Peavy talks warming up

Starting to simmer is more like it:

The San Diego Padres have begun to exchange names with teams interested in All-Star pitcher Jake Peavy, in what appears to be an aggressive effort to maximize return on the right-hander, who is signed to a contract that keeps him under a team's control through 2013. And increasingly, it seems that team won't be the Padres.
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If AL teams get involved, the Yankees might be a fit, although New York GM Brian Cashman has made it clear in the past that he wants to adhere to a path of player development. That stance could change if the Yankees have changed their internal evaluations of young players who struggled in 2008, such as Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Melky Cabrera.

Multiple sources consider it likely the Padres will deal Peavy in the weeks ahead, and that is a virtual certainty that he will be traded before the July 31 deadline next season. The Padres are seeking at least two young pitchers in return, along with someone who can become the team's everyday center fielder sometime in the immediate to near future.
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Last year, the Twins found that the market for Johan Santana to be relatively lukewarm, primarily because Santana was in line to become a free agent after the 2008 season and teams like the Red Sox and Yankees were leery of absorbing the double-barreled cost of the prospects and a big-money, long-term contract. But in Peavy's case, he is under contract for the next four seasons, meaning that the Braves or the Dodgers or some other team would be assured of cost certainty.

There's a bunch more on all the other likely landing spots so I'd go check out the source article from Buster. Otherwise, I'd be blockquoting the whole thing....

I still think that if Hank finds out he can get Peavy for Melky, Hughes and another part or two, he'll really hold Cashman's hands to the fire to get it done.

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

For more on my Peavy man-crush: click here.

Wait and see: Pettitte

In short, I think the Yanks outta take a wait-and-see approach with Andy. Let's see what the trade market and free agent market yields before filling the available seats. Pettitte is pretty much down to NY or Houston as choices. I'd advise Cashman, not that he's asking, to do his external-looking business and if there is a need for another veteran pitcher, then make an offer that he thinks matches Pettitte's projected 2009 performance.

Pettitte was overpaid ($16M) last year and he was mediocre at best. Offer him a one year, $10M deal loaded with incentives (including # of starts since I think his elbow is hanging on, barely). If he wants more, he can go to Houston or pack it in. It's time we dictated terms rather than have the terms dictated to us and to not let our nostalgia cloud the decision-making process any longer. We all love what Andy had done for us during the great run in the 90's, but he's not that same guy. Not personal, just business. This is a team that needs reliable horses, not shaky-elbowed aging average starters.

Sources said on Wednesday that Pettitte's agent, Randy Hendricks, has informed the Yankees of this recently.

No contract for 2009 has been negotiated between the pitcher and the team, but he has made it clear that he wants to play for the Yankees and the Yankees have made it clear that they want Pettitte, who went 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA for New York this season. Pettitte made $16 million last season.

Possible landing spots for top FA's

And now with their longest winter since 1994, the New York Yankees have time and loads of money on their hands, willing to dole it out to whoever will help them return to October.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale takes a look at the best available free agents and their likely landing spots.

• Sabathia, Brewers: ... He would like to stay in the National League and out of New York. Look for the Dodgers and Angels to be the final two bidders
• Teixeira, Angels: He is one of the most feared first basemen in the game and can also beat you with his glove. Guess who has plenty of money to burn and need a first baseman? The Yankees, of course. They have about $88 million coming off their books.
• A.J. Burnett, Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays have offered a two-year, $30 million extension, to go on top of the two years, $24 million remaining on his deal. Burnett, who can opt out of his contract, knows he can get more. The Yankees, knowing he can pitch in the AL East after watching him go 18-10 with a league-leading 231 strikeouts, might make him their priority.
• Derek Lowe, Dodgers: He doesn't want to stay in Los Angeles. He might even go home to play for the Detroit Tigers. But it's hard to believe the Tigers can compete with the Yankees.
• Ramirez, Dodgers: The Dodgers can't afford to let him go, can they? Ramirez wants four years, which figures to be a year more than the Dodgers are willing to offer. The question is who else will be in the bidding? The New York Mets might be the only true suitor.

