tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32318992011-09-09T13:50:40.652-04:00A weblog of baseball news and analysisPete Sommersnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-91429065064675270492011-09-09T13:49:00.001-04:002011-09-09T13:50:40.659-04:00

Results of the day for the American League of Professional Baseball: Thursday, September 8 Baltimore Orioles 5 New York Yankees 4/10En. Toronto Blue Jays 7 Red Sox 4 Boston Chicago White Sox 8 Cleveland Indians 1 Seattle Marineros 4 Kansas City Reales 1 Friday, September 9 Detroit Tigers - Minnesota twins 7:05 Toronto Blue Jays - Baltimore Orioles 7:07 Tampa Bay Rays - Boston Red Sox 7:10 Texas

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-79948562656536405862011-08-29T10:08:00.002-04:002011-08-29T10:10:33.707-04:00

There was doubt whether Derek Jeter would play his 2,403rd game for the Yankees on Monday -- not that the captain is particularly counting. Jeter played down the significance of his latest franchise milestone as he passed Mickey Mantle's games record with his 2,402nd outing for the Bronx Bombers in the first game of Sunday's day-night doubleheader in Baltimore. "I don't even think

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-16961271316557817312011-08-26T11:12:00.002-04:002011-08-26T11:19:31.226-04:00

And that’s just what Baltimore Orioles infielder Robert Andino did last night at Target Field, shagging Justin Morneau’s high floater into foul territory and snagging it with his glove-less right hand during Baltimore’s 6-1 trump over the hapless Twinkies. A spectacular play, to be sure, but what I like most about it is Andino’s style, his flair for the dramatic, all the while flying in

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-81237400094916122962011-08-22T09:59:00.002-04:002011-08-22T10:07:55.939-04:00

JANIE McCAULEY The pilot of the Toronto Blue Jays John Farrell had such confidence in his starter Luis Perez who left the mound to get out of the quagmire slam in which he got, despite that victory depended on it. The Dominican 26 years took over the task calmly, as if he had done many times. Perez pitched six innings Sunday in his brilliant first major league start and, along with Casey

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-29076281667877589022011-08-19T09:35:00.002-04:002011-08-19T09:39:58.911-04:00

Jorge Jacobo struck out 12 batters, and the team from Mexico on Thursday inaugurated the Little League World Series with a 3-0 win over Kaohsiung in Taiwan. The right of 12 years launched a pitching gem and struck out the last five batters he faced. This is the first time a team from Taiwan is bleached in 55 games that representatives of the island have played in the series. The Mexican

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-19183643599876795102011-08-15T10:25:00.002-04:002011-08-15T10:32:54.237-04:00

The series of Major League weekend left Jose Bautista and Albert Pujols home run leaders in their respective leagues to become the stars of the day. The power of the American bats were present and shone again in the majors, allowing Bautista to regain the lead in the AL and helping Pujols to premiere the first in that paragraph in the NL. Bautista returned power to his bat and hit the full

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-90484262484843420922011-08-08T09:43:00.002-04:002011-08-08T09:48:47.516-04:00

Josh Reddick hit the victory RBI single in the tenth inning and the Boston Red Sox beat the Yankees 3-2 to regain the lead in their division. With their second straight win, the Red Sox return to sole lead in the Eastern Division of the American League with a game lead over the Yankees, who lost for the second consecutive game. The victory also allowed the Red Sox win the series this season

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-41433264370413760232011-08-01T11:17:00.002-04:002011-08-01T11:20:35.763-04:00

Former baseball player Roberto Alomar gives a speech to the audience of the Rogers Centre during the ceremony to withdraw his number (12) before the game between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, July 31, 2011 in Toronto. Escorted by two members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and flattered by the applause, the former baseball player Roberto Alomar went to

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-66499287409752588842011-07-29T09:03:00.002-04:002011-07-29T09:08:40.752-04:00

The Major League Baseball and put on sackcloth world to know the death of former Japanese star pitcher Hideki Irabu, who was found dead in a suburban residence of Rancho Palos Verdes, a suburb of Los Angeles (California). Irabu, 42, was found dead by a friend who called the police to take over the body, so far without known causes of death, but the case has been opened as an apparent suicide

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-48412039564946971122011-07-25T10:01:00.002-04:002011-07-25T10:11:04.676-04:00

Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 12x8, thanks to Kevin Youkilis homer and knuckleballer Tim Wakefield starting pitcher, who reached 2,000 career strikeouts. Youkilis homered punished with starter Michael Pineda Dominican (8-7) finally defeated. Meanwhile, knuckleballer Wakefield (6-3), 44, became the second player to exceed 2,000 strikeouts with the uniform, "footed" after Roger

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-73288859635849726102011-07-22T08:47:00.002-04:002011-07-22T08:52:28.313-04:00

Orlando Hudson, the San Diego Padres, is helped off the field after losing consciousness while trying to catch a ball and crashed into a wall in the game against the Florida Marlins on Thursday, July 21, 2011Orlando Hudson, the second baseman for the San Diego Padres, recovered quickly from unconsciousness on Thursday after hitting a wall. Hudson was taken out on a stretcher on board of a

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-57461208958932058102011-07-20T08:21:00.002-04:002011-07-20T08:30:03.918-04:00

Red Sox Are Interested in Rockies Ace, Ubaldo JimenezThe Red Sox are looking for another pitcher for the rotation to ensure that there is constantly a quality pitcher on the mound for every game. Injuries have caught up with the Red Sox who have managed to win games through a rotation period which has seen many different pitchers. The Red Sox have been relying on offense to win games, but they

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-38800415071970990242011-07-18T09:05:00.002-04:002011-07-18T09:11:53.352-04:00

Dustin Pedroia was the hero last night as he managed to be "The Muddy Chicken " that won the game last night.It was a long and scoreless game last night but very beautiful as the pitchers did they best they could to get players out. After 5 hours and 44 minutes, Dustin Pedroia managed to hit a RBI single into the right that led Reddick to score.

