Charlie Zegers

Power Forward Rankings

2007-10-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Quick - Name an Eastern Conference big man who stands a better-than-average chance of playing credible defense on KG. I’m waiting. Next question – what’s scarier? Kevin Garnett with something to prove or Kevin Garnett in the frontcourt-challenged East? Could KG already be a run-away favorite for this season’s MVP? Consider KG back in the “first overall pick” argument and pencil him in for 20-10-5 to go along with his steals, blocks and good percentages.

(Read the full article in the NBA.com 2007 Fantasy Draft Kit)

Point Guard Rankings

2007-10-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

1. Gilbert Arenas - WAS [PG]

Agent Zero has announced that he’ll opt out of his contract after the 2007-08 season. That makes this year one big audition for Arenas, which should be a scary proposition for opposing point guards league-wide. It seems inevitable that Arenas will win at least one scoring title before his career is over, and this could be the year. But don’t make the mistake of calling Arenas a shoot-first point guard. He’ll score as well or better than any other guard in the league, but he also manages to amass as many assists as a lot of those “pass-first” guys and rebound as well as some forwards. Throw in two steals a game and a ton of threes, all set in an up-tempo offense, and you’ve got the top point guard in fantasy. Don’t let last season’s knee injury scare you off; Arenas is expected to be fully healthy for the season opener.

(Read the full article in the NBA.com 2007 Fantasy Draft Kit)

Coaching Changes

2007-10-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Bobcats replace Bernie Bickerstaff with Sam Vincent

It’s not that Sam Vincent doesn’t have a decent resume. He’s an ex-NBA guard, like Doc Rivers, Avery Johnson, Nate McMillan and many other coaches these days. He’s got experience in the Euroleague. The Suns and Raptors will tell you that experience with the European style of play certainly isn’t a bad thing. He paid his dues on the bench with a successful team, serving as an assistant with Johnson’s Mavericks.

It’s not hard to suspect that one of Vincent’s primary goals this season will be to make some of Michael Jordan’s more controversial acquisitions look good. That means he’ll be under additional pressure to find minutes for disappointing No. 3 overall pick (2006) Adam Morrison at the small forward and shooting guard positions, even though Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace are far superior players at this point. The problem is that Morrison simply can’t guard NBA twos or threes at this stage of his career.

Vincent’s resume offers a few other hints as to how he’ll run the ‘Cats. His most extensive coaching experience has been overseas. He has coached men’s and women’s pro and national teams in South Africa, Greece, the Netherlands and Nigeria. He led the Nigerian women’s team to an upset victory over South Korea in the 2004 Olympics and the men to the second round of the 2006 FIBA World Championships. It seems reasonable to expect that he’ll bring some of that international flavor to Charlotte, which could mean a high-octane offense like that of the Suns or Raptors. Richardson and Wallace, as well as big men like Emeka Okafor and Sean May, should thrive in such a system. It could also present a nice opportunity for players Primoz Brezec and Walter Herrmann, who are both veterans of international play.

(Read the full article in the NBA.com 2007 Fantasy Draft Kit)

Offseason Moves

2007-10-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

Boston Celtics

2006-07 Record: 24-58

Who’s Coming: Kevin Garnett (MIN), Ray Allen (SEA), Gabe Pruitt (32nd overall), Glen Davis (35th overall), Brandon Wallace (free agent), Eddie House (free agent), Scot Pollard (CLE), James Posey (MIA)
Who’s Going: Al Jefferson (MIN), Gerald Green (MIN), Ryan Gomes (MIN), Sebastian Telfair (MIN), Theo Ratliff (MIN), Wally Szczerbiak (SEA), Delonte West (SEA)

Danny Ainge won the offseason. The season? We’ll see.

It’s not hard to figure the Celtics’ plan. They saw two deeply flawed teams reach the Eastern Conference finals and figured, why not us? With Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in green, the Celtics instantly become the odds-on favorite to win a suspect Atlantic division and maybe the whole conference.

The best part about the deal is that, unlike the splashy acquisitions made by the Knicks and Magic, Boston’s imports have skills that complement each other. KG is a brilliant all-around player and defender who won’t dominate the ball on offense. Allen is perhaps the deadliest jump-shooter of his generation. Neither should get in the way of slasher and scorer Paul Pierce.

But one note of caution: this trade leaves the rest of Boston’s roster as green as their uniforms. Rajon Rondo – best known for his complete inability to sink a jump shot – is presumably the starter at the point. Another guard, Tony Allen, is coming off reconstructive knee surgery.

The frontcourt rotation is equally thin. Kendrick Perkins will probably fill out the starting rotation as the center. After him? Journeyman Brian Scalabrine, rookies Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Brandon Wallace, second-year man Leon Powe, and recently signed James Posey. You can bet that Danny Ainge isn’t done yet; he's likely on the lookout for a veteran point guard.

(Read the full article in the NBA.com 2007 Fantasy Draft Kit)

Risks & Rewards

2007-10-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

You don’t need to read a preview to know that LeBron James is pretty good. But fantasy leagues generally aren’t won or lost with those first-round no-brainer picks anyway. If you want to finish in the money, you’ll need to find the guys who will be much better than anyone expects with those middle and late-round selections, and avoid burning picks on guys who will bomb. Here’s a look at some of the developing stories around the league and how fantasy sleepers and busts might emerge.

(Read the full article in the NBA.com 2007 Fantasy Draft Kit)

Dear Mr. Dork

2007-05-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

We have to congratulate Vernon Wells of the Toronto Blue Jays. Lots of ballplayers will engage in witty repartee with leather-lunged bleacher creatures, but Wells has raised it to an art form.

Last week, Wells decided to sign a baseball for some Cleveland fans who had been giving him the business. He even included a personal message, which read:

Dear Mr. Dork: Here’s your ball. Can you please tell me what gas station you work at so when you are pumping my gas I can come yell at you!!! Sit down, shut up and enjoy the game. Your favorite center fielder.

Don't believe he could fit all that on a single baseball? Home Run Derby has pictures.

Originally published at About Baseball

Cleared for Re-Entry

2007-05-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

The most remarkable thing about Roger Clemens' return to the Yankees?

It wasn't his announcement, over the Yankee Stadium public address system from George Steinbrenner's box, sending broadcaster Suzyn Waldman into what can only be described as "a tizzy."

It isn't his salary of $28 million dollars for the year -- $1 million more than Alex Rodriguez will make this season.

It isn't the Yankee pitching rotation, which is looking a lot more formidable than the group that featured the likes of Carl Pavano and Kei Igawa -- since banished to the disabled list and the minor leagues, respectively.

It isn't Brian Cashman's payroll, which is now north of $200 million.

It isn't even Clemens' age -- his 45th birthday is this August.

No, the most remarkable thing, by far, is the fact that all the parties involved -- Clemens, his agents, Yankee management -- managed to keep this signing secret until Sunday's seventh-inning stretch. The Yankees fired their strength and conditioning coach and the story made the back page of all the New York tabloids and a lead on SportsCenter -- but they managed to sign the most successful pitcher of the last quarter-century to the largest single-season contract ever -- and caught the media, the fans, even Clemens' new teammates completely off-guard.

They really should be more careful about shocking people that way. I'm really not sure Suzyn Waldman can handle the strain.

Will Clemens' return make a difference in the pennant race? Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus crunches the numbers for SI.com.

Originally published at About Baseball

Any Port in a Storm

2007-05-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

A few words of caution to any baseball fan hoping his or her favorite team will add a pitcher at the trade deadline: consider the case of Brian Lawrence.

Lawrence missed all of last season with a torn rotator cuff. He was smacked around in minor-league rehab starts this year and was cut by the perpetually pitching-poor Colorado Rockies. And even before his injury, Lawrence wasn't exactly the second coming of John Smoltz -- in 2005 he was 7-15 with an ERA of 4.83 while pitching his home games in spacious Petco Park in San Diego.

And yet several contenders, including the Mets, Tigers and Padres, are bidding for his services.

What does this tell us? There simply isn't much pitching available this season.

With trade prospects bleak, expect to see lots of youngsters and journeymen making starts for contenders when injuries hit. The Mets will start Jorge Sosa and his 27-40 career record in place of the injured Orlando Hernandez on Saturday. On Monday, the Yankees turn to rookie Matt De Salvo. DeSalvo will be the fifth starter to make his major-league debut for the Yanks this season.

Of course, some teams have more attractive options. The the injury to San Francisco's Russ Ortiz has created an opportunity for uber-prospect Tim Lincecum. Giants fans and fantasy players are drooling over Lincecum's potential -- in five starts for AAA-Fresno, San Francisco's top pick in the 2006 draft has racked up a 4-0 record with a 0.29 ERA and 46 strikeouts against just 11 walks.

