Month: February 2009

Not much hope for improving blackout policies

For those hoping that MLB will be improving their blackout policy in regards to broadcasting games, well… don’t get your hopes up. 

Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball has the scoop:

The chances of any movement on the blackout policy becomes ever more remote as the season approaches, and owners deal with a case of tunnel vision regarding economic factors…

Word is that MLB hopes to have a proposal to address the arcane blackout policy formulated by opening day. With owners grasping onto every thin dime, odds seem exceptionally long that restructuring the television territories will take place by the time the first pitch arrives on the 2009 season.

Here’s a link to the MLB blackout map. 

I live three hours south of Chicago which is enough to black out the Sox, Cubs and the Cardinals.  But you may as well not be a baseball fan in the state of Iowa (or do as my friend DonS does and follow an out-of-market team.  The entire state of Iowa blacks out games of the Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, Twins, Brewers, and the Royals. 

Thank god for the Iowa Cubs, I guess.

Caribbean Series: Wake Me When It’s Over

White Sox Devil Rays Baseball I was very excited when I saw the Caribbean World Series was being shown live on the MLB Network. I remember watching winter league baseball on a Spanish TV station, channel 44, way back in 1983. Tom Candiotti was matched up against Chris Codiroli. Milwaukee Brewers Candiotti was perfecting his knuckleball, while Codiroli was an up & coming pitcher with the Oakland A’s. It was interesting trying to figure out who was whom, what kind of numbers the players were putting up, and what the announcers were saying. I somehow figured out Candiotti was learning the knuckler, besides actually seeing his pitches float up to homeplate, it seemed like he was pitching on TV almost every night. Besides the language barrier, there was also the snowy picture, UHF still had some bugs back then.

So last night, watching the Caribbean World Series on the MLB Network in English, even if it was over Slingbox, the Ramada room TV doesn’t get the MLB Network, was an exciting prospect. Live baseball in February, can’t beat it, packed stadiums, fans chanting. Then I started watching the game between Puerto Rico & Mexico. Once shooting star lefty Bill Pulsipher was on the hill for Puerto Rico, he went six & one third innings, and allowed only one run, which was impressive until you stopped & realized that there was probably only one legitimate major leaguer in both lineups, Adrian Gonzalez a lefthand hitting star for Mexico, but he can’t hit lefties to save his life. The number three hitter for Puerto Rico was Andy Gonzalez. Andy was with the White Sox in 2007, batting .185 in 189 futile at bats, he was really bad. When this game was still knotted at one after nine innings it was time to say goodnight.

Sheets out for the year?

What a conundrum! 

“We’re working our way through all of the details and we don’t know the answer yet,” (Brewers’ Assistant GM Gord) Ash said. “Major League Baseball has regulations related to workers’ comp and there are procedures and protocols that have to be respected. We’re working our way through those so I can’t give you much insight other than that.”

 

I don’t why but this song popped into my head when I read about this.  Just replace “Maria” with “Ben Sheets”.

 

Does Bud Selig deserve his raise?

So Bud Selig has gotten his extension and raise and a lot of detractors out there are already questioning the decision.  I’m not really a Selig fan but let’s face it, from a business standpoint, it’s not surprising that he was given his contract extension and salary boost. 

Yes, there are some high profile problems (steroids) and bonehead decisions (2002 All-Star Game) that remain a sore point with the fans.  But when it comes to the important matters (money), at least when it comes to the owners and the business of Major League Baseball, Bud Selig is turning the trick. 

Do you all remember when baseball was in its doldrums?  Before Cal Ripken’s streak?  Before McGwire and Sammy Sosa’s home run race?  Even before that when NBA was king of sports?  Not any longer.  Baseball is now breaking attendance and revenue records. 

Not only that, Major League Baseball has made strides in the online realm with one of the best pro sports web presence.  Now I’m sure Selig didn’t have a whole lot to do with the day-to-day operations of MLB Advanced Media but it certainly happened under his watch.

Finally and this may be a stretch but can Selig take a little credit for some semblance of parity in the MLB?  Is it possible that in the past few years, we’ve teams in smaller markets establish some success?  Or is that just coincidence? 

The point of all this is that MLB is a business and as of now, business is booming.  Selig probably deserves what’s coming to him.  The big question is how he’ll handle 2009 and what the economic downturn will deal the baseball industry. 

Selig’s new contract takes him into 2012 when he’s said that he will retire.  Selig haters, don’t hold your breath.  He’s said this before. 

