Man, I really wish the Dodgers had made that trade with the Padres.

apparently the Chisox can suck it up against central opponents, but the yanks, ahh the Yanks are nothing... I'm sick of this jekyll and hyde act.

Zambrano leaves the game with back stiffness. Knew it wasn't smart to trade a starter away in the Grabow deal.

Yeah it's been frustrating, but we're only a game back.

It'll work out.

Yea it does make me quite happy to beat the yanks 3 in a row. Todays drubbing was even extra nice. lol

dola, it also makes me a little more confident knowing that we have the most road wins out of anyone in the central.

Prior was always an asshole in my opinion, but it is kind of sad to see such a talent just never able to get his arm healthy. In 2003, he was literally unhittable in the 2nd half. One of the best young pitchers I've ever seen pitch.

Report says Mark Prior to be released by Padres | Hardball

I agree, I always wanted to seem him get back on track. I think it still might be possible, he just needs to go about it the right way

Holliday 3-4 with 2 HR's and Carpenter pitches a 1 run complete game!

Andrew McCutchen with 3 homers? I knew there was a reason he's on my fantasy team.

He's awesome. 4-for-5, 3 HR, 6 RBI tonight.

Lincecum dominant again :)

Best pitcher in baseball.

Saturday night's win over Minny, combined with the White Sox defeat of the Yankees, officially moved the Angels--at least for today--into first position for the best record in the American League, and second best in baseball.

If anyone was paying attention, the Angels, with all the crap they have been through this year, would be the story of the year in this sport. But no one pays attention to West Coast baseball. ;)

-Martinez won't be catching full-time, but Mike Lowell's hip is so bad he's costing us games in the field, Varitek's defense has slipped noticeably (mainly he can't throw out runners) and Youk isn't even the best defensive 1B on the team. If it makes you feel better, just think he'll be resting Varitek half the games, Lowell a couple times a week, hopefully Youk once and sitting Ortiz against lefties with no dropoff in hitting. And possibly an improvement since all 4 of those guys can use the extra rest.

-Bard is a dirty-throwing young reliever (last 12 appearances, 14 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 23 K) and it wouldn't surprise me if Hagadone becomes one within 2 years. Masterson has one pitch that lefties tee off on and he would never be anything more than an innings-eater as a starter, and consequently, never a starter for the RS. Bowden or Tazawa can spot start just as well if necessary now, and if Smoltz is being moved to the bullpen as he should be, Masterson was probably the odd man out (Saito being the other possibility.)

-Martinez is also signed next year, so he can be a bridge from Varitek to when they can find a long-term replacement at catcher (coincidentally, Joe Mauer is also a FA after 2010, but I don't want to get my hopes up.) And he'll almost certainly be a Type A, so that's a 1st rounder and a supplemental pick if we decide not to retain him.

-Lastly, no he's not a 3/4 hitter like Ramirez and Ortiz were, but he would be an extremely good hitter at 5/6, and you can get by with him at 3 because 2-7 are so balanced and interchangeable - if it helps you feel better, consider Bay or Drew the 3 hitter and Martinez the 6/7. We lost the chance to sign a true 3/4 before 2011 when Tex signed with NY and to trade for one like Gonzalez would require the actual star prospects we have. So even for someone as biased towards the Sox prospects as I am (to the point I want Bay gone and Reddick playing the OF next year, and Buchholz starting from Day1) I really don't mind this trade. We traded a solid reliever and a guy with potential to be a great reliever in a couple years for an all-star position player. People were ecstatic when we traded a HoF'er for Jason Bay last year and Martinez is basically the same hitter except he plays a more difficult position half the time and actually plays it competently. As an added bonus Martinez was the one Indian that didn't give up or choke during the ALCS.Fun with team vs. team standings. NYY 0-11 vs. either Sox, 62-31 vs. others. Red Sox now 18-2 vs. Bal/NYY, 43-40 vs. others including 10-18 vs. AL West.They only do when you have a HoF slugger (and unfortunately doesn't look like Vlad will cut it) - should've signed Manny or Barry. :) Or you could just enjoy the success - as a fan of Boston sports teams, seeing incessant coverage and half-knowledgable analysis on ESPN really isn't that fun (and it makes everyone else hate your team.)