Here's my take on these guys:

• Sabathia: As much as I'd LOVE to see him looking svelte in pinstripes, I can't see him coming unless the offers to stay out West (or even in MLW) are 50% lower than what the Yanks offer. Can anyone else offer $150M over 7 years? I don't think so.
• Teixeira: I don't believe Cashman wants to pay asking for Teix. He's a wonderful gloveman and a solid hitter, but he's not an MVP-type, transcendent type of player that makes others demonstrably better. With Boras doing the tub-thumping, he won't be cheap and it won't be for 5 years. I suspect if Cashman could go 5/$20 million per, he would consider that strongly. But 7+ years at $20m per is excessive.
• Burnett: Looking at his record is deceiving; he still had an ERA over 4. Maybe that's great for batting the Sox, Yanks and TB all year. He's a big K guy but he's doesn't have that resume of sterling health. Would it surprise anyone if he became American Idle part II or Darren Dreifort? Having watched Burnett closely this year (on the fantasy team, sorry), he's been prone to that one bad inning (like Pettitte). He's been frustrating. If the Yanks go 4 years, $60 million ($6m more than the Jays extension offer), it'd be in line with his 2008 performance but I'd be very concerned. He's got the bulldog personality but I worry about his history. All that said, the Yanks have lacked that big K pitcher that usually helps in the post-season.
• Lowe: Wow, where to start? I suspect if he's pitching for NY, the team overpaid for a mid-30's pitcher. He's no ace but a good part of any rotation. And there's a very real part of me that hates chasing the past-the-prime Red Sox. Why don't we go sign Varitek, too? Don't dare get me started about Manny.
• Manny: So help me, if he lands a multi-year deal to play for the Yanks, I will scream from every hilltop I can find. Let Boras fleece someone else.

Anyways, that's about it for now.

Yanks made the Rays possible?

Well, sorta. I can't say I totally disagree with the premise but it sure was eye opening to read it. I don't usually agree with Wallace Matthews --I know many of you can't stand him-- but there's a kernel of truth below the bluster here:

The Rays and their majority owner, Stuart Sternberg -- and émigré of Goldman Sachs, another Yankees farm club -- have mastered the new order of baseball evolution, which is as follows: Pocket wads of Yankee cash. Draft wisely. Wait for young talent to blossom. Kick Yankee butt.

Then, release formerly young talent into the free-agent market, where the Yankees can scoop it up at prices the Rays would not consider paying even if they could.

Boy, Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton, Scott Kazmir and David Price are going to make terrific Yankees some day. Of course, it will be long after their best days are behind them.

Yeah, that all might be possible, maybe even destined. But c'mon, even I, as a Yankee fan, have to sit back and marvel as the Rays have skipped the painful "mediocre" phase of an organization's development and jumped from doormat to Alpha Dog. And Matthews hangs it squarely on Hank (though clearly Hank can't be totally blamed for this; it pre-dates his emergence).

For that, they can thank Dr. FrankenSteinbrenner, who thought his money was building himself a local whipping boy. Turns out, those boys are whipping him, but good.

And lastly, unrelated, I could care less if the W.S. match-up isn't quite "made-for-TV" like LA/BOS would have been. Why do I really care if the networks make less money? Who cares? It should be a great matchup, Philly vs. TB/BOS. I'll be excited to watch and I don't care if the networks can't fleece the advertisers quite as much.

I am NOT responsible for this. Longoria & Upton might be!

I have alibis. I swear. Could be Upton and Longoria's fault for launching so many HR's its way this post-season.

The Boston Red Sox's season isn't quite up in flames, but a small fire at a landmark near Fenway Park can't be a good omen.

The fire Wednesday melted and blackened some of the plastic panels on the red, white and blue Citgo sign over Fenway's Green Monster in left field. No one was injured.

The Green Monster has seen several balls soar over it in recent days. Boston trails Tampa 3-1 in the American League Championship Series.

