Baseball

• Most Topular Stories

• An All-Christmas Team

  Baseball Analysts

  Al Doyle

  24 Dec 2011 | 2:35 am

  Anyone who was born on or within a few days of Christmas has sad tales to share of feeling cheated by "one gift for two days" childhood presents. What kind of treats have been given to fans on December 25? This roster of Christmas babies includes three Hall of Famers along with a smattering of All-Stars and everyday players. No need to save the best for last, as the All-Christmas team appropriately leads off with Rickey Henderson (born 1958) in left field. His career numbers - 1410 stolen bases (a whopping 472 ahead of second-place Lou Brock's 938 SB), an all-time best 2295 runs scored, 2190…

• My Puerto Rican Baseball Experience

  Mop Up Duty

  Callum Hughson

  23 Jan 2012 | 3:50 am

  This past week I travelled to Puerto Rico to experience Puerto Rican baseball and to immerse myself in the Puerto Rican culture.  This is my story. Regular Mop-Up Duty readers know that I fetishize the way the game of baseball is played internationally and that I love to travel.  In the past I have visited many ballparks,  travelled to Florida for Grapefruit League Spring Training action, made a run for the border to witness Mexican Baseball.  Most recently, I infiltrated the amateur baseball paradise that is Cuba. For my latest trip, I travelled to the island of Puerto Rico - a…

• Top OF: Best Outfield Prospects for 2012 : Baseball's Biggest, Strongest, Fastest

  Scouting Book RSS Updates

  25 Jan 2012 | 3:17 am

  Outfielders don't get enough love. They're responsible for the biggest parts of the field and need to make the longest and most difficult throws, all while dealing with blinding sun and unruly fans as they try to calculate the flight a ball that's only the size of a pin-head when it starts zooming toward them from three hundred feet away. And so how do we judge the best outfielders? By their bats, of course. [more...]

• Baseball History – The Story Behind the 1954 Bowman Card Number 66

  Sports Fan Talking | Baseball History, News & Discussion

  mickey536

  18 Jan 2012 | 10:51 am

  Ted Williams Classic SwingHall of Fame Boston Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams’ career lasted 19 seasons from 1939 to 1960. He didn’t play in 1943, 44 and 45 because of the war. He didn’t have a Topps baseball card until 1954. Prior to that the man known as “Teddy Ballgame” was under an exclusive agreement with the Bowman card company through 1953.The Pioneers of Baseball Trading CardsThe Bowman Company, like Topps and Fleer, began its life as a bubblegum maker going by the name Gum, Inc. They produced the Play Ball sets from 1939 to 1941. These were sets filled with various…

• Jeter and Rivera: The Breakthrough Two

  LADY AT THE BAT

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:50 pm

  Ever since the news came down a few weeks ago that Jorge Posada was going to announce his retirement, I have been trying to figure out what to call Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, the two remaining members of the Core Four.  Well, I think I have figured it out.People have been coming up with names that just don't sit right with me. My cousin Eddie felt that the name was staring me right in the face: "The Remaining Two."  To me that sounded like the other two had died. Someone else said to just call them "Jeter and Mo." That reminded me of Curly and Mo! Michael Kay asked for…

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  NYT > Baseball

• Expert Witnesses Faulted in Suit Against Mets’ Owners

  By RICHARD SANDOMIR

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:24 pm

  A trustee seeks hundreds of millions for victims of Bernard L. Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, and a trial is scheduled to begin on March 19.

• Selig Expects Expanded Playoffs to Start This Year

  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:22 pm

  Commissioner Bud Selig expects baseball to expand its playoffs this season.

• Bill Mardo, Writer Who Pushed Baseball to Integrate, Dies at 88

  By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:23 pm

  Mr. Mardo campaigned against baseball’s color barrier as a sportswriter for the Communist Party newspaper The Daily Worker when the mainstream American media was largely silent on the subject.

• Tests on Dustin Richardson Found 5 Banned Substances

  By ANDREW KEH

  27 Jan 2012 | 3:39 pm

  Dustin Richardson, a former Boston Red Sox reliever, was suspended this week for 50 games after a random drug test came up positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

• Roundup: Milwaukee’s Braun Will Skip Team’s Fan Festival

  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

  27 Jan 2012 | 3:39 pm

  Ryan Braun awaits a decision of his appeal of a 50-game suspension under baseball’s drug policy.

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  Baseball America

• Dodgers Give Minor Leagues A Sneak Peek

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:25 pm

  Don Mattingly, entering his second year as Dodgers manager, likes the team's tradition of holding a weeklong development program for top minor leaguers at Dodger Stadium each January.

• Cardinals' Tyrell Jenkins Gets A Taste Of The Future

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:19 pm

  During the Winter Meetings in Dallas, new Cardinals manager Mike Matheny sat with farm director John Vuch and mapped out the number and names of the non-roster invitees they wanted to bring to major league spring training. Some would have a chance to win a job. Others would get an opportunity to leave an impression. A few were just getting an invite to their future.

• Astros Hire Of Mejdal Signals A New Direction

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:16 pm

  Since coming on board late last year, the data-driven CEO George Postolos and general manager Jeff Luhnow have revolutionized the thinking of a club that was never all that pioneering in the world of 21st-century statistical analysis.

• Angels' C.J. Cron Is Rehabbed And Ready

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:13 pm

  The Angels are optimistic that last year's first-round draft pick, C.J. Cron, will not be hampered in 2012 by the knee and shoulder injuries that clouded his professional debut last summer.

• 2012 Seattle Mariners Top 10 Prospects Chat With Conor Glassey

  27 Jan 2012 | 3:44 pm

  Conor Glassey discussed the Mariners' farmhands for a Jan. 27 chat.

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  Arizona Diamondbacks News

• D-backs could have next great power duo

  Bernie Pleskoff

  27 Jan 2012 | 3:25 pm

  D-backs outfielder Justin Upton and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, both of whom are just 24, should give Arizona one of the elite power duos in the game for years to come.

• D-backs trio among top 100 prospects

  Steve Gilbert

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  The D-backs had three pitchers -- Trevor Bauer, Archie Bradley and Tyler Skaggs -- ranked in the top 21 of MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list.

• D-backs sign Ziegler to one-year contract

  Steve Gilbert

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:21 pm

  The D-backs signed reliever Brad Ziegler to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration, the team announced on Wednesday.

• D-backs add catcher Tatum to roster

  Steve Gilbert

  23 Jan 2012 | 8:49 pm

  The D-backs had some interest in Craig Tatum when the catcher was on waivers in October, but they did not have the roster flexibility to claim him. But with their 40-man roster at 39, the D-backs on Monday claimed Tatum, who was once again on waivers, from the Astros.

• Fantasy Campers test skills vs. former players

  Josh Greene / Special to D-backs.com

  21 Jan 2012 | 6:44 pm

  D-backs publication director Josh Greene relays the story of the final day of Fantasy Camp and a game pitting the camp champions against the staff.

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  Atlanta Braves News

• Around the Horn: Outfield

  Mark Bowman

  27 Jan 2012 | 6:08 pm

  Unable to find an outfielder with an impact bat, the Braves will enter the 2012 season hopeful that Jason Heyward and Martin Prado will bounce back from disappointing seasons to help center fielder Michael Bourn, who provide a bit of a spark when he was acquired in July.

• Braves land five prospects on Top 100 list

  Mark Bowman

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  The Braves have placed five players on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list for the upcoming season. Julio Teheran leads this group as he ranks fourth on the overall list. Arodys Vizcaino (36), Randall Delgado (42), Andrelton Simmons (65) and Christian Bethancourt (91) were the other prospects to appear on the list.

• Lehman puts knowledge to test on 'Baseball IQ'

  Mark Bowman

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:37 pm

  Some of the knowledge Atlanta's Mark Lehman has gathered over the past two decades as a fan and employee was put to good use when he served as the Braves' representative on MLB Network's "Baseball IQ."

• Inbox: How will Braves fare with Pastornicky?

  Mark Bowman

  23 Jan 2012 | 3:56 pm

  Can the Braves compete with Tyler Pastornicky at shortstop? Who will be Michael Bourn's backup? Beat reporter Mark Bowman answers these questions and more in the Inbox.

• Around the Horn: Bullpen

  Mark Bowman

  20 Jan 2012 | 4:01 pm

  Craig Kimbrel, Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty will return this year to attempt to once again form one of the game's top relief trios. And the Braves' bullpen has the potential to be much deeper than it was last year.

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  Chicago Cubs News

• Vitters eager to pounce on opportunity

  Carrie Muskat

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am

  After battling through injuries and inexperience, Josh Vitters, the Cubs' top pick in the 2007 First- Year Player Draft, appears ready to compete for a chance to reach the big leagues in 2012.

• Corpas outrighted to make room for Wood

  Carrie Muskat

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:05 pm

  The Cubs opened a spot on the 40-man roster for Kerry Wood on Thursday when they outrighted pitcher Manny Corpas. Corpas now will be a non-roster invitee to Spring Training.

• Cubs trio among MLB.com's Top 100 prospects

  Carrie Muskat

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Center fielder Brett Jackson, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and shortstop Javier Baez, who was the Cubs' No. 1 pick in last June's First-Year Player Draft, are the future of the organization, and the three made MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list, released Wednesday.

• Cuban prospect Cespedes declared free agent

  Jesse Sanchez

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:51 pm

  On Wednesday, Major League Baseball sent out a notice to clubs, advising them that Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, as a resident of the Dominican Republic, is not subject to the amateur Draft and may now sign as a free agent.

• Inbox: Who will bat cleanup for the Cubs?

  Carrie Muskat

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:55 am

  The lineup, rotation, Matt Garza and backup catcher are among the topics in this week's Cubs Inbox. Beat reporter Carrie Muskat answers questions from fans.

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  Cincinnati Reds News

• Hype surrounds first day of Reds Caravan

  Mark Sheldon

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:03 pm

  Three buses for three different caravan legs carried Reds personnel out of Cincinnati and all around the region for the annual Reds Caravan. Generating the buzz is all of the transactions that the Reds have made in an attempt to position themselves as prime contenders for the National League Central division title.

• Arredondo agrees to two-year deal with Reds

  Cash Kruth

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:18 pm

  The Reds and right-hander Jose Arredondo have agreed to a two-year contract to avoid arbitration, the club announced Thursday.

• Latos stops in Cincinnati to meet new 'mates

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:01 pm

  A man used to living on West Coast time, Mat Latos was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes early Thursday while trying to get to know his new working environment.

• Phillips not worried about contract situation

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pm

  It's been an unusual offseason for Brandon Phillips, who will be a free agent after the 2012 season. But he's focused on winning a title in Cincinnati.

• Castellini: Reds will try to sign Votto

  Mark Sheldon

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:46 am

  Despite the mega deals signed by fellow first basemen Albert Pujols and Prince Field this offseason, Reds CEO Bob Castellini didn't rule out Cincinnati making the effort to sign Joey Votto to an extension.

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  Colorado Rockies News

• Prospect Pomeranz ready to cash in on potential

  Thomas Harding

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:50 pm

  Acquired from the Indians in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade, Drew Pomeranz enters the 2012 season healthy and ready to learn from the lessons of last season.

• Rizzo to join Network's on-air team for 2012

  Thomas Harding

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:17 am

  Alanna Rizzo, sideline reporter for Rockies broadcasts on Root Sports Rocky Mountain and co-host of the network's Emmy Award-winning Rockies All-Access, is joining MLB Network's on-air team for the 2012 season.

• Arenado leads four Rox on top prospect list

  Thomas Harding

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  MLB.com's 2012 Prospect Watch suggests that Nolan Arenado's aspiration is more than just a young man's dream. Arenado ranks 22nd on the top 100 list, the highest of any Rockies players. Lefty Drew Pomeranz is No. 24, catcher Wilin Rosario is No. 63 and righty Chad Bettis is No. 66.

• Heinrich will represent Rockies on quiz show

  Thomas Harding

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:38 am

  Aaron Heinrich's grasp of baseball and quirky trivia made him a perfect candidate to represent the Rockies in the MLB Network's game show "Baseball IQ," which debuts on Tuesday and runs through Feb. 23.

• Subtle moves could reinvent Rockies

  Richard Justice

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:53 am

  General manager Dan O'Dowd has quietly remade the Rockies this winter, and he has done it without any wild spending.

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  Houston Astros News

• Astros invite former All-Star Duke to camp

  Anthony Castrovince

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:05 pm

  The Astros have seen Zach Duke at his best, and they're hoping to see it more frequently in 2012. On Friday, the club announced it has signed the left-handed Duke to a Minor League contract with an invite to big league Spring Training camp.

• Astros land three on Top 100 Prospects list

  Anthony Castrovince

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Three promising Astros players -- first baseman Jonathan Singleton, right-hander Jarred Cosart and outfielder George Springer -- were named to MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list.

• Broadcaster Deshaies chats with Astros fans

  25 Jan 2012 | 10:02 am

  Astros broadcaster Jim Deshaies participated in a live Web chat with fans on Tuesday. During the chat, he discussed a possible team name change and how the game has changed since he played professionally.

• Astros' name connects with fans' pride in city

  Richard Justice

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:50 am

  While the Astros don't have more than a century of history like some other teams, their name has served to link generations of fans who are proud of their city, and it should not be changed.

• Astros designate Sanchez to add Snyder

  Anthony Castrovince

  24 Jan 2012 | 2:43 pm

  Four days after signing catcher Chris Snyder as a free agent, the Astros made room for him on the 40-man roster Tuesday by designating utility infielder Angel Sanchez for assignment.

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  Los Angeles Dodgers News

• Torre, Magic among finalists for Dodgers

  Cash Kruth

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:58 pm

  Prospective ownership groups led by former Dodgers manager Joe Torre and former Los Angeles Lakers great and basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson are among at least eight finalists in the bidding to become the next owners of the Dodgers, according to a report by The Los Angeles Times on Friday.

• Kemp, Kershaw to receive Legacy Awards

  Steve Gilbert

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:29 pm

  Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw will be honored on Saturday during the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's Legacy Awards ceremony in Kansas City's Gem Theater.

• Select-A-Seat program a hit with Dodgers fans

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:30 am

  On Saturday, all fans are invited to attend an open house at the ballpark from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT. Full and mini-season ticket plans will be available and every fan attending will receive a free gift, courtesy of the Dodgers.

• Kershaw adds Spahn Award to trophy haul

  Spencer Fordin

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:49 am

  NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw added another trophy to his case when he received the Warren Spahn Award as the game's top southpaw pitcher from the Oklahoma Sports Museum.

• Dodgers boast three in Top 100 Prospects

  Steve Gilbert

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  The Dodgers have three players among MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects in right-handers Zach Lee, Nathan Eovaldi and Allen Webster.

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  Milwaukee Brewers News

• With Fielder gone, Hart willing to play some first

  Adam McCalvy

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:30 am

  Corey Hart has been a right fielder for most of his Major League career, but club officials have raised the possibility of using Hart for a limited number of games at first to help cover the departure of Prince Fielder.

• Brewers On Deck schedule released to public

  Adam McCalvy

  26 Jan 2012 | 1:39 pm

  Brewers On Deck, presented by Time Warner Cable, is Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Frontier Airlines Center in downtown Milwaukee. Doors to the facility open at 7 a.m. CT and the exhibit hall opens from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Prince provided Milwaukee many memories

  Adam McCalvy

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:40 am

  Prince Fielder's Brewers home runs do not tell the whole story of a player known, yes, for his power, but also for a personality that alternated between fiery and fun-loving, for playing every day, and for more than any other single player marking the Brewers' return to respectability.

• Pair of Brewers prospects crack Top 100

  Adam McCalvy

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Wily Peralta (No. 49) and left-hander Jed Bradley (ranked 97th) are the only Brewers farmhands to make the Top 100 Prospects list.

• Braun scratched from Brewers' fan festival

  Adam McCalvy

  25 Jan 2012 | 3:35 pm

  The Brewers on Wednesday removed star left fielder Ryan Braun's name from the list of participants for the club's weekend fanfest.

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  Oakland Athletics News

• Wolff to take opportunity to meet A's fans

  Jane Lee

  27 Jan 2012 | 3:54 pm

  Lew Wolff, who, as co-owner of the A's, has heard calls for a bigger payroll and a better stadium, has decided to meet the club's faithful followers at FanFest on Sunday.

• Outfielder Gomes reaches deal with A's

  Jane Lee

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:08 pm

  The A's have added yet another veteran to their outfield mix in right-handed-hitting Jonny Gomes.

• A's place six on Top 100 Prospects list

  Jane Lee

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  The A's placed six players on the list of MLB.com's Top 100 prospects, including three players who were acquired in high-profile trades this offseason.

• A's agree to one-year deal with righty Colon

  Joey Nowak

  24 Jan 2012 | 2:17 pm

  The Athletics have agreed to a one-year deal with right-handed starting pitcher Bartolo Colon, the club announced Tuesday.

• Inbox: What's the deal with Manny?

  Jane Lee

  23 Jan 2012 | 6:30 pm

  Beat reporter Jane Lee fields questions on Manny Ramirez and Rich Harden and more in the latest edition of the A's Inbox.

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  New York Mets News

• Mets sign Tuiasosopo to Minors deal

  Anthony DiComo

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:10 pm

  Continuing to add depth to the upper levels of their Minors system, the Mets on Friday signed infielder Matt Tuiasosopo to a Minor League contract. He will report to Minor League camp.

• Carter an all-time great, on and off the field

  Lyle Spencer

  26 Jan 2012 | 2:46 pm

  For nearly two decades, Gary Carter set the standard for big league catchers, and "Kid Sunshine" was every bit as good as a person as he was as a player.

• Franco to be inducted into Mets Hall of Fame

  Anthony DiComo

  26 Jan 2012 | 1:30 pm

  A burgeoning team Hall of Fame is about to gain another member. The Mets on Thursday announced plans to induct former closer John Franco into their Hall of Fame this summer, making Franco their fifth new inductee in three years.

• Trio of Mets hurlers among Top 100 Prospects

  Anthony DiComo

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  It started with Matt Harvey, the college product with the big right arm. Then Jeurys Familia began outpitching his projections, and one became two. Soon after, the Mets traded Carlos Beltran for another top arm, Zack Wheeler, and two grew to three. Wheeler, Harvey and Familia all landed on MLB.com's 2012 Top 100 Prospects list, released Wednesday.

• Prospect Q&A: Wheeler dreaming big

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:29 am

  Prospect Q&A: Wheeler dreaming big

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  Philadelphia Phillies News

• The Wall: Phanatic stars on '30 Rock'

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:22 pm

  The Wall: Phanatic stars on '30 Rock'

• Pence agrees to one-year deal with Phillies

  Paul Hagen

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:54 pm

  The Phillies on Friday announced that they've agreed to terms with outfielder Hunter Pence, avoiding arbitration with their lone remaining player. Pence received a one-year contract for $10.4 million, plus award bonuses.

• Phillies ink Pierre to Minor League deal

  Paul Hagen

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:38 am

  In a small but potentially significant move, the Phillies signed speedy Juan Pierre to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training on Friday.

• Patient Sandberg hopeful promotion in his future

  Paul Hagen

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:09 pm

  Entering his second season managing the Phillies' Triple-A Lehigh Valley affiliate, Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg is confident a big league opportunity will come his way in due time.

• Phils' pitchers recognized on Top Prospect list

  Evan Drellich

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  For a win-now team, the Phillies' farm system still made ripples in MLB.com's Top Prospect list, for the same reason that drives the big league club's success: pitching.

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  Major League Baseball News

• Peavy ready to test his recovery

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:41 pm

  Almost 19 months removed from surgery to re-attach his lat muscle, Jake Peavy seems more than ready to test what he has left in his right arm.

• Williams coy on topic of Cuban phenoms

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:41 pm

  The phrase "under the radar" frequently describes Ken Williams' mode of operation in trying to acquire personnel upgrades for the White Sox. Where free-agent Cuban hurler Geraldo Concepcion and fellow free-agent Cuban outfielders Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler are concerned, the White Sox general manager has changed his game to poker.

• White Sox, Reinsdorf honored by Commissioner

  Scott Merkin

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:30 pm

  White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf received the 2011 Commissioner's Award for Philanthropic Excellence from Commissioner Bud Selig during the opening ceremonies of Soxfest at the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago on Friday.

• On the mend, Morneau starts baseball activities

  Rhett Bollinger

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:48 pm

  Justin Morneau, who played in just 69 games last season because of various injuries, said Friday that he's optimistic he'll be healthy and ready to go once Spring Training starts next month.

• Williams fine if buck stopping with him

  Scott Merkin

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:29 pm

  The biggest ovations during Friday's SoxFest Opening Ceremonies introductions were reserved for Robin Ventura, Paul Konerko, A.J. Pierzynski, Joe Crede and Harold Baines, in no particular order. General manager Ken Williams was the only one who heard a few jeers.

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  Pittsburgh Pirates News

• Jones, McGehee seem headed for arbitration

  Tom Singer

  27 Jan 2012 | 3:55 pm

  Garrett Jones and Casey McGehee will soon head to Bradenton, Fla., as the Pirates' top candidates to man first base. The two have something else in common: They're Pittsburgh's only remaining unsigned players eligible for salary arbitration.

• Singer's blog: Change for a Nickel

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:34 am

  Singer's blog: Change for a Nickel

• Inbox: Why did Bucs tab Bedard, not Maholm?

  Jenifer Langosch

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:50 am

  Jenifer Langosch examines the Bucs signing Erik Bedard, but not Paul Maholm, who would close if Joel Hanrahan was hurt, and more in her final Pirates Inbox.

• Taillon leads Bucs prospects among Top 100

  Jenifer Langosch

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Four Pirates prospects cracked MLB.com's Top 100 list this year, including a pair of pitchers who landed among the top 11 prospects heading into the 2012 season.

• Around the Horn: Pirates outfielders

  Jenifer Langosch

  24 Jan 2012 | 12:47 pm

  This is the fourth of a seven-part Around the Horn series that will take a position-by-position look at the Pirates' outfield, both projected starters and other options heading into Spring Training.