Latest Druggie Caught in MLB’s Fishnet

Here is another example of MLB catching a young Latino taking performance enhancers. There has to be a reason why all of these Hispanic players are being caught. Either they’re being targeted, which I doubt, or they don’t fully understand the rules, and what is okay to take, and what is not, which I suspect to be the case. Somehow MLB needs to get the word out to these young men, before they are forced to pay the price. It seems very strange to me that these marginally talented young men are caught, and established stars are very rarely nabbed.

Marlins Minor League pitcher Pascual Arias was handed a 50-game suspension on Tuesday. The 20-year-old was suspended for being in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The infielder tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol. Arias had been playing Summer League ball in the Dominican Republic. A converted infielder, Arias was hitless in 20 at-bats with 11 strikeouts and a walk in 2007. This past season, Arias pitched in 14 games and was 0-1 with 4.50 ERA.

Hill finding a home with the Orioles?

Looks like Rich Hill’s career may have another lease on life.  The Orioles may announce tomorrow that they may acquire him from the Cubs for a PTBNL. 

The advantage for Hill is that he’d be back together with old friends.  He’s worked with both pitching coach Rich Kranitz and bullpen coach Alan Dunn while in the Cubs organization.

I personally liked Hill when he came into the Cubs organization but last year’s debacle can be described as nothing else but the yips.  He simply couldn’t get the ball over the plate at the AAA, A or Rookie level.  My concern from the Cubs standpoint, is if Rich Hill gets his head screwed back on straight, Mr PTBNL better fill the bill.

Update:  The deal has been finalized tonight.  Hill is an Oriole now. Also tonight, the Cubs traded Michael Wuertz to Oakland for minor leaguers Richie Robnett and Justin Sellers. 

I don’t anything about these guys yet and Wuertz was certainly no great shakes but don’t these deals recently (the Hill deal notwithstanding) seem to be made by a rebuilding team?

just saying…

BC’s Cole Armstrong Hoping to Catch On

cole-armstrong The White Sox used the minor league rule five draft to pluck Cole Armstrong out of the Atlanta Braves system. Armstrong was a catcher and a goaltender growing up in British Columbia, Canada. I first saw the big lefthanded hitting catcher in Fall Ball a few months ago in Arizona.

Growing up in Canada, Armstrong, like most of his baseball-playing compatriots, saw some national team action, playing for the Junior squad from 1999-2001. In fact, he caught while Martin manned third base. But this year’s selection to the provisional roster is the first time since ’01 that Armstrong has been tabbed for Team Canada.

“It’s a huge honor anytime you get asked to play for your country, but especially now with Canada having so many big-name guys,” he said. “It would be a really neat opportunity to get to play with some of them. And I haven’t had the chance to play in front of 50,000 people, so that would be a nice experience too.
Talking to some of the guys who were on the Olympic team or the qualifying team, they say it’s definitely like you come back together. Everyone knows each other. Even if you never actually played together, you know the same people. That was something I really wasn’t expecting. From day one since the White Sox picked me up in the Rule 5 Draft, they have been such an incredible organization and have given me so many opportunities that I probably wouldn’t have gotten with other organizations.”

The White Sox plan to send him to the recent Rookie Career Development Program, an honor saved for an organization’s top “big league-ready” prospects. Chicago decided not to re-sign Toby Hall, so there is an open spot on the big league roster as a backup catcher.

Sox Can’t Get Enough Cubans!

marti-gomez A fan at SoxFest asked GM Kenny Williams about the possibility of the White Sox signing two Cuban defectors, Yasser Gomez & Yadel Marti. Jaime Torres represents both players, he also represents current White Sox Cubans, Jose Contreras, Alexei Ramirez, & Dayan Viciedo. Reportedly Alexei took less money to sign on the Southside of Chicago, because Manager Ozzie Guillen speaks Spanish. Also both defectors would feel right at home, with three other Cubans already on the team.

Both Gomez & Marti played for Industriales, Cuba’s top team, they want to play for a winner, they mentioned the Yankees, but they also mentioned the White Sox. Gomez, 28, is a lefthanded hitting centerfielder, and has a career .331 batting average. Marti, 29, has a career 3.23 ERA, with 67 victories. The righty Yadel was the best of Cuba’s pitchers in the 2006 WBC, 1-0, 2 saves, and led the tournament with a 0.00 ERA over 12 2/3 innings pitched.

A scout who has seen both pitch internationally, believes they are both major league ready. In true Kenny Williams fashion, he did not tip his hand, when asked about picking up these talented Cuban stars, but you have to know, he’s salivating at the thought.