Month: December 2008

BBWAA: The path to becoming relevant

The BBWAA is slowly dragging themselves into relevance. 

Today, they added four writers whose contributions can be found mainly on the Internet.  Congratulations go out to Will Carroll and Kristina Kahrl of Baseball Prospectus and Rob Neyer and Keith Law of ESPN.com.

This is big.  Yes, it was a long time coming and it’s not enough but it’s a slow recognition that many most sports fans are getting their sports news from the web whether it be from a brick and mortar newspaper’s web presence or from a new fangly web site out there.  It’s time the BBWAA started to recognize that. 

Now maybe the BBWAA can do something about their god awful looking web site.

BBWAA_1228970267986

Want to be a pro baseball coach? Maybe Fort Worth can use you (at a price).

ebayftworth

Bad economic times force some creative methods to raise money.  The Fort Worth Cats have come up with one.

They’ve put up an auction on Ebay where the winner will become a “professional Baseball Coach” for them for a week.  The reserve price?  $1.999.  The team has an article on it on their web site.

Look at the perks!

*One Pristine Uniform to keep as a memento of your experience

*Official 1st base coaching salary of $1 per day

*One assigned coaches locker

*An official Cats baseball card in your likeness

*Guaranteed one inning of 1st base coaching per game

*Road Trip with the team, including hotel stay and bus ride

*Road meal money of $5.00 per day (to cover visiting clubby dues)

*The chance to participate in batting practice before every game

*A radio interview to be aired on Fox Sports Radio about your experience during your last home game

*A uniform retirement ceremony including first pitch and photo opportunity with friends and family

*A group outing on your jersey retirement night for 30 friends and family including field box tickets, hot dogs and sodas

I hope they do a good job vetting the winner of the auction.  At a dollar a day, who knows who you’ll get?

The Fort Worth team also promise to “retire” the auction winner’s name along with the club’s former managers and players.

Ugh, Minor League Baseball has always been in the forefront of fan participation and promotions but it sounds like they have just jumped the shark.

Thanks to Shawn Lee for the tip.

C.C. Cashes in, Set to Become Bronx Bomber

The New York Yankees, not to be outdone by the Mets KROD signing, are all set to sign C.C. Sabathia to a lucrative deal, which would be the biggest total package ever paid to a pitcher. The seven year, $161 million dollar deal, breaks down to $23 million per annum, which would still leave the Mets Johan Santana with the highest yearly pay. A BIG deal for a BIG man, Sabathia, a lefty, stands 6’7″ and weighs in excess of 250 pounds. He’ll need all of his girth if he’s going to carry the weight of bringing a title to the Yankees on his shoulders, if you don’t win it all, you’re a loser, according to the Yankees. It’s not at all about, how you play the game.

Where does the potential signing of Ace Sabathia leave the Yankees? Well first off, with the retirement of Mike Mussina, they start off 20 wins shy of their last year win total of 89. They also don’t have Andy Pettitte, a 14 game winner in 2008, locked up. But here is what Pettitte’s former skipper Joe Torre had to say, “He was always married to the Yankees, the excitement playing for the Yankees. I called him only because his agent called Ned [Colletti, the Dodgers’ GM]. I certainly would’ve kicked myself [if I hadn’t called]. He never said no to anything, but just from talking to him, I know the Yankees are his first choice. I wasn’t about to talk him out of it, knowing Andy like I do.” So it looks like Sabathia in the number one slot, followed by Chien-Ming Wang, then comes Andy Pettitte, leaving two spots in the rotation. There has been speculation the Yankees are trying to sign oft-injured righthander Ben Sheets to a two year, $30 million dollar deal, and they’re said to be in the hunt for Derek Lowe and/or A.J. Burnett. The other options are youngsters Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, but New York is a tough place to grow up.

