EVIL~! alkeiper

Yanks, Vazquez close to 4 Year Deal Like I've been saying, Vazquez is one of the best pitchers around. Barring a complete meltdown, Yankee fans should be pleased with the results.

Steer away from Vinny Castilla. Ideal 3B would probably be Eric Chavez, or the Rangers pair, Mark Teixeira and Hank Blalock. Teixeira played 15 games at thrid, so he might be eligible depending on your league. At second, its Soriano all the way. Most fantasy leagues don't count walks or defense. They do count home runs and stolen bases.

Its $4 Million, but it could go up to $6 Million with incentives, if Gonzalez meets a games played requirement, from what I understand.

I can't see it as anything BUT good for the Royals. It's a one year deal, so no long term liability issues. Gonzalez has the potential to hit 40+ home runs in a year, and if he's injured the whole year, then the Royals are only back where they started. Roto fans take note, as KC has been a great park for hitters the last several seasons.

Gambling isn't the only crime. Basically, any outside attempt to fix the result of a game will get you banned as well. As for the first post, there aren't any rules against what Cobb and Ruth did (and baseball was full of those characters in their time). There ARE rules against gambling however. That's the issue with Rose.

I know that. Now, my lax moral code is kind of well known, but I don't have a problem with a manager betting for his team. I don't exactly see how that would effect his managerial performance, wherin he's supposed to do all that he can to win anyway. Obviously, betting against the team is a whole different ball game. Associating with gamblers is the problem, and a connection MLB tries hard to avoid. And here's a possible problem. A major league manager gets in deep debt with a bookie. What can he do to repay that debt? Maybe he's coerced into effecting a game or two. Then you have a problem. Its the association of gamblers and players/managers that's the problem.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/events/h...y2004/index.jsp With the HOF announcement coming Tuesday, I think this is a good time to discuss HOF candidates. Who are your picks. Here's mine, and why. Paul Molitor Of the 19 eligible players with 3,000 or more hits, not one of them is excluded from the Hall of Fame. With 3,319 hits, Molitor is in solid company. Goose Gossage If you are going to elect any relievers into the Hall, you have to start with Gossage. For ten years, he was the best relief pitcher in baseball. Gossage went nine years without posting an ERA above 3. Dennis Eckersley 197 career wins AND 390 career saves. Eckerlsey redefined the closer role, and pitched effectively into his 40s. The fact that no similar pitchers exist speaks volumes about his career. Ryne Sandberg Not only was Sandberg the best hitting second baseman of his day, he was also a perennial gold glove winner. Also stole 344 bases. Andre Dawson The Hall is loaded with outfielders, so why add Dawson? For starters, Dawson is one of the best power/speed players in history. He hit 438 home runs, gathered 2,774 hits, and stole 314 bases. Don't forget that he played center field for half of his career, and that he won several gold gloves while playing center. Alan Trammell Of all my picks, I suspect this one will take the most effort. The argument here is simple. Alan Trammell is superior to above half of the players currently in the Hall of Fame. I entered the career stats of all HOF shortstops into a spreadsheet, and computed the averages. Trammell works out just about even or above in all aspects. The average HOF SS has a career OPS of 758. Trammell's career OPS is 767. Quite simply, there's no excuse to excuse Trammell, given the established standards of the Hall of Fame. Bert Blyleven The popular pick among sabermetricians. Blyleven has 287 career wins. If he had 13 more, he'd be in already. Blyleven retired 3rd all time in strikeouts, and his three most similar comps (Don Sutton, Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins) are in the Hall of Fame. Blyleven was actually very similar to Don Drysdale, except Blyleven pitched after the age of 32.

That could be true. However, Selig never seemed the type capable of outsmarting someone.

I'm not sure the Veterans' Committee is likely to vote anyone in. If they don't, the HOF is sure to modify the process in a few years.

