Archive for June, 2009
“Between 1982 and 2007, there were 103 fatal, disabling or serious injuries recorded among female high school athletes, with the vast majority (67) occurring in cheerleading.” Regular old gymnastics had “only” nine. Yikes. Live Science, via Bob
.
I have always been a fan of choo, I have to say, seeing news like this gives me mixed feelings.This will be shocking news for choo fans, but some of you who will say that you saw it coming. I can’t say I’m all that surprised though. choo is great, I really hope this doesn’t affect the season.
Want to give yourself an edge? Want the same professional equipment that the pros use? Want to buy it for less? Get FREE SHIPPING on orders over $99 when you shop at BaseballRampage. These guys have everything you need, from bats balls and gloves to cleats, bases, even pitching machines.
Look who is making news again: DeRosa! It’s Also a Kick in the Junk. To make things easier to read for lazy folks, we have a summary:
Our pal Tim Souers was inspired by Saturday’s post and gave me this awesome graphic. And I don’t really care to harp on the trade, but let me give you my final thoughts. The Cardinals got a good player and it should help them…a little. DeRosa was a 3.8 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) last year, he’s been 1.1 so far this year as his defense at third hasn’t been too great (at least according to UZR). The Cardinals are going to get him for a little over a half year and the 2 main guys he’s replacing are Joe Thurston and Brian Barden who have combined for 0.8 WAR to this point. You can’t just simply add and subtract it though, so my rough back-of-the-envelope guestimating says he’s probably gonna be good for anything between 1-3 more wins on the year for the Cardinals, which is indeed significant for an individual player.
As for the Cubs not getting him, if we go by prospect lists and assuming the Indians like our pitchers as much as they liked Chris Perez and a supposedly top-end player to be named later, it would have cost something in the neighborhood of Jeff Samardzija and Jay Jackson. Samardzija has a no-trade clause of course, so maybe it would require Sean Marshall or Randy Wells and maybe that second player would be Kevin Hart or Angel Guzman instead of Jackson or another decent arm that could be ready for the majors by next year. It’s a whole lot of speculating on who the Indians might like and who the Cubs are willing to trade, but let’s take some educated guesses.
So if in the theory the Cubs met the Indian asking price, it would be something in the neighborhood of (let’s just say) Marshall and Jackson for John Gaub, Chris Archer, Jeff Stevens and a half a season of Mark DeRosa, plus the $2M or so added to the Cubs payroll that is owed DeRosa. That actually doesn’t sound too terrible for the Cubs, they basically replace some of the arms they would have had to given up to reacquire DeRosa with the initial trade and the Cubs get back the wind beneath their wings.
Looking at the WAR values of the guys that DeRosa would be taking playing time from (Fontenot, Miles, Blanco, Scales and Jake Fox), they add up to -0.1 WAR so far and as I said you can’t just simply and add and subtract due to playing time and small sample sizes and all that, but had the Cubs been able to make this trade back in early May (and the asking price was reportedly higher back then), you’re talking probably 2-4 wins (once I again, more a guestimate than anything). The impact probably would have been less if Lou would have had just sucked it up and played Jake Fox at third to begin with instead of having his Neifi/Lee 2006 moment. With Aramis Ramirez due back soon, that impact is going to be a bit limited, although we still don’t know if we’re getting the old Ramirez back and how many days off he’ll have to take. I guess I would have liked for Hendry to pull the trigger, DeRosa’s a quality player that has been able to get it done with runners on this year. Whether that would translate to the Cubs or not I can’t say for certain, the slump and inexplicable inability to get a hit with runners on seems to be nearly a team-wide affliction and maybe DeRosa would have caught it like a cold.
I’m disappointed that DeRosa could be the dagger in the Cubs 2009 hearts and it sure does seem like the Cubs could have avoided some of this mess back in January. But he’s a Cardinal now and be damn certain I hope he strikes out everytime he comes up. And every moron at Wrigley that ends up cheering for him in a Cardinals uniform, go jump off a cliff with the other lemmings.
