MLB Jam: NL Edition

If you somehow managed to miss the first installation of this little feature, you can find it here. Or, you know, just scroll down. Either way. We'll wait.

Ok, now that you've memorized the AL rosters, let's jump in to the NL. Again, these teams are going to be the two individuals on each NL team who would best represent their club in a 2-on-2 basketball showdown.

NL East
 Atlanta Braves:  Tommy Hanson and Yunel Escobar

• Hanson checks in at 6'6'', 220, so he'll be the muscle on the team. Escobar has a reputation for being a bit of a firebrand that doesn't much get along with people, so he'll be the aggressive, Kobe-style player. Competitive streaks like that can mean a lot in 2-on-2. And, yes, we fully expect this team to lose in the first game.

Florida Marlins: Josh Johnson and Sean West

• The Marlins are going to go with the Two Towers approach. Johnson (6'7'', 250) and West (6'8'', 240) are two of the biggest players in this tournament. Hard to beat that kind of size - and that's leaving off 6'8'' Chris Volstad as well.

New York Mets: Gary Matthews, Jr and Mike Pelfrey

• Sarge the younger has (had?) serious hops  and Pelfrey is 6'7''. We felt it important to go with Pelfrey here since there's a decent chance that a team with Matthews and Jose Reyes would lose by default after both players got hurt five points into the first game.

Philadelphia Phillies: Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard

•  The Flyin' Hawaiian runs the point and Howard bangs in the post. Simple enough - but we also feel like Brad Lidge should be tabbed for any and all potentially game-winning shots. 

Washington Nationals: Adam Dunn and Nyjer Morgan

• If we're going to keep up with the admittedly rather absurd notion that strong outfield defense translates to good floor skills on the hardwood, then Morgan is an obvious choice. And Dunn, of course, is the polar opposite. Hopefully for his sake this is a halfcourt game so he doesn't have to move too terribly much.

NL Central
Chicago Cubs: Carlos Zambrano and Sean Marshall

• Big Z could easily turn into a regrettable pick if he starts doing his pointing-to-the-sky thing after every good play he makes, but he's a good, hefty athlete. Marshall is 6'7'', which at this point is starting to seem like an automatic qualification, but there doesn't appear to be much in the way of guard-sized talent on this team. We're sure the Cubs would love to sign Alfonso Soriano up for this with the hope that he'd get hurt and they could void his contract.

Cincinnati Reds: Daniel Ray-Herrera and Willy Taveras

• We've got the Reds going super small here; Ray-Herrera is listed at 5'6'' which means he's probably even shorter, and Taveras is right around 6'0''. But we're hoping for some Bogues/Webb-esque magic from R-H, and Taveras' speed and defensive abilities are a clear plus. They're gonna have to be dynamite on offense, though, to keep up with the teams that are going to score at will in the paint.

Houston Astros: Michael Bourn and Evan Englebrook

• In the interest of transparency, we'd never heard of Evan Englebrook until we checked the 'Stros 40-man roster. But, well, he's 6'8'', so we're going to assume that failing any non-baseball athletic gifts, he can at least stand in the way of, say, a 5'6'' dude. Bourn is on this squad for his excellent speed, much like Willy Taveras, the man he's replaced in center field for Houston.   

Milwaukee Brewers: Carlos Gomez and Yovani Gallardo

• Gomez is fast, and Gallardo gets the nod because the tall guys don't seem like good options and I like him. Whatever. This is an awful team. You can get 1000/1 odds that Paris Hilton will be elected President in 2012 - you've got a better chance of winning that bet than riding these guys for a championship appearance.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones

• McCutchen is a phenomenal talent, and Jones came out of nowhere to shock the world (OK, maybe just the Bucco fans who noticed) last season. Can he do the same in this tournament? Well, since it'd be a shock to the world if it even happened, we say 'why not?' 

 St. Louis Cardinals: Albert Pujols and Adam Wainwright

• It's just impossible for us to imagine Pujols not being dominant at something, so he's an easy choice. As for Wainwright, guess how tall he is? Did you say 6'6'' or less? Well, then you must not've been paying attention earlier.  

 NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks: Justin Upton and Dan Haren

• Upton is perhaps one of the best athletes in the entire league despite being only 22, so we kinda have to include him. The DBacks don't boast anyone that stands 6'7'' or taller, so we went with Haren, who for some reason, just looks like a guy who has some nice post moves and can hit a jumper. We wouldn't quarrel if you opted for Stephen Drew, though. We would quarrel if you chose Adam LaRoche. 

