February 2009 - Posts
Each time I began this blog, new information leaked on the Manny Ramirez situation. Analysis from talking heads overnight, and early this morning, is already dated.
The latest from the Scott Boras Circus: Boras leaked through his mouthpiece that Ramirez would accept the Dodgers' offer, but without any of the money being deferred. The agent even sent a letter of agreement to the Dodgers, accepting the offer presented by the team to the media, with no mention of deferred money.
CONTINUED >>
Andy MacPhail had a plan from the start. He had been offered a handful of attractive baseball jobs after his departure from the Cubs. But he chose Baltimore, the team of his youth, the team once run by his father, but now a team whose perception with a loyal fan base had bottomed out.
MacPhail stepped in as the team president. Owner Peter Angelos would stay in the background, and allow MacPhail to be the public face of the Orioles.
MacPhail's plan: speed and defense. The Orioles had a failed record of spending in an attempt to match the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East. They still can't, evidenced by their futile pursuit of Mark Teixeira, a Maryland native.
CONTINUED >>
They have never been good at the same time, or for any extended period of time. Thus, the Mets and Phillies have never been real rivals.
Odd because their stadiums are 100 miles apart, closer than Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium, and the teams have had almost 50 years to breed some solid contempt for each other.
Finally, it seems that contempt has been born, courtesy of today's generation of players bred on talking smack, and not taking it personally when they are the targets.
CONTINUED >>
The statement by the Dubai Tennis Championships to explain why there was a last-minute visa denial for Israeli player Shahar Peer cited security fears because of potential fan anger at Israel’s recent incursions into the Gaza Strip.
The outrage was immediate, but it was too late. The impact was quickly felt, but there is no guarantee the problem is solved.
In all, it was a bad week for the Women’s Tennis Association. No doubt the WTA was shafted by overtly fraudulent behavior from the United Arab Emirates. The WTA is like all professional sports in that cash is king. And long ago, it sold out to Dubai and the like.
CONTINUED >>
As spring training camps open, in the spirit of impending March Madness, here are my early seedings of the National League teams -- not by division, but by overall strength.
No. 1 seeds:
PHILLIES: They earn the top spot as defending World Champions. Placing Raul Ibanez in left field for Pat Burrell should not hurt, although Burrell's offense was underrated.
Reason for optimism: Chase Utley's strong recovery from hip surgery. Thoughts are that he could play in spring games by mid-March.
CONTINUED >>
Six swings to start the week:
1. WILL NOLAN RYAN…finally develop pitching in Texas? After another abysmal performance from the mound by his club in 2008, the team president of the Rangers went to the instructional league to work with 31 pitching prospects.
His beliefs: More live batting practice for the pitchers, more sprinting, and thankfully, expanding pitch limits. Ryan is not for abandoning the pitch limits that most organizations cherish, but rather tailoring the numbers for individual pitchers. The chorus of cheers heard loudly is from former pitchers, who have been dismayed at the deteriorating standards of their position.
CONTINUED >>
The Mariners are talking about a second marriage with free agent Ken Griffey Jr. in a nostalgia-based scenario. While Griffey said Thursday he really doesn’t know what he’s doing this season, his agent Brian Goldberg, acknowledged there are ongoing discussions with Seattle. A one-year, incentive-laden deal could be finalized soon.
CONTINUED >>
With the start of spring training just around the corner, here’s a scorecard on some clubs that have left me wondering about their approach to the coming season.
ANGELS: They lost Mark Teixeira, the bat they hoped would make a difference in October. Kendry Morales, a Cuban defector who has a career .245 average in 377 major-league at bats, will get a shot at first base. The Angels say he is ready, especially after hitting .341 in Triple-A last season and .404 in the Dominican league this winter.
Also gone is Garret Anderson, a veteran run producer. Juan Rivera was re-signed to a three-year, $12.75 million contract and figures to get a lot of playing time between left field and designated hitter.
CONTINUED >>
We have a new rite of February: baseball as a punching bag. The sport sits above a dunk tank and lets every critic take free shots.
Just as the calendar turned to the first of the month, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said her "preliminary thoughts" were to exclude from trial three 2000-2001 positive drug tests that prosecutors say belong to Barry Bonds unless there is a direct link that the urine samples came from the former San Francisco Giants slugger.
A U.S. District Judge will rule on the tests' admissibility but that doesn't stop the media voices from spouting. A San Francisco columnist devoted an entire piece to the injustice suffered by Bonds if these tests were allowed to proceed in trial. It's hard to imagine a U.S. District Judge finding amusement in a lecture from a sportswriter about the law.
CONTINUED >>
Based on the bolstering of their bullpen this offseason are the Mets now the NL East favorites? Such a proposition is essentially New York-centric. The defending World Champion Phillies reside in the same division and they return their roster virtually intact (the lone question being Chase Utley’s health).
Florida stockpiles young talent. Atlanta is unsettled after an offseason in which the Braves whiffed on their biggest targets (Jake Peavy and Rafael Furcal) and Washington is simply a mess.
Where do the Mets find cause for hope? Optimists would say they addressed their biggest weakness. Adding closer Francisco Rodriguez and set-up man J.J. Putz should solidify the final innings. Mets fans must hope Jerry Manuel proves himself a manager concerned with the care and handling of his bullpen. Last year’s stretch run exposed him as a manager who tossed relievers aside like spent cartridges, a disposable approach that bred a disposable attitude among the relief corps.
CONTINUED >>
In the aftermath of Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open victory has come the anticipated analysis of the balance of power in tennis. And the place, both present and future, in which Roger Federer belongs.
There are 2 questions:
1) Is Federer the best player of all-time?
2) Is Federer done as a top threat to win majors? Which can be rephrased -- will he break Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams? Federer has 13.
CONTINUED >>
Five baseball questions obscured by the Super Bowl weekend:
1. CAN MANNY RAMIREZ REALLY BECOME A GIANT? I noticed over the weekend that Larry Baer, recently elevated to Giants President, was quoted, for the first time in my memory on Manny Ramriez. Why is that important? Baer is the man most responsible for Barry Bonds’ lengthy tenure with the Giants. Baer believes in star power. He believes in the marquee and the importance of having a name to highlight in bright lights. Tim Lincecum can’t be the one -- a starter only plays in 15 of the 81 home games. It must be a position player and Ramirez makes sense in many ways for the Giants.
The dollars are an issue as the Giants are still buried under several unwieldy long-term deals (Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand). Here’s what I noticed: the Giants have $33 million in contracts coming off their books next fall (Randy Winn, Dave Roberts, Bengie Molina, Noah Lowry and Randy Johnson. And what If they hadn’t signed Edgar Renteria to a puzzling two-year deal?
CONTINUED >>