Here’s what Yankee fan TomB, a friend of DonS thinks of the Sabathia signing. The Yanks are also close to signing Derek Lowe and are aggressively going after Ben Sheets. You might think Lowe isn’t much of a signing, but another sinker ball pitcher in Yankee Stadium (along with Chien-Ming Wang) could be just what the doctor ordered. The signing of Sabathia will move Wang down to #2, which is where he probably belongs. So you don’t think a rotation of Sabathia, Wang, Sheets/Burnett, and Lowe, with Mariano as the closer (and Chamberlain either as setup or starter) will be effective? Yanks won 89 games last year (20 by Mussina and with Wang on the DL) with crappy pitching. The signing of Sabathia and one other could bump that win total up over 100.

Here is what DonS’ brother KeithS had to say. I do think that Lowe is a great sinker ball pitcher and would be a good fit in Yankee Stadium. My gut tells me he will not sign with the Yankees, but I must say, I have been wrong before. Ben Sheets middle name is DL, so to count on him for an entire year, would be a mistake. Is Wang healthy? Burnett has the hill in his rear view mirror. Playing in NY is not like playing in LA or Milwaukee or Toronto, either. Also Giambi & Abreu missing from the middle of the lineup changes the lineup tremendously.

What do I think? Well, DUH, it’s a no brainer! Any time you can add a pitcher of C.C.’s tremendous talents, without losing anything, it’s a good thing. And you have to remember, the Yankees aren’t like any other franchise, if they need more money, no problem. Sabathia has a lifetime winning percentage of .616, playing almost exclusively for the Cleveland Indians, but then he really turned it on, when in a playoff hunt with Milwaukee last year, he almost single handedly pitched the Brewers into the post season. This guy seems to thrive on pressure! All that said, the Yanks need to do more, they’re wrong if they’re counting on Nick Swisher to replace either Bobby Abreu or Jason Giambi in the lineup, and then there’s the matter of a catcher.

KROD: TAKE THE MONEY & RUN

The New York Mets, desperate for a closer, signed the best in the business, making KROD the highest paid relief pitcher in the game. The ink isn’t dry on the paper, but the deal is a reported three year, $37 million dollar deal, with a vesting option (dunno what that means) for a fourth year. I can still remember when starting pitchers were expected to & paid to complete games, it was an insult to the starting pitcher to pull him, not any more, not in this day of specialization. Francisco Rodriguez, won’t turn 27 until next month, he set a record last year with 62 saves with the Halos.

In 2008 the NY Mets converted only 43 saves out of 72 save opportunities. They were relying on Billy Wagner, who needed a ligament replaced in his pitching elbow last August. Even without a closer, NY finished the season with 89 wins, three games behind the Phillies in the East, and only one game behind the Brewers for the Wild Card. Aaron Heilman, Luis Ayala, and others in the Mets pen didn’t cut it, making getting a closer a top priority. There were some choices out there, Kerry Wood, Brian Fuentes, and alltime saves leader Trevor Hoffman, but in the end NY went with the best.

It will be interesting to see how KROD makes out in the Big Apple, it’s a long way from the Los Angeles Anaheim Angels. There’s going to be alot of pressure on Rodriguez to perform, he’s got an electric fastball & a slider that breaks out of sight. Francisco needs to get ahead of hitters in order to get them to bite on his breaking ball, usually in the dirt, control is not his strong suit. Besides that, the Angels had a pretty deep bullpen (Jose Arredondo, Scot Shields, & Darren Oliver), getting to the closer, we’ll have to see how the Mets setup men will bridge that gap. Last year’s signing of Ace Johan Santana was supposed to put the Metropolitans over the top, let’s see if KROD can do it.

WHITE SOX INK VanBenschoten

It was announced the Chicago White Sox have signed righthander John VanBenschoten, and invited him to spring training. I know alot of you are like, John VanWHO? But I have to admit I’ve been following this guy ever since the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him out of Kent State with the 8th pick in the 2001 amateur entry draft. See he was born April 14th, my birthday, although many years after me. I’ve always been interested in following guys born on my birthday, Pete Rose, Greg Maddux, David Justice, Steve Avery, Kyle Farnsworth, Gregg Zaun, Jesse Levis, and many others, only guy born on my exact birth date was lefthander Bobby Sprowl.

