Who Will Wake Up Before September Ends?

[RBI Magazine] - The month of September has proven itself as one of the most crucial times during the 8 month Major League baseball season. Playoff contenders filter their way to the top of their respected divisions and try to preserve or advance into the top position. September 2008 has all ready begun to show which teams have the power to be a playoff contender.

The National League East has no other teams but the Phillies and Mets duking it out once again game-by-game. The Mets are showing resiliency as the Phillies offense begins to pick up. Rollins, Utley and Howard have improved their swing and ended their hitting slumps while the Mets continue to stay hot. New York has won 20 out of the last 27 games and 6 of the last 8 games. However, their are two sides to every story. Injuries are still holding the Mets talented reserves hostage as the DL still plagues Billy Wagner. Surprisingly, the Mets are 21-8 with Wagner on the DL.

Delgado has been the man so far for Mets in late August and now September hitting the ball in key situations and forcing runs across the plate. As long as the Mets do not have an internal collapse like last year’s team, the Phillies will need a huge spark to blow past the Mets and preserve 1st place in the NL East.

Expectations have never soared higher in the American League East. The underdog Tampa Bay Rays have dominated the American League for the last few months in search of their first AL East Championship. To accomplish such a great feat, the Rays will have to knock out the “Green Monster” at Fenway Park this week, as they travel to Boston for a critical 3 game series against the Sox. You can see game three on Wednesday night baseball (ESPN) with Josh Beckett taking on Andy Sonnanstine at 10 p.m. EST. The Red Sox trail the Rays by 1.5 games as they will try to force a momentum swing in the American League East.

Out in the AL West the Angels have stolen any possibility for any competition. As of right now this second, the Angels may be the best team in the American League, leading the second place Texas Rangers by 17 games. With 19 games remaining, the Rangers will need an angel from above to come within even 5 games of the guys in sparkling pajamas.  J.P from Angels In The Outfield must be happy as it looks like “It could happen” for the Angels in September and October of 2008.

Now let’s talk snakes. The Arizona Diamondbacks bring a trio of venomous pitchers to the mound including Brandon Webb, Dan Heran, and “The Big Unit” Randy Johnson. A solid rotation like this will be tough to beat as the month of September comes to a close. The D’Backs recently added Adam Dunn to the now stellar offense. Dunn has 36 home runs and 89 RBIs so far in 2008. The D’Backs trail the LA Dodgers by 1.5 games in the NL West. Will they be able to slither into 1st place by the time September comes to a close? RBI Magazine thinks so. Watch for Dunn and the venomous trio to be a baseball power house come October.

As we all know history will always stand in the way of the Cubs and their chances at a World Series run. This year however, could be different. Mark DeRosa is having a career year contributing 20 jacks and 83 RBI so far this season. Chicago leads the Brewers by 4.0 in the NL Central. The Brewers, with 20 games remaining, need to find a spark or hope that history will repeat itself for the Cubs.

So what team will wake up before September ends and take over top spot in their respected division?

RBI Magazine wants to hear your predictions!!

Chris Snyder To Rejoin Diamondbacks This Weekend

You’ll certainly recall the story two weeks ago of Arizona catcher Chris Snyder and his fractured testicle. That’s not the kind of thing that you can forget hearing about. However, we do have good news to report! Chris will play in Tucson Friday night (July 18th,) in a Triple-A game in hopes of returning to D’backs line-up this weekend.

This story brought many to their knees on first read.  The play occurred in the fourth inning when Milwaukee’s Cory Hart swung at a low pitch during a Monday Night game on July 1st, 2008. Snyder was immediately placed on the 15 day-DL with talks about surgery pending. As it turns out, Chris did not have surgery and his injury is healing properly, more than anticipated.

“The goal right now is to catch seven innings, but maybe I can weasel my way into a couple more”, said Snyder.

Many doctors and fans are asking if it is possible that Snyder’s injury may have resulted in PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). It is certainly possible, but with his positive attitude the disorder has not yet made itself present.

Here is a link to a news broadcast featuring the video of Snyder getting beaned. It is amazing that he has recovered so quickly. Video

RBI Mag wishes Snyder well in his return after such a horrific injury!

 

Could Barry Bonds Become A Diamondback?

With Diamondbacks outfielder Eric Brynes out for the season will Arizona consider adding an asterisk? Barry Bonds has been a free agent ever since he was not welcomed back by the Giants at the beginning of this season. Sitting at home watching TV for the last few months (feels like a century) Bonds has been considered by multiple teams throughout 2008, but now with Arizona taking a poke, many feel he will be playing ball in a few weeks to come.

MLBTradeRumors.com is defining the Bonds rumor as “reaching”, but certainly not completely out of the question. General Manager Josh Byrnes says he’s looking at outside options, and seems to crave more than a platoon bat to give the offense a jolt.  When asked about Barry Bonds, Byrnes responded:

“He and maybe a couple of others are sort of sitting out there.  I think it’s a bit of assessing any players’ readiness, then knocking somebody out of the lineup, dollars, etc. I don’t want to talk about him specifically, but, believe me, we’ve considered a lot of options. There is sort of no one obvious option right now, but there are a lot of considerations.”

The signing of Barry Bonds will bring a lot of baggage to the D’Backs if they do eventually sign the slugger, but with that baggage comes a huge bat, and potentially a spark to keep the Diamondbacks #1 in the NL West.  Will the distractions of Bonds being added to the roster conflict with the teams performance heading into summers end? Time will only tell.

RBI says: This is A Bad Idea. Maybe Arizona should consider leaving the decision up to the fans? Other players like Adam Dunn would be a great addition to the organization.

If you are wondering about catcher Chris Snyder, a specialist recently told him that his injury is healing properly, and what was thought to be a full-blown fracture was discovered to only be a horrific bruise.

All of you who cringed when this story broke can breathe a sign of relief. Everyone takes a shot their once in a while and thank God this wasn’t Snyder’s last. Snyder plans to be off the DL in a week! Hopefully, he won’t take Ball 2!

Arizona Catcher Chris Snyder “Fractures” Left Testicle

This story brought me to my knees on first read. In a game Monday night Arizona Diamondback catcher Chris Snyder “fractured” his left testicle after a foul tip shot into his grundle. The play occured in the fourth inning when Milwaukee’s Cory Hart swung at a low pitch.

As of Tuesday Snyder was placed on the 15-day disabled list  and now he is expected to have surgery- despite an earlier report.

When RBI heard of the terrible mishap, we asked around to find out what exactly it means to “fracture a testicle”. Unfortunatley, the word fracture has nothing to do with a bone in this case. 

According to eMedicine.com, a testicular rupture or fractured of the testis refers to a rip or tear in the tunica albuginea resulting in extrusion of the testicular contents.  I think I would rather have one of my arms cut off. OUCH!

RBI’s advice: FOR GOD SAKES PUT A HELMET ON THE OTHER HEAD!

One thing is for sure….this Diamondback will not be circling the bases for a long time!