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Fortification Abounds!
July 31, 2008, 10:50am

I am driving across western New York this morning, listening to David McCullough read 1776 on CD and learning how General Washington fortified the land around New York City. The thought has entered my head, on this final day of the non-waiver trading season, that the American League Central (heck, all of the American League) has been fortifying itself for that great battle which is to come. The proposed trade of Griffey Jr. to the White Sox certainly should help the White Sox stave off both the Twins and the Tigers for the Central title giving the Sox a left-handed bat in the heart of their line-up. Nick Swisher and Paul Konerko, both having down seasons will platoon at first. My bet is Griffey agrees as he has friendly relations with Kenny Williams, would like to be in a pennant race, and Chicago is not the far from home. Williams, it seems is also in the hunt for a reliever and may land Huston Street from Oakland before the day is done as well. If so, odds shoot up of an All-Chicago World Series, though they still have to play the games. Personally, though a Reds fan from the days I learned to speak, I have to be happy for Griffey. Its nice, even as his skills are fading, to see him coveted. I can't wait to hear what prospects Chicago is sending over. Two more years, and the Reds will be the team to beat, though I will still be giving much credit to Wayne Krivsky.

Trivia
July 30, 2008, 10:30pm

Better late than never! Today's Trivia: For a $10 gift card from itunes, Who did the Yankees give up to get Paul O'Neil in 1992? There were no winners to yesterdays question, but Ralph Terry gave up Bill Mazeroski's home run in the 1960 World Series. You will have until the end of the day tomorrow to send your answer in!

Brilliant!
July 30, 2008, 7:30pm

Brian Cashman may not have secured his pitcher yet, but he solved the one missing piece in his line-up... that of Jorge Posada by trading for one of the other premier catchers in the league in Pudge Rodriguez. Additionally, he didn't give up a single prospect for the rental of Pudge for the remainder of the 2008 season, and relieved himself of Kyle Farnsworth. While Farnsworth had been shaky in the past, he was pitching quite well in the past few weeks for the Yankees. Still, Farnsworth returns to a team that badly needs relief help, and has another strong catcher, and Farnsworth can disappear from the New York scrutiny. Yankee fans can also breathe a little easier in the 8th. Yankees, I assume, will pay the rest of Pudge's 2008 salary ($13 million). Pudge isn't the player that he was in 1999, but his ability to get runners is better than the Yankees currently have. They also will get extra draft picks when the let Pudge walk in the off-season. For years though, pitchers have complained about how Pudge calls a game, so it will be interesting to see how that works with the Yankees, where a former catcher is the manager. The true genius of this trade will be seen in late September, I expect. But from where I sit, it looks like the perfect deal.

Oh, and now maybe writers have to stop writing that the Angels hve the best line-up in the American League.

Little on the Washburn deal and other trades
July 30, 2008, 11:00am

John Harper does a great job of really spelling out the back story on what is happening with the Yankees/Mariners deal, basically a big game of chicken. Harper's point about the recent start of Ponson and Rasner having an effect is key. What is interesting here, and in the big deal yesterday that did happen is the value of the prospects. A few years ago, the Yankees would not have even blinked at giving up Brett Gardner for a little more assurance for their rotation. Now, though, its money or the prospect not both. In looking at the Mark Texieria deal, Atlanta got very little back for their first baseman, compared to what they gave up for just a year of service. Last year, they gave away Jarrod Saltalamacchia (a ML catcher), Beau Jones, Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison and Neftali Perez. This year they got back Casey Kotchman who they can keep until 2011, and a minor league (AA) pitching prospect. The Rangers did a great job in trading Teixeira when they did, as as hindsight is 20/20 the Braves did a lousy job. Teixeira didn't help them either last year or this year, and with so many of their players thriving in the Rangers minor leagues, and very few quality players due to play for them in 2009, it might have been one of the single worst moves of recent memory.

The shift within baseball has been marked, with the teams that are buying coveting their prospects much more than they do that difference maker. The CC Sabathia trade might be the exception, but the Brewers are a minor league rich team, while few others can say the same. Though MLB boasts its record attendance the past dozen or so years, the downturn of the economy, and the effects of the steroid scandal, I'm sure, have quite a few owners and presidents concerned. Generally, it takes 10 years to either feel the effects of a negative cycle, or to recover from one, so I think many are bracing for the fall-out. Also, with contracts really getting out of control, especially for pitching, all are thinking it might be better to hold onto what you have then to give it away and have it turn into something. Damarso Marte is the perfect example to teach the Yankees this lesson. Though fans are always going to judge the success of the franchise by the World Series rings, General Managers will be judged by their owners in terms of how successful they are versus the money they spend (or waste). A team, like Oakland or even Minnesota, wins a ton of games each year without spending much. Those GM's will keep their jobs for as long as that continues. Others, like perhaps Omar Minaya, have to win a lot, even get that ring to justify the money they spent, to justify the profit that they gave away.

I have long believed that a team can't win with an unbalanced star versus non-star team. You can't have one prima donna type, you either have to have many or none. The trip back to relying more heavily on prospects could prove that, as the stars will come from the young guys who might be famous but won't be paid like they are stars. The next 10 years are going to produce some great baseball. The fascination with the long ball is disappearing. The big slugger has lost his cache. A good glove, and a solid hitter, that's where its going to be, and the less he's paid the better. We may have all dreamed of hitting that record breaking home run, as McGwire and Bonds both did, but they aren't our heroes anymore. Our heroes will come in the form of Orlando Hudson or Ian Kinsler or Ichiro who hit his 3000th career hit last night, the youngest player ever to do so. Baseball is about to go through a renaissance, a rebirth. Though the business has evolved where the profit centers for teams are from their privately owned sports networks and their luxury suites, the general managers will have to find guys who can play baseball rather than just slug the ball out of the yard. And those guys that can actually play? They are going to be fun to root for. And those of us who root? We are going to have to look more carefully to find the moments of which we dream. But when those dreams come true, they will be worth watching.

From Neil Huntington
July 29, 2008, 5:50pm

So, with everyone bad mouthing the Yankee/Pirate trade, I went looking to see if I could find Neil Huntington's thoughts on it. In theory, this article by Rob Biertempfel gives you Huntington's point of view, but perhaps, he did jump the gun a bit. Sure if Tabata turns out to be the great bat he is expected to be, the deal will look much better for the Bucco's, as it gives the Pirates some immediate pitching help and a long term outfielder who can, one day, join Andrew McCutchen. Huntington is new to dealing, and maybe was a little more optimistic about Brian Cashman being straight up. (Not to say Cashman wasn't, just to say he probably wasn't showing all his cards.) Breaking it down though, if Marte wasn't the best LOOGY in baseball, a very good major-league ready reliever for one of the best outfield prospects 2+ years away is a good swap, and then two pitchers who could be great fill-ins at the Major leagues, plus another pitching prospect for a right fielder and impact bat is also pretty even. Still, Huntington didn't take into account the level of need that the Yankees had. My bet is he learns, at least better than Kevin Littlefield every did.

Oops!
July 27, 2008, 10:15pm

Traveling today, and left my computer power cord at my last stop. Don't have much battery power, so will have to get a new one tomorrow, and then post later in the day. Just wanted to put a quick note up, to ask for your patience. No winner in Friday's trivia question, and the answer is Bret Saberhagen was the MVP of the 1985 World Series. Today's Trivia, for a $25 gift certificate to mlb.com, in honor of the recent trade, which Yankee pitcher did Bill Mazeroski hit his game-winning home run in the 1960 World Series? Just put your answer with your email address in the text box at the bottom of the page, the first respondent with the correct answer wins.

Quick thoughts from the HOF
July 27, 2008, 9:15am So, I was only in Cooperstown for a few hours, but the difference from last year was marked. While last year, with Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn entering the center of town was packed with wall to wall people, this years there seemed to be hardly anyone there. Here is a shot of the street around 11am. Last year the streets were closed and filled with Orioles jerseys.

The good news for those that went this year is that lines for autographs were short. Here is a shot of one table outside a store-- I know I should know which store. Harmon Killebrew has the red hat. Juan Marichal and Frank Robinson were down further. Others were due later in the day. Across the street, Pete Rose and Ron Guidrey were signing for two other stores.

Some quick tips if you go on HOF induction weekend. I will write these up a little more formally and post them somewhere on the site, but for now, my biggest tip is get there early. If its a weekend where some big guys are going in like last year, there is no such thing as too early. This year, 8am would be fine. Go to the field and if you are not a member of the Hall of Fame, set your space up. Its small town, so you can leave your chairs and blankets all day, once you get your spot and no one will move them. Here is a shot of the prime location just behind the non-member fence, but directly in front of the tent where all of the Hall of Famer's will be.

Find your spot in the field so you have a good vantage point, then go back to town and get your coffee, etc. Parking inside Cooperstown is tough. My tip, again on a non-busy weekend is park in a lot with the trolley and pay for the trolley day pass. Everyone in town rents space on their lawn, but the close you get to the festivities, the more expensive it gets. I saw one guy charing $25 to park on his lawn. The trolley pass is $5, and the parking in those lots is free. You will need to be there relatively early though. Those are the big things. I will post more later in the day. Until then, Congratulations to the Goose, and to all the inductees.

Just when I thought I could root for the Yankees...
July 26, 2008, 9:55pm
Updated: July 26, 2008, 10:25pm So, with the all the talk about the Yankees taking Jarrod Washbrun to relieve the Mariners of his contract, my stomach turns a little. With Cashman making every effort to build from within, and not to overspend, to basically play by the rules other teams are held to, I was finding the Yankees fun. As good as they are, I was beginning to have fun as you just didn't know what was going to happen next, with Brett Gardner and Justin Christian contributing. But the idea that they can go out and buy another guy when they just made a difference making trade, well that is hard to watch. Well, I just popped over to the Seattle P-I website, and read John Hickey's latest blog entry. In it, he points out that the Mariners are not one of those teams who desperately need to have money wiped from their books. In fact, though Washburn's contract is relatively big, the Mariners, who are owned in part by Nintendo, are not in a huge hurry to rid themselves of the quality pitcher. Hickey says that the Yankees are going to have to give up something of quality, at least some quality to get Washburn even if they are willing to take the contract. Kei Igawa, though, is not what they have in mind. So, I guess, if the Mariners require some quality back, and don't just sell the player to the team who is most willing to pay the player, then maybe I can continue to grow to like them. Just maybe.

Tomorrow I will spend a chunk of the day in Cooperstown, so don't expect a post. I may get one in at some point in the afternoon, but it really is highly unlikely. Monday morning though I will be back with you, and the trivia will be back as well.

