of now — in a classy and uncommon move I heard about Sunday – KC manager Ned Yost plans to hold off any call-ups from Omaha until the playoff run ends.

All that considered, a 79-63 record and the playoffs — which begin Wednesday night in Round Rock (Texas) for the Chasers (home games this weekend )  – are the crowned jewel on arguably the most incredible season in the franchise’s 43 year history.

End of season update on Lincoln and Indianapolis

For the first time in three seasons, Lincoln missed the American Association’s playoffs; but in some ways, that doesn’t tell the entire story, which is not all gloomy.

When I ran last month’s “Down on the Farm” featuring the Saltdogs and Haymarket Park, they were basically on the precipice of playoff elimination, teetering between 4th and last place in the division, two games under .500 at 39-41. They needed to get hot, and they did. In short order, the team ran off 9 of 11, and by finishing the 2011 campaign at 51-48 (above the .500 mark for the 10th time in 11 seasons), went 12-7 down the stretch — despite dropping their final two contests in Sioux City.

In particular, when the Saltdogs left Star City  and “the best playing field” in the American Association on August 22 for their final road trip (after taking 2 of 3 from first place Winnipeg), they were right in the thick of the playoff chase, just two games back of the Wild Card leaders. But after a win in the opener at Gary saw them reach the zenith of the season (1 out of the Wild Card and 1.5 out of the division lead) the Railcats pounded Lincoln three straight, ending any hopes of September baseball in the Prairie Capital for the 8th time in 11 franchise seasons.

The ‘Dogs can be proud that five players from this year’s team, including four in the final month, had their contracts purchased by big league organizations. That was a league high, and by recollection of team president Charlie Meyer, the most in Lincoln club history.

Lincoln ended up 7th — out of 14 American Association teams — in league attendance at 3,217 per game. Included in that number was the 6th largest crowd in club history (7,187) for 2011′s penultimate home game, one of the 9 games I attended over the season’s final month.

The Indianapolis Indians have a similar story, and frankly, even more impressive.

Since April, I’ve been writing about the low expectations in Circle City after a disastrous 9-21 beginning to 2011. The Indians clawed their way back all summer, despite seeing their roster change daily due to Pittsburgh’s purging of the top farm club. In the end, the Tribe weren’t officially eliminated from a quest for their first playoffs since 2005 until the final 48 hours of the season.

Finishing well above .500 (76-68), second place in the International League’s toughest division, is one thing; but moreover, since losing 21 of their first 30 through May 7, Indy went 67-47. That served as the top mark in all of the International League.

The club also finished with a winning record for the first time since 2006, as well as just the third time since 2001.

The Indians placed 5th in International League attendance at just 8,170 per game, slightly under 600,000 cumulative fans for the 2011 campaign.

Individually, All-Star 1B Matt Hague was named the Indians Team Most Valuable Player after
leading the Tribe in games played, at bats, runs, doubles, total bases and walks.

Additionally, the Washington native easily paced the IL in hits (164), which was the fourth most by an Indians hitter in the last 40 years. Hague was also 3rd in the league in total bases and doubles, while  playing in 141 games during 2011, breaking the Victory Field era record (since 1996).

And that concludes my season-long journey, which began on a cold April morning in southern Kentucky, then took me from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri to Iowa, Texas, Nebraska and elsewhere. I hope you enjoyed reading these reports on Minor League Baseball as much as I did producing them.

Tod Palmer of the Kansas City Star recently wrote:

‘Barring a breakthrough over the next few days, Bubba Starling will head to Nebraska on Saturday, where he will start training with the Cornhuskers football team’.                                  

Bubba Starling is regarded as one of the best athletes to come out of the Kansas City area in a long time.  Starling excelled in both football and baseball while he was at Gardner-Edgerton High School which is in the suburbs of Kansas City.  While in high school, Starling was considered one of the top quarterback recruits in the class of 2011 and an early first round pick in this year’s MLB Amateur Draft.

In February he signed his letter of intent to play football for the University of Nebraska.  Many people were under the belief that when he signed on to play at Nebraska that he would never play a down for them.  Most people assumed that once he got drafted by some MLB team that he would be playing Minor League Baseball in the fall.

Knowing that Bubba Starling had already signed his letter of intent to play at Nebraska, the Kansas City Royals selected the hometown kid with the fifth pick in this year’s MLB Amateur Draft.  Being such a high draft pick, Starling is looking to get around six million dollars of guaranteed money from the Royals if he decides to play professional baseball.

One of the main reasons that Starling chose to play football at Nebraska is because they would allow him the opportunity to play baseball as well.  If Starling goes to Nebraska and decides that he wants to re-enter the MLB Amateur Draft again, he will not be eligible until 2014.

If Starling decides to play professional baseball, he would have millions of dollars and the option to always return to college football.  This is same approach that Chris Weinke took and he ended up becoming the oldest player ever to win the Heisman Trophy.  Weinke played six years of Minor League Baseball before he enrolled at Florida State to play football.

Because of the decision that Weinke made, people automatically figured that Starling would do the same thing.  Starling is unique in the fact that he is going to continue to play the two sports that he loves as a collegiate athlete instead of just playing baseball.  Most people would take the money and play professional baseball, but that option will be there for Starling once his days of being a multi-sport athlete at Nebraska are over, barring any major injury.

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Rarely though are we presented with a story about an athlete dealing with his contract in which all sports fans agree that the athlete handled it in a way that is selfless, integrity-filled, and generally beyond reproach.

Today, we are presented with such a story, which is why I want to take a few minutes to recognize Gil Meche, formerly of the Kansas City Royals.

If you have not yet heard, Meche is retiring. In the process, he is walking away from the final year of the controversial (at the time he signed it) five-year, $55 million contract he signed before the 2006 season. Follow this link to MLB.com if you want to hear Meche’s reasoning for yourself.

Essentially it boils down to this: Meche continues to deal with injuries and does not think he will be able to perform at a level commensurate with his salary; rather than struggle through another lost season or move to the bullpen, Meche would rather walk away – without seeking an injury settlement – than accept money he does not feel he would earn.

Wow. Let that sink in for a minute.

Here is what a few of my favorite baseball writers are saying about Meche’s decision.

