WHY THE NATIONALS ARE STILL THE NL FAVORITE

When Stephen Strasburg was shut down for the season by the Washington Nationals, many believed the team’s season was just about over. Though Strasburg was the best pitcher in the Washington rotation, the guy behind him isn’t too bad himself.

Gio Gonzalez, who was picked up by Washington during the offseason in a trade with the Oakland Athletics, has been even better than the Nationals could’ve expected. He is 19-8 with a 2.95 ERA. He is the Major League leader in wins and batting average against, he ranks 6th in the National League in ERA, 4th in strikeouts, and is 2nd in K/9 to Strasburg.

Though whether he deserves the Cy Young Award over RA Dickey is debatable, he is certainly in contention.

He isn’t the only really good Nationals pitcher either.

The rest of the rotation includes Edwin Jackson, Ross Detwiler, John Lannan, and Jordan Zimmerman. Edwin Jackson has the highest ERA in the rotation at 3.89. No other pitcher in the rotation has an ERA above 3.16. That is pretty impressive.

The Nationals swing the bat pretty well too. Led by Ryan Zimmerman and rookie sensation Bryce Harper, the Nationals rank 5th in the NL in runs, 4th in batting average and hits, and second in home runs.

They also have a solid bullpen, which features only three pitchers with an ERA above 3.00.

Even though losing Strasburg hurts them, the Nationals look like they still have a really good shot at reaching their first World Series.

AMERICAN LEAGUE AWARD CHOICES: MVP

The term most valuable player has two different meanings in major league baseball. Some people believe that it means the best player. Others, like myself, believe that it means the player who is the most crucial to their team’s success throughout the season. So, if asked who was the MVP of the American League in 2012, I would have to say Derek Jeter. The 38-year-old shortstop has hit .317 thus far with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs, but these statistics don’t tell the whole story.

With runners in scoring position Jeter hits a stellar .313 with 31 RBIs and 63 runs scored. He is even better when there are runners in scoring position with two outs in the inning, where he is 15 for 46 (.326) this season.

Another major component Jeter brings is consistency. In five months this season, Jeter has hit below .290 in only one, and has hit above .340 in three. Also Jeter is tearing up the American League East, hitting .323 and driving in almost one third of his runs against the Yankees division foes.

Incredibly, Derek Jeter is 38 and should be at a point where he is declining. Instead he has the most homeruns for a shortstop age 38 or older in history, and has a batting average well above .300.

That is only one side of the argument. If you believe that the MVP should go to the best player in the American League, the award belongs to Angels outfielder Mike Trout. The rookie sensation has hit .336 with over 70 RBIs out of the leadoff spot and has a league-leading 42 stolen bases while being caught just four times. Oh, I forgot to mention he’s only 21 and leads the American League with 107 runs scored.

Yes, Mike Trout is unbelievable. He has even drawn comparisons to Mickey Mantle, but where is his team? The Angels, though they had a good run, are 8.5 games behind the division leading Texas Rangers and 3.5 games out of the wildcard with five teams ahead of them. This is not an enviable position for a team with as much star power as them.

Look, I’d have to be crazy to blame Trout for his team’s misfortunes, which I’m not, but does he deserve the Most VALUABLE Player? No. Does he deserve to be recognized as the best? Hell yeah.

WHAT THE DODGERS ARE GETTING

Early on Friday, Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and pitcher Josh Beckett were claimed off waivers by the Dodgers. By nightfall, a deal was in place to send both players, plus outfielder Carl Crawford and utility infielder Nick Punto to Los Angeles. In return, the Red Sox will receive first baseman James Loney, pitcher Rubby De La Rosa (who will be a player to be named later, as he was previously claimed by Toronto), outfielder Jerry Sands, infielder Ivan De Jesus, and Minor League pitcher Allen Webster.

In Adrian Gonzalez, the Dodgers are filling their need for production from the first base position. They will also be receiving a Gold Glove caliber fielder as well. The problem with Gonzalez going to the Dodgers is the size of Dodgers Stadium. In 123 games for the Red Sox this season, Gonzalez has hit 15 home runs, 9 since the All Star break. The Dodgers have 36 games remaining which means Gonzalez is on pace to hit 24 this season (add on the six he hit in the first half). There is one issue with that logic... the size of the ballpark:

DODGERS STADIUM

LEFT/RIGHT FIELD LINE: 330 ft.
LEFT-CENTER/RIGHT-CENTER FIELD: 385 ft.
CENTER FIELD:  395 ft.

FENWAY PARK

LEFT FIELD LINE: 315 ft. 

LEFT-CENTER FIELD: 379 ft. 

CENTER FIELD: 420 ft. 

RIGHT FIELD LINE: 302 ft. 

RIGHT-CENTER FIELD: 380

As you can see, Fenway Park is more hitter friendly, while Dodgers stadium is more of a pitchers' ballpark. This should take a few home runs and hits away from Gonzalez. 

On the other hand, the size of Dodger Stadium could work in the favor of Josh Beckett, who at one point was the Red Sox ace and 20 game winner back in 2007, but had fallen out of favor in Red Sox Nation. Now that he is a Dodger, I fully expect him to revive his career and be a good complement to team ace Clayton Kershaw.