Random Padres thought

Curious in all this San Diego chatter is the fact that they will seek to re-sign Hoffman for (in the neighborhood of) $8M next year. I know they want to be loyal and whatnot, but if they are dumping Peavy, why don't they tell Hoffman that they can't afford him as a luxury closer and let him go anywhere he wishes, including retirement?

Seems like a strange expense to incur at a time when rebuilding and slashing salary appears to be Priority #1.

Guessing that they could offer him arbitration, and pray he declines (doubtful) so they could get a compensation pick. Or just not offer him arb and let him walk to finish his career somewhere else.

Would that be so brutal and tough to stomach, Padres fans?


UPDATE (10/15/08, 3:50pm): So I went to the source (MLBTradeRumors.com) and quickly ran into this:

Hoffman made $7.5 million in his age-40 season, posting a 3.77 ERA and recording 30 saves for the last-place Friars. Despite the fact that this is the highest ERA Hoffman has posted since 1995, and the fewest innings since his injury-shortened 2003 campaign, he thinks he's got plenty of innings left in his arm.

"Well, I think I have more than one [season left]," Hoffman told MLB.com last month. "My body feels good. My arm feels a heck of a lot better than it has the last few years. The competitive juices are still there."

So I emailed Tim my question about my question about how signing Hoffman while trading Peavy seemed at odds with one another. Naturally (and typically) Tim replied nearly instantly:

I think they do the last thing you said. That gets them a draft pick or else a one-year deal with their fan-favorite closer. If he leaves for that multiyear deal he talked about, maybe the Padres can say they tried. I agree that the offman/Peavy things are at odds with each other though.

One thing to keep in mind is that trading Peavy does not necessarily equal punting on the '09 season. They could get back three MLB-ready young players and come out ahead in both the short and long-term. Maybe Towers only deals Peavy under those conditions.

Agreed. Trading Peavy doesn't necessarily mean the Padres are bailing on 2009 as they will get MLB-ready and likely MLB-proven players in return. Thanks, Tim.

Pat "The Bait" (not The Bat)

Evidently Pat Burrell's nickname amongst his teammates, at least a few years ago, wasn't "The Bat" as most people call him. Rather, it was "the Bait". With good reason, too.

Quick little yarn for you: While I was interviewing Fox analyst Tim McCarver last week, Harry Kalas wandered over to say hello. McCarver complimented Kalas on the fine job he did when introducing the Phillies' lineup on Fox before Game 1.

"Thanks," Kalas said. Then he nodded in my direction and asked McCarver, "Did you tell him the bait story?"

During his appearance on Fox, Kalas introduced Pat Burrell as "The Bait," then said that was a story for another day. That day has come. Here's that tale: During Burrell's first few years with the club, before he was married, the older players used to command him to make appearances at the bar while the Phillies were on the road. They dangled him as "bait" to attract women.

"Can you imagine how many hearts Burrell has broken?" Kalas said.

Clutch or not: Papi vs. ARod

With a hat tip to the guys at RAB, they discussed an article from The Numbers Guy blog (Carl Bialik) at the WSJ. Bialik uses the miracle of small sample sizes to question the clutchness (and the perception of clutchness) for Big Papi and ARod. Funny how these things work.

In his last 16 postseason games, the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez has collected eight hits in 56 at bats, with one home run and one run batted in. In his last 13 postseason games, Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has 10 hits in 51 at bats, with no home runs and five runs batted in. Rodriguez is famously un-clutch; Ortiz famously clutch. Yet both have had ups and downs in their playoff careers, which provide too small a sample size to reach definitive conclusions, as I wrote last month, and USA Today echoed. Now Ortiz, the hero of the 2004 playoffs, is beginning to experience what A-Rod has: doubts about his clutch abilities.

Not-so-good seats available!

They might not have a clean line of sight, or some of the things you might normally expect a seat to have, but they will be available for the rest of the Rays home games! (emphasis mine)

The upper-deck seats were covered in part because they're not exactly the best seats in the house. Tropicana Field's infamous catwalks block the view of the field for a number of those seats.

