Spring Training 2009

[geniusMoment 0]

Micah Owings had 4 scoreless innings today, God I'm so glad we got him from AZ.

 

And Bailey's coming around, I expect to see Owings get the 5th spot, but Bailey won't be too far behind.

Yeah, the Reds are in an unusual spot for them. They have: Harang, Volquez, Arroyo, Cueto, Owings and Bailey. With how both Bailey and Owings look it's going to be a very tough decision.

[DMann2003 0]

Yeah, the Reds are in an unusual spot for them. They have: Harang, Volquez, Arroyo, Cueto, Owings and Bailey. With how both Bailey and Owings look it's going to be a very tough decision.

 

That's not a bad tough decision to have, all things considered

 

I think they can have a winning season this year, probably not make the post season, but 84-85 wins certainly possible.

[Guest Czech please!]

If the World Baseball Classic does the job you guys say it is meant to do, i.e. develop more top-flight talent around the world, then there should be enough major-caliber players in the next seven to ten years, right? Maybe things with Cuba will get better and we can fully unlock that vault. I think the more pressing dilemma is not finding quality players, but finding a place to put them. As we're seeing with the Washington Nationals, the map is kinda set.

[KingPK 0]

The Sox signed Jon Lester to a 5 year deal worth $30M with a team option for a sixth year. I think that means they've locked up most of the younger nucleus to long-term deals, which is fabulous.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The Sox signed Jon Lester to a 5 year deal worth $30M with a team option for a sixth year. I think that means they've locked up most of the younger nucleus to long-term deals, which is fabulous.

That's the largest contract ever given to a pitcher with two years of service time. It more than doubles what Fausto Carmona got last year. I don't think there's anything wrong with locking up young players, but I'd rather go year-to-year with pitchers like Lester and Papelbon. A team like the Red Sox, with all their financial muscle, can afford to pay market prices for their players while minimizing the risk of a flameout. Then again, I don't run a baseball team, so maybe I don't know anything.

 

Speaking of pitching contracts, I did like this bit I found in Gammon's newest:

 

So as the Red Sox prepare to sign Lester for five years and $30 million, they will pay Beckett, Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, John Smoltz, Brad Penny and Clay Buchholz less than $36 million this season. Compare that figure with what the New York Yankees are paying two of their pitchers. If you include two $3 million bonuses CC Sabathia will receive during the 2009 season, Sabathia and A.J. Burnett will make $36.5 million. Boston has 2009 obligations to Beckett, Lester and Matsuzaka for $21 million.

 

[Brett Favre 0]

Beckett and Matsuzaka aren't in their last big pay contract.

[Fuzzy Dunlop 0]

I just found out I'm working in Chicago Cubs crowd control!

 

...pending training and registration and stuff.

[Guest Czech please!]

Cool! Toss a bro for me.

[Fuzzy Dunlop 0]

I plan to, definitely. I talked a little bit about this a few weeks ago in the "things that amuse me or please me" thread, but the best part so far is that I was in the Cubs weight room for my first interview, and in the clubhouse for the group interview. There's a guy on the NSBB board who's been extremely helpful.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Does the Cubs' weight room have big ol' medicine balls and those huge triangular weights?

[Fuzzy Dunlop 0]

I didn't notice the triangular weights, but I did see a rack of medicine balls. I'm going back tomorrow to register, get my picture taken, and all that stuff, and then training starts March 28th.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

The Mets released Duaner Sanchez. Who knows how things would have turned out for them if Duaner didn't get into a car accident at 2 a.m. to get some food.

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Steve Phillips thinks Pedro deserves to be on a major league roster based off of the WBC. Someone should tell Steve that Pedro wants a 1 year major league contract and a player option for next year. The only team interested in Pedro that I know of are the Mets who offered a minor league deal.

[the max 0]

That would require Steve doing research. Everyone knows he can't stop blinking long enough to look anything up.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basebal...ticleid=1158028

 

Jonathan Papelbon minced few words about the dark, final days of Manny Ramirez’ tenure with the Red Sox in an interview in the April issue of Esquire magazine.

 

Papelbon described Ramirez as a “cancer.”

 

“It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that’s exactly what was happening,” Papelbon told Esquire. “Once we saw that, we weren’t afraid to get rid of him. It’s like cancer. That’s what he was. Cancer. He had to go. It (stunk), but that was the only scenario that was going to work. That was it for us.”

 

 

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

I wish I had a cancer on my team who hits .300 slugs .600 and year in and year out hit 35 HR's and 120 RBI's. Lets also not forget that he upped his game 10fold in the playoffs all of the time. Manny is a huge reason why Papelbon has a World Series ring on his finger.

