And So it Begins

[The Man in Blak 0]

Somehow, I think Czech's math works like this:

 

x errors for Tampa Bay < the error after the Bartman ball

 

where x is any number in the base-10 numbering system.

[Fuzzy Dunlop 0]

Bruiser, there's information regarding the "Believe" bracelets at Cubs.com. Apparently you can order them over the phone.

[Bored 0]

Okay this really has nothing to do with the offseason and only probably Al will care about this list but I didn't really think it was worth it's own thread. I've assembled the Top 100 players in total Win Shares while playing with the Oakland A's (just the Oakland club, not the Athletics franchise). This what they did with Oakland, not an assesment of a player's entire career. I broke ties by ranking the player with less playing time with the A's higher.

 

1. Rickey Henderson

2. Reggie Jackson

3. Mark McGwire

4. Sal Bando

5. Bert Campaneris

6. Jose Canseco

7. Jason Giambi

8. Dwayne Murphy

9. Carney Lansford

10. Terry Steinbach

11. Joe Rudi

12. Miguel Tejada

13. Vida Blue

14. Gene Tenace

15. Catfish Hunter

16. Eric Chavez

17. Dennis Eckersley

18. Tim Hudson

19. Rollie Fingers

20. Dave Henderson

21. Dave Stewart

22. Tony Phillips

23. Billy North

24. Wayne Gross

25. Rick Monday

26. Mike Davis

27. Barry Zito

28. Rick Langford

29. Mark Mulder

30. Dick Green

31. Tony Armas

32. Mike Bordick

33. Matt Stairs

34. Mitchell Page

35. Ken Holtzman

36. Bob Welch

37. Blue Moon Odom

38. Ramon Hernandez

39. Ben Grieve

40. Mike Heath

41. Steve McCatty

42. Terrence Long

43. Mike Norris

44. Geronimo Berroa

45. Mike Gallego

46. Paul Linblad

47. Mike Moore

48. Scott Brosius

49. Matt Keogh

50. Scott Hatteberg

51. Dave Revering

52. Walt Weiss

53. Stan Javier

54. Mike Esptein

55. Alfredo Griffin

56. Curt Young

57. Dave Kingman

58. Dave Duncan

59. Harold Baines

60. Diego Segui

61. Rick Honeycutt

62. Erubiel Durazo

63. Eric Byrnes

64. Ruben Sierra

65. Jermaine Dye

66. Bruce Bochte

67. Billy Taylor

68. Steve Ontiveros

69. Chuck Dobson

70. Davey Lopes

71. Caudell Washington

72. Jeff Newman

73. Brent Gates

74. Gene Nelson

75. Lance Blankenship

76. Mark Ellis

77. Phil Garner

78. Jim Essian

79. Luis Polonia

80. Gil Heredia

81. Frank Menechino

82. Jason Isringhausen

83. Scott Spiezio

84. Danny Cater

85. Randy Velarde

86. Bob Lacey

87. Kenny Rogers

88. Cory Lidle

89. Dave Parker

90. Don Baylor

91. Jeff Burroughs

92. Chad Bradford

93. Donnie Hill

94. Angel Mangual

95. Billy Williams

96. Ron Hassey

97. Todd Burns

98. Ron Darling

99. Mudcat Grant

100. Tom Underwood

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I actually did a top 50 list for the Phillies, and I might complete it someday. I'm debating whether to combine it with the Philadelphia Athletics, and then there's the question of whether I should get cute and include the Negro league Hillsdale club. Good times.

[Mik 0]

Did either of you guys (or anybody else) order Baseball Prospectus 2005? It comes out 2/22 I think.

[Fökai 0]

I was surprised to see that this bit of news on Magglio's contract went without discussion here in this folder.

 

This is probably vanilla frosting on a turd cupcake, but here's the clause:

 

The Tigers structured a contract for Ordonez that gives the team some protection if he is hampered by injuries, just as they did with Rodriguez.

 

The Tigers would have the right to void Ordonez's contract after the 2005 season if he has a recurrence of the left knee injury that limited his production with the Chicago White Sox for most of last year and if the reoccurrence lands him on the disabled list for 25 days or more.

[Brett Favre 0]

Great job by the Tigers. They overpayed a bit anyway, but this is good.

[Bored 0]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...BAGS3B7U761.DTL

A's sale: A birdie tells us that the sale price for the Oakland A's is $170 million -- or about twice what the current owners, Steve Schott and Ken Hofmann, paid for the team nine years ago.

 

That works out to roughly a $10 million profit for every year they've owned the ballclub -- not a bad rate of return.

 

Incidentally, a source close to the team says only two buyers were listed in the ownership change application submitted to Major League Baseball -- Los Angeles developer/deal maker Lew Wolff and John Fisher, son of Gap founder Donald Fisher and an executive of the Pisces Group, the family's investment company.

 

Nobody's saying just yet who will own what percentage of the team, or which new investors might be added to the ownership group. But as one A's insider put it, "Mr. Wolff is really the (investment manager) guy, and has nowhere near the wealth of the Fisher family.''

 

No kidding. Forbes Magazine recently listed John Fisher as the 165th wealthiest American -- worth $1.5 billion.

If the A's get a new park we now know what corporate sponsor will get the naming rights. Hopefully they won't change to fleece uniforms.

[strummer 0]

Mets sign Jose Rosado to a MLC as a gift to Carlos Beltran, who is best friends with Rosado. Here we go again with politics. Only a minor deal, but politics have hurt the Mets in the past, Joe McEwing anybody? Thanks Franco and Leiter for getting "Super" Joe an extension.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

Reggie Jackson along with an investment group tried buying the Athletics and were denied. They offered $25mill more and were turned down as Schott said he had already come to an agreement with Hoffman. Apparently Reggie Jackson might sue.

