Cano looking good

From Kevin Long, Yanks hitting coach:

Robinson Cano met with Long in November, working out in the Dominican Republic and continuing the adjustments that the hitting coach suggested late in the season. Cano had hit rock bottom in terms of frustration, and only a September surge helped him raise his average to .271.

With Long's help, Cano has reduced movement at the plate, tweaks that remain constant in the overhauled stance that will be on display next month. But Long said he was blown away by other changes Cano has made, hiring a personal trainer to help reduce his body fat and add muscle for the year ahead.

"The trip to the Dominican went above and beyond what I expected," Long said. "Really, I just expected to go out there and see where he was from an offensive standpoint and mechanically, and mentally talk to him about his game plan for winter ball.

"To go out there and see what kind of shape he was in was a pleasant surprise, to say the least. He's worked hard to get himself in shape and get himself looking like a top-notch ballplayer."

We can only hope he shows that dedication and resumes his ascention to becoming a top AL 2B.

Commish For A Day #4: Instant Replay

Nothing says "good morning" like a healthy dose of tersely written, clenched teeth Commish For A Day goodies. Many readers from here (and from ShysterBall) will recognize Mark Smith (aka tHeMARksMiTh) and his new site Way Back and Gone. Lifted from his site, Mark describes his new blog: Way Back and Gone is intended to be a blog dedicated to baseball history, but it will be occasionally transported to the present when the author, who is obnoxiously referring to himself in the third person, feels the need to rant about the Braves or another preposterous event in modern baseball.

Let's just say that Mark isn't a fan of Instant Replay (even though I am):

If I could change one thing, it would be instant replay.

One, we've gotten by without it for 100+ years, so there's no reason to get it now. Sure, we have the technology, but just because we have an atom bomb, it doesn't mean we should use it (a bit extreme, yes).

Two, the slippery slope applies. I doubt Selig will let it happen, but what about after him? Are we that obsessed about getting every call "right" that we have to move to having all calls be made electronically? Yes, home runs are more important than strikes and balls and safes and outs, but I guarantee many more mistakes are made on the latter to more than make up for the value discrepancy. If you argue for using IR because of the value of home runs, then you need it for the rest because they add up, too. It may not be used a lot now to make a difference, but it won't be too long before it becomes more ubiquitous. What happens when a Red Sox/Yankee/Met/Cub (or now that IR has begun, any team) is involved in a Holliday-like slide in the playoffs?

Three, we just overreacted. Delgado and ARod had their home runs taken away, and we got upset. I bet they've gotten a few lucky bounces that padded their stat sheets, so I'm not too worried. We talk about all the nooks and crannies in stadiums, but what about when the fences were pushed back farther, making it harder to see? I bet they missed a few then as well. If the umps get it all right, then we're left to blame our team when they lose.Four, it may not always work out. The NFL has IR, and they still screwed up calls (see Ed Hochuli). You're telling me that all plays will be conclusive when we look at it? So far so good, but will it always stay that way? There will be problems and missed calls regardless. It's part of the game.

Five, over 162 games, does that one moment really count? It may make a difference in that game, but your team has 161 other games to make up for it. If your team loses by one game, you can blame that one moment, but they had an entire season (not to mention the rest of the game) to have taken advantage of opportunities they should have. That one game didn't kill them.

Six, remember a couple years ago when Brian Jordan hit a home run in Philadelphia that didn't count? I didn't think so. He hit the bottom of the foul pole and would have tied the game, but the umpires didn't count it. I got over it and moved on. Everyone else will too.

I realize we want to get everything right and have everyone get their due, but Pettitte didn't deserve his bad ERA and Dice-K didn't deserve his good ERA. Life isn't fair. Maybe I'm too traditionalist, but I do like Interleague Play and the Wild Card. I can even tolerate the DH. This, though, bothers me.

Of course, the ever-wacky Jayson Stark actually called that slippery slope progress.


For previous CFAD entries:

1. Commish For A Day #1: Territorial Rights
2. Commish For A Day #2: Best-of-7-LDS
3. Commish For A Day #3: The All Star Game, Neutral Sites

Suckiest pitcher of the 00's

Gotta love Jayson Stark. He's got a posting about the dubious achievements of the Aughts. What jumped out at me is how many times Livan Hernandez's name appears:

MOST LOSSES: Livan Hernandez (112), but Javier Vazquez is six back if Livan doesn't find work.

