August 2011
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DEADLINE 3: FOR A FEW PROSPECTS MORE
You’ll find plenty of great trade analysis around the web, but if it’s an awards-style breakdown you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place. This is an obviously very subjective list, so, as always, please chime in if you have some differing opinions. Trade lists are here and here.
Most Evenly Balanced Trade: The Mets send center fielder Carlos Beltran to the...
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DEADLINE 2: TIME'S UP
It’s hard to believe that it’s already over. That we’ll all have to wait another 365 days. Here’s another list…more to come later tonight.
Houston dealt center fielder Michael Bourn to Atlanta for outfielder Jordan Schafer and pitchers Brett Oberholtzer, righthander Paul Clemens and righthander Juan Abreu.
The Diamondbacks shipped first baseman Brandon Allen and...
July 2011
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DEADLINE
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! There’s been a lot deadline action over the last few days, so let’s break it down real quickly.
Houston sent outfielder Hunter Pence to the Phillies for minor leaguers Jonathan Singelton (first base), pitchers Jarred Cosart Josh Redi, and a player-who-must-not-be-named-until-later.
The Indians traded highly touted pitching prospect Drew Pomeranz, along...
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Baseball Lore
A distant July 31st was a magical day for baseball. Scrappy super utility men made plays with such defensive prowess that the baseball fandom wept tears of joy. Players, who just the day before had been clean shaven, woke up with glorious moustaches not seen since the 1800s. Stirrup-socked, wily veteran pitchers dominated the best hitters of the season. And well-executed sacrifice bunts caught the...
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Astros Nearing Deal With Phillies
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Astros are about to part ways with Hunter Pence in exchange for Jonathan Singleton, Jarred Cosart and two unnamed prospects. That is two players who were in Baseball America’s Top 100 before the season and, though Domonic Brown and Vance Worley are not currently included in the deal, can immediately reinvigorate a piss poor Astros farm system.
It may not be...
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Chien-Ming Wang's Return to the Majors is Cause...
If you love the fairness of the groundball or just love making sophomoric weiner jokes, then you may want to fly out Taipei for Wang’s first start in over two years.
From Focus Taiwan:
“Citizens have been invited to gather at Taipei City Hall to watch a live stream of the Nationals home game against the New York Mets live at 7 p.m. EST (7 a.m. Taiwan time), Taipei city government...
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battingcleanup asked: Did you see the LLWS last summer? I watched one game where there was a bad call at first. The coach asked for instant replay and the umpire took a total of 40 seconds (I counted) to watch the replay and make the right call. I'm not saying it should be used for all calls, but certainly plays at the plate. Don't you think it's kind of sad that Little League can execute instant replay...
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Your 2011 Heart and Hustle Award Finalists
With a name that sounds like the punchline to a Fire Joe Morgan joke, the Major League Baseball Players Association have released the finalists for the 2011 Heart and Hustle Award, with representative from each team selected. The winner will chosen on November 3rd.
Here are a few names from the list, hardly surprises. Notice that they are either undersized, utility players, just not very good,...
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Man Tempts Fate, Tries to Recreate Dock Ellis'...
Sometimes in the pursuit of scientific knowledge, one must make sacrifices to their health and general well being. A.J. Daulerio of Deadspin recently took the plunge when he took up his Xbox controller, fired up MLB 2K11 and dropped a tab of acid in an attempt to recreate Dock Ellis’ 1970 no-hitter.
One would think that NASA would have already covered this important study, but with their...
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The Ole Trade Jinx
Carlos Beltran and Colby Rasmus in their first games with their new teams:
Carlos Beltran: 0-for-4, 2 K
Colby Rasmus: 0-for-5, 2 K
At this rate, the two are on pace to hit 0-for-513 with 228 strikeouts between them. Which clearly proves that Tony LaRussa is a genius and that the New York media was right to blame Carlos Beltran for not single handedly winning every World Series for...
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Indians Acquire Kosuke Fukodome
(Photo by EMR)
In an attempt to keep pace with the Tigers (who are currently interested in Jason Marquis because he is a proven winner), the Cleveland Indians acquired Kosuke Fukodome from the Cubs for two minor leaguers.
After losing out in the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes, Indians fans can only hope that the wheeling and dealing isn’t done. Fukodome, while a nice guy and a decent...
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WatchI remember when I still felt things.
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Craig Counsell Sets Record
After going 0-for-3 in the Brewers 4-2 victory against Chicago, the People’s Champ, Craig Counsell, has set the Milwaukee Brewers record for most consecutive at-bats without a base hit, extending his streak to 41. He had entered the game tied with Greg Vaughn, but because Craig Counsell accomplishes any task he sets his mind to, he is now the unquestioned title holder.
Now that Counsell...
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Brad Penny Goes All Basketball Wives on Victor...
In the top of the fourth inning, after having already surrendered five runs, Brad Penny decided to blow off some steam by yelling at Victor Martinez, probably saying things like “you a ho!” or “I’m really frustrated with your job of catching my baseballs!”
And thanks to the gif-genius that is Jeff Sullivan at Baseball Nation, we can all gather round and make lip dubs...
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Hideki Irabu found dead; suicide suspected →
joshsternberg:
Very sad:
Former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu was found dead at his California home yesterday. The initial reports camefrom the Japanese paper, Asahi Shimbum, and his death has since been confirmed by the New York Yankees. Suicide by hanging is suspected.
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I Would Like to Point Out Something That Is Very,...
Jose Altuve since coming to the Major Leagues:
11-for-26, good for a .423/.444/.500 line.
