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From Cubby-Blue
(used with permission)
From Cubby-Blue
(used with permission)
- Jose Canseco doesn't receive the same attention in Los Angeles that he did in Chicago and New York....he's also paranoid!!
- A former Houston policeman who worked as a security agent for the Astros has filed a discrimination complaint against MLB.
With a .304 career OBP in the majors, Inge has been put into the ninth hole and he has posted a .361 OBP so far, his third best April on-base presence of his career (major league debut in 2001).
Leyland's most common batting order has been:
Renteria
Polanco
Sheffield
Ordonez
Cabrera
Guillen
Rodriguez
Jones
Inge
Let's take a look in the Detroit media to see what they're saying and talking about these days:
Tom Gage wrote early this morning: Nothing official yet, but I'd be surprised if the Tigers don't make a move before Friday night's game against the White Sox. Most likely, they'll add a left-hander. At this point, Yorman Bazardo appears to be the most vulnerable of those on the team.
John Kruk made a stupid remark on ESPN's Sportcenter: ""One of three things needs to happen to this team. Either A they have to throw a shutout, two, someone has to come up with a clutch hit to win a game for them or three, someone on their team needs to get hit by a pitch where the guys might think it's intentional and spark some bad blood that way."
The Detroit Tigers Weblog post-game yesterday: That was an absolutely inexcusable performance by the bullpen. It was poorly managed, it was poorly coached, and it was poorly executed. The bullpen recorded 8 outs and allowed 8 runs, powered by 7 walks. The pitchers have to throw strikes, and if they can't throw strikes (which they couldn't) they need to be lifted. This is a bullpen with 8 pitchers and yet they were left out there to throw over 35 pitches in 2 different innings. Zach Miner averaged 15 pitches per out, that's about the league average per inning.
On the other hand, look at what's written about the St-Louis Cardinals:
The St-Louis Dispatch on Wednesday: The staff is coming together nicely. Pitchers are competing for roles and jobs. Nobody is starting or relieving by default. Each hurler must earn his innings.
Reyes is a fascinating study. Mozeliak could have moved him during the offseason, giving him a fresh start after his 2-14 fiasco. He could have fetched a second-tier prospect for Reyes and turned the page on that dreadful season.
(...)
La Russa and Duncan have taken note of this. So have other organizations on the prowl for pitching help. A liability has turned into an asset.
- Oakland outfielder Travis Buck has six doubles in the last three games. After a mediocre start to the season, the Blue Jays series took his .043 OPS to a .576 OPS today!!
- Tampa Bay starter Edwin Jackson has pitched a second very nice game to start the season: 8 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 6 K. He has a 0.64 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 2008.
- Some fun with the runs scored/runs allowed:
*Team that scored the most runs in the majors: Arizona (54)
4th in average (.273), 2nd in OBP (.353), 2nd in slugging (.495)
*Team that scored the fewest runs in the majors: San Francisco (25)
29th in average (.230), 29th in OBP (.276), last in slugging (.331)
I guess their 2008 slogan "All Out. All Season" (this is not a joke, by the way) is not that far-fetched.
*Team that allowed the fewest runs in the majors: St-Louis (30)
2nd in ERA (2.66) and 6th in WHIP (1.18)
*Team that allowed the most runs in the majors: Pittsburgh (61)
27th in ERA (5.34) and 25th in WHIP (1.55)
- Great piece in the USA Today about Eric Hosmer, a projected first rounder in this year's draft.
The follow-up, less a tell-all than an I-told-you-so, added two more enemies to his list. In "Vindicated," Canseco alleges he connected Alex Rodriguez with a Canadian steroids supplier identified only as "Max." (He also accuses the Yankees slugger of hitting on his ex-wife.) And Canseco claims to have fielded steroids inquiries from former teammate Magglio Ordonez, even injecting him "once or twice" in the Chicago White Sox clubhouse.
"I did get death threats," Canseco said. "We had the FBI investigate. One was a teenager just joking around. But you have to follow up and investigate."
When asked to explain the recent Chicago incident, Canseco replied, "There was a coffee sitting there waiting for me and I said, 'Wait a minute, who made this coffee?' I won't drink it. … I'm way too old, way too experienced and I've seen way too much of this world to fall for a simple trick like that."
"It could be rat poison, but it might also be a diuretic," he added, shifting on his stool. "You never know, somebody may be playing a trick, and now I have diarrhea for the whole damn signing. There's always someone willing to make a statement."
When Canseco arrived this evening -- at 7 p.m. on the dot, right on time -- there was no coffee to be found. Just a few news cameras, and a smattering of loyal fans who braved rush-hour traffic to rub shoulders with the vilified former American League MVP.
(...)
Later, some wiseacre asked Canseco to sign his book to George Mitchell.
"So I should sign it, 'To the idiot?'" Canseco kidded, before surveying his surroundings and, almost by reflex, calculating the threat level.