From Joe Posnanski:

On Tuesday, Gil Meche finished off his contract in the most unbelievable way — perhaps the most unbelievable finish in major league baseball history: He walked away from the money. He retired, at age 32. He left behind $12.4 million guaranteed that was legally and rightfully his, because he had determined that he could not help the Kansas City Royals anymore.

I’ve seen a few pieces on the Internet lauding his integrity for walking away from that money … but frankly I’m stunned at the rather passive way in which most of the people are lauding him. THE MAN WALKED AWAY FROM $12.4 MILLION DOLLARS. If that has ever happened before in the history of professional sports, I have never heard about it. If that has ever happened in the history of the world outside of the movie Arthur, I am forgetting the story. Gil Meche had earned that $12.4 million — earned it by signing with the Royals on that day before the 2007 season, earned it by pitching his heart out, earned it by working with Zack Greinke and others, earned it by giving up his baseball future.

But he doesn’t feel that way. He feels like he can’t pitch anymore, and so the right thing to do is retire. Sure, he could have had surgery and collected the money. Sure, he could have tried to pitch in relief and collected the money. What percentage of people would do that? I’d say 99.999999999%. Hey, that money was his — it was legally his for signing the contract, it was rightfully his for fulfilling his end of the contract, it was medically his for giving up his right shoulder for the Royals, it was ethically his because nobody could doubt that he went above and beyond for the Kansas City Royals.

From Big League Stew:

Considering that Meche has already banked more than $50 million in his career, there’s no doubt that the cynics are yawning and saying “big deal.”

But how often do we complain about an athlete picking up a paycheck when he’s not earning it?

And how easy would it have been for Meche to trot himself out to spring training, go on the disabled list a short while later and spend one more year cashing pay stubs bigger than what some Americans make in a lifetime?

After the way he was treated by Hillman and the Royals — his 128-pitch start with his already-fragile arm last May will go down in infamy  — no one could have blamed him.

This really is a sports story unlike any other we have seen or are likely to see again. We do not need to weep or feel sorry for Gil Meche as he has clearly made plenty of money, and his family is likely set for generations to come. Certainly the $12.4 million would have afforded Meche and his family some nice additional luxuries and/or financial security, but something tells me they’ll do okay without it. So in the grand scheme of things, Meche’s sacrifice probably will not have a noticeable impact on his daily life…at least materially.

Rather, I think it all boils down to one thing, and it’s something that we as sports fans sometimes lose perspective on sometimes: what Meche’s decision boils down to is that he will be able to sleep at night and look himself in the mirror in the morning because he made the decision he believed in. That is what makes the decision the right one, not the fact that it is being universally lauded for its altruism and integrity after the fact.

If Gil Meche believed that he was owed the money, or that he owed it to his family to do whatever was necessary to get what the contract entitled him to, that would have been the right decision too. Someone without Gil Meche’s thought processes and values might have made that decision. And if they felt they were doing right by their values and their family, then I would applaud them as well.

The reason this story is such a story is because it is so rare for an athlete to think leaving $12.4 million on the table is the right decision. We are rarely presented with Gil Meches, guys who make for themselves the decision that few of us could actually make ourselves, but expect (or at least hope) others to be able to make.

My point here is that I think sometimes we expect athletes to make decisions for us. For example, I want to see Mark Buehrle finish his career with the White Sox, the only organization he’s ever known, even if the team asks him to greatly his reduce his salary in his next contract, (which it surely will), and I want to see him pitch long enough to make a run at 300 victories even though he has hinted at retirement. That’s what I want him to do and think, in many respects, would be “right.” However, Buehrle’s family is in St. Louis, he great up a fan of the Cardinals, and St. Louis might offer him more money than the White Sox when he hits the open market. What should Buehrle do? He should do what he thinks is right, even if it means spurning the organization and fans who have supported him for more than a decade.

I don’t know if that’s the best example to use. It is probably not. It was just the first one that came into my head.  What I am trying to express here is that, with respect to Gil Meche’s decision, I think him leaving money on the table is noble and selfless and “right” and all of the things that people are saying it is. But I also think that implicit in all of the plaudits Meche is receiving are subtle condemnations of someone who would make the opposite decision. And I think either decision can be the “right” one, and it has nothing to do with what you, I, or the collective sports consciousness thinks; rather, it has everything to do with what the person making the decision thinks.

So kudos to Gil Meche. We can commence the standing slow clap now. Yes, in part we should clap because Meche has provided a great example of selfless integrity, but mostly we should clap because Meche made a difficult decision for no other ostensible reason than because he believed it was the right thing to do.

Since his debut in 2007, there haven’t been many that have been better than Soria. In just four seasons, he has 132 saves with a 2.01 ERA and two All-Star appearances in 2008 and 2010. During both those years, he finished second in the American League in saves.

The man has the stats to be considered one the elite closers in the game, which makes me wonder, “where’s the respect?”

Joakim Soria was born on May 18, 1984 in Monclava, Mexico, and he got his start in pitching in his home country. On December 9, 2006, while pitching in the Mexican Baseball League, Soria threw a perfect game, much to the delight of the Kansas City Royals, who had drafted him that same year.

In 2007, he debuted for the Royals and had an impressive rookie campaign. He acquired 17 saves and had a stellar 2.48 ERA, which was enough for him to finish seventh in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. His first season in the majors caused Royals’ fans to have high expectations for their young closer, but not even they figured that his rise to star closer status would come so quickly.

2008 was a breakout season for Soria, and his performance was one of the few bright spots that the Kansas City Royals had that year. Joakim converted 42 out of 45 save opportunities, and boasted a 1.60 ERA to go along with a 0.86 WHIP.

He started out the season with a scoreless streak that nearly made it to 17 innings, and he never really looked back. He successfully converted his first 13 saves to start the campaign, and that trend continued throughout the year.

When the dust settled at the end of 2008, Soria had made an impression on many teams across the majors, and the Legend of the Mexicutioner was born.

The 2009 season was not quite as good as 2008 for Soria, but it certainly wasn’t below average by any means. He was 30 for 33 in save opportunities to go along with a 2.21 ERA and 69 punch outs. 2010 featured his second All-Star selection, and no one deserved it more. Soria had his third straight season in which blew a mere 3 saves, and he had a career-best 43 saves. To go along with the 43 saves, he had a 1.78 ERA and he fanned 71.

Since 2008, the Royals have won 207 games. Joakim Soria has saved 115 of those games. It’s pretty obvious that Soria doesn’t squander opportunities for lowly Kansas City to win games, and for him to be able to have this kind of success with a bad club like the Royals is spectacular.

