Friday, February 27, 2009

...ON AND ON AND ON...

***MANNY & THE DODGERS***
Picasner would like to believe that these guys could be a little more inventive. It seems like they're all really struggling just to keep Manny in the news. The Dodgers offer hasn't changed significantly since their original offer. It seems pretty obvious that LA isn't going to up the ante any, just reshuffle the same the numbers. On the other hand, Scott Boras is adamant that Manny won't sign until he gets paid what Boras (and Manny) think he's worth.

In spite of the Boras Mystery Team gambit, the Dodgers refuse to bid against themselves. As Jayson Stark says, "This is the last day of February. Do you think there is a team out there who suddenly discovered they need a left fielder and came across an extra $50 million in an unopened drawer?" Picasner predicted a month ago that Manny wouldn't sign until the end of spring training. Looks good so far.

***I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS***
It seems the family of Mickey Mantle purchased an Mantle-autographed baseball before it went up for auction. It seems the ball was signed F**K YOGI. I'm sure it was some kind of sick joke, but nowadays, you can't explain this by saying, "Oh, he was just kidding Yogi." Then the lawyers get involved and ...well, we've seen it before.

***THE WBC***
Has anyone else noticed that there seems to be a lot of players dropping out of the tourney for one reason or another: Injuries, contract issues, endorsement issues, and insurance issues. The only ones left seem to be unsigned players trying to audition for new jobs. Well, at least the tournament has some value. Someone please let Picasner know who wins it, please.

***THE DUMBING-DOWN OF A GENIUS***
I wonder if Tampa Bay manager, Joe Maddon, is worried? When the White Sox won the World Series in 2005, Ozzie Guillen was hailed as a great motivator, a genius at handling his team. Since then, Guillen has failed to produce a winner and the genius label has fallen off completely. Ozzie still keeps his name in the limelight with some pretty wild antics. Jim Leyland, another one-year wonder, has seen his genius label knocked from it's perch. A few temper tantrums might be in order, Jim. Now we have Joe Maddon, described as that sage, bespeckled genius with a knack for handling young players. Okay, it's your turn , Joe. See you in October (maybe).

Thursday, February 26, 2009

NOW THIS IS MORE LIKE IT

Okay sports fans, we are back to Picasner's sometimes sarcastic take on the world of sports.

***NO BONSER***
He's having shoulder surgery and will miss the entire 2009 season. Guess Picasner won't have "Boof" to kick around this summer. Did I have some smart remarks ready for good ole "Boof".

***DODGERS REDO MANNY'S MONEY***
The 'New' deal is $25 million the first year and $20 million next year, at the players option. So it's $45 million total, as opposed to the previous offer of...wait, isn't that the same offer? Maybe Manny won't notice.

***WASHINGTON MAKES CHANGES***
A scout/special assistant has been fired in the wake of the $1.4 million signing of a player that ended up having a different name and age. There is also talk of Jim Bowden, the Gen. Mgr., being canned. The player in question, Alvarez...er, Gonzalez...uh, Batman(?), says he's "...really, really sorry about this." But he's not giving back the money!

***JOBA TO START IN YANKEE STADIUM***
The Yankee pitching rotation would give Joba the 1st start. Quite an honor, but shouldn't it go to Andy Pettitte? Isn't this why Andy came back and a big reason the Yanks signed him? Picasner thinks it should be Pettitte. ...or Whitey Ford.

***YANKS LOWERING SOME TICKET PRICES. HOORAY***
Whoops. It turns out they're lowing some bleacher seats from $12 to $5. ...And they are "obstructed view" seats. The Yanks are so kind; you now only have to pay $5 to NOT be able to see them. How long did it take the Yanks to realize their mistake? On Monday, COO Lonn Trost said "The tickets are $12, and you have the option of buying them or not." Apparently there is a waiting list of people who want to NOT see them play. On Wednesday, Trost recanted: "Oh, the invoices were misprinted. The seats were always $5." The Yankee seating chart lists those seats as $12. Obviously, the Yankee accountant is on steroids, too.