"Some are obstructed-view, some don't have seatbacks, and they're pretty high up," [Rays president Matt] Silverman said, according to the Tribune. "But you're in the ballpark and you're there making a difference to the team."

No seatbacks?!? Awesome. Did they just conveniently forget to install them or was it a conscious cost-cutting decision? "Hey, we'll only use them when we make the World Series {giggle, giggle, chuckle, chuckle}...who's gonna ever know?"

More on Peavy, staying in the NL

OK, I get it, pitchers like to pitch in the NL because they also like to hit.

At season's end, Peavy said he would not accept a trade to the American League. Asked recently if that is still true, Peavy said he didn't “want to get into any speculation” on trade scenarios.

His agent, Barry Axelrod, acknowledged that the American League isn't Peavy's first choice.
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Axelrod said Peavy also considers his hitting ability an advantage in the NL, because he is a better hitter than many opposing pitchers. Peavy batted .265 last season, one year after batting .233.

Does that seem like a good enough reason to use to want to stay in the NL? Is that much better than Mike Hampton choosing Colorado for their schools**? Why can't they just come out and tell us there's a better reason for staying in the NL: It's an easier place to pitch and win! Just ask Greg Maddux, Peavy's former teammate:

Peavy isn't the only pitcher who prefers the NL, which exempts the designated hitter. Greg Maddux, a friend and mentor of Peavy's, often has quipped that he stayed in the NL for his entire career because he's “not stupid.”

And the places his agent listed as possible NL markets where Peavy might waive his NTC and accept a trade to:

Among the cities Axelrod mentioned were Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and St. Louis.

Maybe Peavy looks at likely AL teams (for now, let's just consider the two financial superpowers, NY and Boston) and tells himself that he wants no part of pitching against the rest of the AL East. Could you blame him? I think if the Angels were to want to add even MORE pitching, that would be a good situation for Peavy. An hour or so north of his home in northern San Diego. A pretty weak AL West.

But if Peavy truly restricts his likely destinations to the NL, he hamstrings his management's ability to maximize his value. St. Louis might have some players to deal. The Mets might throw the rest of their farm system that they didn't deal to get Johan to get Peavy (What a rotation that would be: Johan, Peavy and whomever else they deem fit!).

I still hope that Peavy will want to land in a place that will keep him surrounded with the talent to compete year in and year out. I also hope he sees that place as the Yanks.

There's more about Peavy here.

And unless the Padres are knocked off their feet by an offer ---- think similar to the six prospects the Arizona Diamondbacks sent to Oakland in exchange for ace pitcher Dan Haren ---- they don't have to move Peavy, who is 86-62 with a 3.25 ERA in 199 career starts.

But Peavy ceases to become a bargain in 2010, when his salary climbs to $15 million and increases from there. If the team picks up its option for the 2013 season, Peavy will receive a $22 million salary.

And remember kids, if the team you are running is going to suck even with a high priced pitching stud, you can suck without him:

"Now we get hit with this," [Agent Barry] Axelrod said. "If he's here, he's going to make a significant portion of the team's salary. And if this is going to be a long-term build from within, it doesn't make sense to have Jake here if that's what they're going to do. If you're going to win 75 games a year, why pay him all that money?"

Also, if you can only win 75 games, you can do it without that pricey stud...and still turn a tidy profit. Which is good when your owner is in a nasty divorce battle and is considering selling the team to resolve that situation (something about community property vs. MLB's rules about ownership).


** Just to make your head spin on that Mike Hampton contract, did you know that with the compensation pick that the Mets got when Hampton left, they selected David Wright? Crazy.

Make of this what you will

I am very hesitant to bring up race (and politics and religion) here since that's not what we're here to discuss. We're here to discuss (mostly) baseball. And then I read this from Ken Rosenthal, who discusses the lack of non-White players on the RedSox. This is not to bash the Sox whatsoever. I had no idea and there's a part of me that wonders if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Is it good that I didn't notice race or bad that I didn't notice the homogeneous face of the club?