Many may not know about Joakim Soria for the time being, but if he keeps of this torrential pace, nobody will be able to deny “The Mexicutioner” the respect he deserves.

Let’s get down to it.

All too often, people in the world of sports have unfair advantages, and certainly extra pressure, due to their bloodlines. Some, like say Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr. and Prince Fielder, can exceed what their fathers accomplished. Most, however, say Dale Berra, Tony Gwyn Jr., and Josh Barfield cannot reach such lofty expectations.

Such was the case for Greg Gagne.

Greg’s father Verne Gagne was the 10-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion, an accomplished amateur wrestler and football player. He also happened to be the owner and promoter of the AWA by the time his son Greg was ready to lace up the boots.

Wait…

There are two Greg Gagnes?

Both tied to Minnesota?

Damn. There goes my great anecdote of staying home sick back in highschool when ESPN Classic was showing old AWA matches. I had some sweet Larry Zbyszko knowledge to spread to you, the gentle reader. Your loss.

*** I had written most of this earlier this week, before Gaby “The Lariat” Sanchez annihilated Nyjer Morgan with one of the finest clotheslines I have ever seen. Morgan never got hit that hard back in his hockey career. Wrestling and Baseball truly were meant to be discussed together this week. Enjoy this beautifully edited Youtube clip below.

Back to work.

The actual Greg Gagne was best known for his ten seasons of service as The Twins shortstop from 1983 to 1992. He was an integral part of the Twins two championship teams in ’87 and ’91. He is one of five Twins to play on both squads along with Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett, Gene Larkin, Randy Bush, and Dan Gladden.

His main contribution to those Twins teams was as one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball. The fact he was able to earn this reputation is a testament to the effort he put into improving himself on the field. He had 26 errors in 1986 then came back in ’87 to post 47 straight errorless games. Hopefully Edwin Scissorhands/Encarnation is reading this somewhere and learns that he too can learn to field ground balls.

For a guy who seemingly had very little pop in his bat, Gagne has some memorable home runs on his career obituary. Two that immediately jump out were hit on October 4, 1986 when Gagne became only the second player since 1930 to record two inside-the-park home runs in the same game. This thankfully shot his season OBP to .300 for the first time since August 23rd that year.

More famously, Gagne hit the game winning home run of Game 1 of the 1991 World Series, considered by many to be one of the finest Series in baseball history.

Everyone who remembers Gagne remembers him as a Twin. Yet, his best season came in 1993 with The Kansas City Royals. His line of .280/.319/.406 with a career high 57RBIs and an AL leading fielding percentage of .986 helped the Royals finish 84-78.

Greg Gagne vs Ron Garvin for the AWA TV Title

Greg Gagne As Random Retro Baseball Player from Sharapova’s Thigh

If you have any suggestions for future Obscure Players, drop them in the comments.

That’s special. THAT is what makes baseball great.

From Terez Paylor at the Kansas City Star:

Bullington walked off the field, relieved. And the Kauffman Stadium crowd of 26,012, sensing they had seen his last pitch, rose in appreciation for a pitching performance that was nothing short of extraordinary.

In a season full of depressing losses, Royals fans had just witnessed a 29-year-old journeyman without a major-league victory to his name take a perfect game into the fifth inning and hold the defending World Series champions to only two hits over eight innings.

And by the time closer Joakim Soria came in to pick up his 33rd save, Bullington — a former No. 1 overall draft pick by Pittsburgh who has long been considered a bust — had not only won his first major-league game, he had also out-dueled New York star pitcher A.J. Burnett in the process.

Read the entire article: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/15/2151099/bullington-cruises-to-first-win.html#ixzz0wliblDmx

The Crew had just made the playoffs for the first time in 26 years, but not without having a September slump that cost Yost his job.

Now, just two years later, the table has been turned.

Yost recently took over as manager of the lowly, often pathetic Kansas City Royals. Sounds like Ned’s out the door again after this season, being stuck with the Royals and all, right?

Well not so fast, my friend.

If things continue the way they’ve started in the Yost Era in Kansas City, then he just might be a permanent fixture there.

Under Neddy, the Royals are a spectacular (by their standards) 5-2. Not only that, but the team has finally fought its way to 4th in the AL Central, and forced “The Guy Who Becomes Manager of Really Bad Teams” Manny Acta and his Cleveland Indians into 5th.

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers might as well make “Free Falling” their new theme song, because that’s exactly what they’re doing. The Crew has looked absolutely dead as of late.

Surem they beat the Pirates 20 to zip, but they’ve been crap against Pittsburgh and everybody else ever since. Heck, they’re even below Pittsburgh in the standings, and are in danger of falling to last in the NL Central.

As of Thursday night (I pray to God they don’t lose to the Pirates AGAIN) the Crew has a dismal record of 15-25, and have a major league-worst 4-14 record at home. That is absolutely, unforgivably awful!

I hate to say it, but they have to trade Prince Fielder for some better pitching, because there’s no way they can afford his lucrative contract that he’ll be asking for after this season.

While I think Ken Macha’s done all he can, he’ll likely be axed if the team doesn’t turn it around. This would mean Willie Randolph would likely be the new manager, though I think that Dale Sveum is spectacular managerial material (as he proved as interim manager after Ned was booted). But he won’t get that position until at least two failed tenures end with the manager meeting the axe of Doug Melvin.

Maybe we should’ve kept Ned.

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* – Ned Yost photo credit. SI.com

Royals hurler Zack Greinke was named the AL Cy Young Award winner today, beating out Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, C.C. Sabathia, and Roy Halladay.

Curiously, Jose Contreras did not receive any votes.

For the season, Greinke went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and struck out 242 batters in 229.1 innings. Clearly he was the most dominant pitcher the AL with the putrid performance of his team being the only black mark on his resume.

Good for the voters for not holding that against him.

Greinke’s Cy Young victory completes an incredible turnaround for the 26-year old pitcher whose promising career seemingly bottomed out in 2005 when he went 5-17 with a 5.80 ERA. It was later learned that Greinke suffers from social anxiety disorder, something that he clearly has a much better handle on now.

MSF salutes Zack Greinke, clearly the right choice for this year’s AL Cy Young Award.

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* – Zack Greinke photo credit: Robert Beck  via SI.com

First, let’s talk about Peavy.