In other news, Aaron Miles is back to the disabled list with a hyperextended right elbow and the Cubs have called up Sam Fuld. Soriano has had four mult-hit games in his last five so I’m guessing that Fuld won’t get a shot at being a leadoff hitter/center fielder for a few games, not that I really thought he had shot at that, but maybe he can spell a still struggling Kosuke Fukudome. Fuld’s warmed up with the weather down in Iowa with a 398/474/506/980 OPS line in June.
.
This might be shocking news for DeRosa fans, but some of you who will say that you saw it coming. I’m pretty surprised. DeRosa is great, I really hope this doesn’t affect the season.
Want to give yourself an edge? Want the same type of professional equipment that the pros use? Want a great deal? Get $0 shipping on orders over $99 when you shop at BaseballRampage. These guys have nearly everything you and your team might need, from bats balls and gloves to cleats, bases, even pitching machines.
Lee doesn’t know what he’s into -
The Yankees just completed a season of dominance in New York, taking the season series from the Mets, 6-0. In that last game, Mariano Rivera trotted out of the bullpen in the eighth inning to nail down his 110th career save of more than three outs — and, oh by the way, the 500th save of his magnificent, Cooperstown-bound career.
So here’s the question … Trevor Hoffman is still the all-time saves leader. Rich Gossage and Rollie Fingers are already in the Hall for their work in what was a different era for closers. Bruce Sutter recently joined them, perhaps representing the first real one-inning closer, or at least the natural transition from Hoyt Wilhelm and the Goose to Dennis Eckersley and Lee Smith.
But Rivera has done it on the world’s biggest stage for his entire career — none of the others mentioned were one-team guys, much less New York guys. Rivera has done it int he post-season, arguably better than anyone else ever has (with a respectful nod to Luis Gonzalez, natch).
So there’s your question … Mariano Rivera … the greatest closer (career, not just one season or we’ll get lost in the minutiae of really-goods like John Hiller and remember-him?s like Bobby Thigpen) in major league baseball history?
And if not him, who?
Note: Rivera is quite likely to remember this game as the day he got his first career RBI more than the day he nailed down his 500th save, hey?
Any tThoughts?
Shop for great seating options, and great prices on baseball tickets - at TicketsNow! Going to a game shouldn’t cost you a fortune, so shop and buy from fans and compare lots of different tickets, all guaranteed to be authentic and delivered before game time.
Look who is making news - Lee! We Interrupt This Cubs Soap Opera To Bring You A Baseball Game: Cubs vs. White Sox Preview, Saturday 6/27, 3:10 CT. , we have a summary -
I’m sure the Fox-TV crew won’t say a single thing about the Milton Bradley incident on today’s telecast. One of the best things about baseball is that if there’s a distraction or problem one day, there’s generally another game the next day so a team can take its focus and put it on defeating its opponent then, rather than looking back. That’s what I hope the Cubs do today.
In the middle of everything else, Lou had some comments on Geovany Soto’s positive marijuana test:
Piniella said he would have encouraged Soto to talk about the incident weeks ago but wasn’t aware of it until this week.
“It really has had a negative effect on his performance,” Piniella said. “It was supposed to have come out a few times, and they’ve delayed it, and I don’t think it has done any good.”
Asked about the seriousness of the offense, Piniella said: “Look, I smoked dope one time in my life, and it didn’t do a damn thing for me and I never tried it again. And I’m fortunate because of that. But a lot of people do smoke marijuana. You can buy it for medical purposes in California.”
Somehow, I can’t picture Lou doing that. But he’s right. Maybe this was weighing on Geo to some extent. In any case, he sure had a big hit the day after the revelation, and for the last five weeks, he’s been hitting well. Keep it up, Geo.
And, good news for Ryan Dempster and family:
On the mound will be Mark Buehrle for the Sox and Ryan Dempster for the Cubs. Buehrle is having a fine season, going 7-2 with a 3.17 ERA. Dempster is 4-5 with a 3.83 ERA while being distracted by family health worries.