[I once had a lengthy discussion with someone back in the early 90's who was adament that the Yanks needed to get "whiter" to appeal to the higher spending corporate folks. I'm no angel and maybe I am excessively naive, but I took the stance that the city would embrace a winner regardless of skin color. Is Paul O'Neill any more beloved than Bernie Williams? Mariano might be sainted once he's done playing. Did the Yanks get "whiter" over the years? Charlie Hayes gave way to Boggs to ARod. Jeter's a child of an African-American man and a white woman. Knoblauch became Cano. Tino to Giambi. Posada/Girardi to just Girardi. Net change in the IF: none. Chad Curtis/Strawberry to Hideki in left. Bernie to Damon/Melky. Paulie to Abreu. Again, very little change. Wang's in the rotation where once Doc Gooden pitched. The balance of the starters have been, for the most part, White. Saint Mo is still the Sandman. Bottom line, I think NYC is diverse enough that race plays less of an issue than other cities. Bottom line, winning helps.]

I'll jump around the article a bit:

The Red Sox's sudden abundance of white players, though, appears nothing more than a coincidence, a fluky snapshot in time.

I think this is true. But Rosenthal gets right to the ever present undertone about Boston:

If not for the Red Sox's past, if not for Boston's reputation, the issue might not be even worth raising.

But the Sox carry a special burden.

They have a shameful history of discrimination, one that their present ownership group has tried to address. And a perception has long existed among some African-American athletes that Boston is hostile to players who are not white.

Now, about what the facts tell us:

Of the Red Sox's current players in the ALCS, the only African- American is outfielder Coco Crisp.

The only Latin Americans are designated hitter David Ortiz, who is from the Dominican Republic, and utility infielder Alex Cora and reliever Javier Lopez, both of whom are from Puerto Rico.

Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury is Native American. Pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima are from Japan. Reliever Manny Delcarmen is of Dominican descent, and injured third baseman Mike Lowell was born to Cuban parents in Puerto Rico.

The Sox's composition is surprising in an era in which rosters are more diverse than at any point in the game's history, even as the number of African-American players continues to decline.

So why bring all this up? The luring of non-White free agents.

The question is whether the Red Sox will lose players they want because of the makeup of their club, the perception of the city or both. Players generally seek comfort as well as money when they make career decisions.

It's also worth noting that there are many other clubs with a similar racial profile (Phillies, Indians), but Rosenthal seems to focus on the Sox simply due to the city's history.

Clearly, this is not the same franchise that passed on Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays before becoming the last club to integrate in 1959, 12 years after Robinson's debut. The Red Sox did not sign an African- American free agent until 1993, and their failure to win a World Series for 86 years was due in part to their racial practices.

All that changed after a group led by John Henry purchased the team in 2002. The Sox established diversity and community-outreach programs, and the team's message of inclusion extends to the clubhouse, where manager Terry Francona fosters a diverse, tolerant environment. The Sox's 2004 World Series championship team was an exuberant mishmash of cultures and personalities.

What do you think?


UPDATE (10/14/08, 3:35pm): With a big thanks to loyal reader/watchdog/all-around good guy tadthebad, here's Rosenthal from earlier this Spring, extolling the RedSox ability to integrate. It only leaves me more confused on what he was trying to do with the main article.

The Red Sox are a better example of a melting pot, but they are not just a cultural melting pot. The Sox are a blend of players young and old, gifted and ordinary, wealthy and hungry. The pieces — from Manny Ramirez to Dustin Pedroia, Daisuke Matsuzaka to Jonathan Papelbon — could not be more disparate. But somehow, under the leadership of manager Terry Francona, they all pull toward a common goal.

If the Red Sox can make it work, any team can.