It had been rumored that Jake Peavy might make his White Sox debut on September 3rd when the pale hose travel to the North Side for a makeup game with the Cubs. Everyone seemed excited about this because obviously we’d love to crush Cubs to win the season series 4-2 while furthering erode the North Siders’ playoff chances and bolstering our own.  Plus, the irony of Peavy doing it would be delicious considering how much the Cubs wanted to pry him away from San Diego.

However, it’s not happening…and for good reason.

As reported this morning by Dave Van Dyck of the Tribune, the White Sox are not going to chance having Peavy bat and run the bases. Hence, he will only pitching in the safe haven of AL ballparks (possibly as soon as August 28th against the Yankees, depending on how he feels after his next rehab start) where his healing ankle can take cover in the dugout while the White Sox are up to bat.

“He’s not going to pitch over there (at Wrigley),” Sox general manager Ken Williams said. “He got hurt on the bases.”

This is a pretty easy one: I agree. Why chance it? Peavy reportedly looked great in his first rehab start at AAA Charlotte (3 innings, 43 pitches, 1 hit, 5 Ks), and will be heavily counted on down the stretch with our pitching staff looking a bit wobbly lately. Gavin Floyd and John Danks have put together some solid starts recently, but Mark Buehrle has struggled since his perfecto and Jose Contreras has just been awful. 

And then there is the lingering question mark of who takes the ball every fifth day now that Clayton Richard is in San Diego. That’s where we get to the other half of the headline, regarding the former hero returning to the South Side. 

Freddy Garcia, who won 40 games for the White Sox between 2004-2006, takes the ball tonight in the second game of a huge series against the Kansas City Royals. He will be opposed by Gil Meche, who is only 5-9 on the season, but has a solid career track record against the White Sox. 

Garcia has only pitched 73 innings since leaving Chicago in 2006 after going 3-0 in the 2005 playoffs and helping bring a World Series title to the Windy City. He failed to gain traction with the Phillies or Tigers and is now back on the South Side being managed by his good friend Ozzie Guillen.

As Scott Merkin reported at chisox.com, while Garcia’s right shoulder may not quite be back to its old strength, he was hitting the low-90s on the gun in his last rehab start.  Plus, his manager and teammates have confidence that Garcia has that “wily ‘ol vet” experience and ability to still be effective and help the club.

“I’m really glad to be back,” said Garcia, who joined the White Sox on Monday after their six-game, seven-day West Coast road trip. “It took me a long time to come back, but I’m glad to be here.”

…

With Jose Contreras struggling mightily over his past six starts, allowing 24 earned runs over 28 1/3 innings, a strong effort from Garcia could propel him into a permanent starting spot over the season’s final six weeks. Manager Ozzie Guillen will go with the hot hand, both in the field and on the mound, but cautions fans not to expect the 2005 Garcia to take the field against the Royals.

“He knows how to pitch, he knows how to get people out,” said Guillen. “I think he’ll be fine. He knows how to do stuff out there.”

“All I need to know is that he’s healthy and he’s got his arm strength to where it is at a point where he can effectively use his offspeed stuff to complement [his fastball],” said White Sox general manager Ken Williams. “His fastball doesn’t have to be 93 [mph] because of his second and third pitch.”

We know that Jake Peavy will have a spot in the rotation when he returns, and now it looks like two of the 2005 heroes will be duking it out for the 5th spot. Regardless, it will good to see Freddy Garcia back on the bump for the White Sox tonight, and I expect the Comiskey faithful to give him an appreciative hand when he takes the mound.

Hopefully he gets an ovation when he walks off the mound as well, because that would most likely mean that he has put the White Sox in a position to win. Sitting two games back, with September rapidly approaching, and a roadtrip to Boston, New York, and Minnesota on the horizon, the White Sox need to get as many as possible against the Royals and Orioles at home this week.

Here’s hoping “Big Game” Freddy can live up to the nickname his first time out.

**********

* – Jake Peavy photo credit: Bill Walker/Charlotte Knights via Knights website

* – Freddy Garcia photo credit: HotFootBlog

But the White Sox stole one in the 9th last Tuesday against Seattle, when Alexei Ramirez cracked a three-run homer in the top of the 9th, so I guess you could say Sunday’s loss was just the road trip evening itself out.

What faces the White Sox this week is, on the surface, much less intimidating than last week’s West Coast swing and the impending road trip against Boston, New York, and Minnesota. The White Sox go back home for three against the cellar dwelling Royals, an off day, and then three more against the cellar dwelling Orioles. Sitting 2.5 games behind Detroit with 44 games left to play, this is a huge opportunity for the White Sox to quit flirting with .500 and get to six or seven games over.

Expecting anything more than a split next week is probably wishful thinking, so the White Sox need to take it upon themselves to string together some victories — and some breathing room — against teams that they should beat at home this week.

Mark Buehrle kicks off the home stand today against Brian Bannister, and Mr. Perfect needs to fulfill his role as staff ace and get us off on the right foot. 

With the most difficult stretch of the season beginning one week from today, the White Sox cannot afford to waste this opportunity.

But it also means something else: it’s time to dole out some midseason awards.

Since our primary focus here at Midwest Sports Fans is, well, the Midwest, I am going to focus my award giving to just the Central divisions of the American and National League. Let’s get right to it.

NL Central 1st Half MVP: Albert Pujols, and I really don’t need to say anything else about it. His name itself is becoming hyperbole. I want to see a new version of “The Most Interesting Man in the World” commercials featuring Pujols. They could be called “The Most Dominating Presence in Baseball” and include lines like “he once struck out, just to see what it felt like” and “he’s seen less pitches than the World Cup, yet his goatee alone has hit more home runs than Ryan Ludwick.” Albert Pujols is amazing and is not just the NL Central MVP, but the MLB MVP for the first half of 2009.

AL Central 1st Half MVP: This one is not so clear cut. Let’s take a look at a few of the candidates (stats as of July 9th):

• Joe Mauer, Twins: 60 G, 224 AB, .388 BA, 15 HR, 47 RBI, 48 R, 1.118 OPS
• Justin Morneau, Twins: 84 G, 319 AB, .317 BA, 21 HR, 69 RBI, 56 R, .984 OPS
• Jermaine Dye, White Sox: 77 G, 276 AB, .297 BA, 20 HR, 54 RBI, 51 R, .940 OPS
• Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals: 10-5, 2.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 129 K, 29 BB

Obviously I really want to say JD, or even Scott Podsednik, and I think there is an argument to be made for them as their value has been highlighted by the injury to Carlos Quentin, but I have a hard time giving it to anyone other than Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer with the impressive stats both have racked up.

