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MLB 2008: THE ALL-POINTS SUMMARY

The good, the bad and, of course, the ugly.

by Magazine Baseball Division

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Inspiring.

MLB's regular season comes to a close on September 28. It was a wild ride: no Barry, but a new star blossomed in San Francisco; Cliff Lee basically emerged from the scrap heap to dominate AL hitters; Manny went west; the Yankees went belly-up…and, of course, there were the Rays. We break everything down from every conceivable angle.



Evan Longoria tells us how he got to this point.
[Ed's Note: We're reviewing the MLB regular season like crazy this week. Check out the package as it grows.] When we polled people around ESPN this week, asking about the biggest stories of the year, the rise of the Tampa Bay Rays was never outside the top two. The lock for Rookie of the Year in the AL is Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. In his words, he opens up a bit on what he was like before he landed here.
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What can we take from this season ... and keep for next year?
[Ed's Note: All week long, we'll be recapping the MLB regular season. Check it out.] It's that time of year. Leaves are changing their colors, girls are contemplating what honest profession they'll turn into a sexy Halloween costume and the first bye weeks are adding frustration to the fantasy football season. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to put another fantasy baseball season to bed. But before we do, let's take one last look through the stories that shaped our lives over the past six months.
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Baseball's postseason often leaves deserving teams out. It's time to change that.
[Ed's note: All week, we're recapping the 2008 MLB season. Enjoy.] As annoying as MLB's postseason ad campaign can be, their point is correct. Because of baseball, October is the month against which all other sporting months should be measured. March Madness? Please. That being said, this doesn't mean baseball's playoff format is flawless. The current three-division set-up makes the wild card exciting, but it leaves deserving teams out simply because of the division they play in. For example, the Blue Jays are as good or better than every team in the NL save for the Cubs, but they are divisionally-challenged. Meanwhile, there are six NL teams with records as good or better than the Dodgers. Yet Joe Torre and crew are headed to the playoffs while three of those others aren't. The point is this: there will be eight teams in the playoffs, but don't be fooled into thinking they are the best eight.
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For one Mets die-hard, Shea went out in a blaze of glory.
If you had to describe me in ten words or less, "Mets fan" would definitely be dropped in somewhere among those ten. And because it is Shea Stadium's final season, I've been asked by numerous friends and co-workers what my favorite memory is from the Mets' soon-to-be-abandoned home park. Before last night, I had an easy answer.
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Magazine baseball editor discusses what stories were good ideas - and, uh, not so much
[Ed's note: All week, we're recapping the 2008 MLB season. Enjoy.] Jon Scher is a senior editor at ESPN The Magazine. While he edits a variety of content (Stephen A. Smith's column, for example!), his focus is baseball, which he presides over with fellow senior editor Ed McGregor. We decided to run an entire season of features, profiles and concepts by him and McGregor—now that it's in the rear-view mirror—and get a first-person account of the hits, the utter misses and the late nights in this office. Hey, hindsight's always 20/20, right?
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A look back at the 2008 MLB season through multiple eyes
We did this to preview the NFL season. Seemed logical to do something similar to wrap up MLB 2008. Here now: a look back, through five questions.
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What figures stand out from 2008?
[Ed's Note: All week long, we'll be recapping the MLB regular season. Check it out.] Numbers define baseball. More than any other sport, the numbers come first to mind. 61, 56, 4,256, 130, 5,714, 715 … certain figures capture far more than a moment. Some capture a career, a season or a time from our past. And there will be new ones. Here, we take a quick look at an assortment of figures that stuck out from this season.
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Jensen Lewis of the Indians on the 2008 baseball season
[Ed's note: All week long, we're recapping the 2008 MLB season.] A lot of players will tell you that amidst their own games and the preparation, treatment and travel that takes place in-between, they don't get to watch a lot of baseball or truly follow the game. You know, like fans. But some do. Our baseball department nominated several. Today we're talking to Jensen Lewis, the Indians closer. Fun fact: he went to Vanderbilt (they're ranked!) with fellow pitching stud and number one pick, David Price of the Rays. Here now, Jensen recaps MLB '08.
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MLB Awards are handed out by ESPN the Magazine.
(Ed's Note: This week at The Mag, we're looking at all the best, worst and most interesting stories of the regular season, as well as where we were right, and where we were lost. Today, we hand out awards and discuss where Barry shoulda been all year. Tomorrow, it's the season by the numbers, and Jimmy Rollins and Jensen Lewis break down the season.) You're all familiar with the Cy Young and the MVP. Even Gold Gloves are sort of exciting, if not predictable and seemingly grandfathered. That said, there are plenty of things that go unrecognized, and deserve their own categories. We took a stab.
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What would baseball have been like WITH Barry Bonds active this season?
[Ed's Note: This week at The Mag, we're looking at all the best, worst and most interesting stories of the regular season, as well as where we were right, and where we were lost. Check back each day for more.] When you think about it in the simplest terms, the situation makes no sense. The best hitter of his generation desperately wanted to play this season, and he couldn't find a job. Livan Hernandez, Paul Lo Duca, Geoff Jenkins, Kaz Matsui and Luis Castillo all signed contracts last off-season worth at least $5 million annually, and Barry Bonds couldn't get a sniff. He even offered his services to all 30 teams for the league minimum. Still, nothing.
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