MOST HITS ALLOWED: Livan Hernandez (2,230), meaning Livan has given up 500 more hits in the '00s than Derek Jeter has gotten.

MOST RUNS ALLOWED: Livan again (1,053), which means the only player in baseball who has scored more runs in the '00s than Hernandez has allowed is A-Rod (1,112).

Oh yeah, Livan's earned over $50 million during his career, $45.8m of that was "earned" during the 00's. Professional ballclubs saw fit to lavish Livan with millions to pitch well below league average.

No, really.

At least Fat Sidney Ponson only "earned" about $23m over that same time frame. Wow, I guess I would rather have had Fat Sid for half the price of Livan. Who woulda thunk THAT?

[And if you look at both Ponson's and Livan's B-R profiles, you will see that the player they each most closely resemble during their age 26 and 27 years is... EACH OTHER! Priceless!]

Law ranks organizations' farm systems

From Keith Law, via ESPN, his rankings of MLB teams' farm systems. Yanks are middle of the pack, #15, with good reason:

15. New York Yankees: For the first time in several years, the Yankees' system is light on impact talent, with major question marks on each of the top four prospects. The 2008 draft class doesn't offer much hope -- the Yankees' first pick reversed course on them midsummer and decided to go to college; their third pick had a medical issue and didn't agree to terms; and the resulting crop of players doesn't offer much upside.

At least they gave up their first, second and third rounders next year as compensation for Teix, CC and Burnett. If you can't grow it, buy it.

Maple bat maker goes batty

Too much profanity to put down here, but if you're interested in reading the rantings from a small, independent maple bat maker as he defends his products, have a read.

(I'd blockquote something but the site won't allow the old copy/paste thing to work. Just go have a read.)

Brotherly Love?

Guess someone's not getting invited to Thanksgiving:

"Shortly after I won the Contra Costa Bodybuilding Championships in May of 1994, Mark took the plunge. I accompanied him to Sacramento where we met with my supplier and trainer, who explained to him how the different drugs would work on his body and answered a myriad of questions from Mark. Given Mark’s curiosity and lack of knowledge about steroids I saw from Mark, I would be shocked if Mark did something like what Jose Canseco claimed happened back in the early years....[M]ark began to use, but in low dosages so he wouldn’t lift his way out of baseball. Deca-Durabolin helped with his joint problems and recovery, while growth hormone helped his strength, making him leaner in the process. I became the first person to inject him, like most first-timers he couldn’t plunge in the needle himself. Later a girlfriend injected him."

Looks like there is a McGwire who's here to talk about the past. Not that Big Mac really cares:

"...I’ve heard speculation that Mark will never get into the Hall of Fame. To some that might really get to them. Take Pete Rose. I think he would cut off his left arm to be enshrined in Cooperstown. Not Mark. I don’t think being in the Hall of Fame matters a lick to him."

As for that picture, it looks like lil Mac's head is on the wrong body like a bad photoshoped picture. Yeesh!

Also, I haven't seen this book anywhere else (or even hints of its existence), so maybe Deadspin's pulling a funny...

Commish For A Day #3: The All Star Game, Neutral Sites

For today's second Commish For A Day installment, I'm turning the platform over to Zach Sanders of MLB Notebook, a veritable smorgasboard of baseball goodies. Zach's "About Me" section reads as follows: MLB Notebook is run by Zach Sanders. Zach has also done work for KFFL, and was the managing editor of the now defunct 24/7 Sports Stop. Zach is a member of SABR, and a part of the Business of Baseball and Statistical Analysis committees.

If I were Commissioner for a day, I would get rid of the "Winner takes Home Field" aspect of the All-Star game. I would do this within my first 30 seconds in office.

The seriousness the All-Star game takes away from the purpose of it - to have fun! Think of the rest of All-Star weekend, it's all about the players having fun. The homer run derby, and the softball game is fun for the fans and players alike, because there is nothing on the line to worry about. Think about the NBA. Basketball's All-Star game is fun to watch, because it is a high flying event with a focus on
entertainment.

