Category: MLB (Page 145 of 448)

      Yankees update: A-Rod avoids surgery, Nick Johnson returns to club

      December 19, 2009 /

      Turns out, Alex Rodriguez won’t need that hip surgery after all. Shortly after admitting to steroid use in February, team doctors told Rodriguez to expect reconstructive surgery at the end of 2009 to repair his torn labrum. In a stroke of luck for both Rodriguez and the Yankees, he’s now escaped missing a potential ten weeks from the new season.

      Rodriguez had surgery last March for torn cartilage and missed the first month of the season. At the time, Dr. Marc Philippon, who performed the operation, thought Rodriguez would need a more extensive procedure in the offseason.

      But Philippon recently examined Rodriguez, and an MRI test helped show the three-time MVP had properly healed. The doctor told A-Rod that he was A-OK on Monday.

      Otherwise, Rodriguez probably would’ve been “having surgery today,” he said at a Yankee Stadium news conference to formally introduce Curtis Granderson.

      The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if he was every really hurt. I’ve never heard of an athlete avoiding surgery on a torn labrum. Remember, Mike Lowell had the same problem. He desperately needed the surgery.

      In other news, slugger Nick Johnson is returning to the Yankees after agreeing to a one-year, $5.5 million contract. Johnson began his career with the team in 2001.

      Johnson must pass a physical for the agreement to be finalized. He can earn about $1 million more in performance bonuses next year, and the deal includes a 2011 mutual option for at least $5.5 million with possible escalators.

      Johnson, a first baseman, will become replace Matsui as the Yankees’ DH and Melky Cabrera appears likely to take over from Damon in left. Johnson hit a combined .291 for Washington and Florida last season with eight homers, 62 RBIs, 99 walks, a .426 on-base percentage and a .405 slugging percentage. He figures to bat second for the Yankees behind Derek Jeter.

      Nick Johnson, really? The guy has been hurt most of his career. The Yankees should have stuck with Hideki Matsui, a sure bet who signed with the Angels for only half a million more than what Johnson will receive.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      MLB

      What’s it like to be an MLB general manger? Ask Alex Anthopoulos.

      December 19, 2009 /

      Blue Jays GM

      MLB.com has a cool interview up right now with Toronto Blue Jays General Manger Alex Anthopoulos. He fields questions from site users detailing the Roy Halladay deal and future prospects. I’ve posted some of the highlights below. Check out the full interview here.

      Alex Anthopoulos: Glad to be communicating one on one with the fans. Excited to hear your questions. Looking forward to answering some of your questions.

      budski23: Alex, you are in your early 30’s, and you are a GM of an MLB team. Be honest with me, was there a time this week where you said to yourself, “Oh my gosh, I just traded Roy Halladay!!!” Is part of this a little unreal to you right now? Sounds like an amazing ride!

      whit201: Now that it has been confirmed that Cito [Gaston] is only back for one year, have you started to think about who the next skipper would be? Would you think about someone that is already on the staff or in the organization or would you look outside?

      Anthopoulos: It’s something that we’re going to start to examine when we get to Spring Training. My first order of business with respect to this is to talk to the other 29 GMs and a few other select former GM to get their feedback on their process of hiring managers. In doing so, I’m going to ask for the recommendations from each organization and start to compile a list. I plan on using every method to gather information on every candidate whether it is front office, clubhouse guys, players, other coaches in the process. We’re fortunate enough to have a season where we can do the homework on all the candidates.

      youtubber: I noticed at the press conference that you said [Kyle] Drabek would start at Double-A New Hampshire. Don’t you think he is at least ready for Triple-A [Las] Vegas? Curious on why you thought that right away.

      Anthopoulos: You know right now without having Drabek in camp our thought is that he starts in Double-A because he finished there. That being said, if he will have the opportunity to compete in Spring Training whether it is for the Major League team or for the Triple-A rotation. We are certainly not putting any restrictions on where he starts — that will be up to him.

      Anthopoulos is just a 33-year-old with an economics degree. Don’t give up hope, kids. I suggest reading the whole interview. He gives great insight into what it’s like being a young GM making huge decisions.

      MLB

      In the worst win-win trade of the year, the Cubs deal Bradley to Mariners for Silva

      December 18, 2009 /

      Somehow, someway, the Cubs found a team to take Milton Bradley off their hands. And somehow, someway, the Mariners found a team to take Carlos Silva off their hands.

      In a trade only Chicago and Seattle fans could love (and hate?), the Cubs traded Bradley to the M’s for Silva. The Cubs will also receive $9 million in cash to help cover some of Silva’s salary over the next two years.

      So basically, the Cubs traded their garbage to the Mariners for their trash. But the key is that both teams rid themselves of headaches.

      Bradley is only a season removed from batting .321, but he’s also a headcase and could potentially ruin a clubhouse. He was a horrible signing for the Cubs, but Seattle has a way of mellowing players out so maybe Bradley will succeed as the club’s left fielder and part-time DH.