***OLNEY: BASEBALL CODE OF CONDUCT RETURNING***
According to Buster, teams are actually paying attention to players who won't hustle or work out, or have become a bad influence in the clubhouse. We used to call them, Clubhouse Lawyers. It seems even players are getting irritated with people who think they are above the club rules and programs. Teams are even trading players they consider to be bad influences. Some players are being hurt financially (Manny?). Picasner hopes this trend continues.

***THE DON ZIMMER WING?***
Buster talked about the history of Don Zimmer. He's been in baseball for 61 years. He's experienced the Jackie Robinson era, the miracle of the Mets, the "Boston Massacre" against the Yanks and the Yankee dynasty of the late 90's. Olney thinks they should set up a special exhibit in Cooperstown for him. Baseball is all about history, more so than any other sport. Zimmer is certainly historical...and hysterical. Picasner is for it.

***A POSTING IS NOT COMPLETE WITHOUT A SCOTT BORAS STORY***
An LA writer wrote about a pretend phone call between Scott and Ned Colletti of the Dodgers.
Ned: "Hi Scott. Are we ready to make this happen?"
Scott: "Absolutely. How about 4 years for $120 million?"
Ned: "Scott, we've talked about this before."
Scott: "You said to call when things were different."
Ned: "That was yesterday."
Scott: "Right. That was Sunday, today is Monday."
Ned: "Goodbye, Scott"

Monday, February 23, 2009

...CAST THE FIRST STONE.

Sportswriters and analysts have been picking on every word, fact or expression made by Alex Rodriguez in the past week. While Picasner appears to always be defending A-Rod, that's not the case. I simply believe in fairness...and baseball. I'd prefer to talk about baseball, it's funnier. In the interest of "integrity", let us take one more look at the A-rod fiasco.

Selig claims he knew nothing about Steroids till he read about McGuire in 1998. Most sportswriters admit that they could have "done something" in the '90's when they "began to hear stories." Gee, nobody knew. However, there's this excerpt from a Sports Illustrated article by Bill Gilbert...

"… after it has been admitted that most citizens dope themselves from time to time, there remain excellent grounds for claiming that in the matter of drug usage, athletes are different from the rest of us. In spite of being -- for the most part -- young, healthy and active specimens, they take an extraordinary variety and quantity of drugs. They take them for dubious purposes, they take them in a situation of debatable morality, they take them under conditions that range from dangerously experimental to hazardous to fatal. The use of drugs -- legal drugs -- by athletes is far from new, but the increase in drug usage in the last 10 years is startling. It could, indeed, menace the tradition and structure of sport itself. … 'Are anabolic steroids [a male hormone derivative that supposedly makes users bigger and stronger than they could otherwise be] widely used by Olympic weight men?' rhetorically asks Dave Maggard, who finished fifth in the shotput at Mexico and is now the University of California track coach. 'Let me put it this way. If they had come into the village the day before competition and said we have just found a new test that will catch anyone who has used steroids, you would have had an awful lot of people dropping out of events because of instant muscle pulls.' … There are abundant rumors -- the wildest of which circulate within rather than outside the sporting world -- about strung-out quarterbacks, hopped-up pitchers, slowed-down middleweights, convulsed half-milers and doped-to-death wrestlers. Nevertheless, it is the question of motive and morality that constitutes the crux of the athletic drug problem. Even if none of the gossip could be reduced to provable fact, there remains ample evidence that drug use constitutes a significant dilemma, not so much for individual athletes as for sport in general. One reason is that the use of drugs in sport leads one directly to more serious and complicated questions. Is athletic integrity (and, conversely, corruption) a matter of public interest? Does it matter, as appreciators of sport have so long and piously claimed it does, that games be played in an atmosphere of virtue; even righteousness? If not, what is the social utility of games -- why play them at all? Drug usage, even more than speculation about bribery, college recruiting, spit-balls or TV commercials, raises such sticky questions about the fundamentals of sport that one can understand the instinctive reaction of the athletic establishments: when it comes to drugs, they ignore, dismiss, deny."

