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New unis, new colors, new players and a new vibe in downtown St. Pete
So the fam and I went to the Rays game today for my son's Little League day at the Trop, and what I saw was a lot of exciting new changes and very little of the same old, same old Devil Rays attitude that permeated the last decade+ at the giant concrete cylinder in St. Pete.
The first thing you notice when you walk up the antiquated tile walkway that leads to the rotunda is the new mural that adorns the front of the building. Bright and colorful and bursting with that Ray of light, it beckons like a giant welcome sign pleading with fans to come see what's inside.
Trouble is once you step inside you are quickly reminded that the Dome is still the Dome, no matter how much paint you slap on the place, and it's a grim reminder that baseball was meant to be played outdoors, not inside a giant air-conditioned grain silo.
And suddenly the irony of the Rays utilizing a sunburst logo becomes amusingly obvious.
Until you look around the place and see all the signs, artists renderings and videos touting the proposed new waterfront stadium the Rays brass has been pushing for the past several months, and then it becomes apparent that the logo is a not-so- subliminal hint that yes, one day this team will live to play in the light of day.
If the team can get $400 million dollars from the taxpayers for an outdoor stadium that will expose the team and its patrons to the uncomfortable midsummer conditions of South Florida.
And suddenly the silo doesn't seem so bad.
As far as the team goes, as soon as you look at the starting lineup you are reminded that the changes have not just been cosmetic ones. The starter on the day is highly-touted 2004 draft pick Jeff Niemann, a long (6'9") lanky right hander who the team hopes will be one of the cornerstones of a young stud rotation, along with Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Matt Garza and fellow hot prospect David Price.
On the field the lineup is as good as many teams in the league: All Star Carl Crawford mans left; future All Star BJ Upton, who blasted a key homer in this game, covers a ton of ground in center; and they have a couple of terrific corner infielders - 2007 MVP candidate Carlos Pena, who has already slammed 6 homers after hitting 46 last year, and potential 2008 Rookie of the Year winner Evan Longoria, who was just brought back from the minors after a controversial late spring demotion, looks like a franchise player at third.
The problem with the Rays is the same one that has been plaguing the team for the last decade: pitching. Most of the staff is too young (see above mentioned starters, plus Jason Hammel and Andy Sonnanstine), too old (setup man and taser target Al Reyes and closer Troy Percival, whose arm could fall off at any time), or just plain mediocre (all the rest.)
And therein lies the problem of why this team will be better, but not nearly good enough to contend for a playoff spot for a few years. They desperately needed to acquire a decent veteran arm to anchor the young staff and provide experience in the battles against the top tier clubs, especially now with 2007 strikeout king Kazmir shelved with arm troubles.
And until they do, plus upgrade the bullpen from the current collection of has beens and never was', this team will be exciting, teasing and sometimes pleasing, but not good enough to take it to the next level.
So its okay to buy the new color gear (which fans are doing in droves), get on board the bandwagon early, support the young studs and watch the team grow from a cellar-dwelling laughingstock to an up-and-coming contender.
Just don't expect it to happen overnight.
Maybe by the time they get into that new stadium.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
It's the new Rays of Tampa Bay
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Clemens: I did not have steroidal relations with that needle
With football officially over and spring training about to begin, today we got a tatse of what the season will be filled with: talk of 'roids, HGH and bloody bums
Roger Clemens and his arch nemesis, former trainer/primary injector of illegal enhancers Brian McNamee, testified in front of a Congressional hearing this morning regarding their roles in the burgeoning steroid scandal, and to say parts of their testimony resembled a low-grade sitcom would be a major understatement.
In fact the marathon sessions provided enough fodder to fill the sports blogosphere with an unlimtimited supply of unintentional comedic gold for years to come.
Here are a few of the prime nuggets to come out of today's episode of The Day Roger Clemens Went to Capitol Hill:
-When asked why his testimony contradicted good friend and longtime teammate Andy Pettitte's sworn statements regarding the Rocket's use of HGH, Clemens responded by saying that Pettitte must have "misremembered" their conversations, confusing them with a discussion the two had about a TV show in which three old guys discussed using HGH to improve their quality of life.
Um, okay.
-Although Clemens denies that HE ever took performance enhancers, he admitted that his wife, Debbie, actually DID use HGH, in order to get her 39-year-old mother-of-four body in shape for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit picture in 2003.
The kicker is McNamee supposedly injected Debbie one day at the Clemens compound when Roger was not present, giving new meaning to the term 'back door man'.
-Accuser McNamee was labeled a "drug dealer", "liar" and general disreputable scoundrel by many members of the panel, yet he still came off as more believeable than Clemens, thanks to coroborrating testimony from Pettitte and fomer Stankee teammate Chuck Knoblach.
How bad is it when a lying backstabbing drug dealer has more credibility than a 7-time Cy Young winner?
-But the pies de restisance had to be this Jerry Springer-esque exchange regarding the repercussions of Roidger's injections from ESPN.com's Jayson Starke's terrific live-blog of the proceedings:
"Rep. Davis reported that McNamee had testified that Mike Stanton once noticed that Clemens was bleeding through his dress pants -- which caused him to start carrying band aids around, presumably for his bleeding butt."
Davis: "Mr. Clemens, do you recall bleeding through your pants in 2001?"
Clemens: "I do not."
Play ball!
So what are we to make of all this he-said, he-said namecalling nonsense as we head into another baseball season that promises to be filled with more talk of drugs and denials?
For one thing the case of Clemens might be far from over, as the Comitteee weighs its options of whether or not to pursue perjury charges against the Rocket, but in the court of public opinion Clemens' reputation & credibilty is now on par with Mark McGuire, Raffy Palmeiro Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa's from now until the end of time.
No one in their right mind will ever believe that Pettitte & Debbie Clemens used HGH but Roger himself never did, so any denials that come out of his mouth go right on the shelf with those other infamous non-admittances.