Another problem is the lack of control the teams in the World Series tend to have over the outcome. If a team has 1-3 players on the roster, can the team really help if the All-Star team loses? Next stop is a solution. Best record in the regular season sounds like a fairly reasonable solution, but it's not the best one. The MLB should do what the NFL does: Neutral sites. We all witnessed the problems with big games in cold weather cities in this past World Series. Cities in the southern half of the county and teams with closed room stadiums (or retractable ones) should be allowed to host.

Of course, this would need more specifictions to deal with revenue sharing between the host team and the two World Series participants, but that's a whole different issue.

Personally, I think the "this game counts" idea for the ASG is crap, and that's being kind. I'm not in Zach's camp on neutral sites, as you might remember, but I do think regular season records would be the way to go.

In fact, I was yelling kinda loudly against the "we need a neutral site NOW" crowd this past October.

I understand how it works for football (one game, early February dates, etc.) but it can't work for baseball.

It's not just taking the game from the local fans, it's the essential stealing of money from the local economies that participate in the game. Remember, it IS about the money, stupid. Why reward a neutral site city, one that doesn't have its own team and little chance of landing one?

We can cry about the fans who won't get to go see the games in person, but we all know that most of the tickets are snapped up by the corporates or are priced out of reach for mere mortals. Besides, the games start so damn late that the kids aren't there anyways. But the real reason this can't (and won't) happen is CASH.

The City of Philadelphia boosted their budget by an estimated $20million from this playoff run alone. Think they would willingly let that money flow to Nashville? Me either.

For previous CFAD entries:

1. Commish For A Day #1: Territorial Rights
2. Commish For A Day #2: Best-of-7-LDS

Arb process explained

Thanks to the exceedingly open/accessible/forthright Paul DePodesta:

1. The Player and the Club submit filing numbers, which are then exchanged a few weeks in advance of a hearing.
2. The player and the Club may continue to negotiate (in fact, they can strike a deal all the way up to and even AFTER the hearing if it's before the decision).
3. If no agreement is reached, the parties will go into a hearing in front of a panel of three arbitrators.
4. Both sides present their case to the panel and follow up with a round of rebuttals and a round of surrebuttals.
5. The panel deliberates for up to 24 hours before rendering a decision.
6. The panel has two choices - the Player's number or the Club's numbers - there is no middle ground.

Phillips joins booth, ponders name change

The beloved oft-ridiculed Steve Phillips will move from the ESPN studios to become the third wheel in the Jon Miller/Joe Morgan Sunday night baseball booth.

Rumors that Phillips is pondering a name change (insiders say he is leaning towards Antonio Banderas Phillips):

Phillips is an anomaly, an ex-general manager (with the New York Mets) amidst the former players and coaches who fill the chorus line of TV talking heads. "I honestly didn't think I'd be able to make a career of this," says Phillips, who joined ESPN in 2004 and expected he'd be replaced by a more "sexy name."

We didn't either Steve Antonio.

Commish For A Day #2: Best-of-7-LDS

Today's first Commish For A Day entry comes from Jay at the blog Fack Youk. Jay and his buddies are baseball guys with a distinct nod towards football, Syracuse hoops, black-and-white photos and profanity, though not necessarily in that order. There are now six of them pumping out a healthy dose of reading material daily after coming online in December. What you see here is verbatim, including the italics (with his permission):

Okay... I'm really hungover at the moment and I honestly tried to research this. The thing I'm having trouble with is that the regular season record doesn't always represent who the favorite was going into the series, because of strength of division and "hotness" at the time. The Yankees and Tigers won 97 and 95 games respectively in '05 but common knowledge had the Yanks over the Tigers all the way. I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of the game so I have to rely on looking things up. Due to my current lack of mental acquity (laziness), I tried to circumvent this, and here is my revised version. I hope its okay if it's more than "a few sentences":

Were I to change places with Allan Huber Selig for just one day, he would probably think my apartment sucks and hate my job. However, I would certainly enjoy sitting in an actual office, and it would be there, that I would make the LDS seven games. (evil cackle)

Basketball did it in 2003, and their sport is far less probabilistic than baseball. There is no position in basketball comparable to a starting pitcher, who can single-handedly sabotage a game with a bad performance. You get the feeling that the better team in basketball is likely to win in a single game let alone a 5 or even a 7 game series. Yes, the NBA playoffs are too long, but that's because they take so many days off, not because of the potential of an extra two games in the first round. I'm sure someone smarter than me at the MLB offices could optimize the programming schedule and take advantage of the extra games this change would produce.

