The Game of Baseball: March 2007

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

News and Notes as the Season Draws Near

The start of the Major League season is now less than two weeks away, and teams are starting to tweak their rosters and get set to figure out what players will play where when that first pitch is thrown. Here are some of the latest news and notes as Spring training starts to draw to a close.

* The Indians have begun to talk to the agents for pitch Jake Westbrook, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. Westbrook was an afterthought for the Tribe for quite a few years, but quietly started to show improvement and now is a mainstay in the teams rotation. He has pitched at least 200 innings and has at least 14 wins in his last three seasons with Cleveland. The team is also looking at talking to agents for pitcher C.C. Sabathia, who will be a free agent after the 2008 season.

* Ken Griffey Jr. will play right field this season for the Reds according to sources. Griffey is still trying to get back after breaking his hand this past offseason playing with his kids. Plagued by injuries for years, Griffey's days of being the best defensive center fielder are well behind him, and he should embrace his new role with the Reds.

* Speaking of the Reds, it looks as if new pitcher Dustin Hermanson will be the teams closer when the 2007 season opens. Hermanson has shown no ill effects from a bad back, and in three outings has looked good enough to get the job. He did save 34 games for the White Sox in 2005, but that was before the back problems really crept up and caused him to be basically worthless to the team last season.

* FoxSports.com is reporting that the Orioles are already thinking about 2009, and with it they want to make a mega-run at Rangers firstbasemen Mark Teixeira. All that Teixeira has done the last three seasons is hit 114 homers and drive in 366 runs. No doubt that despite the Orioles anxious feet to go out and get a star like Teixeria, the Rangers are going to talk to him before he ever reaches free agency after the 2008 season.

* No deal between the Rockies and Red Sox for Todd Helton. This deal has been talked about for what seems like forever, and now it looks as if it is finally going to be put to bed once and for all. Rockies CEO Charlie Monfort recently spoke of the possible deal, stating - "That thing has gone the way of the dinosaur. It is extinct." Now maybe we can all get back to baseball instead of what happens next in this saga.

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Comments

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Rose Speaks out on Betting on His Reds

I guess we hadn't heard his name much recently, so Pete Rose decided to speak out on Wednesday, telling Dan Patrick on ESPN Radio that he bet on his team - the Reds, just about every night. "I bet on my team to win every night, because I love my team," Rose said. "I believe in my team. And I was wrong, but I believed in my team." Rose had been quiet for some time, as talk of him going into the Baseball Hall of Fame had died down once again, and his book sales must have been lagging, so now he comes out and tells the world mostly what they already knew - he gambled. A lot.

I guess if you are going to bet, you might as well bet on the team that you are either a member of or involved in. It would concern me more if he came out and said that he bet AGAINST the Reds instead of for them. At least you can't blame him for being loyal. Rose always is somewhat comical about his beliefs of how much he is revered when it comes to the game of baseball, and it's funny to hear how high of an opinion he really does have of himself. The most comical comment in the interview came when Rose spoke of how he is an "ambassador" of the game of baseball. "But still, I believe I'm the best ambassador baseball has, because I'm constantly selling the game of baseball," Rose said.

What Rose means by "selling" the game is beyond me. It's probably beyond Rose as well, but trust me, if he's saying it - he believes it. I guess sometimes we're at fault for what Rose believes. After all, the reason he was on the show was to talk about the new shrine that is being built at Great American Ballpark where the Reds play in his honor. The exhibit features more than 300 items from Rose's career. He is first all-time in hits with 4,256 and hit .303 over a 24-year career.

Rose also says that he wants to manage again in the big leagues, and at 65-years old said if he was reinstated that being a manager would be something he would go after. Other than the Reds, who still adore his legacy, Rose would never likely get much of a look from other teams, and at this point, so much has been said and done by Rose and managing is likely nothing more than a dream. Say what you want about "Charlie Hustle," Rose at least always keeps the public chuckling with his antics and comments.

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Angels In Limbo on Matthews' Status

You can bet that the Los Angeles Angels are none to happy these days with Gary Matthews Jr., a player they felt was going to be able to help them and be their leadoff hitter and centerfielder in the 2007 season. The status of Matthews though remains in doubt, mostly due to the fact that he has been slammed with the allegations that he received a human growth hormone over two years ago. That allegation has turned the Angels spring training upside down, and for Matthews, they have to wonder if he will be focused and ready come opening day.

