The United Countries of Baseball (Revised and Updated)

Update (4:03pm, May 10)

I'm not sure if changing one's posts is allowed in the unwritten rules of blogz, but I gives a f-ck. I decided to make a few updates to the map from suggestions I got in the comment sections of Deadspin, With Leather, and this site right hurr. I didn't touch the Nationals or Mets region because it seems commenters disagree on those. But, I felt the White Sox needed to be pulled down. They were a bit too far north. Also, Yankees fans seem to think they have a solid footing in southern Connecticut, so I added that. I hope these changes were productive. Maybe we'll get this thing perfect after all (nah).

Here's the freshest one (click for larger view)

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The map above had the in'rnet in a bit of tizzy last year. If you didn't get a chance to see it, you're in for a treat (Click on it for a larger view). The first thing I thought when I saw it was "yesss, sweet." The second thing I thought was "no way the Rockies and Diamondbacks have such an expansive fan base." Then I started to notice more and more things I felt needed adjustments. Don't get me wrong, this map is the balls. I loves it. There are just a few minor details that I wanted to tinker with. So, today I decided to do just that. I put a ton of research (half true) and way too much time on Microsoft Paint (totally true) into the the map below (Click for larger view).

I would have liked to make a few more changes. For example, I know the Marlins don't dominate the state of Florida as shown. There are pockets of Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, etc. fans up and down that state. You know... all the teams that do their spring work down there develop a following in that particular town. But, I didn't want to stray from what Nike started. They originally named this map the "United Countries of Baseball" so little islands of red and orange among a sea of green in Florida would be... well, islands. Not countries.

Some of the changes I made:

-The original map had a San Francisco Giants following all the way up to the state of Washington. I know that's not correct. Those in Oregon that care about Major League Baseball don't root for the Giants. They're more likely to be Mariners fans. But, Giants fans are much more prevalent in the state of California and parts of Western Nevada than was shown on the original. Those were both easy and obvious changes.

-The original map also severely underestimated the Los Angeles Dodgers fan base. About the size of Tennessee? I think not. I realize that's a highly populated region, but the Dodgers have been a staple on the West Coast for about 60 years now. They have a good amount of fans in the most southern edges of California and even western Arizona.

-I would have liked to shrink the size of that Diamondbacks region. But, I'd be making it unincorporated territory, so I decided against it. I'll let them pretend to have that large of a following. About two thirds of that is desert anyway. The same goes for the Rockies. They're not that popular. There should be spatterings of Cardinal red and Cubbie orange (?) in that black region. If not, it should be unincorporated. But, again, I didn't see the point in doing that.

-The original map didn't take into account the Cardinals' following in Oklahoma. It's for real, so I added it. A lot of those Oklahomans grew up on KMOX, a station that once carried Cardinals games to much of the Midwest. The Cards are really considered the "team of the Midwest." I think the original map did a good job of showing that, but decided to give all of Oklahoma to the Rangers, which was wrong.

-The original map also surrounded Astros country with Rangers fans, which doesn't make a lot of sense. From what I've read and heard in the past, the Astros' following spreads down through southern Texas and into Mexico. That was changed.

-The Braves have a gigantic following in the southeast United States. The original did a fine job of showing that, but I expanded it even more. The original didn't account for Braves fans in the Florida panhandle, North Carolina, or western Virginia. All of which are legit.

-The original also had this weird narrow flow of Indians fans through West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. I think most of Kentucky is Reds' country. I'm pretty positive that's right.

-The last change I made was shrinking the Mets' fan base. Their following is pretty much concentrated around northern New Jersey and the boroughs of New York City. I'm not sure why the original expanded their territory into Pennsylvania.


I'm sure this thing isn't perfect. It never will be, though I'd love to hear some feedback if there's something that is clearly wrong. In the meantime, I need a f-ing nap.

MLB Power Rankings: Top 5

1. Arizona Diamondbacks (22-12)
No change here. They've been baseball's best all season and will continue to dominate. I promise. For one, the pitching is stellar. Brandon Webb and Dan Haren have been the anchors. And Micah Owings has been solid on both sides of the plate (that's a football term, I know -- but it works here). 44-year-old Randy Johnson should pitch well enough to give the offense a chance. And Max "nothing rhymes with" Scherzer should settle in and be able to control that upper-90s fastball. The D-Backs' lineup is cool, and young, and awesome, and fun, and young, and cool. Chris Young is the next big thing in baseball. Guy's going to be an all-around stud for a longg time. Too bad that team doesn't have a fanbase. Move them to St. Louis. I'd go to some games. I'd buy one of those alternate black Justin Upton jerseys and wear that shit everywhere. Black doesn't show dirt.

