Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 419 of 1503)

      Angels talking trade with Cubs for Lee?

      June 3, 2010 /

      The Angels may have targeted their replacement for first baseman Kendry Morales, who broke his leg last weekend while celebrating a walk off home run.

      According to the Chicago Tribune, the Halos may be in trade talks with the Cubs involving Derrek Lee.

      Excellent baseball sources are telling us the Angels and the Cubs may be involved in trade talks that could send Derrek Lee to L.A. The Angels lost their starting first baseman, Kendry Morales, last weekend when he broke his leg in a celebration after he hit a walk-off grand slam. Lee was a late scratch from Wednesday’s lineup because of tightness in his right hamstring.

      If the report is true, it’ll be interesting to see if the Angels pick up most of Lee’s current contract. He’s owed roughly $9 million over the remainder of the season and then becomes a free agent this winter. Considering he’s hitting just .232 this season and has never faced American League pitching on a consistent basis, L.A. may not be willing to fork over that much money, along with whatever compensation Chicago asks for.

      That said, they have to do something. The defending AL West champs are currently one game under .500 and resting in third place in the division. They’re only 2.5 games behind the first-place Rangers, but they can’t continue to lose ground. Lee isn’t hitting now, but the last time he finished with an average less than .270 was his third year in the league when he hit .206 with the Marlins. He’s a career .280-hitter, so history shows that his numbers should rise at some point.

      For the Cubs, moving Lee would force them to address the dark cloud currently hovering over the 3-4 spots in the lineup. Of course, the bigger picture is that a trade could help them cut salary and move into rebuilding mode. They’re nothing but a .500 club overpaying for way too many players and it may be time for them to start purging their roster.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Don’t count on Selig reversing Joyce’s call

      June 3, 2010 /

      Much of the talk today is how baseball commissioner Bud Selig should reverse Jim Joyce’s blown call that cost Tigers’ starter Armando Galarraga a perfect game. Jon Heyman of SI.com writes that Selig will make a statement on Thursday regarding the incident and many hope that he’ll do the right thing and “fix” what transpired in the top of ninth inning at Comerica Park.

      But they shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for Selig to actually do it.

      While he has the power to reverse the decision, it doesn’t mean he will. Don Denkinger’s blown call in 1985 cost the Cardinals a World Series against the Royals and it was never reversed. For as special and as sacred as a perfect game is, Denkinger’s foul-up was in the pivotal moment of a World Series. And in the record books, it still says 1985 World Series Champions: Kansas City Royals.

      For as much as most of us would love to see Selig step in, we all know as sports fans that it’s up to umpires to make judgment calls. And unless it’s a home run that can be reviewed by instant replay, those calls stand. For as big a moment as this was, Selig knows that if he reverses this call, then he may have to reverse future calls and then what’s from stopping people from demanding that all the records during the steroid era be fitted with an asterisk next to them? We would all love to see that happen, but that’s a can of worms that everyone knows Selig doesn’t want to open.

      Would it be the right thing for Selig to do to overturn Joyce’s call? Yes. But I’d be shocked if he actually went through with it. It’s not in his nature to make sound decisions when pressed into a corner, so chances are the call will stand. If anything, maybe this incident will always be remembered as the moment that changed how instant replay is used in baseball forever.

      Update: Selig released this statement via MLB.com:

      “As Jim Joyce said in his postgame comments, there is no dispute that last night’s game should have ended differently. While the human element has always been an integral part of baseball, it is vital that mistakes on the field be addressed. Given last night’s call and other recent events, I will examine our umpiring system, the expanded use of instant replay and all other related features. Before I announce any decisions, I will consult with all appropriate parties, including our two unions and the Special Committee for On-Field Matters, which consists of field managers, general managers, club owners and presidents.”

      He says a lot in his statement, but it’s clear that Galarraga’s near-perfect game will remain just that: near perfect.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Morning After Reaction: Galarraga loses perfect game on blow call

      June 3, 2010 /

      Here’s what local and national media are saying following the debacle in Detroit last night, in which umpire Jim Joyce ruined Armando Galarraga’s perfect game by blowing a call at first base.

      – Mike Lupica writes that Galarraga’s perfect game can be saved if Bud Selig overturns Jim Joyce’s call. (New York Daily News)

      – Jeff Passan writes that this is the perfect time to expand instant replay in baseball. (Yahoo! Sports)

      – Bob Klapisch took the opportunity to write about Don Denkinger, who will always be remembered for his blown call that cost the Cardinals the 1985 World Series against the Royals. (FOX Sports.com)

      – A website called “Fire Jim Joyce” has already been established.

      – Writing for ESPN.com, Curt Schilling says that his heart broke because not only was Galarraga’s perfect game ruined by a bad call, but Joyce also doesn’t deserve all the hurtful things that will and have been said about him.