Those worries may be lessening now that his infant daughter, Riley, is home. She was born April 1 with DiGeorge’s syndrome, a disorder that affects her ability to swallow and digest food. Riley had spent her first 2½ months in hospitals.
“I think I’ve slept better the last three days than I have in months,” Dempster said Friday of having his second child home since Tuesday.
| Today’s Starting Pitchers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mark Buehrle is 4-4, 4.57 lifetime vs. the Cubs in 10 starts. Too bad Reed Johnson is on the DL — he’s 10-for-27 vs. Buerhle. Other Cubs who hit him well include Derrek Lee (5-for-11, 2 doubles, a HR) — and Milton Bradley (8-for-25, 2 doubles, a triple, four walks). One thing about Buehrle — he works fast and throws strikes. Today’s game is likely to be a quick one. (Someone should have told him to stop crying before they took his picture, though.)
Ryan Dempster threw pretty well against the Sox ten days ago at Wrigley Field, but the impotent Cubs offense couldn’t help him out. He’d certainly like to pay the Sox back for the pasting they gave him at the Cell one year ago today. Watch out for A.J. — he’s homered off Dempster, but that was on July 1, 2006, when Dempster was closing, a game best forgotten.
Today’s game is on Fox. The other two games are Red Sox/Braves and Angels/Diamondbacks, so it appears most of the middle of the country will get the Cubs game. Complete market listing here. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
To find out what Sox fans are thinking, visit our SBN Sox site South Side Sox.
Overflow comment threads will post today at 4 pm, 5 pm and 5:45 pm CDT.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
.
This will be shocking news for Lee fans, but there are those of you who will say that you saw it coming from a long way away. I’m pretty surprised though. Lee is cool, I really hope this doesn’t affect the season.
Want to give yourself an edge? Want the same professional equipment that the professional athletes use? Want to steal a few dollars off the price? Get free shipping on orders over $99 when you shop at BaseballRampage. These guys have just about everything you need, from bats balls and gloves to cleats, bases, even pitching machines.
Had there been no incidents in yesterday’s win over the White Sox, I probably wouldn’t have posted anything this morning — the first post today would have been the preview thread at 1 pm CDT.
But given the passion exhibited in last night’s recap regarding Milton Bradley — and I commend all of you for keeping it on topic and not making anything personal — I felt it was important to have a post up this morning where discussion on this issue can continue, because this appears to be a real turning point for this team, just as the Michael Barrett/A.J. Pierzynski brawl did the same thing two years ago, coincidentally in a game at the Cell.
First, I continue to stand by the two things I posted last night regarding things I have heard about Milton Bradley. I learned these a couple of weeks ago but decided to sit on them at the time, only posting them last night because I felt they were relevant to yesterday’s incident. No, I can’t and won’t post names. Believe what you will, but I have absolutely no doubt I was told the truth.
There’s another take on this situation this morning from Chris DeLuca in the Sun-Times:
Veteran Alfonso Soriano, who doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being a true team leader, said he had never seen anything like it during his nine-year career. And then Soriano — always one of the first Cubs in the clubhouse — put the onus on Bradley to shape up or ship out.“That’s my first time to see a manager fighting with a player; get mad with a player,’”Soriano said. “Sometimes you can get mad, but not like that. It’s something new for me every day.
“We are 25 players, and we have to be on the same page. If he is not 100 percent to help the team win, we don’t need him. If he’s 100 percent and he wants to play, he’s more than welcome.”
That means Bradley must arrive today at U.S. Cellular Field earlier than usual — which means, don’t be the last position player to wander into the clubhouse. He must put the team first — for the first time in his career. He must accept responsibility for his selfish actions — instead of blaming everyone else.
You can criticize Soriano all you want, justifiably, for his play on the field. But one thing you cannot say is that Soriano has the wrong attitude. Soriano’s a leader, and he is absolutely correct. I have a lot more to say, so there’s more below the fold.
I’m also posting again about this because of two articles written by Cubs beat writers, one by Paul Sullivan, the other by Gordon Wittenmyer. I posted this from Sullivan’s article in the comments last night, but felt it deserved further attention:
Bradley blamed himself for his poor start (.237 batting average), and conceded he didn’t realize how “overwhelming” it would be to be a focus of attention on the North Side.