Lastly, we have joined technorati.com. Though it's still being developed, click here to see our Technorati Profile

Yankees/Pirates deal
July 26, 2008, 5:00pm Peter Abraham has the details of the how the deal came together, and touches on a possible deal for Jarrod Washburn, which if Cashman is to be believed is just a rumor. The deal is a steal for the Yankees, though Tabata could bounce back to being the prospect everyone thought. The deal gives the Pirates some talent close to the major leagues, and gives the Yankees two solid players where they needed them most. It also clears up some room for strong developing players lower in the farm system, which will help them down the line. Abraham's point about the space made available on the 40-man roster to protect some players for the rule-V draft is a key as well.

While I'm talking about strange aspects of trades that affect the deal, I wanted to jump back to the Randy Wolf deal that happened earlier in the week. The Astros gave up a minor league pitcher that seemed to have hit a plateau in their system to the Padres for Randy Wolf. At first, I had to wonder why the Astros would go after Wolf, who is a free agent after this season, when Houston is so far from being in a play-off race. I finally found Steve Campbell's post which points to the idea that Wolf might end up being a Type B free agent, which if he doesn't resign with the Astros will give the team an extra draft pick. Of course, Wolf would have to be offered arbitration for another contract, which he could accept. But that could also give Houston some continuity in the back-end of the rotation. But, perhaps, Wade feels confident that someone will over pay for Wolf and then the Astros will actually get that extra pick. And that pick could be worth more than that minor leaguer who had learned all he could in the Houston system.

Single A brawl
July 26, 2008, 9:55am I awoke with the intention to blog about the recent trades, and may still get to that in a later post today. First, though, I wanted to talk about this crazy brawl in Dayton, Ohio between the Dayton Dragons (Single A-Reds) and the Peoria Cheifs (Single A-Cubs), that left one pitcher in jail and one fan injured. This piece by Mark Katz gives an overview. Apparently, though, Peoria pitcher Julio Castillo began the day wild, but also, it seems, with the intention to retaliate for some hit batsmen in Wed. game. He ended up throwing at three batters, and in one case at a batters head. Dayton Short-stop left the game when hit in the head. Peoria's second baseman suffered a broken leg. The umpires failed to warn either pitcher, or team, it seems from the various articles I have read. After the third batter was pitched high and tight, Donnie Scott made his way to the umpire to complain and the interim manager for the Chiefs, Carmelo Martinez, joined him. A shouting match followed, and Martinez pushed through a wall of umpires and shoved Scott. Then players rushed on the field, and the pitcher made what looks like a throw at the on rushing players. Instead, the pitch sailed high, and apparently went into the stands, hit a fan in the head and knocked him unconscious. The chaos in the video clip that followed was crazy, and in the end the pitcher who threw the ball into the stands was arrested. It also seems the both managers and 15 players were ejected from the game. After the ejections, an appeal to the Midwest League to reverse the ejections so the game could be finished was made, and was apparently granted. Without the repeal of the ejections, both teams would have needed pitchers to play the outfield to finish the game. The suspensions were reinstated for the next day, however. Carmelo Martinez, as noted above, was serving as interim manager while regular manager Ryne Sandberg was away for the Hall of Fame Inductions.
Here are my quick thoughts on this. First, Sandberg is there, none of this happens. Martinez's quick shove is what sets the brawl in motion, and Sandberg as firey as he is, wouldn't shove Scott. Second, single A ball is not the place for retaliation. As much as I believe issuing quick warnings in the majors is a mistake, at this level when not everyone has the skill to safely brush back, let alone retaliate, umpires need to step in and take control right away. The umpires let this go way to far. When you have an old-school baseball guy like Scott complaining that no warnings are being issued, you know its gone too far. Lastly, the pitcher Castillo, who is now sitting in a jail cell in Dayton while his team leaves town there isn't much future for. He has already been removed from the team roster, and though the team most likely will take care of him through the whole case, it is unlikely they will keep him in the system. The fan was released from the hospital later that evening, so hopefully there is no lingering injury there. Though I agree that a professional pitcher throws a ball anywhere besides the circumstances of a game, it can be considered a weapon, I think this is a special case, where young men's emotions got involved and the powers that be didn't do them justice by diffusing the situation. If the fan isn't seriously hurt, then the punishment should be minor and rehabilitative. The whole thing is bad for baseball, and very very sad.

Santana and Gil Meche
July 25, 2008, 9:20am Well, if my Santana post the other day made your head swim, wait till you read this. It actually is making my head swim a bit. I was watching the Royals/Rays game last night and the broadcasters were talking about how great Meche had pitched. I had turned the game on in the 7th, and the score was 4-0, Meche had pitched a shut-out. As we all know, Meche had been signed to an overpriced contract--5 yrs, $55milion-- before the 2007 season, which then inflated all the pitching contracts that came after, including Santana's. After all, if Meche could command that kind of money a two-time Cy Young winner should pale in comparison. Meche though was brought in by a new GM who wanted to send a signal to the baseball world, though. The Meche contract was meant to say 'this organization will spend money to win, come play here.' And the Royals have improved even though they are in a very tough division. The Mets brought in Santana to say 'we will never let last years collapse happen again, and here is the guy that will make us all winners.' Very different markets, but similar messages: we are changing the culture. So what are the results.
Gil Meche: 8 wins 9 losses, 133.7 IP, 4.31ERA, Team record in starts:11-11
Johann Santana: 8 wins 7 losses, 138.7 IP, 3.05ERA, Team Record in starts:11-10

So Santana is almost a 1.25 runs better in ERA, in only 5 more innings pitched, with almost identical records. Meche averages 4.07 runs of support a game, while Santana averages 4.75 runs of support. Again, as expected, the advantage tips to Santana because of that half a run difference. Still, their records look very much the same. Now, I do believe Santana will continue to improve as the season goes along, he usually does. The first half was a weary time in NY with the manager drama. Meche, most likely will tire of the team playing mediocre baseball, as decline as well. Santana signed a contract for 6 years and $137.5 million. What does all this mean? In my opinion, it means pitching is a waste of money. Both the Santana and Meche signings sold tickets, and more importantly sponsorships in their respective markets because they did send the proper signals. They told those with money to spend that the team was going in a positive direction. The markets being different, that signal costs a different amount of money. There is also no way to measure the confidence that either pitcher gives to those guys that play behind him. I am a firm believer that if you think you are going to win or if you walk to the plate believing you are going to get a hit, then you will. That being said, I think Santana might be more valuable for the money he brings to the franchise than for his pitching line. As a fan of the game, I admire thoroughly his 3.05ERA, and his change-up. The way he uses 2 pitches really is a thing of beauty. But in 2008, I think the hype that Santana has brought to the Mets hasn't been earned, and has been far over-blown. One player, particularly a pitcher, can't do all that the coming of Santana promised, other than attract dollars. Disagree with me? Well, tell me about it on the message board.

Today's Trivia: The answer to yesterday's trivia question is Mike Schmidt, who is also originally from Dayton, Ohio. Today's question for a $10 gift certificate to MLB.com, Who was the MVP of the 1985 World Series?

On my Santana Post
July 24, 2008, 10:45am So I guess I wrote a pretty shocking thing yesterday... I wrote that Santana wasn't the savior that Mets fans thought they were getting a guy that could win everything he started. That isn't what they got. They got a damn good pitcher, but not the Sandy Koufax, the big game stopper. My point about his run-support was that he can definitely win with 5 runs of support, but this year he has been averaging just over 4, and having a tougher go.... that isn't my definition of a stopper. That wasn't a response to the loss the day before, as Santana pitched beautifully, and clearly the bullpen blew it. It was really just a statement based on observation and of listening to fans call in and complain about Santana. My thoughts, in this case, were a reflection of Mets fans, not of Santana, who is exactly that guy who won those 20 games in 2004. He won them with run support. He is not the guy that can win 20 without run support. We all need to know that. Disagree? Tell me about it.

Trivia
July 24, 2008, 10:20am So only previous winners answered yesterday's question correctly. The starting outfield for the Mets in the 2000 World Series was Timo Perez, Benny Agbayani and Jay Payton. Today's Trivia: for a copy of either my book, Dugout Wisdom by Dan Migala or the Baseball Field Guide reviewed this week by Michael Street, Who holds the home run record for the Phillies franchise? Hint: He's from my hometown. Fill in the text box at the bottom of this page with the correct answer and your name and email address so you can be contacted to collect your prize. Don't worry, you don't get added to our email address by providing your email address.... you do have to sign up for the newsletter to get put on the mailing list!

Jimmy Rollins
July 24, 2008, 10:00am o I have always liked Jimmy Rollins, he's that fast middle-infielder that can be a difference-maker with a glove, something rare these days, and usually also has a solid bat at the plate. This Jack Curry post to the New York Times blog shows what else is great about Jimmy. I agree with Jack its refreshing to talk to a guy in the game who isn't worried he is saying the wrong thing, and Jimmy is clearly not worried about it.

Quick hit on Maple bats
July 24, 2008, 9:50am Bill Conlin spells out the maple bat controversy, or maybe more accurately the history of the wood used for bats. If you are wondering why this has suddenly become a problem, take a look at his piece. Oh, and I guess its just one more thing we can blame on Barry Bonds.

Ace pitchers
July 23, 2008, 9:20am So what is an Ace? Is it that guy other teams are afraid to face? Is it that guy who can stop a losing streak? David Wright tried to tell everyone that it was the hitters fault for not getting him enough run support all-season that makes Santana not the pitcher he was hyped to be. But, the truth is an Ace is almost always matched up against the other teams ace, which means that one has to be better than the other consistently. Santana's ERA is darn good, at 3.05, but the truth is the teams the Mets faced on those days the team didn't get enough run support really had an Ace. They had a guy who could buckle down and throw better than the other team's pitcher. An Ace can still win win a game when the other guy gives up just two runs... and Santana hasn't shown that he can do that. Now I know last night's loss had nothing to do with how Santana pitched, after all he went to the 8th, and the Mets did score for him, but I think when we look at what the expectations of Santana were, and what Mets fans got, well, I think there was a little disconnect. Looking back at his two Cy Young Years, sure he won 20 and 19 games respectively, and had a great ERA both years, but in 2004 he was pitching he had a couple of terrible starts in the first half of the year, and in both years averaged 5.2 or better in run support. This year with the Mets the number has dropped only 1 run, to about 4.2 average, and Santana has lost because of it. I know I am always saying, look around and find the guy you would rather have, instead of getting on the guy you do have, but I think in this case, managing expectations might also be important. Am I saying Santana isn't good? Of course not, but is he that guy who can reach down inside and pitch up to the necessary level? Well, that remains to be seen. The second half will show what he is really made of. A former AL GM once spoke of Sidney Ponson when he went from the Orioles to the Giants and said, Sidney is a guy who can win a 5-4 game but will have trouble winning a 2-1 or 3-2 game, and that's what I wonder about Santana. Can he consistently win the 2-1 game. That's what Mets fans thought the were getting, but its not quite who they got.