Does anyone else find that PA lady in SF annoying? It's like listening to an announcer at some third rate WNBA game.

Yeah, I was wondering if he thought no one was paying attention to the Dodgers this year ;).

WTF?!

Report: Boston Red Sox fired 2 staffers in steroid probe - ESPN

Two security staffers for the Red Sox were using steroids? And the BoSox found out and fired them in 2008? And only cared if they were giving steroids to high profile stars?

Not looking good.

One of the two was Jerry Remy's son.

That article sure picks out random parts of the whole story:

Boston Red Sox - Sox fired two in steroids case - The Boston Globe

Seems like a lot to make out of a couple of roided up security guys. Who cares? They caught got with steroids, got fired, and are talking about....what...nothing really. They clearly don't like that they got fired. Investigators asked them if steroids were being sold in clubhouse, if they saw anybody using, and everybody said no. What's this story even about? One of them was specifically asked about Manny because he was known to run errands in Manny's car.

The security people don't think the investigation was through enough. That's just an odd thing for roided up security guards making $11/hour to have an opinion on.

Part of it is about why in the fuck are security guys roided up? And, after all the MLB steroid hubbub, the investigation seemed to be a bit piss poor.

From the Globe article:


Kinda swept under the rug stuff.

Do you think professional athletes are the only ones that use steroids? I'm sure the % of security/bodyguard people that use something is even higher than athletes, since they're not subject to testing.

What was swept under the rug? Even in this detailed investigation months later, after they've been fired and are no bad-mouthing the team - they still have no info. Clearly the investigation was fine. How much of an investigation do they need? They can't lock these guys up in an interrogation room. You fire 'em, asking if they know anything, and move on.

It seems like they asked them a handful of questions, took them at their word, and then fired them and forgot the whole thing ever happened. The guy says he swapped advice about steroids with Ortiz's personal assistant and that doesn't even raise an eyebrow... REALLY?

We have no idea if eyebrows were raised or if the team forgot about the whole thing afterwards, or how big the investigation was. These guys made conclusory statements about there being a brief investigation, but then talk about all the questions they were asked. They can't arrest them for questioning, can't search their apartment, can't bug their phone. They can contact the police, which they apparently did, since the one that actually was found in possession was charged. And they can contact MLB, which they did.

We have 4 pieces from the 69 win 2005 Seattle Mariners in Meche, Betancourt, Bloomquist, and Olivo and probably at least 10 guys in the org who played for the, I dunno, 2003 Greenville Braves. Also, pick some year and Braves minor league affiliate since Dayton loves failed Braves farmhands.

SI

Apparently it doesn't seem to have been all that big if the two security guards weren't contacted later about further interviews of other individuals, etc.

They didn't have any info. That was clear then, it's even more clear now since they have a motivation to talk.

What in your mind, would be the proper MLB response to this? And who's in charge of steroid investigations, MLB or the Red Sox? Do you think the Red Sox have their own protocol for "investigations", or are they just supposed to refer these matters to MLB?

It's just one of those things where it's just easy to say, "they should have done more". If they did a 1-hour interview with both afterwards (which the two security guards would not have to take part in), the story would be "the only did 1 interview, and they didn't even ask question X!"

It seems like a nothing story the Globe has been sitting on for months, but now with the Ortiz/Manny news a few days ago, they figured this was the only time this could possibly seem newsworthy.

That's a great way to put it into perspective.

SI

To be fair, Balentien is a reasonable risk, tho you actually had to give up something to get him.

SI

So the short answer is that neither of the John Schuerholz bastard stepchildren, Wren or Moore, were ready for a primetime job.

