Seeds on the Dugout Floor

Who Will Be The Better Pro?

2009-06-05T12:53:00.001-07:00

I read this great article on this cool website, www.baseballbeginnings.com, wondering if in the long haul a guy like Arizona State's Mike Leake might be a better pro than San Diego State's Stephen Strasburg. The author doesn't say which is which. It's more of a compare and contrast. Very popular new site. Beginnings is where I practice digital journalism; good ol'Seeds and its Original Six is still the blog.

We'll Always Have Seeds.

Pettyjohn gets first win of 2009

2009-05-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

Adam Pettyjohn, SEEDS's favorite LHP, has a long history of warming up come June. After winning 15 games in consecutive Triple-A seasons, culminating in return to the Major Leagues after seven years, he found himself in a swing role in the bullpen.

Pettyjohn finally got a start Tuesday night. The crafty veteran beat Pawtucket, scattering nine hits in 6 1/3 innings with no walks and three strikeouts. He got called for a balk on a pick to first base, which cost him a run. Damn Triple-A umpires. Pettyjohn's got an above-average pick-off move.

He also gave up no home runs.

Wee Willie Keeler scores sweet Brooklyn gig for $600 per montn

2009-05-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

"Willie Keeler, who is the Brooklyns' coach and scout, is receiving $600 a month for his valuable services. Keeler and Dahlen, old pals, keep their heads close together. They are trying to make the Brooklyns play some inside ball."

From The Chicago Defender, May 18, 1912

Dahlen is Bill Dahlen, Keeler's homeboy back when. Wonder if Wee Willie would have bitched out the defense last night as Werth ran on them like a high school kid.

Where Strasburg Stands with Other Aces

2009-05-12T20:08:00.001-07:00

I'm all for a guy taking a no-hitter where he can get it, even if Stephen Strasburg's Friday night no-hitter against the future fighter pilots and Stealth drivers of the Air Force Academy isn't like throwing a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals.

While on the subject, I was digging through old computer files and came across a list I complied way back in 2001 when Mark Prior was everything Strasburg is now. If there are any mistakes on this list, please retro-date any complaints back to me in 2001. I can dig up my old Juno account if you want.

The thing about this list, which is not meant to be an exhaustive study, is that it does show one thing that always holds true about these big-time college pitchers, especially right-handers. The dark dirty secret is that while the media is godding the kid up, writing columns about his 101 mph fastball, and quoting unnamed scouts, the Nationals will be THRILLED if this guy is a No. 2 or a No. 3 starter.

They'll be pissed if he's not.

Of course they're going to have to pay the No. 1 starter price to find out exactly what he really is, but here's my point. Let's say they sign him. (That's a big "if.") For what they'll have to pay, they'll hope he's a No. 1. But if they get a workhorse RHP that goes 15-10 for the six years before he walks, they'd be thrilled and call that draft pick a winner.

This is what I'm getting at. There's almost like two layers of expectations for guys like this. One layer is media driven, but it's a media that doesn't have any experience around scouting or player development. The other layer is the general expectations a team has when it signs a guy like this. They are excepting him to be a definite, but a 15-game winner is every bit a definite as a 20-game winner in their business.

And that's my point. That's why the Nationals are going to take him even if I've heard several times out on the trail that they have no clue if they can sign him. They'll take him because they know their fan base will kill them if they don't. They'll overpay for him. They'll be thrilled if he's Pedro in his prime but won't be surprised if he's a guy who eats innings wins in double-digits. That's another reason why it's such a safe pick for them. Strasburg doesn't have to be unholy to be a success. He just has to win 12-15 games a year. He should be able to do that. All I'm saying is don't be shocked if he's not the big leaguer that he is as an amateur, and more likely, he's going to get more money than he's worth. You can never predict injuries, either. The list:

Tom Seaver, RHP, USC, 1965
10-2, 2.47 ERA, 105.2 IP, 100 K, 38 BB

Floyd Bannister, LHP, Arizona State , 1976
19-2, 1.45, 186 IP, 213 K, 66 BB

Roger Clemens, RHP, Texas, 1983
13-5, 3.04 ERA, 166 IP, 151 K, 22 BB

Jim Abbott, LHP, Michigan, 1987
11-3, 2.08 ERA, 86.1 IP, 60 K, 39 BB, 3 shutouts

Ben McDonald, RHP, Lousiana State, 1989
14-4, 3.49 ERA, 152.1 IP, 202 K, 40 BB, 3 shutouts

Mike Mussina, RHP, Stanford, 1990
14-5, 3.35 ERA, 149 IP, 111 K, 35 BB

Paul Wilson, RHP, Florida State, 1994
13-5, 2.08 ERA, 143 IP, 161 K, 32 BB

Barry Zito, LHP, USC, 1999
12-3, 3.28, 113 IP, 154 K, 58 BB

Mark Prior, RHP, USC, 2001
13-1, 1.54 ERA, 122.1 IP, 180 K, 19 BB, 4 shutouts

And Strasburg:
11-0, 1.24 ERA, 87 1/3, 48 H, 17 BB, 164 K

What I learned from Jack Coombs

2009-05-11T15:11:00.001-07:00

Coach Coombs, I should say.