Vinny, one of the guys from section 2 at Shea who always has great insight into the Mets, suggested that this loss yesterday was the true test for Jerry Manual. Is it a portent of things to come, or is it a blip that he can rally the troops back from. Yesterday could end up being the day that Mets fans turn to as a point of departure, though which way the team heads is unknown. That's kind of the beauty of this game. The season is long, and requires investment from each of us as fans, yet we have no idea where the ride will take us. It's a beautiful thing.

Congratulations to Mike R. who got three of the four MVP's who won the award at two different positions. He knew that three were Robin Yount (given), Alex Rodriguez (SS and 3B) and Stan Musial (OF and 1B). He did guess incorrectly that Yogi Berra was the fourth, since Yogi did win two, but both came as a catcher. The fourth player was Hank Greenberg, (1B and OF). Today's Trivia: Name the 3 starting outfielders for the Mets in the 2000 World Series, for a copy of the Baseball Field Guide reviewed this week by Michael Street. Simply fill in the answer in the text box below and include your email address. One winner per month, though you are allowed to answer for some bragging rights if you care to.

Facebook
July 22, 2008, 3:45pm So LoveMyteam is entering the 21st century by starting a facebook page... so if you have a facebook account, become a connection by going to LoveMyTeam!

The effect of rebuilding
July 22, 2008, 9:55am So when I saw the headline Ice Cold A's Hit for Loss again I immediately thought back to the mood in the Twins clubhouse when Minnesota traded away Luis Castillo last year. The players believed it was a sign the organization didn't care about winning, and that the team was in store for a lot of losing while GM Bill Smith rebuilt the team over the next couple of years. The players went into a terrible slump. The tease for the A's story mentioned how the trade of Rich Harden and Joe Blanton in the past couple of weeks had seemed to affect the hitting. What's great about Susan Slusser piece though is it doesn't give you what you expect. The A's have been hit by injuries and have little offensive threat in their line-up. The rash of injuries made the trades more necessary for the A's so the timing is cause and effect as it is cause and cause. What Slusser does in this article though is debunk the notion that the A's have given up by talking with Frank Thomas, one of the injured and the major offensive threat that is missing from the batting order. And Thomas's answer is great. From Slusser's article:
Thomas "hasn't seen any indications that players are upset that Harden and Blanton were dealt away while the team was above .500 and within striking distance of the wild-card spot.
"Most of our guys are so young, they wouldn't think about that, and the older guys know what's going on," Thomas said of the A's continued rebuilding efforts. "I haven't seen any drop in attitude. And we've still got time to make a run. We're nine back. The Mets were 7 1/2 games back last month and now they're tied. We get some confidence, put a winning streak together, and we're right back in it."

The other side to consider is how much the A's have changed over the years. Whereas the Twins remained mostly the same team, many even playing together through the minors, the A's undergo regular change every few months. That's business as usual in that clubhouse, so trading away some solid players is not an indication to these guys that management has given up.

On a related note, I think the A's the last couple of seasons have shown another reason why moneyball, or at least moneyball as it is being executed doesn't actually work. The real theory behind Billy Beane's strategy in Michael Lewis' Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game is that a team with a smaller budget has to look for value in places that other teams aren't looking. The last two years, Beane has found that value in taking on riskier players, ones that, like Frank Thomas, have some health issues that make them dangerous to sign for the price that they should command. He basically has taken on other teams health risks, and unfortunately, they are health risks for a reason, and so they spend time on the Disabled list. Now if you are a big market team like, say the Mets, you can sign a player like Pedro Martinez or Moises Alou to a contract, with the expectation that they will only play a portion of that contract. Pedro was signed for 4 years, and mostly likely the team thought they would end up getting 2.5, which is about what they will get. Alou though probably expected to play 85 games this year has left them in a bit of a pickle, but still they will find the money to fix that one too. The A's have to take a Frank Thomas or a Mike Sweeney and hope they get 140+ games from them and if they don't then their back-up plan isn't strong. Sure, this year Thomas was found money, as he is being paid by Toronto, really, but Sweeney, well, even for as little as he is getting, seems to be money not very well spent. in looking at OBP and OPS, Beane revolutionized the game, with some thanks to Bill James, but now his new trick has been co-opted by many other teams, and his ability to find value is fading. Anyone want to bet that Carlos Delgado is an Athletic next year?

No one got all four MVP's from yesterday, though quite a few tried to tell me the question was flawed. There are four players, three besides Robin Yount who won an MVP at two positions. Two did it before Yount, and one has done it since and is still playing. One more hint. Of the two that did it before Yount, one did it for an AL team, the other did it for an NL team. I'm letting this question ride one more day to see if we can get a winner.

Today's Trivia
July 21, 2008, 12:35pm I didn't run a question over the weekend because I get so few answers on the weekends, I felt it was sort of cheating. For a copy of the Baseball Field Guide reviewed this week by Michael Street, simply supply the answer in the text box below and include your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner. Today's Question: Robin Yount, of the Milwaukee Brewers, won two MVP's at two different positions. There are 3 other players to do that, name them. I know its a tough one, but if no one gets all three, I will call the first person to get two the winner.

More on the Durham deal
July 21, 2008, 10:30am In my conversations with my long time friend who works for the Giants yesterday, we bounced around the idea that Durham might not want to go to the Brewers, it was a back-up role it seemed after all. How could he not want to go to a team in a race, who has a real shot of making the playoffs, my long-time baseball friend mused. Well, in San Fran he is the man, moving to Milwaukee, a less exciting city where he would be a role player, well, that may not be what he wants in the last days of his career. It may be about being comfortable more than winnings. Seemed weird to both of us, but it also seemed like it might be right on. Well, today's Henry Schulman article gives a lot of insight into what Durham was thinking. A long tenured Giant, he asked not to announce the trade until yesterdays game was finished, so as he didn't have to play against the team he had just spent so many recent years with. He found himself though scoreboard watching as if playing for Milwaukee though, and even rooting for both teams. It also looks like he will step into the starting role rather than just be a switch hitter off the bench, which will help make the transition much easier. This is a perspective we don't often get from a guy who was traded, and though Durham could hardly be called a super-star, he certainly will be a difference maker. If Cubs fans don't think so, they are in for a surprise. Durham also gets $20,000 if he is traded, and though that seems like a weird clause, its very smart, as the at $20,000 will take care of living expenses in his new home away from home, much like the moving expenses any of us would get if our big company transfered us to another office. Since he won't be living at home, he will need a per diem, and that money will make the difference.

Tom Hardricourt writes a similar article, but gives a lot of insight about how this will affect Rickie Weeks, the Brewers (still) current second baseman. Ned Yost makes some great points about Weeks, who was drafted second behind Delmon Young of the Twins in 2003. He got to the big leagues at the same time as Prince Fielder, Corey Hart and JJ Hardy, yet hasn't flourished like those other young players. As Yost points out, that doesn't mean he has underachieved. He might not have developed as quickly as the others, but since he has yet to achieve the high numbers you can't call him an underachiever. Perhaps our expectations have been too high for him all along. Certainly, being drafted number 2 in the country comes with high expectations, but as Yost points out, there is no saying he won't get there just because he hasn't gotten their yet. Hopefully, Durham is able to help him develop while he is helping the Brewers win.

Didn't have to wait long!
July 20, 2008, 6:05pm So the Durham deal went through with two minor league players. There still could be further work between the two teams, but Durham helps the Brewers no doubt, since Rickie Weeks has been hitting under .220.

Mike Pelfrey met the curse of Great American Ballpark today, after not giving up a long ball in ages, he gave up three in that hitter friendly ballpark. Are the Mets playing down to the Reds, or were the Reds playing up to the Mets? Oh, and Dusty is an idiot, but I am going to talk more about that on the message board.

Brewers next move--More info
July 20, 2008, 1:05pm So I spoke to a scout for the Giants, and it does seem that Durham will be a Brewer very soon, whether he likes it or not. The rest of the deal has a few different scenarios going, but will be more than the Ford for Durham case. Fransden is included in one scenario, though there are multiple ideas being tossed around... it seems, though this wasn't exactly said, that the Giants want to get rid of Durham badly enough that they will make sure at least that piece of the deal gets done, even if they have to accept lessor prospects to do it. My feeling is though, that this is this is the last ditch effort to make the play-offs by the Brewers, if they don't make it this year they are going to lose Prince Fielder and so they will pay whatever they need to to fill their holes. Look for this to get finalized relatively soon, but do plan on being surprised by the additional players involved.

Brewers next move
July 20, 2008, 10:35am Well, after a brief flurry of rumors that the Brewers were trading prospect Darren Ford to the A's for Huston Street, it sounds like Ford is going across the bay to the Giants. So says Tom Haudricourt who writes that Milwuakee will send Ford to San Fran for Ray Durham. There could be a pitcher going with Durham as well, but the deal has yet to be announced. Still, Durham will give the Brewers a left handed bat on the bench, and some veteran leadership for a few young guys who haven't been through a play-off run, both which the team needs. Haven't seen Ford play, but it sounds like he does have some interest from quite a few clubs.

What is Dan Shaughnessey thinking?
July 20, 2008, 9:50am So Dan Shaughnessey is the fantastic writer from the Boston Globe, this generations Peter Gammons, sort of. He's the guy who coined the phrase the 'curse of the bambino' and he is good enough that he usually can write what others can't. He almost always speaks the hard truth. That's what makes today's Shaughnessey piece in the Globe is so ridiculous. Shaughnessey actually says that never mind how the Red Sox have lost to the Angels the last two days, pay more attention to who won in the post-season the last two years when the teams met. Sure the Red Sox play harder against the Angels in October than, say the Yankees, but last year is last year. The Sox have also had the good fortune to meet the Angels in the first -short- round, which puts the advantage back to the Sox, but this year that is only going to happen if the Sox win the Wild-card, assuming the Angels keep the best record in the league. Though some history does hold true, and some teams definitely have the number of others, once the play-offs begin it all starts again. And the fact that the Angels are beating the Sox in the regular season certainly shows that the Sox do have a little to worry about. Now, David Ortiz should be back i the Sox line-up in Oct, which could mean the Sox, and Sox fans shouldn't worry one iota, but today, in late July, to say there is no reason for concern is arrogant, and even more important, wrong. Perhaps Shaughnessey just wanted to endear himself to his readers a bit more than he already has. Perhaps he wanted to write something that will get the baseball world talking. I don't know. All I can say is that for a Sunday column in the paper that re-invented how baseball is covered, its irresponsible and disappointing.

Nice hit for Carlos Beltran
July 19, 2008, 11:55am So, after the bit from Bruce Jenkins earlier in the week about the Mets centerfielder being spoiled, I thought this was a nice thing to come across. A guy has to be super-gracious for a NY Post reporter to note it. Anyway, its just a momentary snap-shot but still good to see.