Both took the wrong lessons away from "winning the Braves way". Tho I think it might be the step of "Employ a trio of HOF starting pitchers for an entire decade" that was the biggest key

SI

YMMV, but it clearly seems to me that they wanted to sweep it under the rug. They found out that it wasn't directly being given to the big name stars, and said, ok, we're done with this.

They also asked them if they saw anyone using, or if the sold it in the clubhouse. Then later they say they only cared about the big name players. What an expose.

It's a story if they claimed to see players use, or claimed to know of use, or if they were kept on the job after they got caught with steroids. Here we have $11/hour fired meatheads critiquing a steroids investigation.

The only thing I learned from this article is Jerry Remy has a loser son.

and we're all ignoring the bias of the fired kids - of course they're bitter about it

Yeah he could turn into Phillips 2.0 or bust, but giving a reliever who can't hit 90 mph for him seems a reasonable risk.

Heh, true. Although a couple weeks ago, the guys at Baseball Tonight did a "who will get in" of current guys on the edge, and they all actually put Vlad in. They based it on him tying Gehrig for seasons in a row hitting at least .300 with 25 HRs, for his MVP, and for how dominant he was in Montreal, both at the plate and in the field. We'll need to see where he ends up at the end of his career, of course, but I am pessimistic myself, given how the HoF writers have been with putting guys on the edge in.

Oh, and I do enjoy the success. ;) I guess it cuts both ways. It may be a lot of crap getting a ton of coverage, but at least you're getting the coverage. Like you said, you need a Manny or someone like that for a lot of the East Coast to care.

I'm hoping the Angels catch the Dodgers, too, so I can jokingly throw it in my Dodgers-fan brother's face. ;)

Speaking of perspective, I decided to do a similar thing with the Angels to see how out of whack the Pirates' thing is.

Angels' 2008 Opening Day Roster

Pitchers:

Jered Weaver
Jon Garland
Joe Saunders
Ervin Santana
Dustin Moseley
Francisco Rodriguez
Justin Speier
Darren Oliver
Jason Bulger
Rich Thompson
Darren O'Day

Catchers:

Mike Napoli
Jeff Mathis

Infielders:

Casey Kotchman
Howie Kendrick
Chone Figgins
Erick Aybar
Maicur Izturis
Robb Quinlan

Outfielders:

Vlad Guerrero
Torii Hunter
Garrett Anderson
Gary Matthews Jr.
Juan Rivera
Reggie Willits

Disabled List:

John Lackey
Scott Shields
Kelvim Escobar
Chris Bootcheck

Injured
Traded
Released/not retained

I would say the Angels are very stable and don't trade much, but even they have a few hits here. I fully expect the Pirates have seen the most movement, but I wonder if it skews that far from many of the rest of baseball.

MLBN is showing Royals half innings from now until the end of the game, probably. Still 0-0, tho, as Banny also has also allowed 0 runs so far

SI

Not yet here. They're showing (I think) the 1998 HR derby on MLBN here. BTW, Big Mac is hitting.

Yeah, I was laughing at that. They showed the top of the 7th but the Rays have been up the last few minutes so they went back to Home Run Derby

SI

Should be back on after commercials. Banny just finished up his 7th shutout inning

SI

Yeah, MLBN coming back

SI

And there it goes

SI

Man, I just broke up the no-no. Saw your post and jumped back there. Very first pitch I saw, dropped into rightfield.

At RoyalsReview, many of us were trying to say "no hitter" as much as possible to break it up ;)

SI

It would be an interesting exercise to see all the teams but darned if I've got the patience or the energy to do it.