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  MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

• Quick Hits: Playoffs, Dodgers Owners, Padres, Floyd

  Mark Polishuk

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:30 pm

  It was on this day in 1982 that the Cubs acquired Ryne Sandberg and Larry Bowa from the Phillies in a trade for Ivan De Jesus.  The Bowa-for-DeJesus component ended up being pretty even, but needless to say, Chicago won that trade --- Sandberg went on to a Hall Of Fame career as one of the greatest Cubs of all time.  Sandberg eventually returned to the Phillies organization in 2011, managing the team's Triple-A affiliate to an 80-64 record. Here are some news items as we enter the last weekend of January... Bud Selig told reporters (including Ronald Blum of the Associated Press) at the…

• AL East Notes: Kuroda, Blue Jays, Camp, Selig

  Mark Polishuk

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:26 pm

  Some news from the AL East... Hiroki Kuroda's one-year, $10MM deal with the Yankees includes a full no-trade clause, reports FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link). Kuroda said he received offers from five or six Major League clubs and he eventually narrowed his choices down to the Yankees and the Hiroshima Carp, his former Japanese team, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.  Kuroda's desire to play for a contender led to his Yankee contract, as he turned down some more expensive offers to sign with New York. MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm doesn't think Manny Ramirez is a fit with the…

• Cards Close To Deal With Oswalt; BoSox, Astros In Mix

  Mark Polishuk

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:30 pm

  The Cardinals are close to a deal with veteran right-hander Roy Oswalt, reports Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).  The Red Sox and, surprisingly, the Astros are still contenders for Oswalt's services.  Mike Silverman of the Boston Herald (via Twitter) confirms these three teams are in the mix and says it could be "another day or two" before a decision is made. We heard two days ago that both the Cards and Red Sox had made Oswalt offers, with the St. Louis offer worth roughly $5MM.  Oswalt has long expressed a desire to pitch for the Cards, so this could be why he is…

• NL East Links: Nats, Mets, Morrison, Cespedes

  Mark Polishuk

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:21 pm

  As the Phillie Phantic hangs out with Tina Fey and the gang on 30 Rock, here's the latest from the NL East... Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told media (including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post) that the Nats are still "not done with our bullpen," even after signing Brad Lidge.  Rizzo said he is still looking to improve the rotation if possible but said the Nationals will stick with internal options for the center field job. ESPN New York's Adam Rubin looks at the difficulties facing the Wilpon family as they try to keep ownership of the Mets. The Mets could have the biggest one-year payroll…

• Bay Area Notes: Nady, Lincecum, Manny, Jackson

  Mark Polishuk

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:41 pm

  Moneyball received six Academy Award nominations on Tuesday, joining Pride Of The Yankees and Field Of Dreams as the only baseball-centric movies to ever be nominated for the prestigious Best Picture Oscar.  While I'm not sure if I'd call Moneyball one of the very best films of the year, it's definitely a well-made, entertaining movie, as outlined in my review from last September. Here are some non-cinematic notes from both the Athletics and the Giants in this roundup of Bay Area news... Xavier Nady and the Giants share a mutual interest on a minor league contract, tweets Henry Schulman of…

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  San Diego Padres News

• Hundley has rewarding experience Down Under

  Corey Brock

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:27 pm

  Catcher Nick Hundley, along with friend and Red Sox pitcher Mark Melancon and Blue Jays outfielder/infielder Chris Woodward, spent five days in New Zealand providing instruction in a country where cricket and rugby reign supreme.

• Six Padres prospects rank among Top 100

  Corey Brock

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  The Padres have six players who rank among MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects, including Yonder Alonso, whom they obtained in a deal over the offseason that sent Mat Latos to the Reds.

• Inbox: Where should Padres play Guzman?

  Corey Brock

  24 Jan 2012 | 1:18 pm

  Beat reporter Corey Brock answers burning questions from Padres fans in the latest Inbox. Included are questions about Jesus Guzman, the starting rotation and Chase Headley.

• Richard, Padres reach one-year deal

  Corey Brock

  23 Jan 2012 | 7:09 pm

  The Padres on Monday agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Clayton Richard on a one-year contract worth $2.705 million.

• Spangenberg tops list of second-base prospects

  22 Jan 2012 | 9:13 am

  Spangenberg tops list of second-base prospects

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  St. Louis Cardinals News

• Around the Horn: Cards' starting rotation

  Matthew Leach

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:50 am

  When the Cardinals report to Spring Training, they'll do so with their starting five settled. Five starters know they have jobs. All five of those starters can pitch at a high level and help a team to the postseason. And nearly every one of those five starters comes with some sort of question mark attached.

• Inbox: Who's on first for Cards after Berkman?

  Matthew Leach

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:10 pm

  In his final Inbox, Matthew Leach examines who will play first base for St. Louis in the future, who would fill in this year in Lance Berkman gets hurt and more.

• Cards duo ranks among Top 100 Prospects

  Matthew Leach

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Shelby Miller was named the No. 5 prospect in professional baseball, while Carlos Martinez ranked No. 30, in MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list, issued on Wednesday. They are the twin jewels of the St. Louis organization.

• Cardinals sign Motte to one-year contract

  Matthew Leach

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:10 pm

  Jason Motte and the Cardinals reached agreement Wednesday on a one-year contract for 2012, avoiding arbitration.

• Cards a good fit for Beltran despite '06 NLCS

  Anthony DiComo

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:36 pm

  Chalk it up to baseball's bizarre sense of symmetry that, when faced with his first free-agent decision in seven years this offseason, Carlos Beltran's most comfortable fit came with the Cardinals.

• 

  San Francisco Giants News

• Theriot, Giants agree on one-year contract

  Jane Lee

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:40 pm

  Ryan Theriot, non-tendered by the Cardinals in December, has reached agreement on a one-year deal with the Giants. The deal was confirmed by an MLB.com source.

• Giants reportedly sign Hensley to one-year deal

  Quinn Roberts

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:39 pm

  The Giants and relief pitcher Clay Hensley have agreed to a one-year contact, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.

• AT&T Park to host soccer double dip in March

  Adam Berry

  26 Jan 2012 | 1:39 pm

  Before baseball returns to the Bay Area, San Francisco will host a St. Patrick's Day soccer doubleheader.

• Flannery to hold another concert for Stow

  Chris Haft

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:11 pm

  Call it an encore. Call it a finale. But whatever you call Tim Flannery's concert Saturday night, make sure you know it's another sincere effort to help Bryan Stow, who has become inextricably linked with the Giants.

• MLB Notebook: Panda in elite company

  Roger Schlueter

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:40 am

  With two dominant years under his belt through just his age-24 season, Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval is off to one of the best career starts for any switch-hitter in big league history.

• 

  Washington Nationals News

• Nationals have a hard-nosed warrior in Lidge

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:05 pm

  To understand what the Nationals are getting in Brad Lidge, it's important to know the road that the hard-throwing reliever has traveled. It has been a mixture of pain and celebration, of frustration and accomplishment. At 35, he has seen just about all there is to see.

• Nats bring Lidge on board with one-year deal

  Bill Ladson

  26 Jan 2012 | 2:24 pm

  The Nationals agreed to terms with reliever Brad Lidge on a one-year, $1 million contract Thursday. Teams such as the Rockies and Phillies expressed interest in Lidge, but he joined the Nats after having great conversations with general manager Mike Rizzo.

• Harper heads Nats prospects on Top 100 list

  Bill Ladson

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, third baseman Anthony Rendon and pitchers Alex Meyer and Sammy Solis were ranked in MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list on Wednesday, with Harper coming in at No. 2.

• In DC, new National Gio feels at home

  Bill Ladson

  25 Jan 2012 | 7:28 pm

  The Nationals introduced Gio Gonzalez to the local media at Nationals Park on Wednesday afternoon. The news conference came a little over a month after they acquired the left-hander from the Athletics in exchange for four prospects.

• Nats GM 'comfortable' with Prince talks

  Bill Ladson

  25 Jan 2012 | 6:05 pm

  General manager Mike Rizzo acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that the Nationals were in the Prince Fielder sweepstakes.

• 

  Baltimore Orioles News

• Johnson named Triple-A Norfolk manager

  Brittany Ghiroli

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:15 pm

  The Orioles announced the coaching staffs for each of their seven Minor League affiliates on Thursday with several new additions, highlighted by Triple-A Norfolk manager Ron Johnson.

• Machado, Bundy represent O's well

  Brittany Ghiroli

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Shortstop Manny Machado was named MLB.com's sixth-best prospect entering 2012, and right-hander Dylan Bundy came in at No. 10 in the rankings, which were unveiled on Wednesday.

• Cuban prospect Cespedes declared free agent

  Jesse Sanchez

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:51 pm

  On Wednesday, Major League Baseball sent out a notice to clubs, advising them that Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, as a resident of the Dominican Republic, is not subject to the amateur Draft and may now sign as a free agent.

• Orioles sign Andino to avoid arbitration

  Evan Drellich

  25 Jan 2012 | 10:30 am

  The Orioles' number of potential arbitration cases dropped to three on Wednesday with the signing of infielder Robert Andino.

• Bundys pushing each other to Majors

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:27 am

  Bundys pushing each other to Majors

• 

  Baseball Analysts

• Historical Hall of Fame Vote Comparisons: 2012

  Dave Allen

  10 Jan 2012 | 8:41 am

  For the past two years I have written a post taking a graphical look at Hall of Fame vote histories for players with similar first-year vote totals to players on the current year's ballot. Here is 2010's, which includes a description of the graphs, and here is 2011's. As I said these graphs are not meant as sophisticated projection into the future, but rather just a rough look at historical precedent. Folks like Chris Jaffe of the Hardball Times have a better handle on the dynamics of HoF voting and future ballot composition in order to make better prediction. This year's ballot had only one…

• An All-Christmas Team

  Al Doyle

  24 Dec 2011 | 2:35 am

  Anyone who was born on or within a few days of Christmas has sad tales to share of feeling cheated by "one gift for two days" childhood presents. What kind of treats have been given to fans on December 25? This roster of Christmas babies includes three Hall of Famers along with a smattering of All-Stars and everyday players. No need to save the best for last, as the All-Christmas team appropriately leads off with Rickey Henderson (born 1958) in left field. His career numbers - 1410 stolen bases (a whopping 472 ahead of second-place Lou Brock's 938 SB), an all-time best 2295 runs scored, 2190…

• The New-Look Angels

  Rich

  8 Dec 2011 | 3:01 pm

  The news that the Los Angeles Angels signed Albert Pujols to a ten-year contract for $250 million has motivated me to put up my first post in a month. While I would have preferred a shorter and less expensive contract, anything under ten years and $250 million was not going to seal the deal. As such, the way to think about this signing from an Angels' perspective is to break it into two five-year periods. That's right, 5x30 and 5x20 for an average of 10x25. Sure, 5x25 and 5x15 might be closer to what Pujols is likely to produce in terms of value but an aggregate of $200 million was going to…

• John Denny: The Forgotten Cy Young Award Winner

  David Bromberg

  10 Oct 2011 | 8:24 am

  A friend of mine, Ross Moskowitz, is the director of Camp Westmont, a beautiful summer camp in the Pocono Mts. of Pennsylvania. It's the kind of place every kid should be able to attend at least once in their lives. He's also a baseball man. Played Division One NCAA baseball at the University of Maryland. So when he told me that John Denny was going to be his baseball instructor this past summer, I thought it would make for a very interesting story/interview. How does a good pitcher become the best pitcher in the world for one season and win the Cy Young award? From Bob Turley to Randy Jones…

• Money Isn't Everything

  Rich

  8 Oct 2011 | 12:01 am

  No Boston Red Sox. No New York Yankees. No Philadelphia Phillies. The three highest payrolls in Major League Baseball failed to make the final four. In fact, seven of the top ten teams didn't even make the postseason. With the Yankees losing the ALDS to the Detroit Tigers yesterday and the Phillies falling short to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS this evening, none of the top nine payrolls are still alive and well. As shown below, the 10th, 11th, 13th, and 17th highest payroll teams remain in the hunt to win the World Series. Congratulations to all four organizations, as well as the No.

• 

  Boston Red Sox News

• Red Sox sign former Mets hurler Maine

  Evan Drellich

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:05 pm

  John Maine has signed with the Red Sox on a Minor League deal, a baseball source confirmed to MLB.com on Friday night.

• Q&A with Red Sox prospect Ranaudo

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:43 am

  Q&A with Red Sox prospect Ranaudo

• Valentine satisfied with deep stable of arms

  Evan Drellich

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:25 pm

  Even if the Red Sox do favor Mike Aviles to be their starting shortstop, the money the team freed up by trading Marco Scutaro may not be earmarked for pitching in the immediate future. At least, that's how manager Bobby Valentine explained the situation Thursday night at a charity event hosted by Kevin Youkilis.

• Eager Youk plots early start to Spring Training

  Evan Drellich

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:45 pm

  On Thursday night at the State Room in downtown Boston, an upbeat and noticeably slimmed Kevin Youkilis said he feels strong and that he plans to once again report early to Spring Training.

• Ross, Red Sox finalize one-year contract

  Evan Drellich and Quinn Roberts

  26 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm

  The Red Sox completed a one-year contract, reportedly worth $3 milliion, with free-agent outfielder Cody Ross on Thursday.

• 

  Chicago White Sox News

• Danks would love to get Opening Day nod

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:41 pm

  John Danks has no idea if the combination of his immense talent and new five-year, $65 million deal makes him the White Sox staff ace.

• Floyd's Twitter account work of impostor

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:41 pm

  One bit of "breaking" news for those in the social media world came Friday at SoxFest when Gavin Floyd told MLB.com the @GavinFloyd Twitter account does not belong to him.

• Konerko a go-to consultant for Williams

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:41 pm

  When the White Sox went into their modified rebuilding mode, GM Ken Williams consulted captain Paul Konerko about the team's new direction.

• Peavy ready to test his recovery

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:41 pm

  Almost 19 months removed from surgery to re-attach his lat muscle, Jake Peavy seems more than ready to test what he has left in his right arm.

• Williams coy on topic of Cuban phenoms

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:41 pm

  The phrase "under the radar" frequently describes Ken Williams' mode of operation in trying to acquire personnel upgrades for the White Sox. Where free-agent Cuban hurler Geraldo Concepcion and fellow free-agent Cuban outfielders Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler are concerned, the White Sox general manager has changed his game to poker.

• 

  Cleveland Indians News

• GM Antonetti holds town hall with Tribe fans

  Jordan Bastian

  27 Jan 2012 | 6:30 pm

  Indians general manager Chris Antonetti took questions from fans on topics ranging from Fausto Carmona to the club's commitment to winning during a town hall meeting in the Idea Center at Playhouse Square.

• Perry leads Indians' 2012 Hall of Fame class

  Jordan Bastian

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:52 pm

  On Friday, Cleveland announced that it will induct right-hander Gaylord Perry into the team's Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Aug. 11 before the Tribe's game against the Red Sox. The organization will also induct Jim Warfield and Jack Graney into the club's Distinguished Hall of Fame for non-uniformed personnel.

• Indians kick off 'Tribe on Tour' event at mall

  Jordan Bastian

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:44 pm

  A handful of Indians players sat on a stage inside SouthPark Mall, with manager Manny Acta to their left and a large gathering of fans circled all around. The event was the first on the four-stop "Tribe on Tour" event that will roll into nearby North Olmsted, Akron and Beachwood over the next three days.

• Indians place Carmona on restricted list

  Jordan Bastian

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:24 pm

  Under the circumstances, Cleveland was left with little choice but to place Fausto Carmona on Major League Baseball's restricted list. The Indians announced the move on Thursday, but officially filed the paperwork one day earlier.

• Tribe inks veteran Wheeler to Minors contract

  Jordan Bastian

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:23 pm

  The Indians continued to pad their bullpen depth on Thursday, signing free-agent reliever Dan Wheeler on a Minor League contract. The deal includes a non-roster invitation to attend Spring Training with the big league club.

• 

  Detroit Tigers News

• Wade ready to take hacks on 'Baseball IQ'

  Jason Beck

  27 Jan 2012 | 6:11 pm

  Tigers marketing director Ron Wade does not consider himself a trivia buff. He'll hang out with friends once in a while and do trivia contests, but he isn't a ringer. When he stepped onto the stage at MLB Network studios as a contestant on 'Baseball IQ' and saw the bright lights, however, he was that guy.

• Dombrowski: Inge still 'very important' to Tigers

  Jason Beck

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:38 pm

  Four years ago, Miguel Cabrera was a man on the move, and Brandon Inge was man without a position, hoping to find a starting job somewhere. The trade that was expected that winter never happened, and Inge ended up back at third base. Now, the Tigers and Inge might be back in the same spot.

• Prince deal shows Ilitch's desire to win

  Anthony Castrovince

  27 Jan 2012 | 6:52 am

  It's the passionate pursuit of a World Series ring -- a memento that Mike Ilitch has acknowledged would mean even more to him than the four Stanley Cups the Red Wings have won under his watch -- that, as a sports fan, you can't help but admire and appreciate.

• Leyland eyes three-four combo of Miggy, Prince

  Jason Beck

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  The Tigers have their protection for Miguel Cabrera in the batting order with Prince Fielder. Could they also have their new cleanup hitter?

• Fielder deal adds to history linking Boras, Tigers

  Jason Beck

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:43 pm

  Scott Boras usually saves his highest praise for his clients, especially during the offseason. He can use an occasional exaggeration, but his ability to use description to paint the image for his players is famous.

• 

  Kansas City Royals News

• White joins independent league in KC

  Dick Kaegel

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:10 pm

  Frank White, out as a Royals broadcaster this winter, is joining Kansas City's independent league team as a coach.

• Four Royals named to Top 100 Prospects list

  Dick Kaegel

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  The Royals have four players among MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects -- outfielders Bubba Starling and Wil Myers and pitchers Mike Montgomery and Jake Odorizzi -- but that doesn't make the organization unique.

• Royals invite 16 players to Spring Training

  Dick Kaegel

  25 Jan 2012 | 4:52 pm

  Five of the Royals' brightest young prospects are among the 16 non-roster players invited to Major League Spring Training.

• Kemp headlines NLBM gala on Saturday night

  Dick Kaegel

  25 Jan 2012 | 3:03 pm

  After a one-year hiatus, it's show time again for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's Legacy Awards, with Los Angeles Dodgers star Matt Kemp taking center stage.

• Prince helps AL Central's rich get richer

  Evan Drellich

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:30 pm

  No division was won by a greater margin last season than the American League Central, and its defending champions did their best to position themselves for another runaway on Tuesday by luring Prince Fielder.

• 

  Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim News

• Behind the scenes, scouts star for Angels

  Alden Gonzalez

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:56 am

  Leading up to Spring Training, MLB.com will take a look at the new members of the Angels' baseball-operations department -- the one that's completing what many consider the greatest offseason in franchise history.

• Shift to third will be challenging for three stars

  Alden Gonzalez

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:00 am

  In about a month, the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera, the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez and the Angels' Mark Trumbo will arrive for Spring Training and take grounders at third base, moves their clubs are making to keep their big bats productive and active.

• Trout leads three Angels prospects in Top 100

  Alden Gonzalez

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  The Angels placed three players on the list of MLB.com's Top 100 prospects, including Mike Trout at No. 3 overall.

• Blog: Walden on Year 2 as closer

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:39 pm

  Blog: Walden on Year 2 as closer

• Moreno honored by LA Sports Council

  Alden Gonzalez

  24 Jan 2012 | 2:57 pm

  Angels owner Arte Moreno, fresh off reeling in Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson this offseason, has been named the 2011 Sports Executive of the Year by the Los Angeles Sports Council.

• 

  Minnesota Twins News

• On the mend, Morneau starts baseball activities

  Rhett Bollinger

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:48 pm

  Justin Morneau, who played in just 69 games last season because of various injuries, said Friday that he's optimistic he'll be healthy and ready to go once Spring Training starts next month.

• Blackburn, Baker plan to hit ground running

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:13 pm

  Twins right-handers Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker said during TwinsFest that they're both healthy and on track to be ready to go once pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on Feb. 18.

• Span eager to spring back into action

  Rhett Bollinger

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:46 pm

  As he continues to overcome the lingering effects of the concussion he suffered last season, Twins center fielder Denard Span is solely focused on helping the Twins bounce back in 2012.

• Statue honoring Hrbek to be unveiled in 2012

  27 Jan 2012 | 3:25 pm

  Twins president Dave St. Peter made a slew of announcements during a media luncheon on Friday, including the decision to honor Kent Hrbek with a statue outside of Gate 14 at Target Field.

• Gardenhire: Pavano is Opening Day starter

  27 Jan 2012 | 3:25 pm

  Twins manager Ron Gardenhire confirmed on Friday that veteran right-hander Carl Pavano is slated to be the club's Opening Day starter on April 6 when the Twins play the Orioles at Camden Yards.

• 

  New York Yankees News

• Richards tests knowledge on 'Baseball IQ'

  Bryan Hoch

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:10 am

  With the MLB Network preparing to launch its first game show, "Baseball IQ," the Yankees administered a practice test. The highest score was posted by Yankees Museum curator Brian Richards, who was selected to represent the club on the program.

• Kuroda officially in the fold with one-year deal

  Anthony DiComo

  26 Jan 2012 | 3:23 pm

  The Yankees made official another contract on Thursday, formally announcing their one-year pact with right-handed starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.

• No hearings for Yanks as Logan agrees to pact

  Anthony DiComo

  26 Jan 2012 | 3:12 pm

  The Yankees avoided arbitration with their lone remaining eligible player on Thursday, inking left-handed reliever Boone Logan to a one-year, $1.87 million contract.

• Yanks' system has host of promising backstops

  Jesse Sanchez

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am

  While the Yankees won't have veteran Jorge Posada or top prospect Jesus Montero in 2012, the future remains bright behind the plate -- and in other areas -- for the organization.

• Yanks' approach with system paying off

  Anthony DiComo

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Only three American League franchises -- the A's, Mariners and Rays -- can claim more prospects than the Yankees in the MLB.com Top 100, which were unveiled on Wednesday.

• 

  Seattle Mariners News

• Mariners add Iwakuma to FanFest slate

  Greg Johns

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:45 pm

  Newly signed right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma has been added to this weekend's Mariners FanFest lineup, with the Japanese star scheduled to appear on Sunday in his first Seattle appearance.

• Seattle gets first look at Montero

  Doug Miller

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pm

  Jesus Montero recalls watching Edgar Martinez lace doubles when he was an aspiring player in Venezuela, making Thursday's introduction in Seattle with the Mariners great all that more surreal.

• Zduriencik knows Mariners face challenge

  Greg Johns

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:00 pm

  Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik didn't try to sugarcoat anything at Thursday's pre-Spring Training media luncheon at Safeco Field, saying this season is "going to be a challenge."

• Saunders ready to compete for outfield spot

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:26 pm

  Michael Saunders has been largely a forgotten man in the Mariners' plans this offseason, but the athletic outfielder says he's ready to put last year in the past and come to camp prepared to battle for a job.