Quick note from Red Sox Nation
July 19, 2008, 11:05am OK, not so much from Red Sox Nation, as from Rob Crawford who happens to be the Vice President. Anyway, here is a post about his All-Star game experience, which might trump all.

The Ancient Mariner
July 19, 2008, 9:55am Guess we can't be calling Jamie Moyer that now that he plays for the Phillies, but well he is ancient in baseball teams, yet he still impresses. Moyer becomes the first pitcher to win his first 10 decision against the Marlins. Is that actually impressive you say? Well, according to the Juan C. Rodriguez column Greg Maddux needed 20 starts against the Marlins to do it, and Tom Glavine needed 24. According to the Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Charlie Manuel set his rotation knowing that Moyer was likely to get the win against the Marlins, and who doesn't want to start off the second half with a win? Orestes Destrade of Baseball Tonight fame, spoke last night about stepping into the box being sure you can hit this guy and then getting struck out. In Moyer's 22 year career, he is 239-184 with a 4.20 ERA and 2,198 strikeouts, not a bad line for a guy who has only been an All-Star once.
No one, particularly in the northeast is talking about the Marlins, who are quite seriously still in the race for a playoff spot. Winning against them was important for the Phillies, and not just to keep pace with the Mets but to also push the Marlins themselves back just a bit. Personally, though I think the Marlins are missing some pieces in their bullpen, I think they could sneak into a playoff spot while no one is looking. They won't make it out of the first round, but while the Mets and Phillies are focused on each other, the Marlins can quietly go about their business. Ricky Nolasco (who?) had gone seven starts without serving up more than one homer, and had won 10 games going into the break, yet little was being said about it. This start was his first loss since June 5. I could be wrong, but I expect the Marlins to be still around in the last weeks of the season.

On an unrelated note, I have said recently that I expect that the Rockies could still be in the race for the West, despite being 9 games back. Well, I saw a note in Paul Hagen's column that said the Rockies have to play 62 of their remaining 66 games against teams that today have losing records. They were a second-half team last year, with a schedule like that, they sure can be one again this year. If they catch a little lightening with some pitching, expect them to put up a great run for the play-offs too.

Quick Note on Maple Bats
July 19, 2008, 9:10am It seems with all the controversy about maple bats going on a few players have figured out the solution all on their own. Frank Thomas, Eric Chavez, Torii Hunter, Adam Dunn, Jason Bay and Johnny Damon have all given up their maple bats. Some because if the league changes the rules, they want to be ready, others because a good hit off a bat that breaks doesn't help anyone. The league, actually all leagues, should ban them, long before there is an outcry for netting all around the field.

Little about me...
July 18, 2008, 8:20pm So there seem to be some new eyeballs checking out the website, and so I thought I would take a few lines and tell you a little more about me, and about what we at LoveMyTeam are trying to do. In 2002, I went to all 30 MLB stadiums and interviewed fans about how what it feels like to root for their team. From that came The View from the Stands, and a view of how separated the fan was from those that play it. That summer though, I also got to see the game from those in it, because I stayed where they stayed and got to know front office folks, some managers coaches and players, and even the media. Though the hotels were nice, the life wasn't easy, and so I came to understand why the gulf between the fans and those in the game exists, but I strongly feel it doesn't have to. LoveMyTeam.com came about to help bridge that gap. How does it do it? Well, if fans understand the inner-workings for baseball, not just the game, but the business, that can change how they interact with the sport. So, I write about a lot of teams, but hopefully, getting a little understanding of why things are they way they are with another franchise, we all understand out own a little better. And hopefully, all of us here at LoveMyTeam are able to capture your interest and keep you coming back for more.

On the other side, I work with players to teach them how to interact with fans appropriately. What does that mean? It means its hard to have fans come and ask for things all day every day, but rather than let a few burn a guy out, we work on ways of creating boundaries that help keep them open to those who root for them when its appropriate. Anyway, my goal is to work from both sides to bridge the gap, while writing about the game I love.

So, in order to make the site work, we need you! We need to hear what you would like to see that gives you content that you can't find, or want all in one place. We need you to go to the message board too, to talk about your team. If we know fans of a team are reading, we can work to make sure their is some content specific to your team. So, here I am, trying to open the discussion. Don't hesitate to drop me, or any of our writers a note. We want to hear from you. So that's a little about me, now tell us about you!

Rays Season Tickets
July 18, 2008, 5:15pm So the Tampa Bay Rays will stop selling season tickets on Saturday. They are holding a "Select a Seat' event from 9am to noon on the 19th, where fans can make their way to Tropicana Field to and pick their seats. Why would you do that? Well, they say its to guarantee your ability to buy post-season tickets, and well, they could have to face either the Yankees or the Red Sox if they make it to the ALCS, so that is fare. But really, there probably isn't much danger of not being able to get a ticket for the post-season if necessary. What buying tickets does for the team though, is give them the opportunity to lock up your money for the rest of this season. If the Rays fortunes fall apart, then they have made the money that they can off of the good run, and that helps them figure out their budget for next season. It also could give them money to spend this year on an extra bat or bullpen help. So, if you are a Rays fan and live near the park, it can help the team for you to commit to that money... and you may get some post-season, if not this year, then perhaps next.

Today's Trivia Who hit the first home run for the Tampa Bay franchise? If you know the answer, drop a note in the text box below, and include your email address. The winner will receive a copy of Dan Formosa's book Baseball Field Guide reviewed by Mike Street in our best books section. The answer to yesterday's question is Reggie Jackson who won the World Series MVP with the A's and with the Yankees.

NL East and the AL West
July 18, 2008, 12:05pm So, yesterday brought about some interesting outcomes. The Phillies bolstered their position in the NL East by trading for Joe Blanton from the A's. Blanton's last few starts have been rough, but he had 8 good ones prior to that where his team couldn't give him enough run support to get him a win. So, don't look at his record. He might have some trouble in the home run derby ballpark that is Citizen's Bank, but he should add some stability while the Phillies try to find some bullpen help. So that means the Mets have to buckle down and stay on their game, and though they slipped in the middle innings last night against Cincy, they were able to do what they couldn't do early in the season, and that is battle back. The Mets team that has won the last 10 games in a row can win their division, easily. The Phillies, in a minor pickle themselves though, could find their own winning streak, as they did last year and again pull ahead of the Mets. New York is better on paper by a long-shot, but they still have to play the games.

The A's though also have a shot at winning their division, though still 6 games back. Why would they give up a good pitcher? Well, as Bruce Jenkins writes, Billy Beane has shown he knows what he is doing. Jenkins looks at the Future's Game held on Sunday, and all the pieces in it that were A's prospects. He also looks at the pieces Beane got for Haren and how they have already helped this year. In fact, after reading this piece, it's is hard not to feel sorry for Cubs fans for giving up the pieces to get Rich Harden. Really, if you didn't know about Eric Chavez's injury history, you would think Beane could see into the future. Jenkins does not put Blanton on the same page as Harden or Haren, and if fact just dubs him an innings-eater --exactly what Philly needed, by the way. Jenkins also spends some time throwing the Mets under the bus, though clearly he spent too much time sitting at the bar with the writers from the New York Post this past week, since I have heard many of them say the same stuff. The Angels most likely will still win the West, but the A's are truly building towards long-term relevance. And don't believe Jenkins when he says the A's don't have many fans, and their fans know it. Just because their aren't green and gold hats on every street corner, do not believe for a minute that tens of thousands of people aren't watching and waiting for Beane to make his next move, knowing it will be a good one.

Fan Safety
July 17, 2008, 8:30pm On Wednesday, I was quoted in an article on ballpark safety in the Chicago Tribune, though the quote used was only part of my thoughts. I thought I would take a moment and expand on this story, to share what I think is the most important part of my view on teams and their liability. As the article points out, the legal statement on the back of your ticket, no matter the size of the print, relieves a team of nearly all responsibility if a batted ball, or even a bat enters the stands and causes injury. The teams got lawmakers to pass laws limiting the liability to get teams to commit to their states. That being said, with cases like this Chicago 7-year-old, who, as of yesterday was still in intensive care, no one can help but think that the team should do more. My feelings on this do include a fear of them shrouding the field with netting, but having seen 75+ games at various levels of baseball the past 5 years, I have seen a lot of kids come very close to injury and a lot of parents who, like this mother, who were not aware of the danger, and were not necessarily paying attention. The team can't know who they are selling tickets to, but ushers can be trained to explain to fans with young children the danger of sitting in specific parts of the ballpark, and can offer to reseat those fans if they have concerns for their safety. Sure, ballparks make that announcement about batted balls, but its done once a night, and often before fans are settled in their seats. A one-on-one discussion between an usher and a guardian of children can really drive the concern home, much in the same way a flight attendant checks to make sure the passengers in the exit row feel comfortable opening the door should it be necessary. If the ushers aren't consistent enough in a particular ballpark, then a specific security official could check the particularly dangerous sections. People get hit often, but kids who are often not focused on the game are more susceptible to severe injury. Some other tips, if you are taking your kids to the game: the adult should sit between home plate and the child, so that may mean in front of, or to the side that a ball would be coming from. You may be hit by the ball, but your bones and muscles are better able to sustain a hit by a ball than a young child. Also, its common for one parent to take several kids to the park, but one adult cannot protect several children. If you are sitting behind the dugout, or down the line, make sure you have more than one adult for more that two children. I don't want to see stadiums cover the whole infield with netting. As I say in the article, one of the beauties of baseball is that chance at getting a foul ball. We each, though need to take some responsibility to keep it that accessible. If you see someone sitting near the field with kids, make sure they know that they are in a section where batted balls can come very quick. The mother of the boy in the Chicago hospital said she had no idea how dangerous that spot was. If teams won't do it, lets take it on and do it ourselves, until they see the light.

Trivia
July 17, 2008, 9:40am Mark from Chicago knew that the two Cubs that hit 50 home runs for the Cubs were Ernie Banks and Sammy Sosa. Today's trivia: Who is the only player to win the World Series MVP with two different teams? Be the first to answer correctly and win a $10 gift certificate to MLB.com. Be sure to include your email address so we can contact you.

Also, if you haven't already, check out the message board and tell us what you want to talk about!