The other thing that this mess ensures is that everyone who wasn't sick of the steroid scandal after the BALCO hearings, Mitchell report and every other drugs in sports investigation is surely sick of it now. Sordid testimony, squirming superstars and ready-made soundbites have officially replaced pitching stats, slugging percentages and inflated home run totals, and none of us baseball fans are any better for it.
By now it's quite apparent that the era in question should be classifed as the Steroid Era; it's obvious that many players, hitters & pitchers, stars & scrubs, were active participants in taking anything and everything that could enhance their performance and expediate healing since said substances WERE NOT BANNED BY MLB, and numbers and stats should be taken for what they are - inflated reflections of the times, not accurrate measurements of how these players stack up against the great, non-roided players in the game's history.
What else can we conclude when the best pitcher and batter in the modern era have both been accused of using these substances, and both will most like be tried for perjury and could possibly wind up doing jail time for the sin of trying to become the biggest, baddest players in town, all while the leaders of MLB stood idly by and allowed these things to go on unchecked because these massive men wre successfully making everyone involved in the game richer?
So please, as the 2008 season begins with the Red Sox the defending World Champs and favorites to repeat, can we please just get back to enjoying the game as it was meant to be?
You know, minus the bloody bums.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
An easter feast even a Jew can love
First I want to wish a Happy Easter to all my Catholic family & friends. If you're like me your day has consisted of morning mass, Easter dinner, an egg hunt followed by "watching" the Masters while dozing on the couch.
On the other hand my family members of the Jewish faith probably spent the day shopping at Lord & Taylor.
If that sounds familiar to anyone raise your hand and say "praise the lord."
Now that the business end of Resurrection Sunday is out of the way we can get down to consuming some serious leftovers tonight. There is a feast of epic proportions on tap on the tube this Easter eve, and I plan on doing some damage to my DVR's in order to keep up with all the offerings.
Let's all join hands, bow our heads and look at the healthy plate that has been so generously placed before us...
Red Sox at Rangers 8:00 PM ESPN & ESPN HD
The first regular edition of SNB of the season, not counting that "we gotta be first" opener last week, just happens to feature everyone's favorite team, the Sox, playing in Texas against Sammy Sosa and the Rangers.
Curt Schilling will take the mound for the first time since he got clubbed by Kansas City on Opening Day last Monday, and knowing him he will be hell-bent to atone for that performance (how'd you like that timely phraseology?)
Schill will be opposed by Vincente Padilla, but it won't matter if the Ranger's starter was Vincente Fox if the Boston bats don't begin producing some runs; in 5 games the team is batting .244 with 1 homerun and averaging just over 3 runs/game.
This game will keep everyone occupied for an hour until the return of you know who at dusk...
...that's right, Tony Soprano is back just in time to carve up your Easter bunny and shove Easter eggs down your everlovin' gullet...
The Sopranos, 9:00PM, HBO & HBO HD
That's right everyone's favorite sinners force their way back into our lives for a limited run before retiring to that great syndication haven in the sky. Tonight's show marks the beginning of the end of the mob saga that not only redefined how we look at La Costra Nostra like nothing has since the Godfather, but the groundbreaking show also helped to reshape television.
Without the Sopranos there is no Rescue Me, The Shield, Nip/Tuck or even Boston Legal. The drama created by David Chase began with little fanfare in 1997 but soon blossomed into a full-blown Pop Culture Phenomenon, breaking all kinds of records for cable viewers gained and cast members slain.
Now that Chase has decided the show has run its course (last year's ridiculous Vito/Johnnycakes plot ensured he was right) we will only get see "family" members like Tony & Carmela, Bobby & Janice, Christopher, Sil, Paulie, A.J. and let's not forget about Meadow for another 9 hours. After that it's off into the sunset, or more likely for these guys, down to the bottom of the Atlantic like Big Pussy.
Whatever happens and no matter how silly or far fetched the threads may be in this abbreviated swan song season, I know I will be watching intently. A show like this only comes around once in a generation, and the worst episodes of the Sopranos make the best eps of other shows seem like dog shit.
Besides, if I could make it through this past season of Prison Break, I can handle anything Chase throws my way.
Entourage 10PM, HBO & HBO HD
On the heels of that somber & severe hour of mob drama is HBO's latest P.C.P., the show that tracks the hilariously hip life of Mark Wahlberg's funky bunch of Hollywood cling-ons: pretty-boy actor Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) his manager Eric (Kevin Connolly), his wannabe actor brother Johnny (Kevin Dillon) and their ultra-dependant party-loving homeboy Turtle (Jerry Ferrara.)
Back for a third season after the first two took the nation by storm (and the creators by surprise- sound familiar?), the show will pick up where season 2 left off, namely with Vinnie separated from former agent and close firend Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven.) After going behind Vince's back and blowing a couple of roles for Vince (namely Pablo Escobar in Medellin and Joey Ramone in a Ramones biopic), Eric ended last season by going Donald Trump on Ari; "you're fired" is where we left off, and you can be sure it won't take long to pick right back up there, becasue we all know the Vince/Ari/Eric dynamic is what makes the show work.
Expect plenty of good-natured banter & ribbing between Vinne and the members of his posse, brother Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon) and Turtle in the first couple of episodes until whatever storyline producer Doug Ellin and the writers decide to take.
Whatever happens this season, be it another Vegas trip, Playboy mansion party or comic book convention, you can be sure to count on three things:
1.) Vinnie & Ari will hug it out and make up- the show is nothing without the egomaniacal Ari.
2.) there will be plenty of big-name cameos (past guest lists included James Cameron, Ed Burns, Mandy Moore and Martin Landeau)
3.) the chicks will be hot, the music will be cutting edge, the booze will be flowing and the grass will be smokin' as we hop back on board that inside-Hollywood tour bus and go along for a fun, frantic ride
If those choices don't float your boat there is also the next two episodes of Discovery Channel Planet Earth, Deal or No deal, Amazing Race and Desperate Housewives.
But for me it will be a night spent with Big Papi, Tony, Vince and the rest of the paisans.
Hey, it is Easter, right?
