St. Louis fans are always complimented on being among the nicest fans in baseball, well-informed and passionate about their Cardinals they are also just good ol’ midwesterners and want to make sure you’re having a pleasant day. Unless of course you’re a Cubs fan. Even in January, with 2 weeks until pitchers and catchers report the fans passions remain inflamed, for example, here is a photo of the Cardinals’ stadium parking lot.
So much for the thought of trying to be a starting pitcher, Aaron Heilman, for the second time this off-season got traded, this time from the Mariners to the Cubs. Unless the addition of Heilman is supposed to be for the larger rumored Jake Peavy trade, it looks like the dream of Heilman to become an unsuccessful crappy starting pitcher is dashed. Garrett Olson may be able to compete for a spot in the rotation with Seattle, but Heilman is definitely headed to the Chicago bullpen if he stays with the Cubs. Get ready Cubs fans for an infuriating, middling middle reliever who is prone to homers!
[ESPN]
The biggest surprise to me this off-season, as the days to pitchers and catchers dwindle down–14 by the way–is that Manny Ramirez remains unsigned, and most surprisingly, that the Mets have made no effort to sign him. Omar Minaya has had a man-crush on Manny for YEARS, trying to acquire him pretty much since the moment he became the Mets GM. Yet now, when the cost of acquiring Manny is a mere draft pick, Los Mets are nowhere to be seen.
Let’s look at the Mets team for next season, do they have a hole in the batting lineup for a slugger? Yes. Do they have a need for a left fielder who can stay on the field? Yes. Is Manny Ramirez latino? Yes!
How is this not a fit? In the last 8 years, he has played 140+ games 5 times, which is plenty for a Mets team who last year had to deal with approximately 18 different left fielders last season. The addition of Manny to the Mets lineup would make their team much more powerful and more likely to be able to endure all those starts that the team seems intent on giving to Tim Redding. Do you have any idea what the Mets current situation at LF is? Here is the depth chart as listed on the Mets official site: Daniel Murphy (a ROOKIE INFIELDER), Fernando Tatis (old, highly unlikely to duplicate his stats from last year), Nick Evans (at best a 4th OF), Marlon Anderson (really?), and Angel Pagan (meh). Quite the murderer’s row.
Let’s take a look at the lineup if Manny were on the Mets:
Continue reading ‘Why HAVEN’T The Mets Signed Manny?’
The Texas Rangers, unable to compete in actual baseball are trying to grab attention by changing their uniform colors once more. In addition to reverting BACK to blue uniforms, after previously red ones, and blue ones before that, the team has changed its batting helmets.
The new design is awful, it’s a two-tone helmet with a red metallic stripe along the top and the whole concept is simply terrible. Thankfully, the helmet will be worn with both home AND away uniforms so whenever the Rangers come to your town you’ll have the chance to see these awful pieces of crap. The choice of a metallic red is simply inexcusably bad, I have to hope that everyone involved in this debacle was fired immediately.
Dustin Pedroia ‘s older brother Brett, 30, was taken into custody on January 9th after being charged with two counts of oral copulation and lewd acts with a child under the age of 14. Yikes!
The alleged events happened nearly 4 years ago, the purported victim only recently telling one of his parents. Pedroia was released on $50,000 bail and has been back at work at the family’s tire store since being in custody. The news has apparently shocked many neighbors, most of whom were reserving judgment for the moment. “I do find it very, very hard to believe,” next-door neighbor Kay Beruny said. “They’re wonderful people, and we’re very shocked and surprised, and can’t believe it.” Of course, that is the response whenever a similar type story comes out so take that for what it’s worth…
KCRA, a local station in the Woodlands, CA area reported on the story and has video of it here, unfortunately, I can’t embed it, but I recommend checking it out for some of the best local news “It’s just shocking”-type interviews with neighbors who are surprised but have nothing useful to say.
This isn’t really news, and normally no one would pay attention, but since it’s Pedroia’s brother, here we are, it’s a shame had Brett’s little bro not been so good at baseball the stories would have just read, “Local Tire Store Man Accused of Child Molestation.” Then of course, there is this image (left) that I’m sure both Pedroia’s and the Red Sox front office will be excited to have linked to this story. Rats!
[KCRA]
Long a fan favorite, Mets fanatics were worried about whether or not the Big Apple would slide over to the team’s new digs at Citi Field. Never fear, not only will there be the Apple, but there will be an newer, bigger, badder Apple to celebrate every Ramon Castro garbage home run.
The old Apple was a mere 9 feet tall, while the new one will stand in at a hearty 16 feet tall and 18 feet in diameter. Supposedly size doesn’t matter, but when the old Apple was 582 pounds and the new one checks in at 8,500 pounds, I think we can agree that sometimes the size DOES matter.