All-Star Reflections
July 17, 2008, 9:30am So I heard many people complaining on the local sports talk radio that they were still upset that home field could be decided by a game where the managers ran out of pitchers, and that, my opinion, that it was played more like it did count, wasn't accurate. Well, I have to say, there are many regular season games that go 15 innings where the manager runs out of pitchers, or at least runs low. I have been to a few where the right fielder has had to pitch, and while that isn't ideal for a game with so much on the line, it does happen. In Milwaukee, if someone had thought about a position player pitching the game wouldn't have ended in a tie... still. I understand the callers point, but there is no perfect world. There were plenty of players that would not have played had the game ended in 9, and that shows that the Managers were not simply playing it as an exhibition.
My biggest complaint about the game, and I am sure it is the same for many of you was the hour when the first pitch was thrown. Sure FOX wants prime time TV, but why not start the pre-game festivities at 7:30. The way it played out, the first pitch wasn't throw until nearly 9pm, so there is little chance the game would be over before most kids (and grown up kids) need to be asleep, even if it had not gone 15 innings. The Home Run derby is the same story. Though this year, Josh Hamilton made it at least a tiny bit compelling, the whole thing went on too long. Since MLB had trouble finding 8 players, maybe they just go down to 6, and eliminate 2 in each round. That would shorten it up a bit. The interesting thing about the Home Run Derby this year is it wasn't sold out. Less than 24 hours before you could still get prime seats through MLB.com and ticketmaster. Though this final year at Yankee Stadium was the big selling point, MLB and the Yankees overestimated the interest in spending huge amounts of money to be in the ballpark. If you were looking to go to the derby a few hours before the game you could have gotten tickets for about half the price... not a good sign. St. Louis, home for the All-Star game in 2009 will be more affordable no doubt, but this weekend will have to evolve soon if MLB wants to continue to set prices at such a premium. They tried to do that a bit this year, with the Bon Jovi in central park, but MLB's ability to deal with logistics, such as only giving out the number of tickets that can be accommodated by the space available, decreases the value of those events. Even Fan-Fest, which was a fantastic opportunity for kids, was priced so high with so little all-around value, that MLB really succeeded in creating disappointment.

Where was the value this week-end? It was in unexpected places. It was in Josh Hamilton blowing away Bobby Abreu's Home Run Round 1 record, while being pitched to by his 71 year old American Legion coach. It was in watching George Steinbrenner, who rebuilt the Yankee franchise into what it is today, deliver the balls to home plate and receive a hug and kiss from Yogi Berra. And it you stayed awake into the wee hours of the morning, it was in watching Michael Young knock in Justin Morneau to end the tie ball game in the bottom of the 15th inning.

Today's trivia
July 16, 2008, 11:10am Congratulations to Ken who knew that the Yankees played at the Polo Grounds prior to their move to Yankee Stadium. All the winners this week will be contacted in the next two days to arrange receipt of their prizes. Today's trivia: Since there were so many Cubs in last nights game, How many Cubs have hit 50 home runs in a season? The winner will receive a copy of Dan Migala's book, Baseball Wisdom.

It Counts
July 16, 2008, 10:00am Well, it takes a few years for a new concept to sink into our culture. How long did it take before we realized we were really settled into the 21st Century. Well, this idea that it counts, that an All-Star game could actually mean something took a long time for me to buy into, and I think, for many in the game. But last night, during a crazy long All-Star game that was actually played like it mattered, the transition happened. There wasn't any crazy tie, no using players just to make sure the guy hadn't wasted the plane ticket. And why not? Though it seems unlikely that Clint Hurdle could be managing in October, we would have said the same thing last year, and yet here he was. With so many teams in the mix still, and with the team making an appearance shifting so much the last few years, every manager has some stake in making sure that the game is played to the end, to a win. And after they hit the 12th, I thought back to the crazy game in 2002, when I actually went to sleep before it was over. It didn't matter anyway, why stay awake. Then, I awoke early the next morning to find the front page story that was all about the All-Star game that ended in a tie and the frustration of the fans. That didn't happen last night. They played late into the night. The parties were put on hold. The game went on, and though many fans had to leave the stadium, had to get the kids home at a reasonable hour, many of us stayed up to watch, and to cheer. Though I was rooting for the National League, I can't say I was disappointed. It was a great game all around. We got to see just how good these guys are, and we got to see just what they do so well. Yes, last night was a success. An All-Star game to remember.

Blogging
July 15, 2008, 5:00pm A couple of months ago, I had the privilege of speaking with Will Leitch of deadspin.com, and he joked about those times when he fails to close a bracket and ends up making the entire page a link to something. He gets a ton of email pointing out how dumb he must be to do such a thing, but he likes to think it shows that the post is being written by a human. Well, the next post in this chain was written in the lobby of a hotel where I couldn't see my screen very well, and was frankly rushing to get some words up. Its been a crazy week here, and so my attempt to set the scene was a little sloppily done. I was glad to hear from folks that they couldn't appreciate the thoughts because of the mistakes, but I too, had to hope that my readers, old and new, can be a little patient. Things will slow down in the next few days, and there will be a few more posts, and posts that are written with care. All that being said, I thought I had a few calmer moments and wanted to remind us all what these few days are all about. Its the kids, young and old, that make this week so much fun.
Father and Son at the Future's game

Home Run Derby
July 15, 2008, 11:55am
Updated July 15, 2008, 5:00pm So I am sitting in the Intercontinental hotel this morning, waiting for the Hall Of Famer's to get out of their press conference, and I wanted to take a moment and write about last night's Home Run Derby. I've been to the last few, and last years went on so long that I quickly grew quite bored inside the ballpark, and actually left to watch the rest on TV. Last night I chose a local bar, where many of the writer's not at the game were watching, as well as some local fans. Foley's on 33rd st. is the place for the baseball fan to enjoy their game and eat some great food at the same time. I got to the place after the start of the derby, but the fans inside were into rooting for Ryan Braun and Lance Berkman. The atmosphere was electric even before Josh Hamilton stepped to the plate. But while all the other hitters made adjustments to create more loft on their hits, Hamilton just used his natural swing, and still managed to put on a show like none you had ever seen. If you haven't watched many Yankee games, then perhaps you don't know that balls aren't hit into the black often. Last night, though, Hamilton made it look so easy. And what was beautiful about the whole thing, is Hamilton took it all in. He stopped and maybe seemed to goof around with some teammates, but really, he took some special moments to look around and appreciate the crowd, he setting and perhaps the gift that he had been given. Scouts will tell you that they projected him to be this good, but what no one could have known was the path he took to get here. Without his circuitous route, however, Hamilton may have not been nearly as fun to watch, because as he marveled at his hits it made it easier for each of us to as well.

Foley's pub my viewing site last night was named for baseball legend Red Foley. Red didn't play the game, but was a reporter and eventually an official scorer, scoring more World Series games than any other. Red Foley passed away yesterday at age 79. Bill Gallo will give you the details, but with the loss of Bobby Murcer earlier this week, this All-Star game will be about saying farewell to more than just the stadium. Red was a true gentleman and will be missed by all who knew him.

Future's Game
July 14, 2008, 9:20am Pictures will come later in the day, but I wanted to talk a little about the Future's Game yesterday, which was a great game and a great opportunity to see some serious future talent. I say some because the Future's Game is an MLB political mess in many ways. MLB selects the players it would like to play in the game, names it considers to have gotten enough play in many cases that they might be recognized, and then teams can veto those players and offer up substitutes. Sometimes their argument is the team has invested too much into the player, like for a David Price type, to risk him getting injured in the game. Sometimes, the team would just rather have a player that they want to trade get into the Future's game, both for the kid to get some exposure to scouts, and to give him a name that makes him more attractive. That would be why you saw so many Giants players in the game yesterday. They don't have enough talent in their system to offer up more than there one representative really, but had some guys that they can move in deals, that could free things up for them. Of course, as one Giant scout said to me, San Fran is looking to move Vizquel and Aurilia. The A's pitcher Henry Rodriguez showed some serious heat, and that was fun to see. And local fans got to see Fernando Martinez, from the Mets system, hit the ball hard a couple of times (the first time was a broken bat), but is too young to show some pop. He's still fun to watch run, as he can really move. The World team has won the last few years, which isn't surprising since teams financial investment in international players is much lower for more talent since they don't have to go through the amateur draft system. A fun note. Last year, in San Francisco, a Dodger was the MVP for the World team, a player from the home fans rival system. This year, the hero was a Red Sox farm hand who hit a two-run home run in Yankee Stadium. Next year, bet on the kid from the Cubs, since the game will be in St. Louis.

Congratulations to Catherine Fitzpatrick who knew that Aaron Boone hit his home run off of Tim Wakefield. I got quite a few answers about the song played at Orioles 7th inning stretch but not the correct one... it's John Denver's Thank God I'm a Country Boy, if anyone can tell me why that is, I'd appreciate it. I know Maryland is below the Mason Dixon line, but it has always seemed an odd one to me. Today's Trivia: For a copy of either Dan Migala's book which is in the bet books section or my book, your choice. The question is: In what baseball park did the Yankees play before the original Yankee Stadium was opened? Remember to include your email address with your answer.

Fan-Fest day 3
July 13, 2008, 11:05am So, spent this morning outside fan-fest (actually will be there all week in the morning) and though the Yankees fans are outnumbering everyone, the other teams representatives are picking up. That should continue as fans come for the festivities of the next few days. It's a great thing to see all the different fans, including a couple of Padres fans, a few Tigers fans and a couple of clusters of Twins and Orioles fans, and not to toot my own horn but I am glad to be able to give out something free, one of the few free things at the fan-fest, the LoveMyTeam.com sharpie. I hope all the new fans will take some time to browse through the website, which is growing all the time, and if you notice anything missing that we could do, feel free to drop a note and let us know. This site can be the site for the real baseball fan, and so feel free to make your voice heard. Now, for today's all-star trivia: In honor of those Orioles fans who don't have a lot to cheer about these days, what is the song that the song played along with Take me Out to the Ballpark at the 7th inning stretch at Orioles games since 1975? Simply put the answer with your name and email address so I can contact you in the text box at the end of the blog, and you will get a $25 gift card good for MLB.com! Also we don't have a winner from yesterday yet, so I am going to keep that question alive too, for the same prize: What pitcher did Aaron Boone hit his famous Yankee home run off of to clinch the 2003 ALCS?

Now off to the Future's game!

Thurman and Bobby
July 12, 2008, 6:05pm So I had was in my car when Diana Munson came on WFAn to tout the auction that is taking place at Fan-fest on Monday. Many of Thurman's personal things are going to be sold, including his World Series trophy which George Steinbrenner had personally given to Thurman, a gold glove and a letter than Lou Gehrig's wife had sent to Diana on Thurman's passing. Diana was asked why now, why would she sell these things that were so special to Thurman that he had kept them in his office in Ohio, and Diana said that it seemed to be the right time, with the closing of the stadium where she had raised her children. She still had the memories, they weren't going with the stuff. She then spoke of the players she was close to, some that still stayed in her life, players like Bobby Murcer who passed away a few hours ago. Bobby, once thought to be the next Mickey Mantle, was a player, and from the words of Diana, a great friend. He got the winning hit in the game following Munson's funeral, a way of honoring his hard nosed playing. Murcer wasn't Mickey Mantle, in many ways. I heard Bobby tell the story of how his career came to an end just a few years ago. George Steinbrenner called and told him that the team needed to make a roster move because Ken Griffey Sr. was due to come off the DL, and George thought Bobby should retire and take a job in the broadcasters booth. Bobby answered that he really hadn't thought about retiring. And George said, "that's OK Bobby, I'll give you 10 minutes to think about it and then I'll call you back to get your answer." In ten minutes the phone rang, and the press release went out saying Bobby had retired. His style really brought something to the YES broadcasts, something real and unpretentious. I never saw Bobby play in person, at least not that I remember, but I will miss his voice, his humor and just knowing he is there. Munson passed too early at 32, and ow Bobby joins him at 62.

