Category: MLB (Page 118 of 448)

      I’d say Bruce Drennan isn’t pleased with the Indians

      May 8, 2010 /

      Here’s longtime Cleveland sportscaster Bruce Drennan hilariously lamenting the Cleveland Indians. Thanks to Joe Posnanski’s blog for posting it.

      It’s the kind of rant you make when you’re six beers deep, but have just moved onto a glass of liquor. The subject matter would include: women dating guys who are dumber than you, your hapless job, or your dissatisfaction with the town in which you live. It also reminds me of the dweebs who mindlessly record a YouTube video of themselves in the wee hours of the night, spouting off about a celebrity’s plight or something equally banal.

      “Ohhh, Peralta!”

      External Sports, MLB

      Frank McCourt to owe Jamie $637,159 a month

      May 8, 2010 /

      Carla Hall of the Los Angeles Times has confirmed that Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will owe estranged wife Jamie $637,159 a month in temporary spousal support, as per a ruling by a local Superior Court judge.

      The amount that Judge Scott Gordon decided upon falls short of the $988,845 that Jamie McCourt requested. More than half that requested amount ($568,829), her lawyers said, is needed to pay the costs, including mortgages, of seven homes and an eighth piece of property in Mexico that are listed in her name. Her lawyers argued that spousal support should include those costs since her estranged husband used to contribute funds to the housing.

      The judge specified that $412,159 of the monthly total should go to payment of costs associated with the properties, but ordered the property in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to be sold.

      Josh Fisher of Dodger Divorce did the math and concluded that, with retroactive fees from December, Jamie will end up receiving $6,371,590 from Frank through September.

      The Los Angeles Dodgers are not the Pittsburgh Pirates, and nowhere is this more evident than in their fans’ lack of patience. Given the team’s last place record of 13-16 in arguably MLB’s weakest division, things are already getting nasty. Also, when the area’s leading publication is constantly ripping the both the team’s play and its ownership, it isn’t a good sign for one of the country’s two largest sports markets.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Dallas Braden rips into A-Rod again

      May 7, 2010 /

      A’s pitcher Dallas Braden still hasn’t gotten over A-Rod’s decision to run across the mound following a game last month and has decided to stir the pot with more comments.

      From ESPN.com:

      Braden said he was particularly peeved that Rodriguez dismissed his actions and words merely because Braden hasn’t done much as a major leaguer yet.

      “There’s two ways that I can comment on that, and I’ll give you both of them,” Braden said to CSN Bay Area. “One, I was always told if you give a fool enough rope, he’ll hang himself, and with those comments, he had all the rope he needed. No. 2, I didn’t know there was a criteria in order to compete against A-Rod.”
      Rodriguez also is a selfish player, Braden added.

      “He’s an individualistic player,” Braden told CSN Bay Area. “He plays for the name on the back of the jersey, not the front. I don’t know if he’s noticed, but he doesn’t have a name on the back over there so he should play for the name on the front.”

      If this was the first time A-Rod had broken one of the unwritten rules of baseball, then I would call out Braden for overreacting. But this isn’t, and I happen to find the pitcher’s comments funny.

      That said, at some point Braden is just going to have to get over it. The game was two weeks ago – let it go, my friend.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Lance Berkman willing to waive no-trade clause?

      May 6, 2010 /

      Long-time Astros first baseman Lance Berkman told the Houston Chronicle that he would be open to waiving his no-trade clause.

      “As a player, if they came to me and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got a deal to go to a contender,’ I’d take it. Heck, it’s only a three- or four-month deal. It’s not like I’m signing on for 10 years with another team.”

      “I would say yeah,” Berkman said. “I think it would benefit the organization, and in the end, it would be a benefit for whoever it is — whether it’s me, or Roy (Oswalt) or Carlos. I’m not saying we’re at the point where they should start pulling the plug on us, but they need to start thinking forward. If this thing keeps going like this, they’ve gotta do something.

      “If you’re running a team, you don’t want to get caught in baseball purgatory — where you’re not really getting young and you’re not really (competing). Where you’re in this deal where every year you’re signing a marginal veteran and you just never get in the mix.”

      Berkman is in the final year of his contract, but the Astros hold a $15 million option for 2011. He has stated that he wants to retire a Stro, but you can’t fault him for wanting to have a shot to contend elsewhere. He’s at the end of his career and while his numbers are declining, he’s still a productive player – one that would benefit from being surrounded by better talent around him.

      I wonder if a team like the Rangers would be a good fit. Justin Smoak isn’t even hitting his own weight right now, while Ryan Garko isn’t hitting Calista Flockhart’s weight. I won’t even begin to speculate what kind of a package Texas could put together in a trade for Berkman, but again, it would appear to be a nice fit for both parties.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Zito finally pitching like the Zito of old

      May 6, 2010 /

      Giants fans have spent three agonizing years watching Barry Zito ruin perfectly pleasant nights in San Francisco with his horrid pitching. It has been enough to make them want to break his guitar over the back of his head and dump his body on Alcatraz Island.

      But this year, he’s finally giving them a reason to chant “Barry, Barry, Barry!” again without fear of the steroid gods judging them.

      Heading into last year’s All-Star break, Zito owned a 24-36 record, with a 4.47 ERA through his first 77 starts in a Giants uniform. Considering he signed a seven-year, $126 million contract in 2006, it’s safe to say that San Francisco wasn’t getting its money out of the lefty.

      But since that point, Zito has compiled a 2.38 ERA in 21 starts. In the second half last season, he was a respectable third starter behind Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. This year, he’s gone from being respectable to being the pitcher the Giants thought they had signed back in ’06.

      After picking up another win in a masterful performance against the Marlins on Wednesday night, Zito is now 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA. Skeptics will point out that his fastball still doesn’t have much life to it, but it’s hard to argue that his curve and change aren’t weapons of mass destruction again. More importantly, he seems to be pitching without the burden of the contract weighing him down. He’s been a much smarter pitcher in his last 21 starts than he’s ever been at any point during his time in San Fran.

      Chances are that Zito will never live up to his contract. Fans are just going to have to learn to bite down and swallow hard on that bitter pill. But at least to this point, they can take solace in that he has found a way to turn back the clock and has helped the Giants get off to a good start in the NL West. In Lincecum, Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and now a resurrected Zito, the G-Men arguably have the best 1-4 in baseball. And if they continue to get quality outings from their $126 million man, it won’t be long before they’re snapping their six-year playoff drought.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

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