The new Apple will rise 15 feet to celebrate every Mets home run, reaching such lofty heights in a mere 3 seconds. Made of fiberglass with a foam core, the new Apple is all due to be installed in the new stadium in February, most likely followed with a publicity seeking session from the Mets.
How ’bout them apples.
ESPN must be trying really hard to make sure that their Sunday Baseball broadcasts are watched with the sound down next season. Watching the games was hard enough already with just Joe Morgan and Jon Miller, there is only so much inane talk that can be withstood; but ESPN is announcing today that they will be adding a third man into the booth, Steve Phillips.
The same Phillips who was fired as the Mets’ GM, the same Steve Phillips who has broadcast games for about two years on ESPN and is yet to add a cogent point, the same Steve Phillips who adds NOTHING to every baseball segment he’s been a part of since he joined ESPN. Sounds like a good plan to me!
Now, the Sunday games, which are supposed to be the biggest showcase of the game will feature a broadcasting team that will be completely unlistenable, I wonder if the Nielsen’s can register that the sound is down? What ever happened to the removing of Morgan from Sundays? Is there truly no god?
[Newsday]
At Curtis Granderson’s celebrity hoops game over the weekend, the fleet Tigers center fielder served as referee for the various celebs in attendance. Granderson had some fun with the role, no more than when the Cleveland Browns’ all-pro dropsies receiver Braylon Edwards went up for an acrobatic, wide-open breakaway dunk and lost control of the ball. “Somebody must have fouled you,” Granderson called out after blowing his whistle after the play, noting that no one was in the vicinity whatsoever. Of course, Edwards is well-versed in being unable to hold onto the ball, as he just finished one of the great seasons in drops from a wide receiver.
The game was ultimately tied up by a pair of Kid Rock free throws, as most true sporting events are, and then a dunk contest between Edwards and Jameer Nelson, an And1 baller where Nelson emerged as the victor.
[MLB.com]
The Florida Marlins’ extra large male dancing squad are holding open auditions this Sunday for next year’s squad, and I strongly urge you to try out. The only requirements are for you to be over 18 years old, arrive at the audition in Marlins gear and be prepared to learn a choreographed routine, also they are looking for “bellies with the biggest jiggle, big feet with the best dance moves and enthusiasm that will rock Marlins fans out of their seats.”
Since there are usually only 64 people at a Marlins game, getting the fans out of their seats isn’t too difficult, in fact, you can go around to them individually!
Rickey Henderson is now a Hall of Famer, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with baseball. At a press conference at the Waldorf-Astoria, Rickey said that he wasn’t done yet, “if a club came out and said they needed a left fielder, they needed a guy to get on base and steal a few bases, they can always ring my phone and I’ll come on down and help their ballclub, that’s how much I love the game.”
Rickey wasn’t done though with just a simple statement, he never is, and it wouldn’t be a Rickey Henderson press conference otherwise. “I believe today, and people say I’m crazy, but if you gave me as many at-bats that you would give the runners out there today, I would out-steal every last one of them. I can go out and steal as many bases as [Jose] Reyes steals.”
Even better, when asked if Rickey had interest in playing in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, “What is [the WBC], wrestling?” After being informed what it was, Rickey had just one question, “Can I get in?”
Isn’t baseball just better when Rickey Henderson is around or is it just me?
[NY Post]
This is the hot tub in the Yankees clubhouse in their new digs. It seats 12. I expect lots of “horseplay” amongst the boys…
If you’re interested in seeing some other photos of the nearly completed stadium, there’s more here, but I think you’re toolsy if you look.
As the inauguration approaches and the reign of Barack Obama is set to begin, the ever clever minds of minor league baseball are at work as well. The Brookyln Cyclones, Single A affiliate of the Mets are, for one game, changing their name to become the Baraklyn Cyclones.
The promotion, set for June 23rd looks to be well-thought out and planned. The team has even created a special website just for this event. Among the festivities planned for the game include special Stars and Stripes uniforms for the team and economic stimulus ticket packages, (it means they are cheap.)
But wait there’s more! From the website, here are some of the other promotions that will be running that day in honor of Barack Obama:
The Cyclones aren’t done with just that though, they also made this video, which is pretty damn funny,well done Cyclones.
[NJ.com]
The Slanch Report has started an online petition asking the MLB Network to air the Dock Ellis no-hitter he threw on June 12, 1970 against the San Diego Padres. The moment was a seminal piece of baseball history and is certainly worthy of being rerun.
Please join us in this cause and sign the petition below so we can all share in this special and fantastic moment of baseball history. THANKS!
SIGN THE PETITION HERE! AND PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND PASS THIS ALONG!
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