I will do the Braves though, comparing 2008 Opening Day vs today's roster

Pitchers (4) -- Manny Acosta, Rafael Soriano, Jair Jurrjens, and Peter Moylan.
Mike Gonzalez was on the DL last year to start the season, while Tim Hudson was on the roster but is currently on the DL. Gone are Glavine, Hampton, Smoltz (DL), Blaine Boyer, Jeff Bennett, Will Ohman, Royce Ring, and Chris Resop

Catchers (1) -- McCann.
Gone are Brayan Pena & Corky Miller, replaced by David Ross

Infielders (4) -- Jones, Escobar, Johnson, and Prado.
Gone are Texeira and Reuben Gotay, replaced by Diory Hernandez & Adam LaRoche

Outfielders (1) - Matt Diaz
Gone are Francouer & Kotsay, with Gregor Blanco back in the minors. Replaced by Anderson, McLouth, and Church

So a season & a half later, only 10 players remain from Opening Day 2008.

It really does depend on how this season fits. If its the beginning signs of age catching up with him, he's probably out. If its just a blip and he goes back to 2008 level production for 3-4 years, he's definitely in.

The Wall Street Journal ran an article during Induction Weekend last week that featured a computer-based prediction of whether current stars would get into the Hall of Fame. Two college professors created the computer program and you can read more about it in the WSJ article.

The computer model was able to identify whether a given player had been elected to the Hall of Fame based on statistical criteria 98.7% of the time. The model gives Vlad Guerrero an 88.8% probability that he will be elected to the Hall, Trevor Hoffman an 86% probability and Jeff Kent just a 14.2% probability.

It's a kick in the gut to see Banny pitching as well as he has been, but I'm still glad to see it. Seems like a very interesting and intelligent guy from the interviews I've seen and I'm a fan of any player who is interested in how sabermetrics can help him as a player.

I guess I hadn't really realized how many AB's he'd actually put up the past few seasons (East Coast Bias undoubtedly). It seemed like he was always injured and day-to-day with the knees at least when Boston played them, but he hasn't missed more than 20 games and has at least 600 PA every year with the Angels until now. Looking at that profile and from watching him play he definitely should make it in, but like ISiddiqui said I wouldn't bet on it if he can't get another 2-3 good .850+ OPS years. The guys who know their stuff will vote yes, but fairly or not, he'll get thrown in with the steroid era and his counting stats don't stand out yet (which is also why formulas based on historical HoF'ers are silly and overrate players from this era in terms of their chances imo) - his 6 similar recent comps are Larry Walker, Moises Alou, Juan Gonzalez, Albert Belle, Ellis Burks and Jim Edmonds - who's getting in there? Juan gone has 2 MVP's, but I feel like he's a late 90's Dale Murphy. Larry Walker has 7 GG's and an MVP, but all his good offensive numbers were put up in pre-humidor Coors. Hopefully Vlad can come back and make it a moot point - him and Nomar were so great to watch because of how phenomenal they were/are at hitting pitches out of the zone.Have you been to any bars/clubs lately? Stopped by a Gold's Gym? If I go out on a night in Boston I can pick out 5-10 meatheads who are on 'roids, and when I went to Gold's I regularly saw evidence of steroid use or even deals going down. Beyond that, I really don't see what you want from the Red Sox. They weren't conducting a criminal investigation, these guys weren't dumb enough to admit any additional criminal behavior (and they're not claiming to have seen any now) and they were fired. After that, it's up to the Boston police if they want to try and roll up the suppliers.

Keep in mind the Red Sox Front Office were openly talking about how Gagne was a known steroid user and still trading for him. I imagine that's the same feeling most front offices had/have - they're all for MLB "cleaning up the game", but they're not really interested in giving themselves a competitive disadvantage by digging up dirt on their own players. Even with that said, I'm not sure where the Red Sox "swept under the rug" the firing of 2 non-baseball operations employees. Sox fans may be obsessed, but ticket takers and security guards are still a little too far to be news.

He's never had great stuff that projected into a #1 which is why he was an overdraft but I've never heard of a pitcher preparing more for his starts and going in with a more detailed plan than Bannister. Kudos to him for making the most of his talent.