The 2008 MLB Offseason Thread

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

That would be a loss for the Brewers no doubt. Uecker is excellent, but he's also about to turn 74.

[Gert T 0]

The only game I remember from Cards-Astros is the Pujols game.

 

Games 1, 2, 4-6 of the 04 ALCS are great. For emotion, Mets v. Braves after 9/11 is fantastic.

 

There's that Cleveland-Seattle game where one of them came back from 12 runs down.

Game six of the 2004 NLCS. Astros tie the game in the ninth, Cards win in the 12th on Edmonds' home run. The win forced game seven for the Cards. Also game five was a scoreless game until Jeff Kent's three run walkoff in the bottom of the ninth.

 

Here's the Mariners/Indians game.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CL...200108050.shtml

 

 

That was my first year of teaching and I hadn't mastered the art of getting off of the phone with parents. I am ashamed how many swears I missed out on celebrating that Edmonds HR. Nothing in the Cards run of 06 could touch the intensity of that game. The funny part was I was rooting for the Cardinals to just not give up a run because I knew Lidge was untouchable.

 

 

[garfieldsnose 0]

I'm talking about 2001, when seeing the Yankees get theirs was so sweet, especially given they had won 4 out of their last 5.

 

In the documentary, it was hilarious hearing people talk about the Yankees really deserved this one and had to win....when they just had won the previous three! While the Boston collapse is great, nothing will top Bottom of the 9th Game 7 2001. Seeing it again in a documentary was great

 

 

Yeah it's hilarious to hear people wanting to see their hometown team win a World Series in the city of 9/11. You forgot that alot of the people who went to the games and were being interviewed lost a relative, friend, coworker, neighbor etc on 9/11. You forgot that millions of people were able to get their minds off of real life during the Yankees run in 2001. That was a healing/coping treat for a majority of NYC. Yeah it's real hilarious for tens of thousands of people who had someone close to them be murdered to find a little solitude in baseball. I had almost 15 people from my hometown including a girl I went to high school with and a Police Officer die on 9/11.

 

I am going to go watch my 96 and 99 World Series highlight videos and laugh at the Braves. I am going to laugh at the hillbilly redneck retard who says before game five that Smoltz is gonna win. I am going to laugh at Ken Merker giving up the game winning homerun to Chad Curtis in game 3 of 99.

 

 

 

Also, feel free to watch Mercker give up the home run, since it wasn't him on the mound. I think you would know that.

 

Mike Remlinger, my apologies. I am going to watch game 4 of the 96 Series afterwards. I don't know what I find more hilarious, the fact that the braves blew a 6 run lead at home or the fact that Klesko lost the ball in the lights to allow the Yankees to score the 8th run.

 

Holy shit, could you be any more of a bitch? I hate when people get so defensive and then they try to come back with something they think will hurt another person's feelings. Just take bob's point and shut the fuck up. Just because some people didn't want the Yankees to win the fucking WS for the 4th year in a row doesn't mean they're bad people. All due respect, nobody wants to hear who you lost on 9/11, and people wanting the Yankees to win just because of that are just fake. And anyways, the Yankees had their magic in that WS with Jeter's and Brosius's homers, and at home, so I think that would be more important than losing in seven games. That team gave that city as much as they could, and just because they lost and people were happy about it doesn't mean they don't have a heart. Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, and others on that Diamondbacks team deserved a WS ring more than anyone who was on the Yanks.

 

[Bored 0]

As for great games of the '00s, how about The As-Royal game in '02 where The A's blew an 11-0 lead but then Scott Hatteberg hit a walkoff home run in the 9th to give them their twentieth win in a row?

 

Atheltics/Royals (9-4-02)

Clip of Hatteberg's home run

 

I was at that game and it went from being the worst game I'd ever been to the best with one swing. I just about near threw up when the Royals tied the game. It was absolutely inconceivable for a team that had won 19 games in a row to blow an 11 run lead to any team, let alone the Royals. There's a great chapter in Moneyball with a detailed account of the game.

[bob_barron 0]

I am going to watch game 4 of the 96 Series afterwards. I don't know what I find more hilarious, the fact that the braves blew a 6 run lead at home or the fact that Klesko lost the ball in the lights to allow the Yankees to score the 8th run.

 

Feel free to keep living in the past, celebrating the home run of a roided up killer.

 

That team gave that city as much as they could, and just because they lost and people were happy about it doesn't mean they don't have a heart. Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, and others on that Diamondbacks team deserved a WS ring more than anyone who was on the Yanks.

 

Especially given how they dominated the entire series. Bob Brenly really backed into that one.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

It's funny that you told someone to stop living in the past, when in fact that's exactly what you're doing on the opposing side.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3840342

 

Phillies sign Cole Hamels to a 3 year 20.5 million dollar contract.

[bob_barron 0]

It's funny that you told someone to stop living in the past, when in fact that's exactly what you're doing on the opposing side.

 

I just made a simple off hand comment about enjoying Nine Innings from Ground Zero.

 

Is YKRG watching Elston Howard's game winning single from the 1958 World Series?

[Guest Smues]

ALCS 2004 game 4 is on ESPN Classic tonight at 8pm EST for those interested, since there's been some recent discussion of that series. Was that the game that A-rod chopped the ball away, or was that game 5?

[bob_barron 0]

It was game 6.

[Guest Smues]

Aha.

 

And for us Braves fans the Monday 8 EST baseball game this week on ESPN classic is 1992 NLCS game 7. Huzzah for that, I can get a cleaner copy of it than I have.

[bob_barron 0]

Seriously? I'm DVRing that for sure. Also, MLB Network is showing Baseball Seasons: 1995.