Originally published at About Baseball

Baseball and Booze

2007-05-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

Their stadium may be named after a brewery, but that doesn't mean you can get a beer in the Cardinals' clubhouse.

We'll call that a step in the right direction.

Details continue to surface, but the latest police reports indicate that pitcher Josh Hancock was legally drunk at the time of his fatal accident last weekend. In response, the Cards have banned alcohol from their home clubhouse, and are considering similar bans on the road and on some of their charter flights. Three other clubs -- both New York teams and the Pittsburgh Pirates -- have enacted similar bans.

This is the second drunk driving incident involving the Cardinals this season. In March, manager Tony LaRussa was arrested for drunk driving when police in Jupiter, Florida found him asleep at the wheel of his SUV.

Originally published at About Baseball

The Upside of Injury

2007-05-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

On a day when everything seemed right in Yankees Universe...

Broadcaster and Yankee legend Bobby Murcer returned to play-by-play after spending the off-season fighting brain cancer.
Frank Torre, older brother of Yankees manager Joe, underwent a successful kidney transplant operation.
The Yankee bats woke up, putting a hurtin' on Texas' Kameron Loe.
And the Bronx Bombers' best prospect, righthander Phillip Hughes, was throwing a no-hitter.

Clearly, something needed to go wrong. And it did. With one out in the seventh inning, Hughes felt a "pop" in his left hamstring and was forced to leave the game. He'll have an MRI when the Yankees return to New York later this week and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

The upside?

The Yankees didn't want to bring Hughes to the majors in April; injuries to Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Jeff Karstens forced their hand. They would have preferred to give him a little more seasoning in the minors and limit the overall number of pitches he'd throw in this, his first season above the AA level. Now, Brian Cashman and company won't be tempted to make Hughes the savior of the 2007 season. And if they are able to right the ship over the next month or so, they'll have a live young arm to add to the staff for the stretch drive, without putting Hughes' future success at risk.

Originally published at About Baseball

We HAD to Fire Somebody...

2007-05-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not entirely sure this plot wasn't stolen from an episode of Seinfeld.

The Yankees are in last place in the AL East.

Clearly, something must be done.

I know! Fire the trainer strength and conditioning coach.

SI's John Heyman reports that the axe has fallen on Marty Miller, the Yankees' controversial first-year strength and conditioning coach. While this sounds like a typical unreasonable reaction from the Bronx Zoo, consider:

Last night Phil Hughes became the fourth key Yankee to suffer a hamstring pull this season. The others: Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Hideki Matsui.
Several other Yankees have missed time due to a variety of strains, including Johnny Damon (back) and Carl Pavano (forearm/elbow).

His unorthodox training program didn't endear Miller to Yankee veterans; it reportedly de-emphasizes running as a way to build leg strength. That's not unlike ruling out breathing as a way to increase lung capacity.

Going Through the Motions

2007-05-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Think it was difficult for the Cardinals to get back to work on Monday, after the tragic death of Josh Hancock on Sunday? Here's all you need to know: in the sixth inning of Monday's game, the home plate umpire awarded Albert Pujols on a base on balls -- a three-ball count. And no one noticed.

The cause of the Hancock's accident is not yet known. But reports that surfaced today that the fatal crash was Hancock's second accident in less than a week, and that alchol may have been a factor.

In an ironic and somewhat macabre bit of timing, another untimely death of a major league pitcher is in the news today. The National Transportation Safety Board released their report on plane crash that killed Corey Lidle last October. The verdict: pilot error.

According to the report, Lidle and his instructor Tyler Stanger could have completed their U-turn over the East River if they had kept a tighter turn radius, or if they had given up on making the turn within the legal limits and steadied the plane by flying over Manhattan for a bit. The latter course would likely have resulted in a fine from the Federal Aviation Administration -- which, given the alternative, their families would likely be glad to pay.

It is still unknown whether Lidle or Stanger was actually flying the plane at the time of the crash.

Originally published at About Baseball

Mitchell's "Deep Throat"

2007-04-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

George Mitchell may have found his Deep Throat.

Mitchell, the ex-Senator, has been leading an investigation of steroid abuse in Major League Baseball for over a year now. But being that Mitchell's team has no official legal standing -- cannot serve subpoenas or offer immunity from prosecution -- most observers didn't expect any major breakthroughs. That changed this week when Kirk Radomski, a former New York Mets clubhouse attendant, pleaded guilty to distributing performance-enhancing drugs to numerous major leaguers between 1995 and 2005. As part of his plea agreement, Radomski has agreed to cooperate with Mitchell's investigation.

It seems fair to say that this is the biggest break yet for baseball's steroid police. Unlike Barry Bonds' trainer Greg Anderson, Radomski has no personal connection to any of the suspected steroid abusers. Unlike the Signature Pharmacy investigation, which deals with players ordering drugs over the internet using phony prescriptions, Radomski is a real insider who dealt directly with the players.

How big a break is this for Mitchell's investigation? Here's one indication -- as Radomski was sealing his deal on Friday, union officials started calling current and former players, warning them to be prepared.

There's more to this story. And it's coming. Soon.

Originally published at About Baseball

Getting Your Billion Dollars' Worth

2007-04-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

The new super-glossy men's magazine Portfolio has a breakdown of the pending sale of the Cubbies, estimating Sam Zell will fetch something around $1 billion for the team.

Wow. It's hard to even type "one billion dollars" without venturing into the Dr. Evil voice. Curse you, Mike Myers!

Anyway...

The article breaks down the estimated value of the franchise, the Cubs' stake in Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Wrigley Field, as well as a "premium" -- which loosely translates as "the amount of extra scratch a rich guy will throw around just to prove how rich he is."

The author neglects to consider several other factors that may impact the overall value of the Cubs. Luckily, we're here to fill in the blanks.

The Franchise Center Fielder Who Can't Play Center Field: The Cubs signed second baseman-turned-left fielder Alfonso Soriano to a massive eight-year contract despite the fact that he'd never played center before. The results so far? No homers, one RBI, 13 strikeouts, one pulled hamstring. The "Soriano in center" alignment has already been abandoned -- he'll be shifted to left field permanently.
The Franchise Pitchers Who Can't Pitch: The story of Mark Prior just gets worse and worse. Prior will miss the entire 2007 season after surgery to remove dead tissue from his throwing shoulder. At this point, one has to seriously wonder whether or not he'll ever pitch at the major league level again. Meanwhile, Kerry Wood continues to languish on the disabled list.
The Franchise Pitchers Who Won't Sign: First, Carlos Zambrano wanted an extension before Opening Day. With the two sides reportedly close to a deal, Zambrano kept negotiating past his deadline. Three weeks later: no deal. What's the holdup? The pending sale of the team, perhaps? Or Zambrano's lackluster performance this season?
A Manager Who Can't Hold His Temper: When things look grim, we can always count on Sweet Lou Piniella to fire up the team with his own personal brand of motivational speaking. If by "motivational speaking" you mean "verbal abuse."

And then there's the most valuable commodity of all... a fan base that continues to support the team even though the Cubs' championship drought will soon be measured in centuries.

On second thought... a billion bucks might be too cheap for this team.

Originally published at About Baseball

I hope he kept the receipt...

2007-04-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

Last season, when the Twins won the American League Central thanks to an improbable sweep of the Tigers by the lowly Royals, Minnesota center fielder Torii Hunter reportedly promised "Dom Perignon for all of 'em." He may pay a price for his exuberance -- and that price may be a bit steeper than $190 a bottle.

Good guy that he is, Hunter actually followed through with his promise this week and had four bottles of the iconic bubbly to Mike Sweeney's locker in the visiting dugout at the Metrodome. That's where things get dicey. As the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports, Hunter's gift is a violation of Major League Baseball's rule 21-b. In typical legalistic language, rule 21-b states that "Any player or person connected with a Club who shall offer or give any gift or reward to a player or person connected with another Club for services rendered ... in defeating or attempting to defeat a competing Club ... shall be declared ineligible for not less than three years."

Do we really think Hunter will be banned for three years? Of course not. Is it reasonable to think that the Royals' performance last season was in any way motivated by the idea that they might get $800 worth of booze? Sorta doubt that, too -- Mike Sweeney will make $11 million for the 2007 season.

That being the case, we expect the powers-that-be won't enforce the rule as written. Hunter will likely pay some nominal fine to a charity of his choice, KC will return the champagne, and that will be that.

But we have another question: why so cheap, Torii? I mean, four bottles for 30+ guys? What's that all about?

Originally published at About Baseball

Let's Get This Over With

2007-04-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Seems like no one is all that interested in a season-long celebration of Barry Bonds.

Not Bud Selig.

Not Hank Aaron.

Not even Barry Bonds.

Nope, Barry has no interest in letting this countdown last all season. That's why he's hitting homers at a near-record pace -- one every 9.67 plate appearances. That's his best rate since 2001 -- the year he set the current single-season record of 73. He might top Aaron before Memorial Day.