“People are always watching and looking at everything I’m doing,” he said. “My personality is more of a guy who likes to go unnoticed — to show up, do my job and go home, and really not have a whole lot of hoopla about it.
“I’m really not a guy who’s seeking any attention. I’m not seeking to be noted, like ‘Milton Bradley and the Chicago Cubs.’ I don’t want that. I just want to be part of a group and fit in and just love and be loved. That’s the basis of what I am.
“Maybe years ago I might have thought I wanted all this, but I really don’t want all the attention.”
He didn’t want the attention? Exactly where did he think he was signing? The Yukon? The Cubs get more attention than perhaps any team in baseball save the Yankees and Red Sox! They have been on national cable for 30 years and have a national fan base! Yes, I know — he played in “major markets” before (Oakland, Dallas, Los Angeles). But neither the Athletics nor the Rangers have the huge and rabid fan bases that the Cubs do, and in laid-back LA, the Dodgers don’t get the kind of scrutiny that the Cubs do, nor are they under the pressure to win that the Cubs are. Didn’t Bradley think of this? Didn’t Jim Hendry do his due diligence regarding Bradley’s personality and whether it would fit in the pressure cooker that is Cubs baseball?
Bradley was, in some sense, signed to be “Milton Bradley and the Chicago Cubs”, given the desire for LH-hitting production and the dollars he signed for. All of this could have and should have been known to him last December. I have no doubt that Bradley wants very badly to succeed and perform well. The “passion”, however, that he supposedly brings to this team isn’t the kind of “passion” we need. Instead, it’s a daily soap opera of one kind or another. If Bradley wanted to “show up, do his job and go home, and really not have a whole lot of hoopla about it”, he should have signed with Pittsburgh, Kansas City or Florida, places where baseball is an afterthought.
The second point, brought out in Wittenmyer’s article, is more disturbing and more direct:
Piniella ordered Bradley to the clubhouse and followed him — with Carlos Zambrano joining him — through the tunnel from the dugout.According to sources, Piniella then shouted at Bradley, “You’re not a player! You’re a piece of sh–!”
Bradley then said, “I have too much respect for you to respond to that,” a source said.
Presuming the above exchange is true — and I have no doubt that it is — there are a couple of things I’d like to say. First, a manager really shouldn’t say that about one of his players. Bradley’s reaction, when he surely could have exploded and made the situation far worse, does give me some respect for him.
But keep this in mind: two years ago after the Barrett/Pierzynski incident, it’s clear to me that Lou likely went to Jim Hendry and said, “Get him off my team.” And two weeks later, Hendry obliged him.
It’s unlikely Milton Bradley can be traded anywhere at this point, unless the Cubs are willing to eat large chunks of his remaining contract. As some say, however, he is a “sunk cost”. Maybe this is the thing to do — admit this was an enormous mistake, see if any team will send a face-saving prospect or two, eat most of the deal, and move on. Perhaps Adam Dunn could be acquired to play right field the rest of the year — honestly, I don’t care how bad his defense is, at least he’d be getting on base and hitting home runs (and you could run Reed Johnson, Ryan Freel or Kosuke Fukudome out there the last couple innings for defense). Or send Jake Fox out there once Aramis Ramirez returns — Fox has shown he can be at least capable in the field.
If not, then the Cubs are stuck with Hendry’s bad decision, and hopefully can go out and reclaim Mark DeRosa to get another bat in the lineup — yes, the Cubs are interested and have inquired about DeRo, says Wittenmyer. For me, I will not boo Bradley unless he makes an egregious on-field mistake (such as tossing another ball into the stands with less than three outs). I’ll cheer his positive contributions as long as he wears the blue pinstripes. I have no doubt that he wants to win and do well, very badly. The problem is: I don’t think he knows how, how to be part of a team, how to channel that passion and aggressiveness to the team.