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-56386660124707362702011-07-15T10:25:00.002-04:002011-07-15T10:26:32.569-04:00

Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has been suspended four games and fined an undiclosed amount for his altercation with Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg on Friday night at Fenway Park. Gregg received the same four-game suspension. Orioles pitcher Mike Gonzalez, who threw behind Ortiz on Sunday, received a three-game suspension and a fine as well. As a result, manager Buck Showalter

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-11719571934773350622011-07-12T10:56:00.001-04:002011-07-12T10:56:31.087-04:00

On September 30th, 1989, Jose Cano pitched his last game in a big league ballpark. The 27-year old from the small city of San Pedro de Marcoris in the Domincan Republic had spent his entire life trying to reach the Major Leagues, and now he had finally achieved his goal.Throughout his six appearances that fateful season, Cano gathered a lifetime of memories that he would eventually bestow upon

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-50263601588165690732011-07-12T10:49:00.002-04:002011-07-12T10:54:23.179-04:00

With a record tying final round in the books, Adrian Gonzalez was assured that the title of 2011 Homerun Derby Champion was all his. Little could he have expected, the freight train that was Robinson Cano would put on a historic performance that would instantly demote the incredible day of work the Boston All-Star had. Leading into the Homerun Derby, Vegas pegged Gonzalez as an 11/2 underdog

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-61667738594956380632011-07-08T11:01:00.001-04:002011-07-08T11:02:54.725-04:00

A few years back, maybe five or six as Derek Jeter(notes) remembers, the shortstop sat in a spring training clubhouse examining a New York Yankees media guide with a few teammates. As they scrolled through the records section they noticed something startling: Never in the great, glorious history of the franchise had there been a player who had 3,000 hits as a Yankee. Not Babe Ruth. Not Lou

froszty8519http://www.blogger.com/profile/04592285299473050602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-50750584616964169682011-06-30T14:52:00.000-04:002011-06-30T14:53:01.964-04:00

The Red Sox have just designated OF Mike Cameron for assignment. Recalled INF Yamaico Navarro from Pawtucket (IL).

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-13498510893128593962011-06-30T14:22:00.002-04:002011-06-30T14:49:08.503-04:00

Top selling Baseball Tickets This SeasonThis season, the top selling baseball tickets have been for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees... surprised? Neither am I. Other teams that have made appearances on the top 10 for sports tickets sold according to TicketNews.com.... Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and a few others.Fenway Park is still actively adding to

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-41565270238521816582011-06-27T16:07:00.001-04:002011-06-27T16:09:30.475-04:00

It's getting old.... fast. They could have 3 series (9 games) and be done with it. It seems like it's getting too long and it is affecting pitchers and designated hitters the most. Anyone else feel the same way?

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-59866333266954236772011-05-12T14:09:00.000-04:002011-06-30T14:50:23.526-04:00

What's going on with Dustin Pedroia??? Is he going to play like this all season?

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-9513103205501383592011-04-26T11:22:00.002-04:002011-04-26T11:31:18.480-04:00

Here come the Boston Red Sox!!!They're making their move and in one weekend, they went from 5th to 3rd in the AL East. 8-2 in their last 10 games... winning away games and a 5 game win streak.Let's see how they do against the new last place team, Baltimore Orioles (in Baltimore). One can expect that the fans at the games will be 50% Red Sox fans as usual (Cheap airline tickets to Baltimore,

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-100713211433843452011-03-03T17:00:00.002-05:002011-03-03T17:07:27.490-05:00

Spring training is under way and....I didn't know that the Dodgers played in Arizona.... a few years back I saw them in Florida for spring training. Was that a coincidence? Or did they move their spring training facility?Also, the Red Sox are planning a nicer spring training ball park which is alright but the one they have now is fine. I'm not sure of the reason for this.I hope Josh Beckett's

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-65970393814306646062011-02-18T14:10:00.000-05:002011-02-18T14:15:20.727-05:00

Pujols arrives at camp with no hard feelingsAlbert Pujols said an awful lot in 25 minutes of speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, but out of the more than 3,000 words he spoke, 10 of them are going to stand out. Pujols reported to Cardinals camp at about 6:30 a.m. CT/7:30 ET on Thursday, did some early work and addressed reporters shortly before 9 a.m. ET. He talked at great length in

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-60002853881515215012011-02-08T14:04:00.002-05:002011-02-08T14:09:14.776-05:00

I can't wait for spring training to start. The weather is starting to get to me. I feel like this winter has been especially harsh. It seems like every square inch of the US has had snow at some point or another... I know, slight exaggeration.Does anyone else feel the same way? I mean spring training isn't too far off right now and all I can think about is heading to FL to watch spring

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-52595286649879020142011-01-25T15:53:00.002-05:002011-01-25T15:55:46.500-05:00

Red Sox fans, make sure you have it marked on your calendar... 1/29/2011 is the day Boston Red Sox tickets go on sale (for most games anyway).You will be able to wait in virtual waiting rooms for hours while not being able to buy tickets haha. Well, if you're planning on buying tickets, GOOD LUCK!

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-47963333148752186542011-01-19T14:41:00.001-05:002011-01-19T14:41:40.659-05:00

I'M BACK! More news to follow.

