Big Unit retires; Holliday stays in St. Louis

Two big announcements from the baseball world were made today, one sort of expected, one, not so much.

Matt Holliday announced on the Doug Gottlieb show on ESPN Radio that he was staying in St. Louis to play for the Cardinals. The deal Holliday will ink is presumably worth 7 years, $120 million. Holliday's agant, Scott Boras, confirmed that the guaranteed portion of the new deal is $17 million per year and includes a no-trade clause. All Holliday has to do is pass a physical and the deal will be finalized.

It's come to the point that I'm never amazed that players choose to stay in St. Louis. Actually, I'm surprised players choose to leave St. Louis. I cannot recall any current or former player speaking negative words about the city or the organization. The Cardinals fanbase is among the most loyal in baseball. I've been to St. Louis to catch a game and even if you're there to root against the Cards, they still treat you with respect. Sure, they jab at your team, but if that can be done with a level of class, it's only in St. Louis.

With Holliday choosing to stay in St. Louis, the Cards will have the best 3-4 punch in the National League, if not in all of baseball, combining Holliday with Albert Pujols. Only Mark Teixeira and ARod can give these guys a run at that, and I still prefer Pujols and Holliday. Better batting average just for starters.

The only question this raises is now that Holliday has been given the biggest contract in Cards history, will Pujols get his contract re-worked? After all, Albert does have a bit of hardware.

Speaking of hardware, San Francisco Giants pitcher Randy Johnson has 5 Cy Young Awards, and on Tuesday, the "Big Unit" announced his retirement. Johnson spent 22 seasons in the majors with six teams. Along with the multiple Cy Young's, Johnson is second, behind Nolan Ryan, on the all time strikeouts list. He also posted 303 wins during his carrer. He was also a 10 time All Star and a World Series MVP in 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

I'm not really sure if baseball will have another lefty that was as dominating as Johnson. Johan Santana of the New York Mets does come to mind, but with the way starting pitchers are used these days, it would be hard pressed for Sanata to approach Johnson's numbers. Cy Young's? Maybe, but that might be all.

I think of three things when I think of Randy Johnson. I think of his World Series performance in 2001 where he shared the MVP with Curt Schilling (a scary 1-2). In probably one of the most bizarre plays ever seen, I think of an exhibition game in 2001 when Johnson was throwing a fastball and it struck a dove. Even more bizarre is who the Diamondbacks were playing that day, the San Francisco Giants. And who can ever forget the 1993 All Star Game when Johnson, as a Mariner, faced the Phillies' John Kruk.

Until recently, Johnson had never been considered a media darling. Instead, Johnson chose to do his talking on the mound.

And could he ever talk.

MLB NL Playoff Breakdown

v.

Season series: Cards 5-2

First base: Albert Pujols (Cardinals)/ James Loney (Dodgers)
Advantage: Cardinals
Pujols is not going to be MVP for nothing, but he's asked to do much more than Loney.

Second base: Skip Schumaker (Cardinals)/Orlando Hudson (Dodgers)
Advantage: Dodgers
Offensively, it's pretty much a push, but Hudson is a former Gold Glover and Schumaker just took up the position this year.

Shortstop: Brenden Ryan (Cardinals)/Rafael Furcal (Dodgers)
Advantage: Cardinals
Ryan wasn't even the starter at the beginning of the season, but he's been the most pleasant surprise. Furcal is actually the one the Dodgers need to find his swing as he sets the table for Ramirez, Ethier, and Kemp

Third base: Mark DeRosa (Cardinals)/Casey Blake (Dodgers)
Advantage: PUSH
Both can control the bat, both are better than adequate fielders. It's almost like seeing double.

Left field: Matt Holliday (Cardinals)/Manny Ramirez (Dodgers)
Advantage: Cardinals
Holliday led the charge for the Cards and has taken considerable pressure off Pujols. Meanwhile, Manny's just Manny.

Center field: Colby Rasmus (Cardinals)/Matt Kemp (Dodgers)
Advantage: Dodgers
Kemp is the most complete player on the Dodger roster and is a 5 tool player. Rasmus is a legit Rookie of the Year candidate.

Right field: Ryan Ludwick (Cardinals)/Andre Ethier (Dodgers)
Advantage: Dodgers
This is so close, but Ethier's knack for heroics is the only difference.

Catcher: Yadier Molina (Cardinals)/Russell Martin (Dodgers)
Advantage: Cardinals
What Molina doesn't generate with the bat, he more than makes up for it with his glove and arm. Martin struggled almost all season and never got on track.

Starting pitching: Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Joel Pineiro (Cardinals)/Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Vicente Padilla (Dodgers)
Advantage: Cardinals
Carpenter and Wainwright will battle it out for the Cy Young in the NL. But the Dodgers pitching staff did lead the NL in ERA (3.41). The Dodgers starting situation appears so up in the air that this looks lopsided.

Closer: Ryan Franklin (Cardinals)/Jonathon Broxton (Dodgers)
Advantage: Dodgers
The main reason for the Dodgers get this one is that Franklin has struggled a bit as of late.

As much as everyone wants to write of Joe Torre's guys, I wouldn't be so quick to do so. While I think the Cards should prevail, it could easily go the full five games if L.A. gets quality starts. Funny, the Dodgers had the NL's best record and it feels like they're underdogs due to the way they finished the season. Oh yeah, the Dodgers are the underdog. The Cards, 3-1.

v.

Season series: Phillies won 4-2

First base: Todd Helton (Rockies)/Ryan Howard (Phillies)
Advantage: Phillies
Helton holds the Rockies together, but Howard is the most potenet bat (and an underrated fielder) in the Phils lineup.

Second base: Clint Barmes (Rockies)/Chase Utley (Phillies)
Advantage: Phillies
This is a no-brainer, but Barmes has emerged as a legit ML second baseman.

Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies)/Jimmy Rollins (Phillies)
Advantage: Rockies
Tulo has carried the Rockies while Rollins has not come cloe to returning to his MVP form.

Third base: Ian Stewart (Rockies)/Pedro Feliz (Phillies)
Advatage: PUSH
Stewart hits more for power and Feliz hits more for average.

Left field: Seth Smith or Ryan Spilborghs (Rockies)/Raul Ibanez (Phillies)
Advantage: Phillies
Before he was injured, Ibanez was a legit MVP contender. With his injury, he had his best offesive season ever.

Center field: Carlos Gonzalez or Dexter Fowler (Rockies)/Shane Victorino (Phillies)
Advantage: Phillies
Victorino could win the Gold Glove. His D is a major difference.

Right field: Brad Hawpe (Rockies)/Jayson Werth (Phillies)
Advatage: Phillies
The only reason I give Werth the nod is he's been more consistent for the season. Hawpe has struggled since the All-Star game.

Starting pitching: Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Marquis, Jorge de la Rosa, Aaron Cook (Rockies)/Cliff Lee, J.A. Happ, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton (Phillies)
Advantage: Phillies
If the Rockies starters weren't so beat up, they could make this a very interesting series.

Closer: Huston Street (Rockies)/Brad Lidge (Phillies)
Advantage: Rockies
Is there any need for stating why Street gets the nod? Here's one anyway. Street has blown only 2 saves this year. There.

If the Rockies starting staff can get healthy, this would be a tight series as the Phillies bullpen issues may affect Happ's playoff status. There's been talk of moving Happ to the bullpen. That would leave Le and Hamels but does Blanton get the start for game 3? If Happ does not go the the pen, he starts game 3 and that might be the closing game. I don't think the Rockies can deal with the Phillies offense. Phils in 4.