      There’s really no silver lining when it comes to Silva, unless you buy into the theory that he will succeed by jumping to the NL. He posted an 8.60 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP in 30 innings last year and a 6.46 ERA over 153 1/3 innings in 2008. And that was in a pitcher’s park. The guy isn’t good, but again, Bradley is no longer a Cub and at least Chicago was able to scoop up $9 million in the deal too.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      MLB

      Damon to the Giants? You must be kidding me.

      December 18, 2009 /

      There’s a horrifying rumor making its way around the web that Johnny Damon could be heading to San Francisco now that his time in New York appears to be finished.

      Now, some people might be thinking, “Hey, Damon can hit and the Giants need hitters sooooooooooooooo…it’s a perfect fit!”

      But no. I mean seriously: No. (No.)

      Johnny Damon and his chicken wing would be a horrible fit in San Francisco and if Giants GM Brian Sabean goes for this then he should be forced to give tours on Alcatraz for the rest of his life.

      Sabean is notorious for overspending on the wrong players. Outside of a respectable 2009 campaign, Barry Zito and his mega-million dollar contract has been nothing short of a disaster. Aaron Rowand has been a great defender and a solid clubhouse guy, but he can’t hit and therefore, can’t live up to his contract either. Sabean is also the genius that overpaid for Edgar Renteria (yet another player that has no concept of a decent batting average) last winter.

      Yeah, Damon can hit. He also has the worst arm in baseball and fails to reach the cutoff man on a consistent basis. He would no doubt cost the Giants’ pitching staff runs based on his shoddy fielding and there’s no guarantee that he would even produce as a hitter in spacious AT&T Park.

      Hopefully this rumor is just that: A rumor. Damon belongs in the American League as a DH. He’s half a player in the NL and a quarter of a player in a pitcher’s ballpark. Maybe the Red Sox could use him as a piñata or something, but keep him out of San Fran.

      MLB

      Decade Debate: 10 Biggest Betrayals

      December 17, 2009 /

      To betray is to “be disloyal to one’s country, organization, or ideology by acting in the interests of an enemy.” In the world of sports, a betrayal can refer to any number of things: a beloved star choosing to play for a bitter rival, someone who breaks the public’s trust or even a head coach who lies to his boss about where his loyalties lie. As part of our ongoing Decade Debate series, we chose the ten biggest betrayals of the last ten years. (By the way, we’re focused on sports business related betrayals only, so Tiger Woods, Mike Vick and Roger Clemens are safe. For now.)

      10. NHL cancels the 2004-05 season.

      After failing for months to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, the NHL finally canceled the 2004-05 season in February of ’05. The dispute between the owners and the NHLPA covered a number of issues, but the biggest was the owners’ proposal of a salary cap that was tied to league revenues, similar to the NBA salary cap. The NHLPA rejected every offer that included a salary cap and the season had to be canceled. A majority of fans blamed the players due to their out-of-control salaries and unwillingness to accept a cap, which is something that both the NBA and NFL – two very successful leagues — have in different forms. Finally, in the summer of 2005, the players association ratified an agreement (which – surprise, surprise — included a salary cap tied to league revenue) and the lockout ended after 310 days. It marks the only time that a North American professional sports league ever canceled and entire season over a labor dispute. In the end, the NHLPA’s stubbornness was fruitless; the owners got their salary cap and the fans got screwed out of year of hockey. Way to go, guys. – John Paulsen

      9. Damon skips Bean Town for the Big Apple.

      There are some things in life that are just wrong. One is watching any of the “Twilight” movies alone as a single man. Another is flossing in public. Wearing sandals with a nice pair of slacks is also a terrible idea. Regardless of your opinion of these faux pas, we can all agree that a player jumping ship from the Red Sox to the Yankees (or vice versa) is a huge no-no. Babe Ruth never wanted to leave – he was sold. But guys like former Red Sox manger Ed Barrow (took over as Yankees GM), Wade Boggs, and Johnny Damon – they had a choice. Only one season removed from helping the BoSox capture their first World Series since 1918, Damon signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Bronx Bombers. The Red Sox Nation cried “foul,” but Damon claimed his former team didn’t push further than their initial four-year, $40 million offer. Nevertheless, the fans felt slighted. Damon had flourished in Boston, racking up career numbers and gaining celebrity status. He hit the memorable leadoff homerun in Game 4 of the 2004 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The blast was all the Red Sox needed to extinguish the curse. (They would go on to win the game 3-0 and the World Series in a sweep.) But he was gone, ready to face the chorus of boos from former fans, and prepped to win a championship in pinstripes four years later. In the end, a t-shirt I saw at a Fenway Park merchant’s booth said it all. A crude picture of Damon adorned the front: “Looks like Jesus, throws like Mary.” – Christopher Glotfelty

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