Mets vs. Colorado
July 12, 2008, 8:00am Last nights Mets game could have been one of the greatest Mets games I have seen all year. Ollie Perez seems to have figured something out, enough so that long after the Shea faithful would have taken him out of the game (after he walked 3 in one inning) Ollie came back out to pitch to two more batters, neither of which he got out. Still, Ollie is inducing faith which is a great thing. Not sure why, but when you have a Tuesday-Friday package of games you end up seeing one of your teams pitchers a lot, and so this was the first game back to Ollie with his new post-Rick Peterson delivery, and he was fun to watch. Even in those moments when you didn't know what he was going to do next. That's the fun of baseball, you don't know how the story is going to end. Aaron Cook, the Rockies pitcher was vying to be the first Rockies pitcher ever to have 12 wins prior to the All-Star break, and he was pitching well too. Both teams had great at-bats for most of the game, and that kept us into it. The Hawpe home-run was a small deflation, but the Mets rally back, with some very tough baseball was exciting. Jose Reyes knocked a ball from Clint Barmes' hand while sliding into second on what clearly should have been an out but became a double. But Clint Barmes was like a vacuum cleaner on anything David Wright hit... all but Wright's last at bat ended in a 6-3 put out. Two of the plays must have made the web gems, as I have rarely seen better fielding, and the fact that it was from the back-up short-stop says these Rockies aren't as bad as their record might show. In fact, in their terrible division, where going into play yesterday the D'backs and the Dodgers were tied for first and both under .500 you can't count this team, out. All they need is another Aaron Cook and maybe a little bullpen help. The crowd last night was back into the game, and to be fair, when a team in coming in on a 6 game win streak, the crowd should be into the game. I wondered to myself if Taylor Buckholz, after surrendering a home-run to Damion Easeley had ever seen or heard a more enthusiastic crowd. It reminded me of the days in Atlanta when the stadium was packed and the fans would do 'the chop' cheer in unison. Would be truly hard to gain your composure after that.

So, I'm headed back to fan-fest. See the next post for today's trivia, and for our upcoming competition where we pick the super-fan from each of the 30 MLB teams! Oh, and Congratulations to Mike from Chicago, who knew the Ralph Branca was the pitcher who gave up Bobby Thompson's home run. Shame on you New Yorkers letting a guy from Chicago get that one! For bragging rights does anyone know what former Major Leaguer player and Manger is married to Branca's daughter?

All-Star Fan-Fest
July 12, 2008, 7:30am So, this morning the Fan-Fest opened, and though the lines weren't long today, you can expect that as the weekend progresses they will be. Inside it looks much like years past, though the layout is a bit more spread out than in years past. If you have kids, its a great time, and they will have a ball. If you are someone who doesn't get close to the Major Leagues often then it is a lot of fun to see the stuff that MLB chooses to show. If, though, you are an adult who is around the game, well, you might find its really a lot of stuff that isn't so interesting. There are great interactive things for the adults and kids, like the 'clock the speed of your pitch' or the virtual batting cage and a ton of opportunities to show your trivia knowledge. There is also a a big area where the kids can get coached on specific baseball skills, sometimes by actual major leaguers. This morning, it was Yogi Berra, so perhaps there wasn't much coaching happening. Still, if you are bringing your kids, this is the highpoint, and should not be missed. The joy on there faces will make the $30 ticket price a little easier to bear!

Today's Trivia:What pitcher gave up Aaron Boone's home run in the 2003 ALCS that sent the Yankees to the World Series? Write your answer in the text box below and include your email address for a $25 MLB.com gift card.

Starting Tuesday, the search for the best fan from each team begins. To enter, simply complete the LoveMyTeam Fan survey and tell your most memorable story about being a fan of your team!

Shorter outings for Starting Pitchers
July 10, 2008, 10:25am So, there has been so much talk about why a starter has to be kept of a pitch count, in the old days pitchers went every 4th day instead of every 5th and the pitched the entire game. The game has changed and many fans think not for the better. Last night, during the Mets broadcast they broke down many of the reasons why this has happened over the course of the years. They turned to the Elias sports bureau for stats which showed since 1957 the average length of a start has gone down nearly an inning and a half, and dropped nearly a full inning in the last decade. Keith Hernandez quickly pointed out that teams paying starting pitchers big money, even huge signing bonuses makes it necessary to b very careful when handling them. Sure Koufax was a bonus baby, but not like many of today's pitchers. And, maybe Koufax would have lasted longer if a few of those season he pitched a few fewer innings. Gary Darling described the incredible research the Dr. James Andrew and the like have done to understand the stress on the pitchers shoulder and and elbow, and really, these doctors are the reason for the pitch counts. They have estimated how much stress an arm or shoulder can take, or to be more specific, the stress the tendons and ligaments in the arm can take. That coupled with the need to protect the investment has meant that pitcher pitch less. The point was also made that perhaps if this research would have been done 20, 30, or 50 years earlier perhaps a few pitchers who we barely every heard of might have been taken care of better and therefore had longer careers. Anyway, their point was that these inning limits have lead to the need for more relief pitchers, and now a team carries 10-12 pitchers, instead of the 4 or 5 starters and 1-2 relievers of the 1960s. Its true. The one thing that they missed when they were talking about all of this is the idea of expansion and its effect. In 1957, when they began their comparison there were 16 teams, today their are 30. In 1957, even if a team used 5 Starters then, MLB would only employ 80 starting pitchers. Today, MLB needs 150, that means the quality has been diluted dramatically. That dilution is also the reason that the team needs long-men and short-mean and situational guys etc in their bullpens. Those extra 70 pitchers can't possibly be good enough to pitch complete games and keep the teams in them with any consistency. And 70 pitchers is a lot to say that about. The game has evolved in so many ways, and Hernandez is right. It comes back to money invested by a team, but its money invested in new cities that weren't in existence in 1957. So, remember, when you are thinking about how weak your starters might be, there are easily another 65 pitchers out there that are just as weak.

Today's trivia: For a $25 gift certificate to MLB.com, Who did Bobby Thompson hit his famed pennant clinching 'shot heard round the world' off of in 1951? Don't forget to include your email address!

Just a quick note, beginning tomorrow, my blogging schedule will shift to the afternoon, since I will be taking part in much of the All-Star festivities. Will still get you stuff each day, and hopefully, will be able to give you a sense of just what's going on here in NYC. Thanks for your patience this past week as my internet issues have reduced the posts.

An Owner's perspective
July 9, 2008, 9:45am Stuart Sternberg, principal owner of the Tampa Bay Rays spoke with Mark Topkin about the Rays playoff potential. The owner's perspective is quite interesting, as its sounds like he is working hard to manage expectations, both his and those of his fans. Especially, with the teams loss last night against the Yankees, where some of the Rays flaws showed up, it is interesting to hear him say that he could increase payroll if the team needs another guy to finish the run. The good thing is attendance is slowly increasing, even when the Yankees and Red Sox aren't in town, so there should be a little extra shot in the arm for the team, that will give them flexibility. And increasing the payroll can only help convince fans to buy into the team. The Rays really need improvement from their young team, more so than to get another player. As great as Scott Kazmir is for a fantasy team, he needs to work more efficiently and carry the team into the later innings, rather than worry about the number of K's he has. Sure, its good that he can get the strikeout when he needs it, but its better to only use the bullpen, even a good one, when you must. Still, it good to hear an owner speak the right words. Its also interesting to see just how he thinks, because despite his hope for the playoffs, he is also really hoping that the winning brings more fannies in the seats, and if attendance is up through the All-Star game that a plus. If it is still up through the end of July, that's another plus, and through August? Fantastic. And if the team is playing those "meaningful games in Sept"? Well, that most likely would mean that the Rays would set a new season record for attendance at the Trop, more money for ownership, more interest in getting their new ballpark built and finally, more money for free agents for next season. The Rays are teetering at the top of the mountain. The could easily slide back down the side they came from, or if everything continues to go their way this season, they could begin to slide down the other side where everything gets a little bit easier. They no longer have to sell the team to fans as something to do when its raining. They also no longer have to take the free agents that can't get another job elsewhere. It will be great to see which side of the mountain the team ends the season on.

Today's trivia: Which of the 4 expansion teams from the 1990's is the only team not to play in the World Series? For All-Star game Fan-fest tickets, and a copy of my book. Don't forget to include your email address. The answer to yesterday's question is the National League is often referred to as the Senior Circuit because it was in existence for 25 years prior to the creation of the American League. Thank you to all those that sent in your answers.

So just when I thought the NL Central was getting interesting!
July 8, 2008, 8:15pm Jim Hendry pulls the focus and the money back on his team. Rich Harden came for much more Major League ready talent, though Harden's contract doesn't expire immediately. Harden's injury history makes it a risky deal, but those Hendry traded are spare parts to the Cubs. Sure Eric Patterson could be better than his brother, but everyone thought Corey would be better than he is too. Assuming Harden stays healthy this year, the Cubs are back to being the team to beat, but that health bit is a big if. Still, I was beginning to bet against the Cubs, but with this move, Hendry showed he will do what he needs to do to make sure he is in it at the end. That has to make Cubs fans happy. In fact, can't imagine there is a Cubs fan that hasn't exhaled just a bit.

What a crazy few days!
July 8, 2008, 11:30am First, an apology. I moved over the last two days, and lost my internet at some point on Sunday. The amount of work that I left myself for those two days, to move my home and my office was inconceivable, and so there was really no time to go out and forage for internet at a Starbucks or something. I planned poorly and for that I paid dearly, as the biggest story to come along in a month, with Sabathia going to the unlikely Brewers has come and gone with nary a word from me. Good for the Brewers. If it pays off, I expect them to be strong contenders to overpay for his services in the off-season. It also makes the Brewers look much better against the Cubs. Anyway, I will post a long baseball related blog later in the day, but after my first all-nighter in years I felt the need to get on, plead my mea culpa, and throw out the missing trivia question, which the first 10 people who answer correctly will win a copy of either my book or the Dan Migala book. As many as possible should get the chance to win, since I took this unexpected break and you are still with me! Be sure to include your email address with your answer in the box at the bottom of this page. Today's Trivia: Which League is called the Senior Circuit?