And I will expect nothing from him. Because that’s what he has given us so far.
.
I have always been a fan of DeRosa, I have to say, seeing stuff like this gives me mixed feelings.How do you think this news will affect the team this season?
Searching for autographed baseball memorabilia? There is only one place you can go to ensure that the signatures are real - IronClad Athetics. These guys have tons of selection, and reasonable prices, plus they have an Iron Clad Signature Authenticity guarantee, ensuring that every signature is 100% real, no imitations and no forgeries. Get great autographed baseball memorabilia now.
I like it when I see news about Dellucci -
The Jays’ affiliates had more rain-outs (2) than wins (1) on the night. Enough said. Davis Romero received the start and was not overly sharp. He allowed four runs on eight hits and one walk over 5.1 innings of work. Bryan Bullington relieved him and allowed one run in 1.2 innings, but struck out four. Bill Murphy had a scoreless inning and struck out the side. Brian Wolfe, though, took the loss when he allowed three runs on two hits and two walks without getting an out. Offensively, JP Arencibia was 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. Kevin Howard also had two hits, as did Michael Barrett. Angel Sanchez had three hits, including a double. David Dellucci was 3-for-4 with two homers and he scored three runs.
Luis Perez, the Jays’ representative in the upcoming Futures Game, struggled with his control and walked five batters in 6.1 innings. He gave up just three hits, though, and allowed three runs (two earned). Adrian Martin finished the game with 2.1 scoreless innings. Brian Jeroloman went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs. Scott Campbell went 1-for-3 with two runs scored. Nick Gorneault, Adam Calderone, Brian Dopirak, and Darin Mastroianni also had hits.
Dunedin - postponed
Starter Josh Wells had another ugly outing and allowed six runs on nine hits and one walk in 2.1 innings of work. Ryan Koch allowed one run one four hits in 3.2 innings. Keith Meyer worked two scoreless innings and allowed just one hit. Hunter Moody worked one scoreless inning and struck out two, while allowing one hit and one walk. Lead-off man Justin McClanahan went 0-for-5 with three Ks. Brian Van Kirk and Mark Sobolewski each had two hits. Balbino Fuenmayor, AJ Jimenez, Johermyn Chavez, Tyler Pastornicky, and Chris Emanuele each had one hit. Sobolewski and Jimenez drove in runs. Van Kirk had the only extra base hit, which was a double.
Scott Gracey had another poor start and allowed five runs in 4.2 innings on six hits and two walks. Willi Mendez also struggled and allowed three runs in 1.1 innings, thanks to three hits and two walks. Dan Miller and Zach Outman also gave up runs. Offensively, Jimmy Gonzalez and Welinton Ramirez each had two hits - and a double a piece for the only extra base hits of the game. Randy Schwartz had a solo homer - his fourth of the year (He only has five hits in total). Jack Murphy went 1-for-3 and Luis Hurtado was 1-for-4.
Gulf Coast League Jays - postponed
The Three Stars:
3. Adrian Martin for 2.1 scoreless innings
2. Brian Jeroloman for two hits and two RBI
1. David Dellucci, three hits, two homers
.
Let us know w you think!
Discover great seating options, and great prices on MLB tickets - at TicketsNow! Going to a game shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg, so shop smart and compare lots of different tickets, all guaranteed to be authentic and delivered before the opening pitch.
A lot of fans really like this guy. I think Lee is spectacular -
As Rick Morrissey points out, the Cubs/White Sox series this year has lacked the intensity of some other years. Maybe it’s because of the non-intense teams: The Cubs seemed to gain momentum from their split with the Sox in the first series, putting together a four-game winning streak. But they have lost three in a row heading into Friday’s game. The Sox have been similarly up and down all season. Were blasé fans at the City Series simply reflecting the status of their teams? Maybe it’s the other way around. I’ve been critical of Cubs manager Lou Piniella for not showing much life this season, and others have jumped on Sox manager Ozzie Guillen for the same thing. But perhaps the skippers are taking their cues from fans. Two teams coming off playoff appearances in 2008 with playoff hopes for this season, and the prevailing theme on both sides of town seems to be listlessness. Bruce Miles has some ideas on how to eliminate the torpor. Here’s one:
Flip the rules: Major League Baseball has talked about letting the pitcher bat in AL ballparks and using the designated hitter in NL parks.