For a brief primer, Coombs was a right-hander for Connie Mack's Athletics at the turn of the century. He could pitch, boys, he could pitch.

When his career was over, he became an influential college baseball coach at Duke University where he was probably the most influential amateur coach of the first half of the 20th century.

Jack was the man at Duke in the day, he was Coach K before the was a Coach K. He wrote several editions of his own baseball manual which were huge hits and brings me to this blog today.

I ran across the 1949 edition of the book yesterday at a used book store. I passed on it because it was there last year. It will be there six months from now, and I'm not telling The Original Six where it is because I have plans to go make a day out of getting it.

Anyhow, I get the feeling that Coombs was the guy who never called Jack, never called Happy Jack, and if you played for him, you didn't dare spit in this guy's dugout.

What strikes me is reading how baseball philosophy hasn't changed from 1949 until now. For all the technology, all the scouts and GMs cranking numbers and running around with blackberries and radar guns, the game is the same.

Seriously. No matter how many drugs a player takes, you still gotta play right to win. Crank a 3-run jack, ok. Failing to get a bunt down in a 5-3 game in the 5th will cost you, too. Want to boil down a big league baseball game? Here it is: He who makes the first mistake usually loses.

Jack was a micro-manager of a coach, that much I can tell, which means he was smart enough to stay in college rather than try that shtick in OB (Organized Baseball) where his players would have been drunken, gambling, womanizers. Like I said, nothing has changed.

SEEDS had the OctoManny Joke First * We're Proud to Say

2009-05-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

It's not very often that Manny's nuts are national news, but today is the day. Maybe my good friend in the video game industry, Nut Job Bob, can run the PR campaign for a new game based on Manny's Nads.

While I'm hanging pretty low here, let me point out that I was a tad prophetic.

Back on March 21, I joked that Manny should be the Nanny for the OctoMom, thus making him the 'OctoManny.'

I remember when I told that joke to the Original Six readers here at SEEDS. Pure crickets. Today, I heard the joke from Jim Rome and Keith Olbermann. It was pretty obvious, but Manny reaps what Manny sows.

That might be another poor joke. I will say that I wrote a column last summer in which I called Manny a great hitter and a poor player. I got RIPPED. Never said he was a bad hitter. Said he was a bad player. Below-average runner, thrower, fielder. His bat and his power were both 75 or 80, depending how high you wanted to grade. I didn't deny that. I just said he didn't do or care to do anything other than hit. I didn't even deride him for it, but I got pretty ravaged in the emails.

Manny was being...well, not the OctoManny. Talk about bad karma. The Dentist needs Novocaine tonight.

Bad humor aside, look, I don't really care what this guy does. Doesn't mean a thing to me.

Again, though, the timing of the leak from the league office is always worth noting.

How long did the league sit on this?

Who were they really trying to screw, Manny or someone else?

The smart bet from me is that Manny is the means to the end. Maybe they wanted to punish Boras for doing his job, no matter what you think of how he does it.

I note that MLB let the Dodgers finish their home-record winning streak. (It is a modern MLB record, but not the overall record, since the modern MLB doesn't count pre-1900 baseball as meaning a damn thing. That's another wonderful example of MLB's institutional incompetence when it comes to knowing its own history.)

I also note that the league didn't dare screw with its playoffs. Because it can make its point with OctoManny and whatever behind-the-scenes crap is going on here. I've said this many times, baseball is a cruel and vindictive sport behind the scenes. It always has been and always will be. No sport, I mean, NO SPORT, takes the same pride in humiliating people it wants to crush for the sake of it. This game is ALL ABOUT settling old scores, on the field and off.

But business is business. Attendance is in the urine cup with the rest of the economy, so for Captain Bud and his Red Tie Police to pull OctoManny from the post-season would be about as smart as Gary Bettman trying to put an NHL team in Riverside. Hey, I would never put it past him.

And let's be fair. Bud is making his point, but he's still kind of slapping a wrist here. I don't think this is a historically significant moment. He got ripped in March when everyone said he didn't take responsibility. So here's Bud, nailing a guy, but doing it in a way that won't take the Division away from the Dodgers and won't take OctoManny from Moctobter, or whatever they want to call it this year.

Baseball. Man, if ever there was a game all about the Nut Shot, this is it.

Johnny Vandermeer's Arm is Falling Off

2009-05-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

One of the most enjoyable aspects of researching something is all the obscure stuff you find that has absolutely nothing to do with what you are researching in the first place. Even though SEEDS, the sad little orphan to its younger, stronger and more unique-obsessed Baseball Beginnings, has The Original Six Readers, I cannot yet disclose what I am digging out.