It certainly isn’t Zack Greinke, whose team becomes more irrelevant with each passing week. If his ERA was still 1.00, then maybe. But he hasn’t been as lights-out recently, which is to be expected since he isn’t the greatest pitcher in the history of mankind and all beings, as some have suggested.

While everyone is salivating over Mauer, and don’t get me wrong — he has been great since returning from injury, Morneau has been producing at a high level for 24 more games and over the span of almost 100 more ABs than Mauer. Plus, batting average is an overrated stat, so Mauer gets no bonus points from me because he’s making everyone dream about .400. Both are great candidates, and by the end of the year such a difference in games won’t be so magnified, but right now I have to go with Morneau, who has been the most consistent run producer in the division over the course of the entire first half.

NL Central 1st Half Cy Young: I see two primary contenders: Adam Wainwright of St. Louis and Yovani Gallardo of Milwaukee. Here are the stats:

• Yovani Gallardo, Brewers: 8-6, 109.2 innings, 2.95 ERA, 120 K, 51 BB
• Adam Wainwright, Cardinals: 9-5, 122.1 innings, 3.09 ERA, 110 K, 45 BB

Pretty damn close based on the numbers (and you could probably throw Ryan Franklin in the mix here too, who has been great as the Cardinals’ closer). My first instinct when comparing Gallardo and Wainwright is to go with the guy pitching for the team in first place, but it’s hard to use team record as a tie-breaker considering the Cardinals are only one game up on the Brewers in the standings. Or is it? With two pitchers this close, sometimes it comes right down to head-to-head battles.

Thus far in 2009, Wainwright has absolutely dominated Milwaukee. He is 2-0 in two starts against the Brewers, going 15.1 innings and giving up just a single run while striking out 18. Gallardo, on the other hand, has struggled somewhat against his team’s primary competition for the division title. Despite having a better overall ERA and WHIP than Wainwright, Gallardo is 0-1 against St. Louis. Sure, he pitched 8 innings of shutout ball while only giving up 2 hits in the teams’ May 25th battle, so you can’t blame him for the no decision there, but that game was not head-to-head against Wainwright like the July 7th game was. In that battle, Gallardo lasted only five innings and gave up four runs in a 5-0 loss for the Brew Crew.

So maybe that one game difference for the Cardinals is the difference between Wainwright and Gallardo. I’m giving the 1st half Cy Young for the NL Central to Adam Wainwright.

AL Central 1st Half Cy Young: Lots of legit contenders here. Let’s list them out with stats:

• Mark Buehrle, White Sox: 9-2, 3.14 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 114.2 innings, 65 K, 25 BB
• Joe Nathan, Twins: 0-1, 1.13 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 33.1 innings, 22 saves, 43 K, 7 BB
• Justin Verlander, Tigers: 9-4, 3.59 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 115.1 innings, 141 K, 35 BB
• Edwin Jackson, Tigers: 6-4, 2.59 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 114.2 innings, 93 K, 33 BB
• Zack Greinke, Royals: 10-5, 2.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 127.1 innings, 129 K, 29 BB
• Fausto Carmona, Indians: 2-6, 7.42 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 60.2 innings, 36 K, 41 BB

If we were giving this out to the pitcher who has been the most generous to opposing hitters and teams, Fausto Carmona would win in a landslide. And yes, this is the same Fausto Carmona that went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA in 2007. But obviously I only listed Carmona here to throw more salt in the multitude of open wounds Cleveland’s start has given its fans. More on him later.

Back to the subject at hand. Zack Greinke obviously has the best numbers, but I just don’t believe in handing out awards to players whose teams are not in the playoff race. There is a different level of pressure when your team is expected to win and when games are meaningful. If the award were Most Outstanding Pitcher, it’s Greinke by a landslide. It’s not, and it clearly states in the fine print of my own personal Cy Young and MVP criteria that last place teams (Cleveland sucks so bad they don’t count anymore) cannot have Cy Young or MVP winners, so we’ll let Willy Wonka tell Zack Greinke what he’s won:

(By the way, credit goes to Hugging Harold Reynolds for tweeting that video yesterday. I hadn’t seen that in forever, but always loved Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Charlie Bucket is a golden god.)

Honestly, I can’t find a whole lot to separate Buehrle, Verlander, and Jackson. All three have had excellent seasons. I’d give the edge to Buehrle because he owns the Tigers and Verlander sucks against the White Sox, and both have more wins than Jackson, but it’s really splitting hairs between those three.

My 1st half AL Central Cy Young goes to Joe Nathan, who has just be out-of-this-world awesome. The Twins’ pitchers (other than Nick Blackburn, who is having a very good yet under-the-radar season) have struggled this season. Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, and Kevin Slowey have all dealt with injuries and bouts of ineffectiveness. The one constant (throughout all the years Ray, has been baseball) has been Joe Nathan at the back end of the bullpen making sure that when the Twins do have a late lead, they do not surrender it.

I’m not a huge proponent of giving Cy Youngs to closers who typically pitch less than a third of the amount of innings a top-line starter does, but Joe Nathan has given up only 18 hits in 33.1 innings and is 22-24 in save opportunities. He has been beyond dominant and there is no way the Twins would be as close to first place as they are without him. It’s a competitive field, but Nathan is the choice.

NL Central Manager of the 1st Half: Tony LaRussa, and I don’t think it’s close. Ken Macha has done a nice job in Milwaukee keeping the Brewers in the race without C.C. Sabathia or Ben Sheets, but LaRussa has the Cardinals in first place with one legit hitter in his lineup. Yes, that hitter is the great Pujols, but look at the rest of the team’s offensive stats. Putrid. And it’s not like their pitching has been lights out. Ryan Franklin has been a revelation in the bullpen, and getting Chris Carpenter back has helped, but this is still a rotation that counts on guys like Kyle Lohse, Joel Piniero, and Todd Wellemeyer. That LaRussa has the Cardinals in first place is a testament to his managerial genius (and to Pujols’ utter dominance, of course).

