Rick Ankiel's return
Despite his current involvement in HGH talks, Ankiel's return was a pretty big deal in baseball. He emerged at an early age, just 20, as a pitcher. But after a bout of what the reporters are calling "wildness," Ankiel wasn't seen again until just recently, at the age of 27. No longer a pitcher, but an outfielder, Ankiel came back, with the cardinals, batting over .300 with 9 home runs and 19 RBIs in his first 81 at-bats. Every time this guy did absolutely anything at all over the past few months, it's made the news, via online articles, newspapers, and talk on Baseball Today, Tonight, ESPN, whatever. His name has been thrown around a lot lately. And despite his knowing involvement in HGH, I don't think much will slow it down, or stop it at all, for that matter. But it is a feel-good story anyway. He was a young phenomenon, "derailed" from his original position, but proved his worth to baseball in a remarkable comeback.
A Healthy Garret Anderson
When Anderson first appeared in baseball, the hype surrounding him was much the same as the hype surrounding Alex Rodriguez. It was a similar time and a similar sentiment surrounding them, as they emerged at relatively the same time. Rivals? Maybe then. But battle with several problems and many visits to the disabled list prolonged GA's productivity. No longer "on par," as some would say, with A-Rod's power production, GA became somewhat of baseball's most underrated players. There are times when I even forget some of the things GA is capable of. But just look at his second half! A club-record 10 RBIs in a single game. A club-record 12 game streak with at least 1 RBI in each game. 56 RBis in some 51 games or something like that. More home runs in the second half than most players on the team over the season (he's catching up to Matthews Jr. and Guerrero). Unfortunately, he'll probably never reach the same "fame" as A-Rod, but that doesn't discredit his abilities. For what it's worth, I think Anderson has put up at least an MVP-worth second half.
The Return of the Brewers to First Place
They opened yesterday's game with 3 consecutive home-runs, after a power shortage as of the middle of the season. They ended up beating the Reds 10-5, while the Cubs lost 5-10 against Pittsburgh, allowing Milwaukee to reestablish themselves on top of the NL central division. In the beginning of the season, the promise of big-bat Prince Fielder and high hopes in Rickie Weeks, the Brewers were a top pick for this season, but collapsed midway through the year. But at least for the last month, things have been looking better for the team (thanks in part to the Cubs', with injuries to players like Alfonso Soriano, but I don't want to take away from the success of the Brewers in their own right), and the underdogs may even clench the division. I was looking forward to their recapturing of the lead. And now, I look forward to watching them hopefully hold on.
Who Can Forget the Yankees
I know I've said it before, but it really is a feel-good story, at least for any Yankees fans. Though I'm certainly not a fan of the Yankees, I have to give credit where it's due. The Yankees were down by double-digit integers for much of the beginning half of the season. Post All-Star break, they came as close as a couple measly games, and have even reestablished the lead. Thanks to A-Rod all season, as well as some very productive numbers for Jorge Posada who is posting an excellent year, defensive players like Melky Cabrera, and some solid pitching by returner Roger Clemens and the esteemed Andy Pettite, the Yankees continue to lead the Wild Card race (a margin of 4 games over Detriot), and have stayed consistent behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL east (only 5.5 games, much closer than they'd been in the early half of the season).
And Just to Fuel My Bias
It hasn't just been a feel-good story in the second half for me, but a feel-good story all year. With Santana's problems all season, health issues with Colon, and a late start for Weaver, the Angels have really only had two solids in the rotation: Lackey and Escobar. Early in the season, Lackey showed his stuff, and was acknowledged for it. He's been in serious talks all season about the Cy Young. But just recently, the other half of the 1-2 punch has really made his name known. With 16 wins, the second lowest ERA in the AL, and the lowest opponent slugging percentage of the league, Escobar has gone 5-1 in his last 6 starts, and has been on a serious hot streak. He's been great, and reliable, and confident, and solid. He's solid, and he's cool. Ha! It's been a personal pleasure to watch him this season. And now, his name is making it into Cy Young talks. Though that'll probably just split the votes for the Angels, and neither pitcher will get it, I don't really think it'll matter too much outside of the fact that both have been great this season. What's good to know, is that both players so heavily stress the concept of a team win outside of their own personal win, and I look forward to seeing their contribution in the post-season, because I'm certain they'll be there.
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