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1115757457374498412005-05-10T16:04:00.000-04:002005-05-10T16:38:46.956-04:00

This will be the last post on Baseball News Blog. Thanks to everyone who has visited the site over the last four years. It's been fun.Mariners, World Champions that Weren’t. Derek Zumsteg: "'The Mariners had Junior, A-Rod, and Randy Johnson, and they didn’t win squat.' I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told that about the Mariners. But I’ve never sat down and taken a serious look at

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1114616635960609852005-04-27T11:43:00.000-04:002005-04-27T11:43:55.963-04:00

One on One: Nothing But The Stats.Did you think Miguel Tejada's 150 runs batted in were a fluke last year? Well, he has 25 RBI in 22 games in 2005. I know it is (really) early, but I still find it interesting that Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Hack Wilson are the only players ever to knock in 150 or more runs in consecutive seasons. Gehrig and Ruth each turned the trick

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1114529303229051632005-04-26T11:27:00.000-04:002005-04-26T11:28:23.230-04:00

What Can Brown Do For You? "Watching Kevin Brown struggle in pinstripes again this past weekend raised the question -- at least in my mind -- is he the greatest Brown ever to play major league baseball? Raise three fingers in the air if you know the answer to that right off, as we prepare for another exciting rendition of Baseball's Hall of Names ... Woohoo!" (Batter's Box Baseball Blog)Tek the

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1114463569902505902005-04-25T17:11:00.000-04:002005-04-25T17:12:49.903-04:00

Chat: Joe Sheehan.BigPapi34 (Boston): 87 wins for the Yankees? That is by far the most pessimistic forecast I've seen. I'd be giddy if it actually happened, because the headlines from New York (and Tampa) would be priceless. Defend thyself.Joe Sheehan: Aging hitters. Aging fielders. Overrated and overpaid rotation that, aside from the tall guy, will be victimized early and often by the latter.

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1114190730729051122005-04-22T13:24:00.000-04:002005-04-22T13:25:30.733-04:00

New York Fancy Ladies 4, Toronto Blue Jays 3. "I thought earlier this week that Alex Rodriguez had been handed the plot to his inevitable cheesy Hollywood bio-pic: if I was a screenwriter given the task of writing The A-Rod Story, I would do my damnedest to hang the story around A-Rod saving the kid in Boston...[T]he pre-kid-saving blackhearted A-Rod was in full effect against the Jays last

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1113575665007321672005-04-15T10:32:00.000-04:002005-04-15T10:34:25.006-04:00

The Devil's Advocate: A Major Disaster. "The problem with the Yankees has nothing to do with Joe Torre or Mel Stottlemyre. It’s not about lineup construction or bullpen usage. The Yankees are struggling because the front office did a terrible job of building a team with the resources they had. For whatever reason, they neglected their depth and their defense, they placed too high an emphasis on

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1113485503888605262005-04-14T09:28:00.000-04:002005-04-14T09:34:17.886-04:00

Willis pitches second straight shutout. The Marlins' team ERA is now 1.36. They have four complete games; the other 29 teams have a grand total of two. (Yahoo!)Roger Out. "In the best game of the young year, Kazuhisa !sh!! reined in his control to play gunslinger with official Pro-Bites sponsor Roger Clemens. The fat-headed Texan threw smoke (but no splintered bats) and shut the Mets down

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1113404609325423862005-04-13T11:02:00.000-04:002005-04-13T11:20:27.216-04:00

Sorry for the unexpected two-week absence. Back to baseball!The Red Sox Home Opener! (4-11-05, Complete with Pictures and Videos!) (Fire Brand of the American League)Sitting among the Fenway faithful. Bill Simmons: "I'm not claiming that I helped spawn the miracle fetus or anything, but the doctor told us that the baby was conceived shortly after the Cabrera trade. Maybe she didn't do as much

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1112286723127617512005-03-31T11:31:00.000-05:002005-03-31T15:11:05.183-05:00

Custodians. John J Perricone:If McGwire (or Bonds, or Sosa, or Brady Anderson, or whoever) used steroids prior to 2002, it wasn't cheating, it wasn't against the rules, and they didn't hurt anyone. Bill Madden, (or any one of these sportswriters) writing that Bonds should retire, for the good of the game, cannot make the same claim. He is writing something that is hurtful, that is not based on

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1110982412430102622005-03-16T09:10:00.000-05:002005-03-16T09:44:49.120-05:00

I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide...and I'm on TV. Jay Jaffe will be appearing live on MSNBC's Connected Coast to Coast today (Wednesday) at 12 noon EST/9 AM PST. Topic: steroids. (Futility Infielder)First Time Caller, Long Time Moron.The greatest of all sports talk traditions is the mock trade. Two rules of the call-in show mock trade:1. Assume the prospect you've heard about on your team is as

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1110401548928740692005-03-09T15:50:00.000-05:002005-03-09T15:52:28.930-05:00

Cards move Ankiel to outfield.JUPITER, Fla. -- Cardinals lefthander Rick Ankiel, once deemed the game's most promising young arm, will convert from pitcher to outfielder, effective immediately. The Cardinals confirmed the move Wednesday morning shortly after rain washed out what was scheduled to be Ankiel's spring debut in a B game against the Florida Marlins."We are fully supportive of Rick's

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1110289556243254992005-03-08T08:44:00.000-05:002005-03-08T08:45:56.246-05:00

For my eyes only. John J Perricone: "From what I have read, the list of side effects associated with steroids could hardly be described as life-threatening; or even very dramatic; it's possible this could happen, maybe that could happen. There seems to be little proof of these side effects, other than to say, lots of people think they are real. Even if it's a given that high doses of steroids

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1109878852422868702005-03-03T14:37:00.000-05:002005-03-03T14:40:52.426-05:00

Breakfast With Bill James. Part One. (The Baseball Analysts)Breakfast With Bill James (Part Two).RL: There you go. In the 1982 Baseball Abstract, you introduced the Defensive Spectrum, which I believe was one of your biggest contributions. How did you develop that and does it still hold true to today?BJ: It still holds true. I use the Defensive Spectrum as an example to try to explain to

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1109256282310023812005-02-24T09:43:00.000-05:002005-02-24T09:44:42.313-05:00

2005 Season Preview (American League). Includes a paragraph on every significant player on every team. (Doubleswitch.com)2005 Season Preview (National League).RF - Brian Giles - OK, we all know the bad news. The Padres traded Jason Bay and Oliver Perez to get Giles in 2003... and you know, it's not a totally farfetched idea that Bay and Perez could be the MVP/Cy Young winners this year or next.