[Guest Smues]

Funny, I would have thought that Jon Lester was the one bringing cancer to the locker room.

 

Too soon?

[YourKock'sReallyGreat 0]

Rimshot!

[UZI Suicide 0]

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basebal...ticleid=1158028

 

Jonathan Papelbon minced few words about the dark, final days of Manny Ramirez’ tenure with the Red Sox in an interview in the April issue of Esquire magazine.

 

Papelbon described Ramirez as a “cancer.”

 

“It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that’s exactly what was happening,” Papelbon told Esquire. “Once we saw that, we weren’t afraid to get rid of him. It’s like cancer. That’s what he was. Cancer. He had to go. It (stunk), but that was the only scenario that was going to work. That was it for us.”

 

[Cartman 0]

I wish I had a cancer on my team who hits .300 slugs .600 and year in and year out hit 35 HR's and 120 RBI's. Lets also not forget that he upped his game 10fold in the playoffs all of the time. Manny is a huge reason why Papelbon has a World Series ring on his finger.

 

 

That's only when he wants to actually try. Over the years he got by because he always produced despite being a tool. Last season he blatantly stopped trying so the team would trade him. How would that NOT piss off his teammates?

[Boon 0]

I'm surprised it took Papelbon this long to shoot his mouth off. My favorite part of that article is this:

Nobody is ever going to be allowed to do that. Even a guy like me, just heading into my fourth year in the big leagues - if David Ortiz gets a little, you know - I’ll tell him what’s up! I’m not afraid to do that. I’m not afraid to put him in his place, because I think everybody needs that.

 

And if somebody does it to me, I understand that. I most certainly understand that. Varitek tells me all the time, ‘Just shut up. Do what you’re supposed to do.’

I wish he'd listen to Varitek some more.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Pudge signed a one-year deal with the Houston Astros ($1.5 million base with $1.5 in incentives.)

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3985628

[Fuzzy Dunlop 0]

The Cubs are retiring the No. 31 in honor of Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux.

 

The ceremony will be done on Sunday, May 3 before the Cubs host the Florida Marlins.

 

Maddux pitched nine of his 23 major-league seasons, including his first seven, with the Cubs, winning the first of four Cy Young awards. Allowing him to leave for Atlanta still is considered one of the worst moves in Cubs history.

 

Jenkins pitched parts of 10 of his 19 major-league seasons with the Cubs.The Hall of Famer won the 1971 Cy Young award with the Cubs.

 

I think this should have been done for Fergie a long time ago, and even though I'm a big fan of Greg Maddux (from his second stint with the Cubs since that's the one I can remember), I'm not sure what he's done as a Cub that really warrants this.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

think this should have been done for Fergie a long time ago, and even though I'm a big fan of Greg Maddux (from his second stint with the Cubs since that's the one I can remember), I'm not sure what he's done as a Cub that really warrants this.

Well he did end up pitching about nine full seasons altogether for the Cubs, that's no small change.

 

[Fuzzy Dunlop 0]

And three of those years were when he was well past his prime. I guess I wouldn't mind his number being retired if he didn't already share a number with Jenkins, but as it is the Cubs waited way too long on this, and I think there are other guys who deserve to have their flag up there more than Greg does, and, again, I'm a huge Maddux fan.

[sfaJack 0]

The Astros have called a press conference this morning to 'important announcement' that has 'nothing to do with the rumors about Pudge Rodriguez.'

 

Word around the campfire is that they have signed Pedro Martinez. I guess they think it's still 1999 instead of 2009 with Pudge, Pedro, and Hampton.

 

The cynical theory is that they're signing big name guys since they've lost a couple of major corporate sponsors and ticket sales have been very underwhelming so far. Drayton McLane isn't going to stand for a half empty MMP every night and if signing washed up guys because of their name sells a few more tickets, well, he'll do it regardless of whether they have anything left or not.

[sfaJack 0]

Yeah, so nothing to do with Pedro...

 

Aaron Boone is leaving the Astros because he has a heart condition involving his aorta and aortic valve that requires surgery. It is unclear if he's ever going to play baseball again.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Wow, I'm surprised to hear the Cubs hadn't retired Jenkins' number earlier. He's only been in the Hall for almost 20 years now.

 

Then again this is the same team that still has the little "Sammy" flag flying high.

[Czech please! 0]

Obviously they were waiting for Maddux to retire so it could be retired for both.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

-Josh Bard was cut by the Red Sox today, which somehow makes his second stint with the team even shorter than the first. Poor guy just can't catch a break with them. This would seem to indicate that George Kottaras will be the back-up. Don't know how I feel about that.

 

-It doesn't look like Andruw Jones is going to make the Rangers.

 

-Tom Gorzelanny is heading back to AAA.