AL Central Manager of the 1st Half: I really want to say Ozzie Guillen, and I think that he’s done a great job, but my vote goes to Jimmy Leyland of Detroit. It’s not just that the Tigers are in first place, it’s that they’ve been able to rebound from last season’s disappointment with a far less potent offensive attack and without the benefit of an above-average bullpen. Leyland has navigated his way through the struggles of Dontrelle Willis and Armando Gallarraga, plus had to deal with Magglio Ordonez’s sharp decline. Leyland essentially has a lineup with only three hitters who have been consistent producers (Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge, Curtis Granderson), yet there the Tigers sit, a couple games up and eight games over .500.

2009 has been an excellent rebound season for Detroit, and Leyland deserves credit as the man steering the ship. He also deserves credit for having one of the most hilarious old school baseball cards ever. The hat, the mustache, the sunburned face…I’m not sure if he’s at Spring Training, a train conductor, or working at a carnival.

And with that, let’s transition into a few “alternative” awards for the first half.

NL Central Least Valuable Player of the 1st Half: Milton Bradley wins this one. Signed in the offseason after putting up terrific numbers in Texas, The Angry One has only gotten 203 ABs so far this season and hasn’t done much with them. He’s hitting .236 and, even worse, is slugging only .374. Ouch. Plus, he is being his usual distracting self and getting into public pissing matches with his manager when he’s not forgetting how many outs there are in an inning. Like most things having to do with the Cubs, you just get the feeling that this is not going to end well.

AL Central Least Valuable Player of the 1st Half: Fausto Carmona of the Indians. We touched on his stats above, and they really say it all. This guy has just gone straight downhill since 2007 and the Indians have to be wondering if he’ll ever be able to recapture the ability that made him appear to be one of the bright young pitching stars in the big leagues. Despite a rough 2008, a lot was expected out of Carmona this year. Well, the Indians have gotten a lot out of him…it’s just all been bad.

AL/NL Central Worst Manager of the 1st Half: Hands down Eric Wedge. You need look no further than this site, where our very own AJ Kaufman calls for Wedge’s head in pretty much every article he writes. The Indians were expected to contend for the AL Central crown, yet they are 13.5 games out and 19 games under .500 already.

AL/NL Central Manager with the most potential to give his kids truly awful awesome names: Eric Wedge. If he had any sense of humor he would name his kids Orange, Potato, and Cheese. No such luck though. As it is, he and his wife named their kids Ava and Dalton Cash. Oh well.

Come to think of it though, Dalton Cash Wedge is a pretty sweet and unique name. The kid is either going be a scrappy middle infielder/#2 hitter in the majors or the lead actor in his generation’s version of Dawson’s Creek. Well done Eric. (See, we don’t always criticize you on Midwest Sports Fans.)

AL/NL Central Quote of the 1st Half: This one is easy and goes to (who else?) Ozzie Guillen. And there were a few of them, all of which were gloriously derogatory towards the team from the North Side.

“But one thing about Wrigley Field, I puke every time I go there. That’s just to be honest. And if Cub fans don’t like the way I talk about Wrigley Field, it’s just Wrigley Field. I don’t say anything about the fans or anything now. But Wrigley Field, they got to respect my opinion. That’s the way I feel…I don’t care if they hate me. They don’t feed my kids. If they hate me, that’s cool.”

That’s just a great quote, although the part about Ozzie not talking about Cubs fans may not be entirely true. Ozzie also had this gem:

“…our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans.”

AL/NL Central Home Run Call of the Year: Hawk Harrelson, two days ago. Hell yeah!

That’s all I’ve got. Sorry for not even mentioning your teams Reds, Astros, and Pirates fans…they’ve all been pretty uninteresting so far this year, at least as far as I’m concerned. But feel free to add your own midseason awards in the comments.

The White Sox bring out the brooms again tonight, and then play the Twins in a pivotal pre-All Star Break series. As Hawk might say, I loooove baseball.

* – Jim Leyland baseball card image credit: Vinewood Sports Cards

* – Albert Pujols photo credit: Urban Shocker

It is unfortunately important to note that just because Quentin will be taking swings in Charlotte, it is not automatic that his foot will hold up:

The 2008 MVP candidate has been on the shelf with plantar fasciitis in his left foot since May 26. He said two weeks ago that even if the tendon in the foot holds up the rest of the season, he might have surgery after the season.

If it doesn’t hold up?

”We’re aware that if a relapse happens where the tendon ruptures even more, well, that’s major,” Quentin said.

Guillen and the organization want to make sure that Quentin gets to the end of this season without any setbacks. Then they can make a decision on the next step.

”We’ll see what happens,” Guillen said. ”I’m very optimistic about his improvement. But in the meanwhile, I have to see it first, then I’ll get excited.”

Still, for White Sox fans (and especially this one, who banked a lot of pride on Quentin’s eventual healthy return) today is a positive sign. Hopefully the reports from Charlotte will be as good as the reports were from Kansas City yesterday.

The White Sox had one of their most impressive wins of the season against Zack Greinke and the fading Royals last night, a 5-0 shutout. A few performances in particular stood out:

• Scott Podsednik (the 2009 AL MVP? That’s not as ridiculous as it sounds…) went 3-4 with 2 runs and a double and continues to be a stalwart atop the White Sox order. He also continued his impressive and surprising dominance of Zack Greinke. Look at this numbers: 16-30 (.533 BA), 5 2B, 1 3B, 1.342 OPS. Wow.
• AJ Pierzynski continued his hot hitting by going 3-4 with a home run and evening his average up at .300 for the season.
• John Danks captured his 7th win of the season, pitching 7 1/3 shutout innings and striking out 5 while giving up only 5 hits and, most importantly, walking no one. Danks now has a 2.70 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP lifetime in 7 starts against the Royals.

Today, Gavin Floyd looks to continue his hot pitching and lead the White Sox to their 8th straight victory of the year. He will be opposed by Luke Hochevar. The White Sox are currently only 2.5 games out of first place with Minnesota and Detroit beating up on eachother this weekend. Either way, a victory for the White Sox will see them get closer to Detroit or put more distance between 2nd and 3rd place. And if Carlos Quentin has a successful first step in Charlotte, even better.

It’s not too greedy to ask for a double-dose of good news on July 4th is it? Let’s see some fireworks White Sox, and a safe, comfortable, healthy return to the field for Carlos Quentensity. (I like this name a lot better than Mr. Pocelain…)

Without question, Zack Greinke’s meteoric rise into the pantheon of top pitchers in Major League Baseball has been one of the best stories this April.