Enjoy.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Rays exact sweet revenge in the snowy Bronx
Small Markets 7, Evil Empire 6
What kind of moron schedules baseball games in early April in places like Detroit, Chicago and New York?
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Tampa Bay & New York Gm 2 rained out
Hometown hero Dukes tries to rehab his rep by signing autographs at spring trainingFor example this ESPN.com cover story on Elijah Dukes this afternoon. From Karl Ravich to Pete
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Gammons to Dickie V. everyone is singing the praises of the Rays' troubled-but-talented trio of B.J Upton- Delmon Young-Elijah Dukes. That's partly because they are fascinating case studies of what athletes who are incredibly gifted & talented can do to throw their careers away, and partly because America loves those types of stories, whether they turn out to have happy endings or not.Somewhere a Disney writer's burning a hole in the hard drive of his HP Notepad over this kid.
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So for now the media will hype Dukes and Young & Upton as well, by going over their numerous arrests, suspensions and immature quotes while touting their physical abilities and what they can do with a baseball. And while they pretend to want these guys to succeed in their careers, they would be just as happy to write juicy columns about their failures and how they wasted opportunities. After all, those make good movies, too, just not the Disney kind.Monday, April 02, 2007
Baseball preview: It's a beautiful day- let's play 2!
Opening Day combined with the NCAA Championship game make this one of the greatest days of the sports year 
The Super Bowl, the Daytona & Indy 500s, the final days of Wimbledon & the US Open, Sunday at the Masters and in the old days a big heavyweight bout all have a certain unique and exciting aura about them that make them the best sporting days of the year.
Today, with the Opening Day of the 2007 MLB season and the NCAA basketball national championship game later tonight, has to be right up there with all those luminous events as a singularly spectacular day to be a sports fan. Throw in passover, the finale of prison Break and another episode of dancing with the Stars and you've got enough going on to qualify for national holiday status.
But nothing beats the pomp, pageantry, and propensity to see 'roided-up records set than opening day, and ESPN has a great double-header scheduled this afternoon. Devil Rays at Stankees at 1:00 followed by Boston at Kansas City at 4:00.
There will be some games tonight, although evidently not on Extra innings, but by 9:00 everyone will be glued to that ultimate reality show with the winner taking home the ultimate prize, the title game rematch between the Florida Gators and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
That game is still 8 hours away, though. In the meantime I will enlighten you with my always-entertaining MLB 2007 Season Predictions, guaranteed to come true or at least ensure I will have to endure months of unending verbal abuse.
AMERICAN LEAGUE:
A.L. East: Boston- this is the year that the Sox unseat the reigning 10-year division champion Stankees. Boston is not only stacked offensively thanks to the addition of Julio Lugo and J.D. Drew, but the rotation should be one of the best in baseball and Papelbon is back to close out close games.
Sure the Sox have questions, like will Coco rebound from his injury-riddled 2006 season, can Pedroia handle the strain of playing 2B for a contending team in the cauldron of Beantown, and will Lowell duplicate his bounceback season of 2006, but with five potential .300 hitters ( and 2 guaranteed 35+ HR/120+ RBI men the offense should score enough runs to take the division crown.
New York- great lineup, but that rotation is as old and thin as Ann Coulter. Toronto is loaded on offense as well with the addition of Frank Thomas but the loss of Ted Lilly could hurt the Blue Birds more than they realize. Beyond Cy Halladay the rotation is shaky and in this division that's all it will take to miss the postseason. Baltimore & Tampa Bay? Just watching, thank you.
A.L. Central: Chicago- everyone loves either the defending division champion Twins, ready-to-blossom Indians or the dominant Tiger team that went to the Series, but don't sleep on Crazy Ozzie's squad. The Sox are still loaded on offense with the Fearsome Foursome of Crede, Thome, Dye and Konerko combining for 151 homers last year and the pitching staff, though slightly overworked in recent years, has the potential to make the Chisox a title contender again.
Meanwhile Detroit lost its horse, Kenny Stickum Rogers, for a few months and my money says Gary Sheffield somehow poisons that chummy clubhouse by mid season. Minnesota has one pitcher, a Cy Young lock no less, but four guys had career years last year so don't look for that to happen again. Cleveland-when C.onstantly C.onvalescing Sabathia is your ace, you got no shot.
Plus if the White Sox don't win it will be fun to see how bad Ozzie will implode.
A.L. West: Texas- the ultra-chic pick this year evidently is the LA of Anaheim Angels, who have been picked by many experts to be this year's Cinderella team and go all the way (S.I. picked the Halos to win it all, thank God.) Closely trailing the Angles are the always-competitive A's, but the loss of Barry Zito, the final ace from that Terrific Triumverate of Zito-Hudson-Mulder, should kill Oakland's chances.
But I like the Rangers to get back to the postseason with reclamation project Sammy Sosa poised for a big comeback and boasting an offense that just won't quit. Hurlers Kevin Millwood, Vincente Padilla young Brandon McCarthey are just good enough to get it done, and they have two closers so when Eric Gagne breaks down Akinori Otsuka (32 saves last year) can step back in.
Wild Card: Stankees a $200 million payroll and a big mid-season acquisition (Rocket fueled?) should be enough to get the Empire into the playoffs
ALDS: BOS/CHI, NYY/TEX
ALCS: BOSTON vs. NEW YORK
AL Champ: Boston
NATIONAL LEAGUE:
N.L.East: Phillies- once again I am going against the grain as everyone seems to love the Mets repeating their success of 2006. I look at a threadbare rotation and an old, potentially washed up closer that will have a hard time overcoming the loss of Pedro Martinez. That's why I like the Phils, with their solid starting five (Myers, Hamels, Garcia, Eaton & Moyer) and dynamic offense led by reigning MVP Ryan Howard, to make it to the postseason for the first time since 1993.