Of course, he might not hold that single-season record for much longer. Alex Rodriguez went yard twice tonight against the Devil Rays, setting a new American League record for April homers with 14. According to the projected stats on his ESPN.com player card, A-Rod is now projected to finish the season with 117 homers and 288 RBI.

Originally published at About Baseball

Inflationary Tactics

2007-04-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

The projected 2008 salaries of a couple of major leaguers are rising faster than the price of a tank of gas in California.

And that's fast.

Alex Rodriguez -- he of the opt-out clause that will allow him to seek a new contract after the season -- continued his ridiculously-hot start with a three-run walk-off homer in the Yankees' 8-6 win over Cleveland today. The Yanks were down four runs with two outs in the ninth when Josh Phelps hit a solo home run. Then Jorge Posada singled. Johnny Damon walked, and Derek Jeter singled Posada home. Bobby Abreu brought the Yanks to within one with his fourth hit of the game, and then A-Rod capped the rally with a blast over the center field wall.

Rodriguez now has 10 homers and 25 RBI in 14 games. Mike Schmidt is the only player to reach the 10-homer mark faster.

That $25 million per year is starting to look downright stingy.

Another price tag that took a leap to the stratosphere: the asking price for White Sox starter Mark Buehrle, who faced the minimum 27 batters while no-hitting the Texas Rangers last night. The sole batter to reach base was Sammy Sosa. He worked a walk but was promptly picked off.

Buehrle had a down year in 2006, amassing a 12-13 record and a 4.99 ERA on the year -- and a dreadful 3-7 mark in the second half. The 2007 season is the last on his current contract, and many thought he'd be shopped at the trade deadline. Now, it looks like he'll be one of the jewels of the free-agent class of '07 and a safe bet to get Barry Zito money.

Originally published at About Baseball

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?!?

2007-04-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

We're familiar with the Curse of the Bambino, and that of the billy goat. The SI cover jinx has been examined in great detail, and word is Vince Young will tempt fate -- and the Madden Curse -- in the upcoming NFL season.

Do we need to add a Jimmy Rollins jinx to this list? 'Cause, since Rollins announced, "I think we are the team to beat in the NL East -- finally," back on January 23, very little has gone right for the Phillies.

As I write this post, the Phillies are 3-10 on the season -- worst record in the majors, a full game behind a Nationals team that many pundits predicted might challenge baseball's all-time records for futility. And while Rollins (.305, 6 HR, 11 RBI) has played well... he's one of very few Phils who can make that claim.

Defending MVP Ryan Howard has been struggling badly, and now may miss time with a knee injury.
Starter Brett Myers and his 9.39 ERA have been banished to the bullpen.
Veteran starter Jon Lieber, the guy everyone thought would be moved for bullpen help now re-joins the rotation.
And manager Charlie Manuel has taken to making veiled threats at radio talk-show hosts.

Good times for all involved.

A slow start isn't always disastrous... but a start this slow, in a division with a powerhouse favorite in the Mets and young, promising squads in Atlanta and Florida... yikes. One has to wonder if Philly management is already thinking about Manuel's successor as SI's John Heyman suggests.

Originally published at About Baseball

Thrill of the Chase

2007-04-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

The Yankees' rotation -- depleted by injuries to four starters -- got a boost yesterday when rookie Chase Wright beat the Indians in his first start above the AA level.

Of course, the Bronx Bombers' 10-run outburst -- including eight runs off newly re-signed starter Jake Westbrook -- didn't hurt the rookie's cause any. If the Yanks can keep piling up runs, they may actually survive for a while longer without Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Jeff Karstens.

The interesting question in all of this, though, is, "Why Chase Wright?" All year, we've heard the hype about the Yanks' young arms like Phil Hughes and Tyler Clippard. Why not them?

If you believe the party line, the decision was made strictly on performance to date this season. It is hard to argue with Wright's pitching line in his first two 2007 starts: 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, one walk and 19 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched. But those innings were thrown for AA-Trenton, in a league decidedly short on Travis Hafners and Grady Sizemores. But believing the Yankee party line is not unlike putting faith in Bill Belichick's injury reports for the Patriots -- we're not taking Brian Cashman's word on this.

A far more reasonable scenario?

The Yanks don't want to disrupt the development of Hughes and Clippard by bringing them to the majors for a spot start. When they arrive, they'll be in the Bronx to stay. Wang and Karstens should be available soon; Wright's spot in the rotation will be short-lived.
When Hughes or Clippard do make their debuts, we expect Joe Torre and Brian Cashman will pick an opponent and date that's a little more auspicious. They'd much rather see their prized prospects debut against, say, the Pirates on a warm day in July than a brutal lineup like Hafner's Indians or Big Papi's Red Sox on a chilly night in April.

So sit tight a bit longer, fantasy owners. You'll get your chance to bid on the big prospects soon enough.

Originally published at About Baseball

Salute to 42

2007-04-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

April 15, 2007 marks the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's major league debut. Brooklyn beat the Boston Braves, 5-2. Robinson started at first base and was 0-3 in the game, but he reached on an error and came around to score the game-winning run.

In celebration of the anniversary, Major League Baseball will temporarily rescind the league-wide retirement of Robinson's uniform number. The number 42 was retired league-wide in 1997 -- the fiftieth anniversary of Robinson's debut. Players who wore 42 at that time were "grandfathered" and allowed to continue wearing it. Of those players, the Yankees' Mariano Rivera is the only one still active.

But there will be dozens of number 42s playing today. Here's a quick rundown.

Entire Team Wearing 42:
Houston, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis

Individual Players Wearing 42:
Anaheim: Gary Matthews Jr.
Arizona: Orlando Hudson, Tony Clark, Chris Young, Scott Hairston, Lee Tinsley (coach)
Atlanta: Andruw Jones
Baltimore: Corey Patterson
Boston: Coco Crisp, David Ortiz, DeMarlo Hale (coach)
Chicago Cubs: Derrek Lee, Cliff Floyd, Jacque Jones, Daryle Ward
Chicago White Sox: Alex Cintron, Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, Harold Baines (coach), Razor Shines (coach)
Cincinnati: Ken Griffey Jr.
Cleveland: Josh Barfield, Grady Sizemore, C.C. Sabathia
Colorado: LaTroy Hawkins
Detroit: Gary Sheffield, Curtis Granderson, Marcus Thames, Craig Monroe, Ivan Rodriguez, Lloyd McClendon (coach)
Florida: Dontrelle Willis
Kansas City: Reggie Sanders, Emil Brown
Minnesota: Torii Hunter, Rondell White, Jerry White (coach)
New York Mets: Willie Randolph (Manager)
New York Yankees: Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Joe Torre (manager), Mariano Rivera
Oakland: Milton Bradley
San Diego: Mike Cameron
San Francisco: Barry Bonds
Seattle: Arthur Rhodes
Tampa Bay: Carl Crawford
Texas: Jerry Hairston Jr., Kenny Lofton, Ron Washington (manager), Gary Pettis (coach)
Toronto: Vernon Wells, Frank Thomas, Royce Clayton, Mickey Brantley (coach)
Washington: Dmitri Young

More:
Check MLB.com for a complete listing of events commemorating Jackie Robinson's debut.

Originally published at About Baseball

Rough Seas Ahead

2007-04-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

The Mariners should dwell on the positive -- like Felix Hernandez' hot start -- because they're about to sail into some seriously choppy waters.

Baseball is going to have a very difficult time re-scheduling the four Mariners/Indians games that fell victim to the big snowstorm in Cleveland. MLB's scheduling czar Katy Feeney is considering a number of solutions, and as she told reporters, "None of them are pretty." The rescheduling task will likely require extensive negotiations with the Players Association, as the rule in baseball's Basic Agreement forbidding teams from being scheduled to play on more than 20 consecutive days will almost certainly need to be waived.

And that doesn't even consider the inevitable travel hassles -- Seattle is not scheduled to visit Cleveland again this season -- or the possibility of additional rainouts. (Today's game in Boston is very much at risk -- Weather.com reports game-time temperatures in the 40s and a 100% chance of rain.)

The Mariners, just by virtue of geography, have a built-in disadvantage every season -- they have to travel more miles than any other team in baseball. Teams in the northeast are a short drive away from a good portion of their road games; Seattle's shortest road trip is the 809-mile jaunt to Oakland. (Yankee Stadium to Fenway Park is about one-quarter that distance.)

A lot of very long flights. No off-days. If Seattle drops out of the pennant race in early August, don't be surprised.

Originally published at About Baseball

It's Good to Be the King

2007-04-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

As a wise man once said, "It's good to be the king."

(OK, it was Mel Brooks...)

