November 2005
“Mounting” his comeback …
Embarrassed White Sox employee hurriedly rolls up backdrop identifying new addition Jim Thome, as Thome conducts an interview while straddling a table.
Wagnerian operas to be performed at Shea
"Billy Wagner is following Carlos Delgado to Shea Stadium, reaching a preliminary agreement on a $43 million, four-year contract with the New York Mets. Just hours after Delgado’s introductory news conference at the ballpark on Monday, Wagner agreed to a deal with the highest average salary for a reliever."
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Wagner’s arm won’t be as valuable if they can’t get a lead to him in the 9th …
The starting pitching is good, but no aces behind 34-y.o. Pedro.
Kris Benson is still a career .500 pitcher. Glavine is 39. Jae Seo was the surprise of the rotation last year. Now he needs to prove it wasn’t a fluke. Trachsel is 35 and coming back from an injury-marred 2004. Zambrano hasn’t had his issues fixed by Rick Petersen yet.
As for the pen, Ring and Yates weren’t that special in their time with the big club. Heilman may inherit the set-up role for Wagner, but I wouldn’t have minded trying him out as the closer, with his electric stuff. Roberto Hernandez isn’t on the 40-man roster as of now, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Mets try to coax one more year out of him.
Its sure gonna be an interesting year at Shea in ’06.
J.P. Ricciardi replaced by Bob and Doug McKenzie?
Take off (your thinking cap) to the Great White North!
"And now Ricciardi is looking for another high-ranking officer/free-agent, making a five-year, $55-million offer to outfielder Brian Giles. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter batted .301 this season with 15 homers and 83 RBIs in 158 games for the San Diego Padres."
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$11 million per year for 5 years to a 34-year-old outfielder with no speed, to play in spacious SkyDome? If they wanted to spend THOSE kind of bucks, make the Twins an offer for Torii Hunter.
This on top of the already-consumated signing of B.J. Ryan to a 5-year, $47 million deal.
Ryan has had *1* year as a closer. And although his stats as a closer are in line with his stats as the setup man the prior years, I find that hardly a track record to bestow a 5-year contract upon.
Heck, I shudder at giving ANY pitcher a 5-year deal.
Yes, he may have been the BEST closer on the market (or 2nd best after Wagner), but I highly doubt any other team would have given him 5 years.
And who said the Jays HAD to spend their extra $$$ THIS way. They could have taken on some other team’s salary headache for a player.
If the Jays see a "window of opportunity" with aging NY and Boston clubs … fine. But throwing $102 million at these two players borders on insane.
Yankees tix cross the $100 mark
Hmmm …. heating your home this Winter, or Yankee tickets next Spring?
Supporting baseball’s biggest payroll will mean an increase in ticket prices for the New York Yankees, who are boosting the price of many of their best box seats over $100.
The Yankees said Friday they are raising the price of their box seats closest to the field by $5 to $20, depending on their row and location. The seats, known as field championship boxes, will sell for $110, $105, $100 and $95, up from $90 last season.
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In related news, Chase Bank will be opening an office just outside the Stadium, to help fans secure loans for the purchase of tickets.
Even in a “down” year, Pujols rocks
I do believe that Pujols just became the first player in ML history to win the MVP award despite amassing decreasing RBIs in each of his last 4 years.
2001: 130
2002: 127
2003: 124
2004: 123
2005: 117 (MVP)
("Big Head" Bonds gets an assist on this one)
Mets get Delgado
From the Mets POV, its not a horrendous move, but I have some reservations.
Delgado is certainly less of a risk than their last foray with a slugging 1B (Mo Vaughn!!!). But he IS 33, and his skill set is the type that ages more rapidly than most (slow-footed power hitter at the lower end of defensive spectrum). His power #s (doubles/homers) have remained solid, but his walk rate has decreased moderately in the last couple of years (his last year in Toronto, when they had nobody but him, and less danger in the Marlin lineup to pitch around him probably). His Ks have always been somewhat high, but the Mets just rid themselves of a high K hitter with good power (Cameron), so its not so bad.
Shea Stadium is not a hitter’s park by any means, but neither was Florida. He went 9-33 with 1 HR, 2 2B, 8 K and 8 BB last year at Shea. He isn’t Minky or Hernandez defensively, but he’s not Piazza either.
I’m sad to see Jacobs go. I thought he could be a good 20-25 HR guy splitting time at 1B and C.
The minor league pitcher the Mets are giving up is Yusmeiro Petit, possibly the Mets top pitching prospect. Baseball Prospectus had Petit, a 6′ 230 pound 21 y.o. righthander, as one of their Top 50 Prospects last year.
At Binghamton in ’05, he went 9-3 2.91 with 130 K and only 90 hits and 18 walks in 118 innings. A late-season cup of coffee with Norfolk was a bit rockier, but all indications are that he would have been on a ML roster by 2007.
I understand why the Mets did the deal. They definitely needed to replace the power of the departed Piazza and Cameron. But they didn’t get any younger, and their starting pitching doesn’t thrill me top to bottom. I really hope they think of making an offer for Javier Vazquez, who requested a trade from Arizona.
Urine is not your own
"Federal prosecutors want access to hundreds of urine samples of Major League Baseball players seized in 2003 as part of the BALCO steroid scandal investigation.
Authorities had a warrant for 10 players’ samples, but ended up seizing samples of hundreds of players from three laboratories."
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I can see it now …. the 2006 Topps set will include special bonus cards with urine-coated slides in them.
I’m every woman (who has ever been a GM)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ new General Manager Ned Colletti, speaks during a news conference where his hiring was announced at Dodgers Stadium Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005 in Los Angeles. When asked why he thought that Dodger’s assistant GM Kim Ng didn’t get the GM job, Colletti stated "she has these …. breast thingies."
Rays Attacks!
Photo of Joe Maddon, formerly a bench coach for Anaheim, being held captive by aliens aboard their spaceship, and forced to wear a Devil Rays uniform.
ERA and DWI don’t mix (again)
"I can’t drive … 55 (or above a blood alcohol level of .08)"
"Baltimore Orioles pitcher Todd Williams was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after causing a traffic accident. The 34-year-old Williams was arrested early Wednesday after a three-vehicle crash that caused no injuries. He was released on $500 bond. Williams was driving a 2003 Ford Escape that slammed into the back of two cars that were stopped at a traffic light on a major Tampa thoroughfare. Officers at the scene "detected the odor of alcohol, some slurred speech and bloodshot, watery eyes," (Officer) Durkin said. Williams failed a field sobriety test."
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Does a "field sobriety test" for a pitcher involve the officers bunting a ball in front of the pitcher and making him field it without falling down?
Is there something about playing for the Orioles that leads their pitchers to get plastered? Williams is now the third O’s pitcher to have a recent DUI incident (Eric DuBose, and the recently released Sidney Ponson being the others).
Geez guys, there has to be a BETTER way of having a good time or escaping the world for a while. I’m sure Raffy and Sammy can have hooked you up with some concoction from their "doctors".
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