Peavy prefers the NL

He also prefers Jagermeister. Sure, I would prefer the NL, too, if I were a pitcher. Who wouldn't? I prefer ice cream to broccoli. Convertibles to mini-vans. Fresca to Sprite. Paparadelle to spaghetti. A big flat screen to an old tube. Pool to ocean. Sun to rain. Grey Goose to Jagermeister. Anyone else to Red Sox.

Buster has the latest:

The San Diego Padres have begun the process of sorting through initial trade conversations about All-Star right-hander Jake Peavy, and to date, their talks seem to have been with National League teams; Peavy has a no-trade clause and prefers to play in the NL.

One team -- perhaps St. Louis -- is discussing the possibility of expanding the package beyond Peavy to include shortstop Khalil Greene, who is under contract for 2009 for $6.5 million. It would make sense for the Padres to move Greene, who is coming off a disappointing season in which he hit .213 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs, a year after he hit 27 homers and drove in 97 runs. Greene, who turns 29 next week, is eligible for free agency after next season, and in moving Greene in a Peavy
package, the Padres would create even more payroll flexibility as they look to acquire more consistency in their offense.

Gillick: Special Assistant to the GM?

Joel Sherman had a really good idea: Cashman should hire outgoing Phillies GM as a special assistant/consultant.

The Yanks should jump at that, because Gillick can enhance their sketchy player-choosing process.

"He might be the best evaluator I have ever been around," said Philadelphia's director of major-league scouting, Gordon Lakey, who has worked with Gillick in three locales over 38 years.

Cashman considers Gillick the role model for all GMs. That admiration, in conjunction with Gillick being 71 and not wanting to be a GM any longer, should remove any threat Cashman would feel employing Gillick.

I think this idea has some merit. Gillick hasn't been perfect; no GM ever has been.

Of course, Gillick has made mistakes. The Phillies are in the NLCS despite Gillick having signed Adam Eaton as a free agent. But they also are here because of the skills that helped four different Gillick GM-ed teams reach at least the LCS.

He transitioned the Blue Jays from expansion to champions. He is the lone GM to guide the Peter Angelos-owned Orioles to the playoffs. He was the architect of the record 116-win 2001 Mariners.
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The Yanks will look at a lot of free agents this offseason. Gillick might be the most important.

This could be a very smart move for Cashman, adding a senior, experienced voice that brings a sense of calm to the chaos that is the Yanks. He could spend some/all of his time in Tampa by Hank & Hal to keep them in the loop on all the nuts and bolts going on behind the scenes.

Phillies fans, what say you about Gillick?

The NY Times' Tyler Kepner had an interesting article on Gillick just the other day. Gordon Lakey, as noted above, added this:

“Very rarely in a meeting will he inject his opinion. He will one on one, but he doesn’t want his opinion to outweigh the suggestions of the people that work with him. You don’t work for Pat. You work with Pat.”

That's a great for him to have if he would assume this imaginary role.

“I try to be all-inclusive,” Gillick said. “There’s always, I guess, a philosophy that if you come in, you want to change all the parts, you want to change everything over. I’ve always tried to preach that consistency and continuity are very, very important. So if I know the baseball people, and I know they’re competent and could do the job, I don’t see any reason to replace them.”

I like it already.

Torre's bullpen mismanagement continues.

It came as no surprise when Scott Proctor finally had to undergo season-ending surgery. Anyone who watched the mid-90's - 2007 Yanks knows that amongst Joe Torre's many, many strengths lied an ugly sore spot: bullpen management. Torre made a habit of finding one or two middle relievers he was comfortable with and he'd ride them into the ground. Proctor, Flash Gordon, Stanton, etc. Even an unnatural affection for ineffective side arming lefty Mike Myers (who could seemingly never get out Big Papi, the reason he was on the team in the first place). The rule was never to sign a middle reliever after he was on the Yanks. I know I joked that once Torre wasn't coming back that the relief corps threw a party.

Now, in full disclosure, I didn't watch much of the LA/PHI game last night --I was busy watching my Giants get thrashed-- but T.J. Simers of the LA Times sure did and was quick to kick off the second guessing of Torre's bullpen management.