N.L. Central:Cubs- while it seems everybody loves the Brewers- today- and the Cards and 'Stros have solid but pitching-thin clubs, when you take all that money the Tribune Co. spent (more than $300 million in upgrades) in its swan song season owning the team, throw in a combative, competitive coach like Lou Pinella, a Cy Young candidate (Victor Zambrano) and a pair of potential MVPs (Soriano, Lee) and you've got the makings of a curse-busting season.
Unless of course all that Stankee/Boston-like free spending blows up in their faces.
N.L. West: LA Dodgers- this division will most likely be the wild west shootout like it was last year when 3 teams went down the stretch with a chance to win the divison and two, the Padres and Dodgers, made the playoffs.
Arizona is a young but trendy pick and San Fran will be better with Barry- Zito I mean- but I like the Dodgers combination of quality starters (Lowe, Penny, Schmidt, Wolf) and plethora of .300 hitters. The Pads, Giants and D-Backs will all be in the mix, and even the hapless Rockies should be improved, but I love L.A. here-plus they're the West Coast Sox.
Wild Card: Mets- decent enough pitching (most like a mid season trade if Petey doesn't return) and a star-studded lineup will get this team back to playing October baseball.
NLDS: NYM/LAD, PHI/CHI
NLCS: CUBS vs. METS
NL Champ: CUBS
WORLD SERIES: Red Sox over Cubs in 7 games
AL MVP: Big Papi, DH BOS he will finally make the voters get over the hangup about him not playing the field when he mashes 55 homers and 145 RBIs for the division winners
NL MVP: Jose Reyes, SS NYM the supersonic shortstop will be the spark plug of the dynamic New York offense; he will lead the majors in steals, triples and being most exciting player to watch every at bat
AL Cy Young: Johan CyTana, MIN the 2-time winner for the Twins is sure to get 35 starts being the only quality starter for Minnesota now that Francisco Liriano is out for the year, and those starts will equate to 21-25 wins, a microscopic ERA & WHIP and close to 300 strikeouts
NL Cy Young: Carlos (don't call me Victor again) Zambrano, CHI I've picked this guy for three years running and one of these times he's gonna make me look like a genius. The ace of the new Cubs with Wood & Prior no longer in the picture this stud is poised to have a huge season, further justifying his demands for a mega buck contract.
AL Rookie of the Year: Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS I know it's not fair because the guy had pitched for 67 seasons in Japan but if Nomo, Ichiro and Kaz Suzaki can win it so can he. the talented & enigmatic man known as Dice-K will win 18 games, have an ERA near 3.00 and a WHIP near 1.10 and strengthen the rotation of a playoff contender all while adapting to life in a foreign country; of course I'm referring to the Red Sox Nation.
NL Rookie of the Year: Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B ARI This kid has got a ton of potential and a devastating bat; he hit the first major league pitch he ever saw for a grand slam after a September callup and he carried a .395 OBP in 340 minor league games. With the 3B job his to keep for the Pads he should have enough ABs to win the award.
Plus I just love saying his name (kouzmanoff, kouzmanoff, kouzmanoff...)
That's all for now. laugh if you want, but I will have the last laugh come October.
And if I'm wrong I'll just start over under another blog.spot
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Hooray! Spring Baseball is underway!
The temps are in the mid-80s, the ball is cracking off the bat, and things are so wonderful here in FLA that not only did Manny Ramirez forgo his trip to Jersey, he actually reported to camp a day early. Which was still 6 days later than anyone else, but hey, give the guy some credit.
Six games kicked off the schedule yesterday, including the Sox and Twins in the Battle of the Fort, as well as four other Grapefruit League contests and one Cactus League tilt.
In the Sox game last night Curt Schilling took the mound for what could be his final spring opener in a Sox uni (how many times do you think we'll hear "Schilling's last blank as a member of the Sox..." if his contract situation gets uglier?) Despite controversy and conditioning issues the 40-year-old hurler pitched like, well, the ace of the staff. Schill threw 2 innings of 2-hit ball, with 15 of his 19 pitches finding the strike zone. Not bad for a mouthy, overweight, unhappy camper. Perhaps he is just setting an example for his Japanese protege and fellow media magnet, Dice K.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Spring training is underway
Hey I realize it's nothing compared to 100+ inch snowfalls and daytime sub-freezing temps of the North but for Florida it's bad enough. That's why I moved here, to escape that kind of crap.
Spring training is underway and the spotlight around Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is already in mid-season, white-hot form. From the minute-by-minute account of his arrival in Fort Myers to comments about his, shall we say, ample frame, the Diceman hath cometh into the world of Intense Media & Fan Scrutiny.
Dan Shaughnessy has already come out with a column railing against the gobs of attention being given to the Japanese phenom the Sox shelled out $103 million bucks to bring to MLB, but I'm sure if Dice-K starts out 8-2 with a 2.30 ERA and indeed throws 5 quality pitches he'll be sucking on his chopstick, too.
It's nice to see the guys down here, though, if for no other reason than to provide a break from the craziness that is the John Amaechi/Tim Hardaway nightmare, the Anna Nicole fiasco and tainted peanut butter.
It's only the first official day of pitchers & catchers reporting but there have already been a number of stories catching the attention of bloggers & news outlets everywhere:
-Keith Johnny Burger King Foulke selfishly denies Sox fans the right to watch him attempt to be a mentor for Fausto Blown Save Carmona
-Mediocre Philles hurler Jon Lieber has a huge overcompen-sation problem
- Kerry Wood has a slip-up on the road to resurrecting his career as a closer
-Barroid Bonds (credit sports aficionado Roger Lodge for that one) finally signs his $15.8 million deal, full of hidden clauses filed under "in case of accidental imprisonment"
-Willy Mo Pena avoids arbitration and signs a 1-year deal with the Sox, thus ensuring Red Sox nation of at least one more season of outfield follies and tape-measure homers
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Stop the madness! DirecTv continues soul-stealing ways
With all the things going on lately (holidays, NFL playoffs, the Barbaro saga) I somehow missed the initial announcement that MLB was selling its Extra Innings package to DirecTv for a staggering $700 million dollars over the next 7 years. What that means for transplanted fans like me is that I have to pony up for a satellite dish (and all the heartache that comes with it) if I want to watch the Sawx this year, other than the 19 times they play the Rays and the 20 times they should be on national TV now that they've got international sensation Dice-K.