The problem is that football has unique situations from year to year. Some years, like 2 years ago with Miami, the old system was fine. Some years, like '94, a one game championship is ideal. And some years, like this one, a playoff series is ideal.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/base...opkins.obit.ap/ Paul Hopkins, believed to be the oldest major league player, dies at the age of 99. Hopkins made his debut in 1927, in the same game which Babe Ruth hit his record tying 59th home run. The new oldest living major leaguer is believed to be Ray Cunningham. Negro league star Ted "Double Duty" Radcliff is probably the oldest living ballplayer of any kind. Radcliff is 101 years old, and still kicking.

That's the exception rather than the rule. The seven other teams were either the ovrwhelming favorite going into the year or one of the team that was at least in the running. Well, other teams like the Royals, Expos, and Blue Jays performed better than expected. The point is that there are so many variables that anything can happen in a season.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylc=X3oD...ov=ap&type=lgns So now everyone expects that Rose will be let back in. I don't get it. If Rose really did bet on baseball, then the last thing that should happen is his reinstatement. Oh well. If this process takes its expected course, Rose would become eligible for the Hall. He would get one shot with the BBWAA, and if he doesn't make it then, he would need to get in through the veterans' committee, which consists of current Hall members. With over 4,000+ hits, Rose is a shoe-in for Hall inclusion on stats alone. The issue is the gambling, which WILL figure into his HOF chances. The writers will certainly take that into account. Rose would need 75% to forget all about the gambling. I'm not sure that'll happen. If and when it goes to the Vets, I'm happy letting them decide. If 75% of former players decide Rose is worthy, then I really can't argue with it.

What do you expect? Their best player is injured, and their backup is down as well. Gotta win with the D.

Its likely the Mets will miss out, but stranger things have happened. Who would've thought the Marlins would make the postseason last season (besides Mik)?

Sixers end the 13 game Spurs winning streak, in San Antonio and without Allen Iverson to boot. AI returns monday, and this should give the Sixers a real boost.

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?...11291074080.xml Mets sign Braden Looper to a two year contract worth $6.5 million. I think Looper will get past his postseason struggles, and even if he can't, the Mets are used to this kind of thing from their closers.

Sixers are giving the Spurs a run for their money.

It works. Mark sure you spell it correctly, and hit the I'm feeling lucky button.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/base...k.ap/index.html Yankees are close to signing Tony Clark. I don't see why they feel the need, with Fernando Seguignol already on the roster, and a better hitter to boot. Between Clark, Miguel Cairo, and Enrique Wilson, the Yankees seemed dedicated to not stocking any decent reserves this season.

The Pete Rose reinstatement issue is going to start making its rounds again soon. Rose has a book coming out next week, and there's been underground rumblings of a deal between Selig and Rose for nearly a year. Fay Vincent checks in with a letter in the NY Times.... http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/02/opinion/...&partner=GOOGLE

Aaron Boone did hit the ball once, in game 7 of the ALCS. It's funny, because for all the bellyaching about the Yankees offense in the World Series, the Marlins actually hit much worse (232/281/300). It only goes to show that you can't guarantee a victory. All you can do is stack the cards and hope for the best. As for Vazquez, he's no worse a risk to suck than Andy Pettitte.

I'm hesitant to trust someone without a real track record, pitching in the American League, and the Yankees for the first time. May God have mercy on his soul if he doesn't deliver. That's all there is to it. Luckily for him, he has three ways to be considered a success here. a) Be better than Clemens was b) Be better than Wells was. c) Be better than Pettitte was. 2003 Win Shares Vazquez 21 Clemens 15 Pettitte 15 Wells 14 Mussina 19 Rivera 18 Contreras 7 Weaver 2 Hammond 7 Osuna 4 I think Vazquez will work out just fine. Olympic Stadium has been killer on pitchers the last few years. A move to Yankees Stadium should improve Vazquez. The only thing that would derail him is injury, but he hasn't missed a start in 2-3 years.

I'm hesitant to trust someone without a real track record, pitching in the American League, and the Yankees for the first time. Three solid years isn't a track record? He's got great peripherals, good ERAs, and consider that he's pitched in a difficult environment for pitchers. I'd draft Vazquez in a heartbeat. Consider that he'll get killer run support this season.

Clever idea: Keep Guillen and don't sign Aurilia. Savings: $1.5 million