• Wedge weighing non-leadoff options for Ichiro

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:26 pm

  Eric Wedge first brought up at the Winter Meetings in Dallas in early December the idea that Ichiro Suzuki might not be his leadoff hitter any longer, and the Mariners manager said Thursday he's now "further down the road in leaning that direction."

• 

  Tampa Bay Rays News

• Keppinger ready for whatever role he's given

  Bill Chastain

  27 Jan 2012 | 3:40 pm

  Tampa Bay finalized a one-year, $1.525 million deal on Friday to bring veteran infielder Jeff Keppinger into the fold.

• Maddon to appear on MLB Network on Friday

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:08 am

  Joe Maddon will be featured in the "Managers Roundtable" on MLB Network on Friday at 9 p.m. ET. The Rays manager will take part in a discussion with Bud Black, Mike Scioscia and Ron Roenicke, hosted by Tom Verducci.

• Price, Shields, Joyce parade grand marshals

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:08 am

  David Price, James Shields and Matt Joyce will serve as grand marshals for Saturday's Gasparilla parade, which takes place along Tampa's Bayshore Boulevard.

• Rays' Moore ranked MLB.com's top prospect

  Bill Chastain

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  The Rays are well represented on MLB.com's list of Top 100 prospects -- beginning at the top. Matt Moore is ranked as the top prospect in baseball, and the left-hander is accompanied on the list by shortstop Hak-Ju Lee (46), right-hander Chris Archer (74), shortstop Tim Beckham (92), outfielder Mike Mahtook (96) and right-hander Taylor Guerrieri (99).

• Rays bring back popular Pena to man first base

  Bill Chastain

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:21 pm

  Carlos Pena, one of the most popular players in Rays history, is returning to the club after spending last season with the Cubs.

• 

  Texas Rangers News

• Rangers broadcaster Nadel helps in community

  T.R. Sullivan

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:20 am

  Rangers broadcaster Eric Nadel is a true renaissance man who has a variety of interests outside of baseball. Right now, much of that attention is being devoted to several civic-related projects in Dallas.

• Finishing touches may remain for Rangers

  T.R. Sullivan

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:57 pm

  General manager Jon Daniels, while declining to discuss specific moves that might be in the works, acknowledged that the Rangers might have some unfinished business this offseason.

• Inbox: How will Feliz fare as a starter?

  T.R. Sullivan

  26 Jan 2012 | 9:58 am

  Beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers questions regarding what type of numbers Neftali Feliz can post as a starter and if the Rangers should ink Roy Oswalt.

• Four Rangers prospects among game's best

  T.R. Sullivan

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Jurickson Profar (No. 7) is one of four Rangers to make the MLB.com's Top 100 prospects list, it was announced Wednesdsy. He is joined by pitcher Martin Perez (No. 29), infielder Mike Olt (No. 43) and outfielder Leonys Martin (No. 89).

• Teams said to have interest in Rangers' Uehara

  T.R. Sullivan

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:07 am

  The Rangers are still drawing considerable interest from other teams in reliever Koji Uehara, according to a Major League source.

• 

  Toronto Blue Jays News

• Inbox: Do Blue Jays have game's best 'pen?

  Gregor Chisholm

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:35 am

  With the additions of Sergio Santos and Francisco Cordero, do the Blue Jays have the best bullpen in baseball? Beat reporter Gregor Chisholm answers that question and more in the latest edition of his Inbox.

• d'Arnaud named Blue Jays' top prospect

  Gregor Chisholm

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm

  The Blue Jays have four players on MLB.com's list of the Top 100 Prospects in baseball. Catcher Travis d'Arnaud (25), outfielder Anthony Gose (57), outfielder Jake Marisnick (58) and right-hander Noah Syndergaard (95) all found themselves amongst the game's rising talents.

• Cordero signs one-year deal with Blue Jays

  Gregor Chisholm

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:26 pm

  The Blue Jays continued to revamp their bullpen on Tuesday afternoon by agreeing to terms with free-agent reliever Francisco Cordero.

• Inking extension was big deal for Morrow

  Gregor Chisholm

  24 Jan 2012 | 1:11 pm

  The Blue Jays have secured another one of their core pieces by signing right-hander Brandon Morrow to a multiyear contract on Tuesday morning.

• Blue Jays ink Vizquel to Minor League deal

  Gregor Chisholm

  23 Jan 2012 | 8:45 pm

  The Blue Jays signed veteran infielder Omar Vizquel to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training on Monday night.

• 

  Bats

• Bolstering Staff, Yankees Complete Deal With Kuroda

  By DAVID WALDSTEIN

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:09 pm

  Hiroki Kuroda, a right-handed starter, wrapped up a one-year, $10 million deal, and reliever Boone Logan signed a one-year contract and avoided arbitration.

• Fielder Comes Home

  By JOANNE C. GERSTNER

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:03 pm

  Prince Fielder's world came full-circle, as he officially became part of his favorite childhood team, the Detroit Tigers, with a nine-year, $214 million contract.

• After Fielder Deal, Leyland Works on His Lineup

  By JOANNE C. GERSTNER

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:20 pm

  Prince Fielder will play first base and Miguel Cabrera will move to third next season for the Tigers, and manager Jim Leyland is already working on his projected lineup.

• Franco Named to Mets Hall of Fame

  By ANDREW KEH

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:43 pm

  The former closer John Franco, a Brooklyn native and childhood fan of the Mets, will become the 26th member of their Hall of Fame.

• Tigers' Infield Defense Could Be Brutal

  By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  Miguel Cabrera is set to slide over to third base for the Tigers to make room for Prince Fielder. The pair of poor defenders could be a liability while in the field.

• 

  Over the Monster

• Red Sox Sign John Maine, Max St. Pierre To Minor League Deals

  Ben Buchanan

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:37 pm

  Another day, another depth move that will likely play no part in the actual season! Exciting! Today's additions: John Maine (per Steve DeShavo of the Fredericksburg Freelance-Star) and Max St. Pierre (per Matt Eddy of Baseball America) Maine, who last pitched in the majors in 2010, spent last year getting knocked around Triple-A Colorado Springs to the tune of a 7.43 ERA. Despite a period of effectiveness from 2006-2008, Maine has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, and has been ineffective when he's made it back on the field. Maine considered retirement after leaving Colorado, but…

• Why Edwin Jackson To The Red Sox For A Year Is At Least Plausible

  Marc Normandin

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:13 pm

  Today over at Baseball Nation, I took a look at Edwin Jackson and the 2013 starting pitcher market. The reasoning behind this is that Jackson reportedly has a few one-year offers lined up courtesy of the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, while the Orioles are out there saying they would go four years on Jackson if he'd have them. Basically, there are a whole lot of free agent starting pitchers who also happen to have some ability becoming free agents in 2013. Not as many as there could be, given nearly one-third of them have favorable club options attached to their contracts, but still,…

• 2012 Red Sox Top Prospect Voting #4: Xander Bogaerts Coasts Into Third

  Ben Buchanan

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:17 am

  The third spot on the list was always the one that was going to be obvious. At least here on Over The Monster, the community clearly held that there was a top tier of prospects formed by three men: Xander Bogaerts, Ryan Lavarnway, and Will Middlebrooks. With Lavarnway and Middlebrooks having taken first and second, Bogaerts was pretty much a lock for third. Of course, that's actually a bit of a hit for Bogaerts, who has made his way to the top of many a prospector's list. And it's not hard to see why, either. As one of the youngest players at his level, Bogaerts tore the cover off the ball…

• Carl Crawford Or Prince Fielder's Contract?

  Marc Normandin

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:04 am

  Prince Fielder signed a nine-year, $214 million deal with the Tigers earlier this week. It seemingly came out of nowhere, but the Tigers, Nationals, Dodgers, and possibly others were all in on Fielder seriously, just under the radar. That was the price it took to sign the first baseman, and while other teams decided not paying at all beat signing up for nine years of a guy whose body might betray him as he ages, the Tigers took the plunge. Last winter, the Red Sox signed Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $142 million deal. Excitement was the initial response, but a poor debut with Boston has…

• Dan Wheeler Signs With Indians; Red Sox Lose Compensation Pick

  Marc Normandin

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:01 am

  Dan Wheeler signed with the Cleveland Indians yesterday, a move that should have netted the Red Sox a draft pick. Wheeler was a Type-B free agent in the last off-season that those will exist -- the new collective bargaining agreement eliminates the Elias Rankings, and revamps the compensation system. Since it was only Type-B status and not Type-A, there was no penalty lined up (meaning no lost draft picks) for whoever inked him to a deal, just the bonus pick to the team who lost him. Despite this, the Indians signed Wheeler to a minor league deal only, costing the Red Sox a potential extra…

• 

  The Baseball Card Blog

• Dibs McNasty

  mkenny59

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pm

  Rob Dibble, 1989 DonrussName’s Dibs, a.k.a. Nasty Boy, a.k.a. Dibs McNasty. I got a rocket launcher for a right arm and an attitude to match. That means my attitude is also a rocket launcher in that I WILL BLAST OFF ON YOU. You’ve been warned. You’re not a woman, are you? Good. I don’t care for women around ballparks. They don’t pay attention to what’s going on, and what’s going is that I AM DOMINATING MEN WITH MY BASEBALL PITCHES. They’re in the stands, these women, all like, “Hair and nails, something something, that’s my husband over there, he’s number such and such,…

• Kip Cut

  mkenny59

  18 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pm

  One of my friends growing up had, on his basement wall, a framed uncut sheet of baseball cards. I don’t recall the set, or which players it contained, but I do remember seeing it for the first time and thinking, “What the … ?”I’m sure I would have eventually deduced that baseball cards were produced and manufactured in the same fashion as say, 64 slices of American cheese, and that’s not to say I had ever really thought about the origins of the cards I so enjoyed. But I think my naïve little brain subconsciously believed these cards were created with the same individual care and…

• The Steve Nicosia Story

  mkenny59

  11 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pm

  Steve Nicosia, 1985 Topps“GET YOUR ELBOW UP!” is what my dad would be yelling right now if he were Steve Nicosia’s dad instead of my dad and if Steve Nicosia were playing Little League ball instead of Major League ball. If my dad was still my dad but Steve Nicosia was on my Little League team, my dad would be yelling, “Lookin’ good, Stevie boy! Hum-batta-batta, let’s go Stevie!”Let’s find out what the back of this Steve Nicosia card has to say re: Steve Nicosia:What club’s pitching staff posted 17 shutouts to lead the N.L. in 1984?Steve Nicosia?(Turns card upside down…

• The Jay Bell Twelve

  mkenny59

  4 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pm

  Jay Bell, 1998 Upper Deck SPx (?) seriesRule of thumb: When the player featured on your baseball card is less noticeable than your gimmicky logo, something has gone wrong. Two things about this card: 1) It is so thick that when I went to scan it, the cover of the scanner did not close all the way and the ultraviolet gamma-scanner rays blinded me and I fell down and I when I came to, I was naked except for a top hat. 2) What in the freakin’ heck is that logo?I have been staring at this for what feels like six hours. Here is what I know. It is gold. It is made to appear as though it has been…

• Historical Deliciousness

  mkenny59

  28 Dec 2011 | 8:00 pm

  Ron Gant, 1990 Donruss Diamond KingsI trust everyone has seen the film, “The Miraculous Redemption of Ron Gant,” starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as a baseball player who is good at playing baseball, and then not so good, and then good again. It is a gripping, moving film, especially the part where the horse dies, which pretty much came out of nowhere.Let us revisit that story, based on actual events.Ron Gant recorded a year of near miraculous redemption.Go on …He was a 1988 Rookie of the Year candidate—In that he was rookie. It’s not as if these guys have to publicly declare their…

• 

  The LoHud Yankees Blog

• Chamberlain continuing to rehab, plus some notes and links

  Chad Jennings

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:35 pm

  Joba Chamberlain’s rehab from Tommy John surgery continues, and today he used his Twitter account to announce that he’s throwing off flat ground with pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Had an amazing day, threw a flat ground with Larry and felt great! Thanks for all the support! Still hard to imagine Chamberlain being ready for the [...] Click on the headline for the rest of this blog post ...

• Yankees organizational depth: Outfield corners

  Chad Jennings

  27 Jan 2012 | 6:12 pm

  It’s a curious time for the Yankees outfield corners. They have a young, cheap, homegrown left fielder — but he’s getting more expensive by the year. They have a productive, affordable right fielder — but he’s in the final year of his contract. Behind them, the organization offers no obvious replacements. In the big leagues [...] Click on the headline for the rest of this blog post ...

• Girardi making charity appearance at Harrison Public Library

  Chad Jennings

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:01 pm

  This weekend, Joe Girardi is helping raise money for his local library. Here are the details from the library itself. For more information, follow this link to the library’s website.  Joe Girardi, New York Yankees Manager and Harrison resident, is donating his time for an autograph signing at the Harrison Public Library on Sunday, January [...] Click on the headline for the rest of this blog post ...

• What are we waiting for?

  Chad Jennings

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:31 pm

  Can you believe this? It’s been two weeks since the Michael Pineda trade and the Yankees have done nothing! Kidding. They’ve settled on contracts with all of their arbitration guys, made the Andruw Jones and Hiroki Kuroda signings official and celebrated the career of Jorge Posada. Now that the Yankees have made their big splash, [...] Click on the headline for the rest of this blog post ...

• A forgotten priority

  Chad Jennings

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:53 am

  Several year’s from now, when this morning’s Pinch Hitter, Lucas, is telling his son about his first Yankees game, some of the details won’t matter. Lucas will tell his son that Mariano Rivera pitched in that game, and why should it matter that The Greatest gave up a run? He’ll tell his son that Derek [...] Click on the headline for the rest of this blog post ...

• 

  RotoFeed

• Long-Term Contracts

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:31 pm

  Zucchini Boy wants to know if Starlin Castro is worth giving a long-term contract.Keeper question: I've got Starlin Castro at $10 in my NL-only league, and saw that he earned close to $30 last year. His contract is up this year, and I can extend him for $5 a year. I know SS is a little thin, so I was wondering your thoughts--do I maximize profit for this year and just keep him at $10, or do some extending?At the heart of Zucchini Boy's question is what we all ask ourselves when it's time to dole out long-term contracts: Is it worth sacrificing current auction value in…

• Quick Hits: Playoffs, Dodgers Owners, Padres, Floyd

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:30 pm

  It was on this day in 1982 that the Cubs acquired Ryne Sandberg and Larry Bowa from the Phillies in a trade for Ivan De Jesus.  The Bowa-for-DeJesus component ended up being pretty even, but needless to say, Chicago won that trade --- Sandberg went on to a Hall Of Fame career as one of the greatest Cubs of all time.  Sandberg eventually returned to the Phillies organization in 2011, managing the team's Triple-A affiliate to an 80-64 record. Here are some news items as we enter the last weekend of January... Bud Selig told reporters (including Ronald Blum of the Associated Press) at the…

• AL East Notes: Kuroda, Blue Jays, Camp, Selig

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:26 pm

  Some news from the AL East... Hiroki Kuroda's one-year, $10MM deal with the Yankees includes a full no-trade clause, reports FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link). Kuroda said he received offers from five or six Major League clubs and he eventually narrowed his choices down to the Yankees and the Hiroshima Carp, his former Japanese team, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.  Kuroda's desire to play for a contender led to his Yankee contract, as he turned down some more expensive offers to sign with New York. MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm doesn't think Manny Ramirez is a fit with the…

• Cards Close To Deal With Oswalt; BoSox, Astros In Mix

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:30 pm

  The Cardinals are close to a deal with veteran right-hander Roy Oswalt, reports Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).  The Red Sox and, surprisingly, the Astros are still contenders for Oswalt's services.  Mike Silverman of the Boston Herald (via Twitter) confirms these three teams are in the mix and says it could be "another day or two" before a decision is made. We heard two days ago that both the Cards and Red Sox had made Oswalt offers, with the St. Louis offer worth roughly $5MM.  Oswalt has long expressed a desire to pitch for the Cards, so this could be why he is…

• NL East Links: Nats, Mets, Morrison, Cespedes

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:21 pm

  As the Phillie Phantic hangs out with Tina Fey and the gang on 30 Rock, here's the latest from the NL East... Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told media (including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post) that the Nats are still "not done with our bullpen," even after signing Brad Lidge.  Rizzo said he is still looking to improve the rotation if possible but said the Nationals will stick with internal options for the center field job. ESPN New York's Adam Rubin looks at the difficulties facing the Wilpon family as they try to keep ownership of the Mets. The Mets could have the biggest one-year payroll…

• 

  AaronGleeman.com

• Link-O-Rama

  aarongleeman

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:05 am

  • Rihanna seems like fun.• In retrospect, Kevin Garnett had the right idea in this picture.• If she wasn't already an Official Fantasy Girl of AG.com candidate this quote would put Lizzy Caplan in the mix: "What I like to do every single night is fall asleep watching Larry Sanders."• Joe Mauer is engaged now, so perhaps there's a similar explanation for last year's injuries.• One of my favorite comedians, Todd Glass, came out of the closet on Marc Maron's podcast and it was incredibly compelling stuff.• Speaking of Maron, this article about podcasting quotes me right alongside…

• Podcast: “Gleeman and The Geek” (Episode 25)

  aarongleeman

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:44 am

  This week's episode of "Gleeman and The Geek" was recorded at the Wild Boar in Hopkins and my beer choice was Leinenkugel Honey Weiss. Topics included Kevin Slowey returning to the AL Central, Prince Fielder signing with the Tigers, how we react to a drunk woman showing us her bra in the middle of the show, Justin Morneau's health status, what to expect from the Tigers, White Sox, Indians, and Royals, and why re-signing Matt Capps keeps looking worse.Gleeman and The Geek: Episode 25In addition to the direct download link above you can also subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.

• Twins Notes: Morneau, Slowey, Turpen, Putnam, French, and Tolbert

  aarongleeman

  24 Jan 2012 | 12:05 am

  • Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune traveled to Arizona to see Justin Morneau's workout routine and wrote a lengthy article about his latest comeback. Morneau revealed that he had concussion symptoms as recently as last month, which is awfully worrisome considering his initial brain injury occurred nearly 18 months ago and he still hasn't begun taking batting practice or fielding ground balls. Here's more of what Morneau said:I wouldn't say the head's perfect yet ... but what I was able to do today is miles ahead of where I was at this time last year. I've had problems with…

• Twins Notes: Arbitration, invitations, compensation, and reconsideration

  aarongleeman

  20 Jan 2012 | 12:05 am

  • Tuesday night was the deadline for players and teams to submit salary figures for arbitration hearings to be held next month, but the Twins avoided that with Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins by signing them to one-year deals. Liriano got $5.5 million for his third and final year of arbitration eligibility, which is exactly what I projected as his salary last month. Perkins got $1.55 million for his second arbitration year, which is slightly less than my $2 million projection.Alexi Casilla did not agree to a pre-deadline deal in his second arbitration year, filing for $1.75 million while…

• Podcast: “Gleeman and The Geek” (Episode 24)

  aarongleeman

  18 Jan 2012 | 1:18 am

  This week's episode of "Gleeman and The Geek" was recorded at the Wild Boar in Hopkins, my beer choice was Leinenkugel Honey Weiss, and we were joined by special guest Nick Nelson. Topics included Joel Zumaya signing, Glen Perkins, Alexi Casilla, Francisco Liriano, and the arbitration process, Roy Oswalt rumors, Delmon Young's deal with Detroit, Victor Martinez's injury, revisiting the top Twins prospects of 2011, and John Bonnes' horrible beard.Gleeman and The Geek: Episode 24In addition to the direct download link above you can also subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.

• 

  UmpBump.com

• Give This Man an Invite

  Joe Tarring

  13 Jan 2012 | 6:10 pm

  Give this man an invite. Before last season I wrote a pair of columns (which I would link to but the site is down) looking at the more interesting non-roster invitees in every team’s Spring Training Camp. It might have been the most enjoyable column to research I wrote all year and I’ll be doing it again at around the time pitchers and catchers report for the 2012 season. When I do write that column, I hope I get to write a caption about Dmitri Young. Over at the Leader, Jerry Crasnick has an in-depth look at Young’s attempted comeback which is full of good stuff. From the…

• Holes to Fill (NL)

  Joe Tarring

  9 Jan 2012 | 4:57 pm

  Congratulations to the newest member of the Hall of Fame Barry Larkin and onwards with the belated second part of my series on how contenders can use the remaining free agents to fill key gaps on their rosters: Miami Marlins Need: Centre field They might not be targeting a new centre fielder, they seem quite content with giving Chris Coughlin the job, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need one. I like Coughlin as a hitter but absolutely don’t see him as being anything close to a major league centre field, either in health or ability. Where else he plays with the current…

• Red Sox Get Their Closer

  Joe Tarring

  28 Dec 2011 | 4:49 pm

  Andrew Bailey Red Sox acquire RHP Andrew Bailey and OF Ryan Sweeney for OF Josh Reddick, RHP Raul Alcantara and 1B Miles Head. ESPN’s Buster Olney has just broken the news that one of my predictions has finally come true. The more newsworthy way of looking at it is that the Red Sox have acquired a very good closer for a fairly light-looking package. Despite GM Ben Cherington’s quotes about being comfortable with the idea of Mark Melancon being the team’s closer, it was always a safe bet that the team would look to bring in another reliever with Bailey and Ryan Madson being…

• The Braves are ridiculous

  Coley Ward

  20 Dec 2011 | 12:47 pm

  Today comes word that the Atlanta Braves are none too thrilled about the Pixar company’s efforts to copyright the name “Brave,” which is the title of the studio’s new movie about a young Scottish girl with bright red hair who, presumably, overcomes gender stereotypes and dragons on her way to save somebody from something. The Braves’ opposition to the studio’s copyright claim is kind of crazy for the following reasons: 1. Brave is being produced by Pixar and released by Disney. The Braves train in Walt Disney World. Talk about biting the hand that feeds…

• Holes to Fill (AL)

  Joe Tarring

  20 Dec 2011 | 9:20 am

  Now that we’re at the point in the off season where unsigned big names are the exception rather than the norm, a team looking to go out and pick up a new player for 2012 will find their options quickly dwindling. For clubs that wait out the market there may be a nice opportunity to pick up an overlooked player on the cheap, however every year there are teams scrabbling around pre-Spring Training trying to fill an important roster spot. While this is less of an issue for teams that don’t expect to contend, there are still contenders with fairly significant holes to plug as the…

• 

  RotoRob

• Podcast: Carlos Pena Heads Back to the Bay

  RotoRob

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:39 am

  Prince Fielder’s impressive bat — and girth — are now Tigers’ property. RotoRob’s Fantasy Baseball 365 Podcast was back for another episode Thursday night. In what was our most spirited show yet, Buck, Tim and I provided our analysis for a bevy of Fantasy baseball news, including: Carlos Pena and his limp BA head back to Tampa Bay, where he enjoyed his finest seasons. Does he have another big season left in the tank? Detroit says “no problem” about Victor Martinez’s torn ACL and scoops Prince Fielder off the market, creating a backlash of…

• MLB Today: Reds Add Jeff Francis

  RotoRob

  26 Jan 2012 | 2:28 pm

  The Reds beefed up their rotation depth with the addition of Jeff Francis. The Cincinnati Reds clearly needed pitching help, and this offseason they’ve done everything they could to address that, dealing for Mat Latos and Sean Marshall, signing Ryan Madson and now taking a flier on Canadian southpaw Jeff Francis. A few weeks ago, it looked like the Rockies would make an attempt to return Francis to his original team, but they have since added plenty of pitching options elsewhere, leaving the former 17-game winner in the unemployment line. As recently as last week, the Mets were said to be…

• Win The Darkness or Other 2k Games on Demand!