2. Boston Red Sox (22-14)
The Angels are a very close second, but the Red Sox are the best team in the American League right now. Josh Beckett seems to be figuring things out. He's made two solid starts in a row, including a gem against the Rays two weeks ago. Daisuke Matsuzaka is 5-0 and is third only to Ervin Santana and Cliff Lee as the early-season Cy Young award winner (not a real award). They'd like to get more out of Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, and both have actually looked solid as of late. Offensively, David Ortiz has begun to rake and Manny is putting up numbers that would have you thinking he's in a contract year... oh, he is? ...hmm. Kevin Youkilis has been annoyingly good and having Mike Lowell back is a big clubhouse (and maybe power) boost. With the struggles of the Yankees' pitching staff, and the Rays about a year away from being serious contenders, the Saawx are going to run away with the AL East.

3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (22-14)
The second best team in the American League, they're the third best team in baseball. That rotation is going to carry them all year. Joe Saunders has been fantastic and the Ervin Santana Show has finally arrived. Jered Weaver will not suck all year, and Jon Garland shouldn't be this bad. With John Lackey coming of the DL next week, the Angels are legit. That offense has always been fun to watch and with the same or better pitching, they'll top the AL West all year.





4. St. Louis Cardinals (22-13)
As I write this, Kyle Lohse is getting shelled by the Rockies. The Cards are down 7-1 heading into the fifth. I give these birds one more week. At least, I'm not going to attempt to explain this team for another week. They've moved up a spot in these rankings, so I am sort of giving them props. I'll say this: If strength of schedule was as closely-followed in MLB as it is in college football and basketball, the Cardinals would be laughed at. They haven't been challenged yet. Last weekend's Cubs series doesn't count because it was played at Busch.

5. Philadelphia Phillies (20-15)
I'm sorry A's fans. A 22-14 record should get you into the top 5, but it doesn't here. Not at One Droo Hill, a place of logic and truth (I'm annoying). Before I tell you why the Phillies are pretty good, let me pose a question to the whole NL East: Does somebody want to step up? (That should have been a cooler, more forceful question -- but I'm me). The Braves and Mets are bathing in mediocrity while the Phillies, behind Pat Burrell and Chase Utley, are playing above-average baseball. That's right -- they're playing above-average baseball. At this point, it's enough to crack this Top 5. But, the Marlins still sit in first place. Kudos to Fredi Gonzalez, but come on. The NL East has to be considered the most underachieving division in baseball.

Larry Walker in the Cardinals Dugout

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the middle of a four game series in Colorado. The Birdnals won the first two games in exciting fashion. Albert Pujols scored the game-winning run from second base on a groundout in the top of the ninth Monday, then Rick Ankiel just put on a show last night. He homered and made two of the best throws I've ever seen. They probably rank up there with the best throws in the history of baseball, and are definitely two of the best throws in Cardinals' history. The story of Rick Ankiel continues to amaze me. Some added intrigue from this series: Larry Walker has been in the Cards' dugout for both games thus far. Yes, that Larry Walker. "Mr. Rockie." (or is it Mr. Rocky?). He played nearly 10 full seasons in Colorado. Walker hit the majority of his 383 career home runs there. He won two Silver Slugger awards, was named an All-Star four times, and won an MVP with the Rox. Larry Walker played only one full season in St. Louis. Yet, he shows up in the Cards' dugout for their series in Colorado, of all places. Rockies fans? Does that not upset you? It'd be like Jerry Rice roaming the Seahawks sideline at a 49ers home game. Just odd. If Larry Walker was named as a Cardinals... hitting... or assistant... or something coach, fine. If he had been in the Cardinals' dugout even once this season, cool. But he just decided to show up on Monday at Coors Field in a Cardinals uniform? My unbiased opinion? That's a questionable move, Larry.

NL Central: It's Heattttinnng Up!

I hope you caught the NBA Jam reference in the subject line. You wouldn't want to miss that. Anyway, things are getting hot in the once-docile NL Central and it seems like most of the tension revolves around the St. Louis Cardinals. They currently have a feud brewing with every team in the division, with the exception of the Pirates, because... they're the Pirates.

