Making sure we're clear: Pirates would pay AJ about $10-13m of the $33m he's owed over the next two seasons. They'd send *something* to New York in terms of bodies, but we're not talking "prospects" by any means. Yankees would be getting organization guys, or middling but stalled guys with a faint chance of upside.
Gary Carter has passed away from the brain cancer (glioblastoma) he was suffering from, according to MLB.com
RIP.
:(
I've always been a Yankees fan, but Gary Carter was one of those rare guys who transcended team colors and rivalries, who you always wished on your team. RIP.
Last edited by sluggo; 02-16-2012 at 02:41 PM.
Mr. Carter was a long time local, going back to his minor league time with the West Palm Beach Expos in the early '70s. Much beloved here, and never heard a bad word said about him.
RIP.
Mike Cameron announced his retirement today. Guy had a terribly long, hitchy swing so he struck out a lot and never hit for average....but he also drew walks and had a .782 career OPS, which isn't bad for a centerfielder with a great glove and good arm. One of the good guys in baseball, too.
I really enjoyed his his time on the Mariners and was sad to see him go.
And the Nats keep looking for that elusive CF.
It wasn't a suprise given various hints that the Mariners announced today that Ichiro is not their intended lead-off hitter this year. Nor was it a big surprise that total failure as a Mariner Chone Figgins is expected to take that role. After Ichiro's drop off last year and the feeling that Figgins at his best in Anaheim was as the lead-off man, it makes sense to at least see if both of them will benefit from a change.
What's a bit more surprising is that Ichiro will now be the number 3 hitter. But its been long reported that he has surprising power when he wants to swing that way and he is also changing his stance quite a bit this year so who knows. Since most of the rest of the team is young guys, they might as well experiment with what they can get from the two guys who will make about 25% of their payroll this season.
Been reading Beck's Blog on Tigers.com and it's pretty crazy how much Fielder press there is. I suppose it's to be expected, pay a man a couple hundred million dollars and everyone wants to talk about him.
Best Fielder-related comment: Gerald Laird, saying he'll pick up any change that falls out of Fielder's locker since “he’s making $213 million more than I am.”
Originally Posted by Sarkus
Oh great! The Mariners most expensive, .188 BA bench warmer last year is now going to be hitting lead off. I hope for the best from that, but I wonder how long of a leash they'll give him at the leadoff spot for performance before they pull him again. I don't think it will be long. And we have at least two more years of him keeping the benches warm.
It's pretty clearly his last chance, given his age and all of that. The argument you can make is that his success in Anaheim was as a leadoff hitter and so he's always been misused in Seattle battting elsewhere. If he can't pull it together this time then he's not going to ever pull it together. But the local talk is that unless he's a total disaster they will probably give him a few months. Its not like there are a lot of alternatives - either return to the aging Ichiro who doesn't have the speed anymore to get all those infield hits or try Ackley, who really isn't suited to the role.
Buster Olney tweeted that the new expanded playoffs could end up happening this season.
Bah on this if true. Some of us don't want expanded playoffs.
Maury Brown had an interesting take on it. Basically, the extra round would goose playoff ratings, which is exactly what Selig wants heading into the next round of TV contract negotiations this offseason.
I hate the idea of expanded playoffs, but if they're going to do it, I wish they'd do it right. Adding short series just makes no sense in baseball. The sport is all about consistency over long periods, and even a 7 game playoff is pretty short. Cutting it down to 5/3/1 is just silly.
Since it seems unlikely that we'd ever go back to 2 rounds, my preference would be to copy the NHL - 8 teams per league, run 4 rounds, 7 games each round. To fit this into playable-weather season you'd need to cut some time off the regular season, so go to 154 games and make 8 of those scheduled Sunday doubleheaders. That gives you an extra 2.5 weeks to fit in more playoffs.
Probably never happen, but it's nice to dream.
I don't mind this approach, to be honest. I don't want another long series, unilke ineffablebob. Taking the two teams that didn't win their divisions and making them have a one game winner take all playoff is fine with me.
Hockey playoffs are already interminable. I don't want that in baseball.
This.
Also, I support anything that might help boost my Royals' already microscopic chances of making the playoffs this decade.