  Herija Green

  25 Jan 2012 | 10:23 am

  He calls the one on the left “Mr. Bitey.” Come the week of February 7, we here at RotoRob.com will be giving away copies of 2k Games’ newest release, The Darkness II… but that’s like two whole weeks away and we don’t wanna wait that long. So we got together with our friends at 2k Games and came up with a solution: This week we’re giving away Games on Demand codes for The Darkness so that you can get all caught up in time for the sequel! Good, right? Well, it’s still not good enough because 2k Games is also offering up the chance to win your…

• 2012 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit: Catcher Rankings

  RotoRob

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:26 am

  Mike Napoli reached heights we never thought he was capable of. By Tim McLeod and RotoRob And we’re off! Welcome to the 2012 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit and another season of cheat sheets, sleepers, busts, prospects and all sorts of goodies to help you prepare for the upcoming baseball season. Starting today, we’ll be rolling out our positional rankings and various other draft components over the next few weeks. So while the catching ranks says goodbye to long-time stud Jorge Posada, let’s review our picks for the top backstops in Fantasy baseball for the 2012 season. Heading into…

• Video Game Review: Jurassic Park

  Mike Chen

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:07 am

  Jurassic Park’s controls mean escapes are quicktime events, not actual movement. In the 1990s, Jurassic Park made it cool to be a paleontologist. Okay, well, kind of cool, or at least it was cool to think dinosaurs are awesome. Unfortunately, this didn’t really translate into the video game world (or the awful film sequels); a mediocre Sega Genesis platformer and some ill-advised shooters are pretty much the entire Jurassic Park video game legacy. Now, Tell Tale Games is giving it another go, this time by putting in a story that runs parallel to the original film. However, Tell…

• 

  joy of sox

• Support Mark Buehrle In Trashing Miami-Dade's Pit Bull Ban

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:29 am

  Animal activist (and Miami Marlins pitcher) Mark Buehrle and his family are working hard to get the Florida legislature to pass HB 997/SB 1322, which would end breed-specific legislation in Miami-Dade County. (Sign this petition.)After Buehrle signed a four-year deal with Miami this winter, he discovered that his family could not live in Miami-Dade County. One of their four rescued dogs - Slater - is an American Staffordshire terrier, and Miami-Dade is the only county in Florida that has statutes outlawing any dog that looks anything like a pit bull. The dog's actual behaviour is irrelevant.

• Sox: Announce Ross, DFA Atchison, Sign Bailey, Make Offer To Oswalt

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:04 pm

  Scott Atchison was designated for assignment to make room for outfielder Cody Ross on the 40-man roster.ESPN's Buster Olney states that the Red Sox made a 1/5 offer to Roy Oswalt and a similar pitch to Edwin Jackson (although the Jackson offer may not have been official). Olney says the Red Soxdon't want to get locked into any long-term deals ... [I]f they can get an Oswalt or a Jackson at their offer price, they're OK with that. If they can't, I think they're OK with that too considering they have other alternatives at this point with the rotation.ESPN's Gordon Edes takes a wider look at the…

• Tim McCarver And Madame Khokhlakov

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:25 am

  "I've looked at you a hundred times as you walked by, saying to myself: here is an energetic man who must go to the mines. I even studied your gait and decided: this man will find many mines.""From my gait, madame?" Mitya smiled."And why not from your gait? What, do you deny that it's possible to tell a man's character from his gait, Dmitri Fyodorovich? Natural science confirms it."Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, page 385

• 1918 Fenway Park Grand Stand Pass

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:38 am

  Notice: The holder of this pass agrees to pay 2 cents to the Club each time same is presented for admission to the park, which will entitle the holder to what is known as a 77 cent seat, conditioned that the holder is also to pay to the Club for the Government a War Tax of 8 cents each time this pass is presented for admission, making a total of 10 cents.Harry H. FrazeePresidentI saw this on eBay.

• Red Sox Sign Cody Ross

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:30 pm

  Outfielder Cody Ross has agreed to a one-year contract (at about $3 million) with the Red Sox.Ross, 31, hit .240/.325/.405 (105 OPS+) for the Giants in 2011. In his career, he has a .912 OPS against lefties (.282/.349/.563).However, his slash stats for the last three years show a huge drop in power: AVG OBP SLG OPS2009 .284 .347 .612 .9592010 .287 .340 .543 .8832011 .234 .336 .362 .698Ross has played all three outfield positions for the past two seasons. Games played: LF CF RF2010 23 89 542011 83 22 35From an optimist's point of view, a bench with Ross, Nick Punto, and Mike Aviles has a lot…

• 

  Scouting Book RSS Updates

• L.A. Dodgers: Top 2012 Prospects: The Team With Heart and Courage Still Needs Brains

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:07 am

  (TOP STORY) Pity the Dodgers, one of baseball's signature franchises now fallen on hard times. The club is stuck between gears, halfway in forward and half in idle, trying to win now as well as win later, all with a suspended budget, a lame duck owner and a desperation that's almost palpable. The headless franchise certainly looked it last season, trading away five-tool prospect Trayvon Robinson to the Red Sox for... not much. [more...]

• Closer Watch Update: BOS

  Update: BOS -- The Red Sox reached a one-year agreement with reliever (?) Daniel Bard on Saturday, settling at the arbitration midpoint of $1.6M. The Sox are still making noises about repurposing Bard as a starter, but we're not buying it. (1/22/2012)

• Prospects on the Rise...

  These prospects have moved up in our composite rankings recently: Trevor Bauer (#23)... Danny Hultzen (#25)... Dylan Bundy (#29)... Zack Wheeler (#86)... Jake Marisnick (#92)... Mike Olt (#98)... Josh Bell (#108)... Jed Bradley (#117)... Alex Meyer (#122)... Nathan Eovaldi (#172)... Brody Colvin (#178)... Chris Carter (#202)... Norichika Aoki (#213)... Sammy Solis (#280)... See our detailed prospect rankings for more info. (1/28/2012)

• And Prospects on the Fall...

  These prospects have moved down in our composite rankings recently: Liam Hendriks (#42)... Chris Withrow (#53)... Callix Crabbe (#369)... Greg Golson (#464)... See our detailed prospect rankings for more info. (1/28/2012)

• Top OF: Best Outfield Prospects for 2012 : Baseball's Biggest, Strongest, Fastest

  25 Jan 2012 | 3:17 am

  Outfielders don't get enough love. They're responsible for the biggest parts of the field and need to make the longest and most difficult throws, all while dealing with blinding sun and unruly fans as they try to calculate the flight a ball that's only the size of a pin-head when it starts zooming toward them from three hundred feet away. And so how do we judge the best outfielders? By their bats, of course. [more...]

• 

  Roto Think Tank

• Long-Term Contracts

  Mike Gianella

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:31 pm

  Zucchini Boy wants to know if Starlin Castro is worth giving a long-term contract.Keeper question: I've got Starlin Castro at $10 in my NL-only league, and saw that he earned close to $30 last year. His contract is up this year, and I can extend him for $5 a year. I know SS is a little thin, so I was wondering your thoughts--do I maximize profit for this year and just keep him at $10, or do some extending?At the heart of Zucchini Boy's question is what we all ask ourselves when it's time to dole out long-term contracts: Is it worth sacrificing current auction value in…

• David Wright 2012

  Mike Gianella

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:03 pm

  With the fences moving in at Citi Field next year, everyone wants to know if David Wright is going to return to his days as a 30+ HR hitter in 2012 and beyond.Last October, Eno Saris posted this spray chart at Amazing Avenue. This overlay of Wright's 2011 batted balls with the proposed new dimensions of Citi Field wasn't conclusive (as Saris pointed out), but if I had to guess, I'd say that Wright is somewhat likely to see a moderate power boost at home. Predicting exactly how many home runs this will translate into is a fool's errand, but I could see a 3-5 home run increase if all…

• The Impact of Fielder and Pujols Leaving

  Mike Gianella

  25 Jan 2012 | 11:37 am

  The baseball world was shocked yesterday when Prince Fielder signed not with the Nationals (as expected) or with the Rangers or Mariners (less likely, but not out of the realm of possibility) but with the Tigers. With the loss of Victor Martinez, the Tigers had been linked to Johnny Damon and to a few other low level DH-types, but no one thought that the Tigers would jump into the pool and grab Fielder.Within the fantasy community, there was a rapid flurry of speculation and questions regarding how Fielder's migration to the American League would impact the value of…

• Is xFIP useful to predict future performance?

  Mike Gianella

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:12 pm

  One of the sabermetricians favorite metrics is xFIP. By now, most of you should have at least a rough idea of what xFIP is, but if you don't here is the definition:Expected Fielding Independent Pitching (xFIP) is a regressed version of FIP, developed by Dave Studeman from The Hardball Times. It’s calculated exactly the same as FIP, except it replaces a pitcher’s homerun rate with the league-average rate (10.6% HR/FB) since pitcher homerun rates have been shown to be very unstable over time. A pitcher may allow a homeruns on 12% of their fly balls one year, yet then turn around…

• Do Values Stay The Same?

  Mike Gianella

  20 Jan 2012 | 8:31 pm

  Yesterday, I analyzed the potential shift in Michael Pineda's value based on his transition from Seattle to New York. DD wanted to know if the value shift took into account last year's lower ERA/WHIP relative to prior seasons.The year of the pitcher wasn't 2011, though; it was 2010.A.L. 2011: 4.08 ERA, 1.325 WHIPA.L. 2010: 4.14 ERA, 1.346 WHIPA.L. 2009: 4.45 ERA, 1.403 WHIP2010 was the year that the pitchers rallied to post the lowest league ERA for the American League since way back in 1992, when league wide they posted a 3.94. Yes, this means that the average…

• 

  WordPress.com News

• Chrome Users: Try the WordPress.com Extension

  Christopher Finke

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:54 pm

  Want to receive WordPress.com notifications instantly, even when you’re not on WordPress.com? Add the new WordPress.com extension for Chrome and as soon as you get a new follower or a new like on one of your posts, a notification will appear in your browser: Simply click the icon to view your latest WordPress.com notifications: Start following new blogs without visiting WordPress.com The Chrome extension also makes it easy to follow sites from your WordPress.com account by displaying a Follow button whenever you’re browsing a site that has an RSS feed. Clicking the Follow button…

• Your Stats Have a New Home

  Andy Skelton

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:46 am

  Are you addicted to checking your site stats? You are not alone. The stats dashboard has always been one of the most popular admin screens. It’s gratifying to know that people are visiting your place online. With the WordPress.com front page evolving into a one-stop shop for posting, exploring, following and reading blogs, it seemed natural to put your blog stats there, too.  Stats are becoming more and more about interacting with your readers and other bloggers. You’ll still see your summary stats and chart on your main dashboard, and the full stats page in your dashboard will…

• Reblogging is Back!

  Erica Johnson

  22 Jan 2012 | 1:27 pm

  As we mentioned last week, you can like and reblog posts directly from your reader, which displays a stream of all the updates published on all the blogs you follow from your WordPress.com account. We’ve also brought the reblog button back to the toolbar that appears at the top of the screen when you’re logged into WordPress.com. Note that you’ll only see the like and reblog options while you’re looking at individual posts. For example, you’ll see this on the left side of your toolbar while viewing http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/read-blogs: And your…

• New Theme: Newsy

  Philip Arthur Moore

  20 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pm

  It’s been an extra big week in the news ’round these parts, so much so that the launch announcement of our latest premium theme seems like an extra extra good way to headline our Friday. Newsy is a versatile business and news-friendly theme that offers up to ten different layouts, four footer columns, custom link and accent colors, and a custom site header. Brand and content-focused editorial teams will love publishing with this theme. Newsy: Home Page Designed by Themify, Newsy comes with an impressive set of Theme Options that afford you a great deal of flexibility with how you…

• Read All Your Favorite Blogs in One Place

  Erica Johnson

  19 Jan 2012 | 6:04 pm

  If you feel like it’s a chore to keep up with all your favorite blogs, you can now read posts from all the blogs you follow (even the ones that aren’t on WordPress.com!) in one convenient place on the WordPress.com home page: Your reader displays all the posts across all the blogs you follow in the order they were published, with the most recent content appearing at the top. You’ll see an excerpt of the introduction to each post, the first image in the post, and thumbnails of any other images that the post contains. You can even like and reblog WordPress.com content directly…

• 

  Mop Up Duty

• My Puerto Rican Baseball Experience

  Callum Hughson

  23 Jan 2012 | 3:50 am

  This past week I travelled to Puerto Rico to experience Puerto Rican baseball and to immerse myself in the Puerto Rican culture.  This is my story. Regular Mop-Up Duty readers know that I fetishize the way the game of baseball is played internationally and that I love to travel.  In the past I have visited many ballparks,  travelled to Florida for Grapefruit League Spring Training action, made a run for the border to witness Mexican Baseball.  Most recently, I infiltrated the amateur baseball paradise that is Cuba. For my latest trip, I travelled to the island of Puerto Rico - a…

• Fantasy Projections: Colby Rasmus & Adam Lind

  Matthias Koster

  20 Jan 2012 | 11:57 am

  Fantasy Projections In this day and age it is extremely easy to find a multitude of projections surrounding a player’s 2012 successes or failures. A  jaunt over to FanGraphs or googling a ZIP can provide quick answers. What will a player’s OBA be? How many WAR will he produce?   Different View   Fantasy baseball is sometimes thought of as the ugly step child to sabermetrics. Standard leagues use stats such as batting average, RBI, wins & ERA. While many look down their noses at these stats, they are still important in the eyes of the average baseball fan. Mock…

• Calm Before The Storm

  Matthias Koster

  16 Jan 2012 | 10:49 am

  While the new year has barely begun, this entry is a lock to to win the ‘mailed in post of the year award’.   I was recently in Florida to run a Marathon and visit my snowbird father. Here are a few photos taken of the Toronto Blue Jays Dunedin based spring training home, ‘Florida Auto Exchange Stadium’, taken on Jan 13th. Excitement includes standard roofing repairs and the inclusion of the Jays new logo.     Pitchers and catchers report on Feb 21st. The Jays first official spring game is on March 3rd vs Pittsburgh.   My Next Post (mid-week):…

• The Dave Stieb vs. Jack Morris Hall of Fame Debate

  Callum Hughson

  4 Jan 2012 | 6:03 am

  Hall of Fame voting is almost here, and again the case is being made for Jack Morris to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Comparisons are being made to both pitchers in and outside of the Hall, but the only comparison that really matters is the one to Dave Stieb. Dave Stieb was first eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot in 2004, and in that year he received only 7 votes and was subsequently removed from the ballot.  Jack Morris was first eligible in 2000 and received 111 votes for 22% of the vote (incidentally, he finished higher than current Hall-of-Famer Bert Blyleven, who received 87…

• Notable Names in Baseball’s Winter Leagues

  Callum Hughson

  1 Jan 2012 | 11:23 am

  Welcome to 2012!  With 2011 behind us, the various Winter Leagues are beginning to wrap up their seasons and prepare for the playoffs.  The Winter Leagues always bring together an eclectic mix of studs, fading stars, grizzled journeymen, prospects and reclamation projects.  Here are some of the notable names of this 2011-2012 Winter League season. Randy Ruiz After a humbling experience in Japan where he batted .195, Randy Ruiz parachuted into Mayaguez of the Puerto Rican Winter League to try to get his swagger back.  Ruiz was badly exposed in Japan for his inability to hit any sort of…

• 

  Baseball-Intellect

• Arizona Diamondbacks Top-15 Prospects of 2012

  Alex Eisenberg

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:15 am

  I'm not as high as on Arizona's hitting prospects as others are, but I love the arms this organization is accumulating. The 2011 draft was tremendous not just for the number of quality pitchers they drafted, but for how well rounded all those early drafted pitchers are. By this I mean they all have good stuff that they can throw for strikes and in some cases, command. The quality of the organization's depth has improved compared to just a couple of years ago, but they definitely need to find some more disciplined hitters who can both draw a walk and keep the strikeouts down to an acceptable…

• Baltimore Orioles Top-15 Prospects of 2012

  Alex Eisenberg

  18 Jan 2012 | 5:51 pm

  A similar story for Baltimore: a very top heavy system without much depth. If this team is going to have success, they need to stockpile young talent through the draft and take some risks Internationally with top level talent and not just search for diamonds in the rough. It's not enough to rely on 2 or 3 or even 4 elite level prospects. You have to have quality depth behind them. This is where the Orioles have failed since the mid-90s.

• Philadelphia Phillies Top-15 Prospects of 2012

  Alex Eisenberg

  11 Jan 2012 | 2:26 am

  Philly's system is definitely lacking in depth, but when you consider all the prospects they've sent out over the past couple of years for established and All Star quality big league talent, the system is doing OK....a couple of solid drafts and the system will be right back to where it was before.

• Minnesota Twins Top-15 Prospects of 2012

  Alex Eisenberg

  5 Jan 2012 | 10:42 pm

  The Twins have a system on the rise, with much of their talent located in the lower levels of their farm system. This team has a surplus of premium outfield prospects, which could lead to trades down the road...

• Milwaukee Brewers Top-15 Prospects of 2012

  Alex Eisenberg

  1 Jan 2012 | 11:28 am

  The Brewers farm system shows improved pitching depth this year, but is seriously lacking offensive talent, and suffers from lack of depth on both sides of the field....

• 

  BBTF's Baseball Primer Newsblog

• Red Sox tickets go digital to foil scalping

  jimfurtado@baseballthinkfactory.org

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:12 pm

  Keep Adding… The Boston Red Sox are going to a new digital ticketing system for the cheapest seats at Fenway Park to keep them out of the hands of scalpers. Fans with seats in the $12 upper bleacher section for high-demand games will receive only digital tickets. They will be required to swipe the credit card used to purchase them at the gate. Fenway Park is the oldest ballpark in baseball, and it is also among the most expensive. The Red Sox say they’ve left the upper bleacher seats below market price to help families get into the ballpark. But that also makes it a lucrative option for…

• Mark Cuban, Dennis Gilbert out of Dodgers’ ownership derby

  jimfurtado@baseballthinkfactory.org

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:59 pm

  Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and local baseball executive Dennis Gilbert did not advance to the second round of the Dodgers’ ownership bidding, according to two people familiar with the process but not authorized to discuss it publicly. Cuban told The Times in November that he did not believe the Dodgers were worth $1.2 billion. Outgoing owner Frank McCourt believes he can sell the team for at least $1.5 billion. Gilbert, the former agent and current Chicago White Sox executive, had partnered with former talk show host Larry King as well as Jason Reese and Randy Wooster of Imperial…

• Hindman: Of Hamilton, Adductors & The Future

  jimfurtado@baseballthinkfactory.org

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:04 pm

  Unsettling (for Rangers fans) speculation on Hamilton injury issues: A couple of weeks ago, Josh Hamilton disclosed that what had originally been reported as a groin pull and / or a sports hernia as he sucked it up and fought through the 2011 post-season in excruciating pain was actually neither a groin pull nor a sports hernia.  Not exactly.  It was far more serious.  Hamilton disclosed that the adductor muscle group in his inner left thigh had almost completely detached.  Hamilton explained that three of the muscles in this group had completely detached and that the…

• Source: Tiebreaker game would decide divisions

  jimfurtado@baseballthinkfactory.org

  27 Jan 2012 | 6:32 pm

  While MLB and the players’ association still are discussing whether the expanded playoffs will start in 2012 or 2013, they’ve reached a consensus that ties for division titles will be broken on the field under the new playoff format, a person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a deal hadn’t been finalized. Since 1995, head-to-head record has been used to determine first place if both teams are going to the postseason. But with the start of a one-game, winner-take-all wild-card round, the sides agreed that the difference…

• Robothal: MLB may still add wild cards in ‘12

  jimfurtado@baseballthinkfactory.org

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:32 pm

  The problem in ’12 is that the regular season ends on Wednesday, Oct. 3, and the World Series will begin on FOX on Wednesday, Oct. 24. Squeezing in additional wild-card games never was part of the plan. Under the existing schedule, the Thursday after the regular-season finale likely would be left open for tiebreaker or makeup games. The wild-card games would be Friday, and the Division Series would begin on Saturday. Here’s where things gets sticky: Ten of the 15 games on the final day of the regular season will be played at night. Three of those games — Rockies at Diamondbacks, Angels…

• 

  Death Rattle Sports

• Senator Lindsey Graham: Why We Don’t Like You

  Jesse Herman

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:07 pm

  Lindsey Graham is one of the worst of the worst in Washington. There is a large contingent of politicians, both Republican and Democrat, who we manage to disagree with all of the time. Here are some of Senator Lindsey Grahms worst ideas and quotes. The video below is a compilation of his best of the best for this Washington insider winner. His views on the Banks: (2/15/09) (Full Clip) “This Week” on ABC In 2009 after supporting TARP and discussing how another 500 billion dollars was needed, Senator Graham said, “This idea of nationalizing banks is not comfortable but I think…

• Working too much results in 2-fold increase in Depression

  Jesse Herman

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:49 am

  Work is a drag for most of us Americans fortunate enough to have a job. People get so fed up with working for someone else that they go start their owns businesses, dealing with never-ending hassles because of it. This is why it is vitally important you find something you are good at and enjoy, no matter if you have a boss or not. If you are working long hours and are doing a half-brained job because it sucks, self-loathing ensues. It is the cultural education in America that is setting people up for jobs that are not rewarding. As a society materialistic desires are needed to keep the blood…

• Ron Paul Racist Newsletters, M.D.