      – Even though it won’t go down in the books as such, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has “declared” it a perfect game. I’m sure Galarraga will now sleep better at night. (Detroit Free Press)

      – John Lowe compiles a list of things to consider on Galarraga’s near-perfect night, including how if centerfielder Austin Jackson had not made a spectacular catch two plays before the incident at first base, Joyce would still be a nobody today. (Detroit Free Press)

      – Bob Wojnowski writes that Joyce made history by halting perfection. (Detroit News)

      – The Detroit News reports that the Tigers may actually contact the league in efforts to get the call reversed.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      In a game filled with cheaters, Ken Griffey Jr. did it the right way

      June 3, 2010 /

      I’m not sure Ken Griffey Jr. knows how to inject HGH or even know how to get it. I don’t think he knows what “the clear” actually is or what it does, and the same goes for “the cream.”

      I don’t think taking steroids and cheating the game of baseball has ever crossed Griffey’s mind. And that’s why he’ll always be viewed as a true hero during the darkest days that baseball has ever seen.

      Griffey announced his retirement on Wednesday night. He’ll leave the game with 630 home runs (which rank him fifth all-time), 13 All-Star appearances, 10 Gold Gloves, seven Silver Slugger Awards and one MVP honor (1997). He’s a sure-fire Hall of Fame inductee and as I’ve alluded to above, one of the few sluggers whose name has never been mentioned for steroids.

      I’ll always remember the days when people would compare Griffey and Barry Bonds in terms of what young outfielder was better. People always said Griffey until injuries started hampering his career and Bonds started crushing 500-foot home runs (while his head grew to the size of a grapefruit). But looking back, Griffey will always be remembered as the better player because he didn’t have to cheat to have his success. Bonds has better numbers, but we all know how he got them later in his career. We also know how Griffey got his: pure, God-given talent.

      Griffey’s retirement doesn’t come as a surprise. He wasn’t getting regular at bats in Seattle and wasn’t a part of the Mariners’ present or future. He’s also 40 year’s old and it’s harder for players to balance baseball and their family life when they get to be that age. It was time and I found it appropriate that he made the announcement rather quietly. He’s never been flashy.

      Thanks for all the memories, Junior. You never let us down.

      External Sports, MLB

      First base umpire Jim Joyce absolutely hoses Armando Galarraga in perfect game attempt

      June 2, 2010 /

      I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a bigger hosing in sports than the one first base umpire Jim Joyce pulled on Tigers’ starter Armando Galarraga on Wednesday night.

      Galarraga took a perfect game into the top of the ninth inning against the Indians at Comercia Park and quickly retired the first two batters he faced. Cleveland’s Jason Donald then hit a ball to the right side of the infield as Miguel Cabrera fielded it cleanly and threw a strike to Galarraga, who raced off the mound to cover first base.

      As Donald ran hard through the base, Joyce started to cock his fist to signal the final out but then abruptly called Donald safe, killing Galarraga’s perfect game. The play was close live, but replays showed that Donald was out by almost two full steps, meaning Joyce blew the call.

      Umpires have it tough – especially on bang-bang calls like that one. It was a judgment call and umpires don’t have the luxury of instant replay, so they have to make a quick decision in the heat of the moment.

      That said, Donald was out by nearly two feet. More importantly, Galarraga had a perfect game and it was the last freaking out of the game. If the call could go either way (which it could have), call the runner out and let Galarraga have his moment. There was simply no excuse for Joyce to call Donald safe in that situation and what made it worse was the fact that he started to call him out before throwing up the safe sign. (Not to mention that two plays before that, Austin Jackson made the play of the year in centerfield, taking away a sure-fire base hit with a Willie Mays-like catch at the warning track.)

      The only positive thing I’ll say about Joyce is that he stood there like a man at the end of the game and took a vicious verbal beating from Tiger players and manager Jim Leyland. He didn’t run into the umpire’s room and hide – he faced the music. He also manned-up after the game and admitted his mistake.

      From ESPN.com:

      “I just cost that kid a perfect game,” Joyce said. “I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.”

      “I don’t blame them a bit or anything that was said,” Joyce said. “I would’ve said it myself if I had been Galarraga. I would’ve been the first person in my face, and he never said a word to me.”

      Galarraga deserves a lot of credit for keeping his composure. He didn’t hop up and down after the call or scream at Joyce. He just gave the umpire a, “Are you sh*tting me?” grin and went on to record the final out. If Galarraga does eventually rip into Joyce, nobody will blame him. Joyce blew it and he knows it, but the call can’t be reversed and therefore there’s nothing Galarraga or the Tigers can do. Joyce will forever be remembered for this play.

      Maybe it’s time for baseball to institute instant replay for more than just home run calls.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