Oh yeah, we've heard this before. Big deal. Fine, except this article was written in 1969. 1969! So who's not credible now? I guess Mike Lupica et. al., won't be going into the Sportswriters Hall of Fame now. Maybe Bob Ryan will organize a special wing.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

THE SPORTS REPORTERS

Ya gotta love these guys. Sometimes they argue (loudest voice wins), sometimes they all agree (let's say the same thing a different way), and sometimes they compete for silliness. Today we got all three.

Tony Kornheiser agrees with Bob Ryan that the only baseball records that count are the home run records. He says to announce Aaron - 755 and Maris - 61 are officially the records. Let the other guys have their numbers but tell them they are not record-holders.

Bob Ryan went further: he says, "Put them in the Hall of Fame, but in a separate wing and make their plaques a different color. ...oh yeah, and charge less to get in, too." This theory had Mike Lupica laughing so hard he couldn't even interrupt!

In the parting shots, Kornheiser did a take-off on A-Rod, saying, "When I was a cub reporter and young and stupid, I took some kind of steroid (I'm not sure what) to make me write better." While he was talking, they flashed a picture with Tony's head on a body-builder's body. He said he apologized to his fellow columnists.

***THE YANKS GO A STEP FURTHER***
On top of charging outrageous seat prices, the Yanks are also screwing their season ticket holders. People trying to RENEW their season tickets, are finding that they're not getting the same quality seats. People formerly behind 1st are being located by the foul pole. Loge ticket holders are being offered centerfield bleacher seats. Any complainers are told, "Take it or leave it, we've got a waiting list." Really classy, guys. Why don't you save more money by not installing seats; let them stand.

VOD'S BEEN RIGHT ALL ALONG.

Friday, February 20, 2009

SILLY SEASON - 2/20

I guess it's still the silly season as long as there's still silliness out there.

***KEN GRIFFEY SIGNS WITH SEATTLE***
This seems to be just sentimentality. Picasner feels Griffey is over with, even though a dismal 2008 season is being blamed on injuries. I hope he doesn't embarrass himself. I remember Willy Mays trying for one more year with the Mets and being unable even to judge fly balls. Ken, don't tarnish a wonderful image in that manner. Hope you have a decent season and go out like a winner.

***BERNIE BACK WITH THE YANKS***
Another player who can't seem to recognize his diminished abilities. Bernie's just working out in preparation for the WBC, but he does think he can still play in the majors. Good luck, Bernie.

***WELL, IF YOU CAN'T GET TEIXEIRA...***
After losing out on Mark Teixeira, the Washington Nationals went out an signed a 19 year-old phenom named Esmailyn Gonzales, who tore up the Gulf Coast League last year. This is basically a rookie league used as a proving grounds for unsigned high school and college players. It seems like a good pickup for Washington, except...he's really 22 years-old. ...and his name is really Carlos Lugo! Talk about a rush to judgment. Somewhere, there has to be a scout who's currently looking for a new job.

***FREE AGENT TRACKER***
With spring training well underway, there are still 44 unsigned free agents, including Ben Sheeets, Orlando Hudson and you-know-who. Along with the 6 free agents who retired, 29% of the 171 F.A.'s are still available.

***SPEAKING OF YOU-KNOW-WHO***
The Dodgers are deep in negotiations with Orlando Hudson, saying any signing would not cut into the $25 million they have earmarked for Manny. Sounds good, but don't you think Manny is thinking, "Why not add the Hudson money to MY $25 million instead?" All right, the words 'think' and 'Manny' don't really belong in the same sentence, but I'm sure Boras has picked up on this.

***WHEN ARE YOUR TEAMMATES ON STEROIDS?***
According to Derek Wilken, "When you hit .350 with 45 homers and are still batting 7th."

Thursday, February 19, 2009

BEATING A DEAD HORSE

Picasner has said he wouldn't bring up the A-Rod fiasco unless something NEW surfaced. Well, it hasn't, but that doesn't stop the media. On and on they go, rehashing the same old stuff. Both NY rags devoted two full pages to A-Rod, and, after reading through it all, I discovered ONE thing: steroids are bad. Thank you very much.