  DRS Staff

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:56 pm

  The story that never dies for Ron Paul is the one about some racially driven newsletters that were written In the early 90′s, when Dr.Ron Paul was a practicing physician. Paul began releasing Newsletter in 1976. From 1976 to 1988 there was not any racist commentary in the 144 edition, which dealt mainly with investment news and monetary policy. From 1990 to 1992 there were several (video below says 9) racist passages, which occurred while Ron Paul was a practicing Doctor and not back in Washington as a congressman (Left in ’84, went back in ’96). From this perspective,…

• Facebook reveals what you’ve told it.

  Leg-iron

  25 Jan 2012 | 5:57 pm

  There is Outrage! over the changing face of Facebook. They have a new interface that the Mail thinks will tell the whole world every detail of your life.Well... surely Facebook can only tell the world those things you've put on there? Personally I don't even put my real date of birth on sites like that. They don't need to know beyond the year of birth and I'm so old I am well past any age restrictions. I'm even old enough to buy Sanatogen without raising anyone's eyebrows (although I haven't actually tested that yet because I hear it's not very good).The 'new look' has been voluntary up until…

• Norway Massacre: Breivik may get own private hospital

  pjwalker911

  25 Jan 2012 | 5:27 pm

  Norwegian authorities are reportedly considering building a one-man’s psychiatric hospital unit to accommodate confessed terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, inside the prison where’s now being held. Meanwhile Breivik refuses to answer more questions from police until they promise him ongoing access to a computer. Breivik, who spent years plotting his attacks on government headquarters and the Labour Party’s youth organization last summer, is proving to be one tough inmate. Court authorities have already decided to remodel Oslo’s city courthouse, at a cost of millions, to accommodate…

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  Baseball Awards

• 1999 National League

  Shawn

  9 Jan 2012 | 4:42 pm

  The Atlanta Braves won the pennant, then got swept in the Series. The Braves won 103 regular season games, ahead of the Mets, who won 97 counting the playoff with the Reds to earn the Wild Card spot. Houston won 97 in regulation to take the Central, and Arizona won 100 to take the West. San Francisco, with 86 wins, was the only other team above .500. Florida's Marlins fell from World Champions to the worst team in the league at 98 losses, after selling off their players.Larry Walker led the league in the percentage categories: batting average, on-base, slugging, OPS, from altitude-aided…

• 1999 American League

  Shawn

  9 Jan 2012 | 4:40 pm

  The Yankees won the pennant and then swept the World Series. New York won 98 regular season games, down from the previous year but still enough. Boston was 2nd in the East with 94 wins and took the Wild Card. Toronto won 84. Cleveland won the Central with 97 victories and was the only team in the division with a .500 record. Kansas City and Minnesota each lost 97. Texas won the West with 95 victories, eight games ahead of Oakland. In the playoffs, New York topped Texas and Boston overcame Cleveland, then the Yankees beat the Red Sox to make the Series against the Braves.Nomar Garciaparra won…

• Book Review

  Shawn

  10 Sep 2011 | 11:07 am

  Book Review: The Big Show: Charles M. Conlon's Golden Age Baseball Photographs. Published 2011 by Abrams.It's a picture book: well, more accurately, it's a photography book. Conlon was a newspaper proofreader who dabbled in photography as a hobby, when one day the editor of the New York Telegram asked him to take some shots of baseball games and players, to be published in the newspaper and in the annual Spalding's Guides. What followed was a career that lasted from 1904 to 1942 and produced the most memorable collection of photographs in baseball history.Many of Conlon's photos were printed…

• 1998 National League

  Shawn

  17 Aug 2011 | 1:00 pm

  It was the year of the home run chase in the NL, as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa waged war on Roger Maris' single-season home run record. McGwire finished with 70, and Sosa with 66, as both surpassed the record. The Padres won the pennant, although they had the least victories of any division winner, but that total was still 98. It served as a capstone for Tony Gwynn's career. Atlanta won 106 games to take the East, Houston won 102 to claim the Central, and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants in a one-game playoff to claim the Wild Card spot when both finished the regular schedule…

• 1998 American League

  Shawn

  12 Aug 2011 | 10:12 am

  The New York Yankees had an incredible season, winning 114 games in the regular season and then eleven more in the postseason to win the World Series, their second in three years. The Yankees finished 22 games in front of Boston, which had the second-best record in the league and won the Wild Card. Toronto was 3rd in the division with 88 wins. Baltimore won 79 and new entry Tampa Bay lost 99 games, as Detroit moved to the Central and Milwaukee to the NL. Cleveland took the Central crown with 89 wins, 9 ahead of the White Sox. Texas won 88 games to take the West, three ahead of Anaheim. Bernie…

• 

  Baseball Daily Digest

• Blog Eat Blog: Irrational Radicals

  Doug Thorburn

  25 Jan 2012 | 5:19 pm

  As a person who spends considerable time outside the box, I was intrigued when I came across yesterday’s ESPN headline for “Five radical game-changing proposals.” I am a big fan of articles that integrate the opinions of various writers, and this particular piece offered the thoughts of some of ESPN’s top contributors. So imagine my surprise as I devoured the words on my computer screen, only to find a mix of shallow arguments and poorly-executed ideas, some of which offended my sensibilities as a devout follower of baseball. There were some interesting concepts put forth,…

• Deadly Accurate: NL West

  Sammy Reid

  23 Jan 2012 | 1:56 am

  Our review of Baseball Prospectus’ 2011 PECOTA projections continues with the hits and misses of the National League West, a division comprised of top-heavy teams that has seen a different club capture the flag in each of the past three seasons. Diamondbacks In 2011, Upton actually met Doug Thorburn’s expectations, and kicked the crap out of PECOTA’s. As a 21 year-old in 2009, Upton had a 20/20 season and slugged .532 in his first full season. However, 2010 represented a suspension-jarring speed bump as the potential Junior Griffey heir slugged a Senior-esque .442, prompting a lukewarm…

• Deadly Accurate: AL Central

  Doug Thorburn

  16 Jan 2012 | 8:07 am

  Our review of Baseball Prospectus’ 2011 PECOTA projections continues with the hits and misses of the American League Central, a division that has seen all but one ballclub finish in the top two spots over the last two years, with the Kansas City stragglers on the prospect-laden fast track to contention. Indians Friends of the feathered had to be relieved just to see Carlos Santana in a uniform on Opening Day, after coming back from last season’s horrific knee injury. PECOTA took the injury-related dent to his playing time into account when forecasting his plate appearances in…

• 

  Baseball Prospectus

• Collateral Damage: Rounding Up the Usual Suspects: Abdominal/Oblique Strains by Corey Dawkins

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm

  Are oblique strains on the rise? The shocking truth awaits within!

• The BP Broadside: Who Cares if the Tigers Got Fat? by Steven Goldman

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm

  Dour commentary on the Prince Fielder deal is harshing Steve`s buzz. Plus: Alan Trammell`s peak value defined.

• Prospectus Hit and Run: The Heavyweight Infield by Jay Jaffe

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm

  Armed with a plan to play Prince Fielder at first base and Miguel Cabrera at third, the Tigers might field one of the worst defensive infields in recent memory.

• Transaction Analysis: Cody Ross to Boston by R.J. Anderson

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm

  Cody Ross to Beantown, Keppinger signs with Tampa, Jeff Francis inks a minor league deal in Cincy, the Nats take a gamble on Lidge, and Houston buys backstop insurance in Chris Snyder

• BP Unfiltered: Marking My Debut by Max Marchi

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm

  Introducing our newest analyst and author, and our first regular contributor from across the pond.

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  BR Bullpen Today in Baseball History

• 28 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  28 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  1982 - Henry Peploski, infielder (b. 1905)

• 28 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  28 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  1847 - George Wright is born in Yonkers, New York. A member of the first all-professional team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, Wright will have a splendid career as shortstop and manager, being inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1937.

• 28 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  28 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  1981 - Doug Waechter, pitcher

• 28 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  28 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  1888 - In Chicago, IL, 350 fans brave the weather to watch a baseball game on ice at Lincoln Park. Second baseman Fred Pfeffer of the Chicago White Stockings plays wearing a top hat. After two hours and five innings of play, the game is called. The "Spaldings" defeat the "North-Siders", 7 - 6.

• 28 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  28 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  1973 - Jacob Cruz, outfielder

• 

  Diamond Hoggers

• Examining Bill James 2012 Mike Stanton Projection

  TheNaturalMevs

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:08 pm

  I love me some Mike Stanton. Anytime there is a power hitting corner outfielder with youth on their side, there’s a good chance I’ll feel the exact same way about them as I do Stanton. The tape-measure video game bombs, the build, he’s got it all right now. It could be said that Mike Stanton makes our world a better place. I knew that I was onto something with Stanton about the middle of last year, and here’s the story with it. I’m in a fantasy league where we score categories beyond the typical 5 x 5 ROTO metrics. The added categories are walks, OBA, OPS, and…

• Reds Agree to two-year deal with Jose Arredondo

  TheNaturalMevs

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:40 am

  I’m really bullish on Jose Arredondo. I am telling you, the guy can flat out pitch and you’re going to see it in the not too distant future. About the time the Reds are closing out the NL Central this season and getting ready to earn their pennant flag to decorate the ballpark, Arredondo will have emerged as a key cog in the Reds bullpen. I think he’s the set-up man in waiting and I also believe he’s going to be the designated ‘save vulture’ in the Reds pen. The Reds agreed to a two-year compact with terms undisclosed with the Dominican born right-hander…

• Francisco Cordero heads North of the Border

  TheNaturalMevs

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:26 pm

  The man logged 150 saves for the Cincinnati Reds after many in baseball thought he was done. He’ll be 37 years old this season. Today, three-time All-Star Francisco “Coco” Cordero signed a one year, $4.5 million dollar contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in a move that bolsters their bullpen to one of the top pens in the American League. Last season the Blue Jays had a stable of guys to pick from to close out ballgames. None of those guys were very good. They’ve re-stocked the cupboard with Cordero, Darren Oliver, Jason Frasor, Casey Janssen, and Sergio Santos this…

• Detroit adds a Prince

  TheNaturalMevs

  24 Jan 2012 | 9:16 pm

  The Detroit Tigers signed Prince Fielder to a monster, 9-year $214 million dollar contract today. While you were busy thinking of him in a lineup that already contains Miguel Cabrera, or where the Tigers will put Fielder, Cabrera, and Victor Martinez once Martinez returns from injury in a year or so; you probably didn’t realize that this deal brought Fielder to the city where the Fielder name gained fame and notoriety in the baseball world. Prince is going to the city where his daddy Cecil hit 284 big league home runs. The Tigers were the forgotten team all along while everyone seemed…

• Kenny Powers returns in Eastbound & Down Season 3

  TheNaturalMevs

  20 Jan 2012 | 11:35 am

  Ever since the series Eastbound & Down began on HBO, readers have found their way to this site by searching for “Rod Beck/Kenny Powers” or similar searches. People, I guess I kind of see the similarity, but why the curiosity or association? Anyhow, Eastbound & Down Season Three: Getting Wet In Myrtle Beach premieres Sunday February 19th at 10 PM on HBO. Here’s a trailer to wet your appetite:  

• 

  WordPress.com News

• Chrome Users: Try the WordPress.com Extension

  Christopher Finke

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:54 pm

  Want to receive WordPress.com notifications instantly, even when you’re not on WordPress.com? Add the new WordPress.com extension for Chrome and as soon as you get a new follower or a new like on one of your posts, a notification will appear in your browser: Simply click the icon to view your latest WordPress.com notifications: Start following new blogs without visiting WordPress.com The Chrome extension also makes it easy to follow sites from your WordPress.com account by displaying a Follow button whenever you’re browsing a site that has an RSS feed. Clicking the Follow button…

• Your Stats Have a New Home

  Andy Skelton

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:46 am

  Are you addicted to checking your site stats? You are not alone. The stats dashboard has always been one of the most popular admin screens. It’s gratifying to know that people are visiting your place online. With the WordPress.com front page evolving into a one-stop shop for posting, exploring, following and reading blogs, it seemed natural to put your blog stats there, too.  Stats are becoming more and more about interacting with your readers and other bloggers. You’ll still see your summary stats and chart on your main dashboard, and the full stats page in your dashboard will…

• Reblogging is Back!

  Erica Johnson

  22 Jan 2012 | 1:27 pm

  As we mentioned last week, you can like and reblog posts directly from your reader, which displays a stream of all the updates published on all the blogs you follow from your WordPress.com account. We’ve also brought the reblog button back to the toolbar that appears at the top of the screen when you’re logged into WordPress.com. Note that you’ll only see the like and reblog options while you’re looking at individual posts. For example, you’ll see this on the left side of your toolbar while viewing http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/read-blogs: And your…

• New Theme: Newsy

  Philip Arthur Moore

  20 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pm

  It’s been an extra big week in the news ’round these parts, so much so that the launch announcement of our latest premium theme seems like an extra extra good way to headline our Friday. Newsy is a versatile business and news-friendly theme that offers up to ten different layouts, four footer columns, custom link and accent colors, and a custom site header. Brand and content-focused editorial teams will love publishing with this theme. Newsy: Home Page Designed by Themify, Newsy comes with an impressive set of Theme Options that afford you a great deal of flexibility with how you…

• Read All Your Favorite Blogs in One Place

  Erica Johnson

  19 Jan 2012 | 6:04 pm

  If you feel like it’s a chore to keep up with all your favorite blogs, you can now read posts from all the blogs you follow (even the ones that aren’t on WordPress.com!) in one convenient place on the WordPress.com home page: Your reader displays all the posts across all the blogs you follow in the order they were published, with the most recent content appearing at the top. You’ll see an excerpt of the introduction to each post, the first image in the post, and thumbnails of any other images that the post contains. You can even like and reblog WordPress.com content directly…

• 

  LADY AT THE BAT

• Jeter and Rivera: The Breakthrough Two

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:50 pm

  Ever since the news came down a few weeks ago that Jorge Posada was going to announce his retirement, I have been trying to figure out what to call Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, the two remaining members of the Core Four.  Well, I think I have figured it out.People have been coming up with names that just don't sit right with me. My cousin Eddie felt that the name was staring me right in the face: "The Remaining Two."  To me that sounded like the other two had died. Someone else said to just call them "Jeter and Mo." That reminded me of Curly and Mo! Michael Kay asked for…

• For Jesus (Montero), No Room In The Inn

  14 Jan 2012 | 9:33 am

  I arrived home from work last night to an explosion on my Twitter timeline. Everyone was tweeting about the big trade that went down, sending Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Mariners for Michael Pineda and Jose Campo. Shocked and saddened, I expressed my feelings as best I could by tweeting: "Did the Yankees really just ruin my weekend?"I really felt that way, but then I got a chance to sleep on it. I woke up this morning feeling somewhat better about it because I saw it differently: Jesus Montero was expendable.Just as there was no room for the original Jesus thousands of years…

• Ten Memories of Jorge Posada

  11 Jan 2012 | 1:30 pm

  Like all other Yankee fans, I experienced a flood of emotions when I learned that longtime catcher Jorge Posada will be announcing in his retirement in a few weeks. I started thinking about Posada's career and I wasn't surprised that my memories of him are not the purely statistical and on-the field variety. I am never able to hold on to those kinds of memories, but I do remember off-the-field things, some of which would be considered quasi off-the-field, such as the following (in no particular order):1. While he was still Joe Girardi's backup he was quoted in the media as saying…

• 10 New Year's Resolutions 10 Yankees Should Make Right Now

  4 Jan 2012 | 12:41 pm

  Happy New Year Yankee fans! It's a new year, which means a new baseball season is right around the corner. Are you looking forward to the 2012 season?  I have to admit that I'm a little leery about it.  I have been thinking about this Yankee team and I feel that, in order for them to be successful this year, certain things have to fall into place. I don't know how many Yankees make new year's resolutions but, whether they do or not, here are 10 resolutions 10 Yankees should be make right now (in no particular order):1. Mark Teixeira. Tex needs to resolve to hit more balls to…

• Happy Holidays From Lady At The Bat

  23 Dec 2011 | 11:55 am

  As another year comes to a close, I want to wish everyone who has visited the blog over the past 12 months a very happy holiday season. I will be taking a break from posting for the next week so, unless something major happens, I will resume updating the blog shortly after January 1st.In the words of Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol, "God bless us. Everyone."

• 

  River Avenue Blues

• Open Thread: What?!?

  Mike Axisa

  27 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm

  Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. With all due respect to the people who put this photo gallery/slideshow together, there is absolutely no chance that David Robertson‘s bases loaded, no outs escape act in the 11th inning of Game Two of the 2009 ALDS is the FOURTH most clutch moment in team history. No chance. None. Nada. I’m not even sure that would make the top forty clutch moments in team history, and hell, that wasn’t even the most clutch moment of the game. That would be Alex Rodriguez‘s game-tying, two-run homer off Joe…

• Report: Yankees show interest in Raul Ibanez

  Mike Axisa

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pm

  Via Kevin Kernan, the Yankees have some interest in Raul Ibanez. Ibanez’s representatives contacted the Yankees about their DH opening last week, but apparently now the interest is mutual. I’m not the guy’s biggest fan, but Joe did made a decent case for him a few days ago. We have to be talking about a minor league contract at this point in the offseason, and I suppose it’s worth noting that Ibanez has posted a .337 wOBA with a .181 ISO against right-handed pitchers over the last two years. He’s unusable against lefties and on defense, though. The Yankees could…

• Kuroda’s contract includes full no-trade clause

  Joe Pawlikowski

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:10 pm

  Ken Rosenthal reports that the Yankees’ one-year, $10 million deal with Hiroki Kuroda includes a full no-trade clause. This might not seem like a big deal, since it’s just a one year deal. When was the last time the Yankees traded a member of their active rotation mid-season? Best I can remember is Jose Contreras, whom the Yankees traded in 2004. Of course, that was a your problem for my problem trade, as they got Esteban Loaiza in return. Prior to that they traded Ted Lilly, though he’d been bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen prior to the Yankees replacing him…

• The RAB Radio Show: January 27th, 2012

  Joe Pawlikowski

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pm

  The big news this week was the Prince Fielder signing. While it didn’t directly affect the Yanks, it certainly changed the balance of power in the American League, and, really, MLB as a whole. In the first part of the show Mike and I talk about the Yankees’ competition, which has grown this off-season. We run down what the increased power of the Angels and Rangers mean, plus the Tigers, Rays, and Red Sox. Then we move onto what the Yanks can do to improve. That would be the DH and the other remaining bench spot. We run down some options for what they could do with those. Podcast…

• RAB Live Chat

  Mike Axisa

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:31 pm

  RAB Chat 1/27/12 Post from: River Ave. Blues A New York Yankees blogRAB Live Chat

• 

  WordPress.com News

• Chrome Users: Try the WordPress.com Extension

  Christopher Finke

  27 Jan 2012 | 1:54 pm

  Want to receive WordPress.com notifications instantly, even when you’re not on WordPress.com? Add the new WordPress.com extension for Chrome and as soon as you get a new follower or a new like on one of your posts, a notification will appear in your browser: Simply click the icon to view your latest WordPress.com notifications: Start following new blogs without visiting WordPress.com The Chrome extension also makes it easy to follow sites from your WordPress.com account by displaying a Follow button whenever you’re browsing a site that has an RSS feed. Clicking the Follow button…

• Your Stats Have a New Home

  Andy Skelton

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:46 am

  Are you addicted to checking your site stats? You are not alone. The stats dashboard has always been one of the most popular admin screens. It’s gratifying to know that people are visiting your place online. With the WordPress.com front page evolving into a one-stop shop for posting, exploring, following and reading blogs, it seemed natural to put your blog stats there, too.  Stats are becoming more and more about interacting with your readers and other bloggers. You’ll still see your summary stats and chart on your main dashboard, and the full stats page in your dashboard will…

• Reblogging is Back!

  Erica Johnson

  22 Jan 2012 | 1:27 pm

  As we mentioned last week, you can like and reblog posts directly from your reader, which displays a stream of all the updates published on all the blogs you follow from your WordPress.com account. We’ve also brought the reblog button back to the toolbar that appears at the top of the screen when you’re logged into WordPress.com. Note that you’ll only see the like and reblog options while you’re looking at individual posts. For example, you’ll see this on the left side of your toolbar while viewing http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/read-blogs: And your…

• New Theme: Newsy

  Philip Arthur Moore

  20 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pm

  It’s been an extra big week in the news ’round these parts, so much so that the launch announcement of our latest premium theme seems like an extra extra good way to headline our Friday. Newsy is a versatile business and news-friendly theme that offers up to ten different layouts, four footer columns, custom link and accent colors, and a custom site header. Brand and content-focused editorial teams will love publishing with this theme. Newsy: Home Page Designed by Themify, Newsy comes with an impressive set of Theme Options that afford you a great deal of flexibility with how you…

• Read All Your Favorite Blogs in One Place

  Erica Johnson

  19 Jan 2012 | 6:04 pm

  If you feel like it’s a chore to keep up with all your favorite blogs, you can now read posts from all the blogs you follow (even the ones that aren’t on WordPress.com!) in one convenient place on the WordPress.com home page: Your reader displays all the posts across all the blogs you follow in the order they were published, with the most recent content appearing at the top. You’ll see an excerpt of the introduction to each post, the first image in the post, and thumbnails of any other images that the post contains. You can even like and reblog WordPress.com content directly…

• 

  Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog

• Ibanez the top DH target?

  Greg Cohen

  27 Jan 2012 | 3:15 pm

  From Kevin Kernan:The Yankees have interest in lefty hitting Raul Ibanez, according to sources. Ibanez’s average dropped to .245 last season with the Phillies, but he hit 20 home runs and drove in 84 runs. Ibanez, who will turn 40 in June, has drawn interest from a number of clubs. Ibanez recently had a productive workout with hitting guru Rudy Jaramillo and believes he has corrected flaws in his swing. Over the past six seasons, he averaged 24 home runs and 100 RBIs.If he actually fixed his swing that certainly makes him a much more attractive candidate. Either way, he's a professional…

• This Week in Yankees History (1/22-1/28)

  Greg Cohen

  25 Jan 2012 | 11:41 am

  This Week in Yankees History  January 22nd - January 28th January 22nd 1881 - Former Yankees C/1B Ira Thomas (1906-1907) was born (1881-1958).On August 20, 1905; Ira Thomas was purchased by the New York Highlanders from Providence (Eastern League). Thomas appeared in 124 games with Yankees, hitting just .195. On December 12,1907, he was purchased by the Detroit Tigers from the New York Highlanders. Later he would have with the Philadelphia A’s. 1913 - The New York Giants give the New York Yankees permission to use the Polo Grounds for the 1913 American League season only, as their…

• Martin Avoids Arbitration

  Greg Cohen

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:06 pm

  From David Waldstein:Just hours after Jorge Posada, their catcher of the past, announced his retirement, the Yankees said Tuesday that they had agreed on a contract with Russell Martin, their catcher of the present. The deal, worth $7.5 million deal for one year, lets the sides avoid an arbitration hearing. Martin can also earn another $100,000 in performance bonuses.

