Reason #478 why I love The Onion.
Baseball Superstar Accused of Performance-Enhancing Genie Use
Category: MLB (Page 176 of 448)
Even though Ryan Church is now a member of the Braves, he’s still reminded of how frustrating it was to play for the Mets and manager Jerry Manuel.
When Church’s former teammate David Wright suffered a concussion after he was hit in the head with a fastball by Giants starter Matt Cain in a game last weekend, Manuel said Wright was a “different animal” than Church when it comes to missing time due to a concussion. (Church missed much of last season after suffering two concussions.)
According to a report by ESPN.com, Church was upset with Manuel’s “different animal” comment.
“It just felt like a low blow,” Church said. “I saw it. I wasn’t happy. If he had a problem with me or anything like that, you’d think he’d tell it to my face. I had plenty of opportunity to talk while I was wearing that uniform. It just was like, all right, now that I’m wearing another one, why would he come out and say that?”
When he met with reporters before Tuesday night’s series opener against the Braves, Manuel was told that Church called the comments a “cheap shot.”
But Manuel said he meant no disrespect. He said he was simply trying to explain that the players involved were different, just like the concussions.
“There’s no ill intent,” Manuel said. “I don’t mean to take a shot at him. If that’s how he felt, I apologize to him. I like Ryan Church.”
Manuel and Church had bad blood before this incident and I don’t blame Church for feeling like Manuel took a cheap shot. Manuel wasn’t sensitive to Church’s injuries last year (the entire Mets’ staff mismanaged Church’s two concussions by making him available to pinch hitting him two days after the first injury and then putting him on a freaking plane to Colorado with post-concussion symptoms shorty after that) and isn’t being sensitive now in his comments. Because Church is in Atlanta now, Manuel probably feels as though he can take swipes at his former player without facing any repercussions.
Granted, the Mets have suffered an unusual amount of injuries this season, which have nothing to do with Manuel. But that doesn’t mean he deserves a mulligan for what has transpired this season. He’s a lousy manager and I would be shocked if the Mets didn’t fire him in the offseason.
Starter John Smoltz has found a new team in the St. Louis Cardinals.
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Free agent pitcher John Smoltz will accept the Cardinals’ offer to join the club as its fifth starter after clearing waivers at noon (St. Louis time) today, barring an unforeseen waiver claim, multiple sources said Tuesday.
Smoltz, the only pitcher in major-league history to achieve both 200 wins and 150 saves, becomes eligible to join his new club after clearing release waivers. The Boston Red Sox designated the former NL Cy Young Award winner for assignment Aug. 7 before placing him on waivers Monday. Teams have 48 hours to place a claim in the unlikely event they are willing to assume the balance of Smoltz’s $5.5 million contract.
Since the Red Sox released him, the Cardinals will only have to pay the prorated portion of Smoltz’s contract, which is roughly $100,000.
This isn’t a bad signing for a club that is trying to add talent to make a World Series run. While Smoltz certainly looked washed up in his brief stint in Boston, he might be rejuvenated pitching in the NL again and is certainly worth a look considering the other fifth-starter candidates for the Cardinals are Todd Wellemeyer, Brad Thompson, P.J. Walters and Mitchell Boggs.
There’s also speculation that Smoltz could wind up being a potential setup man for Ryan Franklin in the bullpen.
The Stephen Strasburg era is about to begin as the Nationals beat Tuesday’s midnight deadline to sign the top overall pick by agreeing to a deal for roughly $15.1 million.
The contract details: Strasburg’s signing bonus is $7.5 million; his four-year deal includes a total of $7.6 million in annual salaries. He gets a prorated share of the league minimum, $400,000, this year. Then he makes $2 million in 2010, $2.5 million in 2011, and $3 million in 2012. A few of the Nats players I’ve talked to or texted with since the deal went down believe — uniformly — that this was an excellent deal with the club, and very reasonable. I don’t think Strasburg will face much animosity within the clubhouse.
Time will tell if Strasburg is worth the money, but for now the Nationals have to be relieved that the contract is done. Agent Scott Boras doesn’t make things easy for clubs, but now that he’s signed Washington can concentrate on the baseball side of things.
Ideally, Strasburg will be on the fast track to the big leagues and even though they could delay his free agency status if they wait to bring him up, the Nats may want him to be in their starting rotation as early as next season. It might be hard to keep him off the big league roster if his high-90s fastball and top-notch slider carve up minor league hitting throughout the winter.
Cubs’ starter Carlos Zambrano admitted that he’s been lazy in his conditioning over the years, which is one of the reasons he can’t seem to stay healthy.
From the Chicago Tribune:
“My problem is I’ve been lazy,” a contrite Zambrano said. “There are things in life you don’t like to do, but you have to do them. I don’t like abs [abdominal muscle workouts], but I have to do them. I have to start doing them every day and be serious about it.”
Doctors are convinced stronger abdominal muscles will ease the pain on back discs, one of which is bulging and has caused Zambrano pain on and off for a few years.
“I’ve got to be honest with me and with you [media] guys and the fans. I’m 28 years old, I’m not 16 anymore,” Zambrano said. “I’m a big guy and I work hard every day, [but] one of the things I don’t like to do is my abs, my core work. If I do abs every day and keep doing my job and be serious about my abs, I’ll be OK.”
I’m sure the Cubs and their fan base are thrilled to hear that Big Z hasn’t being working as hard as he could have been over the years, especially when you factor in how much he’s making.
I’m a little surprised that Zambrano wasn’t working on his core up until this point, given how important it is in baseball. Then again, there are a lot of players that rely solely on their God given talents and not strive to become a more complete player, so maybe this news shouldn’t come as a surprise
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