At times like these, it's hard not to sound like a Steinbrenner.
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But the Dodgers have Game 4 won, and several times, until Torre, more gambler than manager, just goes bonkers.
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He takes a pressure-tested Derek Lowe out of a tense game after only five innings, the Dodgers ahead 3-2, and replaces him with a 20-year-old who calls him Mr. Torre.

And Mr. Torre's fallback plan after the kid puts two men on is Chan Ho-No He Just Wild-Pitched Home the Tying Run.

On blind faith, of course, along with 13 straight appearances in postseason play and four World Series wins, we're supposed to believe Torre knows what he's doing.

Now, not for nothing, but Derek Jeter called him "Mr. Torre" every day and most of the people I know found it refreshingly respectful, even if seemingly contrived.

But the truth is, Dodger fans, that Torre relies on hunches a ton and often (too often?) goes back to the guys that he trusts.

Maybe he was right in pulling Derek Lowe after just five innings while pitching on short rest, but it sure sounds like Torre didn't consult the parties involved:

Russell Martin is asked if he's consulted on how Lowe is throwing, and he says, "No, that's the manager's decision."
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Meanwhile, standing in front of his locker, Lowe remains befuddled. He says he's still in the game, he goes to the clubhouse to use the men's room, comes out and is told, "that's it."

He still doesn't understand why. "That's the manager's decision, and they make decisions in the best interests of the team," he says. "It wasn't like I was going to throw a hissy-fit; I had already thrown stuff around in the first inning" after giving up two runs.

Lowe went through the next four innings, though, without giving up a run. In his previous 11 starts, he had yet to give up more than two earned runs, and here he was again.

"And I just had my easiest inning yet, which is what I needed," he says. "I felt fine."

Maybe Torre's just having another "I'm Keith Hernandez" moment. Wouldn't be the first.

Lawsuits the Sox Nation way

As with most things dramatic in and around the Sox Nation, a fan is keeping things in perspective while suing Bon Jovi for --this is not a joke-- $400 billion. With a "b".

What, you'd expect something more "reasonable"?

All we need now is to hear from Schilling.

Victorino illustrates the unwritten rules

I just loved this moment in the game. Kudos for Victorino for being as descriptive. Could he have been any clearer?

Bonus like in this picture: the dual ear flaps on the helmet, little league style.

(yes, I know he's a switch hitter, before you write to call me names)



UPDATE: (10/13/08, 12:15pm): Courtesy of Buster (emphasis mine):

As Jimmy Rollins batted with one out, Martin twice gave demonstrative signs for Kuroda to throw the ball the inside, and shifted his body so that he was almost behind Rollins' knee. Kuroda threw a fastball to strike out Rollins; two outs, nobody on base, the Dodgers with a big lead. The conditions were perfect for retaliation. Victorino probably walked to the plate assuming that he was going to get drilled.

Once again, Martin gave a particularly demonstrative sign to Kuroda for a fastball inside, and again, Martin set his target nearly behind Victorino -- and Kuroda threw the ball over Victorino's head.
......
So it was not a surprise that in the instant after Kuroda's fastball buzzed past Victorino's head, he handled it as diplomatically as you could. He didn't rage, he didn't rant. He gestured at his body and then his head and yelled aloud to Kuroda, saying something along these lines: "Hey, throw at my body, but not my head." And as he continued to say this to Kuroda and to Martin, he put a hand on Martin's arm collegially, making it clear that he understood and respected that Martin and the Dodgers were mad, and he understood why they retaliated. He wasn't angry about the pitch, just the placement of it, and he made his point.

Victorino repeated his words to Kuroda after grounding out, and then others rounded out. And when others became involved, the Phillies and Dodgers engaged in one of those silly bench-clearing staredowns, in which nobody really intends to fight. But the whole thing had already been defused by how Victorino had responded.

Well document, Buster. Couldn't agree more.