The most hostile current feud is with the Astros. The benches cleared twice in this weekend's series. In the first incident Saturday, Cardinals' ace Adam Wainwright threw behind Astros' catcher Brad Ausmus as retaliation for Jason LaRue getting grazed earlier in the same game. Ausmus walked slowly toward the mound, bat in hand, and the benches cleared. Nobody got violent. Yesterday, Astros' pitcher Brandon Backe threw at Yadier Molina's head. Both benches and bullpens cleared. Molina shoved Astros' catcher J.R. Towles multiple times, but that's as physical as it got. Much of this stems from a series earlier in the year when Albert Pujols and Brandon Backe began yelling at each other and had to be separated while discussing a collision at the plate from the night before. Ausmus and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa have exchanged words in all three incidents. This one's not over and might be the most compelling rivalry in baseball right now.

Brewers' manager Ned Yost and Tony La Russa reportedly despise each other as well. They sat next to each other at the winter meetings but exchanged nothing more than a "hello." Their beef began in a series last year when the teams exchanged retaliatory pitches. Yost was especially pissed that La Russa decided to bean Brewers slugger, Prince Fielder.

The Cubs... the Cardinals are always ready to go at it with the Cubs. There aren't many feelings of love between the franchises, and that goes back a couple decades.

Now, with the promotion of former Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty to the position of Reds GM, a new rivalry has started. Here's what Walt said last week at a press conference announcing his promotion: “Trust me, me and (manager Dusty Baker) are very motivated. We’re both guys who have a vendetta, a little chip on our shoulders.” Much has been made in St. Louis over Jocketty's use of the word vendetta. Props to Derek Goold of BirdLand for this one... here's the definition of that word:

ven-det-ta
1. A feud between two families or clans that arises out of a slaying and is perpetuated by retaliatory acts of revenge; a blood feud.
2. A bitter, destructive feud.

I've heard a few people claim that the elevating amount of feistiness in the division is a result of some new-found parity. The Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals, then Reds and Astros to a lesser degree all have aspirations of winning the NL Central. Whatever it is, here's to hoping punches get thrown. It'd be a tragedy if all this got settled in a civilized manner. Especially as UFC ratings continue to climb.

Matty Mo, You Gotta Go!?!?

"As an organization, we can never rule out releasing a player who cannot help the team win, even if such a release would be expensive," Pirates Team President Frank Coonelly said Wednesday.

This is April, 2008 and that's a quote on the fate of current Pirates' starting pitcher Matt Morris. If the Pirates release Matty Mo anytime soon, it'll cost them $11,037,283.00. That's how bad it's gotten. They're seriously considering signing that fat check and releasing him. What happened? Seven years ago Matt Morris finished in voting for the National League MVP and Cy Young Award with the St. Louis Cardinals. Six years ago he was an all-star. Five years ago he finished second in the league with five complete games and posted a 3.76 ERA. Four years ago, we're in 2004 now, he went 15-10 and the Cardinals were in the World Series. In 2005 he even managed a 14-10 record and posted a somewhat respectable 4.17 ERA. He became an effective "innings eater," throwing nearly 200 innings every year.

After the 2005 season, Matt Morris became a free agent. The Cardinals made him a nice offer, so did others. The San Francisco Giants ended up shelling out $27 million on a three year contract to land him. Morris went 7-7 and shit out a 1.47 WHIP in 136 innings with the Giants before they shipped him in July of 2007 to the Pirates for a 25 year old outfielder by the name of Rajai Davis. Davis hasn't become anything special and probably won't. He's an aging, career minor leaguer, and was recently designated for assignment by the Giants. Yet, it still remains one of the worst trades in recent memory because of Morris' salary. Morris waddled into Pittsburgh and posted a 6.10 ERA through 11 starts. This year, his second year with the Pirates, Morris is off to an 0-3 start with a 9.15 ERA and 1.98 WHIP. And, as I mentioned before, the Pirates are considering releasing him. What happened to Matty Mo? You might think it's age, but it's not. He's only 33. Plenty of pitchers have reached their prime at age 33. Morris should have plenty left in the tank. I honestly think it's a happiness issue. Can happiness have an impact on a pitchers' velocity? I don't know. But it definitely can affect a guy's focus. He had a home in St. Louis and pitched his whole career in the Cardinals' system. When he left for San Fran, he was following dollar signs, not his heart. Now in Pittsburgh, he probably feels a bit overwhelmed. He is the highest paid player on their team and is performing like a guy that doesn't even deserve the league minimum. Can you believe that? Matt Morris is the highest paid player on a major league squad.