I know, I know, what a tease I am.

But here is the consolation prize.

In 1946, The Reds were playing a Spring Training game against its Triple-A club, Syracuse, at Plant City, Florida. Nothing historical happened, but here's the blog score anyhow, ripped from United Press.

At Plant City, Fla.
Cincinnati (NL) 200 100 010 -- 4 6 4
Syracuse (IL) 040 001 00x -- 5 9 5
Vandermeer and Lamanno; Blackburn and West.

Here's what stunned me: Why is a guy like Johnny Vandermeer pitching a COMPLETE GAME AGAINST A TRIPLE-A TEAM IN SPRING TRAINING???

I know, but imagine this today. Say Brad Penny, for example, walks to Francona in a game against the PawSox and says, "Screw it, skip. Gimme 9 against all the guys who ain't on the 40-man. So what if I have a bunch of medicals. What's one more?"

These are the things that amuse me on SEEDS and probably explains why this blog has six readers. In fairness, Vandermeer missed three years to World War II and maybe needed the innings. Maybe. The other guy, Blackburn, I think must be Jim "Bones" Blackburn who had a few sips of the big league life.

But don't tell me this was a low pitch-count game because of the NINE errors. Why, that's three more errors than SEEDS has readers! Unless this game had the world's most inept scorekeeper (and, lemme tell ya, I've seen some bad ones), then Johnny V and Bones Blackburn probably needed one tub of ice for their beers after the game and one tub of ice for their shoulders. Hey now, that's an experience Penny can relate to.

New York Times debut

2009-04-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

These days, I spit very few seeds on this dugout floor, but I assure you I'm writing elsewhere. Like The New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/sports/baseball/29pitcher.html?hpw

Best Baseball Joke I wrote in The Year 2000

2009-04-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

Dodger Honks will remember the great Todd Hundley fight at Wrigley Field.

They will also remember that Hundley couldn't throw worth a lick. Here's what happened when my young mind crafted it into a joke. It's a long story, but I somehow got the late Shav Glick to put it in Morning Briefing and it was then picked up by the Chicago Tribune.

Slow delivery: From comedy writer John Klima: 'Best wishes to former Dodger catcher Todd Hundley, who signed with the Chicago Cubs.

"We'll never forget the fight in Wrigley Field when he threw a punch that took two bounces in the dirt before it hit the guy."

After this, a wise-ass copy editor named Rob Fernas (he was the guy behind the clip-art seer who picked all the football scores on Friday nights, and when he was wrong, poor Eric Sondheimer took the blame) introduced me whenever I came to work as "Comedy Writer John Klima, everybody."

Would Babe Ruth Hit Today?

2009-04-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

Babe Ruth was officially listed at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, which in this day and age, would make him not a giant nor a dwarf, and fairly reasonable instead of titanic compared to his contemporaries. I happened to catch the tail end of a talk radio segment this morning, in which the host suggested that Ruth wouldn't be an impact player, wouldn't be as good of an athlete as modern players are, and might not even be a major league player today.

The radio host arrived at the conclusion because Ruth would be smaller by today's standards, and that a short, fat, non-athletic white guy who never faced black players, Latin players, closers, and lefty-lefty relievers would not be able to complete today. The host argued that Ruth's impact is distorted because baseball writers have a romantic vision of the game.

I'm not in the business of statistical analysis, but I am in the business of common sense.

He is right that Ruth never faced relievers. He did, however, face the best of the best when there were only eight teams in each league. So comparatively speaking, he was facing the best of the best of what talent he was allowed to face. There were some No. 1 starters in the Negro Leagues he missed. I would have liked to have seen him face the left-handed curveball of Willie Foster.

He is right that Ruth never faced black pitchers or Latin defenses. But that doesn't mean he didn't see them in the winter, nor that he couldn't have made an adjustment, just as they would have to him.

He may be right in describing Ruth as non-athletic because he was fat, but I've seen some fat offensive lineman with wonderful footwork and massive strength hold their own in the NFL.

What he cannot say is that he knows for certain that Ruth would not hit today.

We don't know if Ruth could hit in the modern big leagues, but we also cannot sit here and say he wouldn't hit.

You can argue that he wouldn't hit because of the pitching.

I'm rather certain that Ruth would have used a lighter bat today, would have been a better-conditioned athlete, would have ditched pitching long ago because he was a left-handed bat with power.

Hitting is hitting. That has nothing to do with stats. It's a skill and a talent. Would Ruth have done what he did then today? Probably not, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't hit.

You never say for certain that a guy will hit in the major leagues. The best you can say is I see no reason why he should not hit in the major leagues.

Maybe Ruth would have been more Paul McAnalty or Chris Carter, heavy-set left-handed hitters without a position. Maybe he would have been a circle in a square world. But those guys are professionals because somebody thinks they can hit.