He has a seven game hitting streak. Altuve has played seven Major League games. There is not a game in Altuve’s career in which he has not collected a hit.
Altuve drove in his first Major League run last night. It was the game winning hit in the top of the ninth. It was his third hit of the game....
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“I was running from people who weren’t real. I was talking to light poles....”
– Sean Burroughs on his lost years to drug addiction.
Oddly enough, this North County Times article is the first that I’ve ever heard of Sean Burrough’s drug problem and it makes his return to the Major Leagues after five seasons all the more impressive.
It also highlights the fact that...
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Wil Nieves Cost the Braves $1
Seriously. What are some other things that cost a dollar:
a can of soda
a candy bar
expired shampoo
a change of address form at the post office
a broken fan from a yard sale
a fringe level Major League catcher.
I hope Wil Nieves doesn’t define himself with material possessions, otherwise his self esteem is bound to take a hit.
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Signs of the Times
It took 160 at-bats, but Joe Mauer hit his first home run of the season off of Colby Lewis tonight.
Michael Cuddyer also went deep for Minnesota, connecting for this 15th bomb of the season. Depending on who you believe, this either enhances his trade value or solidifies his place on the Twins’ roster.
Minnesota currently leads Texas, 4 - 1 in the top of the ninth.
Weighing in on the Rasmus Trade
(Picture via Timbo’s Flickr)
The popular consensus seems to be that Alex Anthopoulos and the Blue Jays might have robbed the Cardinals by giving away a smattering of players for Colby Rasmus. As is often the case these days, Edwin Jackson was the critical piece.Jayson Stark points out that Jackson has now been traded more times than he’s pitched a complete game.
It’s been well-documented...
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Today Reminds Me of a Certain Movie...
7/27, 1:49 AM ET : Jerry Meals blows what was an easy and important call at home plate. It was the nineteenth inning of a game between the Pirates and Braves. The proceeding uproar causes the MLB to institute robot umpires manufactured by UmpNet.
7/27, 12:00 PM ET: Unbeknownst to the general public, UmpNet becomes self-aware.
7/27, 12:30 PM ET: Having gained access to the electric...
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Pirates Issue Statement
Frank Coonelly on last night’s debacle:
The Pittsburgh Pirates organization is extremely disappointed by the way its 19-inning game against the Atlanta Braves ended earlier this morning. The game of baseball and this game in particular, filled with superlative performances by players on both clubs, deserved much better. We have filed a formal complaint with the Commissioner.
While...
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The Trading Season
Ahh yes, late July. That magical time of the year when a young man’s Twitter feed is immediately rendered out of date and his team’s roster is in a constant state of upheaval. It’s like watching Antiques Roadshow, but with human beings! The trading season has officially kicked off with a flurry of activity in the last 24 hours, so let’s run them down, shall we:
Nationals...
Ervin Santana Is Pitching a Very Nice Game
It’s very, very, very nice if you know what I mean. Not a shutout though, which is one of those baseball oddities. The game is headed to the 8th, so if you haven’t taken your lunch break yet, I suggest you do so.
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“He’s a cool cat. He was more human than I thought he would be. I was definitely...”
– Sergio Romo on meeting President Obama
(h/t to Hardball Talk)
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Vance "Milton" Worley*
(Image by trpnblies7)
Vance Worley became internet famous last week when a whole mess of bloggers realized that in addition to his stylish goggles, he also had a 2.02 ERA. Normally after an unheralded player is heaped with praise, he retreats to his expected levels, allowing all the heralding to go for naught. That is not Vance Worley’s way.
Instead, Worley pitched his first career...
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“His only limitation is his ability to move around.”
– Joe Torre, then St. Louis Cardinals manager, on (then) player Pedro Guerrero’s ability to play the outfield.
(Submitted by NonCromulant)
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Jerry Meals on "The Phantom Plate"
Via Mark Bowman:
“I saw the tag, but he looked like he oléd him and I called him safe for that. I looked at the replays and it appeared he might have got him on the shin area. I’m guessing he might have got him, but when I was out there when it happened I didn’t see a tag.
“I just saw the glove sweep up. I didn’t see the glove hit his leg.“
Hey, you know what’s funny?...
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The Worst Call I Have Ever Seen
After 19 innings, the Braves won a baseball game that never should have ended. Scott Proctor hit a groundball to Pedro Alvarez at third, who threw to home plate, easily beating Jordan Schafer Julio Lugo. This wasn’t one of those bang-bang plays where there was even a moment of doubt as Lugo never even reached home plate. Michael McKenry had the ball in his glove as Lugo remained a few solid...
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Best Baseball Tees?
Today, I ask for your assistance. When trying to set yourself apart as a baseball fan who really knows the score, as it were (do people still use that phrase?), nothing sets one apart quite like a baseball graphic tee. Last year, a Pavstache tee-shirt proved that you would accept only the best when it came to facial hair while a “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick” tee shirt revealed...
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“I actually thought, ‘Why not now? I might as well do it.”
– Jason Kipnis after collecting his first career base hit, a game-winning single with the bases loaded against the Angels last night.
If the Indians pick up on that saying, it would be the first time that a sporting team’s rallying cry was the same as the one that goes through my head before I...
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The Braves Play Hot Lava
Remember that game you used to play where the ground was made of lava and you couldn’t touch it because if you did, you died? The Braves decided to play it last night, with the Turners Field pitching mound taking on the role of Mount Vesuvius. While they defeated the Pirates at the playground game, they unfortunately lost the one that most of the fans had paid to see.
After the game, Dejan...
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