Those Twins! Those Rockies!
July 5, 2008, 10:45am Kelsie Smith writes a great game story today about the Twins game against the Cleveland Indians. The Twins, expected to be pretty terrible this year, are the second hottest team in the American League, having won their last 3 and are are 16 and 3 over their last 19. The American League Central is a big surprise this year, the two on top were supposed to be in the middle. With the Royals steadily improving, the Central could be competitive for quite a while, even if the Indians do shed CC Sabathia. The Twins though are interesting because it seems to be a different guy every night. Livan Hernandez got the win last night, but it was Nick Punto who hadn't hit a home run in 365 at-bats that got the ball rolling with an early solo shot, and then added a 3-run double in the eighth. This is the kind of team that can get rolling and really not let up.

Further south, the Rockies are also on a 4 win steak after coming back and beating the Marlins 18-17. The Rockies had trailed by 9 runs at one point in the game. HOF writer Tracy Ringolsby writes a terrific game story, and included bits about a minor league 4th of July game played in Denver years ago, when that Denver team came back from a 9-run deficit to win. Rockies Manager Clint Hurdle was on the visiting team that time. Last night was the highest scoring game at Coors field since the humidor was introduced, an interesting fact to go along with story. The two teams combined for 35 runs of 43 hits. There were 21 extra base hits and 8 home runs. Could the Rockies get on enough of a roll that they are back in it again? Yep. As long as their hitting continues to fire, they can easily rally in what has turned out to be the weak NL West. There pitching is miserable, but they can out-hit anyone if they have all their bats healthy. They can still make a run here, and this coming week will tell the story.

One of our frequent readers started a great thread on the message board picking the winners for the year. I encourage you all to get your thoughts up there, as it can create some great debates. The great thing about baseball is that there are no wrong answers. You just have to believe!

Today's Trivia: Kevin from Queens got the answer to yesterday's question, Who holds the single season record for steals and the answer is Rickey Henderson. Today's question for your choice of a copy of Dan Migala's book or a copy of my book is: The Twins were originally located in another city and carried another name before moving to Minnesota. What city and what was their nickname?

Happy 4th!
July 4, 2008, 8:30am Just a quick link to Ken Davidoff's blog because he is so right about the Mets. They are just 3.5 games out, and there is still half a season to play. Remember 1981? That first strike year, where MLB decided to put the winner of the first half and the winner of the second half in the playoffs and for the NL neither had a better season long record than the Expos? Well that shows that teams can have very different fortunes in one half or the other. The Mets could go away for the All-Star break and come back clicking on all cylinders. Remember the Rockies? I know, I forget too, thats why its great for me to get out and watch other teams play. It's like looking around baseball from time to time and figuring out who is better than--- name the pitcher in a specific role. That sometimes helps me remember that Billy Wagner is one of the best closers in baseball, despite the fact he is the second best one in New York. Same with Aaron Heilman. So enough about the Mets already. Just enjoy the fourth and remember there is still a lot of baseball left to play.

Today's trivia question: So I got a ton of responses to yesterday's questions, but everyone guessed on of the two Cardinals that have had outstanding seasons so we are going to change this up and give it one more day for you to guess the single-season stolen bases leader, with a clue: He was never a Cardinal! Lou Brock and Vince Coleman are excellent answers though. And the prize can be either two tickets to the All-Star game fan-fest or the Dan Migala book, winner's choice. And don't forget to include your email address with your response! Good Luck and enjoy the day!

Buyers and Sellers and Parity in baseball
July 3, 2008, 7:50am So, Susan Slusser writes about the A's "rebuidling" and the decision that is coming pretty soon as to whether they will be buyers or sellers. The players are hoping buyers, the reality is it could be a bit of both. But because of an interesting discussion about paying for draft picks on the message board, and with the trade season really heating up I thought it might be a good time to talk about parity in baseball. I have to say it has come a long way. So many different teams have gotten into the mix, and though a few, like the Rays and the Twins have done it through scouting as opposed to paying, there still is a long way to go. Sure, market size has a lot to do with it. The Yankees and the Mets can sell out a few times over in the New York market, and if all things were even, according to Andrew Zimbalist, Economics Professor at Smith College and leading writer on these topics, there would be two more teams in New York City before there was one put in Milwaukee, just because of the population. But people in the seats has become an even smaller issue for most teams. It's the other revenue streams that are key. Television deals of course matter. Each team has its own deal, and then the National deals with FOX and ESPN money goes into a pot shared equally by each team. MLB.com distributed $30 million per team last season. In some cases though the team owns the local broadcast station. Think Peter Angelos and MASN or the Yankees and YES. They may not own them completely, but they own enough that the two have a symbiotic relationship. YES, for example, doesn't have to pay as much to the Yankees to broadcast the game as another station would, yet still reaps the money from high priced advertising. The Yankees can then claim they made less money since the rights fees is lower, but the owners are still making the money under the guise of YES rather than under the guise of the Yankees. The other aspect still creating imbalance is the stadium deals. What's the rush to build all these new stadiums? Why do teams want new ones, when they have perfectly good ones? Its revenues. The A's don't own Networks Associates Colliseum, they rent it. Concessions and parking are revenue that goes to the owner of the facility not to the team. Price of tickets are split between the team and the facility owners. A new stadium and new stadium deal would change that. Also, why build a stadium with a ton of suites? Because the suites aren't just rented per game, they are rented for season and for years at a time. That' s money that is guaranteed, and its big money. The more suites, the more real estate to sell, and the more that a team can know how much money it will have to spend 3 to 5 to 10 years down the line. St. Louis is an example of a team that sold out its fans for the suites, because never has a stadium been built where the prime real estate all went towards the suites, but watch as the Cardinals no longer have to worry at the trade deadline that they won't be able to get that last piece. The Twins world should change in a few years too, as their stadium is set to open next year, I believe. That's why the A's and Marlins, and to some extent the Rays all need new stadiums. Sure, we here all the time about how the Marlins payroll is comparable to ARod's, but once that has a lot to do with how little revenue the team generates at home. Signing Hanley Ramirez after they got a stadium deal in place tells you exactly how important both are. Ramirez couldn't have gotten that deal without the team knowing that at some point, even with only 12,000 fans in attendance their revenue will go up because the team will get all the profits from the fans. And of course, their attendance will go up with a new stadium as well. The haves and the have nots have come a lot closer together in baseball, but until the A's and the Marlins get their new homes we still get to talk about the teams that can make a lot out of a little.

Today's trivia question: Felix from Houston got yesterday's question correct, he knew the Phillies were the first team in franchise history to lose 10,000 games. Today's question for a two tickets to the 2008 All-Star game Fan Fest: Who holds the record for most steals in a single season? Remember to include your email address with your answer, because without it you can't win! Good Luck

Is it over in Cleveland?
July 2, 2008, 10:00am Well the Indians are 10.5 games out, but in that crazy Central division, there is no telling if thats enough to consider yourself done. Well, Paul Hoynes says that Eric Wedge isn't ready to call it quits, which is the right thing to say, but if your front office is fielding offers publicly for your best pitcher, well, isn't that a signal to the world, and to the guys in the clubhouse, that those guys don't care if you come back? In some recent research I have done in relation to my Master's, most GM's will tell you that the long-term in more important than the short-term, and yet Willie gets fired in NY because the team isn't set up to win after this year. The Indians, however, are actually looking at the long-term... the question is, is that really the best thing for the team, the fans, the city? Maybe the Indians can come back and beat the White Sox. Maybe they don't even need CC Sabathia to do it. But if giving him up sends the same signal to the fans that Bartolo Colon's trade did 6 years ago, as all the pundits are suggesting, then don't the Indians have to be concerned? There is some good spinning going on in Cleveland, about how the long term future is still bright. And I am not arguing with that, because I do think the Indians are strong enough to be in the mix for years to come, but I worry that when there is so much talk about one important player being shipped out that sends a message to those guys in the clubhouse as well as to the fans. Think about the Twins last year. When Luis Castillo was traded the players in Minnesota came out and said they didn't think the front office was concerned with winning. Then of course the fans begin to think that. Lo and Behold, the Twins are competing this year, very unexpectedly. I say the Indians should trade Sabathia, but they should get on with it or not talk about it anymore. Things like this suck the life out of the club in the locker room and in the stands. And once its done, look for the club to go on a tear.

All-Star game
July 2, 2008, 9:25am Today is the last day to cast your vote for All-Star game. I suggest you do vote if you watch it, but thats because I think you are smart enough to vote for players that actually will play, and deserve to play. David Ortiz and Chase Utley have not had All-Star first halves, and Ortiz has been injured so probably won't be playing anyway. Chipper Jones deserves to be there, but probably won't play either since he has been battling injuries and his team is in the race still. OK, Utley could be argued should still be there because of last season, and as is also the case with Ortiz, there isn't really a great second choice. Might as well take the merits of last year. And I will admit that I voted for Griffey. Not because of this season but because of his career and because he hit 600 home runs this season. There aren't too many more All-Star games left for him-- though he is one of those guys that never shows up. Anyway, thats my thoughts on the ballot.

The answer to yesterday's trivia question is Chipper Jones. I did get a couple of correct responses, but unfortunately no included their email address with their response, so I couldn't contact them. So its the same prize today: Dan Migala's book, Dugout Wisdom! Today's questions is: What franchise was the first to lose 10,000 games over the course of its history? Remember to include your email address with your answer in the text box below. Good Luck!

Correction
July 1, 2008, 3:30pm Today's trivia question should read--- which current major league player named his child after Shea stadium? Perhaps that will help someone answer correctly!

Getting ready for the All-Star game
July 1, 2008, 10:10am The All-star game is fast approaching, and since it is a celebration of all teams and of the fans, we thought we would make July contest/give a way month. Each day of July we will post a new trivia question, and the first person to email me with the correct answer will win something. Today's prize will be Dan Migala's new book reviewed by Hunter Manchak. The book supports the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation which provides support to professional baseball scouts who have fallen on hard times due to job loss, illness, retirement or other financial setbacks. To be eligible to win Dugout Wisdom tell me what Major League player that has never played for the Mets named his daughter Shea, because of the success he had at the stadium? You must include your email address in the the box below so that I can contact you. Just a warning, there will be no repeat winners!

July 2nd and other Prospects
July 1, 2008, 8:00am So tomorrow marks the second phase of amateur scouting. With the most teams having locked up the players that they drafted in the MLB amateur draft, tomorrow is the day where they can go after all the international talent, well all that has reached the age of 16. Kiley McDaniel gives a great overview of how this has grown in just the last year, and with the A's about break all records for signing an international guy by giving Michel Inoa $4.2 million dollars, I'm betting it won't be long before international is not the way to find all the cheap labor available. Anyway, we rarely hear about the July 2nd prospects, so thought a little light was in order.

