Month: June 2008

MLB strikes out against US Supreme Court over stats

That MLB lost a court case is no small matter. 

The Supreme Court of the United States will not review MLB and the Player’s Union’s case that outside companies that use MLB stats will “exploit players’ identity for commercial gain”.  This is in reference to those entities who use MLB stats for fantasy leagues.

The companies which facilitate fantasy leagues are already licensed by MLB Advanced Media.  This court case will presumably open the market for others. 

From the Los Angeles Times:

The court’s refusal also throws into question any licensing deals already in place, something MLB had said amounted to “billions of dollars.” When MLB appealed to the high court in February, it argued that such deals could be jeopardized if companies had a free-speech right to use the names of famous people without permission.

For my part, I agree with the decision on principle, not just because I think MLB is trying to make a buck at every corner.  Stats are facts, news, info. Plus, MLB needs to realize the PR factor involved here.  For the piddly amount involved here (yes, I realize that Fantasy Baseball is a growing industry and not so piddly anymore), they need to realize how much Fantasy baseball increases the interest in Major League Baseball. 

I don’t just mean casual interest either.  Anyone with a fantasy team or a sim league team knows what I’m talking about.  How many of you religiously follow your players on a daily basis?

I’m raising my hand.

First-Year Player Draft is tomorrow!

June 5: 2-9 p.m. ET
June 6: 11:30 a.m. ET-end

Some more handy links you might find useful.

For those unfamiliar to the First-Year Player Draft, Baseball America has a useful tutorial on how exactly the draft works. Who’s eligible, when and where it’s held, how the picks are made, everything. Definitely, a must read for anyone who’s new to the draft and maybe those aren’t too.

While you’re on Baseball America’s website, Jim Callis goes out on a limb and does a mock draft of the first round.

Brian Foley of The College Baseball Blog was interviewed by the Yankees blog, River City Blues on the subject of the upcoming draft. Brian writes all year about college baseball so at least from that angle, he pretty qualified to speak about the topic.

Today, Baseball Prospectus Radio is in Day 1 of their draft coverage. Among others, Kevin Goldstein interviews Cutter Dykstra, son of Lenny. Their show is in mp3 format.

Tune in tomorrow at 2pm Eastern when the draft starts. For my money, ESPN’s MLB.com’s Draft Tracker is the best way to follow the draft if you’re not watching it on TV (and even if you are).

Happy Draft Day!

WHITE SOX BATS WAKE UP

Ozzie Guillen called GM Kenny Williams out, saying the Sox needed some offense. This after the club dropped three of four to the first place(?) Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays. Which was perfect fodder for Sun Times columnist (weasel) to once again suggest Ozzie needed to be fired, but what then would Jay have to write (whine) about? Guillen’s latest tirade couldn’t have come at a better time, focus was taken off the players, the pressure too.

It looked like a different ballclub playing host to the KC Royals & Zack Greinke. Greinke has gotten away from his junk and gone with his fastball, which has made him successful of late, but not tonite, not against the White Sox & their fastball hitting team.

With a man aboard in the 1st inning Carlos Quentin (after his day off, plus the off day) responded with new found energy & a big fly. Then Alexei Ramirez hit a perfect doubleplay ball to the shortstop, it was hit hard, elluded him, and Alexei was credited with a double. Orlando Cabrera hit a slow bounder up the middle, which plated two with the infield playing in. The next batter A.J. Pierzynski plated two more, rocketing one over the rightfield wall. What lack of offense was Ozzie talking about? The score was 6-0 Good Guys before we were even able to settle into our seats, or find a comfortable wall to lean on behind home plate, as the case may be.

It would’ve been a tough play for secondbaseman Alexei Ramirez to have thrown out Joey Gathright, even if he had fielded the grounder cleanly, which he did not, on which play he was credited with an error, KC scored two unearned runs as a result.

The Sox offense got those two runs back in the sixth when Nick Swisher & Alexei Ramirez hit solo shots, in between homers Joe Crede popped out. Al was just bemoaning the fact that Swisher was batting .200 when Nick whacked one good to right.

Mark Teahen homered after Miguel Olivo doubled in the 7th for the only two earned runs off Gavin Floyd of the evening to make it 8-4. The Royals, in the 8th, off Octavio Dotel, cut it to a three run lead when Alex Gordon singled home David DeJesus from 2nd base, after DeJesus had stolen second. But the Sox made the final 9-5 when Alexei Ramirez picked up his third hit of the game, an 8th inning single to shallow leftfield, scoring Jermaine Dye without a throw from DeJesus. Dye had singled & Crede had walked before Alexei’s single. A.J. Pierzynski also had three hits for the Pale Hose, as did David DeJesus for the Royals. Bobby Jenks was called on to close it out for the Good Guys in black.