Zack Greinke’s story — falling into the abyss of social anxiety disorder and coming back from it — deserves both respect and adulation. The following passage from the SI article paints the depressing picture perfectly:

During a dreadful 2005 season in which he would finish with a 5–17 record and a 5.80 ERA, Brian Anderson remembers Greinke once suddenly announcing in the dugout, “I’m going to throw a 50-mph curveball next inning.” That was all he said.

Next inning, Greinke threw a preposterously slow curve to Detroit’s Dmitri Young, the kind that made the whole crowd shout “Oooh.” Anderson stuck his head out of the dugout to get the reading. It was precisely 50 mph.

The incident says something about Greinke’s quirkiness and a virtuoso’s feel for pitching, but it reveals more than that, too. It shows that Greinke was in trouble. He hated pitching so much that he had to invent little games to keep himself from crumbling. Everything was falling apart. He feuded with his pitching coach, Guy Hansen, who wanted him to move five inches to the left on the rubber. Never close to his teammates, he became even more distant, occasionally hostile.

The SI story about Zack Greinke, from where the above passage is taken, is written by Joe Posnanski, one of the most consistently sublime sportswriters out there. If he says that Zack Greinke is the best pitcher in baseball, then Greinke has a pretty powerful and respectable source in his corner. (And, truth be told, Posnanski does only say that Greinke is the best pitcher in baseball “for the moment.”)

I have to say, it’s pretty hard to argue with Zack Greinke’s stat line thus far through his first four games in April:

• Record: 4-0
• ERA: 0.00
• WHIP: 0.86
• K/BB: 36/6
• Complete game shutouts: 2
• Consecutive starts without an earned run dating back to last season: 6

To say that those numbers are preposterously good would be an understatement. If I was playing a video game and had a pitcher with those kind of stats I would raise the difficulty level. So it is hard to dispute that at this very moment Zack Greinke is the best pitcher in baseball. He may even be, at this very moment right now, the best player in baseball — bar none (with apologies to Albert Pujols).

But is Zack Greinke really the best pitcher in baseball?

Off the top of my head I can think of a few guys that I would certainly consider to be on Greinke’s level who are far more proven over the long haul: C.C. Sabathia, Roy Halladay, and Jake Peavy. Tim Lincecum, while only in his third year, has already proven that he can be dominant over the course of an entire season, which is something that Greinke has yet to do.

I can’t say off-hand whether I would take any of these guys over Zack Greinke if I was the GM of an MLB team, but I do think they would all be worthy debates.

There is one pitcher, however, for whom there would be no debate: Johan Santana — the true best pitcher in baseball.

I know that Sports Illustrated wants to go out on a limb with their cover claim in an effort to sell more magazines, and that calling Johan Santana the best pitcher in baseball has become something of a cliche, but that’s because it is true. And if SI’s cover story is any indication of the general perception of baseball writers or baseball fans, then we are not truly appreciating the consistent greatness of Johan Santana.

As insanely good as Zack Greinke’s start has been, is anyone noticing the incredible four-game start of Santana this season?

• Record: 3-1 (and his one loss was a 13K gem in which he went 7 innings while giving up only 3 hits and no earned runs)
• ERA: 0.70
• WHIP: 0.90
• K/BB: 37/6

Clearly, Greinke’s start has been better. But let’s compare their numbers from last season:

• ERA: Santana – 2.53 | Greinke – 3.47
• WHIP: Santana – 1.15 | Greinke – 1.28
• Ks: Santana – 206 | Greinke – 183
• IP: Santana – 234.1 | Greinke – 202.1

Greinke was good last year, and certainly my hat is off to him for overcoming what he has overcome to rebound from his awful 2005 season, but I think SI is jumping the gun just a bit by proclaiming him the best pitcher in baseball. Johan Santana is only 3 1/2 years older than Greinke and has been producing at a high level in the majors since 2002. Greinke finally started coming into his own last season, and has followed that success up with a ridiculous start to this season, but just look at the year-by-year career stats of Johan Santana compared with the year-by-year career stats of Zack Greinke.

There really is no comparison.

If the claim was “best pitcher in baseball over the last 6 starts,” then yes Zack Greinke is your choice. But we all know that high atop the list of important characteristics for a pitcher is the ability to produce consistently over the long haul, season after season. Zack Greinke may yet prove that he can be this type of pitcher, but no one, not even the great Roy Halladay, can compete with Johan Santana in this area right now.

Besides, just by putting Zack Greinke on their cover and subjecting him to the infamous jinx, Sports Illustrated may be ensuring that he will not continue to be the “best pitcher in baseball.” Maybe from that perspective Johan Santana is happy they did not choose him. Of course, Santana has been on the SI cover before and it hasn’t seemed to bother him much.

(Update: And the SI cover jinx may have already begun. In his first start since the new SI was issued, earlier tonight against Toronto, Greinke gave up his first earned runs of the year. It wasn’t a complete jinx though, as he improved to 5-0 and struck out 8 over 7 innings. Johan Santana also pitched tonight, going 7 innings, giving up two earned, and striking out 7.)

If I was starting a team today, and I could choose any pitcher in baseball to start it with, I’m choosing Johan Santana without even a split second thought. And when I think of the best pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana is the first and only pitcher who comes to mind.

Sports Illustrated picked a great pitcher to profile, and Joe Posnanski was his usual proselific* self, but Zack Greinke still has a ways to go before I would even consider him as the best pitcher in baseball. Considering his personal backstory, and the underdog nature of his team, I wouldn’t mind seeing him get there though.

Kudos to Zack Greinke for beginning to fulfill his immense potential, but best pitcher in baseball is a torch that will have to be passed by Johan Santana, rather than handed out by the SI headline writers.

What do you think?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

* – Just made that one up while typing. Pretty apt word to describe Joe Posnanski, don’t you think?

1. How is Carlos Quentin after being removed from the game in Baltimore last night?
2. How much did LA end up beating Utah by?

With respect to Quentin, I feared the worst but was hoping for the best. Luckily, it appears like Quentin only has a bruised hand. With respect to the LA-Utah game last night, I was obviously very surprised to learn upon waking up that the Jazz had won the game — and done so in dramatic, thrilling, Kobe-like fashion.