As for other routes to the big leagues, well there are many, almost as many as there are batting stances. John Shea writes about Justin Christian, the recently called up Yankee who took the most difficult path possible but is now playing in the cathedral in the Bronx. Its a great story, and hopefully, like Aaron Small a few years ago, he gets to stay for a bit, and have his moment in the sun.

Game Preview of the Best in Baseball
June 30, 2008, 8:45am Mark Topkin writes a preview of the Rays/ Red Sox Series, where not only will the series decide the best in the division, but also the best in baseball. Yep, its true. Half-way through the season, the Rays aren't just playing the spoiler, they actually have the best record in baseball going into tonight. Gordon Edes writes from the Boston point of view as the team, in second place, heads to Tampa to try to knock off the team in first. They thought the important series would be played in the Bronx this week...little did they know. And even though I don't think brawling is appropriate... thats not to say I don't enjoy it when it happens... I think its great that Rays have really made their presence known as they step into AL East contender seat. The brawl that Topkin refers to is still being felt as players continue to serve suspensions. And remember the brawl with the Yankees from spring training? Nope, the Rays aren't going to be pushed around on the diamond or or pushed out of the media spotlight. Try to listen to a broadcast without the announcer mentioning the Rays. Momentum is on their side. Can't believe it, but this is the series that I am excited to watch this week, so expect to hear more about these two teams... the best in baseball.

No-hits and a Win-- The ups and downs in Dodger-land
June 29, 2008, 10:05am So, this I am sure many of you saw on Sportscenter, but here is game story by Bill Plunkett, a great baseball name, about the Dodgers/Angels game in which the Dodgers didn't get a hit, but still won the game on two errors. It's the 5th a team has no-hit the home team and lost in MLB history, it happened once where the home team no-hit the visitors and lost. The other fact I learned from this is that it can't be a true no-hitter if 27 outs aren't recorded. Anyway, thought it was a great story from the west coast. And while we are in Dodger-land, here is a column by TJ Simers about why the Dodgers aren't getting hits. See, apparently all of Joe Torre's World Series rings aren't impressive enough to the Dodger kids to get them to by into the old baseball philosophies of Torre, Larry Bowa and Bob Schaefer. Simer's calls for the return of Mattingly as hitting coach so that they can relate to some youth, even though Mattingly was retired before these guys every started paying attention to the Yankees. Simer's point is also how much the youth is running the show there, and how little the verterans, usually the cornerstone of team expected to lead the way, don't matter. Anyway, its a interesting peak into why the Dodgers can't, overtake the Diamondbacks.

Who wins the Subway Series in 2010?
June 29, 2008, 9:30am So with the Yankees/Mets nearly finished for 2008, looking to the future is always an interesting thing. Ken Davidoff wrote earlier in the week about the state of both teams farm systems. The Yankees are in far better shape from all reports than the Mets, and why is that? Money. Selig and those that run MLB have set up a system where they put a monetary value on each draft slot, based on the money that has been given as a signing bonus in previous years, and in line with all the other slots. These are recommendations only, as Selig would upset too many owners if he started telling them what to do. The idea is that it keeps signing bonuses lower so that any club should be able to afford any player, but it also is supposed to take some leverage away from agents since if every team follows the guidelines there is a max amount the guy can get. Sure the player can not sign and sit out a year, he might even get taken higher, or he might get injured and be taken much lower. The risk is primarily on the player in that system. Some teams, like the Mets, pride themselves on being "good citizens" and working under the parameters set forth by MLB. They may see the bigger picture, or they may be looking for a reason to be cheap....hard to say. It may also make them feel that if they follow this rule, then they can vary from MLB somewhere else without creating too much disfavor. Anyway, the Mets follow the slotting recommendations, and are very strict about it. The Yankees do not, not since 2005, as Davidoff's article points out. And whose farm system has improved markedly since 2005? And who's major league payroll has climbed markedly since 2005? Sure, if the Yankees and the few other teams that don't pay attention to slot money followed it, the agents would lose the power, but as long as one team ignores it-- Tampa Bay or Arizona-- then the slot system only creates disparity because the Royals or even the Mets have to take a lesser player who they believe will sign. The slot system does help a team plan its budget, as if knows 9 months ahead what slot it will be picking and therefore how much money they will spend on those picks maximum, ad if you are following it, you have to follow it for all picks otherwise you will only sign the guy that you do give over-slot money for. The Yankees have shown that the free market works, if you have the money and restrictions half-way, as in "recommendations", only create ore disparity. Drafting is all a gamble, but so is signing free agents to big contracts. Thoughts?

Actual thoughts about July
June 28, 2008, 3:30pm So I captioned the next post "thoughts about July" and then never gave those thoughts, I just wrote the introduction to them and then posted. The part I didn't add is that beginning in July, LoveMyTeam is going to start running some contests... some trivia baseball and, with the All-Star game we are going to be looking for the best fan from each team. Yes, prizes will be given. This is just a little tease, to keep you checking back, but stay tuned, because good things are gonna happen here!

Thoughts about July
June 28, 2008, 12:10pm Since we may have a few new eyeballs I thought I would take a moment to talk a little about the website and let you know where we are going. The mission of the site is to bring the business of baseball into the conversation for the fan, and to bring the fan back into the business of the game. Sponsors have taken over, and Sponsorship dollars have become so important that teams have begun to forget why and how to fill the seats. Smarter fans can change that. Though lately there has been a bunch of Yankees and Mets talk, that isn't always the case, but the great thing is the readers can take a look at the message board and get the discussion going themselves so that we talk about what you want to talk about. Hopefully, we all get a new perspective about the teams we love, and the teams we don't know so much about. We also have columnists that give you a little perspective on various areas in baseball, the front office, the prospects oh and of course, your summer reading. Take a look around, and if there is something you want to know more about don't hesitate to let us know.

On Carlos Delgado and other Random thoughts on Yankees/Mets
June 28, 2008, 9:55am So, obviously, Carlos Delgado has a career game yesterday, at least the first one. At the start of the second game, upon his introduction, the Shea faithful stood and cheered. One of the guys that sits in front of me turned, rolling his eyes and muttered "Band-wagon fans." After two months of booing Delgado's play, suddenly the fans are giving a standing ovation. That doesn't make them band-wagon though. That makes them good fans. They could have ignored it, they could have clapped politely, instead they stood and acknowledged Delgado's outstanding and atypical performance. It wasn't waffling, it was giving credit where credit is due, just as some of the booing has been placing blame where the blame should lie.

Now Delgado may have upset some of the press because he was unwilling to discuss the day in one on one interviews. Why? The talk radio guys I heard the morning seemed baffled by it, but yet it seems very much in keeping with Delgado's normal m.o. He doesn't take curtain calls for doing his job, and with the way he has performed to this point for the Mets in 2008, a 9 RBi day is really just him doing his job. Sure its special production, and if he had been driving a few runs every day or even on most days it might be special to him, I think, but one 9 RBI game doesn't make up for all those runner's he has left stranded. I'm sure he appreciated the fans acknowledging the act, but does he need to strut around like he did something amazing? I don't think so, and based on his past behavior, I'm betting he doesn't think so either. If he drove in a handful in the evening, maybe he might have changed his tune. Until he becomes the guy he was signed to be, though, I bet he is going to do his best to go about his business, and I think that is a good thing. I hope Carlos has a few more days like yesterday before we see Andy Phillips playing first base everyday.

So, the good thing about last night, after being as Shea on Tuesday for one of the worst games I have ever seen, was the energy. Shea Stadium was full, with even the very last seat of the last row in the upper deck being occupied. There always is excitement for the Subway Series as much as the media says they are tired of it. To top it all, Pedro was pitching for the Mets and he also always brings a buzz. Couple that with the Yankees running a reclamation project out to the mound, and the afternoon game results and Mets fans had some reason to be excited. Yankee fans always have some reason to be excited. Its been a long time since I sat on the edge of my seat at Shea, and both teams gave that gift to those in the stands, at least for a few innings yesterday. Sidney Ponson was pretty good, and got better as the game went on. Sir Sidney though, was pitching for a job. Pedro, for his part, isn't the guy he used to be, and though he did pretty well for awhile, particularly adjusting to the new type of pitcher he has to be, wasn't the Pedro anyone hoped to see. His ability to dig deep and find a little extra to make that out pitch seems to be gone. He can still be effective, he just needs to know that he can't dial it up, ever. Without that skill, he needs to rely more on command, and he still has that, he just isn't sure of it right now. Still, he and the Mets kept me excited about the game despite having the bases loaded twice and failing to score a run in the early innings. The problem came, just as it came for many, when the key hitters for the Mets began to phone it in. The Yankees pressed, and the Mets gave way. When it doesn't come easy to these Mets, it falls apart and they go home. Even if the Phillies collapse completely, as they have lost 8 of their last 9 and the Braves fail to put up a fight, I don't think the Mets have the fight to make it out of the first round of play-offs. The Yankees on the other hand, don't relax or give up. That even showed in the day game.

The fans at the game last night were great. Trying to cheer for each team throughout. When either stadium is full here in NY, there is an electricity that is unmatched, and events like the Subway Series guarantee excitement. I only saw one fight as well, and I think that was between two Yankee fans so had little to do with the rivalry. When a "Let's go Yankees" cheer got going though, rather than countering with a "Let's go Mets", fans chose to use the "Yankees suck" response. If the Yankees suck when they are up 7+ runs, what does that say about the Mets? Guess it says the Mets suck more, and they have classless fans. The other response I heard was a chant of the afternoon games score, which is not only living in the past, but opens the door for a "26 rings" response. If we are living in the past then the Yankees have everyone beat. The only response to a "let's go Yankees" is a much much louder "lets go Mets" or else Mets fans are just bitter. Not how any group of fans wants to show themselves, is it?

Shawn Chacon
June 27, 2008, 3:55pm So, with the announcement that Shawn Chacon was about to be put on waivers, many fans from around baseball probably thought, "Great, let's get him!" I thought he would be a good fit, until I read quite a few more details about the actual altercation, and the other events of the week, I can't imagine any club will want to give him a chance. Not only did Chacon push the GM to the ground, twice, in front of the entire team, he earlier in the week turned his back on his pitching coach while on the mound, and then later walked away from his manager in the clubhouse. No organization can allow a player to be that disrespectful to those in power. Buster Olney, in an article on ESPN, said that he heard this was an example of tension in the clubhouse, but problems like that can be addressed by grown men going to the person above the pitching coach. When someone doesn't go through appropriate channels but is willing to let things boil to the point where altercations like this are possible, then that isn't really the employee anyone wants. Sidney Ponson got into a screaming match with his GM, and was released. The screaming was overheard but the whole act didn't happen in front of the clubhouse, it also didn't include anything physical, so it can be written off to a personality conflict, where emotions got out of hand. In the case of Chacon, the