Despite threatening weather, it did not rain, and I was VERY glad I was there, as EVERYBODY was there (Al, Anthony (newly fractured elbow), Tade, Steve, Roland, Dick, Bea, Caramel Corn Mike, & my latest sweetie Hot Chocolate Jackie (selling beer tonite)).

IT’S HARD TO FAULT A-ROD

I’ve been a fan of Alex Rodriguez since he played Class-A ball for the Appleton Foxes. Went to Appleton to see the kid play there, it was Alex Rodriguez poster night, and even got him to sign a baseball card, which is still on my desk. That was way back in 1994, Alex was the first player chosen in the draft, and this 18 year old kid was performing well on the field. Rodriguez batted .319 in his brief 65 game stay in the Midwest League, hitting 14 home runs there, before playing 17 games in Double A, 32 games in Triple A, and before the season was through 17 games in Seattle with the Mariners. But on this night I got to see what all the fuss was about, in person. He could do it all. It was obvious Alex would be a star. This skinny 6’3″ youngster had power, speed, and could pick it at shortstop.

The awards Alex Rodriguez has won since showing up on the scene are too numerous to mention. He was named the AL MVP in 2003, 2005, & 2007. In 1996, 2002, & 2007 he was named the ML Player of the Year. The AL Hank Aaron Award was bestowed on him in 2001, 2002, 2003, & 2007. He has won nine Silver Slugger Awards (7 at SS, 2 at 3B). In 2002 & 2003 he won Gold Gloves for his play at SS. In 1996 he led the AL with a .358 batting average. He’s led the league in home runs five times, total bases four times, RBIs twice, runs scored five times, and slugging percentage three times. Eleven times Rodriguez made the AL All Star team.

His statistics speak for themselves. In 1,941 games played A-Rod has hit 526 homers, knocked in 1,552 runs, scored 1,524 times, 407 doubles, an onbase percentage of .389, 271 stolen bases, while batting .306. It’s no wonder he is the highest paid player in the history of the game, no doubt, he is the best!

It should come as no surprise that when I had the chance to get Alex to play for my Illowa APBA franchise I jumped at it. The Northside Hitmen drafted Rodriguez as a rookie, but after years of me badgering him, CLuke FINALLY relented, and traded him to me in exchange for Miguel Cabrera. In APBA A-Rod’s been a winner, playing with the Hitmen, with the likes of Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, & Roberto Alomar, championships didn’t elude him.

There is more to it, than this is a game played with cardboard players & dice, rather than real players made of flesh & bone. There is the matter of money. When you tie up that much money in one resource, there just isn’t enough to go around for the rest of the ballclub, even if you are George Steinbrenner, and you own the New York Yankees. Rodriguez’ teams have finished in first place five different times, but never a championship.

Will he ever win one? That is the question being asked here. I’d have to say, no. Just too much money invested in one ballplayer. But that doesn’t it mean it can’t happen or that I won’t be rooting him on. Even though I’m a White Sox fan through and through, I’ll always be a fan of Alex Rodriguez.

Oh yeah, and that poster I received in 1994, is still hanging on my bedroom wall, after all these years.

First-Year Player Draft is coming… are you ready?

How high will Illinois’ CF Kyle Hudson go?

The 2008 First-Year Player draft is almost upon us once again.  On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays will begin the draft by making their first pick.

I thought I’d start off our coverage of the amateur draft by throwing out some handy links that might be useful to anyone that is interested in the draft. 

MLB’s Draft Central:  This is MLB entry point for all things having to do with the First-Year Player draft.

2008 First-Year Player Draft Order by Team

MLB’s Jonathan Mayo’s Draft Reports: Run down the players who are most likely to go high in the draft.

Baseball Reference’s Past Drafts Search Feature:  Search by year, team, or by pick. 

If anybody has some more good references or articles on the draft, please pass them on.

Michigan eliminated from the NCAA Regionals

Yesterday, Michigan was defeated by Kentucky 12-6 in front of their home crowd at Ray Fisher stadium.  This eliminated the Wolverines from the NCAA Regionals.  Kentucky went on to face Arizona later in the day, creating a Wildcats vs Wildcats final in the Regional final. 

Arizona beat Kentucky 5-3 and will advance to the super regional. 

You can read my daily updates I did on the Ann Arbor Regional on Brian Foley’s fine website, The College Baseball Blog.

As an Illini fan, rooting for Michigan is always a tricky thing.  But let’s face it, they were representin’ the Big Ten and for that reason alone, I was hoping they would make it.

Tough luck, Blue.

Congrats though, to Zach Putnam, Jason Christian, Adam Abraham and Ryan LaMarre for being selected to the All-Region Tournament team. 

Putnam doubly so.  He was selected as a designated hitter AND pitcher.