Our Yankees lost three ALDSes in a row, as did the Oakland A's (who had a better regular season record than their opponent in each of them). Statistically, a seven game series is more likely to determine the better team and helps negate the random nature of baseball to some extent.

If you don't want more postseason baseball, you probably don't like the game that much to begin with. More games means more views, cumulatively. It would mean better ratings and more money for the league and more baseball for us. What's not to like?"Waaah, but then the postseason would last longer and some of the games would be played in colder weather". Suck it up or start the season earlier (I don't think fewer days off is an option). I know the Twins new park isn't going to have a roof, but that's their fault, and they aren't going to make the playoffs anyway (kidding). Throw one of these on.

If Tom Coughlin can stand on the sidelines in Green Bay when the temperature is eight degrees Kelvin and the windchill is absolute zero, I think Cano and Jeter can turn a double play when its 30.

Big Willie Style is laid out on my couch right now and Cliff also helped with the submission, so it would be appreciated if you could give them a shout in the post as well.

Thanks Jay (and Big Willie & Cliff).


For previous CFAD entries:

1. Commish For A Day #1: Territorial Rights

When Stadium Financing and the Recession Collide

This is the third in a series featured at The Biz of Baseball, written by FOTB and Canadian baseball correspondent Pete Toms. (For more see Part I and Part II of this series)

Here's a snippet, but if you are into the stadium financing issues and problems, you'd be better off reading the whole thing.

The combination of job losses and declining tax revenues in NYC, the publishing of emails which revealed the mayors office had vigorously lobbied the Yankees for a luxury suite at the new stadium, the Yankees free agent spending spree and record ticket prices at the new stadium made public financing/funding of the stadium a hot political issue. ( The mayors office eventually forfeited the luxury suite ) City Comptroller William Thompson was very public in his criticism of mayor Bloomberg’s role in the financing/funding of the stadium. Mr. Thompons’ [sic] critics ( the mayor’s office and the Yankees ) pointed out that Mr. Thompson had voted in 2006 to issue approximately 1$ billion in bonds for the stadium and that his opposition to the latest round of financing might stem from his expected run for mayor of NYC this year.

The unprecedented attention brought to the issue of “public dollars for private stadiums” in the political and media battle over the new Yankee Stadium might be remembered as the tipping point in this debate. Is public financing/ funding of stadiums for billionaire owners and millionaire players now too politically contentious to risk? (There is much debate as to whether the new Yankee Stadium is publicly built or publicly financed)

Pete's other work on Biz of Baseball can be found here.

Commish For A Day #1: Territorial Rights

For the opening Commish For A Day salvos, I bring you a two-barrelled approach. Each of these share a common theme dealing with the elimination of territorial rights in the game. There is some other discussion on other topics, but I put these two together to get us started.

Leading off is the esteemed Keith Law of ESPN/Scouts, Inc. fame. Keith's personal blog, meadowparty, is a stew of baseball, movies and all things culinary. Keith's baseball blog on ESPN can be found here, as you probably already know. Says Keith, the lead-off CFAD:

I'd eliminate the territorial rules, both for TV and relocations. Then I'd open up the process to two expansion franchises once the economy is turning around, and if someone wants to put a team in Brooklyn or New Jersey or in the Inland Empire, by all means, let them.

FWIW, the salary cap/floor thing would require a renegotiation of the CBA. Even if you were named Commissioner for a day, you couldn't push that through unilaterally, whereas I don't believe expansion requires union approval (nor would they say no if asked).