You never hear people say that Ted Williams would not hit today. Look at the eras. Ruth's last good offensive year was 1933, or 1934 if you really want to stretch it.

Williams's first big season was his rookie year in 1939. That's a five-year swing. The game had changed from the Dead Ball Era to the Offensive Era from the start of Ruth's career with the Red Sox to the end of it with the Yankees. The players in 1934would certainly argue that they were better than the players of 1916, and they would probably be right.

And Ruth was still hitting. Why? He made adjustments. You can take a hitter out of a generation but you can not take the hitter out of a hitter.

If Ruth had been dominant when Williams was, would radio hosts question what Ruth did?

Williams didn't face black pitchers or Latin defenses until later in his career, and he still hit, didn't he?

So how can you claim that Babe Ruth would not hit today any more than you can claim that Manny Ramirez would not have hit yesterday?

It's not an argument of numbers. It's a question of having a skill. And if Ruth couldn't hit, then why was he head and shoulders above everyone of his generation.

It makes no sense.

I have no idea what kind of offensive numbers Ruth would put up today. I have no clue if he would find and keep a roster spot. But I know he would be able to hit, because a hitter is a hitter.

Would Stan Musial hit today?
Would Willie Mays hit today?
Would Hank Aaron hit today?
Would Mickey Mantle hit day?
Would Johnny Bench hit today?
Would Pete Rose hit today?

A hitter is a hitter.

Circumstances change. Ruth would need the right people. Boras might or might not be his agent.

But all I know is this. A hitter hits.

Babe Ruth could hit.

2009-04-10T18:03:00.001-07:00

I should be watering the SEEDS more often, but I have to admit that baseballbeginnings.com is crushing SEEDS.

I swore I would never leave one of these desolate cyberspace monuments, because if you were to come across this, you might think I'm a lazy pile who ran out of things to say.

That's not the case. I do have some things to say on this site, so if you find me, all six of you, I'll still write some stuff that is longer and links to another one of my sites. There are times when I just don't feel like adding another piece of copy to the topic of the day. It bores me. Why do you need to read what I think about what happened today? The market is flooded with voices that cancel each other out. I'm a much better read when it comes to subjects about the past, the future, and things nobody discusses in the moment.

But there's not much of a market for somebody who wants to know why the San Francisco Giants can have statues of Mays, McCovey, Marichal and Cepeda and can't so much as put up a plaque for Alex Pompez on their wall of fame. They can put Greg Minton there. But the guy they got their marquee players from? No. What about George Genovese, the scout who sent the Giants sluggers from Jack Clark to Dave Kingman to Matt Williams? No.

Baseball has the worst institutional knowledge. It's like a damn theme park. The industry leaves it to guys like me to maintain the knowledge. OK, I'll do it, but I warn you: when I find bruises you forgot about, the dirty deals and the crushed spirits (and I do) you'll read about them.

The biggest lesson I learned from SEEDS is that any website has to have a specific focus. I know that sounds like common sense, but let's not forget, I came in from the newspaper business. That's why Beginnings is good for me.

I love to write long and I love to scout. I love the pursuit of looking at a kid and saying, give him five years and he'll be in the big leagues. That's not for everyone. I think this is where my anthropology background comes into play. I like to see how things started, not how they ended. This is what my Mays book is. He didn't just show up in Harlem one day. There was an entire unreported saga behind how he got there and how being born and raised near Birmingham almost crushed our chances of seeing the best baseball player anyone will ever see.

By the way, after much thought, my all-time outfield is Mays in center and Clemente in right. Aaron has to move to left. Sorry, Teddy. You can DH. It's a better fit for you anyhow.

Where I've been keeping myself

2009-03-26T23:45:00.001-07:00

www.baseballbeginnings.com

Kershaw Throws the Hammer

2009-03-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

Clayton Kershaw turned 21 on Thursday and then told the dwindling Dodger beat writers, “I've actually never had a drink before. Tonight I might try it out.”

I know that if I had worked with Brad Penny and Derek Lowe that there would never be a beer near by locker after a game.

This is just a ridiciously funny quote to me. I’m not saying the kid is a drunk by any stretch, but let’s be realistic. At least kid Kershaw is learning the game well. If a big leaguer’s lips are moving to a reporter, he’s usually lying. Not always, but many times. I'm pretty sure Russell Martin was telling the truth earlier this spring when he described how he got a certain injury. If there's one book most ballplayers have read...

Ah, youth.

While I’m talking about the Dodgers, I need to get this joke out of my head. It is a joke about Manny Ramirez. No, no, I’m not going to go off about what I really think. I just think that I know what would be the PERFECT side job for him. And I know I can say this, because I’ve read my numbers when I talk about him, and he doesn’t drive my morbid ratings here at this For Entertainment Only Purposes Site.

I mean, let’s face it. The economy sucks. We can all use a little extra change. So I suggest Manny work as a Nanny for the OctoMom.