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1109168999855386252005-02-23T09:29:00.000-05:002005-02-23T09:32:15.060-05:00

"Who Was Your Favorite Player Growing Up?" A "talented group of writers, analysts, and baseball executives" answers the question. Part 1 of 3. (Baseball Analysts)Day Two: "Who Was Your Favorite Player Growing Up?" (Baseball Analysts)

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1109095187094987542005-02-22T12:59:00.001-05:002011-07-18T11:04:29.907-04:00

Smoltz for Alexander. A great trade for the Braves and...a great trade for the Tigers. (The Hardball Times)The Williams-Santo Cubs: 1970-1973. "If the Cubs were frustrated following 1969, they had to have been devastated following 1970. One would think they would be more motivated than ever to get it right this time. Yet their sequence of off-season transactions was bizarre, almost insane." (

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1108559823101553682005-02-16T08:16:00.000-05:002005-02-16T08:17:03.103-05:00

Scoping the San Diego Rotation. (Dodger Thoughts) The Williams-Santo Cubs: 1966-1969. (The Hardball Times) Clemens Rocketing Up the All-Time Charts. Ranking Roger. (Rich's Weekend Baseball BEAT)

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1108472706909445862005-02-15T08:04:00.000-05:002005-02-15T08:05:06.913-05:00

Santana to get four years, $40 million. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)Four More Years! "For a small-market team like the Twins, committing a huge chunk of the payroll to a single player is very dangerous, regardless of how great that player is. If Santana, who had his elbow cleaned out following the 2003 playoffs, misses one season over the life of the deal, he will not only leave the Twins with a

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1108397353218548822005-02-14T11:08:00.000-05:002005-02-14T11:10:02.500-05:00

Early NL Central Preview. "The Pirates' big move this offseason was to dump one of their few unambiguously good players in Jason Kendall on the A's in exchange for some money and a few trinkets. That bad move looked even worse as February rolled around and the Pirates found themselves several million dollars under budget and with no one to spend their money on. GM Dave Littlefield has said that

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1108148992892334732005-02-11T14:09:00.000-05:002005-02-22T13:41:44.820-05:00

Today's Password: Evil. A Giants fan looks at the 2005 Dodgers. (McCovey Chronicles)Your Semi-Favorite Year. Name your favorite year of Dodger baseball in which the team didn’t win a World Series. (Dodger Thoughts)QOTD / MYOR: I'm Patient Of This Plan. "Which are the most improved offences in each league? Who let way too much talent walk? Can the Red Sox lead the Majors in runs for a 3rd

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1108045582080450552005-02-10T09:25:00.000-05:002005-02-10T09:26:22.080-05:00

I’ll Take Manhattan: Baseball’s Most Lopsided Trades. "A few hundred years ago the Yankees traded some beads to the Indians for the isle of Manhattan. They even made the Indians eat the bulk of Manhattan’s remaining contract in the deal. And yet that does not even compare to Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi. Now that was a lopsided deal if there ever was one." (Mike's Baseball Rants) ....

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1107981808401995802005-02-09T15:43:00.000-05:002005-02-09T15:51:44.826-05:00

Tigers close Ordonez deal. Five years, $75 million. (ESPN.com) Magglio's Millions. "The Tigers have made a signing that smells like summer armpits, tastes like sun-dried mayonnaise, and sounds like John Kruk’s unreleased album of Cyndi Lauper covers. Awarding Magglio Ordonez a possible $105 million, as Dave Dombrowski and company have just done, is the Ben Affleck film festival of free agent

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1107357479098367822005-02-02T10:17:00.000-05:002005-02-02T10:17:59.096-05:00

YouNeverKnow '05: It's That Time Again. "It's Groundhog Day, and you know what that means ... it's time for 2004 pre-season nominations for the Annual Batter's Box Joaquin Andujar Award. The player who will eventually be awarded the 2005 Andujar will be the epitome, in retrospect, of a low-risk, high-reward transaction." Previous winners: Esteban Loaiza (2003); Ronnie Belliard (2004). (

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1107270235895523552005-02-01T10:03:00.000-05:002005-02-01T10:03:55.896-05:00

A BatOpinion. "The Twins are apparently befuddled by their repeated failure to draw two million fans, despite the team's success on the field. Team Batgirl believes that the Twins can come up with all the snappy marketing campaigns they want, but marketing just isn't the issue. Back in the early '90s, this was a baseball town. Then came the strike, then the great period of Tremendous Sucking,

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1107183090557320862005-01-31T09:50:00.000-05:002005-01-31T09:51:30.556-05:00

Sosa trade waiting approval.CHICAGO (AP) -- Sammy Sosa was once as popular a fixture at Wrigley Field as the ivy-covered brick walls and the ancient scoreboard hanging over the center field bleachers. Fans flocked to the neighborhood ball park to watch one of his majestic home runs, while other congregated in the streets to try and retrieve one of them. Now he's on his way out of Chicago. A

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1106921112692427542005-01-28T09:04:00.000-05:002005-01-28T12:14:07.650-05:00

Cry Me A River Build A Bridge And Get Over It.If you read the mainstream media, you’d get the impression that the players and their agents do little more than behave like pigs trying to find truffles, sniffing around looking for top dollar regardless of where it leads them and being willing to lie, connive, misrepresent, extort and manipulate their way to riches caring little of who is hurt along

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1106838695999332872005-01-27T10:10:00.000-05:002005-01-27T10:12:30.276-05:00

Larry Mahnken of the Replacement Level Yankees Weblog lost his home and most of his possessions in a fire earlier this week. Donations to help Larry can be made via his PayPal account (click the link on his homepage). Marlins sign Delgado. "A deep position just got deeper, as Delgado joins Jim Thome, Albert Pujols, Derrek Lee, Jeff Bagwell, and Todd Helton in the NL first base club. Some good

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1106319666021194472005-01-21T09:59:00.000-05:002005-01-21T15:46:51.706-05:00

Rocket top: Clemens gets record $18 million. (ESPN.com) A's trying to swap Byrnes for N.Y.'s Cameron.A team source confirmed Wednesday that the A's have made a formal trade offer that would send Byrnes to the New York Mets for outfielder Mike Cameron. Rumors involving the two clubs have bubbled since late last week, and a Mets team source told the New York Daily News that A's reliever Chad

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1106230388439101522005-01-20T09:09:00.000-05:002005-01-20T09:13:08.440-05:00

Future History: The Unique Arbitration Case of Roger Clemens. "First, based on what he has accomplished in 21 seasons at the Major League level, Clemens probably deserves to become the highest paid pitcher in the history of the game...There is, however, the other side of the equation. Should Clemens get paid based on what he will probably do next season? If so, the numbers look a bit different."

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1106140986544981742005-01-19T08:22:00.000-05:002005-01-19T16:25:12.566-05:00

$22 Meeeelion Dollars. "Roger Clemens agent, Dr. Evil, turned in his arbitration figure today of $22 million U.S. dollars. $22,000,000.00!...The odd thing is that Clemens figure is pretty justifiable, given the market, his accomplishments (and due to a quirk in the arb rules, he can argue his career values), and his current talent level." (All-Baseball.com) It's good to want things. "I find

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1106075237546452152005-01-18T14:06:00.000-05:002005-01-18T14:07:17.546-05:00

Desperate Househusbands: The 2005 NL West. "Yes, with all the elective surgery it performed, Arizona should look better this season - in a Nicolette Sheridan kind of way. (I’m not a fan of that show, but could you find a desperate housewife for each team in the division? San Diego as hot but misstep-prone Eva Longoria? The Dodgers as Teri Hatcher - the ditzy lead? But Felicity Huffman and Marcia

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1105708342772564842005-01-14T08:10:00.000-05:002005-02-01T15:11:01.416-05:00

Marlins and Lo Duca agree to $18 million, three-year deal. (Yahoo!) Extending Santana. "It is obvious that Santana is still holding a bit of a grudge. The danger is that the Twins have upset Santana to the point that he doesn't have an open mind in negotiations or, more likely, has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to things like signing up to stay with the team in the future. He could

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1105627211602716262005-01-13T09:39:00.000-05:002005-01-13T09:40:11.603-05:00

Shea is a Jay. "It's official: the Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Shea Hillenbrand from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Adam Peterson. Hillenbrand presumably becomes the Blue Jays' full-time DH, spelling Eric Hinske at 1B now and again. And except for a few million dollars that may or may not be spent in the next several weeks, that's your 2004-05 Blue Jays' off-season." (Batter's Box

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1105561862499511182005-01-12T15:29:00.000-05:002005-01-12T15:33:51.446-05:00

Updated Free Agency Rankings. The best (Adrian Beltre) and worst (Derek Lowe) contracts of this offseason. (U.S.S. Mariner) The Dodger Offseason: An Outsider’s Positive Review. Analysis by Mitchel Lichtman. "[Shawn Green] is barely an above average player anymore at either first or in the OF. He is only worth 3-4 mil per year. Didn’t the Dodgers save 6 or 8 mil by trading him and subsidizing

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1105454390169165302005-01-11T09:38:00.000-05:002005-01-11T09:39:50.170-05:00

Why Mets Overpaid For Beltran. Tim Marchman: "Statistics are imperfect, but it would be fairly accurate to say that Beltran is statistically worth about five or six wins above league-average right now. That puts him solidly among the 10 or 15 best players in baseball, in a class below Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Albert Pujols, but equal to the likes of Vladimir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada and

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1105364497475454642005-01-10T08:40:00.000-05:002005-01-10T08:41:37.476-05:00

Beltran to sign with Mets. Seven years, $119 million. (Boston Globe) Almost. "Omar Minaya, you are about to have almost regained my every confidence. And as soon as the doctors declare young Carlos fit for compensation and all the inks have properly dried, I will remove the subjunctive case from that phrase once and for all. With Beltran at the heart of the Mets order, competitiveness is sure

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1105109334267742632005-01-07T09:47:00.000-05:002005-01-07T09:56:55.266-05:00

Yankees, Johnson agree to extension.NEW YORK (AP) -- All that stands between Randy Johnson and the New York Yankees are a bunch of medical tests. The Big Unit and the Yankees reached a preliminary agreement Thursday on a $32 million, two-year contract extension, leaving only a physical as the final step needed to finish the drawn-out process of finalizing the trade Arizona and the Yankees

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1103556001294310712004-12-20T10:19:00.000-05:002005-01-07T09:50:28.583-05:00

A's trade Mulder to Cardinals for prospects.OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Oakland Athletics traded their second top starter in three days, sending left-hander Mark Mulder to the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday for a package of prospects. Mulder follows Tim Hudson out of town, leaving Barry Zito as the only remaining member of Oakland's vaunted "Big Three" pitchers. Hudson

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1103306712513064942004-12-17T13:04:00.000-05:002004-12-17T13:05:12.513-05:00

Beltre agrees to deal with Mariners. Five years, $64 million. (Yahoo!) Free Agent Wrap-Up: The Third Wave.Last month, I made the case that Adrian Beltre, and not Carlos Beltran, was this offseason's most desirable free agent once everything -- age, offense, defense, likely cost -- was factored in. Now that the terms Beltre ended up agreeing to are known, I am frankly amazed by how much of a

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1103204477312193682004-12-16T08:39:00.000-05:002004-12-16T11:06:20.746-05:00

Sexson agrees to $50 million contract with Seattle.SEATTLE (AP) -- The Seattle Mariners added power to one of the weakest lineups in baseball Wednesday, agreeing to a $50 million, four-year contract with free agent first baseman Richie Sexson. "This is first and foremost where I wanted to be," said Sexson, who is from Brush Prairie, Wash. "In the back of my mind, and for my family, we knew this

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1103117113660032682004-12-15T08:24:00.000-05:002004-12-15T13:42:05.320-05:00

Report: Renteria agrees to sign with Red Sox. Four years, $40 million. (Yahoo!) Angels agree to deal with Byrd, trade Ramon Ortiz to Reds. One year, $5 million for Byrd. (Yahoo!) The Winter Meetings: Notes from a Hotel Room in the Magic Kingdom. A report from Jay Jaffe. (Futility Infielder) The Winter Meetings: The Lobbyists. (Futility Infielder) The Winter Meetings: And So It Ends. (

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1103035225091972202004-12-14T09:38:00.000-05:002004-12-14T09:41:27.660-05:00

Pedro picks Mets over Red Sox, sides try to close deal.ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Pedro Martinez closed in on a four-year deal with the New York Mets, and the Boston Red Sox resigned themselves Monday to losing the three-time Cy Young Award winner. "He was a great member of the Red Sox team for seven years, and a certain Hall of Famer," Red Sox president Larry Lucchino told The Associated Press in

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1102953560206338882004-12-13T10:58:00.000-05:002004-12-13T11:00:37.010-05:00

Pavano picks Yankees; holdup on Wright deal. Four years, $39 million for Pavano. The Yankees are still evaluating Wright's physical exam. "'He was healthy for us,' Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz said, 'healthy as a horse.'" (Yahoo!) Red Sox, Wells reach agreement. Two years, $8 million guaranteed plus incentives. (Yahoo!) Koskie, Blue Jays reach preliminary agreement on $17

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1102693515537885062004-12-10T10:42:00.000-05:002004-12-10T10:45:15.536-05:00

Kent agrees to $17 million, two-year contract with Dodgers. (Yahoo!) Oracle Says: "Dodger Stadium will make Kent look like he's declining faster than he actually is, but he'll still be fine in LA. The Dodgers shouldn't look at this as a substitute to re-signing Beltre, but I think they realize that Kent shouldn't be the offensive centerpiece." (Baseball Think Factory) Angels to sign

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1102604435509747702004-12-09T09:58:00.000-05:002004-12-09T16:42:54.113-05:00

Glaus agrees to four-year deal with Diamondbacks. Four years, $45 million. (Yahoo!) Oracle Says: "Wow, I'm speechless. I've always liked Troy Glaus, but this is what you might pay for a healthy Troy Glaus, one with no questions about his position status, and a Troy Glaus that's fielding the hot corner like he did earlier in his career before shoulder and knee problems dropped his defensive

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1102517091656117952004-12-08T09:43:00.000-05:002004-12-08T09:44:51.656-05:00

Cubs re-sign Garciaparra and Walker, add Blanco. Nomar: 1 year, $8 million guaranteed. Walker: 1 year, $2.5 million with an option for 2006. Blanco: 2 years, $2.7 million. (Yahoo!) Transaction Oracle discussion of the Garciaparra signing. "I guess that deal offered by the Red Sox doesn't look so bad in hindsight. This deal will get Nomar $8 million so he doesn't starve while waiting for

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1102354499043607812004-12-06T13:33:00.000-05:002004-12-06T12:34:59.043-05:00

Yankees send Lofton to Phillies for Rodriguez, get Stanton from Mets.NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Yankees began reshaping their roster Friday, sending outfielder Kenny Lofton and more than $1.5 million to the Philadelphia Phillies for setup man Felix Rodriguez and also reacquiring Mike Stanton from the Mets. Stunned by Boston in the AL championship series, the Yankees are expected to make

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1102083740510716272004-12-03T09:21:00.000-05:002004-12-03T09:25:32.990-05:00

Report: Bonds admitted to using substances thought to be steroids.SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Barry Bonds testified to a grand jury that he used a clear substance and a cream given to him by a trainer who was indicted in a steroid-distribution ring, but said he didn't know they were steroids, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday. Bonds told the federal grand jury last year that Greg Anderson,

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1101998841086133822004-12-02T09:46:00.000-05:002004-12-02T09:47:21.086-05:00

Report: Giambi testified he used steroids, human growth hormone.SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi injected himself with human growth hormone in 2003 and also used steroids for at least three seasons, according to his grand jury testimony reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle. The testimony given in December 2003 to the federal grand jury investigating BALCO

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1101925489532529002004-12-01T13:23:00.000-05:002004-12-01T13:24:49.533-05:00

Benitez and Giants agree to $21.5 million, three-year deal. (Yahoo!) Prospectus Triple Play: Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets.Here at Rockies PTP headquarters, we're proud to bring you another Hypothetical Conversation About Vinny Castilla, this one between Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd and Eric Goldschmidt, Castilla's agent. GOLDSCHMIDT: Hi, Dan, it's Eric. Listen, I've got a

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1101829662996818222004-11-30T10:44:00.000-05:002004-11-30T10:57:27.153-05:00

Red Sox reach agreement with catcher Doug Mirabelli. Two years, $3 million. (Yahoo!) Miller's deal with Brewers is finalized.MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Catcher Damian Miller's $8.75 million, three-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers was finalized Monday after team doctors allayed concerns over his health. While the deal was agreed to last week and Miller took a physical Wednesday, the Brewers

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1101744061303305152004-11-29T11:00:00.000-05:002004-11-29T11:01:01.303-05:00

A's, Pirates officially complete Kendall trade.PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Jason Kendall was traded Saturday from Pittsburgh to Oakland, giving the Athletics one of baseball's best top-of-the-lineup hitters and most durable catchers and partly freeing the Pirates of their biggest financial burden. The Pirates get left-hander Mark Redman to stabilize their oft-shaky rotation and left-handed reliever

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1101306121775074532004-11-24T09:21:00.000-05:002004-11-24T09:22:01.776-05:00

Sammy Sosa- 5 Questions. "The biggest on-going story of this offseason for the Mets is the Sammy Sosa trade rumor. With that in mind, I decided to get some Cub experts to answer a few questions on the man every Met fan doesn't want in Shea to see if it would really be such a bad move. They are Christian Ruzich, Derek Smart and Alex Ciepley from the Cub Reporter, the best Cub blog out there.

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1101234702491099792004-11-23T13:30:00.000-05:002004-11-23T13:31:42.493-05:00

Of Fades, and Flops, and Zoilo. "There are Fades, and there are Flops. Each describes the circumstance of a player who demonstrates early career success, but then fails to sustain it. The Fade is the guy who year by year just recedes a little bit from his early glory, perhaps almost imperceptibly, until finally we realize that, at too young an age, he's just not the same player he once was, and

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1101130916326230792004-11-22T08:41:00.000-05:002004-11-22T10:20:35.176-05:00

Benson and Mets reach preliminary agreement on $22.5 million, three-year contract. (Yahoo!) Transaction Oracle discussion of the Benson deal. (Baseball Think Factory) Cubs agree to two-year deal with Rusch. (Yahoo!) Prediction: RJ will be a White Sox. "I expect Randy Johnson to be a White Sox by the end of the Winter Meetings in December. I also expect the Sox to be rather quiet after that

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1100884109710893622004-11-19T13:07:00.000-05:002004-11-19T15:58:07.846-05:00

Angels Trade Jose Guillen to Expos.NEW YORK - The Anaheim Angels (news) traded troubled outfielder Jose Guillen to the Washington-bound Expos for outfielder Juan Rivera and a prospect, The Associated Press learned Friday. Anaheim and Montreal scheduled conference calls but did not announce the subject. Details of the deal were described to the AP by a person close to Guillen, who spoke on the

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1100789409021282012004-11-18T09:49:00.000-05:002004-11-18T09:50:09.020-05:00

Closer Percival OKs $12M deal with Tigers. (Boston Globe) Transaction Oracle discussion of the Percival signing. (Baseball Think Factory) Under The Knife: Free Agents. "There's an important distinction to be made between health and risk. The two don't necessarily move in tandem with injury history, position, age and hundreds of other factors working to make health and risk something like

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1100703420443104992004-11-17T09:56:00.000-05:002004-11-17T16:20:23.223-05:00

Angelic Guerrero wins American League MVP. (ESPN.com) AL MVP voting. (ESPN.com) Washington-bound Expos find the money for Castilla, Guzman.WASHINGTON (AP) -- For a team without a budget, the Expos made a big early splash in free agency. In their first major moves since announcing their relocation to Washington, the Expos on Tuesday agreed to terms with third baseman Vinny Castilla and

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1100614668704941472004-11-16T09:17:00.000-05:002004-11-16T09:23:02.320-05:00

Bonds wins record seventh MVP award. (Yahoo!) Mets decline Leiter's option. He would have earned $10.2 million in 2005. He's now a free agent. (Yahoo!) Long Voyage Home. Roger Angell on the 2004 baseball season. (The New Yorker) Carlos Beltran Celebrity Poker. Some inside info on the offers that have been made. (Will Carroll Weblog) Prospectus Triple Play: Houston Astros, St. Louis

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1100529887277483802004-11-15T09:43:00.000-05:002004-11-17T16:21:40.146-05:00

Santana's success: Twins lefty is Venezuela's first Cy Young winner. (Yahoo!) Unanimously Johan. "The run he made during the final four months of the season is one of the greatest in the history of the sport. Since the start of June, Santana went 18-3 with a 1.50 ERA, including 13-0 with a 1.18 ERA after the All-Star break and a nearly unbelievable 5-0 with a 0.26 ERA in September. And all the

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1100095166861634762004-11-10T08:58:00.000-05:002004-11-10T14:44:37.333-05:00

Clemens wins record seventh Cy Young Award.NEW YORK (AP) -- Roger Clemens could have ended his career last year in the World Series, just like Sandy Koufax. Now, he might join Koufax as the only defending Cy Young Award winners to call it quits. As dominant as ever after reversing his decision to retire, the 42-year-old Rocket easily won his record seventh Cy Young on Tuesday -- first in the

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1100010737212203212004-11-09T09:31:00.000-05:002004-11-09T09:32:17.213-05:00

Rich’s Weekend Edmonds Beat. "While Carlos Beltran—who may be on the verge of signing a long-term contract for $100 million or more—is now all the rage, Edmonds has actually created more runs above average than his free agent counterpart every year since Carlos broke into the majors in 1998. I recognize that Beltran is seven years younger than Edmonds and arguably a more valuable property, but

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1099919972475976572004-11-08T08:18:00.001-05:002011-04-26T11:46:48.718-04:00

Maddux wins 14th Gold Glove; three Cardinals honored. (San Francisco Chronicle)Jeter, Wells win first Gold Gloves. (San Francisco Chronicle)"Gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect." "Well, before every gets up in arms, let me just say two things. First, yes, Jeter is not the most inspired choice. I would have gone with Tejada or Crosby. However, he isn’t a terrible choice. Jeter was

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1099413471186652412004-11-02T11:36:00.000-05:002004-11-02T11:41:34.656-05:00

Red Sox's pregame ritual: Jack Daniel's."It was one of those group team things, like shaving our heads last year," [Kevin] Millar told Fox. "What we had was one small Gatorade cup, with a little Jack Daniel's in it. We passed it around and everyone symbolically drank out of the same cup, because we are a team. It wasn't as if guys were drunk. Can you imagine Trot Nixon or Jason Varitek or Mike

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1099329887518238452004-11-01T13:23:00.000-05:002004-11-01T14:18:34.413-05:00

Red Sox leaders back Kerry in a triple-play appearance. Theo Epstein: "It's only been four years, but it sure feels like 86." (Boston Globe) The Yankees: Wha’appen? Part One. (All-Baseball.com) The Yankees: Wha’appen? Part Two. (All-Baseball.com) Postseason Post-Mortem.We’re narrative creatures, and as a species we tend to look for turning points, plot twists, smoking guns – even,

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1099063676103930972004-10-29T11:26:00.000-04:002004-10-29T11:30:39.293-04:00

Baseball's new OBP philosophy: will Cubs curse it or follow along? "The Cubs finished 11th in the NL in team on-base percentage. Despite a great starting-pitching rotation, they failed down the stretch largely because they didn't score runs, even against the bottom-feeding Mets and Reds. You can blame fatigue, but you also can blame bad approaches at the plate, including too much first-pitch

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1098971156345306442004-10-28T09:43:00.000-04:002004-10-28T09:49:35.023-04:00

YES!!! Red Sox complete sweep, win first Series since 1918. "En route to eight consecutive postseason wins, the Sons of Tito Francona simply destroyed a Cardinal team that won a major league-high 105 games in 2004. The Sox did not trail for a single inning of the four-game sweep. No Cardinal pitcher lasted more than six innings and St. Louis's vaunted row of sluggers was smothered by the likes

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1098891070404894862004-10-27T11:30:00.001-04:002004-10-27T16:15:02.523-04:00

Red Sox 4, Cardinals 1. Game 3 recap. (Yahoo!) Bedraggled. "I said before this series began that no matter what happens, we'll never forget this week as long as the Cardinals live. And sure enough, I'll remember that baserunning snafu by Jeff Suppan 'til the day I die. It's the touchstone for the entire series -- equal parts fluky and inept." (The Hardball Times) A Fond Farewell? "If that

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1098821428748638232004-10-26T16:09:00.000-04:002004-10-26T16:10:28.750-04:00

Red Sox 11, Cardinals 9. Game 1 recap. (Yahoo!) Sloppy Firsts. "Are these Sox hitters stubborn or what? They saw 190 pitches on the night, or 24 per inning. They just do not give away at-bats. Of course, it doesn't help that the Cards have almost no power pitchers on the staff, making for long ABs (and, at four hours, a very long game). St. Louis only struck out three guys on the night. With

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1098450098439773262004-10-22T09:01:00.000-04:002004-10-22T09:06:20.770-04:00

Rolen lifts Cardinals into World Series.ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The rollicking sea of red certainly helped. More than the hometown hootin' and hollerin', what really sent the St. Louis Cardinals charging into the World Series were the booming bats of MVP Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen. Desperate for a big hit against Roger Clemens, they delivered. Pujols lined a tying double, Rolen followed with a

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1098364201663768282004-10-21T09:06:00.000-04:002004-10-21T15:51:20.996-04:00

Comeback complete, Red Sox stun Yanks. "Just three outs from getting swept in the AL championship series three nights earlier, the Red Sox finally humbled the Evil Empire, winning Game 7 in a 10-3 shocker Wednesday night to become the first major league team to overcome a 3-0 postseason series deficit." (Yahoo!) Red Sox, since 1999, when facing elimination from the postseason:1999 ALDS vs.

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1098282647543118432004-10-20T10:29:00.000-04:002004-10-20T12:22:24.846-04:00

Schilling sends Sox to Game 7. Boston 4, New York 2. (ESPN.com) What Goes Around. "There is a sentiment that perhaps this is just a tease to Red Sox fans, get their hopes back up so that they can only get crushed again. Perhaps, but having already accepted defeat in this series, I would think most Boston fans are willing to accept their comeback coming up short. They won't be happy losing, but

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3231899.post-1098189744937095262004-10-19T08:38:00.000-04:002004-10-21T09:11:35.503-04:00

Ortiz does it again, Sox force Game 6. BOSTON (AP) -- David Ortiz lifted the ball into center field on the 471st pitch of the night, and for the second time in 22 1/2 hours, the Boston Red Sox poured out of their dugout to celebrate an improbable ending. With another game that seemed it would never end, Boston's season just won't end. Ortiz's RBI single off Esteban Loaiza with two outs in the

Pete Sommersnoreply@blogger.com0