Batting second is Thomas White, aka "Chipmaker", sole proprietor of the blog Chipmaker Coherent. The Chipmaker begins with the territorial rights issue, then attacks the World Series HFA issue:

Team territorial rights are abolished, 8:01 am. If the A's want to move to San Jose, go right ahead. If some team wants to move to northern New Jersey, go right ahead. Damned relic from the early 20th century and well overdue to be cast aside.

If that's a bit esoteric, we modify the World Series homefield method. Three points, two points wins homefield:

1. All Star Game result.
2. Seasonal interleague play result.
3. Aggregate intraleague winning percentage of the four playoff teams per league.

It rewards in-league play as well as interleague play, and doesn't require waiting until Oct. 20 to find out where Game 1 will be played, like it might if winning percentage between the two league champions was the third point.

(The current method really doesn't bother me in the least, and I don't understand why it does get up the noses of so many fans, but I recognize that as a real thing. This method would be more interesting, not too complex, and maintain some suspense until late in the season.)

Thanks to Keith and Thomas for their contributions. I've got a bunch more to roll with this week so barring any crazy "real" baseball news, I'll devote much of this week to you guys and your opinions. Chat it up, guys.

Strike Zone reviewed

Via Shysterball, have a read of an incredible analysis by Josh Kalk of umpire Angel Hernandez. What we have here is the confluence of available data and a curious/smart mind. I tip my cap.

Rice is steamed

Is this the same guy who ignored the media and was generally a miserable SOB to most of the public? Of course, this is just my Yankee bias, no doubt. So Rice blames Steinbrenner for not getting over the hump during his career. Steinbrenner surely had a hand in that Mookie Wilson dribbler.

"During that time, Steinbrenner spent more money than the Red Sox," Rice said. "He had more free agents. So when you get the best free agents, and you get the superstars from other ballclubs, that's what made you have a better team. The more money you can spend, the better you should get."

Even now, Rice remains annoyed by the Yankees' habit of throwing money at their problems. Not surprisingly, he lauds Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein for doing things the right way. "If you look at the Red Sox now, you see them bringing guys up in the organization," he said. "That's why Theo has been the person he's been over the last couple of years. He'll bring young kids up and stay within the organization.

"The Yankees haven't won in the last eight years. What do they do? They go out and buy high-priced players in the hope to get back the winning percentage they had 10 years ago."

Oh please, the cannonization of Theo is just so blecccch. I know Theo has done great things for the franchise and I've complimented their moves as I see them. But enough with the sainting and "Yanks overspend" drivel. I'll stop here as I've had to delete several rants already.


UPDATE: Because I am late getting started today (no work for me!), I missed Shysterball's take on the subject. And he took a strikingly similar approach:

Fine, the ball went between Buckner's legs because Steinbrenner signed Don Gullet. We get that.

You ain't never met Martin Luther, the King

(From last year....by request)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

In a twisted honor of MLK day, the audio (if you want the audio clip, email me and I'll send it) and dialogue from one of the great barbershop scenes from Coming To America:

Eddie Murphy: "Ya know, Sweets, I met Dr. Martin Luther King once."

Clint Smith: "You lyin'! You ain't never met Dr. Martin Luther King."

Murphy: "Yeah, I met Dr. Martin Luther King in 1962 in Memphis, Tennessee. I'm walkin' down the street, mindin' my own business, just walkin' along, feelin' good. I walk around a corner. A man walk up, hit me in my chest, right? I fall on the ground, right? And I look up, and it's Dr. Martin Luther King! I said, 'Dr. King!' He said, 'Oops, I thought you was somebody else.' "

Smith: "Aw, man, you lyin'. You ain't never met Martin Luther, the King!"

Murphy: "Knocked the wind outta me! Yes, he did!"

Smith: "No, he didn't!"

Murphy: "Yes, he did!"

Smith: "No, he did not!"

"Commish for a day" Challenge

If nothing else, I try to include you guys as much as I can in this silly little blog. I don't want to be the lone voice here all the time, so I try to concoct ways to get you guys involved. Sometimes it's for a good cause like we did with the Charity Challenge. Other times, it's via a good rambling rant emailed to me. So now it's time for another one. This came from the quick, almost scarily instantaneous response I got from FOTB --friend of the blog-- Ron Rollins about what he wants to see changed in baseball.