You guessed it, this would make him the “OctoManny.”

Thank you, I needed to get it out of my system.

Notes to My Deprived Readers…All Six of You

2009-03-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

…The Reds sent LHP Adam Pettyjohn to minor league camp, as expected. He’ll begin the season at Triple-A Louisville. He’s won 30 games in two years in the minors and hopefully he’ll put up another solid season and get back to the big leagues yet again.

…I hate the WBC. I’m sorry, I just don’t care about it. I can’t get into it, because I know the American players don’t get into it. First of all, this is a High School-style tournament in the middle of spring training. This is, in effect, a great big walking MasterCard commercial for MLB. I’m not going to sit here and state the obvious. The word is CONTRIVED.

…I haven’t forgotten about the 1986 Topps Extended Set. I’m still a few cards away from Bonds in the old school mesh Pirates hat. I have new respect for the guys who go card by card in each set.

…I might write an essay called, “What I have learned by blogging.” Really, SEEDS is my laboratory and will continue to be. It’s fun to see what gets hits and what gets ignored and how easy it is for a blog to get stale.

…As a teaser, I’m building a new website that will bring together a lot of original content and will become my baseball flagship website. I have my author website, which is my flagship for the books. Yes, I know it would be easier if I would just pick one or the other. But I like baseball too damn much.

…Yes, I am in the early stages of the next book. No, it’s not about baseball. Yes, books are HARD.

…I went to a baseball game at Cal State Northridge Tuesday to see BYU. Their coach is former Cubs infielder Vance Law. My question I’d like to ask: what is the real story in how Bing Crosby helped get his father, Vern, signed by the Pirates out of Gonzaga University?

…Shout to my loyal South Bay baseball coaches, in no order: Ollie, Fuj, Grady, Billy: Fuj, may you defeat the realtor. Ollie may you defeat the Yoda. Billy may you beat Gonzo (and I like Gonzo). Grady may you make the playoffs again. I heard the previews were "paint by color."

…Vance Albitz is having a nice college career. Good player for the wrong generation. No love for the little guy. Google him, strangers.

…If the Negro League Baseball Museum in KC is whining about no one serving as a spokesman, here’s a suggestion: PAY SOMEONE. Trust me, Buck wasn’t working for free. Someone was footing the bill for his travel and expenses. (And as a side, for all the times Buck mentioned Satchel Paige, I never heard Satchel Paige mention Buck. Satchel didn't buy bullshit and he spoke his mind, until his dying day.) Don’t ask Willie or Ernie or Hank or Monte to work for free. This is ironic. The mantra of the Negro Leagues was “Follow the Money.” Man, where’d the money go? OUTSTANDING.

Dustin Pedroia WBC quotes, Saturday

2009-03-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Because I know somewhere, there are Red Sox fans who will find this.

(Hey, Sox fans, you could have had Mays! Read about it in Willie's Boys! Link to your right!)

Your friend,
SEEDS

Dustin Pedroia
Q: What you can tell us about what happened and how serious it is?

A: I was hitting extra yesterday and kind of felt some soreness. Started taking flips today and I kind of felt a shooting pain a little bit. Out hitting coach, Reggie Smith, said, “Hey, that’s it. Go get checked out.” Our trainer obviously called the Red Sox and I’ll get checked out by the doctors there. I think it’s more precautionary than anything. Obviously I’m upset. It’s a couple of days and I’ll be back tomorrow after I get checked out. I’ll continue playing. It’s up to the Red Sox. I don’t really have a say in that matter.

Q: Have you ever had any sort of oblique thing before?

A: No, nothing like that. I’ve never really had anything like this which is why it’s frustrating. Obviously I train real hard in the off season to get ready and try to prevent something like this from happening. Maybe I tried a little too hard too fast to get this going. I’ll get it checked out tomorrow.

Q: Yesterday was the first time you had any problems with this?

A: Yeah I was a little sore. Me and David Wright were hitting extra. I kind of told him my oblique was sore. Today, I came out, took a swing and I felt a little pain but hopefully its nothing and I’m back tomorrow.

Q: Did you do anything today to test it or did you know coming in today that you weren’t playing.

A: No, I didn’t really think about it. I just went out there and did my routine and did my tee work. I didn’t really feel it there. I really don’t swing that hard off a tee. Then on my flips, I started swinging hard and that’s when it kind of grabbed a little bit. Hopefully its nothing serious.

Thursday Spring Flings...

2009-03-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

Cruising the Spring Training Camps Thursday in SPRING FLINGS….

…Washington right-hander Josh Towers, trying to get his act together on the big league level, took a step backwards Thursday. The former Oriole and Blue Jays starter surrendered three runs and five hits in 1 2/3 innings.

…Craig Monroe hits three home runs for the Pirates. Always the “other” prospect behind Curtis Granderson in Detroit, maybe Monroe is ready for more. I’ll confess that I actually did a double take when I saw Monroe hit three home runs in a game. Who does he think he is, Willie Mays?