Deron Williams, who only took 7 shots from the field all night and finished with 13 points, drained a fadeaway jumper in the final seconds to complete Utah’s Game 2 comeback and give them life in the best-of-seven first round series.

Williams, who has always been a player I’ve admired since he was at (ugh) Illinois, also had 9 assists. Carlos Boozer stepped it up last night as well, grabbing 22 rebounds and scoring 23 points as the Jazz overcame an 8-point deficit to star the 4th quarter. Kobe Bryant finished 5-24 from the field for the Lakers, who only shot 36.8% from the field as a team.

And here is the footage that will make KVB cringe, but that gave Jazz fans everywhere hope that the Lakers’ advancement to the Finals my not yet be quite the foregone conclusion everyone thinks it is:

Click Here for Great Deals on NBA Playoff Tickets from StubHub

Video: Deron Williams Shot to Beat Lakers in Game 3

Well done Jazz, although I still think the series ends in 5 games.

Since that was a video, it doesn’t really count as a link, which means that we need to find another story for our official Link of the Day. And it wasn’t too hard because the guys over at Sharapova’s Thigh always have an interesting take on things.

Today they discuss Royals pitcher Zack Greinke who, along with White Sox lefty John Danks, is among the most underrated handful of players in the Major Leagues. In the article we will link you too, Matt looks at the attention and admiration showered upon Josh Hamilton after coming back from his drug issues and wonders why Zack Greinke does not get the same level of attention.

I think everyone knows the story of Greinke. He was a phenom prospect that made Peter Gammons and many other analysts, as well as anyone associated with the Royals, drool. He was named Gatorade National Player of the Year in high school and Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year a year after being drafted by KC. Then he came up in 2004 and scored a 3.97 ERA in 24 starts, prompting many to anoint him as one of the great young pitchers for the future.

But then problems began, and this where we link you over to Sharapova’s Thigh so you can read more for yourself after a tasty little excerpt:

LOTD: Zack Greinke Has the Admirable Story, Not Josh Hamilton — (Sharapova’s Thigh)

However, in 2005 he struggled mightily. He won just 5 games, led the American League in losses with 17, and had an ERA of 5.80. He gave up a whopping 233 hits in 183 innings, and struck out just 114.

Something clearly wasn’t right. He was too talented to be getting hit this hard and it certainly hadn’t been a problem in his first season in the majors. The Royals couldn’t figure out what exactly was going on. There had to be more to this that wasn’t just showing up on the radar gun readings or in his mechanics.

It turned out Greinke had been battling depression and dealing with social anxiety disorder.

This is point where, according to Matt, the situations of Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke diverge: “The difference between the situations of Greinke and Hamilton is that Greinke didn’t choose for this to happen.” Hop on over to ST and read the story. I don’t want to give it all away. It’s a good read.

I think both Hamilton and Greinke have great stories that are inspriational in their own way. Their struggles have humanized them, while their incredibly unique baseball talents have allowed them to be positive examples for people struggling with similar problems. I have no problem with all of the attention being showered upon Josh Hamilton because his story can hopefully help younger athletes avoid similar mistakes. I agree that Greinke’s story deserves more attention, as it can similarly help athletes deal with issues that many times are not understood in clubhouses and locker rooms, but that are not less severe or debilitating.

And now some more links from around the sports blogosphere before I get to “real” work:

Why I hate Derrick Rose — (Josh Q. Public)

As Rondo Goes, so Go the Celtics — (Josh Q. Public)

A chart proving which baseball teams suck — (Sparty and Friends)

FOX thinks A-Rod is a liar — (Sparty and Friends)

Movie Review: Tyson — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

NBA’s Top 10 Franchise Players — (The Scores Report)

Anyone Ready For Aaron Poreda? — (Zoner Sports)

Campbell will ask for trade if Redskins draft QB — (NFL.com)

Your blog didn’t get buzzed by ESPN? Don’t sweat it — (The World According to MoonDog)

Crabtree: Boom or Bust? — (Matt Bowen at NationalFootballPost.com)

Indiana gets commitment from 2010 recruit – (Herald Times Blog)

The Next Big Thing: Gordon Beckham — (Circling the Bases)

MLB odds have the Tigers at +125, and Detroit had no problems scoring runs last year, finishing fifth in the majors with an attack powered by Miguel Cabrera’s 37 HR and 127 RBI.

However, Detroit allowed 857 runs, fourth-worst in all of baseball, and Justin Verlander must return to his 2007 form for the Tigers to have a chance. Jeremy Bonderman missed most of last season with a blood clot, and he has to show he’s healthy if the Tigers are to get out of the Central basement.

Cleveland is next with MLB odds of +175 to win the Central, and the Indians were inconsistent all season before ending with a .500 mark.

Cliff Lee proved a fine replacement for the traded C.C. Sabathia, winning the AL Cy Young award, but it’s also essential for Fausto Carmona, who suffered through a hip ailment in 2008, to emerge as the No.2 pitcher. Grady Sizemore is back to spearhead a potent attack that was seventh in the majors in runs scored, while Jhonny Peralta is one of the best hitting shortstops in the league.

Minnesota was on the losing end of the playoff loss to the White Sox in 2008, and the Twins have MLB odds of +240 this season.

Minnesota quietly built one of the strongest offenses in the majors, as Justin Morneau led the way with 23 HR and 129 RBI. The Twins’ pitching soldiered on without Johan Santana, coming in 16th in runs allowed, and after an 11-4 record, 27-year-old Scott Baker could be the next pitching star in the American League.

The defending champions have MLB odds of +600, and they’ll have to replace Javier Vazquez in the starting rotation. The White Sox finished right behind the Tigers in runs scored, and Carlos Quentin will be eager to come back from a freak broken wrist after being a favorite for the AL MVP for a good part of the season.

Kansas City brings up the rear with MLB odds of +800, and the Royals acquired Coco Crisp from Boston in the offseason for their outfield. The Royals were sixth-worst in runs scored and ninth-worst in runs allowed, but they should be better this year, based on a better performance in the second half.

14.5 games separated first from last in the AL Central last year, and it should be another closely contested season. On paper, Detroit should run away with it, but their pitching is a huge question mark. Minnesota is probably the most consistent, but if Lee has another Cy Young season, the Indians will be right there as well. If you’re looking for a good value pick, take Minnesota and their MLB odds.

What do you think?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.