 Colorado Rockies: Dexter Fowler and Greg Reynolds

• Fowler is a great athlete with speed to burn, which is a nice plus considering that he's 6'4''. Reynolds is the magical six-feet-seven-inches tall, which not coincidentally is also how tall Adam Wainwright is. You know, in case you got it wrong last time.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Matt Kemp and Jon Broxton

• Kemp has a good blend of speed and size, and shares a surname with one of the more infamous power forwards to lace up high tops, so he's like a guaranteed star in this business. Broxton...well, we picked Broxton because we want to watch a 6'4'' 300-lb man play the post. Afford us some small such luxuries, won't you?

San Diego Padres: David Eckstein and Kyle Blanks

• Kyle Blanks is 6'6'', weighs nearly 300 pounds, and rocks a mean afro. It seems unfair to the other teams to pair him with anyone but The Grand Poohbah of Grit. 

San Francisco Giants: Tim Lincecum and Pablo Sandoval

• Lincecum's manic energy and hair bring hopes that he can be a latter-day Steve Nash Which then raises the question - can someone be the latter-day version of another person who's still active? Sandoval is the only real bat on this team, so he's the muscle to back up Lincecum's small frame. Who cares if he's only 5'11' 240 or so? You can't leave off the Panda. 

So there you have it. We've got all the rosters, so clearly soon it's time for the games to begin.

We really need Spring Training to start soon.
 

Seasn in Haiku: Atlanta Braves

B-Mac got glasses

Bow before Tommy Hanson

Chipper killed a guy.

Tom Glavine to Visit Dr. Andrews; Hooray?

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/HeadLines.aspx?sport=MLB&hl=259362

For those of you who don't like following links, that's an update saying that Braves LHP Tom Glavine will be paying a visit to Dr. Andrews regarding discomfort in his left shoulder.  Shoulder troubles ended Glavine's '08 season early, and made him ineffective in the starts when he was able to take the mound.  And, we have to be honest here, our first reaction to the news was that we were glad Glavine wouldn't be eating up any innings for the Braves anytime soon.

Now, we don't wish any harm upon Glavine - or any player, unless that player be Coco Crisp - and we hate that a guy who just wants to do what he loves for another year is finding himself betrayed by an aging body.  Glavine used to be a durable, 200-inning, 30-start guy, and he did it at a Hall of Fame level for many years.  Now, though, his stuff isn't what it was, his control isn't what it was, and his body is breaking down.  In our opinion, he is no longer a viable major league pitcher, injury notwithstanding. 

So the question we asked ourselves is, was it wrong for us to be glad that Glavine may be hurt and have to miss the season?  Can we, in good faith, disregard human decency in favor of what's best for the team?  You have a guy in Glavine who was a mainstay with the franchise for what seems like an eternity.  The Braves wouldn't have won a championship without him, nor, in all likelihood, would they have taken all those division crowns.  We have no reason to dislike him as a person, and we don't like the fact that he might not be able to ply his trade anymore.  

But Glavine, to us, is a piece of a greater whole - and we just so happen to really love that greater whole he represents.  And we think that whole, the Atlanta Braves, would be better suited by replacing him with another, better piece.  And wouldn't you know it - that better piece is right there.  Tommy Hanson, one of the preeminent pitching prospects in the game, is on the cusp of the big leagues after dominating in the minors.  He is younger, more talented, and possesses more potential both now and for the future than Glavine.  That the Braves saw fit to sign Glavine again this offseason was disappointing to us as a fan because we want the Braves to perform as well as possible.  And now, it appears that the injury bug has come and wiped out that mistake signing.  

Which brings us back to our original point: is it ok to be glad that one member of the team suffers an injury if it makes the whole squad better?  To which we say: sure.  What it all comes down to  in the end is that, much as we'd like to be, we're not part of the Braves.  We can love them, hate them, whatever - they won't care.  Some people (rightfully) question the sanity of sports fans simply because of this fact.  And yet, to us as sports fans, the loyalty we show for our team isn't as one-sided as outsiders imagine it to be.  There is an implicit contract in our fandom that the team will do its best to try to win.  Whether they actually try to fulfill this contract is mostly up to the owners and general managers, but still.  The idea is there that the goal of sports franchises is to win, thereby earning our love.  Accordingly, we wish for events to transpire such that our team will be bettered; Phillies fans, we're sure, took nothing but delight from the Mets' collapses the last two seasons, despite the anguish Mets fans suffered (though don't let anyone tell you they didn't deserve it).  Well, being happy that Glavine may miss the season and that Tommy Hanson may take his place falls in that category.  We don't feel bad that Glavine suffers at the expense of the team because we as fans suffer - albeit not physically, at least in most cases - because of the team.  We put up with the nadirs of losing seasons in exchange for the hope of the zenith that is a championship.  That a marginal contributor to that goal misses the season in exchange for a better chance at attaining it...well, it's unfortunate, but we still tentatively offer a cheer for the future.

UPDATE: Of course, the Braves promoted Jo-Jo Reyes instead of Hanson.  We'd rather have Glavine back.