• Prince Fielder Signs 9-Year Deal With Detroit

  Greg Cohen

  24 Jan 2012 | 2:23 pm

  There's no doubt that Fielder is going to be a huge addition to their lineup, but it'll be interesting to see what kind of shape Fielder is in towards the end of the contract. For now, however, with the combination of Miguel Cabrera and now Prince Fielder the Tigers are looking pretty damn dangerous.

• Jorge Says Goodbye

  Greg Cohen

  24 Jan 2012 | 12:12 pm

  Here's some videos of today's tearful press conference: Your browser does not support iframes. Jorge officially announces his retirement Your browser does not support iframes. Jorge answers questions from the media Your browser does not support iframes. The fans thank Jorge More videos can be found here. We have all been privileged to watch you play and fight for this team for the last 17 years. You did it the right way and most importantly, you were a winner. Thanks you, Jorge!

• 

  Mister Baseball

• ABL Playoffs: Perth, Adelaide tie Series

  philipp

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:31 am

  The first round series in the Australian Baseball League continued on Friday with a pair of games. Both best-of-five series are now tied after the Perth Heat and the Adelaide Bite celebrated victories. Adelaide erased an early 0-3 deficit en route to an 8-3 win over the Sydney Blue Sox. Calvin Anderson collected three hits, including a homerun and a double, to drive in four runs to lead the Bite. Paul Mildren (W, 1-0) did the rest, going the distance, while allowing just three hits, three runs (2 ER) and three walks. Chris Oxspring (L, 0-1) issued five runs on four hits to take the loss.

• MLB.com releases Top 100 Prospects List

  philipp

  27 Jan 2012 | 9:56 am

  We usually rely on Baseball America’s expertise, but we won’t neglect MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo. For the first time he and his colleagues at MLB.com have released a top 100 prospect list of the best young players in baseball. The list is topped by Matt Moore (Tampa Bay Rays), Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) and Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels). Two players, which are eligible to play for the Dutch National Team are also on the list. Jurickson Profar of the Texas Rangers is occupying the seventh spot. Andrelton Simmons of the Atlanta Braves is 65th. And Xander Bogaerts of the Boston Red…

• MLB Coaches visit Dutch Baseball Academies

  philipp

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:49 am

  The Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB) sent out a press release this week, announcing that coaches from Major League Baseball are visiting Dutch Baseball Academies these days. All three are well known around Europe. Strength and conditioning coaches Vaughn Robinson (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Rob Helmich (Toronto Blue Jays), as well as field coordinator and catching instructor Charlie Greene (Milwaukee Brewers) are working with the youth players.

• Buchbinder Legionaere win Team of the Year Award in Regensburg

  philipp

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:44 am

  Reigning German champion Buchbinder Legionaere was named sports team of the year in a fan election in Regensburg. They received 31.22 percent of the votes, a mere 0.61 percent more as SSV Jahn Regensburg, the current leader in the 3rd Bundesliga (soccer). It is the fourth time in the last five years that the Buchbinder Legionaere receive the honor.

• Jesus Hernandez new Pitching Coach in San Marino

  philipp

  27 Jan 2012 | 6:41 am

  Italian Baseball League champion T&A San Marino has a new pitching coach. The 40-year-old Venezuelan Jesus Hernandez is joining the staff of manager Doriano Bindi. He is currently working for the Leones de Caracas as bullpen coach in the Venezuelan Winter League. In the past he also was a coach with the Seattle Mariners. For eight years he worked with pitchers from the MLB organization including Felix Hernandez.

• 

  BaseballGB

• Fielder and Detroit agree on a nine-year contract worth $214m

  Matt Smith

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:50 pm

  I closed down my Twitter app for half an hour to get on with some writing on Tuesday evening. During that period news broke that free agent Prince Fielder has reached agreement with the Detroit Tigers on a nine-year contract worth $214m Like most baseball fans, my reaction was along the lines of ‘BLOODY HELL!!!’. The full repercussions of this news, still to be officially confirmed at time of writing, will be considered over the days and weeks ahead as we look forward to Spring Training.  However, here are some of my initial thoughts. The money involved We’ll probably need to wait…

• Jorge Posada retires

  Matt Smith

  24 Jan 2012 | 1:34 pm

  Jorge Posada announced his retirement on Tuesday, formally bringing to an end a seventeen year playing career spent with just one team: the New York Yankees. However much spirit, passion, fight and commitment a player has, there’s one opponent he can never beat. The impact of the ageing process affects people differently, but the one constant is that it will get the better of you eventually. One day you just have to accept that the treasured life of earning a living by playing the sport you love has to come to an end. Calling time on the one thing you’ve always dreamed of doing…

• Darvish completes deal with Texas

  Matt Smith

  19 Jan 2012 | 2:30 pm

  Major League Baseball will welcome a new international talent to its roster this season after Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish signed a six-year contract with the Texas Rangers. Much as foreign players joining the Premiership can take some time to get used to playing in England, so Darvish will go through a period of transition as he gets used to his new surroundings.  Daisuke Matsuzaka faced a similar period of transition and never reached the heights that were expected of him. However, all of the reports suggest that Darvish has the talent and character to succeed Stateside. He might be a star…

• The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95mph by Shawn Green and Gordon McAlpine

  Mark George

  18 Jan 2012 | 2:14 pm

  The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95mph by Shawn Green and Gordon McAlpine   Shawn Green will always be remembered for one magical day in Milwaukee – May 23, 2002. Playing for the visiting Dodgers, the left-handed outfielder went 6-for-6, belting four home runs (equalling an MLB record), a double and a single, setting an MLB record of 19 total bases in one game. Green retired after the 2007 season, finishing his 15-year MLB career with a .283 average, 328 HR and 1,070 RBIs, winning Silver Slugger awards, Gold Gloves, MVP votes and being selected to All-Star teams. So is this…

• Crisp, Colon and Smith add some experience to the A’s roster

  Matt Smith

  17 Jan 2012 | 1:45 pm

  It turns out that the Oakland A’s are not going to field a team of rookies and MLB youngsters in 2012 after all. Not completely, anyway. The re-signing of centre fielder Coco Crisp was a surprise as it appeared as though the A’s entire first choice outfield from 2011 would be heading for pastures new. There was something brutally symbolic about that possibility;  a bold statement that the A’s had just started a completely new journey (currently titled ‘which way to San Jose?’). The money invested in Crisp may be a tad rich; however as a fan it is difficult to…

• 

  Baseball de World

• MEXICO: OBREGON BLUDGEONS GUASAVE FOR FOR MEX PAC FLAG REPEAT

  Eric Bynum

  28 Jan 2012 | 5:33 am

  By Bruce Baskin When the Obregon Yaquis dispatched the Guasave Algodoneros Wednesday night to wrap up the Mexican Pacific League finals in four straight games, they didn’t use a broom. A shop vacuum is more like it. The Yaquis blasted the Cottoneers, 19-0, by pounding out 25 hits in front of a stunned crowd of [...]

• MEXICO: MURILLO BLASTS CLUTCH HOMER AS OBREGON TAKES 2-0 SERIES LEAD

  Eric Bynum

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:36 am

  By Bruce Baskin One night after stroking a single to keep a game-winning rally going in Obregon’s 3-2 win over Guasave in Game One of the Mexican Pacific League championship series, Agustin Murillo swatted a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday night to lead the Yaquis past the Algodoneros in [...]

• Australia: ABL Playoffs Start Thursday

  Eric Bynum

  23 Jan 2012 | 2:36 am

  The Playoffs are set in the ABL (Australian Baseball League). The defending champion Perth Heat ran away with the regular season title going 34-11 finishing 13 games ahead of 2nd place Melbourne Aces who finished at 21-24. The rest of the league all finished the season at 20-25. #1 Perth Heat vs #2 Melbourne Aces [...]

• Dominican Republic: Winter League Championship Series Update

  Eric Bynum

  23 Jan 2012 | 1:50 am

  Escogido took the first two games in the Dominican Winter League Championship Series. Game 3 of the best-of-9 series will be Monday night. Aguilas 2, Escogido 5 Aneury Rodriguez picked up his 2nd win going 4 innings of relief allowing only 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks. Fernando Rodney picked up his 3rd [...]

• Venezuela: Round Robin Playoff Update

  Eric Bynum

  23 Jan 2012 | 1:28 am

  Magallanes 8, Aragua 5 Mario Lisson drove in four runs as he hit for the cycle to help lead Magallanes to an 8-5 victory over Aragua on Saturday night. Alberto Callaspo scored twice going 3-for-4 to help in the victory. Pedro Guerra picked up his 3rd win going 3 scoreless innings of relief. Jose Martinez [...]

• 

  The Cub Reporter (TCR) | A Chicago Cubs Blog

• The Current NL Central Lineups

  Rob G.

  25 Jan 2012 | 1:25 am

  I'm using the MLB depth charts, the Bill James projections for wOBA on Fangraphs and their 2012 playing age along with a few assumptions like Dusty isn't going to play Devin Mesoraco or Chris Heisey over veterans. Let's see how the NL Central offenses stack up. Obviously the actual order of lineups and players may vary, and there's no accounting for expected playing time due to injuries or sucktitude. Cardinals:Furcal(.324), Beltran(.367), Holliday(.394), Berkman(.380), Freese(.353), Molina(.320), Jay(.328), Schumaker(.309) Average wOBA: .347Age: 31.75 Brewers:Morgan(.311), Weeks(.348),…

• The Yoenis Cespedas video. What an athlete!

  CubbyBlue

  20 Jan 2012 | 9:44 am

  You guys heard about this superstar Cuban outfielder guy, right? Yoenis Cespedas? And I'm sure you read that the Cubs are Yoenis Cespedas' leading suitor. Anyway, the other day I was driving around listening to The Score, and heard about this legendary Cespedas video. Dan Bernstein was saying that it apparently showed what an amazing, freak athlete this Cespedas guy is - that he reminded people of Bo Jackson. But also that mysteriously, You Tube had taken it down. Well, I went to You Tube and...they musta decided to put it back up because you can find it there! Only, it's over 20 minutes long…

• TCR Fully Supports The Oatmeal

  Rob G.

  18 Jan 2012 | 10:29 am

  Just click the link. Trust me. Then go here and do something about it.

• And After The Holiday Weekend...

  Rob G.

  17 Jan 2012 | 9:06 am

  ...a whole lot of nothing. - An article in a Dominican paper says the Cubs (so far) have been the most aggressive at pursuing Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. - No real news out of the Cubs convention beyond the Kerry Wood signing ($3M with a $3M option for 2013) and the new patio deck in right field with the LED scoreboard. - "One change the Cubs have already made was tweaking Tim Wilken's assignments, so that he's now director of amateur scouting and not carrying the additional workload of pro scouting." Word was Randy Bush occasionally had to rinse out the toilets at Wrigley Field to save…

• Thursday Cubs Headlines

  Rob G.

  12 Jan 2012 | 12:37 pm

  After Kaplan claimed Kerry Wood was close to moving on, he then took credit that his story spurred the Cubs to up their offer for Kerry and that he should be signing with the Cubs soon. Jon Morosi of Fox Sports broke the news saying it's likely to be a one-year deal with some sort of 2013 option. - Theo downplayed talks regarding Matt Garza, claiming more has been reported in the media than has actually happened.  The Tigers (as they should) seem more than content with keeping Jacob Turner as their 5th starter this year (he won't last long there). - Kevin Goldstein tweets that the Cubs…

• 

  About.com Baseball

• It's Beast Mode in Detroit with a king-sized deal for Prince Fielder

  24 Jan 2012 | 7:53 pm

  There were two monster bats in the free agent market, and if anybody out there predicted that they'd end up with the Angels and Tigers, I want to see some time-stamped proof....Read Full Post

• 'Moneyball' gets six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:26 am

  "Moneyball" was a darn good baseball movie, and it's now in contention for six Oscars. The adaptation of Michael Lewis' book about the 2002 Oakland A's was nominated Tuesday for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Brad Pitt), Best supporting Actor (Jonah Hill) and for editing and sound mixing....Read Full Post

• Internet lights up for Astros name suggestions

  24 Jan 2012 | 5:12 am

  Even in the American League (starting in 2013), the Houston Astros are probably going to be the Houston Astros for the forseeable future. But new owner Jim Crane made a statement Monday that perhaps only a new owner would make. In a news conference, he said they will study whether or not to give the team a new name....Read Full Post

• All-Time Lineups Matchup No. 6: Tigers vs. Indians

  21 Jan 2012 | 7:00 pm

  Their states are huge rivals in college football, and a little friendlier on the baseball diamond. A little. The latest matchup in the All-Time Lineups series is the Detroit Tigers vs. the Cleveland Indians, and as two of the original American League teams, both teams have Hall of Famers all across their lineups....Read Full Post

• Hall of Famer Gary Carter in grave condition

  20 Jan 2012 | 8:58 am

  Some sad news about a Hall of Famer: Doctors have found more tumors on Gary Carter's brain, according to an online journal published by his family. The former Expos and Mets ...Read Full Post

• 

  lenNY's Yankees - A Bronx Bombers Blog

• Jorge Posada to retire Tuesday at 11 a.m.

  Lenny Neslin

  23 Jan 2012 | 10:25 am

  In a little less than 24 hours from now, Jorge Posada will retire from baseball, the Yankees said today.We knew this day would come. Seeing Posada in a Florida uniform would have been too awkward.  He spent 17 seasons in pinstripes, and that's how his career will end. It is awkward, however, to use the past tensefor the first time when describing Posada's baseball career.He was a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger, and had two top-10 finishes in MVP voting -- the only year he slugged 30 homers (2003) and the only year he hit .300 (2007).Andy Pettitte retired from baseball Feb. 4,…

• Poll results: Posada more valuable than Pettitte

  Lenny Neslin

  19 Jan 2012 | 8:23 am

  Last week I asked fans which of the Core Four was more valuable: Jorge Posada or Andy Pettitte. The fans have spoken, with most saying that Posada was more valuable. A good portion of voters thought the two were equally valuable to the Yankees.It's easy to give the nod to Posada just because he's an everyday player. He was also a very productive catcher, making him stand out from the crowd. But I'm sure those who voted that the two were equal remembered that Posada wasn't the best defensive catcher.Pettitte, on the other hand, won 203 regular season games in New York (37 in Houston). He was…

• A.J. Burnett should fire his agent, or get lost

  Lenny Neslin

  14 Jan 2012 | 5:09 pm

  Either he should fire his agent or he should find another team that will take his attitude.I just caught wind of what Darek Braunecker, A.J. Burnett's agent, told the Daily News (h/t BBD) and felt obligated to share it with you.“I haven’t spoken to A.J. since (Friday) night, but it’s safe to say everyone assumed the Yankees would make moves to improve their rotation,” Braunecker told the Daily News. “How and if it affects A.J. is yet to be seen. I know he has worked as hard this offseason as any, even more so, to make sure he’s healthy and capable to pitch as well…

• Yankees sign Hiroki Kuroda for a year at $10 million

  Lenny Neslin

  13 Jan 2012 | 7:39 pm

  It seemed that the Yankees were going to go quietly this offseason despite NOT winning the World Series in 2011. What were we thinking?Minutes after reports surfaced of the Yankees trading Jesus Montero for right-hander Michael Pineda, Jack Curry reported the Yankees have signed Hiroki Kuroda for a one-year deal worth $10-11 million. Buster Olney confirmed it will be $10 million.Kuroda had a strong season with the Dodgers last year, posting a 3.07 ERA in 202 innings pitched, striking out 161 with a 1.21 WHIP. At first glance, Kuroda likely becomes the No. 3 starter between Pineda…

• BREAKING: Yankees trade Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda

  Lenny Neslin

  13 Jan 2012 | 7:00 pm

  The Yankees traded their most beloved and touted prospect in recent memory, for an unproven 22-year-old starter (he turns 23 in five days.That's right. Jesus Montero, who is also 22 and made an impact on the Yankees last September and earned a spot on the playoff roster, was traded to the Mariners for Michael Pineda, according to Jon Heyman. Heyman adds that more players are involved and the Yankees initially inquired about Felix Hernandez but were denied.UPDATE: The Yankees also gave up Hector Noeisi and the Mariners gave up Jose Campos.Pineda is a very promising pitcher. The righthander…

• 

  Hot Foot

• "The Mets today announced that they have inducted John Franco in to the team’s Hall of Fame."

  daverosado

  26 Jan 2012 | 2:07 pm

  “The Mets today announced that they have inducted John Franco in to the team’s Hall of Fame.” - Read —> MetsBlog.com (via sportsnetny) We can probably all agree that this was a foregone conclusion. John Franco was a fan favorite (yes, and “fan frustrator”) for many years, so this wasn’t really much of a surprise. Good for Johnny Franco, for whom I still remember Go Johnny Go being played and thinking the following two things: Time for John Franco! I sure hope it’s a smooth outing… A former captain of the Mets who I’m glad is getting this honor. Congratulations, Johnny…

• 1986 : A Year To Remember (full video)

  soupsoup

  10 Jan 2012 | 12:43 am

  1986 : A Year To Remember (full video)

• The New York Times has got ahold of an early version of the New...

  soupsoup

  20 Dec 2011 | 11:37 pm

  The New York Times has got ahold of an early version of the New York Mets term sheet offering to potential investors. My favorite parts: Business card with “Owner” title Dedicated “VVIP” Owners’ Area Owner’s Night in Mo’s Zone One annual opportunity to throw out a “1st Pitch” Private lunch with SNY announcers Mr. Met made available for Owners at Citi Field events Access to attend Mets MLB Draft “war room” Access to purchase tickets to Postseason games (NOT INCLUDED!!!) Discounts on all MLB-licensed merchandise

• Photo

  soupsoup

  20 Dec 2011 | 11:27 pm

• It's All About Value

  andrewbeaton

  14 Dec 2011 | 9:00 am

  Every few weeks, Mets fans are panicked (or excited, depending on the player and the fan) by a new set of articles speculating on whether or not the Mets will trade David Wright. Realistically, nothing changes over these few weeks - its not as if all of these new articles contain credible rumors with actual suitors - but, there is this moon cycle of articles nonetheless.  Following Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings the past couple weeks, there has been a new set of articles stating that the Mets would move Ike Davis or Jon Niese in the right deal.  If you haven’t already - PANIC…

• 

  Pitchers Hit Eighth

• UCB: Top 5 Iconic Cardinal Moments

  PH8

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:52 pm

  Having read some of the other great lists posted at the other United Cardinal Blogger sites today, it’s both clear to me and worries me a bit that I’ve interpreted the assignment differently. Not convinced that’s a good or a bad thing, I’ve decided to press forward with my own interpretation and list. As such, you’ll note that I’ve chosen not to list out five plays – and that’s not a criticism of those that did, again just my interpretation – but rather to pick five things that to me “stand for” the Cardinals. Events,…

• Angels Baseball Cards – Albert Pujols

  Dennis

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:14 am

  Here at PH8, we pride ourselves on bringing you the latest and greatest news about baseball (even if it is fake news).  The latest tidbit floating around the interwebz is an image of the Topps baseball card for one Albert Pujols.  Now, some people are already claiming that this is a fake, but I have my doubts.  The image is just too convincing.  See for yourself: See the moneybag. Be the moneybag. Consider the following points when trying to determine whether or not this is a legitimate image of the card or a really, really good fake.  First, Albert appears to be in nearly ideal fielding…

• Don’t Hate The Player, and Don’t Hate The Game Either

  Dennis

  25 Jan 2012 | 5:50 pm

  Image via Wikipedia “Hate” is an extreme or intense dislike for something or someone.  I find it difficult to imagine that a rational person can truly feel hate or hatred for someone they do not personally know who hasn’t directly or indirectly wronged them in such a way as to cause loss of limb or life.  It takes a truly powerful event to evoke real hate.  Or does it? After the NFL games on Sunday, I did a little trolling on Twitter to see what people were tweeting about Kyle Williams and Billy Cundiff that night.  For those of you who don’t follow the American…

• Jaime Garcia to be inducted in Latin American International Hall of Fame

  PH8

  24 Jan 2012 | 8:16 am

  It’s true. Jaime Garcia will be feted, along with Jorge Posada, this Saturday evening in Laredo, TX. From KGNS 8 in Laredo: To be fair, Garcia’s inclusion is likely helped along by having played his high school baseball at Sharyland about 140 miles away from Laredo. Jaime is in good company with Posada, who arguably has a bit better resume than Garcia. To wit, the video above promote Garcia’s Hall of Fame induction by noting he “has won 13 games each of his two season in the big leagues”. It’s not that Jaime doesn’t deserve to be recognized, but maybe…

• Letter gives some insight into Mike Matheny, coach and manager

  PH8

  20 Jan 2012 | 4:01 pm

  Image by Jared Kelly via Flickr The question has been asked since the day he was hired. “What kind of manager is Mike Matheny going to be?” It was asked of the players, the existing coaching staff, and it was asked of Matheny himself. The players seem genuinely excited about playing for Matheny, as evidenced by Chris Carpenter‘s comments at Winter Warm-Up. “I know that Mike’s gonna be prepared. I’ve known Mike before you guys knew Mike. I played with him in Toronto. He’s a special man, great leader, positive guy, excited, prepared. Not that you can…

• 

  Capitol Avenue Club

• Notes and Thoughts From Today’s Terry McGuirk Interview

  Franklin Rabon

  26 Jan 2012 | 10:02 am

  Surprisingly frank. That was my first thought when reading today’s interview by Tim Tucker of Braves “Franchise Control Person” Terry McGuirk. I never expected that we’d ever get a firm, confirmed number on the Braves payroll unless it was unearthed in some leaked Liberty internal memo or tax filing. While it was surprising to hear that the Braves payroll is officially $94 Million, the actual number was completely unsurprising. McGuirk also confirmed that Liberty is not looking to sell now that they are able to do so under the agreement they made with MLB (such an…

• Which Is The Better Prospect, Salcedo or Bethancourt?