The general goodness of monarchy was on display yesterday in Boston, when "King" Felix Hernandez overshadowed the Fenway Park debut of $100 million man Daisuke Matsuzaka by throwing a one-hit shutout.

Hernandez utterly dominated the Sox, flirting with a no-hitter until J.D. Drew punched a single up the middle to lead off the eighth inning. He struck out six batters and walked two.

In all, it was a very impressive follow up to his similarly dominant outing Opening Day, in which he blanked the A's for eight innings and struck out twelve. Through two starts, the league hasn't even been able to muster very many loud outs off King Felix... ESPN's Buster Olney reports (ESPN Insider subscription required) reports that, of 58 batters Hernandez has faced in two games, only seven balls have been hit to the outfield -- and three of those were fly-outs.

Remarkably, Hernandez' shutout obscured another very solid outing from Matsuzaka. Dice-K won't get any headlines for it, but his pitching line of three earned runs over seven innings pitched, with four strikeouts and two walks, really wasn't half bad. A team with Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz won't get shut out very often, and Matsuzaka, even in a loss, showed that he's the real deal.

He just isn't the king.

Originally published at About Baseball

Snow Daze

2007-04-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

The weather in Cleveland continues to be messy; baseball's reaction to the weather even messier.

Workers at Jacobs Field cleared a foot of snow, but were unable to prevent yet another cancellation. Fearing more bad weather, the league announced that the Indians' three-game series against the Angels would be relocated to Milwaukee.

The reasoning? Well, Milwaukee has a dome. And it is closer to Cleveland than... well, than Anaheim. Outside of that, I'm stumped. Does the league really think Indians fans will make the 436-mile drive to Miller Park? For a mid-week series? Wouldn't it have made more sense to play the games at Anaheim's home park? Or at some neutral site, where locals might buy tickets for the novelty of seeing a big-league game? (Like, say, Memphis -- where the temperature is in the high 50s and where baseball staged its exhibition Civil Rights Game less than two weeks ago?)

And hasn't Bud Selig learned by now that he shouldn't make decisions that appear to favor Milwaukee?

Logistical nightmares aside, it will be interesting to see how all this uncertainty affects the Indians' record. The Tribe has lost three home games to this storm already. They'll face a very good Angels team in an unfamiliar ballpark after an unscheduled four-day layoff just a week into the season. At some point later in the season, they'll need to deal with double-headers -- which tend to play hell with pitching rotations and bullpens -- one or two of which may be scheduled in Seattle. That means more "home" games played on the road.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints played a Saints "home" game at Giants Stadium. The Giants won that game and ultimately won their division by a one-game margin. While it's impossible to say that the extra home game gave the Giants a playoff berth... it certainly didn't hurt their chances.

The Indians are in the opposite situation -- forced to compete for the division and the wild card while playing fewer home games than their competition. In the AL Central, where every team but the Royals is expected to be in contention, that may prove to be a major disadvantage.

Originally published at About Baseball

An Inconvenient Truth

2007-04-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

Regardless of what Al Gore has to say about it; after a week of baseball games played in football weather, fans in several northeastern and midwestern cities are very eager for climate change.

In the Bronx, broadcaster Michael Kay described the scene during the Bombers' first night game as looking like "a Yankee Stadium snow globe." Games in Detroit and Chicago were postponed due to extreme cold.

And then, there's Cleveland.

The Indians attempted to squeeze in Friday's game against the Mariners, ignoring weather that would have given a red-nosed reindeer pause. The game started nearly an hour late, was delayed on three separate occasions, and was finally cancelled with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning -- just one strike shy of an official game, and with Cleveland's Paul Byrd throwing a no-hitter. (The umpiring crew offered an explanation of their decision, but it certainly seems that a bit of gamesmanship from Mariner skipper Mike Hargrove saved Seattle from a loss.) Snowstorms then forced the postponement of Saturday and Sunday's games... they'll try yet again on Monday.

Could all this have been avoided? More than possibly. For places like Boston, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, Philly and Pittsburgh, bad weather in early April will always be a possibility. And as ESPN's Buster Olney points out, (ESPN Insider Subscription Required) the idea that teams in those northern cities would be unwilling to start every season on the road has been disproven, to some degree. So why not play the first week's games in warm weather cities or in domes?

Failing that, the league could save itself a lot of logistical heartache by scheduling in-division games for the first week. This is Seattle's only visit to Cleveland this year, hence the urgency to make up the games right away. It's much easier to reschedule games between division opponents -- with the unbalanced schedule, teams play their division opponents several times during the season, making rescheduling a breeze.

Originally published at About Baseball

Early Return on Investment

2007-04-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

The big-ticket pitching acquisitions of the Yankees and Red Sox were on display yesterday, with decidedly different results.

Boston's $100 million rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka lived up to the considerable hype in his first start, notching ten strikeouts in a 4-1 win over the Royals at frigid Kaufman Stadium. Dice-K used his full array of pitches (not counting the entirely fictional gyroball), and regularly hit the mid-90s on the radar gun. He left the game after seven innings, having allowed one run on a homer by David DeJesus and just one walk.

Meanwhile, on a similarly frigid evening in the Bronx, Andy Pettitte returned to Yankee Stadium, but the results were far less impressive. The veteran lefty lasted just four innings and allowed four runs, two of them earned. The occasional snow flurries weren't enough to justify several defensive mishaps -- including two errors by Derek Jeter.

Pettitte was the Yanks' biggest offseason acquisition. They'll need him to rebound in a big way and anchor a starting rotation already depleted by Chien-Ming Wang's hamstring injury. Another four-inning start, and Brian Cashman's "build from within" initiative might be in jeopardy.

Originally published at About Baseball

Rough Starts

2007-04-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

Look at the box scores from the first few days of this season, and you'll see some seriously crooked numbers in the pitching lines of some big name hurlers. Case in point:

Curt Schilling: Schilling's ERA on the season stands at a gaudy 11.25 after an ugly 7-1 loss to the Royals on opening day. That's probably not the way Schilling planned to start his drive for a new contract.
Barry Zito: Zito's first start as the San Francisco Giants' $126 million man failed to impress; he allowed three runs in five innings, one on a walk with the bases loaded, before being yanked for a pinch hitter.
Carlos Zambrano: Zambrano did little to enhance his bargaining position on opening day. Reportedly just days away from a fat contract extension, he served up two gopher balls to the Reds' Adam Dunn in a 5-1 loss to Cincinnati.

The pitcher with the worst opener may have been Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter. Carpenter struggled with his location for the entire game, giving up five runs to the Mets in a 6-1 loss. He later revealed that he was dealing with elbow trouble during the game, and he'll miss at least one start. (At this point, he's expected to return to the Cards' rotation for Tuesday's game in Pittsburgh.)

Originally published at About Baseball

Meet the New Boss

2007-04-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

On a day when most teams in baseball open their seasons and the NCAA will crown its men's basketball champion, the business page staged a successful invasion of the sports page today. The big news? Sam Zell is buying the Tribune Company and putting a big "for sale" sign in front of Wrigley Field.

A number of observers have suggested that Zell's victory was the best-case scenario for the Cubbies, whose failure to win the big one since Theodore Roosevelt was president has been well-documented. The Tribune Company has often been accused of being content to milk the team like any other cash cow -- taking the profits from perpetually-sold-out Wrigley Field and Cubs broadcasts on WGN without ever making a serious commitment to winning. The argument goes that ownership by a businessman -- a titan of the local business community, a person who can be the subject of fans' ire -- is preferable to ownership by a big, faceless corporation.

Those pundits apparently didn't consider the possibility that Zell would put the team on the block more or less immediately.

A number of big names have reportedly expressed interest in buying the team, including Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (who, surprisingly, hasn't commented on Blog Maverick yet...), former Diamondbacks and Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, actor Bill Murray, and columnist George Will. Rick Morrissey comments on their prospects and the chances of a few other prominent Chicagoans in today's Tribune.

It will be interesting to see if news of the sale impacts contract negotiations with Carlos Zambrano. The team and the ace pitcher are reportedly close to a deal, and Zambrano agreed to extend his deadline in order to get something done.

Originally published at About Baseball

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

2007-04-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

Interesting contrast of styles in the last night's season opener, as the Mets used their American League-style lineup to bludgeon the World Series champion Cardinals into submission, 6-1.

New York's potent and deep lineup scored six runs by getting hits in bunches; the first five runs scored in two two-out rallies. The Cardinals, on the other hand, stuck with traditional National League "small ball," but their attempts to manufacture runs -- including a failed suicide squeeze and an attempt to score from second on a short single -- didn't amount to much.