So instead of watching about 145 Bosox games (including nearly every game of the magical '04 campaign) like I have for the past 4 years I will now be forced to watch an entire season of Devil Rays baseball.
There oughtta be a law...
It seems that In Demand, a service carried by cable providers all over the country, only offered MLB a mere $70 mil/year to renew their contract with MLB. The $30 mil/year difference was the deal breaker for commissioner Darth Selig & his minions who decided that they would take the upfront money and hope it will defer the certain loss of revenue they will have when they lose a good chunk of the currently 750,000 subscribers to Extra Innings.
Now baseball fans are up shit's creek just like NFL fans. And if you happen to be a major fan of both sports like myself, well then you are feeling like poor Ned Beatty after those inbred rednecks got a hold of him.
The list goes on and on but you get the point. This is devastating news, the type of news that can cause a grown man to weep, or at least blog uncontrollable about the evils of modern capitalism, for my only other options are:
1.) Buy a satellite
2.)Watch the games on MLB.com
3.)Living at the sports bar is out of the question
I am now officially in depression. It's going to take a lot of squinting at my computer screen and a decent season by the Rays to get me out of this.
On second thought a satellite doesn't sound like such a bad idea.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Hot Stove, Bosox Edition
Drew's deal is finally official; Sox eye deal for Rockies' Helton
The Red Sox have solidified one half of the right side of their diamond and are looking at a deal that could shore up the other half of it.
The long-delayed signing of right fielder J.D. Drew was 
finally completed yesterday when the Sox and Drew's agent, Scott Borass came to terms on the language necessary to satisfy both parties enough to seal the 5-year, $70 million dollar deal.
Boston had expressed concern over the length of the deal and the fact that they could be paying a man who cannot lift his arm above his shoulder by the final years. Drew has had prior shoulder woes and had holes drilled into the shoulder where cartilage had to be reattached in September of 2005.
Needless to say Boston's brass wanted some insurance that if Drew couldn't fulfill his end of the deal the team could recoup some of the cash they are paying him. Everything got worked out when the parties agreed that Boston could opt out of the deal after 3 years if Drew spends time on the DL for injuries relating to the original surgery anytime during the third season.
Which would then make it Theo's 3-year, $42 million dollar disaster instead of a $70 million dollar dud.
Let's just keep our fingers crossed, RSN, that Drew remains healthy enough to knock in 100 runs, bat .300 and hit 20-25 homers and displays a never-before-seen passion for both the game & his new, hyper-critical home.
While the Drew signing officially took 52 days to complete it looks like a deal for Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton might not take Boston as long to consummate.
The Denver Post is reporting that talks have gotten underway between the two clubs regarding a deal that would send 3B Mike Lowell and Human Gas Can Julian Tavarez from Lans-downe St. to the corner of 20th & Blake for 3-time Gold Glove winner Helton. Sticking points in the deal revolve around the fact that the Rockies want the Sox to throw in young hurlers Matt-apan Manny Delcarmen and/or potential closer Craig Hanson. That's when the Sox said "uh-uh."
Helton was one of the premiere slugging and fielding first basemen in the game when Colorado inked him to a massive 9-year, $141 million dollar deal in 2001. The 5-time All Star has a career .333 batting average, currently the best among active players, and is the cornerstone of the Rockies franchise. The team knows it will suffer a significant backlash for trading away such an team icon but ownership realizes that a crappy team + aging player that will account for 33% of the entire payroll next season= bad business model.
If the package can be worked out Boston would be on the hook for another injury-prone, expensive player for the right side of their field, along with Drew. Helton has been plagued by back issues for a few years now and was sidelined last year for 14 games due to a mysterious stomach ailment. His numbers fell well off his career averages when he hit .301 with only 15 homers with 81 RBIs; from 1999-2004 Helton averaged 36 homers and 121 RBIs while batting
.344.
Losing Lowell would be a blow to the Sox, but not one they couldn't overcome. Acquired as an albatross contract weighing down the Josh Beckett deal Lowell turned in a stellar season (.284, 20 HRs, 47 2Bs, 80 RBIs) for Boston and quickly became a fan favorite thanks to his hustle, sparkling fielding & clutch hitting and likable demeanor. But his age and potential drop off in production make him a piece that Boston can wield in deals where a team is looking for a solid veteran third baseman. Plus then they can just move Youk back to third where, although he played quite admirably at first last year, I believe he is better suited.
It will be interesting to see if the Sox do pull off this deal what the reaction will be compared to the Drew deal. Helton is still owed $90 million for 6 years and even if Colorado picks up half of that, as has been speculated the would have to do in order to facilitate a deal, if he doesn't produce will the fans cut him more slack because he is perceived as a gritty, "dirt dog"-type as opposed to Drew's laid-back surfer style?
What I know is that Helton would immediately solidify a position that has been a black hole for Boston since Big Mo left to go slide down the dugout steps in Anaheim. In his prime Helton had the glove of JT Snow and the bat of Jim Thome. Even if he is less than 100% he is still leagues better than the stiffs (Brian Daubach, Kevin Millar, Mike Stanley, and Tony Clark ) who have manned the position since 1998. Is his health a factor, like Drew's? Yes. But the Sox have proved they are willing to roll the "Dice" (pun intended) in order to erase the memories of last season.
One thing is for sure- with Drew, Matsuzaka, Lugo, Joel Pinero, JC Romero, and possibly Helton this team looks a whole lot different than the disappointing 3rd place club from 2006.
20 days until pitchers & catchers report.
