Andre Dawson, who will be entering the Hall of Fame this year, is a die-hard Cub.  Dawson played for the Chicago Cubs from 1987-1992, winning an MVP trophy even though the team was in the cellar that year.  He’s actually the only player to do that playing for a team in last place, by the way.  Hiss lugging p-ercentage with the Cubs, .507, is the fourth highest in team history (which, when you think about it, is a lot more exciting than if he were fourth in, say, Rangers or Rays history.)

So, Dawson should be headed in as a Cub, right? He’s made it clear that’s his choice, and the stats and achievements he had with the Cubbies are more than adequate.  Instead, however,  he’ll head into Cooperstown as an Expo.  The Montreal team (which is now the Washington Nationals), is the team Dawson came up with.

The HOF used to let people pick their hats, but Wade Boggs changed all that when rumors flew that the Rays offered to pay him to wear their hat.  At the time this was perfectly allowed, and rather than ban it, the Hall of Fame simply decided they would now decide who gets to wear what hat.

We understand the issue that has to do with payment.  Money + baseball player = generally bad, when the money coming in is anything besides straight up salary.  One isn’t quite to Black Sox territory here,  but the slope is a slippery one.

Of course, this could lead to some icky little issues, baseball politics-wise.  For example, let’s say Clemens makes the Hall of Fame.  We’re guessing he’d avoid the whole stupid Yanks-Sox-Jays (Jays? Really?) issue, and choose to go in as an Astro, since that’s his hometown team.  But clearly the guys at the Hall aren’tt aking sentiment into account, if Dawson’s case is anything to go by.

This isn’t the only issue with the Hall of Fame–there’s that whole big performance-enhanced elephant in the room, for starters.  But if history is to be served well by the museum at Cooperstown, players’ preferences should be just as much a part of it as they were when they demanded trades and signed contracts.

The players, after all, are the point, right?

While we were gone, planning lessons for 90 fifth graders (The Sports Chick’s a teacher, in case you didn’t know….if only blogging paid bills!), Jacoby Ellsbury did something quick.

In fact, by stealing his fifty fifth base of the season, he set a single season record for the storied Boston Red Sox franchise.

Ellsbury, who is also the MLB’s only Native American ballplayer, is probably the second fastest player in baseball right now.  Carl Crawford of the Rays, who currently has 54.  He’s the player who will probably at some point hit the century mark: a hundred stolen bases in a season.  However, Crawford plays for the Rays, which in our mind gives Ellsbury a chance to pass him up.  Here’s why:

1. The Rays don’t win. OK, this isn’t exactly true anymore.  The Rays do win, and even made it to the World Series in 2008, where they promptly got swept by the Phillies.  However, ugly World Series play aside, this is a team with some serious potential.  The problem is just that they don’t consistently have the kind of performance that can lead to padded base stats–those eighth inning stolen bases in blowouts that nobody on the opposing team minds, for example.

2. They’re in the wrong division. Ellsbury, at least as long as he plays for the Red Sox, will get chances to steal bases in the playoffs.  The Rays, even though they’re now pretty good, are not good enough to contend in the stacked AL East.  If they’d moved to Vegas, as was the scuttlebutt a couple of years ago, and were in a different division, this would be a different story, but assuming Crawford stays in TB, Ellsbury’s likely to play significantly more games.

Congrats to Jacoby…keep it up and the Sox might even have a prayer at the playoffs….but we really still don’t think so.

The Nationals finally have the One Guy, the franchise face that they’ve been looking for.  Their last try at that, you’ll recall, was Mark Texiera, but he was never going to sign with the Little Team That–so far at least–Couldn’t.  (The Nationals are once again on track for baseball’s worst record and over a hundred losses.)

So this solves one problem–maybe it puts a little swagger in the collective step of the  clubhouse.  This guy is a once in a lifetime talent, and he’s projected by scouts to make the majors as early as next season.

The reason UPH isn’t ecstatic and turning over a new leaf on behalf of the Nationals?  This didn’t take any scouting.  Everyone knew this was the guy to draft, and the Nationals, with their crappy records in recent years, have ended up with very good draft position.

The teams that become Little Teams that Could are the teams like Tampa Bay and the Milwaukee Brewers.  The difference is scouting and the minor league system–the propects picked up by these  teams aren’t the highest paid or the hugest talents, but these teams have been able, quietly, to build, through trades and solid drafting and free agent signings, deep farm systems.  Maybe the Nationals can do that.  But we don’t know yet.  Strasburg is perhaps a start, but he isn’t the solution.

To see why, look at the Yankees.  Over and over again in recent years, they’ve drafted and signed the Next Big Thing, pitching-wise.  Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy–every one has been hyped, every one has struggled with injury, and none has yet reached his full potential.  Something, and what is a whole ‘nother post, is wrong with the Yankees scouting or, more likely, they’re pitcher development.

The Nationals may or may not have this problem, or others, in their farm system or with their scouting and development, but the truth is that so far, nobody knows.  That’s why Strasburg, incredible as he may be, isn’t the answer.  Not all by himself, and not yet.