Well now the White Sox have VanBenschoten, now what? John was a very successful two way star for Kent State, it was highly debatable as to whether he was a pitcher or a hitter, after all he batted .440 with 31 long balls, leading all Division I, as a junior. But his electric mound stuff won out, and the Buccos made him a fulltime pitcher. On the hill, he struckout 63 batters in 48 innings, posting a 2.81 ERA. Although back then he worked almost as much out of the bullpen as he did as a starter.

His best success as a pro occurred in 2002 at Hickory in the SAL, Class A ball. John started 27 games, pitching 148 innings, striking out 145, amassing an 11-4 record, with a nifty 2.80 ERA. More success was in the cards as he was moved up to high Class A ball, where he started off 6-0 with a 2,22 ERA, before moving up to Class AA ball midseason. In Altoona he was only 7-6 with an earned run average of 3.69.

Van Benschoten has had reconstructive surgeries on both his shoulders, costing him nearly two full seasons of action before his return in 2007. He, started the 2007 season at Indianapolis (10-7, 2.56 ERA), would go back to Indianapolis, and would be recalled later during the season only to finish the season with no wins and seven losses for Pittsburgh. Again he would start the 2008 season with the Indianapolis Indians and remain on the inactive roster for the Pirates. After posting a 4-0 record and a 1.88 ERA with the Indians, he was called up by the Pirates on April 27 to be on the active roster. He currently holds the all-time major league record for highest career ERA with at least 75 innings pitched.

Van Benschoten, a 28-year-old starter, went a combined 2-13 with a 9.20 ERA in 26 appearances, including 19 starts, with the Pirates in 2004, ’07 and ’08. Call me a dreamer, but I still believe in this kid. I just called the Chicago White Sox congratulating them on signing him and suggesting they either make him a hitter or use him out of the bullpen. I believe shoulder injuries have taken their tole on this talented, oft-injured pitcher.

HOF ’09: Dave Parker

Seven time All Star, 1978 National League MVP, all the talent in the world, heir apparent to Roberto Clemente’s hallowed rightfield in Pittsburgh, what happened? Drugs happened for one thing, he was doing cocaine, injuries also slowed him down, but he also had an attitude that he didn’t have to work, due to his tremendous talent, but it all caught up with him. When I took over the Chicago Champions in the 2nd year of the Illowa APBA League, Davey P was on my team, he was the heart of a very good lineup, but the team needed pitching, so he was traded to the Thunderchickens along with Joe Rudi in exchange for John Candelaria & Don Baylor. It was a deal that helped both ballclubs.

In real life, Parker looked to be on the fast track to the Hall of Fame. In his first full season with the Pirates, he posted a .308 average, drove in 101, hitting 25 long balls, with 35 doubles & 10 triples. Dave also possessed the best throwing arm in the game (26 assists in 1977), maybe since Clemente. In ’77 he had a career best batting average of .338, which led the league, he also had more hits 215 than anybody in the league, and in ’78 he again was tops in batting average with a .334 mark. His .585 slugging average was also the best, he won a Gold Glove in 1977, 78, & 79, and he had 117 RBIs in his 1978 MVP season. He had a couple of more very good years with the Buccos in 1979 & 80, hitting .310 & .295 respectively. This big guy hit the ball so hard, that he actually tore the cover off a baseball he ripped into rightfield in 1979. The Pirates rewarded him, making him baseball’s first million dollar ballplayer.

Knee injuries limited him to only 67 & 73 games in 1981-82, he bounced back playing a full season with Pittsburgh in 1983, but he wasn’t quite the same. The injuries, weight gain, and cocaine had taken their tole on him. Still the Cincinnati Reds wanted him, signing him as a free agent. In 1985 at the age of 34, Parker had one of the best years of his career with the Reds, reaching his personal bests in homers 34 & RBIs 125, and a solid .312 batting average, finishing the season two hits shy of 200, He placed second in the MVP voting to Willie McGee. Then in 86 he had another monster year with Cincinnati, 31 HRs & 116 RBIs. His batting average dipped to .253 in 1987, although he did have 97 runs batted in, with 26 goners. He enjoyed some success in the American League, mostly as a designated hitter, driving in 97 with the A’s at the age of 38, and knocking in 92 with Milwaukee in 1990 at the age of 39.