Torre successfully holds back Manny

Yeah, Russell Martin helped, but it sure looks like 60-something year old Joe Torre is doing a damn fine job holding the bull-rushing 36-year-old Manny back. Maybe Torre would make a fine left tackle to protect Eli once he's done with this whole coaching thing. You know, as a fall back option in case this coaching lark doesn't pan out.

Getting to Sheets' price the hard way

I started reading this one from TheHardballTimes, and it brought me back to my stats classes back in undergrad pretty quickly. Let's just say that if you are not a fan of these "new fangled stats" such as WAR and PECOTA projections, and have no idea if a risk-adverse curve is concave or convex, just skip it.

However, if you want to check out a very thoughtful and unemotional analysis to player values and how they project to free agent prices, definitely go read it.

So what should Sheets get on the free agent market? Well, the risk seeking team in this example values Sheets as a 3.2 WAR player, which would be worth about $16 million for a one year contract. Using Tom Tango's salary scale, Sheets should get around a four- or five-year contract for $55 of $65 million, assuming a team doesn't sign him for over five years.

Of course, emotions ARE a major part of these things and who knows which skittish owner/GM, having missed out on the other free agent pitchers, decides to overbid for fear of doing nothing? I'd add the "OS" variable into their equations, which relates to the "oh sh*t" factor. An "OS" of more than 6.35 indicates a likelihood to overpay beyond rational boundaries. [Note: If the Yanks are indeed involved, the "OS" is pegged at 8.24 automatically as a starting point.]

Hank's in charge; staff of piss-ants; drives a Dodge Stratus

The Mouth That Roars is at it again, telling everyone that he's still in charge. To me, it's like the old analogy: if you have to call yourself a rebel, you're not a rebel. Or something like that.

"The most important thing to remember is this: If you didn't get it from me or my brother [Hal], it doesn't mean [anything]. I don't care about some piss-ant employee. If you don't get it from me or Hal, it's meaningless. I have a lot of things [in Tampa] and Hal is in New York, which is good."

I just love it when the leader of an organization, ANY company or organization, calls anyone below him piss-ant. Way to boost morale, you obnoxious thug wanna-be. I'd kill to work in a front office of a MLB team but I don't know if I would be able to handle working for this no-talent ass-clown who runs my favorite team. Talk about no respect for the hard-working people working for you.... That's just crap.

Of course, Hank has no problem letting everyone know how much he second guessed the Johan situation, either:

"I should have pushed harder for the [Johan] Santana deal," said Hank, who was talked out of signing Santana by Hal and GM Brian Cashman because they believed the Yankees' talent (Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Melky Cabrera) and the money (Santana signed a six-year, $137.5 million extension with the Mets) was too costly.

You know what, I still think the Yanks made the right long term decision, though it sure hurt this year. The strategy can't be abandoned that quickly without giving it a chance to develop.

On the other hand, this Hank rant totally reminded me of the great SNL skit where Will Farrell rants at the dinner table.

You do not talk to me like that!! I work too hard to deal with this stuff!! I work too hard!! I'm a Division Manager in charge of 49 people!! I drive a Dodge Stratus!!
......
You do not talk to your father that way!! I am a Division Manager!! I can do 100 push-ups in twenty minutes!!

Frank Torre nails Hank

When I read the headline "Torre's brother: What Yanks did to Joe 'was not right'", I was prepared to read some whiny, griping story showing one brother sticking up for another. And to a point, that's what this is. But what made it more interesting to me was the way Frank nails Hank directly and without fear of reprisal:

What really disturbs Frank Torre is not so much the Yankees didn't want his brother back, but the way they've acted since his departure.

"I hear (Yankees co-chairman) Hank Steinbrenner say where would Joe Torre be without the Yankees," Frank Torre said. "Well, let me tell you, Hank Steinbrenner was fortunate he was born in the Steinbrenner family. His inheritance is a whole lot bigger now than it would have been if not for my brother. I think he gained a lot more money than my brother after all of those World Series."

Well said, sir. Born on third base, thought he hit a triple. Such is Hank.