It also seems that every move A-Rod makes is bad, according to the media. After the Gammons interview, they all said that A-Rod told us nothing. There are all kinds of questions he didn't answer: "what did he take, how did he use it, who did he get it from". OK, fair enough. At his press conference, he revealed all that and the media promptly jumped on him again. "He didn't go far enough, what was the cousin's name, he wasn't credible". Now, they're saying he should have just shut up after the Gammons interview. Can someone make up their minds?

A-Rod's no angel and he has the kind of personality and facial expressions that make you question if he's being truthful when he tells you his name, but this is nothing new. Can we please just give it a rest unless there is really something new? This is spring training; let's hear about some baseball. You remember baseball: that's what they do when they're not shooting up.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

SELIG SPOKE TOO SOON

Buster Olney makes a couple of good points in his latest posting on ESPN. Selig has talked about "adjusting" the home run records achieved during the "Steroid Era". According to Buster, if he tries to do that, he is subjecting himself to a slippery slope of unfathomable proportions.

What do you then do about the pitching records, such as Roger Clemens Cy Young Awards? What about the team records? Do you eliminate all the Yankee World Series wins?

Last, but not least, what do you tell the fans who bought tickets to a game you have just deemed a fraud? Wouldn't they be entitled to a refund?

How sad that the one time Bud tries to be decisive, all he does is open Pandora's Box. Commissioner Selig, try talking to Bob Ryan, of the Boston Globe. He has an idea.

***IT WASN'T MY FAULT***
It seems a certain manager has blamed some WS failures on someone most people consider the best reliever baseball has seen. Yes, it appears to be all Mariano Rivera's fault. The fact that he was exhausted from being overused late in the season had nothing to do with it. As Picasner has indicated time and again, the scariest job on baseball is to be a set-up man on Joe Torre's staff. After he burned out Steve Karsay, Paul Quantrill, Tom Gordon, Tanyon Sturtz, Ron Villone, and Scott Proctor (three times), who was left, but old faithful, Mo' Rivera. ...but it wasn't Joe's fault.

Friday, February 13, 2009

AROUND AND ABOUT

Good evening sportsfans from Westbrook, Connecticut.

The baseball world is still dominated by the Alex Rodriguez PED story. Since Picasner is an obvious Yankee fan, and subject to accusations of bias, let's make one thing clear. Picasner does not forgive, excuse or condone, A-Rod's use of PEDs, his confession and remorse, notwithstanding. With that disclaimer out of the way, there will not be any more discussion by Picasner unless some NEW development surfaces. Picasner's final thoughts:
***I doubt highly that Selig will suspend or otherwise punish A-Rod. Let's see him get the other 103 names first.
***If all 104 names had been "leaked" at once, A-Rod still would have been the main focus, but the impact would have been a lot less.
***With the "Steroid Era" (c. 1996 - 2004) in full bloom, there is a lot of discussion about the problem of statistics and records. The best suggestion in Picasner's mind so far, comes from Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe: "Leave all the statistics as they are but go back to Aaron - 755 homers, and Maris - 61 homes (since those are the only ones that count) and list everything else with the notation, 'Here they are, you decide how they got there.' " Good going, Bob.

***MUST BE A RIDDLE IN THERE SOMEPLACE, BATMAN***
The University of Miami Hurricanes have renamed their baseball stadium, Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, apparently in response to a $3.9 million gift by A-Rod in 2004. I don't explain it, I just report it.

***ADAM DUNN IS DONE***
He signed with the Washington Nationals for 2 years. Somebody explain this to me: he went from a loser (Cincinnati) to a double loser (Washington). Which way is up, Adam?

***ABREU SIGNS***
He went from asking for 3 years @ $16 million per year to 1 year @ $5 million. ...And he says he's happy.

