Craig Kimbrel

Ok, so Mariano Rivera makes $14.9million a year, and he's the only closer in the game since the days of Sutter, McGraw, Fingers, and Gossage who is worth giving a contract that lasts past the first few years of being determined to be that great.
That said, who the hell determined that adventure waiting to happen that is K-Rod (whether it's with his father in law or on the diamond) is worth a $17.5million option that could AUTOMATICALLY kick in for 2012? Oh, that's right... the Mets former management that isn't calling the shots anymore.
Perhaps that's why K-Rod's sorry self was shipped to the land of Laverne and Shirley. Milwaukee needs a closer that isn't named John Axford (and a first baseman that isn't so chubby that he can't run quickly enough to catch a pop fly behind the bag in the shallow outfield - though 3-run home runs do make up for creating situations that almost let more runs in).
The idea that having a closer that can be bought from outside - instead of developed locally and shipped off to free-spending teams in the offseason - is truly  ridiculous. For instance, Atlanta's Craig Kimbrel is number one in saves right now (28). However, he's 1 blown save off of tieing 5 pitchers for the lead (6). Does this make him elite? There was discussion at the All Star Game last night that he was striking out 15+ batters per 9 innings (adjusted to his minimal 1 inning stint at the end of a game). However, his WHIP is over 1 and his ERA is over 2.00. I know that players can't be perfect all of the time, but when a man comes in throwing flames and breaking pitches with gusto, the game should be 3 up, 3 down... at least every other time (and even then, 1 batter on is more  than enough). And sure, he's getting bottom of the barrel salary to be good, but really? When will his reward come? When will he sign for big bucks in Georgia because Atlanta never really had a great reliever during their run (save when they converted Smoltz to the bullpen and gave him up in their rotation).
And that really is the issue here... free spending and make believe combing to make people think that their team's closer is a worthy part of a long stretch run (ok, in the case of Mariano Rivera, it is, but what other teams? Boston gave up Keith Foulke soon after 2004. The Yankees gave up John Wettland after 1996 added Rich Gossage after Sparky Lyle won the Cy Young Award (now that says something).
Is Craig Kimbrel going to be worth millions in free agency?
Is K-Rod really the pitcher that a team wants to pay mega millions to when they're not competing with the division leaders (and let's be honest, Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes are flashes in the pan looking for a ticket out of the Big Apple)?
So welcome to Milwaukee, Francisco. Hopefully, you can convince Prince Fielder to stick around for mega millions of his own.

John Axford

Ugly is as ugly does. We can start with normality and hope and all that is the beginning of a season. Just ask Lou Boudreau... "it's all future and no past on the first game of the season - unless your first game is a massive bed crapping that leads to the Reds winning not only that game, but the next 4 games. Eventually, their win streak was stopped at 5, but not before the guy who got it all going with a 3-run jack grounded out to end the game.
What a difference a week makes.
However, for Boston, the first week was all the same... crap, crap, and more crap from their big guns doing nothing to drive in runs and from their pitchers doing nothing to prevent runs from being driven in. As a result, the unthinkable was said, so if you felt a rift in the space time continuum, it was because I stated that I hoped that the Red Sox go 0-20... whatever it takes to get Terry Francona fired. And as they are playing the Yankees in New England this weekend, getting swept by the Yankees at home would go a long way to landing Terry Francona in a soup kitchen line. If he could take Epstein with him, we'd be willing to see the Red Sox turn into the Cleveland Spiders all over again (or worse).
Ugly is as ugly becomes.
Our continuing hatred towards Bleacher Report is about to get serious. Today, they continued the Ace Ventura talking out of their ass by suggesting that the Cardinals trade Albert Pujols. While it sounds like a good idea to get players, there's a little thing called "no trade clause," and for that and for being a reputable baseball website... we can only ask how BLEEPING stupid that they really are. Stick to wives and girlfriends slide shows, guys. Your baseball coverage sucks.
Perhaps, instead of talking about ugliness that results from a decision to try to replace Rollie Fingers as the man with the most unique facial hair ever, we should focus solely on positive stats and accomplishments like Nelson Cruz's 4 dingers in his first 4 games to show up as a latter day Mark McGwire / Willie Mays, but while there are crimes against common sense, there must be a different discussion. And to this, we note that there has been a return to ironic facial hair by some of the games "hipper" players (and their pathetically worthless unhip cousins), there is a reality that this isn't the 1970s, and this isn't Oakland and the Brewers aren't owned by Charles Finley, so... let's get with the world that is 2011.
And for that John Axford... damn, you are not a pretty man. Your pitching isn't much prettier, but despite a crappy opening day, you've racked up 2 saves and dropped your season ERA to 10.80, which is the result of one bad game, but still... you're not the man I would want closing my games.
With that being said, it's only a matter of time until the Red Sox pick him up to stem the flood of runs that are coming in to devastate Boston's season and to have them end up in last place.
Good thing that misery loves company, and it loves it all the more with a Red Sox reject leading the charge against futility.