  Franklin Rabon

  24 Jan 2012 | 12:10 am

  So, as some of you may know, we’ll be putting up our top 25 prospects post later this week. In the meantime a question I’ve been mulling over with a lot of fellow prospect geeks (primarily Scott Coleman of Talking Chop) is who is the better prospect of Edward Salcedo or Christian Bethancourt? My choice is Bethancourt, because I believe both his ceiling is higher and he’s currently shown more than Salcedo. First, elite catchers are more valuable than third basemen, in my view. And Bethancourt has the defensive prowess and skill to certainly be elite behind the plate. He has…

• Are We Slightly Overpaying O’Flaherty? (and other arb agreements thoughts)

  Franklin Rabon

  17 Jan 2012 | 11:02 pm

  So in the last 24 hours the Braves reached agreements with the last of their arb eligible players; Eric O’Flaherty, Jair Jurrjens and Michael Bourn. Ben gave the relevant details in a brief posting earlier today here. Bourn’s agreement is completely uninteresting and pretty much exactly what was expected. Sure, it’s a discount, but in the same way almost all great defensive players have their value discounted in arbitration. Jurrjens’ figure was about what was to be expected as well. However, it is interesting that his agreement included IP bonuses. I’m sure this…

• Bourn, O’Flaherty, Jurrjens Avoid Arbitration

  Ben Duronio

  17 Jan 2012 | 12:15 pm

  Michael Bourn, Jair Jurrjens, and Eric O’Flaherty have avoided arbitration with the Braves and come to terms on their contracts for this season. Bourn will get $6.845m, which is more-or-less what I projected two weeks ago. O’Flaherty and the Braves agreed to a $2.49m deal. Jurrjens and the Braves agreed to a $5.5m deal with incentives at 175, 180, 190, 200, 210, and 215 innings, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Franklin will have more on the contracts later tonight.

• Our Long National Nightmare Over, Seth Smith Traded to A’s

  Franklin Rabon

  16 Jan 2012 | 9:31 pm

  While I’m as anxious as any of you for something to happen in Braves world worthy of in depth discussion and analysis, I am very happy to no longer have to read of speculative trades involving Seth Smith, a ‘prospect’ (to use the term loosely) whose only real virtue is being ‘ML ready’. It became apparent that the Rockies believed he was worth Prado without throwing in an additional top prospect, which was fairly absurd. Billy Beane solved this issue for all of us by inexplicably trading for Seth Smith in an apparent belief that fourth outfielder guys are the…

• 

  Bats

• Bolstering Staff, Yankees Complete Deal With Kuroda

  By DAVID WALDSTEIN

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:09 pm

  Hiroki Kuroda, a right-handed starter, wrapped up a one-year, $10 million deal, and reliever Boone Logan signed a one-year contract and avoided arbitration.

• Fielder Comes Home

  By JOANNE C. GERSTNER

  26 Jan 2012 | 6:03 pm

  Prince Fielder's world came full-circle, as he officially became part of his favorite childhood team, the Detroit Tigers, with a nine-year, $214 million contract.

• After Fielder Deal, Leyland Works on His Lineup

  By JOANNE C. GERSTNER

  26 Jan 2012 | 4:20 pm

  Prince Fielder will play first base and Miguel Cabrera will move to third next season for the Tigers, and manager Jim Leyland is already working on his projected lineup.

• Franco Named to Mets Hall of Fame

  By ANDREW KEH

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:43 pm

  The former closer John Franco, a Brooklyn native and childhood fan of the Mets, will become the 26th member of their Hall of Fame.

• Tigers' Infield Defense Could Be Brutal

  By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  Miguel Cabrera is set to slide over to third base for the Tigers to make room for Prince Fielder. The pair of poor defenders could be a liability while in the field.

• 

  TODAY in BASEBALL

• Jan 28, 1958 - The blink of an eye

  BTGrimes

  28 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am

  Campanella seriously injured GLEN CLOVE, NEW YORK - There was unsettling news on this day in 1958. Early that morning Roy Campanella of the Brooklyn Dodgers was on his way home to Glen Cove, Long Island after closing the Harlem liquor store he owned when his car hit a patch of ice. The vehicle flipped over and apparently hit a light pole. The robust, rock-like catcher's neck was broken by the impact. Several vertebrae were fractured. It wasn't immediately certain if he would survive. As it turned out Campanella pulled through, but would never walk again, he was paralyzed from the shoulders…

• Jan 27, 1956 & 1966: A tale of two cities

  BTGrimes

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am

  Coming and Going NEW YORK, NEW YORK & MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - This date in 1956 provided hints of one franchise moving, and a city trying to bring another back. On January 27 the New York football Giants announced they would desert the Polo Grounds for Yankee Stadium for the upcoming season. This added to speculation that the baseball Giants wouldn't be long for the Polo Grounds either. The Associated Press reported that the baseball Giants were also contemplating a "move across the Harlem River" to Yankee Stadium by 1957. The baseball team ended up moving in 1958 but not across the Harlem…

• Jan 26, 1873: Doubleday dies, myth lives on

  BTGrimes

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am

  Man Behind the Myth BALLSTON SPA, NEW YORK - Abner Doubleday died on this date in 1893. You know, the guy who didn't invent baseball. His name is so tied to the game however, I'd be remiss not to tell his story on a baseball website. Doubleday was rather extraordinary. He was born near Albany in upstate New York, spent more than thirty years in the military, achieving the rank of general for the Union in the Civil War. He reportedly fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter - the battle that started the War between the States. The story goes that Doubleday invented baseball in…

• Jan 25, 1945: Yankees sold for $2.5m

  BTGrimes

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:00 am

  The Price is Right NEW YORK, NEW YORK - The New York Yankees were sold on this date in 1945 for $2.5 million to Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping and Del Webb. Compare that to what Forbes Magazine estimates the Yankees are worth today, $1.7 BILLION, with a "B". Even comparing for inflation, major league baseball teams command significantly greater dollars these days. The list below from Forbes Magazine shows the estimated value of each team as of 2011. Only the Nationals, Indians and Blue Jays have dropped in value since 2007: 1.  New York Yankees $1,700,000,0002.  Boston Red Sox…

• Jan 24, 2001: Deion takes another shot

  BTGrimes

  24 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am

  Deion Tries Baseball Again CINCINNATI, OHIO - Deion Sanders decided to give baseball another try and was invited to spring training by the Cincinnati Reds on this date in 2001. General Manager Jim Bowden gave the 2-sport star a non-guaranteed minor league contract to play for the Triple-A Louisville Riverbats. The Washington Redskins all-pro cornerback hadn't played major league baseball in three years. He played 115 games in the outfield for the Reds in 1997, hitting .273 with 56 stolen bases, 53 runs scored and 23 RBI, but he was 29 then. He's 33 now. Sanders made it up to the Reds for 32…

• 

  Lady Loves Pinstripes

• New York Yankees: AJ Burnett Expects To Start And I Do Too

  Kate

  28 Jan 2012 | 1:16 am

  The hottest topic in Yankee Universe at the moment is who should win the fifth spot in the starting pitching rotation between Phil Hughes, AJ Burnett and Freddy Garcia. So, over the last week I have read and heard many opinions on the topic from bloggers to analysts to the manager at my local Starbucks. The most annoying trend is the immediate discounting of Burnett, as entitled Yankee fans have branded him as the pitcher’s A-rod. Personally, I like both A-rod and Burnett because they work hard and when they are on, they are great. But getting into that discussion is for another time. The…

• New York Yankees: Fifth Starter Competition Looks To Be A Dogfight

  Kate

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:16 am

  New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman took the words “Pitching is a priority,” right out of ex-Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks mouth this off-season. Cashman has left skipper Joe Girardi and Co. with a tough decision to make come Spring Training, as seven starting pitchers cannot fit into five spots. The situation is as follows, CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova look to be the locks to start the 2012 season, pending no extenuating circumstances say otherwise. This leaves AJ Burnett, Freddy Garcia and Phil Hughes all fighting for the one remaining spot left in the starting…

• New York Yankees: You Want Answers I Got 3 Questions

  Kate

  26 Jan 2012 | 3:12 am

  In a few days it will be February, which means Spring Training is right around the corner as pitchers and catchers report on the 19th. Image via Wikipedia So, while baseball fans are ready to end another long off-season, team’s front offices are scrambling to get everything in order. As for the New York Yankees, this off-season got started uncomfortably late but in the end trading for Michael Pineda and signing Hiroki Kuroda were well worth the wait. Still, the fate of the 2012 Yankees hinders on getting the right answers to some lingering questions. So, here are 3 substantial subjects to…

• New York Yankees: Detroit Tiger-ees Want To Win Now Too

  Kate

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:02 am

  Image via Wikipedia Guess another team, the Detroit Tigers, finally got the memo, since Prince Fielder will be waving goodbye to the Brew Crew as the slugger is heading to the Motor City. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported agent Scott Boras got the Tigers to agree to a nine-year, $214 million contract for Prince’s talents. Once the news broke that catcher/DH Victor Martinez would be out for all of 2012 after tearing his ACL in a pre-season workout, the Tigers had to go big to stay relevant in the AL. And answering with Prince Fielder certainly does just that. Actually, I was a tad stunned…

• New York Yankees: Introducing Prospect Jose Campos

  Kate

  24 Jan 2012 | 10:04 pm

  Jose Campos will have his personal cheering section this week. (Shari Sommerfield/MiLB.com) In the midst of all the hysteria surrounding the Michael Pineda-Jesus Montero trade, the name Jose Campos might have gotten lost in the shuffle. Campos was the other pitcher the New York Yankees received from the Seattle Mariners in the blockbuster trade. The 19-year-old righty has only been in the minors for two years, and so far the reports are mixed about Campos’s potential. POSITIVES: Campos has the perfect pitcher’s frame at 6’4 and 200 lbs. He throws a low-mid 90’s fastball, which he can…

• 

  Rays Index

• WAYBACK VIDEO: Matt Garza’s No-Hitter

  Cork Gaines

  27 Jan 2012 | 12:17 pm

  This one comes by request from @11RileyJ on Twitter. It is all 27 outs from Matt Garza’s no-hitter, the only no-no in Rays history. And since most of us are starting to get some baseball cabin fever, maybe, just maybe this will ease the shakes for a few minutes. Enjoy! Your browser does not support iframes. Related posts:Tickets Still Available For Matt Garza’s No-Hitter Matt Garza Will Throw Another No-Hitter Today At Noon AUDIO: Luke Scott Talks About Signing With The Rays © The Professor for Rays Index, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags:

• Learn More About Concussions, Traumatic Brain Injuries From Dolman Law Group

  admin

  27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am

  Clearwater personal injury attorney Matt Dolman Visit the Dolman Law Group blog to learn more about traumatic brain injuries, from mild to severe. It’s an excellent resource, one that is sure to make the typical football fan look at concussions differently. Dolman Law Group has developed a statewide reputation for litigating traumatic brain injury claims and the webpage delivers good information on this ever evolving and fluid area of law and medicine. Dolman Law Group is a Pinellas County and Manatee County personal injury law firm that routinely handles claims and litigates cases…

• Rays 2012 Opening Day Roster Nearly Set

  Cork Gaines

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:50 am

  With the addition of Carlos Pena, the Rays 25-man roster is now nearly set, barring any trades. And really, we don’t see a lot of jobs up for grabs in spring training. Let’s take a look… A few notes on this projection… Barring a trade, the 13 positions spots seem set to us. Can you make a case for Elliot Johnson? Or maybe you think Robinson Chirinos has a shot to beat out Jose Lobaton for the second catcher’s position? Seem like long shots to us. The only question we see with the hitters is determining who will play shortstop. Our belief is that, unless there is…

• [THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Spring TV, Edwin In The East, And Bautista’s Tests

  Cork Gaines

  27 Jan 2012 | 8:08 am

  Off-Season (click image for random Wikipedia page) According to Marc Topkin, there will be four spring training games aired by Sun Sports. Mar. 15 (vs Phillies) Mar. 18 (vs Red Sox) Mar. 25 (vs Marlins) Mar. 31 (vs Red Sox) We have argued this before, but why are so few spring games aired? The obvious answer is that the ratings don’t justify the production cost. But on games without the full crew, would it kill MLB.com to send one person to each game with a nice webcam and just point it at the field from the pressbox? Geez. We want the games. Give them to us! THE JUNKYARD DOGS…

• If You Want To Guarantee An Evan Longoria Autograph At FanFest, It Will Cost You

  Cork Gaines

  26 Jan 2012 | 1:15 pm

  For a pretty steep price, you can now guarantee yourself the autograph of your favorite player at FanFest. The Rays are calling it an “Exclusive Signing Opportunity.” And for $400, yes $400, fans can meet the player of their choice, without waiting in line, and have an object (that the fan provides) autographed. The Rays are only selling 15 of these per player, and it will come with access to the general autograph line. The list of players available for $400 includes Evan Longoria, David Price, James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, and Carlos Pena. There is also a second…

• 

  Sports Fan Talking | Baseball History, News & Discussion

• Player Spotlight – Gary Carter

  mickey536

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:49 am

  Montreal Expos Catcher Gary CarterGary Carter is fighting for his life against cancer. I wanted to take a minute and look back on some of the highlights of his Hall of Fame career.Gary Carter nicknamed “Kid” and “Kid Carter” had a 19-year major league baseball career, 12 with the Montreal Expos and 5 with the New York Mets. He also played a year with the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. Carter distinguished himself as one of the best catchers in the National League. During his career he won three Gold Glove awards and five Silver…

• Baseball History – The Story Behind the 1954 Bowman Card Number 66

  mickey536

  18 Jan 2012 | 10:51 am

  Ted Williams Classic SwingHall of Fame Boston Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams’ career lasted 19 seasons from 1939 to 1960. He didn’t play in 1943, 44 and 45 because of the war. He didn’t have a Topps baseball card until 1954. Prior to that the man known as “Teddy Ballgame” was under an exclusive agreement with the Bowman card company through 1953.The Pioneers of Baseball Trading CardsThe Bowman Company, like Topps and Fleer, began its life as a bubblegum maker going by the name Gum, Inc. They produced the Play Ball sets from 1939 to 1941. These were sets filled with various…

• Baseball Today – Hall of Fame Voting

  mickey536

  13 Jan 2012 | 9:57 am

  Baseball's Hall of FameA Change is NeededTo me the Baseball Hall of Fame voting is a farce. It’s more of a popularity contest than anything else. Ron Santo is the latest travesty. It took 32 years, but the Chicago Cubs third baseman was elected posthumously, that means after he was dead and couldn’t enjoy it, to the Baseball Hall of Fame by theGolden Eracommittee. Santo never came close to election during his 15 times on the Baseball Writers‘Cubs Third Baseman Ron SantoAssociation of America (BBWAA) ballot, peaking at 43 percent — far short of the needed 75 percent in…

• Baseball Today – Baseball Owners: Dumb & Dumber

  mickey536

  6 Jan 2012 | 8:09 am

  Angels First Baseman Albert PujolsHistory Repeats ItselfApparently, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim didn’t learn anything from the two Alex Rodriguez contracts.  Albert Pujols’ 10 year, $254 million contract, an average of $25.4 million per year, ranks second in between the two Rodriguez contracts  (Yankees 2008 and Rangers 2001) making it the second highest contract in baseball history. Pujols will be 32 in January. I don’t think any baseball player is worth $25.4 million a year, but if owners are dumb enough to pay it and the fans are dumb to support it, so be it. Having said…

• Baseball Today – World Series Payday

  mickey536

  18 Dec 2011 | 7:04 am

  2011 World SeriesThe St. Louis Cardinals earned a bonus of $323,170 for winning the 2011 World Series. In all, players from 10 different teams received post season bonuses, including four teams that didn’t make the playoffs.Who gets what is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Each playoff series has a separate pool: the Division Series, the League Championship Series, and the World Series. The bonus pool is funded by 60 percent of the gate receipts for the first three games of the Division Series, the first four games of the League Championship Series, and the first four…

• 

  Rays Colored Glasses

• Rays News and Notes: Keppinger Deal Finalized; Canzler Designated

  Devon Rogers

  27 Jan 2012 | 6:07 pm

  The Jeff Keppinger deal I talked about earlier in the week was finalized today. Keppinger will earn $1.525 million this year with some incentives. Keppinger provides the Rays with good depth in the infield. His defense is not great, but his hitting should make up for it. I could see Keppinger getting a fair share of starts between second and short. He could see more time at second so Ben Zobrist can move to right and relieve Matt Joyce against lefties. As a result of the Keppinger deal, Russ Canzler was designated for assignment. The move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for Keppinger.

• Are the Rays compiling similar players to maximize trade value?

  Robbie Knopf

  26 Jan 2012 | 11:15 am

  Devon talked about yesterday how the Rays were close to signing Jeff Keppinger. Keppinger is a utilityman, albeit one with a solid bat. Utility players are something the Rays have an overabundance of. They have Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, Elliot Johnson, Reid Brignac (who could be taught third and left field if needed), and then non-roster invitee Will Rhymes along with several prospects who fit a similar profile. Why would the Rays possibly sign Keppinger? … [visit site to read more] Are the Rays compiling similar players to maximize trade value? - Rays Colored Glasses - Rays…

• Around the Twitterverse: Pena and more from The Master

  Devon Rogers

  26 Jan 2012 | 3:00 am

  It’s time for this week’s edition of Around the Twitterverse. This week your favorite Rays players were talking about the Carlos Pena signing and, as always, David Price was at it again. This week’s best tweets after the jump. … [visit site to read more] Around the Twitterverse: Pena and more from The Master - Rays Colored Glasses - Rays Colored Glasses - A Tampa Bay Rays Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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  Vinci Baseball and Softball Sports Blog

• Vinci Baseball Gloves Youtube Video

  Vinci

  23 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am

  Vinci Baseball Gloves, Make the Play! Watch this humorous video about a kid making a catch, with barely doing anything. It must be the glove!!       Click here to View Vinci’s Full Line of Products Related PostsVinci Announces Winners of Special Edition Baseball Gloves to Commemorate the 70th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Vinci Now Makes Custom Baseball Gloves. Create a one-of-a-kind glove, just for you!Vinci Brings Back an Old Favorite! Glove Model: PJV55 Now in Black with Battleship Gray LaceVinci New Line of Baseball and Softball Gloves: The 22 Series

• National Baseball Expo This Weekend

  Vinci

  20 Jan 2012 | 10:27 am

  Vinci, makers of high quality baseball gloves and equipment, will be attending The National Baseball & Softball Expo in San Diego California on January 21st and 22nd, 2012. The Expo is a consumer show featuring sports vendors from all over the country. The event will be held at the Hall of Champions in historic Balboa Park, San Diego. ShareThis Email PDF Print Vinci will be appearing at the 2012 National Baseball & Softball Expo. “We are thrilled to have Vinci featured in the Expo this year,” says Pete Vinci, President of Vinci. The San Diego Hall of Champions is the new…

• Vinci Introduces NEW Red Framed Multi Lens Sport Sunglasses

  Vinci

  17 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

    Vinci Multi Lens Sport Sunglasses are an excellent choice for almost any outdoor sport. Now the same great sunglasses are available in adult red frames!     Includes 3 Different Types of Lens Black Case-Holds Sunglasses and Lens Lens Cleaning Cloth Rubber Ear Tips and Nose Pad Foldable and Lightweight     Vinci Multi Lens Sport Sunglasses come with 3 different types of impact resistant polycarbonate lenses. The red framed sunglasses come with smoked, blue coated “mirrored,” and orange lenses.     Order a pair today! -Click Here to Order Enter…

• Vinci Featured at 2012 National Baseball & Softball Expo in San Diego: January 21st and 22nd

  Vinci

  9 Jan 2012 | 2:41 pm

  Vinci will be attending The National Baseball & Softball Expo in San Diego California January 21st and 22nd. The National Baseball & Softball Expo is a consumer show featuring vendors from all over the country.  The event will be held at the Hall of Champions in historic Balboa Park, San Diego.   Professionals athletes will be in attendance and exhibitors will demonstrate their newest equipment and educational elements will also be included. The show will be held Saturday January 21st from 10am -6pm(PST) and Sunday January 22nd 10am- 5pm (PST) . Vinci will be at booth #D-17,…

• What softball glove should you buy?

  Vinci

  5 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  What softball glove should I buy? Many times I run into people asking which glove they should buy. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself when you are searching for that next fielding tool. What position do you play? Softball infielders like smaller gloves than outfielders do. If playing slow pitch and you have never played before, look at a glove around the 13″ range for a good starting point. Put the glove on and see how it feels to you. If you have played before, ask yourself the question below. What glove do you currently use? What are the pros and cons of this particular…

• 

  Bullpen Brian

• Cubs Poll – 2012 Schedule

  bullpenbrian

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:01 am

  Take Our Poll Tagged: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, White Sox, Wrigley Field

• Braves Like Byrd, But Enough To Take Soriano?

  bullpenbrian

  26 Jan 2012 | 12:25 am

  Alfonso Soriano an Atlanta Brave? It’s not that far fetched if the Cubs can somehow package Soriano in a deal with Marlon Byrd, who the Braves have been interested in acquiring over the last 10 months. Soriano’s insistence on being dealt to a contender makes Atlanta an ideal destination considering the Braves were a postseason shoe-in before its historic September collapse enabled St. Louis to win the Wild Card. And with Atlanta having avoided the signing of a single free agent this winter, Soriano’s bat and Byrd’s outfield versatility could be the complementary pieces…

• Top 5 Sluggers In The NL Central

  bullpenbrian

  25 Jan 2012 | 12:01 am

  The NL Central has long held the distinction of hosting some of the game’s greatest sluggers. Ken Griffey Jr., Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire held court before the arrivals of Adam Dunn, Carlos Lee and Derrek Lee. But with the decisions of Albert Pujols & Prince Fielder to sign lucrative free agent contracts in L.A. and Detroit, respectively, the question arises as to which player takes over the crown as the NL Central’s greatest slugger? Here’s how I see it: 1.) Ryan Braun – Suspension withstanding, Braun’s MVP season in 2011 earns him top honors. He welds…

• Cubs Fortune Cookie – Rebuild

  bullpenbrian

  24 Jan 2012 | 12:01 am

  Tagged: Chicago Cubs, Cubs, MLB, Theo Epstein, Wrigley Field

• Cubs Doomed By Lack Of Depth

  bullpenbrian

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:01 am

  The reality of the Cubs’ rebuilding process this offseason is the lack of quality depth on the big league roster for 2012. Depth, of course, is of critical importance over the course of a 162 game season. Players get injured, others need rest, and still there are various other reasons in which back-up players will be called to duty. Starlin Castro, for instance, has no viable replacement at SS other than Darwin Barney, the starting second baseman. If not Barney at 2B, then it’s Jeff Baker who has yet to prove consistency as an everyday player. Likewise, first base is manned by the…

• 

  Baseball de World

• MEXICO: OBREGON BLUDGEONS GUASAVE FOR FOR MEX PAC FLAG REPEAT

  Eric Bynum

  28 Jan 2012 | 5:33 am

  By Bruce Baskin When the Obregon Yaquis dispatched the Guasave Algodoneros Wednesday night to wrap up the Mexican Pacific League finals in four straight games, they didn’t use a broom. A shop vacuum is more like it. The Yaquis blasted the Cottoneers, 19-0, by pounding out 25 hits in front of a stunned crowd of [...]