Friday, January 19, 2007
The Nation mourns the departure of Trot
There's an old children's rhyme I remember my mother using back in the day in Boston whenever she had a baby on her lap and it went like this:
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package and the times the Indians play the Sox. I know I will be heading to see the Indians play the Blue Jays or Rays this spring training and will be among the legions of Nation members down here that will be there thanking him for all he did for our beloved Sawx. He was always one of those players willing to talk to the fans and sign autographs, as you can see from this baseball he signed for my son (which of course rests in my Sports Den), as well as give back to the community.Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Hall of Shame: McGwire left off of more than 75% of ballots
The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2006 has been selected and the biggest name on the list, both literally and figuratively, was left on the outside looking in.
Although sweet-swinging outfielder Tony Gwynn (97.6%) and rock steady infielder Cal Ripken, Jr. (98.5%) were named on nearly every ballot cast, dethroned home run king Mark McGwire's name was written only only 23.5% of the 545 votes cast this year.
Heading into the voting, conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America there were three things considered locks this year: Gwynn & Ripken would breeze in and Big Mac would be iced out. The selections of Gwynn and Ripken were no-brainers; both exemplified what the Hall and the sport in general is supposed to be about: honor, integrity, work ethic, excellence in the sport, longevity, and contributions to the game on & off the field.
Nobody exuded these characteristics more than the Iron Horse, Cal Ripken, Jr. The son of a baseball lifer Ripken gave every ounce he could on the field, honing his abilities as a hitter and a fielder until he was unparalleled at his position in both areas. Ripken batted .267 for his 21-year career, was named to 19 All Star games, won the Rookie of the Year award in 1982, the MVP in 1983 & 1991 and won 2 Gold Gloves at shortstop. He finished his career with 3,184 hits and 431 home runs, a record 345 of them as a shortstop. His '91 campaign, in which he batted .323 with 34 home runs and 114 RBIs and won the league MVP, All Star Game MVP and the All Star Game Home Run Derby is considered to be one of the greatest seasons by a shortstop in the history of the game.
But Ripken was best known for his incredible streak of durability: in 1995 he broke Lou Gehrig's mark of 2,130 consecutive games played, a record that had stood for 56 years. He would go on to extend the streak to 2,632 games, ensuring that in this age of specialization, trades, free agency & "what have you done for me lately" attitudes it is a record that will never again be broken.
Gwynn was one of those players that when you looked at him, with his barrel-like body and stubby legs, you said "this guy can't be a productive major league player." Not only was the always-affable Gwynn a productive player, his poetic swing and all-out hustle made him one of the greatest hitters of all time. He played 20 years with the same team, the San Diego Padres, and during that time he led the league in batting a National League record-tying 8 times. Gwynn was a career .338 hitter and batted over .350 an astounding 7 times. He finished his career with 3,141 hits.
As I said the Hall-worthiness of these two phenomenal players was never in doubt; the only question was would they garner 100% of the vote. Both had to settle for slightly less than perfection, but still received the 3rd (Cal) and 7th (Tony) highest voting percentage of all time.
Unfortunately for Big Mac the stroy was the exact opposite. Not only did he not reach the 75% of ballots needed for enshrinement, he did not even get a third of that amount. It's clear that the same writers who delightfully covered his every move in that magical Summer of '98, when McGwire & Sammy Sosa dueled for the single-season home run record, decided to send a message regarding the so-called "steroid era" players by not electing a player who under normal circumstances would have been an immediate electee.
Some writers and analysts are now saying that they wouldn't have voted for McGwire anyway based on his paltry numbers, minus the 538 homers and 1,414 RBIs. Other than the fact that that argument is total bullshit because every other player who is eligible and hit over 500 home runs is in the Hall, it brings up a major question regarding the rest of the players from the so-called "steroid era." How will those players be viewed when its their time for enshrinement? Players like Roger Clemens, Jeff Bagwell, Randy Johnson, etc...guys who might or might not have used the 'roids, but much like McGwire, we may never really know for sure.
Will the high & mighty writers just not elect any players who played between the late 80's - early 2000's for fear that their numbers might be tainted? Or are they just making an example of Big Mac, a revenge snub because these same writers turned the other cheek when it came to exposing the users at the time, when everyone associated with the game knew what was going on?
Only time will tell. But one thing's for sure, in baseball, unlike the rest of society, you are not innocent until proven guilty, you are innocent until the people in charge of your legacy decide that you are guilty.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Matsuzaka Mania Grips Hub
I'll repeat the opening from my aborted post from yesterday:
J.D. who?
Matsuzaka fever is so rampant in Beantown and beyond that it seems like months ago, not a week, that the Nation was up in arms over the $70 mil thrown at "brittle & ambivalent" outfielder J.D. Drew.
Now word is spreading that the Sox took Drew, a Scott Boras client like Daisuke, and gave him a boatload of money just to ensure them securing the Japanese star. And although most people (myself included) don't believe that to be true, it's almost as if it would be okay with the fans if it were.
Yes the Red Sox and its fans are in a state of euphoria not seen around the Fens since that magical October of 2004. In the last 2 weeks Boston has upgraded its already potent lineup by adding two quality offensive players (Drew & Julio Lugo) and not subtracting one (Manny), plus they put Matsuzaka in what is probably the best starting staff in baseball.
People are griping about the money thrown Matsuzaka's way (over $103 mil with posting fee), and certainly injury-prone Drew and error-prone Lugo were overpaid. But in a market where Gil Mediocre Meche ($55 mil) is still making more than Daisuke and Carlos Lee, who's only had over 100+ RBIs in a season twice, banked a $100 million, who can say which deal is more excessive than the other? Only time will tell on that front.
Meanwhile as Matsuzaka is being given the royal treatment by the Sox brass, media and fans. Here are some highlights from his wild first day in the city that will now be his home away from home for the next 6 seasons (pix courtesy of the Boston Globe):
How do you say 'Green Monster' in Japanese?
...blew the man who signs his checks away!
Just a few scenes from what was a whirlwind day for the 26-year old right hander. He was flown by private jet to Boston, took his psychical, met with the media while donning his jersey, toured Fenway and threw off the mound for the first time, then attended the B's game that night. Whew!