 

"I offered more! Gimme, gimme, gimme! "

[Precious Roy 0]

If the A's get a new park we now know what corporate sponsor will get the naming rights. Hopefully they won't change to fleece uniforms.

 

Oh god, here come the giant Sara Jessica Parker billboards in the gaps of the outfield

 

A's announcer: "He hit that one to the Gap! Where fleece pullovers are only 19.95!"

[MrRant 0]

Mariners interested in Mexican right-hander

 

By JOHN HICKEY

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

 

The Mariners are interested in adding one more bit of pitching, even with the reporting day for pitchers and catchers just a week away.

 

Jorge Campillo, who starred for Mexico in the Caribbean World Series after dominating the country's winter league, got favorable reports from Mariners scouts at the series, which finished up over the weekend.

 

As a result, the Mariners are in discussions about adding the right-hander to their stable of pitchers. The Mariners will have their pitchers and catchers report for spring training next Wednesday in Peoria, Ariz., with the first workout to take place the next day.

 

There were suggestions on the Internet yesterday that Seattle had signed Campillo, 26, but club sources said that hadn't happened. It seems there will be competition as Detroit has also made overtures to the right-hander.

 

For his part, Campillo seems eager to leave Mexico and head north.

 

"I'm working hard to make it to the major leagues," Campillo said last week after his final start in the Caribbean Series, eight innings in a 4-0 victory over Puerto Rico in which he didn't allow more than one base runner in any inning.

 

"I don't know if I am good enough yet, but that's what I dream about."

 

Campillo was just a .500 pitcher (5-5 with a 5.38 earned-run average) for the Aragua Tigers during the summer in Mexico.

 

But as the weather cooled, he got hot.

 

Campillo won his first 10 starts for Culiacan in the Mexican Pacific League and finished with a 10-1 record and a 2.05 ERA.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Reggie Jackson along with an investment group tried buying the Athletics and were denied. They offered $25mill more and were turned down as Schott said he had already come to an agreement with Hoffman. Apparently Reggie Jackson might sue.

 

"I offered more! Gimme, gimme, gimme! "

Thank god. Reggie owning the Athletics would have been an utter disaster.

[MikeJordan23 0]

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins and American League Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana avoided arbitration Monday after reaching an agreement on a new four-year contract through the 2008 season.

The deal is pending until Santana takes a physical later Monday. Terms of the contract were not immediately known.

 

"It gives me the security that we want," Santana said from Fort Myers, Fla. "But also you feel more comfortable that you're going to be with the team for a few more years. That's what I've been looking for."

 

Santana was 20-6 with an AL-leading 2.61 ERA in 2004, including a dominating 13-0 mark and 1.21 ERA after the All-Star break. He also led the league with 265 strikeouts and was unanimously elected to receive the Cy Young Award.

 

The 25-year-old pitcher, who made $1.6 million last season after losing his arbitration case, was scheduled to return to arbitration against the club Tuesday.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Huge huge signing. Give credit where credits too Pohlad does pay his best players.

[Brett Favre 0]

Am I getting this right? Did he sign for about 6 million a year? Is Santana thinking straight!?

[Vern Gagne 0]

No 4 years between 37-42 million.

[Brett Favre 0]

No 4 years between 37-42 million.

Ohh. Where'd you get that info? I saw on ESPN.com that he asked for 6.8 million. Maybe i'm just pissed that I won't see him in a Yankee uniform till he's 34.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Local reports are saying it's in that range. They broke the story initially so I'll take their word on it.

[Brett Favre 0]

I just saw it on rotoworld.com. Had he had an injury free year, he could've signed for a few million more.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I think the contract will increase from year to year. 6 million to 8 million and so on.

[MikeJordan23 0]

No 4 years between 37-42 million.

Maybe i'm just pissed that I won't see him in a Yankee uniform till he's 34.

Now you know why people hate the Yankees?

[strummer 0]

Mets sign Todd Van Poppel to a minor league deal

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

Santana's contract covers his last 2 arb years and his first 2 free agent years. So 4/40 in this case is more like 2/25-ish. Still a great deal, by the way.

[Guest Smues]

Glad to see Johan get the money he deserves.

 

On an unrelated note XM's 24-hour MLB station starts tommorow. Huzzah.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I'll miss the start-up of the XM channel unfortunately, but I get to tune in starting Tuesday night. Larry Bowa will host the morning show.

 

As for Johan Santana, this is a HUGE, huge signing. Congrats to the "small market" Twins, who have somehow managed to re-sign two of the AL's five best starters (based on last year's Win Shares) in a single offseason.

[Precious Roy 0]

IMO the Twins HAVE to win a championship in the next couple years to avoid being branded one of the biggest chokers of all-time, right along with the Braves. They go to the playoffs every year and never get it done, and right now they have everything in place to win, great pitching, veteran talent, blue chip talent, a highly regarded manager, etc. etc.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Yeah but nobody has any expectations for the Twins, so the choker label isn't the same as the Braves, or now, the Yankees.

[Precious Roy 0]

That's not entirely true, people certainly have high expectations for the Twins, they're perennial favorites in that division and many "experts" picked them to beat NY in the playoffs last year. They certainly have the pedigree and experience to be considered a favorite, especially when teams like Florida and Anaheim are able to win.

 

But agreed on the Yankees, with the money they spend anything less than a WS appearance has to be considered a disapointment for them, and even that isn't enough for most people.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Get out of the LDS, and we'll go on from there. 2 straight years against the Yankees. that almost mirrored each other is old.