***NICK JOHNSON IS ON THE TRADING BLOCK***
A good hitter and an excellent fielder, if he could only stay off the DL. There is no truth to the rumor that the only offer so far is from the Red Cross. The only suggestion I have is to sign with the Boston Red Sox. With Smoltz, Penny, Saito, Baldelli, Ortiz and Lowell all coming off injuries or medical procedures, the Sox should probably be training at the Treasure Coast Medical Center instead of Port St. Lucie.

***SPEAKING OF THE SOX...***
They are bringing back Josh Bard to TRY and catch Tim Wakefield's knuckleball. A previous try resulted in 10 passed balls in 4 (I'm told) games. Good luck, Josh. I hope you've perfected the 'spin and chase the ball' move.

***NO POST COMPLETE WITHOUT MANNY***
Word is that Manny has cancelled a scheduled promotional appearance because of "expected contract-related obligations." With who, Manny, the Cartoon Network? The Dodgers are firm, Manny is firm and Boras is firm. Manny, here's an idea: buy a team and sign yourself.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

PICASNER STANDS UP

If you want to air your opinion on a topic, Picasner feels you must stand up and answer for what you write. Picasner has already been called on to the carpet by one reader who disagreed with Chad's position. Hopefully, a private conversation has clarified that situation.

Picasner did notice one important fact in researching the A-Rod situation. All the NY columnists give readers an opportunity at the end of their columns to comment; all, that is, save one: MIKE LUPICA. I wonder why? Kind of easy to make comments when you don't have to defend them, isn't it, Mike?

PICASNER AND A-ROD

Okay, first of all, Picasner admits he admires A-Rod's abilities. Socially, he certainly seems to be inept. For a man who is described as overly concerned with his image, he does some pretty strange things. If you're A-Rod and you're cheating on your wife, for example, why would you appear in public and let your picture be taken with her? On the ball field, however, he can do it all, his playoff stats notwithstanding.

Now he is faced with his biggest problem: steroids. There are so many levels to this situation, that it's difficult to keep your focus. Picasner will try to separate his points and just touch briefly on each. This isn't the space for a detailed analysis.

***GAMMONS***
Let's be realistic: of course, A-Rod would choose someone who would be prone to sympathy. If you were on trial, would you choose a 'hanging judge'? Peter asked the right questions, he just didn't push hard enough (I think) for answers, and there were follow up questions that weren't asked. I think other reporters will follow up, so we will get more information. The interview accomplished what A-Rod wanted: to get his story out there.

***SHOULD WE BELIEVE THAT HE IS NOT NOW ON PEDS?***
Picasner says yes. He is being tested constantly and will be tested even more in the future. As far as his time in Seattle, who knows? His stats would indicate that he wasn't juiced. The reasons and explanations he gave, were logical, if not completely truthful.

***THE SPORTS REPORTERS***
Picasner will limit this discussion to the NY writers since those were the only ones he has had time to read.
None of them can come out and back him 100% for fear of being called naive by the other writers. Most give him credit for stepping up even if they question his sincerity. Most were reasonable but some were not, in fact, one comment bordered on insanity. Bill Madden, normally an insightful columnist, wrote that the Yanks should release A-Rod outright. He even went on to say that he didn't think any team would pick him up even though he would be paid by the Yanks! When he announced that on the air to a panel of writers, even they looked at each other as though they were wondering where Madden gets his Peyote.

***THE BEST FOR LAST***
On Sunday, one prominent reporter commented that A-Rod must step up IMMEDIATELY and admit his guilt and offer some kind of explanation. If he denies it or blames others, he would be the same pariah that Bonds, Clemens, etc. are. Well, A-Rod did just that and what did this distinguished columnist do? He claimed A-Rod lied, waffled and avoided giving us any 'real' information. Didn't A-Rod do just what you asked? The reporter: Mike Lupica. According to Lupica, Pettitte told the truth, A-Rod didn't. Glad you were here to straighten that out for us, Mike.