Then, Canseco politely asked to examine my notepad. And, for curiosity's sake, I obliged.
"See, that's not going to work," he said before commandeering my pen, scribbling out the Mitchell entry, and sliding the notepad back across the counter. "I've been dealing with you people for 20 years," Canseco explained. "I know how you work."
- Yahoo and MLB Advanced Media have reached an agreement that will make Yahoo a new provider of out-of-market games for their audience."I did get death threats," Canseco said. "We had the FBI investigate. One was a teenager just joking around. But you have to follow up and investigate."
When asked to explain the recent Chicago incident, Canseco replied, "There was a coffee sitting there waiting for me and I said, 'Wait a minute, who made this coffee?' I won't drink it. … I'm way too old, way too experienced and I've seen way too much of this world to fall for a simple trick like that."
"It could be rat poison, but it might also be a diuretic," he added, shifting on his stool. "You never know, somebody may be playing a trick, and now I have diarrhea for the whole damn signing. There's always someone willing to make a statement."
When Canseco arrived this evening -- at 7 p.m. on the dot, right on time -- there was no coffee to be found. Just a few news cameras, and a smattering of loyal fans who braved rush-hour traffic to rub shoulders with the vilified former American League MVP.
(...)
Later, some wiseacre asked Canseco to sign his book to George Mitchell.
"So I should sign it, 'To the idiot?'" Canseco kidded, before surveying his surroundings and, almost by reflex, calculating the threat level.
Then, Canseco politely asked to examine my notepad. And, for curiosity's sake, I obliged.
"See, that's not going to work," he said before commandeering my pen, scribbling out the Mitchell entry, and sliding the notepad back across the counter. "I've been dealing with you people for 20 years," Canseco explained. "I know how you work."
The agreement will make MLB.TV available on Yahoo! Sports, bringing Yahoo! users more than 2,400 out-of-market Major League Baseball games each year, live and on-demand, through the 2010 season. Additionally, Yahoo! will exclusively manage online advertising sales for MLB.TV in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. This deal represents a continuation of Yahoo! Sports' commitment to delivering the most compelling sports content on the web while significantly increasing the amount of high-quality video advertising inventory available to Yahoo! advertisers.
"This agreement exemplifies Yahoo! as the partner of choice to premier media organizations, as we're providing MLB.com an opportunity to extend its reach to the largest possible audience, while at the same time maximizing monetization of its video subscription product," said Todd Teresi, senior vice president of the Yahoo! Publisher Channel. "Partnering with MLB.com allows Yahoo! to offer our users an unmatched baseball experience, and also presents our advertisers with a new opportunity to reach a large, engaged audience of baseball enthusiasts."
It's quite incredible what MLBAM has been able to accomplish through the internet with live games and making money out of it. This has become a $450 M revenue beast after all 30 teams pitched in to make a $80 M pool of money to start this endeavor. You can read a very interesting interview with Bob Bowman, President and CEO of MLBAM."This agreement exemplifies Yahoo! as the partner of choice to premier media organizations, as we're providing MLB.com an opportunity to extend its reach to the largest possible audience, while at the same time maximizing monetization of its video subscription product," said Todd Teresi, senior vice president of the Yahoo! Publisher Channel. "Partnering with MLB.com allows Yahoo! to offer our users an unmatched baseball experience, and also presents our advertisers with a new opportunity to reach a large, engaged audience of baseball enthusiasts."
- A former Houston policeman who worked as a security agent for the Astros has filed a discrimination complaint against MLB.
Lt. George McKay was in his ninth year working as a resident security agent when he said that Major League Baseball demoted him last week to a non-paying position. McKay filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Thursday, Houston television station KRIV reported.
"In my opinion, it happened because I am white," McKay said. "I think it's a racial issue. Baseball is very sensitive to the lack of African-Americans being in positions of authority on the field and off the field. I think they just wanted more visibility with an African-American in my position."
MLB spokesmen did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press for comment Thursday night.
McKay, 57, alleges his supervisor could not give him a legitimate reason for the demotion. He showed KRIV several letters from Major League Baseball praising his work.
McKay was replaced with another Houston police officer who is black.
- Brandon Inge, playing center field while Curtis Granderson is out with a broken bone in his right hand, is batting ninth (except yesterday) for the Tigers and this is turning out to be a good move:"In my opinion, it happened because I am white," McKay said. "I think it's a racial issue. Baseball is very sensitive to the lack of African-Americans being in positions of authority on the field and off the field. I think they just wanted more visibility with an African-American in my position."
MLB spokesmen did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press for comment Thursday night.
McKay, 57, alleges his supervisor could not give him a legitimate reason for the demotion. He showed KRIV several letters from Major League Baseball praising his work.
McKay was replaced with another Houston police officer who is black.