One has to wonder if the Busch Stadium grounds crew ultimately cost the Cardinals a run on that squeeze attempt. With one out in the bottom of the third inning and the Cards down 2-0, Adam Kennedy laced a Tom Glavine pitch to the base of the center field wall for a triple. With the pitcher up next, Cards manager Tony LaRussa decided to play for one run, and sent starter Chris Carpenter up to lay one down. Kennedy broke from third. Carpenter got a pitch he could handle. And the ball hit the ground in fair territory inches in front of home plate...

And stopped dead.

Met catcher Paul LoDuca easily fielded the ball and ran Kennedy back towards third, where David Wright tagged the runner. Instead of halving the Mets' lead, the Cards wound up with two outs and a man on first.

The strangest part of the play was the action -- or lack thereof -- of the ball after Carpenter bunted. Ordinarily, you'd expect even the weakest bunt to trickle out towards the infield grass or into foul territory. This one hit the bat, hit the ground, and then stopped. Watching the ESPN broadcast, it appeared that the infield dirt around and in front of the batter's boxes had been significantly watered down -- perhaps as an attempt to slow the Mets' speedy leadoff man Jose Reyes. That might explain Carpenter's ball stopping the way it did; it looked sort of like a baseball dropped into a bowl of chocolate pudding.

Of course, one game does not a season make. While the final score looks like an impressive victory for American League ball in a National League game, the tally could have been a lot closer. With one out in the bottom of the eighth and the bases loaded, Scott Rolen hit a sharp grounder up the middle that would easily have scored two runs and continued a rally -- but Met second baseman Jose Valentin made a diving stop and started a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Originally published at About Baseball

If I Had Known People Were Watching...

2007-04-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

Many baseball previews had Seth McClung pencilled in as Tampa Bay's closer, so a lot of people were surprised to read that he's headed to Triple-A Durham to start the season, while the rest of the D-Rays kick things off in the Bronx.

Most surprised? McClung himself.

As the St. Petersburg Times reports, McClung was confident both in his position on the roster and in the fact that he was out of minor-league options. Wrong on both counts. As a result, he spent the spring tinkering with new pitches, confident that he'd be with the big club in spite of his 11.57 spring ERA.

The Rays are now expected to use Al Reyes to close games.

Let McClung's demotion be a lesson to you: don't trust stats from spring training. If journeyman relief pitchers don't take Grapefruit League games that seriously, how much effort do you think the real established stars are putting out? Will that aging slugger look as good when the fastballs down the middle turn into sliders on the outside corner? Will that rookie starter continue to fool hitters once they actually start digging in to the scouting reports?

Enough with the games that don't count. Let's play some ball.

Following Up:
In Friday's post on pitchers that will start the season on the disabled list, we neglected to mention Arizona's Randy Johnson. The Big Unit will start the season on the 15 day DL as he continues his recovery from back surgery, but according to reports, he's much healthier than at any point during the '06 season. He's expected to make his season debut around April 19th.

Two other starters were shelved this weekend. Oakland's Esteban Loaiza and Cincinnati's Eric Milton were placed on the 15 day disabled list by their respective clubs; both are suffering from back spasms.

We did mention Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia, whose opening day start was in doubt after the big lefty took a line drive off his pitching arm. But the Indians official site reports that Sabathia will take the ball in Monday's opener against Chicago.

Originally published at About Baseball

Trainer's Table

2007-03-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

Wow. He must have been really, REALLY tired.

A few days ago, the Detroit Tigers announced that Kenny Rogers, the veteran anchor of their pitching staff, would start the season on the disabled list due to a "tired arm."

So tired, in fact, that it required surgery to remove a blood clot and repair arteries. Instead of missing a start or two, Rogers is now out until July at the earliest... and given that the lefty is 42 years old, that prognosis might be optimistic.

Chad Durbin is now expected to step into Detroit's rotation, behind Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson and Mike Maroth.

A number of other pitchers on the shelf as the season opens...

In Texas:
Eric Gagne's comeback hit a minor snag. Texas' new closer will open the season on the disabled list, buying him a little more time to recover from the elbow and back problems that cost him all of last season. Akinori Otsuka will close games for the Rangers until Gagne is ready.

In Cleveland:
C. C. Sabathia was plunked on the pitching arm by a line drive during his last start of the spring. He's got a nasty bruise, and may not be able to make his scheduled start on Opening Day. If the big lefty can't go, the Tribe might press Jake Westbrook or Paul Byrd into service.

In Queens:
The Mets' bullpen depth took a hit when a hairline fracture was discovered in Duaner Sanchez' shoulder. The injury likely stems from a taxi accident last July, which knocked Sanchez out for the last two months of the 2006 season. Sanchez may need surgery to stabilize the injury and won't be back until August.

The Mets won the National League East last season largely on the strength of their bullpen. But now they'll start the season without Sanchez and Guillermo Mota, who was re-signed despite the fact that he's about to serve a 50-game suspension for use of performance-enhancing drugs. For now, they'll hope that veterans like Chan Ho Park and Aaron Sele can pitch effectively in relief, while general manager Omar Minaya considers making a trade (Baltimore's Todd Williams is reportedly a person-of-interest).

In the OC:
The Angels might sport one of the American League's deepest rotations, assuming that Bartolo Colon and Jered Weaver return from injury. This week in the Cactus League, both pitchers showed positive signs. Colon reportedly hit 94 on the radar gun, while Weaver threw three solid innings in a minor-league game. Both are now expected to return to the Halos before the end of April.

In the Bronx:
Yankee pitching coach Ron Guidry, in a radio appearance, reported that Chien-Ming Wang threw forty pitches off a half-mound and reported no issues with his balky hamstring. Guidry now estimates that Wang will return sooner than originally estimated; the Yanks' ace could only miss a start or two.

In Seattle:
Mariners' closer J.J. Putz is expected to start the season on the active roster even though elbow trouble limited him to a single inning during spring training.

Originally published at About Baseball

The Downside to Marrying the Boss' Daughter

2007-03-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here's an important safety tip for all my single male readers out there in cyberspace...

If and when you get married... if your father-in-law gives you a prominent role in the family business, more or less guaranteeing you a lifetime of fame and wealth... don't screw up the marriage.

If your father-in-law happens to be George Steinbrenner, this is doubly true.

Unfortunately for Steve Swindal, he never got this sort of advice from an internet columnist.

Back in 2005, the big Stein told reporters that Swindal would be his eventual successor. But when Jessica Swindal -- nee Steinbrenner -- filed divorce papers this week, and now all bets are off. The divorce petition reportedly cites "irreconcileable differences" as the cause; we're guessing Swindal's arrest for DUI back in February didn't help matters any.

Another tip for you single guys... particularly if you aspire to run a big-league sports franchise and live in the Tampa area. You might want to get the old eHarmony profile updated, just in case the newly-single Ms. Steinbrenner is on the prowl.

Originally published at About Baseball

Mixed Emotions

2007-03-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

We'll see mixed emotions from Yankee fans when the Bombers open the season in the Bronx a week from tomorrow.

The Yankees are reportedly planning on having Melanie Lidle -- Corey Lidle's widow -- throw out the ceremonial first pitch. As most baseball fans will recall, Corey Lidle was acquired by the Yankees in the mid-season trade that also brought Bobby Abreu to the Bronx. He was killed last October 11, just days after the Yanks' season ended, when his plane crashed into an apartment building on Manhattan's upper East Side.

We expect there won't be a dry eye in the house for that first pitch ceremony.

The first pitch of the actual game, on the other hand, is likely to raise a few eyebrows.

The Yankees have several excellent candidates for Opening Day starter honors. There's Chien-Ming Wang, who paced the team with 19 wins last season. But Wang will begin the season on the disabled list with a pulled hamstring. Then there's respected veteran Mike Mussina and returning World Series hero Andy Pettitte. Neither of those veterans are on a work schedule that would allow a start next Monday. Mussina is legendarily particular about keeping on a regular schedule, and Pettitte has been fighting minor back trouble; Joe Torre is unlikely to disrupt either pitcher's routine.

That leaves Carl Pavano.

Yes, THAT Carl Pavano. The same guy who hasn't pitched in a big-league game since June 27, 2005. The one who has missed most of the last two seasons with an often-comical series of injuries and mishaps, ranging from an injured buttocks suffered during spring training last year to a broken rib stemming from a car accident that he failed to report to the team.

Does anyone else suspect that Brian Cashman has already handed Roger Clemens a blank check and told his pal Rocket to fill in the numbers?

Originally published at About Baseball

Boston's Reverse

2007-03-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

The Red Sox have reversed course and announced that Jonathan Papelbon will be their closer this season. Expected? Only partly. The Sox and Papelbon have been telling anyone who would listen that Papelbon's health would be better served by throwing every five days... suddenly, the medical concerns seem to have evaporated.

It's convenient that the medical concerns evaporated at about the same time as the trade market for relief pitchers. And right when the prospects for the rest of Boston's bullpen -- Mike Timlin, Julian Tavarez, Craig Hansen, etc., seemed bleakest.