…There’s four shutout innings for Josh Beckett today. Red Sox nation waits and holds its breath that Beckett gets off to one of those 10-1 starts in 2009.

…Journeyman Joe Thurston, former Yakima Bear and one time Dodger second baseman of the future, collected three hits for the Cardinals. Thurston always had speed and defense but has never put it together enough offensively to play every day.

…The ageless Gabe Kapler collected two hits for Tampa and probably will get more playing time with wrist injury to Fernando Perez.

…James Shields solid in four innings and a positive scoreless inning for Troy Percival are good signs for the Rays.

…The Jay Gibbons redemption tour continues in Florida, where he hit a home run and knocked in three runs.

…Ian Stewart’s home run off John Lackey is pretty good sign that it’s time for the prospect label to come off.

…Another SEEDS favorite, trusty and gutty veteran infielder Joe Dillon, had a hit for Oakland. We like Underdogs around these parts.

Derek Jeter at World Bud Classic, fresh with HS-athlete quality quotes of his own

2009-03-11T21:31:00.000-07:00

"I think, you know, you just understand that it's a short tournament, you know. And with the exception of tonight, where we knew both teams are going to the second round, every game is important. So you have to come out with intensity every game."

This is great. I can't tell if this is Jeter or some kid from Grady Sain's South Torrance Spartans.

Now, Jeter goes all High School football coach on the World:

"It's tough to beat any team twice. I don't think too many people gave them a chance to win, and they went out there and showed what this tournament's all about."

Good things these quotes came out late. I'm half asleep already.

Frankie Rats out the Bum Ankle

2009-03-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ, speaking Wednesday night from the World Bud Classic:

"This last year, I don't have, you know, the ankle problem like I did last year. I feel totally different. I feel 100 percent healthy. It's not the velocity. It's not because I was playing against the U.S., you know. I think I worked so hard through winter and trying early in the spring to get where I need to be. Once again, I feel 100 percent healthy. And now I have to go out there with the Mets and keep doing what I'm doing."

Wednesday Spring Flings (After spending Tuesday on the Disabled list)

2009-03-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

…Roy Halladay looks ready for opening day, with four strikeouts in four innings Wednesday. So what if they were against the Pirates.

…Homer Bailey is throwing harder, but still hittable, giving up two hits in two scoreless innings for the Reds.

…Twins shortstop prospect Trevor Plouffe is in big-league camp and got a hit Tuesday.

…Brian Burney pitched better than CC Sabathia, for less cash.

…Cody Ransom goes 1-for-3. Poor guy finally gets a crack at a big league starting job…with the Yankees…replacing A-Rod. Proof that sometimes a lucky break is a brutal break.

…Is that Vladimir Nunez in Braves camp, getting two strikeouts for both of his outs? This guy will go from scrap heap to closer one of these days.

…Dex Fowler gets start at CF over Ryan Spilborghs in Rox camp. Gets three more A.B.s as well…hmmm…

…Former Fresno State infielder Casey McGehee goes 3-for-3 for Brewers.

…Two hits for former USC DH Jeff Clement for the Mariners Wednesday.

Pettyjohn Bounces Back

2009-03-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

Good news for left-hander Adam Pettyjohn, the DH (Designated Hurler) of SEEDS. After one of those outings that is about as fun as getting hit by a bus, Adam bounced back with a scoreless 1/3 inning Saturday against the Blue Jays. Entering the game with two on and two out, Pettyjohn got a punch out to end the inning. Now I hope that I don’t jinx him because if I am doing damage in Spring Training, then I don’t want to screw his real season up.

Sweet! Indy League Bullpen Catcher! My Dream Job!

2009-03-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Baseball Operations: General Baseball Operations

Bullpen Catcher - Long Island Ducks (Central Islip, NY)

The successful candidate will act as catcher for all side sessions, warm-up sessions (pregame, during games, non-gamedays), and other events on an as needed basis throughout the five month baseball season. Some travel required (Spring training / 1-2 road trips per year). Previous experience as a catcher on the collegiate level at a minimum preferred. The successful applicant must also have their own mode of transportation.

Jack Keefe sends Ring Lardner a Happy Birthday Blog

2009-03-06T22:05:00.000-08:00

And now, Jack Keefe sends Ring Lardner a Happy Birthday blog, complete with spelling and grammar goofs. The Busher Keefe was reminded because the Broadcaster Keith (Olbermann) shouted him out on Odd Ball Friday night.

The Busher Blogs it, Hence:

Dear Ring:
The funny man on the TV with the affliction for Mirkle (I punched him out on account of my hummer) sed that it was your b-day t-day back in 1885. I and Florrie wanted to wis you well on this day. She says to me recently, ‘Jack, why don’t you hum a hummer up at that press box where that funny man in the funny hat does his typing work about you?’