Here's the topic: You are commission of MLB for one day. You can make one major move. What would you pick and why?

Some suggestions:

• Eliminate the DH/Expand the DH to the NL
• Eliminate the Wild Card format
• Change the arbitration process
• Eliminate draft pick compensation for Type A/B free agents
• Increase the # of teams making the post-season
• Allow for the trading of draft picks
• Change the amateur draft (no slotting suggestions, include other countries, etc.)
• Eliminate the "All star game winner determines W.S. home field advantage" gimmick
• All playoff start times on weekdays are 7:30pm EST
• Salary cap/floor (remember, must have one with the other)
• Make mandatory all new stadiums must have retractible roofs; must be entirely team-funded
• Pick the next commissioner after Selig is gone
• You cannot: Eliminate any teams; Change the BBWAA rules

Email me your best ideas by Monday Tuesday and I'll run the best of 'em next week. Depending on how many I get, maybe one a day for as many worthwhile ones I get. {email: jnr98 (at) yahoo (dot) com}

If you have your own blog, make sure to provide the URL and any other goodness you want listed (bio, picture, etc.). I can't promise a landslide of hits to your site, but whaddya expect for free?

'Cuse is in the house!

An Avalache Falls on Notre Dame

If your wife ain't happy, you ain't happy

...and if she's unhappy long enough, you'll be without half your stuff. Remember that, single guys.

Some mocked Teixeira because he gave credit to his wife for helping him decide on which team he wanted to play for. Even the manly BoSox dude Youkilis noted that his wife's happiness was instrumental in him signing a long term deal:

"It's a great thing knowing that I'll be here for hopefully the next five years," the 29-year-old said. "My wife is from Boston and her family's from here and that's a major factor in us staying here."

Smart dude.

Get well soon, Zim!

I hope he keeps pushing forward with his recovery!

Don Zimmer is recovering from a small stroke suffered last month and hopes to join the Rays in spring training for what would be his 61st season in the game.

Zimmer, who turns 78 today, said Friday he is regaining the speech and mobility he lost.

"I never felt bad," he said. "I never had anything bother me except that I'm a little wobbly and I'm slow taking a step. A week and a half ago, there's no way I could talk to you.

''But I'm getting better."

It's about the FLOOR, stupid

Yet more discussion (read: proof) why a salary cap in baseball won't work or fix things. See, it's not just me:

Using 2008 as an example, the thirty teams took in about $6 billion (not including MLB Advanced Media revenue), for an average of $200 million per team. Forty-five percent of that (the players' share) is $90 million, which we'll use as the midpoint between our floor and cap. If we want to make the floor 75 percent of the cap (a low-end figure, relative to the other leagues), we can use $77 million and $103 million, respectively.

With a $103 million cap, nine teams would have been affected last year, and a total of about $286 million would have had to be skimmed off the top. Since total salaries have to remain at existing levels, the bottom twenty-one teams would have had to take on this burden, which had previously been placed on the Yankees, Red Sox, et al. On the other end, fourteen teams would have been under the payroll floor, by a total of $251 million. Even discounting the Marlins' $22 million payroll, the other thirteen teams would have had to spend an average of $15 million more just to meet the minimum. Some of those teams might be able to afford it; most wouldn't.

Imagine being Frank Coonelly in this situation. Coonelly, the Pirates' team President, has publicly supported a cap. Had our fictional cap/floor arrangement been instituted last year, the Pirates would have needed to increase their Opening Day payroll by $28 million. Not only would the team have taken a big loss, but Neal Huntington's long-term strategy would have been sabotaged, since the team would have had to sign a number of veterans just to meet the minimum payroll.

Now fast forward to 2009. Let's say the Pirates' sales staff runs into major headwinds, with the team struggling and the economy sinking. The team's top line takes a hit, falling $10 million from 2008. The Mets and Yankees, meanwhile, open their new ballparks, and each team increases its local revenue by $50 million. If the twenty-seven other teams are flat, total industry revenues rise by $90 million (not including any appreciation in national media revenue). Forty-five percent of that, of course, goes to the players. So even as the Pirates' purchasing power decreases, the payroll floor actually rises.

Yay, salary cap!