The more plausible version of the story? Papelbon decided that he'd rather be an elite closer than a middle-of-the-rotation starter, and lobbied to get his old job back. Or, he saw the Sox strike out in attempts to land Brad Lidge and their much-reported hesitance to take on Chad Cordero and stepped up as a team-first guy. Either way, it's hard not to think that Boston's chances in the American League East haven't improved substantially with this announcement. The end of the Bosox' bullpen was the team's only question mark. Papelbon changes that question mark to an exclamation point.

For a more insider-ey take on the decision, check out 38 pitches, Curt Schilling's new blog.

Originally published at About Baseball

Curb Your Enthusiasm

2007-03-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

If you read the early press, you might have gotten the impression that Daisuke Matsuzaka has the ability to get batters to swing three times and strike out in a single pitch. (Don't be silly. We all know that Bugs Bunny is the only pitcher to manage that trick.) He may well turn out to be the best Japanese import since the Playstation 3, but his first spring outing against American Leaguers showed that he's not ready for Cooperstown just yet. Dice-K allowed four runs to the Baltimore Orioles -- three on homers by noted sluggers Jon Knott and Jason DuBois.

The lesson? There's a very good reason that Spring Training stats don't get printed on the back of the baseball card. Take all March statistics with a sizable grain of salt.

Don't Believe the Hype... it's a sequel
More big names of the spring that may fade out come summer... Cincinnati's Josh Hamilton, has "my life story is about to be optioned by Disney" written all over him. The first overall pick in the 1999 draft, Hamilton got caught up in drug addiction and was out of baseball from 2003 to 2006. Now he's in camp with Cincinnati as a rule 5 draftee from the D-Rays system, and he's tearing the cover off the ball.

Great story. No doubt.

Hamilton will have every opportunity to make the team. As a rule 5 draftee, he's guaranteed a spot on the roster; the Reds can't send him to the minors without offering him back to Tampa. But even if he does make the team, what opportunity will he have to contribute? Cincinnati's outfield spots are more or less set with Adam Dunn in left, Ken Griffey in right and Ryan Freel in center. So where will Hamilton play?

ESPN.com's fantasy guru Eric Karabell breaks down Hamilton's chances to make a big contribution in his blog. (ESPN Insider subscription required)

Originally published at About Baseball

'Roid Rage

2007-03-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

It's sounding more and more like last week's HGH busts will be the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that touches off the next series of labor/management wars in major league baseball.

Today's New York Daily News reports that the Angels -- with a great deal of support from the league -- are looking for a way to void Gary Matthews Jr's recently-signed five-year, $50 million contract. Matthews, clearly anticipating a legal battle, has reportedly retained attorney Robert Shapiro -- a member of the O.J. Simpson defense team.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time baseball has attempted to use the steroid issue as a way to chip away at the guarantees inherent in all MLB player contracts. Barry Bonds' contract for 2007 reportedly contains a clause that would allow the Giants to void the deal if Bonds is indicted; most observers believe the clause would never stand up to a legal challenge. There was also some conjecture that the Yankees would try and void Jason Giambi's contract after Giambi's testimony in the BALCO case. Those whispers died down considerably when Giambi started hitting.

Funny, that.

Clearly, we haven't heard the last of this.

More on MLB and Steroids
How can baseball make a substantial move to put the "Steroid Era" in its collective rear mirror? Clearly, the commission headed by George Mitchell, has no juice; the strongest thing Mitchell and team can do to compel a player to testify is to ask REALLY nicely. But ESPN.com columnist Gene Wojciechowski offers an interesting alternative: amnesty. When the only alternative seems to be, "We'll have to resign ourselves to never getting to the bottom of all this," offering some form of amnesty to suspected steroid cheats seems like a pretty reasonable option.

Over at SI.com, John Heyman notes an interesting coincidence: three of the ballplayers caught up in the HGH rumor mill -- Matthews, Jerry Hairston Jr. and David Bell, are all sons of ex-major leaguers.

In the same column, Heyman offers Reggie Jackson's take on Barry Bonds and the home run chase.

Originally published at About Baseball

Closer to a Closer

2007-03-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

This is going to be the season that finally drives thousands of seasoned fantasy baseball players over the edge. At some point in mid-season, roto geeks all over the country are going to re-create the famous scene from the movie Network and start screaming, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it any more!"

What will set them off? Hard to say, but my guess is it will involve closers.

Chasing saves is one of the most irritating aspects of fantasy baseball these days. There was a time when every team had a designated closer, and drafting for saves was a fairly simple matter of grabbing a guy from a team that would win a fair amount of games. No more. Going into the 2007 season, several of baseball's top teams have shockingly unsettled bullpen situations.

Philadelphia
According to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies are toying with the idea of making Brett Myers their closer. This in spite of the fact that a) the Phillies already have an established closer in Tom Gordon, and b) Myers is currently their number two starter. So why would they do such a thing? To free up a rotation spot for Jon Lieber.

We're guessing -- like everyone else -- that Lieber will be traded at some point during spring training, and that this madness will be a distant memory by mid-May.

Boston
The Red Sox struck gold last year with rookie Jonathan Papelbon, who blew away American League hitters while amassing 35 saves and a 0.92 ERA. So the Sox are set at closer for the next ten years or so right?

Eh, not so much.

Going against conventional wisdom, the Sox are moving Papelbon to the rotation this year in the hopes that throwing more innings every five days will be easier on his golden arm than throwing one inning four or five times per week. The leading contender for the closer spot is reportedly journeyman Joel Piniero, but the ex-Mariner hasn't impressed thus far. Other possible candidates include bullpen stalwart Mike Timlin and second-year man Craig Hansen.

Didn't the Sox learn their lesson about this whole "bullpen by committee" thing a couple of years ago?

St. Louis
Like the Red Sox, the Cardinals had a rookie step up and close out games last season in dominating fashion. When incumbent Jason Isringhausen got hurt, first-year man Adam Wainwright took over the ninth inning. He was especially impressive in the NLCS, ending the Mets' season with knee-buckling curve balls to Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran.

Like the Red Sox, the Cardinals aren't keeping Wainwright in the bullpen. Wainwright -- and '06 bullpen mate Braden Looper -- are being converted to starters for the '07 season.

For the Cards, this is something of a necessity. They lost Jeff Weaver and Jeff Suppan to free agency over the winter, and needed arms to fill their rotation. It remains to be seen if this experiment will continue if St. Louis acquires one of the starters rumored to be on the market -- Philly's Lieber or the Yankees' Carl Pavano, for example.

Atlanta
So while the Bosox and Cards are apparently strengthening their rotations at the bullpen's expense, the Braves are going the opposite route. Atlanta weakened its lineup and rotation by trading Adam LaRoche (and his 30+ homers) and Horacio Ramirez for Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano, respectively. With those two and incumbent veteran Bob Wickman, the Braves should have one of the league's deepest bullpens.

Closer Fantasy Rankings
Before YOU start chasing saves, check out our very own Fantasy Baseball Rankings for closers.

Originally published at About Baseball

More Steroid Woes for MLB

2007-02-28T18:58:00.000-08:00

A grand jury investigation that started in upstate New York has uncovered a web of distribution channels for performance-enhancing drugs running from Pittsburgh to Texas to Alabama to Orlando, and implicating several professional baseball players and other professional athletes.

The report, which first appeared in the Albany Times-Union details how an internet-based system of dubious prescriptions was used to funnel testosterone and other performance-enhancers to users. Among those implicated is Anaheim center fielder Gary Matthews, Jr., who parlayed a career-best 2006 season into a five-year, $50 million contract with the Angels in November. Other names that have reportedly come up in the investigation: Jason Grimsley, who was investigated as part of the BALCO case last year and Jose Canseco, whose steriod abuse is now detailed in paperback. Boxer Evander Holyfield, the team doctor for the Pittsburgh Steelers and several unnamed NFL players are also reportedly involved, and more names are expected to surface as a result of a federal raid on a pharmacy in Orlando yesterday.

The fact that Matthews is the only new baseball player mentioned in the story is interesting... and can be interpreted in a couple of different ways. It might mean "we didn't get any really big names this time around." It could also mean "we're holding back the juicy stuff... because we don't want anyone to wriggle off the hook this time." Either way, it seems reasonable to expect that this story will continue to develop all season long... and may have a significant impact on a number of teams and players. We'll keep you posted.

Originally published at About Baseball

Derek Jeter: 'Shopped

2007-02-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

The Yankees took a page from their glory days and found an impressive name to replace the injured Bobby Abreu on the roster... but it's not Bernie Williams.

Try Mickey Mantle.

This is odd for a number of reasons. First off, Joe Torre and Brian Cashman have repeatedly said that they plan to give Melky Cabrera the at-bats when Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Abreu are rested. And Mantle really doesn't have much outfield range any more, due to his bad knees.