With a .304 career OBP in the majors, Inge has been put into the ninth hole and he has posted a .361 OBP so far, his third best April on-base presence of his career (major league debut in 2001).
Leyland's most common batting order has been:
Renteria
Polanco
Sheffield
Ordonez
Cabrera
Guillen
Rodriguez
Jones
Inge
Let's take a look in the Detroit media to see what they're saying and talking about these days:
Tom Gage wrote early this morning: Nothing official yet, but I'd be surprised if the Tigers don't make a move before Friday night's game against the White Sox. Most likely, they'll add a left-hander. At this point, Yorman Bazardo appears to be the most vulnerable of those on the team.
John Kruk made a stupid remark on ESPN's Sportcenter: ""One of three things needs to happen to this team. Either A they have to throw a shutout, two, someone has to come up with a clutch hit to win a game for them or three, someone on their team needs to get hit by a pitch where the guys might think it's intentional and spark some bad blood that way."
The Detroit Tigers Weblog post-game yesterday: That was an absolutely inexcusable performance by the bullpen. It was poorly managed, it was poorly coached, and it was poorly executed. The bullpen recorded 8 outs and allowed 8 runs, powered by 7 walks. The pitchers have to throw strikes, and if they can't throw strikes (which they couldn't) they need to be lifted. This is a bullpen with 8 pitchers and yet they were left out there to throw over 35 pitches in 2 different innings. Zach Miner averaged 15 pitches per out, that's about the league average per inning.
On the other hand, look at what's written about the St-Louis Cardinals:
The St-Louis Dispatch on Wednesday: The staff is coming together nicely. Pitchers are competing for roles and jobs. Nobody is starting or relieving by default. Each hurler must earn his innings.
Reyes is a fascinating study. Mozeliak could have moved him during the offseason, giving him a fresh start after his 2-14 fiasco. He could have fetched a second-tier prospect for Reyes and turned the page on that dreadful season.
(...)
La Russa and Duncan have taken note of this. So have other organizations on the prowl for pitching help. A liability has turned into an asset.
- Oakland outfielder Travis Buck has six doubles in the last three games. After a mediocre start to the season, the Blue Jays series took his .043 OPS to a .576 OPS today!!
- Tampa Bay starter Edwin Jackson has pitched a second very nice game to start the season: 8 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 6 K. He has a 0.64 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 2008.
- Some fun with the runs scored/runs allowed:
*Team that scored the most runs in the majors: Arizona (54)
4th in average (.273), 2nd in OBP (.353), 2nd in slugging (.495)
*Team that scored the fewest runs in the majors: San Francisco (25)
29th in average (.230), 29th in OBP (.276), last in slugging (.331)
I guess their 2008 slogan "All Out. All Season" (this is not a joke, by the way) is not that far-fetched.
*Team that allowed the fewest runs in the majors: St-Louis (30)
2nd in ERA (2.66) and 6th in WHIP (1.18)
*Team that allowed the most runs in the majors: Pittsburgh (61)
27th in ERA (5.34) and 25th in WHIP (1.55)
- Great piece in the USA Today about Eric Hosmer, a projected first rounder in this year's draft.
The scouts want to see his power at the plate and his glove in the field. But …
"My brother (Mike Jr.) and my dad (Mike) tell me not to worry about who's outside the fence but worry about what happens inside the fence," Hosmer says.
During games, opposing fans chant "overrated" when Hosmer is in the on-deck circle and when he walks to the plate. Using the Boras Corp., fronted by agent Scott Boras, as an adviser probably spawns more jeers.
Spectators might be calling out when he steps into the box. Not that Hosmer would know.
"Once I get in the box, I zone everything out, and I don't hear a thing. I block it out and focus on hitting," he says.
Hitting is what Hosmer does best. At 6-4, 220 pounds, the left-handed first baseman is one of the USA's top five prep baseball players, according to several scouting services. He signed a letter of intent to play for Arizona State and could be a top-10 pick in the June 5-6 amateur draft.
Look at this smooth and effortless swing. The first home run is hit to center field, too.:"My brother (Mike Jr.) and my dad (Mike) tell me not to worry about who's outside the fence but worry about what happens inside the fence," Hosmer says.
During games, opposing fans chant "overrated" when Hosmer is in the on-deck circle and when he walks to the plate. Using the Boras Corp., fronted by agent Scott Boras, as an adviser probably spawns more jeers.
Spectators might be calling out when he steps into the box. Not that Hosmer would know.
"Once I get in the box, I zone everything out, and I don't hear a thing. I block it out and focus on hitting," he says.
Hitting is what Hosmer does best. At 6-4, 220 pounds, the left-handed first baseman is one of the USA's top five prep baseball players, according to several scouting services. He signed a letter of intent to play for Arizona State and could be a top-10 pick in the June 5-6 amateur draft.