***ONE MORE STORY TO CLEAR UP***
Accusations were made and denials were aired about the reporter who broke the story. A-Rod claimed she stalked him and was, in effect, too vigorous in pursuit of her story. The reporter, Selena Roberts, denied all of it. Mike Lupica said that A-Rod "...made her out to be some kind of sick, twisted stalker instead of a reporter doing her job." The assumption here is that she was right and honest and A-Rod was falsely attacking her. Mike, why don't you get off your knees and wait until one of them is vindicated before paying homage to her? Picasner would certainly like to know more about this.

***FINALLY***
Picasner feels that we got as good an answer as we could expect. Ignoring the self-serving spin you would expect him to put on it, we at least got an admission and some kind of explanation: a little more direct than Giambi, a little less believable than Pettitte, but an admission. Perhaps Bonds, Clements, McGuire, etc. should take notice. Hopefully, there will be a little more substance, a little more truth and a little more forgiveness in our future.

Sunday, February 08, 2009

DOWN THE STRETCH

***A-ROD HELPS A FORMER MANAGER***
He's still got a lot of problems ahead of him, but it appears he managed to get a former manager and his book out of the headlines, which Picasner thought would last a while. It's a shame that we talk about these two subjects instead of the season at hand.

***MANNY (YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE SOME COMIC RELIEF)***
Bill Plaschke writes for the LA Times and is pretty much a regular on ESPN's "Around The Horn." As Picasner read his article (see the link), all he is thinking is, "I wish I'd said that." Enjoy!

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-baseball8-2009feb08,0,2900966.column

Should be an interesting week; a lot of free agents should be signing.

***4 DAYS TO PITCHERS AND CATCHERS***

Saturday, February 07, 2009

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

"Say it ain't so, Joe"

Maybe the saddest words in baseball, if not all sports. Gambling, drugs, whatever form cheating takes, it tarnishes not only the player, but the whole sport. How do you deal with it as a player, and perhaps more importantly, as a fan?

Now we have another "great" player whose records have become suspect in light of more steroid revelations. Yes Virginia, it's A-Rod. What's next? Jeter kicks little kids? Cal Ripken knocks over convenience stores? Who is left to believe in?

The same excuse is now being offered up that was used for Bonds & Clements. They were great ballplayers anyway. Perhaps, but let's not forget that this is a two-headed dragon. Yes, they do build muscle-mass, increasing strength. But Picasner thinks the larger benefit is the fact that they promote healing, which means recovery from injury faster and lessens the severity of those injuries. Both Clements and A-Rod are noted for outrageous workout sessions. With steroids aiding ability to work longer and harder, those revelations make more sense.

No doubt, there are some players whose abilities were greatly helped by the PEDs, but that doesn't excuse those who were helped simply by not losing time to injuries. So far, we have not heard anything regarding Ken Griffey, Jr. It has often been said that Griffey's numbers would be outrageous if it were not for all his injuries. Assuming he was not guilty of using PEDs, this all makes even more sense, now, doesn't it?

Baseball has a major problem, now. What should be done about the numbers that have been put up in the last 10-15 years? And how do you treat those players?

Picasner wishes he had some answers. I'm going to go have a beer. ...and cry.

PICASNER'S NOT THAT SMART

I'm sure Vod would agree, anyway.

Picasner watched an ESPN show last night, called Preseason Hot Stove. Four experts and a moderator discussing the upcoming season. Buster Olney, Peter Gammons, Steve Phillips & Tim Kurkjian.

Olney made the same point Picasner did about Manny playing so well in LA that it emphasized his disgraceful act in Boston. They all agreed that that was a major reason that no one would give him a long term deal. All that is, except Steve Phillips. He thinks Manny WILL get his long-term deal: 3 years for $55 or $60 million. Right, Steve, after he's turned down $45 million for two years. Why are they paying this guy? The only time he's right is two days after it happens.

They also discussed the trend toward young players instead of veterans. Steve, of course, dragged in the fact that he was a General Manager, and insisted on drafting & signing college kids. He was such a great judge of talent, that for years, the Met farm teams had players that hit .150 but sat on the bench practicing Geometry theorems using logarithms. Ever wonder why you were fired, Steve?