A terrific start to what will hopefully be a great career in Boston. The deal and day culminates nearly a full month of hard work and a lot of time spent by Theo and his henchmen to land one of the best pitchers available on the market. It is obvious that Matsuzaka wanted to be in Boston as badly as the Sox wanted him here and that is why the deal got done, Borass be damned.
Now the pieces are in place for a run at another championship starting next year. With one of the best offenses and best pitching staffs (don't worry, they'll get a closer) in baseball, the future is now for the team.
So is it irony or foreshadowing that on the day Boston consummated one of the biggest deals in its history the symbol of the worst trade in history, Mr. Jeff Bagwell, announced his retirement from baseball?
I prefer to think it is a turning of the page.
Welcome to Boston, Dice-K. Or do you prefer D-Mat?
Whatever you want, because right now the world is yours.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Matsuzaka signs for 6 years, $52 mil
Welcome to America. Do the computers over in Japan suck as bad as they do here?I had a whole elaborate post written about Boston's signing of Japanese phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Then my computer crashed and I lost it all.
I know, I usually do frequently save my posts during writing, but this time I got caught napping.
Following that turn of events, in order to squelch the desire to rip my monitor out and throw it across the room, I went to do some work to take my mind off this unfortunate event.
Instead of doing the post all over again, which was very clever and started with the phrase "J.D. who?" in reference to Dice-K's colossal contract taking Drew's frailties & huge contract off the minds of RSN, I am just going to move on.
Matsuzaka is a member of the Red Sox.
Hooray!
I'll elaborate later when my blood pressure goes back down.
(f-ing computers!)
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Situation getting dicey with Matsuzaka
In a development that has surprised absolutely no one the negotiations between the Red Sox and uberagent Scott Borass regarding the services of Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka are coming down to the final hours.
The deadline for a deal is midnight Thursday but it has been widely reported that the Sox would like to get the deal done Wednesday so that 'Dice-K' (god I hate that cheesy nickname) could be flown to Beantown and take his physical before the deadline passed.
But with myriad stories floating around now about the likelihood of the deal getting done figuring out which way this thing is gonna go down is like trying to pick a presidential candidate based on the debates.
Either the two sides are so far apart due to Boras' insistence on an exorbitant contract that it is clear the 26-year-old phenom will head back to his Seibu team...
...or there is no way the Sox, MLB, the country of Japan, and its proud prodigal son won't allow this deal to go through. I prefer to subscribe to this belief.
But it all depends on who you trust in this political spin-zone style courtship.
Here's the skinny. The Sox paid that astronomical fee ($51.1 million) just to be able to negotiate with the hard throwing right hander, who has a variety of pitches that make hitters look silly but has never thrown a ball in a major league game. Boston feels that the posting fee should be factored into the total salary, even though Matsuzaka's Japanese team, the Seibu Lions, will receive that entire sum if he signs. Factor in what they would have paid him about $8-10 mil per year for 3 or 4 years, and you're talking about a total investment in the neighborhood of $80-100 million bucks, American.
Not bad for a kid who has never stepped foot in an MLB stadium.
But Borass, aka Drew Rosenhaus without the oily hair & expensive suits, is a man who believes in getting every penny for his client, and in turn his own coffers. He looks at the situation like the posting fee has nothing to do with Matsuzaka's value because all that money goes to his team, not him. Therefore he is in need of a contract that is commensurate of his value as a front-line major league starter.
He's talking 6 years at about $16 million per as a starting point.
That would mean in order to sign this kid, who could turn out to be the next Pedro Martinez, or the next Hideki Irabu, Boston would have to shell out in excess of $150 million dollars.
Now I'm all for guys getting theirs, especially when its the owners footing the bill cause the fans will buy all the Red Sox shit no matter who's on the team, but when you're seriously asking a storied franchise to shell out that kind of dough for a guy they've barely ever met never mind who hasn't pitched for a major league club is absolutely insane.
I think this is all a bunch of preening and posturing by Boras. Boston seems determined to sign this kid, going to the extreme measure of flying Theo & Luccinino out to LA on John Henry's private jet in order to make a second offer to Team Matsuzaka, this despite not receiving a counter proposal on their first offer.
They vow to have him on their team next year, and he wants to play in the major leagues.
Something tells me Dice-K is going to have the last word on this situation, and hopefully it will be
"I want to pitch for the Boston Red Sox. Boras got to hell!"
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Hot Stove boiling over: Lilly, Schmidt, Piazza sign
With the winter meetings winding down today the action heated up last night as no less than 5 big signings were announced.
Three of the best available pitchers found homes, along with an aging catcher and aging outfielder- no, not Bonds- he's still soliciting anyone to give him a job & a fat contract. He's starting to become uncannily Sosa-esque.
-Jason Schmidt has $47 million reasons why he loves being a Dodger
The second best FA pitcher available, Jason Schmidt, moved down the California coastline, leaving the Giants after agreeing to a 3 year, $47 million dollar deal to wear Dodger Blue. The 33-year-old right hander went just 11-9 last year with a 3.59 ERA but was an All Star and the guy is a pure horse. He's a strikeout pitcher (career high 16 in a game June 6th), an innings-eater (200+ 3 of last 4 years), and he guarantees you more than 10 wins per season (9 out of the last 10 years.) He will join a rotation that includes Derek Lowe, Brad Penny and Randy Wolfe, but one that lost crafty vet Greg Maddux. Not exactly the 1970 Orioles staff but Schmidt will give the Dodgers a front line starter should it make it back to the postseason. All for a mere $19 mil/year.
The only other major pitcher yet to sign is Oakland's Barry Zito (other than Houston's bobsey twins Clemens & Pettitte.) Texas is leading the race for the lefty's services but many experts (Sir Peter) seem to think he is going to sign with the Mets. Whomever it is he is guaranteed to make a lot more than Schmidt ($100 million range.)