Alex Gonzalez to the Red Sox

The struggling Sox’ current best defensive lineup would feature Casey Kotchman (recently acquired from Atlanta after spending years with the Angels) at first, Kevin Youkilis at third.  But the Sox can’t hit lately, and as a result they need the resurgent Mike Lowell in their lineup daily as long as his body holds up.  THAT, in turn, means they need some compensatory defense at short, since Lowell–a gold glove third baseman–doesn’t have the range he once did, especially this year given his injury.  Gonzalez isn’t a heavy bat, but his range to his right is phenomenal, so acquiring him means you can slot Lowell back in at third and let Youk and Victor Martinez have the days off they want or need at first without sacrificing power entirely.  This is big.

Alex Rios to the White Sox

This one was the shocker: a longtime Blue Jay put on waivers–salary dump, clearly.  Four teams professed interest or put in claims, the White Sox won the war.  Rios can play all three outfield positions, giving the White Sox a way to rest the aging Jermaine Dye and Scott Podsednik.  He hits lefties and righties about equally well, too, so you can put him in the lineup every day.  And so far, his RBI numbers have made a difference.  To us, this could push the White Sox over the top.

Greg Zaun and Russ Springer to Tampa Bay Rays

Zaun has spent time with many clubs, mostly Baltimore.  He gives the Rays the kind of veteran bench presence they need if they’re going to pull it together and contend again in their “young guys reaching the playoffs for the first time” mode, as last year.  Springer, a bullpen pitcher claimed off waivers from the As, has bounced around like crazy, but is arguably a serviceable bullpen arm against a righty-heavy lineup (lefties bat .352 off him this year, which means he’ll be useless against the Yankees, but useful against the Sox, both of whom the Rays have to deal with if they want to make the playoffs.)  His ERA on the year is actually slightly lower than his career ERA, and in the last 30 days, his ERA’s under 3. 00.  Good acquisitions both, though under the radar.

Carl Pavano to the Minnesota Twins

…Actually, we’re kidding.  We think Pavano’s done.

Daniel Cabrera to the Diamondbacks

Cabrera is an enigma…he was supposed to be so good, but has struggled with command despite at times having overpowering stuff.  He’s still a couple years shy of thirty and can hit the high nineties on the gun, but Baltimore kept using him as a starter and finding they couldn’t depend on him.  In last year’s down market, he went unsigned in the off season.  The Diamondbacks can use his speed, assuming he can be consistent.  He’s not currently on the roster, so we don’t know how much of a difference he’ll make, but he’s worth noting.

These won’t be the last of them, as we’re still waiting for a lot of people–Ryan Freel et al–to clear waivers or be claimes, but in the meantime who else do you think made a difference? Sound off in the comments….

AL East

It’s hard to believe that the Yankees’ 6.5 game lead isn’t a commanding one at this point, especially given the Sox still-slumping bats (here’s looking at you, Jason Bay), and exhausted bullpen.  The Sox schedule is tough from here on out, too, with lots of games against contenders and plenty of time to face Tampa Bay, seemingly everyone’s nemesis.  (A few years ago, Derek Jeter was quoted as saying that the Devil Rays really had the Yankees’ number that year, and everyone laughed.  Now, nobody in Red Sox Nation’s laughing.)  Meanwhile, the Yankees get to play Oakland and Kansas City. Case closed.

AL Central

This is the AL race that could really surprise us.  Detroit’s in the lead right now, but we think that the White Sox, especially with the addition of Alex Rios, are going to end up taking it: Detroit’s been too spotty in recent years, and while the White Sox have a slightly tougher schedule, they also have a more reliable bullpen, Mark Buehrle, and now, a bat they needed.  Rios has been with the Blue Jays a long time before this, and he might well be one of those players who does phenomenal things when suddenly playing for a contender.  We think the White Sox are a force to be reckoned with, and it’ll be the Tigers doing the reckoning from their couches, come October.

AL West

This one is also close, but the Angels have Guerrero back, are coming off a sweep of the Giants, are used to making the playoffs, and have an easier month of August.  September’s another story for all these teams, when they all play each other like crazy, but we think the Angels are going to slowly pull away from Texas, who are currently hanging just 3.5 games back.  Whether they make it out of the first round of the playoffs, well, that’s been a historical problem for them.  But that’s another column.  (One that’ll piss off one of UPH’s best friends, so we’ll hold off.)  The truth here is that the Angels don’t need rally monkeys–they just need to keep doing what they’re doing and ride the wave.  As for Texas?  See below.

AL Wild Card

Boston, Texas, Detroit, and Tampa Bay are the real contenders here: the White Sox are going to play spoiler, even if they make the playoffs.  They’re 7 games back in the Wild Card race, but we think they’ll end up taking their division, and playing havoc with the rest of the standings in September.  In one crazy period of a bit more than a week, they play Boston, the Angels, and Seattle. and then at the end of the month three versus Detroit.  Meanwhile, the rest of these teams are all playing either each other or other contenders as well.  We’re not really seeing a late surge from Tampa Bay–they don’t seem to have the chemistry they did last year–but we think Texas is hungry, and might finally end up in the playoffs again. We’re looking forward to revisiting this during the craziness of the September schedules, but for now, that’s our pick.