I said, ‘Nah, once I tried that but the pitch got away from me and went right down the heart of the plate. The fat man behind the dish sed strike three. I took the punch out on account it was given to me and I own Mirkle and Gleason was telling all the young pitchers how I is an example for young athletes.’

So, anyways, Happy Birthday.

You know me, Ring.

Jack

Willie Mays, circa 1949

2009-03-04T16:39:00.000-08:00

Say Hey! It's the Sweet Retro Picture of the Day!

I think the moment it dawned on me that I had actually written a book about Willie Mays is when I was bird dogging at a UCLA baseball game a few weeks ago when the “Say Hey! Say Willie!” song from the Ken Burns Baseball soundtrack was played on the PA system.

I thought, wow. Damn. I have dipped into baseball theology. They don’t write songs about anyone else I have ever written about and that includes feisty shortstop George Genovese.

As an added insight into my own personal neurosis, I was a horrible baseball player. Mays, you understand, was an 80-raw, five-tool guy at age 18, as he is shown here in Birmingham's Rickwood Field in August, 1949. So I'm glad Willie's cleats are over my name. A player like me has no business on a field with him. As a writer...different story.

So without further suspense, here is the book cover art for Willie’s Boys: The 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, the Last Negro League World Series, and the Making of a Baseball Legend, published by John Wiley & Sons and in bookstores nationwide (and hopefully on Mars, too) on August 31, 2009. I'll rig up a link to Amazon. Pre-orders are now being taken! Sweet!

Buy Willie's Boys

The Pettyjohn Chronicles

2009-03-04T16:36:00.000-08:00

Check out The Sporting News for Part One of a Three-Part series about the Reds left-hander Adam Pettyhjohn. And no, I didn't write these for a change.

SOLD! To the Only Bidder

2009-03-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

There's no business like Manny business like no business I know.

Vintage Pedro Martinez vs. Roger Clemens

2009-03-04T13:48:00.001-08:00

I had to go to a dentist today to learn that I need a tooth pulled, which doesn’t strike me as newsworthy, but perhaps such mundane details are relevant in the information age. I noticed something on his walls that indicated he was from Boston, so I asked if he was a Red Sox fan.

There I was reminded of one of baseball’s timeless commandments: Thou Shall Never Ask a Yankees fan if he is a Red Sox fan.

Thankfully, the guy didn’t pull my tooth right then and there.

He did share an anecdote from one of the times Pedro Martinez pitched against Roger Clemens at Fenway Park, May 28, 2000. I’ll let the good doctor take it from here:

“So we’re in Fenway Park before the game and my buddy says to me, ‘Wait until Clemens comes out of the dugout and walks to the bullpen.”

“What am I waiting for?” the doctor asked.

“You’ll see,” his buddy said.

“The second Clemens popped out of the dugout,” the doctor said, “Fenway rose and in unison began chanting, “FUCK-YOU-RO-GER!” (clap five times) “FUCK-YOU-RO-GER!”

Even though the doctor was a Yankee fan, he laughed. At least that’s the story he told. I didn’t check to see if his buddy still had his teeth.

Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick, Manny Ramirez, Tick, Tick, Tick

2009-03-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

"Fans, this is Manny Ramirez. I know ya'll want me back. I just gotta tell you the truth. I HATE spring training. Man, do you REALLY THINK I NEED 35 games to get ready?

"Look, I want to get paid. I don't see what the issue is. Want my bat? My bat costs cash. You guys can build a new stadium and you can't pay me? COME ON! Can a spring training park hit 35 HR? True, it may run better than I do, and guys might not get on my case when I don't run out ground balls, but COME ON!

"Ya'll need me. Do you think I really want to go freeze my ass off in San Francisco? Man, I froze my BALLS off in Boston. F-that-S, man."

World Bud Classic (WBC) Update: Yanks beat Yanks

2009-03-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

Nothing fires me up like WBC press releases. Give Derek Jeter a two-run single and Roy Oswalt 3 1/3 innings in which he didn't pay attention to the fact that he gave up four hits, one run, walked one and struck out two. Team USA defeats the New York Yankees, 6-5.

Poor Red Smith would be spinning in his grave. He said that rooting for the Yankees was like rooting for US Steal. So, you root for the national team over US Steal?

This is awesome. Was it a baseball game or talk radio?

Wait a minute, the bottom of the release says that "Tuesday’s game was an exhibition for the New York Yankees, and thus, the stats for the game do not count toward their Spring totals."

Man, leave it to U.S. Steel to wiggle out of playing the US team.

They can't all be winners

2009-03-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

Aw, crap! I blog once and Pettyjohn gets hit.
Tuesday line: 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HR

Ok. I feel awful. I feel like I jinxed him. But if I type the good with the bad, then it all has to balance out, right?