Plus, there's the fact that he's been dead since 1995.

Why, then, is The Mick pictured in the Yankee dugout on Derek Jeter's 2007 Topps baseball card? Apparently, one of the Photoshop gremlins at Topps superimposed the image of Mantle -- and another of President Bush -- on Jeter's card as a little prank. It wasn't intended to generate a bunch of free publicity for Topps... and frankly, I'm shocked that you'd suggest such a thing. (But while we're on the topic, a healthy market for the Jeter/Bush/Mantle cards has developed on eBay.)

Originally published at About Baseball

Undoing Dubya's Biggest Mistake

2007-02-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

President Bush once famously quipped that one of the worst mistakes he'd ever made was trading Sammy Sosa. It looks like the Texas Rangers will undo Dubya's gaffe this season; Rangers manager Ron Washington has "no doubt" that Sosa will make the team as a DH, ESPN's Cactus League roundup reports.

The Rangers are probably hoping that Sammy will be this year's Frank Thomas -- a low-risk, high-reward signing who has the potential to blow up. Personally, I can't imagine that happening... and it seems to me that the Rangers would be better off using the DH spot to get at-bats for their glut of outfielders than they are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with Sosa.

Never mind the fact that they're just asking for a years' worth of steroid scrutiny and the associated drama in their clubhouse.

Maybe Rangers GM Jon Daniels hasn't fixed Dubya's mistake. Maybe he's compounded it.

Insert your own joke here... we don't do politicial humor.

Speaking of Steroid Scrutiny...
New Detroit Tiger Gary Sheffield hasn't been shy in expressing his opinions this spring. His primary target has been Yankee skipper Joe Torre. Sheffield is a player who seems to perform better when he's angry about something; if that's the case, he could be in for a big season.

In Other News
Manny Ramirez skipped the auto show and reported to camp a couple of days early. Bartolo Colon is working his way back from a torn rotator cuff, and isn't expected to pitch until May at the earliest. And John Heyman of Sports Illustrated thinks the Marlins' continuing pursuit of a new stadium might actually keep Dontrelle Willis in South Florida.

Originally published at About Baseball

Red Sox: We Know Drama

2007-02-22T18:48:00.000-08:00

The Yankees. The Red Sox. Always in competition. So when internal strife in the clubhouse at Legends Field started to dominate the spring training headlines, you just had to know that the Sox would step things up. Who says this isn't the best rivalry in sports?

Manny Being Manny
We were tempted to ignore the annual "When will Manny report to camp?" guessing game, but the big fella really stepped things up this year. First, came word that Ramirez' teammate Julian Tavarez was the one to inform the team that Ramirez wouldn't be reporting to camp with the rest of the Sox. That's sort of a non-traditional way of informing the team, but Manny's never been a traditionalist. Theo Epstein and Boston's management team confirmed that Ramirez was spending a little extra time with his mother in Florida, who had just gone through surgery, and that he'd be reporting to camp on March 1.

End of story? Not by a long shot. According to various reports, Ramirez is scheduled to appear at a classic car auction in Atlantic City on Saturday. Atlantic City, you'll note, is several hundred miles away from Red Sox camp in Fort Myers -- and from Manny's ailing mom. As of now, there's no indication as to when Ramirez booked the car show appearance or whether he's planning on showing up.

Perhaps the car show guys should ask Julian Tavarez.

Curt Being Curt
In other Red Sox news, Curt Schilling has announced that he'll file for free agency at the end of this season. The 40-year-old Schilling has one year remaining on his contract, and had been seeking an extension.

The Return of Jon Lester
On a much more positive and equally-dramatic note, the news on Jon Lester's progress continues to be good. Lester's rookie season was rudely interrupted when he was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma. But off-season chemotherapy treatments seem to have the disease in remission, and he's expected to have a place on Boston's pitching staff this year.

Originally published at About Baseball

In other news... Water is Wet, Sky is Blue

2007-02-20T18:42:00.000-08:00

Alex Rodriguez decided to spice up a slow week in the sports world by (finally) admitting that he and Derek Jeter aren't as chummy as they once were.

Note to Alex: we've noticed. We've known this since way back in 2001, when you first told Esquire that Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill... and not Derek Jeter... were the Yankees that other teams really feared. We also know that you seem to have a pathological inability to restrain yourself from spouting off the moment someone puts a microphone in your face -- and that seems to be about 99% of your problem.

Jeter, on the other hand, is an absolute master of public relations. Once again, he brushed off the story as no big deal.

If someone really wants to do A-Rod a favor, put Bull Durham in his Netflix queue... and fast-forward to the part where Kevin Costner teaches all the appropriate cliches to use in interviews.

Speaking of Media Relations...
Randy Johnson arrived in spring training with his new old team, and proceeded to tell the assembled Arizona media that his disappointing tenure in pinstripes should be blamed, in part, on the New York media. That's interesting. I always thought Randy's ballooning ERA had more to do with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers and Anaheim Angels. Glad Randy cleared that up for us.

Another Media-Savvy Superstar
The position players for the San Francisco Giants rolled into camp... and the media is circling around an outfielder, looking for a hot quote on one of the winter's most important stories.

Welcome to the limelight, Mark Sweeney.

Well, it's not like they'd be able to get a quote out of Barry Bonds anyway...

Sweeney, you'll recall, is the player that Bonds initially blamed when the New York Daily News reported Bonds' failed test for amphetamines. Sweeney claims that there's no rift between the two players. Of course, Sweeney's larger concern is making sure new Giant Ryan Klesko doesn't win the "lefty bat on the bench" job this season.

Originally published at About Baseball

The Tampa Zoo

2007-02-16T18:40:00.000-08:00

The Yankees' pitchers and catchers have only been in camp for a couple of days, but they're already in mid-season form when it comes to generating back-page headlines. The pinstripes should make their annual appearance in the postseason in '07 -- but if they're languishing 6-8 games behind Boston and Toronto in June, look for any one of the following feuds to really blow up.

Rivera vs. Cashman
One one of the biggest indications that all is not right within the Evil Empire -- Mariano Rivera has taken to mouthing off about his contract status. Rivera has always been one of New York's -- all of baseball's, really -- quietest and most businesslike superstars. But as SI's John Heyman reports, Rivera arrived at camp and immediately started complaining about his contract -- even going so far as to warn that the Yankees will have to stand in line with everyone else if they wait until the off-season to talk. This, of course, sent the New York media into full "Chicken Little" mode -- the tabloids are already predicting Rivera's departure for Boston.

Williams vs. Cashman
One contributing factor in the Rivera saga is the apparent end of Bernie Williams' career in pinstripes. Rivera and some other Yankee vets seem to be chagrined over the Yanks' decision not to bring Williams back for one more year. The case for Williams: the veteran was actually remarkably productive in 2006, hitting .281 with 12 homers and 61 RBI as the Yanks' fourth outfielder. The case against: Williams only got an extended opportunity last year because of major injuries to Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield. Meanwhile, the emergence of Melky Cabrera gives New York a promising prospect to fill the fourth outfielder role behind starters Matsui, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu, and some of the Yankees' baseball people aren't convinced that Williams can be productive in limited at-bats. Williams has been invited to compete for a roster spot in spring training, and manager Joe Torre is trying to convince him to accept -- but at this point it appears the 25th and final spot on New York's roster will go to a right-handed hitting first baseman -- either Andy Phillips or Josh Phelps.

Mussina vs. Pavano
The Yankees are hoping that Carl Pavano can make a contribution in 2007 after missing all of 2006 with an often-ludicrous series of injuries ranging from a bruised buttock to a highly controversial car accident. It appears Mike Mussina isn't really ready to forgive and forget. "He needs to show a lot of people that he wants to go out there and pitch for us. If he shows us that, I think everything is going to be fine," Mussina told reporters. If Pavano isn't impressive this spring, don't be surprised if he's shipped out of town on the Eddie Whitson express.

Girardi vs. Mattingly
No matter how the '07 season ends for the Yanks, this will be one hell of an off-season. As mentioned above, World Series hero Mariano Rivera will be a free agent. So will Jorge Posada and Bobby Abreu. But the impending free agency that might generate the most ink is that of manager Joe Torre. Torre's contract is up after the season, and many expect this will be his last year in the Bronx. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the Yankee organization is lousy with potential replacements -- the biggest names being bench coach Don Mattingly and reigning NL Manager of the Year Joe Girardi, who will be broadcasting games with the YES Network.

State of Florida vs. Steve Swindal
For added fun, Yankees general partner Steve Swindal -- George Steinbrenner's son-in-law and heir apparent -- was arrested for driving under the influence at 4:26 Thursday morning in St. Petersburg.