• MEXICO: MURILLO BLASTS CLUTCH HOMER AS OBREGON TAKES 2-0 SERIES LEAD

  Eric Bynum

  24 Jan 2012 | 3:36 am

  By Bruce Baskin One night after stroking a single to keep a game-winning rally going in Obregon’s 3-2 win over Guasave in Game One of the Mexican Pacific League championship series, Agustin Murillo swatted a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday night to lead the Yaquis past the Algodoneros in [...]

• Australia: ABL Playoffs Start Thursday

  Eric Bynum

  23 Jan 2012 | 2:36 am

  The Playoffs are set in the ABL (Australian Baseball League). The defending champion Perth Heat ran away with the regular season title going 34-11 finishing 13 games ahead of 2nd place Melbourne Aces who finished at 21-24. The rest of the league all finished the season at 20-25. #1 Perth Heat vs #2 Melbourne Aces [...]

• Dominican Republic: Winter League Championship Series Update

  Eric Bynum

  23 Jan 2012 | 1:50 am

  Escogido took the first two games in the Dominican Winter League Championship Series. Game 3 of the best-of-9 series will be Monday night. Aguilas 2, Escogido 5 Aneury Rodriguez picked up his 2nd win going 4 innings of relief allowing only 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks. Fernando Rodney picked up his 3rd [...]

• Venezuela: Round Robin Playoff Update

  Eric Bynum

  23 Jan 2012 | 1:28 am

  Magallanes 8, Aragua 5 Mario Lisson drove in four runs as he hit for the cycle to help lead Magallanes to an 8-5 victory over Aragua on Saturday night. Alberto Callaspo scored twice going 3-for-4 to help in the victory. Pedro Guerra picked up his 3rd win going 3 scoreless innings of relief. Jose Martinez [...]

• 

  Blitzcorner

• Goodbye Jorge - A Rival's Farewell

  info@blitzcorner.com

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:01 am

  Jorge Posada made it official and hung up his cleats with an emotional farewell. photo: By Googie man via Wikimedia Commons

• What A-Rod and Kobe Have in Common

  info@blitzcorner.com

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:01 am

  A-Rod and Kobe Healthy and Hungry After New Knee Treatment In Germany. Photo:Keith Allison via Wikimedia Commons

• Mr. Baseball Headed for Hall of Fame

  info@blitzcorner.com

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:01 am

  It’s only right that a man known simply as “Mr. Baseball” be entered into the NAB Hall of Fame. Photo: John Guano

• Women at Play: The Ladies of Baseball

  info@blitzcorner.com

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:01 am

  Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball consists of original newspaper articles written... Photo: M Glasgow

• More Women Umpires Headed to MLB?

  info@blitzcorner.com

  23 Jan 2012 | 9:01 am

  Professional umpire Ms. Perry Lee Barber gives her take on... Photo: Nick Ares

• 

  PRO Rumors

• Cardinals agree to terms with Roy Oswalt

  Ryan

  28 Jan 2012 | 12:23 am

  Sources close to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com are saying that Roy Oswalt has elected to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals. The terms of the deal are unknown at this time. Oswalt had received heavy interest from the Red Sox and Tigers, with the Tigers supposedly offering the right hander a one-year $10mm deal today that he turned down. In 2011, Oswalt went 9-10 while posting a 3.69 era in 139 innings with the Phillies. He did average a career low with 6.0 strike outs per 9 innings and is coming off a series of injuries. Oswalt earned $16mm last season and made $1,777,777.78 for every win or…

• Giants and Tim Lincecum agree to 2-year deal

  Allan

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:05 pm

  The San Francisco Giants and pitcher Tim Lincecum have agreed to a two-year, $40.5 million contract extension which avoids an arbitration hearing for both sides, Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Lincecum will earn $18MM in 2012 and $22MM in 2013 to go along with a $500K signing bonus.  The deal also includes a limited no-trade clause that allows Lincecum to block a trade to a certain number of teams. Image by SD Dirk under the Creative Commons License Agreement.

• Phillies sign Juan Pierre

  Ryan

  27 Jan 2012 | 6:12 pm

  The Philadelphia Phillies have signed slugger Juan Pierre to a minor league deal which includes an invite to Spring Training, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports. Pierre who is known for his speed on the base paths played for the White Sox last season and hit .279. He also had a career low (full season numbers) 27 stolen bases but almost matched his career in rbi’s (55) with 51. Pierre made $8.5mm in the last year of a five-year deal he signed with the Dodgers back in November of 2006. He was eventually traded to the White Sox prior to the 2010 season. Pierre will be competing for a…

• Giants sign Ryan Theriot

  Ryan

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:58 pm

  The San Francisco Giants have signed Ryan Theriot to a one year $1.25mm deal, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports. Theriot can also earn an additional $750k in incentives. Theriot who played second and shortstop for the Cardinals last season, was acquired from the Dodgers in December 2010. Last season he hit .271 in 442 at-bats and earned $3.3mm. That means Theriot earned $27.5k for every hit or $25k for every game he appeared in. Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.

• Astros sign Zach Duke

  Ryan

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:38 pm

  The Houston Astros announced that they have signed Zach Duke to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. Last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Duke went 3-4 with a 4.93 era while averaging 3.8 k/9, his worst since 2007 with the Pirates(3.4 k/9). The Diamondbacks acquired Duke from the Pirates in November of 2010. Image taken by randomduck and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.

• 

  Number 5 Type Collection

• Type Site: 1977 Topps Baseball Cards Updated

  27 Jan 2012 | 2:08 pm

  Traveling through Mariners country today, an excellent excuse to point people to the blog 1977 Topps Updated and their treatment of Seattle's second expansion team.This pair of articles compares original Seattle Topps cards with updated custom cards and gives the "real photo" treatment to guys who missed the 1977 set entirely, including this chaw-enhanced Rick Honeycutt, one of my favorite early M's.1977 Seattle Mariners vol. 1: putting down the airbrush1977 Seattle Mariners vol. 2: players without cards I love to see this much work go into card posts. Check out 1977 Topps Updated for…

• 1960 Darigold Farms Spokane Indians Baseball #5, Joe Liscio

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:14 pm

  You won't find well-groomed today's guest, Joe Liscio, in Spokane's 1960 batting or pitching stats, but he still meant a great deal to their PCL title--11.5 games in front of second place Tacoma--as clubhouse trainer and planner of their off-the-field workouts. It's likely, in fact, that the Dodgers sent Liscio to AAA after spring training to help young players strengthen up for MLB debuts or guide older guys through rehab. Of the 30 men who played for Spokane in 1960, an amazing 23 reached the majors, a great record of success for any minor league staff.Joe trained baseball players…

• 1979 TCMA Waterbury A's Baseball #5, Dennis Wysznski (actually Wyszynski)

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:31 pm

  Today's TCMA team set includes another (tough-to-spell) name correction, as Dennis Wyszynski drops a letter to become Wysznski. He's right up there with Carl Yastrzemski for big-money SCRABBLE name scoring, but I'm not surprised he avoided the Yaz-style nickanme, since that'd be "whizz" or even "The Whizzer."Dennis looks pretty nonplussed in this shot. Maybe the catcher told him to throw a spitball and he's got a bad case of cotton mouth.Wyszynski toiled for 4 years in Oakland's farm system, but retired at age 23, probably to pursue another career. Several Waterbury teammates did successfully…

• 1979 TCMA Memphis Chicks Baseball #5, Bryn Smith

  18 Jan 2012 | 9:01 am

  After a veritable cavalcade of TCMA minor league cards featuring players who never achieved MLB success, today's #5 features a bona fide big league hurler who won 108 games over 12 seasons, mostly for Les Expos de Montreal.This card shows a clean-cut 23 year-old, but I remember Bryn as Captain Redbeard.Smith's beard was mighty enough to rate a Badass Beard entry on the Sorting By Teams blog.Team set checklist, courtesy of TeamSets4U's 1979 minor league page.Steve LovinsSteve MichaelBill Armstrong TRJulio PerezBryn SmithLarry GoldetskyDoug SimunicCharlie LeaDave HostetlerAnthony JohnsonRandy…

• Type Site: Section 36, "5 is for..."

  16 Jan 2012 | 1:27 pm

  During the off-season, Red Sox fan site Section 36 covers a wide range of baseball topics, numbered 1 to 36. It fills the chilly winter months for locals like me, who spend most of February creating spreadsheets that analyze snow accumulation. Today's fifth post for 2011-12 talks about Fenway's short (5') wall in front of its side-by-side outfield bullpens.But why a 5' wall? To quote Section 36:"To me it looks like a fairly careful calculation. Obviously they took an average player and stood him up against a wall. They had him take a little hop, as if he were reaching for a ball. They then…

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  New York Mets

• New York Mets Still In the Market For Outfield Depth

  craigwilliams

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:21 pm

  The New York Mets have been quiet in terms of actual moves, but that does not mean that they are not keeping a close eye on the market.  According to Jerry Crasnick, the New York Mets are interested in adding a left-handed hitting outfielder.  Crasnick lists Johnny Damon, Kosuke Fukudome, Rick Ankiel, Juan Pierre and Raul Ibanez as potential targets.  As Dan Mennella points out the New York Mets already seem to have their outfield set with Jason Bay in left field, Andres Torres in center field and a platoon of Lucas Duda and Scott Hairston in right field.  The type of role an additional…

• New York Mets Land Three Prospects On MLB.com’s Top 100

  craigwilliams

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:30 pm

  Most of the offseason for the New York Mets has been bad news or boring news.  Thankfully MLB.com gave us a little break from that when they listed three New York Mets prospects in their Top 100 list.  Right-handed pitchers Zack Wheeler (28), Matt Harvey (38) and Jeurys Familia (90), to the surprise of nobody, graced the list with their presence.  I was a little bit surprised that Wilmer Flores did not make the list, but he hasn’t quite put up the numbers to match his potential just yet.  Perhaps he’ll start to do that this season.  Anyway it is exciting to think about the…

• Gary Carter takes a turn for the worse

  garymarchese

  25 Jan 2012 | 8:49 pm

  It was very sad to hear about Gary Carter over the weekend.  He apparently has taken a turn for the worse.  The doctors checked him out and now he has more tumors on his brain.  They said they weren’t sure what the next step is, they need to speak with him and go from there.  It sounded very grim and all anyone can do is hope and pray.  He is so young but this kind of disease doesn’t discriminate, cancer is still a deadly disease and it is sad to watch someone suffer so much. Gary Carters daughter Kimmy Bloomers was the one who wrote on the family website.  In recent weeks…

• Cody Ross Is On the New York Mets’ Radar

  craigwilliams

  22 Jan 2012 | 12:22 pm

  Even though nobody expects the New York Mets to make much noise in 2012, Sandy Alderson and Co. are still doing what they can to make the team as competitive as possible. The latest target is outfielder Cody Ross.  The 2010 playoff hero is obviously not the type of player that is going to carry the team, but Cody Ross could provide some solid depth in the outfield and provide manager Terry Collins with some match-up flexibility as well.  I still find it interesting that the New York Mets are still being linked to free agents despite the fact that they said they were done adding players to…

• Buster Olney Discusses David Wright’s Future With the New York Mets

  craigwilliams

  21 Jan 2012 | 1:11 pm

  David Wright and my desire for the New York Mets to trade him is a topic that I have discussed on several occasions since July.  I don’t think the New York Mets will be ready to contend before David Wright is an unquestioned free agent (the New York Mets hold a $16 million option for 2013) so it seems pointless – from a performance standpoint – to keep him around.  Buster Olney (insider required) lists a few options that the New York Mets have regarding their star third baseman: Extend him beyond the 2013 season. Keep him through 2013 and then re-evaluate the situation.

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  Baseball Reflections

• DVD Review: Baseball’s Greatest Games-Collector’s Edition

  Bill Jordan

  28 Jan 2012 | 5:00 am

  Looking for the perfect item to get your baseball fix on TV in the offseason?  Well, you can stop looking once you acquire Baseballs Greatest Games. Put out by MLB and A&E Studios in 2011, this 11 disc DVD set will occupy any baseball lover for hours (29 hours and 56 minutes to be exact). The set features ten of the most hotly contested games in MLB history. Watching these games is made even better when the viewer notices that they can actually watch baseball without having to wait for inning changes and commercials. The games featured in this set are: Image via Wikipedia Game 7 of the…

• Stealth Mode: With Mike Ilitch’s Money Dave Dombrowski Snatches Prince Fielder

  Benjie Klein

  27 Jan 2012 | 5:30 am

  Photo taken from Google Images The Detroit Tigers were silent long enough. An offseason that had so far peaked with the weak uneventful signing of reliever Octavio Dotel and plummeted with the news of Victor Martinez tearing his ACL just got a lot more exciting. Prince Fielder joins Miguel Cabrera to form the best middle of the lineup in baseball for the foreseeable future.   The Signing   Rumors swirled around Detroit all off-season about possible additions to shore up pitching or hitting. The “big” names included Matt Garza, Yoennis Cespedes, and Jose Reyes, as Detroit needed…

• BBA Baseball Talk Podcast: The New CBA

  Peter Schiller

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:21 pm

  Join us next Tuesday, January 31st at 9pm EST over on BBA Baseball Talk, a podcast that I host every 5th Tuesday of the month (once every quarter). You can listen to the show online by following this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ivieleagueproductions/2012/02/01/bba-baseball-talk-the-cba or feel free to be part of the excitement by calling into the number above!   Image via CrunchBase   On this show I will be joined by Baseball Reflections writers Matt Whitener of (his main site is Cheap Seats Please) & Tim McClelland (whose 17 year old son, 6-5 235 lb RHP who’s…

• Cleveland Indians 2011-2012 Off Season So Far…

  Bill Jordan

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:46 am

  Photo of the player to be named taken from Zimbio via Google Images At this point, the Indians off season can unfortunately be described by three words: Roberto Hernandez Heredia. Before mid-January, those three words didn’t mean anything to anyone in baseball circles perhaps except for the man who was calling himself Fausto Carmona.  As it turns out, when Carmona tried to get his new visa to come back to the United States from the Dominican Republic, to play another season for the Cleveland Indians, there were some problems with his paperwork. Not only was it discovered that Carmona…

• If The Mets Number 8 is NOT Being Issued, Retire It!

  John Pielli

  25 Jan 2012 | 6:07 am

  Carter photo taken from Google Images We should all say a prayer today for Gary Carter, who is fighting a terrible battle with cancerous tumors reemerging in his brain. First and foremost, hopes are that the kid can fight this terrible disease. After that point is made, there has been a lot of talk amongst Mets fans about whether or not his number 8 should be retired. As a player who spent the majority of his career with the Montreal Expos, many feel he didn’t play for the Mets long enough. Others didn’t see him as the backbone of that team (which I couldn’t disagree with…

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  Independent Professional Baseball Trivia and History

• 2010 Victoria Seals Pitcher Who Had Only One MLB Win Over 5 Seasons

  independentbaseball

  27 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  Baseball Trivia Question What 2010 Victoria Seals pitcher got his only MLB win (2002), during his entire 5 seasons in the Big Leagues, pitching two innings of scoreless relief for the San Diego Padres in an 8-6 win over the … Continue reading →

• Manager Who Won Four Of First Five Frontier League Championships

  independentbaseball

  26 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  Baseball Trivia Question Which independent baseball league manager won four of the first five Frontier League championships, albeit with different teams? Answer: Mal Fichman 1994 Erie Sailors, 1995 Johnstown Steal, 1996 Springfield Capitals, 1998 Springfield Capitals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mal_Fichman

• Independent Baseball Team Which Plays In Stadium Built In 1915

  independentbaseball

  25 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  Baseball Trivia Question Which independent baseball team plays in a ballpark built in 1915? Answer: The Evansville Otters of the Frontier League http://www.evansvilleliving.com/articles/an-oral-otter-history

• Independent Baseball Commissioner Who Owned Durham Bulls When Movie Was Filmed

  independentbaseball

  24 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  Baseball Trivia Question Which independent baseball league commissioner was the team owner of the Durham Bulls when the movie “Bull Durham” was released? Answer: Miles Wolff (of the American Association and Can-Am League) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham_Bulls http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_Durham

• 1995 Independent Baseball Pitcher Who Was Age 37 In His MLB Debut

  independentbaseball

  23 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  Baseball Trivia Question What 1995 Surrey Glaciers pitcher made his MLB Debut in 2000 with the Florida Marlins at age 37 making him the oldest rookie to debut since 1960? Answer: Joe Strong http://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/13/sports/baseball-never-too-late-to-make-debut-in-the-majors.html

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  Baseball Drills & Coaching Tips

• Baseball Pitching Drills – Feed the Gorilla & Water Bottle Slam

  kenny

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:20 pm

  If you’re looking for some excellent pitching drills for your younger players, give these two a try.  They provide quick improvements and the kids have fun with them while getting great conditioning. Feed the Gorilla Here’s a fun pitching drill it’s called feed the gorilla. You get two pitchers to double up as a team. You need a bucket of baseballs. Here’s how it works: Coach stands 40ft back to catch balls. One player has a bucket of balls and tosses them to pitcher. Pitcher throws all balls to coach (feed the Gorilla). During the pitches the coach observe’s…

• Baseball Practice – Triangle Drill

  kenny

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:42 am

  If you set up in a triangle it works turning the DP with middle player acting as 2nd base.  I love this drill. Simple to explain, fun, and accomplishes so much in a short time! Triangle Drill Groups of 3 players: 1 group on the foul line, 1 at 15 yds into outfield, and 1 30 yds into outfield. Player 1 throws to 2. Player 2 catches, turns and throws to 3. Rotate every 10 throws. This accomplishes several things at 1 time. First- throwing and catching (obvious). Second-footwork. Third- fast hands Four- turning and finding your target.

• Ball Tracking & Conditioning Baseball Drill

  kenny

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:17 pm

  One of the drills I start off my practice with is a simple out field drill that gets the blood pumping and also works on tracking balls. Ball Tracking & Conditioning Baseball Drill I line up some outfielders along the foul line about ten feet behind third base (they all have a ball).  I or one of my coaches stands in the middle of the field (approximately ten or so feet behind 2nd). The first guy in line starts jogging toward the coach, as he reaches him he flips him the ball and starts to sprint toward the first base foul line (this drill is in the outfield but follows the path of the…

• Baseball Tips and Drills – Improving Hitting Skills

  kenny

  20 Jan 2012 | 5:50 pm

  If you’re working with younger players and want to work on their hitting skills, give these tips a try.  The first one uses a basketball to improve strenght and the second one uses varying size items to work on skill. Basketball Drill One good inexpensive idea that helped many of my players was to soft toss using a half flat mini (or full sized basketball) into the net of our batting cage during our batting practices. This helped reinforce the idea of hitting\driving through the ball on contact as well as finishing the swing. Doing this simple drill produced an almost immediate…

• Baseball Practice Drill – Zig-Zag Drill

  kenny

  18 Jan 2012 | 2:51 pm

  This is a fast paced baseball drill that can be varied (during the drill) to stretch the better player and softened for the emerging player.  I call it the Zig-Zag Drill. Zig-Zag Drill Set-Up: Set three cones out that if connected with a line, it would form the letter Z.  You should vary the distance between and distance from start based on age of your players. Drill We have each player run towards each cone looking for the ball, not knowing if it will be a ground or fly ball.  We vary where we place the ball (high, low, front or back, etc.) to ensure they are tracking the ball and…

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  Chicken Fried Baseball

• Mystery Team Strikes Again

  chickenfriedbb

  25 Jan 2012 | 9:52 am

  Apparently, Prince Fielder’s leverage was just fine. He signed a huge contract with an unexpected suitor, but I don’t necessarily agree with critics who are calling the deal “absurd” on the part of the Tigers. It is scary-long, but the average annual value of $23.8 million over nine years seems to make sense for both sides. Simply calculating the current cost of a win above replacement ignores a critical and essential factor – salary inflation. To assume that player salaries aren’t going to head upwards over the next nine years is, well, absurd. It’s very possible that the…

• Fielder’s Leverage Weakening?

  chickenfriedbb

  23 Jan 2012 | 5:18 am

  All has been quiet on the Prince Fielder front. With pitchers and catchers due to report to camp between February 12th and 23rd, and full squads between 2/18 and 2/28, time seems to be running out. While Fielder’s stop at the Four Seasons Hotel in Dallas was said to be his first on a road tour of approximately four sites, the hard-to-miss first baseman hasn’t been publicly spotted anywhere since his Texas meeting with Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan. It’s the time of year when trades involving Marco Scutaro make headlines, and still, nothing. The only two teams to have publicly expressed…

• Darvish Anime

  chickenfriedbb

  23 Jan 2012 | 4:28 am

  Jamey Newberg shared this video of a Taiwanese anime recap of the Yu Darvish signing. The video depicts the Rangers as an animated “Walker Texas Ranger”, shows Darvish lassoed in a field, foreshadows an Alexi Ogando move to the bullpen by dropping him into a field of longhorn cattle, and easily beats any Saturday morning cartoons shown in America.

• Fausto Cooler Name than Leo

  chickenfriedbb

  20 Jan 2012 | 8:28 am

  From Wikipedia: Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. There are going to be a couple of interesting and obscure sleeper picks in fantasy drafts this spring. Roberto Hernandez Heredia and Juan Oviedo, formerly Fausto Carmona and Leo Nunez, could make their big league debuts despite playing in the majors for several years under their falsified names. The 31 year old Heredia was arrested in the Dominican Republic…

• Darvish Signs for Discount

  chickenfriedbb

  19 Jan 2012 | 7:10 am

  The Rangers signed Yu Darvish to a six year deal for a guaranteed total of $111.7 million, with $51.7 million going to the Nippon Ham Fighters, and $56 million earmarked for Darvish.  The deal equates to $18.6 million in average annual value, and the total investment appears to be more attractive than what re-signing C.J. Wilson would have required. The Angels signed Wilson to a five year contract in December worth $15.5 million in AAV. While the Rangers will spend $3 million more overall, there are other things to consider.  At the age of 25, Darvish is uniquely young for a free agent.