So it looks like Roy Oswalt isn't going to sign with anyone at the last minute and thinks he will garner interest as the season progresses. I guess that make some sense - around the trade deadline he wouldn't be a bad chip to acquire.
And Jon Garland ended up not taking a physical with the Indians and so voided his contract. So he's out there as well but it sounds like his health isn't where it needs to be and thats why the Cleveland contract fell apart.
And Ryan Braun wins his appeal and won't be suspended. I guess he's clean. Good for him.
Sounds like the test was successfully challenged on scientific grounds. First time anyone's ever won an appeal.
MLB's statement: they "vehemently disagree" with the decision of the arbitrator on the Braun appeal.
They're pissed. Braun may be reinstated, but I'm not sure we've heard the last of this.“Major League Baseball considers the obligations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program essential to the integrity of our game, our Clubs and all of the players who take the field. It has always been Major League Baseball’s position that no matter who tests positive, we will exhaust all avenues in pursuit of the appropriate discipline. We have been true to that position in every instance, because baseball fans deserve nothing less.
“As a part of our drug testing program, the Commissioner’s Office and the Players Association agreed to a neutral third party review for instances that are under dispute. While we have always respected that process, Major League Baseball vehemently disagrees with the decision rendered today by arbitrator Shyam Das.”
From what I've heard the ruling was that there was a procedural mistake make in how the test was handled and that was why the arbitration panel ruled in Braun's favor.
Yep, seeing reports in a 2-day lapse in the chain of custody on the sample.
Either way we'll see. If his numbers fall or he gets busted again that'll be proof enough of his guilt. I really hope it was just some mistake and he's clean but I just don't know.
The whole thing is a mess, but the short version is:
Reasons to think Braun is clean:
- He'd never failed a test before
- There's absolutely no logical reason he'd start juicing at the end of a season
- His test numbers were so out of whack they looked like they came off a video game
- His followup test was clean.
Reasons to think Braun isn't clean:
- His sample tested positive. Way, way, positive.
- It is theoretically a very accurate test, with basically zero chance of a false positive.
Random bullshit swirling around the case:
- The way the results were leaked on the supposedly anonymous testing is highly unethical, to say the least.
- Various holier-than-thou reporters were ready to crucify Braun for daring to win the MVP award they voted for while testing positive, and not turning the award down
- Rumors that Braun tested positive because he was taking a herpes med. (What is it about baseball players and wacky herpes rumors? See also: Jeter and Jessica Alba)
- Conspiracy theorists claiming that since Selig once owned the Brewers, he was going to rig things so that Braun would get off.
The ruling:
Braun's guilt cannot be proven because there's a break in the chain of custody of the first sample, which tested positive. Apparently the messenger charged with transporting it thought that the local FedEx Office was closed and held onto it over the weekend, creating a two day gap in the chain of custody during which time anything could have happened to the sample, up to and including contamination, deliberate mucking about, or Moises Alou using it to wash his hands.
The verdict was rendered 2-1 by the panel, which consisted of one MLB rep, one MLBPA rep, and one independent arbitrator (Shyam Das) who has a history with these things. MLB is furious about the whole thing, which is idiotic - the last thing you want to do is keep trashing your product, particularly your young, superstar, photogenic product, once you've been given an out on this whole embarrassing mess.
The basis on which the suspension was overturned--the actual facts behind the lapse of chain of custody--seems like pretty thin gruel to me.
According to the stories the sealed bag showed zero signs of being tampered with. He is getting off on a technicality. I haven't seen anything that shows he wasnt taking steroids, the test is very accurate.
His testosterone levels were tested at a very high level, which I think would indicate he did something wrong. He escaped on a legal technicality but his performance on the field will now judge him.
Hit .280 with 15 hrs and 80 rbi and he will be considered guilty by everyone.
The samples are held and contained in sealed, tamper-expressive packaging. If they're opened, they show it and there's no way of covering it up. So yeah...I actually agree with Brett for once.
As for the "he had no reason to start juicing at the end of a season", I'm not sure I agree with that either; guy was in a pennant race and then had a postseason coming up and may have simply needed the rapid recovery properties of certain PED's.
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