A CUP of JOE in the SHOW Report #38....As a SKIPPER in the SHOW in the LATE INNINGS..."If you're seeing things running through your Mind....Who can you call?...the CLOSER...the 2012 SAVES LEADERS Extraordinaire at ALL-STAR Break

The Best of the Best when things get real tight and your Starter has went a strong 6 Full Innings and the Middle Men have given you 6 outs and before you reach for the Maalox who can you call?...The Closer.

Some of the Best in the Show All-Time like the "Sandman in Bronx Zoo", Trevor in Diego, Starksville, MS Alum and Pale Hose Great Closer Bobby Thigpen, Eck of the Swingin' A's and Redbirds, Goose Gossage, Lee Smith, and many more.

Now the New Breed of Relievers are amongst us and they are Special because they are Situational for they need to get maybe 3 outs or even less. The Old School Relievers had to get at least 6-8 Outs on the Average and there was no such thing as Set-Up Men and Middle Relief. Like everything else Professional Sports to evolves into something new all the time.

The 2012 Bluedude's Call to the PEN...Mike get the Double Barrel Action Going...I need the Righty and Lefty not to Tip My Hand.....Gotcha. This Call to the Pen is sponsored by if you keep make more and more Calls you will be looking more at the Loss Column then the Right Column which is the Win Column.

The 2012 SAVE LEADERS before the 83rd Mid Summers Classic....Lookin' Cut Express or 2-Seam Express with a Little Something off of it at times:

The Top 10 CLOSERS in the SHOW for 2012:
 
       SV/SVO    ERA     W-L

1. Johnson O's 25/26 1.24 ERA (1-0)
2. Perez Tribe 24/25 2.59 ERA (0-1)
2. Rodney Rays 24/25 0.96ERA (2-1)

4. Kimbrel Braves 23/24 1.45 ERA (0-1)
5. Hanrahan Buccos 22/25 2.45 ERA (4-0)
6. Broxton Royals 21/24 1.99 ERA (1-1)
6. Casilla Gigantes 21/25 2.84 ERA (2-4)

8. Aceves Carmines 19/23 4.32 ERA (0-6)
8. Motte Redbirds 19/23 3.13 ERA (3-3)
8. Soriano Bombers 19/20 1.72 ERA (2-0)

4 Tied with 18 Saves

Johnson is part of the Huge Resurgence of the O's in the Show and the AL East. If you look at the Top Save Men to where their Team is in the Divisions there is a Direct Correlation between Good Closers and Teams playing good Baseball.

You could also make the Argument that Rodney of the Rays and Casilla of the Gigantes are the Closers for the 2 Top Starting Staffs in the Show.

Note: All Numbers from MLB.com