 

I've seen the 1992 LCS game a bunch of times, I love how they cut to the bar in Pittsburgh at the end. I prefer Skip Caray's call to the CBS call. Ditto when the Braves won the World Series, as Bob Costas sounds like he's happy it's over, so he can go on vacation.

[Guest Smues]

Yeah the Braves feed call was tons better BRAVES WIN BRAVES WIN BRAVES WIN, but I'll take what I can get. What I for some reason always remember is some big fat guy in a pink t-shirt they show in the crowd after the win.

 

Last week in that time slot was 1991 WS game 7, next week is 1993 WS game 6, so if they keep tot hat pattern we may get WS 1995 game 6 in a few weeks if we're lucky.

[bob_barron 0]

I used to check what ESPN Classic was showing for a while, but then they stopped showing games and it seemed like it was WSOP, Cheap Seats and the AWA.

 

I think I've seen 1995 Game 6 since it happened, but let us know if they rerun it.

[RepoMan 0]

I share Bob's feelings about the 2001 Yankees. I felt like the terrorists won when Sox fans showed up to Fenway with "We are all New Yorkers" signs.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The Cubs dealt Felix Pie to the Orioles for Garrett Olson and another minor leaguer. Pie is a good pickup for the O's, though they already have a good young center fielder in Adam Jones. Garrett Olson could turn out to be a John Maine type starter.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

And the Os are on the verge of locking up Markakis to a long term deal.

 

Pie/Jones/Markakis long term OF will be nice...

 

now if they could only find some pitching somewhere..maybe by trading Scott now that he's no longer needed. They arent getting very far with

 

Guthrie

Uehara

Hendrickson

?

?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Scott will not net the Orioles a significant pitcher. The Orioles have to hope that their improved defense gives their pitching a boost, and that their good young pitching prospects continue to develop.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

You know, I totally forgot that Adam Jones came up as a SS. He probably wasn't that good there, necessitating the move to the outfield, but that could be a good outside-the-box solution for the Orioles. Shift Jones to SS (where they need a long-term solution anyways) and then use Scott/Pie/Markakis as the outfield. Huff can DH and Millar could come back as the first baseman.

 

All things considered, it might be the best use of their talent. Jones could probably hit well enough to cover his defensive deficiencies from the position change. It might even be a net positive by getting Huff off the field and Pie in his natural position.

 

In other Orioles news, they acquired SP David Pauley from the Boston Red Sox for former Rule 5 pick Randor Bierd. Pauley's got a mediocre fastball, but enough control to probably eat up some innings at the back end of their rotation.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

More Orioles stuff:

 

Markakis signs $66 million extension

 

MacPhail is really making all the right moves in Baltimore. It's a shame that they play in the AL East. I still have them finishing dead last in the division, but they could be competitive somewhere else.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Checking past Prospect Handbooks, BA writes that Adam Jones was moved because of Yuniesky Betancourt. Of course, he's also blossomed to a potential gold glover there whereas he was just average as a shortstop. I wouldn't pull the trigger on it, I think it would be harmful to change Jones' position yet again.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Oh, Jim Hendry. Another former untouchable dealt for pennies on the dollar.

[Bored 0]

WBC provisional rosters are out and a link with a breakdown of how many players from each MLB team who might be participating so you'll know who to be nervous about getting injured from your favorite team.

 

We'll definitely have a thread for the tournament which begins March 5th. It's still hard to take it all that seriously though with the huge rosters that are half made up of pitchers due to their pitch count restrictions.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I heard that the Cubs would use Olson in a trade for Peavy since the Padres really love Olson. The Os could have traded Olson for Greene straight up but didnt because he's a FA after this upcoming season.

 

 

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I still don't think Peavy will get traded at this point. I think if he was leaving, it would have gotten done by now.

[CanadianChris 0]

WBC provisional rosters are out and a link with a breakdown of how many players from each MLB team who might be participating so you'll know who to be nervous about getting injured from your favorite team.

 

We'll definitely have a thread for the tournament which begins March 5th. It's still hard to take it all that seriously though with the huge rosters that are half made up of pitchers due to their pitch count restrictions.

I have tickets to the Canada/USA game on March 7. It may be the only baseball game I'll see in person all year.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I still don't think Peavy will get traded at this point. I think if he was leaving, it would have gotten done by now.

 

Follow up from MLBTR:

 

According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres have a meager $40MM budget for players this year. They're projecting to be about $4-5MM over, and they'll probably have to trade Jake Peavy and/or Brian Giles at some point to meet the target. Both players have full no-trade rights.

 

It could be risky to wait on a Peavy trade, since an injury can happen anytime and he might pitch in the WBC. If the new Cubs ownership group will approve Peavy's addition to the 2010 budget, trade talks could reignite (hasn't happened yet). I don't see why Opening Day has to be the arbitrary deadline to trade Peavy - maybe we'll see a rare April blockbuster if the Padres and Cubs' ownership situations necessitate it. Regarding the Felix Pie-Garrett Olson trade as a precursor, Padres CEO Sandy Alderson says too much is being made of it.

 

 

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Adrian Gonzalez is the only player making more than $5 million on the Padres that doesnt have a no trade clause and he isn't a free agent until after 2011.

If I thought the Os had a package of players that could get him Id be all over it, he would absolutely mash the ball in OPACY.

 

 

 

[devo 0]

Mets signed journeyman Cory Sullivan today, continuing their baffling tradition of stockpiling as many backup outfielders as possible. Including Nick Evans and Daniel Murphy the team had six outfielders before this signing (I think). Very strange.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The Red Sox avoided arbitration with Jonathon Papelbon by signing him to a one-year, $6.25 million contract. That is the largest deal ever for a pitcher, starter or reliever, in their first year of arb. In fact, it will be the third largest first-year contract in history after Miggy Cabrera in 2007 and Ryan Howard in 2008.