As for the best of the rest:
-Ted Lilly gets 4 years and $40 mil from free-spending Cubbies
Believe it or not this was one of the deals everyone was waiting to go down because Lilly's signing would set the market for the second tier of pitchers available. The Cubbies had already comitted $136 million to Alfonso Soriano, $75 million to Aramis Ramirez and $10 million to manager Lou Pinella. Now Lilly, 30, an 8-year vet who has pitched for Montreal, the Stanks, Oakland and recently Toronto, joins the North Siders in their quest to break their championship curse. He was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA last season and has mediocre career numbers of 59-58 with a 4.60 ERA. But he is a skilled lefty who possesses a devastating curve that freezes many major league batters, and he has had some of the best outings of his career against the Sox. He has suffered from some nagging injuries that have prevented him from pitching up to his capabilities, and he also can get into trouble with the long ball. In 160 career starts he has allowed 144 homers, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that's almost 1 for every start. Some of those are meaningless solo shots that do no damage, but other times it's a 3-run bomb to the upper reaches of a stadium that can be a pure game-killer. Bonds, Manny & Papi have all had memorable such shots off of him.
I've stated in the past that Teddy is a good friend of my good friend Butchie. I e-mailed Butch and said "how does it feel to be buddies with a man making $10 million a year?!" I met Teddy once and have seen him pitch many times, both in spring training and from his seats at the Trop, and my son & I own autographed baseballs he gave us, so I am a little biased towards the guy. He's a really nice kid, very laid back but he is a dedicated & determined player and when he's on he has no-hitter stuff. Many people will remember him for the blowup he had on the mound last August with Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. Let me tell you Gibbons and pitching coach Brad Arnsparger had been a thorn in Teddy's side for 2 years. They tried everything to disrupt his pitching motion, which had been fine until they started tinkering with it. In fact he had the highest ERA of his career last year (5.56) when they did start messing with it. And Gibbons is the same guy who challenged Shea Hillenbrand to a fight, so he has to be glad to be leaving that asylum. I'm just glad he's not going back to the Stankees or the AL so now I can root for him again. Butchie, get some good seats ready for us for next summer- I've always wanted to go to Wrigley.
Now I'm really praying for a Cubs/Sox World Series.
-Meche follows suit by signing with...the Royals?
Gil Meche was running neck & neck with Teddy as far as the second tier guys go. You knew as soon as one signed the other was going to quickly get a deal done as well. It's pretty surprising that the small market Royals stepped up and got the deal done, though. Lilly and Meche are similar in age (30 -28), and record (Meche is slightly better at 55-44), and their career ERAs are close as well (Meche's is 4.60.) He is a #3 or #4 type guy on most teams, but with the Royals he could very well end up being their #1. He was 11-8 with a 4.48 ERA last season with Seattle which earned the righty a 5 year, $55 mil on pact with Kansas City. Not. too. shabby.
-Piazza agrees to become a DH, leaves SoCal for NoCal
Veteran catcher and career NL player Mike Piazza signed a 1-year, $8.5 million contract to DH for the A's. The 38-year-old holds the all-time record for home runs by a catcher (396) but it doesn't appear that he will add to that total much by the Bay, where he will be the third-stringer behind Jason 'Footloose' Kendall and Adam Melhuse. The 14-year vet still has some pop in his bat-last year he smacked 22 homers in 126 games with the Padres and batted .283 with 68 ribbies- and Oakland is hoping he will be able to offset the loss of production from the departure of Frank Thomas.
-Little Luis Gonzalez heads to Los Angeles , too
The Dodgers had a busy day yesterday. On top of the Schmidt signing they inked Tampa's Luis Gonzalez to a 1-year, deal worth $7 mil. Gonzalez, a 16 year vet of 5 teams, is best known for his winning hit in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series that knocked off the Evil Empire (one of the best sports memories of my life), and also for the way he ballooned from a banjo hitter who had 164 home runs in 11 seasons before mashing 57 dingers in 2001. Which caused many a baseball fan to go "hmmmm, guess he's the next Brady Anderson." 'Roids aside it is a well known fact that Little Louie is one of the nicest men in the sport who routinely takes care of everyone from bench warmers to clubhouse attendants and has endless energy & enthusiasm despite the fact that he is the father of triplets! The 39-year old Gonzalez will play left while promising youngster Andre Eithier moves to JD Drew's spot in right. This is a good pickup for the Dodgers; Gonzo will bring his leadership, confidence, a career .284 average and postseason experience to the club and also plenty of spending money to the LA clubhouse minions and valets.
LA also signed Mike Lieberthal to a deal to be their backup catcher, which obviously signifies the end of Toby Hall's brief career in Dodgerland. Hall had been miffed at his treatment ever since he was shipped to LA in the Julio Lugo deal and made no secret of the fact that he didn't want to sit around and play second fiddle to rising stud catcher Russell Martin. Good moves by LA, especially after the departures of Maddux & Drew.
In other news: the Chisox sent Freddy Garcia to the Phillies for former #1 pick P Gavin Floyd... the D-Rays lost former can't miss prospect but current recovering drug addict Josh Hamilton to the Cubbies (who then traded him to the Reds) in the Rule V draft; Hamilton could return to the team that has stuck with him through more than 6 years of unfulfilled promise due to numerous addictions if he does not remain on Cincy's major league roster for the entire 2007 season...6-time Gold Glover and all-around good guy J.T. Snow announced his retirement and will become an instructer/ambassador for the San Francisco Giants. Snow, son of NFL legend Jack Snow, finished his stellar career in Boston last year, but the writing was on the wall that his time was up when he could hardly make get onto the field despite his terrific fielding ability...and speaking of San Fran, Barry Bonds continues to push for a deal somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 years/$40 mil, and his big-headedness (pun intended) reminds me of what happened to Sammy Sosa a couple of years ago. Both are prolific sluggers tainted with steroid questions who thinks his value is greater than it actually is. No one in their right mind is going to give him that kind of money, just as Slammin' Sammy found out, and he may just end up playing nowhere in 2007, just like Sosa did(n't) last year. I doubt that will happen, but if BB keeps asking for that kind of cash it could.
Pretty busy day all around, and we'll see what happens on the final day today.
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