The stance that Matthews has taken is basically that of silence. He is not talking to the media, nor is he telling his new team, which gave him $50 million in the offseason as a free agent, the story behind what is being reported about him. He has said that once everything comes out, he'll give his side of the story - but until then, mum's the word. Baseball commish Bud Selig says that the league is considering suspending Matthews, despite the fact that there are no positive tests that would make him in violation of the league's policy.

If Matthews is suspended, it will throw the Angels the ultimate curveball. Here they thought they were getting a stud free agent, coming off his best pro season ever, to come in and play centerfield and hit leadoff. Instead, they have gotten nothing but problems and now the fear of him getting suspended which would put the Angels in panic mode early in the season. The Angels are waiting for Matthews to speak up and make a statement on the situation, the league as well. Until that time, the black cloud that Matthews has brought to California will remain, and the Angels will have to keep that backup plan ready - just in case.

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Pinella Not Wasting Time Calling out Cubs

It's not a good sign after four spring training games if your manager is already calling a team meeting. That's exactly what new Cubs skipper Lou Pinella did after watching his team get beat their first four times taking the field this spring. Pinella, not one to mince words, gave his new team a bit of the riot act, and it must have worked as the Cubs did finally win a game Monday, coming back to get a victory 6-5. Nevertheless, Pinella is finding out fast about his new team, which ended the 2006 season 30 games under .500 at 66-96.

"We've got some work to do. This is not some push-button operation," Piniella said. "I'm starting to figure that out. (The meeting) was positive -- but we want some things done here. We want to see things done the right way, so we can get ready." Big things are expected from the Cubs faithful this season, as not only did they change managers with Pinella coming on board, but the team also spent a whopping $296 million to 10 free agents. The biggest free agency signing for the Cubs was Alfonso Soriano, who jumped on the Cubs for $136 million.

The team is also looking for the pitching staff to rebound from a bad 2006, as they are hoping for big things from pitchers like Ted Lilly, Kerry Wood, and are hoping for something from Mark Prior, a thrower that simply has been unable, along with Wood, to stay healthy for the past few seasons. On the offensive side, the team needs a monster year from Soriano, and hope that with a lineup that should include Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Jacque Jones, and Matt Murton, the Cubs think that getting right back in the race in the NL Central can happen.

Pinella knows that getting the Cubs back into contention in the NL will not be easy, but also is not ready to accept losing yet, despite what Cubs fans have come to know and expect. "I didn't know what the talent level was here," Piniella said last season. "I'm learning the talent level here ... and I'm beginning to recognize there's a lot of work to be done. I didn't talk about wins and losses. I talked about how I expect them to play when the umpire says 'Play Ball.' "

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments

Monday, March 05, 2007

News and Notes Around the League

Spring training is in full swing, and a lot of great stories are already heating up in warm weather cities across America as baseball takes center stage again. Opening day is now less than a month away, and there are plenty of things to chat about. Here are some news and notes from the past few days around the League:

* A rumor that started last week that has been shot down is that the owner of the Dallas Mavs - Mark Cuban, is "desperate to buy the Cubs." Cuban, the cocky, loud mouth owner of the Mavs, who have the best record in the NBA, shot down the rumors, saying it is not true. Would Cuban really want to own a baseball team? Probably not, he couldn't run on the field after the umps like he does at NBA arenas around the country.

* Braves longtime manager Bobby Cox is finally talking about stepping away and retiring after the 2008 season. Cox, who is 66 years old, has had a storied career as manager for the Braves, despite only winning one World Series title. He has won over 2,100 games, and is the fifth-winningest manager in baseball history. While he is a for-sure Hall of Famer, Cox has been beaten in four World Series, and were knocked out of the NLCS three times.

* The lawyer for Gary Matthews Jr. says his client has done nothing wrong, and wants to cooperate with MLB. Lawyer Robert Shapiro said Saturday that Matthews is "eager to tell his side of the story and looks forward to providing a statement once all the investigations into the matter have been completed." Shapiro did say that Matthews would not speak while the investigation is ongoing, but will once its over. I have no idea if Matthews is guilty or not, but it's nice to see a player willing to speak about the situation.

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments