MLB Power Rankings - June edition

Two months into the season, I can no longer use the excuse that it's early to hide some bad predictions.  When the 30th ranked Indians were off to a good start, I still thought they'd cool off by Memorial Day.  Well, that has come and gone and they still have the largest lead of any division leader, so maybe they're for real.   I still don't think they are a playoff team, but I'd like to take back my January comment when I said about the Pirates "Fans will probably be happy that I didn’t put them in their perennial #30 spot.  And there’s a very good reason for that.  It’s called the Cleveland Indians!" Pittsburgh is not at the bottom of my rankings, but it's not because Cleveland is any lower.  On the other end of the spectrum, my initial ranking of the Twins at #5 doesn't look too brilliant either.

Not all my predictions were quite as bad. I had Boston and Philly 1-2 and in spite of the Red Sox' slow start, these are still the 2 top teams.  I was one of the few who believed Tampa would still contend this year, and they have.  I had the Brewers ranked #7 in January, and that's where they're back to.  Predicting Adrian Gonzalez to win the MVP doesn't look like such a bad guess either.  And when I had Jon Lester winning the Cy Young, I actually meant Josh Beckett ;)

Badlands Baseball Academy

There is another new high school age baseball academy starting up in the fall in Alberta.  The Badlands Baseball Academy is setting up in Oyen.   Here is an article I wrote for the Canadian Baseball Network with some of the highlights of this program.  More details can be found on their website at www.badlandsbaseballacademy.com.

Canadian 1st round draft pick

Hey local Red Sox fans... did you know that the Red Sox once selected a Canadian with their first round draft pick?  And that now that he is retired, he is living right here in Alberta?    Of course I'm talking about the first Canadian ever drafted in the first round, Chris Reitsma, who was picked by our very own Red Sox.

I wrote the following article on Calgarian Chris Reitsma,  and it's been published on the Canadian Baseball Network.  My interest in Reitsma, is not only that he's a major league ballplayer from the city I live in, but without his knowing it, he was a big part of my decision to move here.  My employer had asked me to transfer from Toronto and I was reluctant to do so.  Even though it would be a good step for my career, I'd have to leave all my family and friends behind.  I was deeply conflicted.  I used my analytical skills and made a detailed spreadsheet complete with weightings of different criteria.  I added up all the pros and cons and it was as dead even as could be. Lots of new opportunities if we moved, but it was a risk. The night before the decision was due, I didn't sleep well. I had a tough choice to make and still didn't know which was I was leaning.   Then, on the train ride while commuting into work, I was reading in the USA Today the results of the MLB draft, and noticed that  the Red Sox had drafted a Calgarian with their first round pick.   That was the sign I was looking for to help me make a decision.   That day I committed to transferring out west, and have been here ever since.  

Enjoy the article.

Life in the Prairies after MLB

Editor's note:  I wrote the following article on Calgarian Chris Reitsma,  and it's been published on the Canadian Baseball Network. 

Chris Reitsma is an accomplished baseball player, from being the first Canadian ever drafted in the first round to pitching for Team Canada in the 2008 Olympics. In between he has had many other memorable moments. But at times it seemed like powers were conspiring against him to prevent his dream of playing in the bigs a reality. Prior to making the majors he broke his pitching arm not once, not twice, but three times, as well as suffering breaks to his leg, collarbone, fingers and toes.

Only Expos 20 game winner

Ok, Canadian baseball fans? Who is the only 20 game winner in the storied Montreal Expos franchise? They had some good ones. Dennis Martinez who hurled a perfect game for them, the other Martinez - Pedro - who Red Sox fans remember as a fairly good pitcher himeself, Steve Rogers who almost led them to the 1981 World Series, another former Red Sox, Bill Lee, and several other notable pitchers. But only one player ever won 20 games in one season while wearing an Expos cap. Any idea who it was?