Originally published at About Baseball

If they don't sign me, sorry, but I must go.

2007-02-13T18:36:00.000-08:00

Theo Epstein, get your checkbook ready. Omar Minaya? You too. Brian Cashman... get Mr. Steinbrenner's plane gassed up. It sounds like the courtship of Carlos Zambrano begins soon.

Zambrano reportedly issued an ultimatum to Chicago's management during an interview with WGN-TV. "I want to sign with the Cubs before the season starts," the Chicago Tribune reports. "If they don't sign me, sorry, but I must go. That's what Carlos Zambrano thinks."

You can tell he's serious, because he's referring to himself in the third person.

Zambrano, just 25 years old, has a career record of 64 and 42 and an ERA of 3.29. He'd easily command more than the six-year, $126 million contract the Giants gave Barry Zito -- especially when you consider the fact that the rotations of baseball's three biggest spenders are anchored by the likes of Mike Mussina (39 this December), Curt Schilling (41 in November), Tom Glavine (41 in March) and possibly the ageless wonder Roger Clemens (45 in August).

This would probably be a good time for Cubs management to step up and prove that this winter's spending spree, which brought Alfonso Soriano and Ted Lilly to Wrigley, wasn't a one-time deal.

Originally published at About Baseball

Mauer, Mets, Miguel and More

2007-02-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

Catching up on a few stories as pitchers and catchers make their way to Florida and Arizona...

Joe Mauer Signs with the Twins
Minnesota signed hometown hero Joe Mauer to a four-year, $33 million contract. Nice work by the Twins. Last season Mauer, at age 23, Mauer became the first American League catcher to win a batting title. Combine his enormous potential with the fact that he's from St. Paul -- let's just say this signing was absolutely necessary. This gives the Twins at least two seasons to try and ride the Joe Mauer/Justin Morneau/Johan Santana core to a championship. (Morneau isn't eligible for free agency until 2010. Santana is signed through '08.)

This season and next, the Twins will feature the American League's best pitcher and two of the AL's best position players under age 26. Wait -- weren't we gonna contract those guys? I mean, there's no way they can be competitive, is there?

Re-Arming the Mets
The Mets continue to add depth to their rotation, signing veteran Chan Ho Park to an incentive-laden one-year contract. Park is expected to compete with Aaron Sele, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and others for three spots behind greybeards Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez. (Pedro Martinez is expected to return from surgery in June.)

Interesting mix out there in Flushing, isn't it? Seems like every player on New York's roster is either under 25 or pushing 40. Heck, with El Duque and Julio Franco in the mix, "pushing 40" should be considered a major understatement. (Does anyone really believe that Hernandez is three years younger than Glavine, as the Mets' official site would have you believe?)

It seems reasonable to consider the Mets the favorites in the NL East again this year -- with the Phillies as a solid second pick. But it's also easy to see how inexperience and/or injuries to a couple of key players could have a serious effect on a very promising season. Keep an eye on the rumor mill -- something tells me Omar Minaya's roster might not be a finished product.

Cabrera Playin' Hooky
Marlins superstar third baseman Miguel Cabrera didn't do himself any favors by skipping the team's fan fest just days before his arbitration hearing. Cabrera was the only Marlin to play hooky, and team officials weren't shy about expressing their disappointment to the media. It seems reasonable to expect that this will become a topic of conversation during Cabrera's salary arbitration hearing on Friday, February 16.

One has to wonder if Cabrera is sending some sort of message to his employers, or trying to grease the skids for his inevitable departure from South Florida. As things stand, Cabrera will be stuck with the notoriously stingy Marlins until he is eligible for free agency after the 2009 season.

More A-Rod
Last week we wrote a article headlined, What's Next for A-Rod? We didn't know but should have expected the answer, more hideous press. Even an innocuous appearance promoting a children's book became bad press for A-Rod, who reportedly called security to remove reporters who insisted on... well, reporting... during an appearance at a Barnes & Noble in Manhattan. Rodriguez then got himself un-invited from an appearance on The Today Show by attempting to set limits on the questions he'd be asked during his appearance. (Note to A-Rod... yes, Katie Couric is a Sox fan, but she's not on Today any more.)

Has there ever been a superstar athlete more ham-handed in dealing with the press? Is A-Rod using Terrell Owens' manager? Or Britney Spears'?

Seems like the only thing left is for A-Rod to be photographed dancing on a table without any underwear on.

Originally published at About Baseball

What's Next for A-Rod?

2007-02-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

Prepare for two stories that will be repeated to death this season:

Barry Bonds and his (pharmaceutically-aided?) pursuit of Hank Aaron's home run record
The opt-out clause in Alex Rodriguez' contract

I'm not going to write about Barry Bonds, because I don't want to risk a prison sentence. I'm way too pretty to go to jail. So let's talk about A-Rod and his upcoming decision.

As ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports, Rodriguez has a clause in his massive contract that allows him to opt out after the 2007 (or '08 or '09) seasons if he's not earning $1 million more than the next-highest-paid position player in the game. With baseball's executives collectively spending money like drunken sailors this off-season, there's been more than a little speculation that A-Rod could actually make more money by seeking a new contract after this year.

All together now: "Like A-Rod needs more money."

Well, yes, that's true. But let's also bear in mind: Rodriguez is represented by Scott Boras, the uber-agent known for his ability to squeeze two nickels together and get a quarter. Like most observers, I have a very hard time thinking Boras won't pursue the largest possible paycheck for his biggest meal ticket.

Does this mean Rodriguez isn't long for New York? Maybe, maybe not. Even if he does opt out, there's nothing preventing the Yankees from re-signing him. One could even suggest that some of the payroll-clearing Yankee GM Brian Cashman has done over the last six months (the trades of Gary Sheffield and Randy Johnson, for example) was done in anticipation of a bidding war. On the other hand, this could be Rodriguez' chance for the change of scenery that many think he needs.

For what it's worth, I think Rodriguez will have a huge season in 2007. Why? More Doug Mientkiewicz. Less Jason Giambi.

Mientkiewicz is a stellar defensive first baseman. Giambi... not so much. I think it is reasonable to suspect that some of Rodriguez' much-discussed fielding problems last season were caused by a general lack of trust in Giambi, or the need to make every throw to first absolutely perfect. With Mientkiewicz at first, all the Yankee infielders should be able to "grip it and rip it." A-Rod seems like a player who lets his struggles in the field affect his performance at the plate. If the Yanks' new defensive alignment solves the first problem, American League pitchers could be in for a very long season.

'Course, if things don't work out that way, A-Rod can always fall back on his new career as an author. His children's book, "Out of the Ballpark," is now available in English and Spanish on Amazon.com and in bookstores. The story is said to be semi-autobiographical -- it's about a little leaguer who hits a bunch of home runs in 7-2 games but strikes out in the championship.

Originally published at About Baseball

Bashing Bud

2007-02-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen: to get you through the inevitable post Super Bowl lull, let's introduce a topic that never fails to entertain.

Let's bash Bud Selig.

It does seem sort of pointless, I'll admit. Throwing stones at Mr. Selig is about as original as questioning the Chicago Bears' quarterback depth chart. But like the Chicago Bears' quarterback, Mr. Selig keeps asking for it.

The latest evidence: Major League Baseball's reported exclusive deal with DirecTV.

In case you missed this story, Major League Baseball is reportedly close to a deal that will make the Extra Innings package -- a premium service that allows subscribers to watch out-of-market games -- an exclusive service of DirecTV. Why is this today's ammunition for the Bud-Bashers? Let us count the ways:

Moving the package to DirecTV exclusively immediately slashes the number of potential subscribers. Approximately 90 million American homes subscribe to cable or satellite TV, Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News reports. Only 16 million subscribe to DirecTV. While some may choose cable over satellite, many others simply cannot get DirecTV due to housing restrictions (such as the inability to install a dish in many apartment buildings) or physical obstructions (trees, mountains, other buildings) that block the signal.

In the same article, Raissman reports that MLB is leaving a significant amount of money on the table by giving DirecTV exclusivity. The DirecTV deal is worth a reported $100 million per season. Meanwhile, a company called InDemand, negotiating on behalf of the major cable providers, has offered $70 million per year for the right to re-sell the Extra Innings package -- without demanding exclusivity. Do you think multiple non-exclusive deals with InDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network and all the other smaller players would ultimately total more than $100 million?

Even if this was a smart business decision (and we think points one and two prove that it's dubious at best), this deal is an open invitation for Congress to start sticking its collective nose into the business of baseball yet again. Senator Arlen Specter has already made noise about eliminating the NFL's Anti-Trust exemption because of that league's exclusive deal with DirecTV.

If you'd like to prove them wrong, contact the league directly. The e-mail address is csmedia@website.mlb.com. (Thanks to the FishStripes blog for the contact info.)

Originally published at About Baseball