We couldn’t have had a better situation for that than this year. How about Mark Buehrle hitting a homer at the Cell and setting off the fireworks?
Or every Cubs fan’s new favorite, Jake Fox, belting a pair of homers as DH without manager Lou Piniella holding his breath every time the ball was hit to Fox at third base?
Let’s hope at least the Cubs can ramp up their performance this weekend. Speaking of listlessness, what’s up with the seemingly catatonic Lou Piniella?
Piniella wonders why fans want him to revert to his old form, as though that’s all it would take to turn the Cubs’ season around.
“I’m trying to have a little fun,” he said. “What am I supposed to do? What does it do for me to go out there and get kicked out of games?”
Yet many Cubs fans are frustrated and want Piniella to do just that. If he won’t take it out on an umpire, fans would like him to take a pound of flesh out of some of his high-paid talent. Like predecessor Dusty Baker, Piniella prefers to talk to his players behind closed doors.
“What do I need to yell at anybody for?” he said. “What is it that yelling at people is going to ensure you’re going to get a better performance? I have meetings with people here in my office individually, and I talk to them and I try to help them. But I don’t know what yelling and going out there and arguing will accomplish.
“I have the passion. I want to win. Losses bother me. They hurt. I care about the players. But I don’t play. I played at one time, and I could do something about it when I played. I had a bat in my hand, I had a glove in my hand, but I don’t anymore. I’m basically here to direct things.”
One thing Lou is directing is the benching of Milton Bradley. Why?
He’s hitting .205 against right-handers with 30 strikeouts in 117 at-bats and .327 vs. left-handers.
Great. $10 million a year for a platoon right fielder. Aren’t we already doing that in center field? And after all that — Bradley plays today vs. a RHP (from Twittermyer):
Soriano, lf; Fukudome, cf; Bradley, rf; Lee, 1b: Hoffpauir, dh; Fox, 3b; Fontenot, 2b; Soto, c; Blanco, ss
| Today’s Starting Pitchers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jose Contreras is a mystery. He’s officially 37 years old, but some think he could be years older. He dominates at times, but got so bad earlier this year that the Sox sent him to Triple-A. He is 2-3, 6.08 lifetime vs. the Cubs, and that includes a nine-run pounding the Cubs gave him at Wrigley Field last June 21. Of course, he then turned around and beat the Cubs six days later at the Cell. The best Cubs hitter against him is Aramis Ramirez. Oh, well. Milton Bradley is 4-for-12 against him with a homer, and Alfonso Soriano, who just has to break out of it one of these days, is 5-for-8 with 3 HR.
The White Sox are 3-9 this year against pitchers they have never faced before. Let’s hope that continues today vs. Randy Wells, who is making his first career start vs. the White Sox.
Today’s game is on WGN, but with those “other” announcers. Len & Bob will be on CSN Chicago. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
To find out what Sox fans are thinking, visit our SBN Sox site South Side Sox.
Overflow comment threads will post today at 4 pm, 5 pm and 5:45 pm CDT.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
.
I wonder how this is going to effect the rest of the season!
Want to give yourself an edge? Want the same professional equipment that the pros use? Want a great deal? Get $0 shipping on orders over $99 when you shop at BaseballRampage. These guys have practically everything you need, from bats balls and gloves to cleats, bases, even pitching machines.
@@p:
Got an image you’d like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to tips@deadspin.com. Subject: Morning crap
Yesterday morning, Jimmy Fallon went head-to-head with Tiger Woods in Times Square to promote EA’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and, amazingly, Bag Of Hair finished three under to defeat Eldrick at his own game. SVP’s almost too big for the stage and I have no idea why Kid Rock is there wearing a blouse.
PHOTO H/T: R. Pederson
*******
Good morning. It’s Friday. Vamanos.