I expect he'll be made a free agent by the end of May. Then maybe he should take a vacation, figure out what happened to his velocity, but mostly just clear his mind. If, or rather when he gets released from the Pirates, some team will take a chance on Matty Mo. He might even have a choice of a couple teams. He'll be given a few minor league starts to show if he's still got it, to see if there's something left in that arm, the same arm that once threw an un-hittable curveball. It's hard to see it working out though, isn't it? Something is wrong mentally and physically with the him. He has had some shoulder issues, as it seems most Cardinals pitchers do. But really, the story of Matt Morris is a mystery and there might not be a single answer. It'd just be nice to see that crumpled #35 Cardinals Ace pennant (brought to me by Papa Johns) stashed under some boxes in my closet once again have some meaning.

My Favorite Bliggitty Blogs

1. With Leather.

As good as it gets. Funny, short posts, and plenty of awesome photoshopped pictures. Their tracking of Cal pole vaulter Allison Stokke is definitely worth following.



2. Deadspin.

It has become the bible of all sports blogs. A must-read. It is excellently written, and even the commenters are witty. It only comes in second because I have a stupid obsession with WithLeather. I seriously don't miss a post.

3. Cardinals Diaspora.

Aaron Hooks, or "athooks" is fucking hilarious. I don't miss one of his posts. He'll use the wrong form of "to/too" and "their/they're/there" from time-to-time, but it's forgivable because his posts are the bomb. The bomb diggitty.



When I use the phrase "from time-to-time," which isn't often -- I promise -- it reminds me of this scene. You like apples?




4. Fire Joe Morgan

It would be number one on my list, but they don't post often enough. When they do, however, it's genius. One of the authors, "KenTremendous" is a writer for The Office, which probably gives him a lot of cred. Though, once again, I don't watch much of The Office.



Note to self: Think about watching more of The Office.

re: Note to self: Thought about it. The episodes I've seen haven't been that awesome. I'll get around to it one day.

re: re: Note to self: You're a faggot.

5. The Big Lead

The Big Lead does a lot of things right. They're part Deadspin, part With Leather, part Fanhouse. It's a daily stop for me.

6. Awful Announcing

Opened my eyes to the awesomeness that is Gus Johnson. For that, I am ever grateful. Brilliant Youtube video mixer as well. I hope that made sense. Check it out daily and you'll know what I'm talking about.

7. Busted Coverage

An inspiration. They bring pictures of hotties from campuses around the country to my eyes. Oh, and there is quality sports talk going on over there as well.




8. Viva El Birdos

The best St. Louis Cardinals coverage on the web. The best individual team blog you can find anywhere. Executive editor Larry Borowsky has become one of my favorite writers. His posts are a must-read.

9. Bugs and Cranks

Baseball coverage for every kind of fan. I'm not sure how the site works, but it seems like they have an author or two for each MLB team. That's probably not even realistic, but that's the way it seems. I don't miss a Cardinals post and usually skim the others.

10. Pancake Blocks

If you're looking for fantasy football information, hell, if you're looking for football information at all, you'll find it here. Author Gregg Rosenthal drives home this point daily: Making fun of pro atheltes is a lot of fun.

11. AOL Fanhouse/Sporting Blog

I lumped these two together because I think they're similar. Very informative, a post every few minutes, and generally pretty funny. The Sporting Blog's new look is great. I'm big on aesthetics. I'm also big on titties.

(Sorry. I had to throw in the titty line. I don't think I can get away with saying "I'm big on aesthetics" at the end of a post. It sounds a little... sounds a little like I'm a Tony Parker fan or a Jeff Garcia follower.)

12. MLBTradeRumors

A lot of the stuff is bullshit, but it's a fun read. I liken it to the National Enquirer, though I've never read that. I just remember a line from Finding Forrester when Sean Connery goes "thatssh dessert," refferring to why a great author would read a tabloid. MLBTradeRumors is my dessert.


-I'll leave it at 12. There are definitely others I could mention, but 12 is a solid number. Aaron Miles wears No. 12 and he looks like a mouse with a goatee. But he does have a hot wife. So, yeah, 12 blogs.

Speaking of hot wives of baseball players and mouse-looking individuals, here is a picture of some Cleveland Indians' players' wives. Front row, first from the right: Casey Blake's wife, Abbie. Back row, first on the left: Manager Eric Wedge's wife, Kate. Back row, first from the right: Cliff Lee's wife, Kristen.



You think these guys could do a little better? That's Cleveland for you, I guess.