The funniest part was at the end of the show, when they all picked teams they thought could win this year. Some of the comments were: "I like what Boston's done," and "Cleveland looks good," "The Rays will do well." I like Minnesota." "Watch out for the Cards." etc, etc. By the time they got done, if they were right, there would be a 12 way tie for first...and that's just in the AL East! As Picasner said yesterday, everybody's a winner till they play the game.

Picasner should have been on that panel. He wants Steve Phillips' autograph, anyway.

Friday, February 06, 2009

SILLY SEASON 2-6-09

Well, we're almost there, sports fans. In another week or so, we'll be reading about the glorious plans everyone has for the season, when ALL the teams will be tied for first. Then the season begins and...

***MANNY UPDATE***
There is no new Manny news. It's been 36 hours since the last episode. If this keeps happening, Picasner is gonna have to make stuff up. If you look back, it kind of looks like he already has.

***NO PANIC IN MINNESOTA***
Every year it's the same: the Twins best players leave and Minny brings up a bunch of rookies who take them to the brink of the playoffs. Their triple-A club is here in Rochester, and Picasner hasn't seen any phenoms, but someone will emerge. They always do. In the meantime, unlike the Yanks, the Twins will not start grasping at suspect free-agents. The latest: Jarrod Washburn. Here's a pitcher who had a lousy year, but has shown some ability and MIGHT be a good gamble. Not for Minny: they passed.

***THE GUIDING LIGHT***
You never have to worry about a lack of Scott Boras' stories. Here's the latest: The Twins (see the above post) have shown some interest in Joe Crede, who has had some back problems the last two years. Boras says he's healthy and ready to go. The Twins, however, have been monitoring his workouts in Arizona and their scouts have come away saying, "He's only moving at 75%." Boras, of course, disagrees and says his client "has been cleared to play and ready to compete." C'mon, Scott. The scouts didn't say he was bringing a wheelchair out to third. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak...but the agent is as strong as ever.

***THE SAGA OF BEN SHEETS***
Sheets has been hanging on the free-agent list all winter because of concerns with his shoulder. The Texas Rangers (the baseball team, not the police) have shown enough interest to request a physical. The result: correct, a bad elbow. A bad elbow? I guess we'll get to the shoulder later, Ben. Pretty smart, Rangers.

***AND THEN AGAIN...***
Now Texas is showing an interest in Andruw Jones. Last season, he hit 3 home runs and had 14 RBI's. Didn't A-Rod almost do that in ONE GAME a couple of years ago? This better be one hell of a physical. The Yanks had just offered him a minor league contract which Andruw turned down. Phew! That was close.

***THE GOOD TEAMMATE***
We read a lot about players who are "good in the clubhouse," that is, a team player, a leader. Then there are some who ...well, aren't. Here's one who isn't.
http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/02/04/banny-log-worst-human-ever/#more-1566

***6 DAYS TO PITCHERS AND CATCHERS***

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

THE PICASNER TAKE

***ABREU STILL FREE***
The White Sox have denied any offer to Abreu, which makes sense, since they still have Jermaine Dye out in right. Dye would be difficult to trade because of his $11 million contract. Picasner doesn't think this will happen. Seattle seems likey, unless...

***ARE THE DODGERS READY TO MOVE ON?***
Why would you blow $25 million on Manny, when you could sign Abreu/Dunn, Orlando Hudson & Ben Sheets, ALL for the same money? Word is Manny is insisting on a 4-year deal and it ain't gonna happen. Picasner doesn't think the he realizes what an impact the Boston fiasco has had. He doesn't see that his extremely great play in LA emphasized the fact that he laid down in Beantown. That's the big reason no one wants to give him a multi-year deal. What happens in three years when Manny is the 6th or 7th highest paid player? THAT is a pretty big chicken that has come home to roost.