With all of his accomplishments, there was only one person who could keep this man out of the Hall of Fame, and that man was Dave Parker, himself. Despite his drug abuses, his injuries, and his lack of dedication, he produced numbers that are comparable to others who’ve made it into the Hall. Parker notched a lifetime .290 batting average, 339 homers, 1,493 RBIs, and 1,272 runs scored, during his 19 year career. IMHO, Dave is only good enough for the Hall of the Very Good.

On a side note, since his retirement, Parker’s had both knees replaced. He owns several Popeyes Chicken Restaurants in the Cincinnati area.

  Hall of Fame

Hall of Very Good
  Why is he even on the Ballot?

 

While we wait for January 12 ballot results, The Baseball Zealot will be profiling those players who are on the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.  Read the rest the of the profiles.

HOF ’09: Ron Gant

The Chicago Champions of the Illowa APBA League, I drafted Ron Gant after his rookie year as a secondbaseman(?) for the Atlanta Braves. He played secondbase with a bat in his hands. He was quite a talent, Gant could do it all, especially hit for power & run, but he was no infielder, no matter how hard the Braves tried to make him one.

After his disastrous start at 2B, Atlanta moved Gant across the diamond to give him a crack at the hot corner, he fared no better there, and soon he became an outfielder, a pretty good one at that, even playing two seasons in centerfield, before settling on LF. But with Ron, it was all about the bat, not the glove. He posted some respectable offensive numbers over his 16 year career, despite being involved in a career threatening motorcycle accident, which robbed him of alot of his speed, but he rehabbed hard, and fully rebounded from the accident. Gant scored & drove in over 1,000 runs, belted 321 home runs, while pilfering 243 bases. The downside for Ronnie were his K’s, he struckout 1,411 times and batted only .256 for his career.

All in all, a nice career, but Hall of Fame? Why’s this guy even on the ballot?

  Hall of Fame
 

Hall of Very Good

Why is he even on the Ballot?

 

While we wait for January 12 ballot results, The Baseball Zealot will be profiling those players who are on the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.  Read the rest the of the profiles.  

Greg Maddux Announces his Retirement

With all the talk about the Hall of Fame, sure to be Hall of Famer, Greg Maddux announced his retirement as the 2008 Baseball Winter Meetings began. Maddux first appeared in the major leagues in 1986 with the Chicago Cubs as a pinch runner, stayed in the game, and picked up the loss in relief. He proved the loss to be a fluke, as he amassed a 355-227 record during his 23 year big league career.

Greg never was an overpowering pitcher, he’d spot his fastball & change speeds. No other 300 win pitchers has ever reached the 3,000 strikeout plateau, while walking less than 1,000 batters. His 355 wins are more lifetime wins than any righthanded pitcher since Walter Johnson, who retired in 1927.

Check out this story on mlb.com about Greg Maddux’ amazing career.

Congratulations Greg Maddux on a wonderful baseball career!!!

HOF VETS COMMITTEE GETS IT WRONG: JOE GORDON IN

The Hall of Fame Veterans Committee voted one new player into the Hall of Fame, Joe Gordon. Don’t get me wrong, Gordon was a fine player, both defensively & offensively (hitting home runs when secondsackers didn’t do such things), but the HOF? Joe was a ten time All Star, even was selected once as MVP, despite Ted Williams winning the Triple Crown that same year. Even though he was acknowledged the best keystone man of his day, his overall stats are somewhat less than impressive. I know anybody can lie, but if you wanna really lie, use statistics. But his lifetime batting average was .268. His stats compare almost identically with Bret (Prolly a Juicer) Boone.

Here’s what DonS had to say about Joe Gordon…

This is my favorite Joe Gordon Story.

Joe Gordon was manager of the Cleveland Indians when I started following baseball (1959). Jimmy Piersall (consider the source) says that when he played for Gordon, Joe was sometimes in a rotten mood by the fifth inning, because of the way the Tribe was playing. So he would head back to the Manager’s Office, where there was a bottle of whiskey in the desk drawer. About 10 minutes later, he would return to the dugout. Good mood, all smiles. Happy Days!!!