The reason for this belief is the fact that he will have a new start in Los Angeles and won't be in a small ballpark or facing American League East hitting, which have three of the top five home run hitting teams in baseball.

Carl Crawford, who will be out 6-9 months after undergoing Tommy John Surgery, will also be a valuable asset to the Dodgers over the next five years.

Crawford will also revive his career, as he will have more ground to cover in the outfield and will be able to go for more extra bases because of the larger gaps in left center field and right center field.

Nick Punto is no slouch himself, as he is a good glove off the bench who can play almost anywhere.

This deal is great for the Dodgers, who desperately need to excite their fans after the McCourt's divorce, which forced them to sell the team to a group that includes Lakers Hall Of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson. 

This deal will bring fans, and possibly a championship to Los Angeles.

JETER'S CHANCES OF CATCHING PETE ROSE

As a realist, I know that the odds are very much against Derek Jeter surpassing Pete Rose for the most hits in the major leagues. As a fan of the game, I hope that the odds are incorrect.

Jeter, in his 18th Major League season, is exactly 1,000 hits behind Pete Rose after Tuesday night's home run off Francisco Liriano.  After 18 seasons in the big leagues, Rose was only 622 hits behind the former record holder, Ty Cobb. Even then, it took Rose another five seasons to surpass Cobb's mark of 4,189 hits.

In order for Jeter to surpass Rose in five years, he would have to average 200 hits per season, which would mean he can't decline at all, which is hard to expect for someone his age. In order for Jeter to surpass Rose in seven years, he would have to average 142 hits per season, which is also a pretty unreasonable expectation. It's hard to imagine Jeter playing past 45 years old.

One question is this: if Jeter declines considerably, would he continue playing? By all accounts, Jeter's level of pride rivals that of Joe DiMaggio. It's hard to see Jeter either changing positions any time soon, which he has resisted for a long time, or continuing to play when he's a hint of his former self and can't help the Yankees win.

Jeter might be satisfied with his career totals as they are. He's no doubt the best shortstop in Yankee history, holds the Yankee hit record, and is the only Yankee in the 3000 hit club. The only reason I could see Jeter playing deep into his 40's is to keep winning championships. He probably will never be satisfied with the number of rings he has.

Look, I want to believe he can do it, but it just doesn't seem likely. On the other hand, John Sterling is right when he says "you can't predict baseball."

RIP JOHNNY PESKY

Almost six years ago, my family and I took our first trip to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Like many twelve-year-olds, I was eager to get there early to watch batting practice and try to get players' autographs. When we arrived, there were only a few fans in the ballpark at that point.

As I watched batting practice, an older man came out of the dugout. I soon realized it was Johnny Pesky. He had been mentioned in the tour of Fenway Park I had been to that morning.

He looked me dead in the eye and asked, "how ya doing kid?" He happily signed my baseball and answered questions, including "why was the pole named The Pesky Pole?" and "what was Ted Williams like?" He answered all my questions honestly and fully.

Pesky passed away today at the age of 92. Hearing this news brings back memories of that day.

Though he was an All-Star and a .307 career hitter, he should also be remembered for being a great guy.

ROMNEY'S TUITION PLAN VS. OBAMA'S

Though, both Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and incumbent Barack Obama acknowledge the rising cost of college tuition as a major problem, the level of urgency is different.  Both acknowledge that a college degree is critical to getting a good job in the 21st century and that the shortage of graduates with key degrees - such as engineering - makes the United States less competitive in an increasingly technological world.

Though Governor Romney has been highly critical of President Obama's plan to solve this problem, his solution is to cut federal student loans and to let family finances decide where and whether each family's children go to college.

In a number of speeches he's given since clinching the Republican nomination, he's given very clear signs that his message to college students is that paying their tuition is their own problem.

At a campaign event in Virginia on June 29th, Romney said that students should get "as much education as they can afford." Also, at a town hall meeting in Youngstown, Ohio, he advised students to "find one (a college) that has the right price - shop around." When talking about giving government money to college students for tuition, Romney said "...I'm not going to promise that."

Obama plan, on the other hand, is to try to take federal aid from colleges that don't control the cost of their tuition and give that aid to colleges that find ways to lower their prices.

Clearly, both candidates have very different approaches to the problem, but whoever is elected, something must be done. In 2001-02, the average cost to attend college was $11,380. Eight years later, in 2009-10, the cost had increased by almost 55% to over $17,000. This kind of increase is leaving today's college graduates with huge debts just at the time when they're starting out in life on their own.

NEW BLOG

Gen'90s is a new blog that will focus on the issues that are important to America's young adults,

• from politics as it effects our key issues, like the runaway cost of a college education in an era when a diploma is all-important for getting a good job, 
• to the latest developments in the world of sports (but be forewarned: I love baseball, but bleed NY Yankee pinstripes), 
• to the media 
• and pop culture.

I hope Gen'90s will get people talking, arguing, getting creative.  Please, let's hear your thoughts -- whether you love it, hate it or just agree or disagree with something you read here.

Enjoy.