***THE BORAS MYSTIQUE***
He may come off as obnoxious (No, Chad, can't be), but he's got a couple of cute techniques that he uses. The portfolio package he produces that read like a Presidential resume', the judicial use of the "Boras Mystery Teams" and, Picasner's favorite: The "This Guy Won't Cost You Anything" theory. For example, Manny is free because he will put enough people in the seats to pay for himself. In Manny's case, that would mean an ADDITIONAL 500,000 fans. I don't know; possible, I suppose, but it's a big gamble.

***BASEBALL PROSPECTUS' IDEA: MOVE JETER***
Good thinking, only Picasner was there first. BP says the Yanks should move Derek Jeter to Centerfield and find a shortstop. No, don't move A-Rod over either, use Berroa or a prospect or trade for one. The Yanks could sign Orlando Hudson and package Cano, Cabrera and Swisher/Nady for a shortstop.

***THE PED ZONE***
In the Performance Enhancing Drug zone, steroids found in syringes used on Clemens, steroids found in Bonds urine samples and does anyone care? Not Picasner.

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

REALLY SILLY SEASON 2-03

***ABREU GETS OFFER FROM WHITE SOX***
A fellow in a bar once said, "I'm not waiting for Miss Right, I'm waiting for Miss Right-Now." Sounds an awful lot like Abreu's agent. A week ago, the Mariners were interested and his agent said Bobby would love to play for the Mariners. Then the rumor was the Mets were going to pick him up and the comment was, "What a great fit. Bobby would love playing for the Mets. Now, Chicago is in the mix. What's he going to say now? "I hear they have great pizza there"?

***MANNY GETS AN OFFER***
Finally. From the Dodgers: one year, $25 million.

***MANNY REJECTS OFFER***
That didn't take long. I really don't understand what is in Scott Boras' head (if anything). This is exactly the offer Picasner thought would end the stalemate and here we sit. If that won't fly, I can see Manny not signing until the end of spring training.

***SOMEBODY IS GETTING PAID***
Who do you think was the 4th highest paid member of MLB in 2007? Would you believe Bud Selig. $17.5 million, plus $400,000+ in benefits and another $400,000+ in expenses. He is under contract thru 2012. Hey, Bud, kick in a few bucks so we can get Manny off the front page. Yeah, right.

***THE FREE AGENT STANDINGS***
We started with 171 free agents. 5 of them retired but there are still 80 still unsigned. That's a hair under 50%. I don't understand why a few big names are still there: Ben Sheets, Adam Dunn, Abreu, Orlando Hudson and the enigmatic Manny (sorry Annie, Doug Mientkiewicz doesn't count). Something has got to break loose soon.

***9 DAYS TILL PITCHERS AND CATCHERS***

Monday, February 02, 2009

THOUGHTS AFTER THE SUPERBOWL

***STEELERS WIN***
Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Holding the record for the most Superbowl wins (6) has to be some solace to Pittsburgh sports fans. As one writer put it, "It helps make up for the fact that the Pirates are about to set a MLB record with their 17th consecutive losing season." I don't think it helps much. Loved the 100-yard interception return. Larry Fiztgerald is amazing. He reminds me a lot of Lynn Swan. He catches the ball the way Homer Jones of the Giants used to, back in the '60's: Plucks it out of the air with his hands. Overall, Picasner thought it was a great game in spite of...

***REFS TAKE OVER THE GAME***
18 penalties for 162 yards is too much. Some calls were okay, but Picasner thinks they might have been calling them a little too closely. There were as many yellow flags on the field as there were in the stands.

...ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

***Comedian Jerry Perisho on Terrell Owens new reality show: "What will it be called? 'JACKASS' is already taken."

***ETrueSports.com is reporting that the New York Yankees will buy the Dominican Republic. "When we crunched the numbers, it turned out it was cheaper to buy the whole country, than sign individual players," explained Brian Cashman. I wonder how Vod will take this news.

***THE GUIDING LIGHT, PART II***
I wonder how Boras feels having Albert Pujols announce to the world that Manny thinks "no one will sign him"? Manny, not even the Mystery Teams?

***10 DAYS TO PITCHERS AND CATCHERS***