Category: MLB (Page 261 of 448)

      A-Rod needs a life coach

      February 26, 2009 /

      Alex RodriguezUnfazed by the showering of boos he received from Blue Jay fans, Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run dinger in his first official at-bat of Spring Training as the Bombers beat Toronto 6-1 in the Grapefruit League opener for both clubs.

      A-Rod said after the game that he thought the fans “were okay, actually” and then hopped into a SUV with cousin Yuri Sucart.

      Sucka-what?

      That’s right, he appeared, in public mind you, with the same cousin that he said allegedly purchased and injected him with steroids from 2001 to 2003. Granted, there’s no law against hanging out with members of your family, but wouldn’t you think A-Rod would want to lay low for a while? You know, take it easy, play things conservatively – not hang out with the same cousin that is tightly entrenched in the same steroid scandal you are.

      Unlike Roger Clemens, I don’t think A-Rod is a pompous, overbearing jerk. But I do think he’s clueless in a lot of respects and needs to hire someone to hold his hand on a daily basis. He essentially needs someone to keep him from being his own worst enemy, because situations like the one after the game Wednesday proves that A-Rod can’t be trusted to make his own decisions right now.

      When Andy Pettitte came forward last year and admitted that he took performance-enhancers, he held a heartfelt press conference, fessed up and then dropped off the face of the earth. Granted, Pettitte can disappear a lot easier than Rodriguez can, but A-Rod needs to take a page out of his teammate’s playbook on life and lay low for a while.

      Hopping into an SUV with Yuri Sucart might not be a big deal and the story could be overblown very easily. But it certainly doesn’t help Rodriguez at this moment, does it?

      MLB

      Dodgers offer Manny two-year, $45 million contract

      February 26, 2009 /

      The Dodgers officially offered free agent Manny Ramirez a two-year, $45 million contract. Details below.

      Manny RamirezMLB.com has learned that in the 2 1/2-hour meeting, the Dodgers officials offered Ramirez a variation of their original two-year deal, guaranteeing $45 million for two years ($25 million the first year and $20 million the second).

      Boras told the Los Angeles Times that he’s “in the middle of negotiations” and would not comment further.

      However, the third-year option of $15 million from the first proposal was dropped and, at Boras’ request, the second year is a player option so Ramirez could become a free agent again after the 2009 season.

      Ramirez, 37 in May, originally sought a contract length of six years at a salary in the Alex Rodriguez neighborhood ($27.5 million a year). The Dodgers initially offered two years at $45 million plus a $15 million third-year option. They also offered salary arbitration, then made a one-year offer of $25 million.

      Unless the Yankees get involved or the Giants decide to get gutsy at the last minute, this offer from the Dodgers is the best Ramirez is going to get. L.A. isn’t going to extend the amount of years on the contract and the money is fair. This appears to be a take-it-or-leave-it deal for Manny and Scott Boras.

      MLB

      Manny to the Yankees still alive?

      February 25, 2009 /

      John Tomase of the Boston Herald writes that as long as Manny Ramirez is still available, the Yankees should never be counted out as a potential suitor.

      Which brings us back to Ramirez. He has been linked mainly with the Dodgers, with talks reportedly intensifying in the past week. However, he and agent Scott Boras are stubbornly holding out for a four-year deal, while LA is unwilling to offer more than two.

      So the clock ticks, with the Yankees sunning themselves like a rattlesnake. Maybe they’ll stay coiled and motionless, but maybe they’ll take their seemingly limitless cash and strike.

      “I can’t see it,” Youkilis said. “I only see him really going to LA. The Dodgers will sign him. Maybe San Francisco. I think the Yankees are capped out. They’ve spent all that money, and I can’t see them going after Manny. But you never know with the Yankees.”

      Youkilis notes that New York’s outfield already is overflowing with Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Nick Swisher, Melky Cabrera and youngster Brett Gardner. Matsui will DH while he recovers from knee surgery and Damon is set in left field, leaving four players fighting for two spots.

      Could the Yankees really add Ramirez to that cluster?

      Hell yes they could. They’re the Yankees – they can do anything.

      The idea seems farfetched with the Dodgers seemingly on the verge of bringing him back, but would anyone be surprised if the Bombers stepped in at the last second and handed Manny the long-term contract he covets? No.

      And if they needed room for him, they’d make it.

      MLB, Rumors & Gossip

      Ten reasons why Spring Training beats Training Camp

      February 24, 2009 /

      RealClearSports.com compiles 10 reasons why baseball’s spring training beats football’s training camp.

      Downtime
      Normally, there is no down time during an NFL training camp, unless you count sitting in a large tub full of ice. Players are usually so exhausted that any and all free time they have is spent either eating or sleeping.

      Baseball just simply isn’t as demanding as that, which allows them to work on some of the game’s finer points, like perfecting the “hot-foot,” determining exactly when to shove a towel full of shaving cream into a teammate’s face during a live TV interview, and everyone’s favorite, learning exactly how to place a bubble-gum bubble on your pitcher’s head.

      Pressure
      Imagine if an NFL wide receiver went all of camp without catching pass in any of the scrimmages or games. For a month in game-competition, every pass that came his way either sailed through his hands or bounced off his chest. To top it off, he was often running the wrong routes and missing blocks. The chances of him making it past cuts and onto the final 53-man roster would be slim to none.

      Translate that to baseball, where the opening day starting lineups are usually already set before February even begins. A player could have an awful spring: terrible at-bats, poor fielding and too many strikeouts, but come April, he’s in the starting lineup (just ask Ichiro, who struggled last spring and started 0-for-21).

      Practices
      Seemingly as soon as a football practice begins, players are in full pads, flying around and running into each at full speed. This continues for hours at a time, in extreme summer heat, and often, twice-a-day.

      Baseball practices, on the other hand, feature fielding fungos on perfectly manicured fields, hitting balls of a tee, first base running drills (seriously), covering first base on sacrifice bunt roughly 3000 times and doing whatever it is those Red Sox are doing in that picture – it seems highly likely that one could go through an entire practice without breaking a sweat.

      Not RealClearSports.com’s best work. The three reasons listed above are supposed to be in favor of spring training, but I’d say every one of them favors training camp.

      MLB, NFL

      Trevor Hoffman is a classy individual

      February 24, 2009 /

      After 16 seasons with the Padres, Trevor Hoffman is finally moving on. He signed a contract with the Brewers this offseason but felt the need to say thanks to the hoards of fans that have supported him throughout the years in San Diego.

      Trevor HoffmanWe have all received Christmas cards in the mail with family pictures front and center – but how often have you received a thank you card in the form of a full-page ad from a baseball star?

      That is exactly what San Diegans woke up to Sunday morning when Trevor Hoffman took out this full page in the San Diego Union-Tribune:

      “As I sat down and put pen to paper thinking about the best way to express my gratitude to the many people whom have had a profound effect on my time here in San Diego, a recurring theme kept coming up, just say THANKS!! Thanks go out to my family, friends, teammates, managers, coaches, trainers, clubhouse personnel, medical staff, front office, members of the media, Qualcomm & Petco employees, and to you the fans young and old, it is all of you who gave this game life. We’ve experienced extreme highs and lows; it is what makes the risk worth the rewards. Thank you for the 16 seasons to represent San Diego both on and off the field. My family and I will cherish the memories. Thanks, Hoffy.”

      It’s nice to see a baseball player with a little class.

      That said, Ron Burgundy has a little message for Trevor, too:

      MLB

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