SEEDS begins the 2009 Adam Pettyjohn watch

2009-03-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

Long story made short: In 2005, I couldn’t figure out why Adam Pettyjohn, a 27-year old left-handed pitcher with big league experience, was pitching for an independent team in Long Beach. I saw him pitch seven innings. Later I did an interview and a story. I shouted him to some scouts. He signed with the Mariners. He almost got released but made Double-A club on the last day of camp. The Mariners released him and he was going to play in Taiwan. The Oakland A’s called. He went back to Triple-A and finished the season. In 2007, he signed with the Brewers and won 15 games in the minors and didn’t get a call-up. In 2008, he signed with the Reds and won 15 more games in Triple-A and received a call-up where he pitched in the big leagues for the first time in seven years.

Pettyjohn re-signed with the Reds and is in big league camp. He pitched a 1-2-3 inning against the Red Sox Saturday night. He’s slated to start the season in Triple-A, but the Reds aren’t exactly loaded with pitching depth. Plus, Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto are pitching for the Dominican Republic in the World Bud Classic, so there might be some more innings.

I seem to have a history of writing about left-handed pitchers (I’m talking to you, Paul Pettit), and Pettyjohn is no exception. So here at SEEDS I’m going to institute the Adam Pettyjohn watch. Stay tuned. Same left-handed time! Same left-handed channel!

And rather than me explaining his entire story, the original question I asked (“What the hell is a 27-year old left-handed pitcher with big league experience doing in this league?”) have a look at the archives.

Yahoo story

MLB.com story

Observations from Arizona

2009-03-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Last week I drove to Arizona to chase a handful of freelance writing assignments. I’d like to share a few observations I collected along the way. On Day One I arrived in Glendale and took the unguided tour of the new Dodger and White Sox digs. I walked onto the concourse, lost. The construction workers told me I needed a hard hat. Then they told me I was lost. I said, thank you very much, I’m getting high off the fumes. True story.

So I drove down the side road. I began the long hike, past the catering truck. Parts of the road were paved and some were not. I have no sense of direction. I’m pretty sure I broke some rules, but I tried not to walk on the new grass. I found the minor league side. Dermal Brown almost ran me over, but I’m a smart lad and got out of the way. I did the first interview I came to get.

Over the river and through the nothingness, I found the White Sox side. I’ll give the Dodgers this: they seem to let their fans get closer to the players than the White Sox do. I found my way back to the Dodgers side, walking past the murky lake, which I think has a Pima Indian title that loosely translates into why “Why You Don’t Drink the Tap Water in Arizona.”

I found my way into the offices and the clubhouse. Nice weight room. Did two interviews. Showed the cover of Willie’s Boys. Went back to the hotel and passed out. Woke up a week later and saw what happens to your blog numbers when you go dark for a week.

More Proof Manager Mike Scioscia is the real GM of the Angels

2009-02-19T18:25:00.000-08:00

“If we didn’t get Bobby (Abreu), we felt good about our club,” Scioscia said. “But he gives us an added depth. A couple of days before (the Angels got him), I said maybe we’re not as deep this year. But we reacquired some depth with Bobby.”

It’s no secret to anyone who reads my stuff that I like Scioscia. It’s not simply because he wanted to read “Willie’s Boys” months before it came out. It’s because I like watching a Hall of Fame baseball mind in action and hope some of that intellect wears off on me.

It’s also no secret that Arte Moreno trusts Scioscia above all. Look, I’m not throwing loyal organizational foot solider Tony Reagins under the bus. He’s clearly the daily operations guy, the wily point guard who adeptly distributes the ball. To borrow L.A. Lakers terms, Reagins is Fisher and Scioscia is Kobe. Scioscia is always going to be the last man with the ball. If he wants to take the shot, the team will take the shot.

Scioscia has always differed from Tommy Lasorda in the sense that he doesn’t act like he wants all the attention. Scioscia is damn near Mother Teresa when it comes to lauding his peers, and I like that.

But let’s be honest. There will never be a major acquisition shoved down his throat. He’s going to have a hand in who is on the 40-man and who is not. He’s going to be the final call on a minor league call-up. Everyone else is just compiling information and handing him the ball. He’s got more power now than he had in his swing. It's not like every manager has that autonomy.

Yes, Virginia, there is backstabbing in baseball. Managerial history is littered with guys who lost jobs because they had no control over how their teams were assembled. That cemetery is loaded with managers who were asked to win with inferior talent or talent that they could not wrap their minds around.

This is that old school model of Dodger dictatorship again. All points of view will be heard. All matters of information will be considered. In the end, it will be experience and instinct that trumps all as long as Moreno and his silent partner own the team.

Ah, Spring Training…er, Scandal Training

2009-02-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

Does anybody else find it strange that baseball scandals almost always seem to happen during Spring Training? This always makes me think that every major league news story isn’t reported as much as it is fed to a reporter. Therefore, wouldn’t it make the most sense to feed your scandals before the season rather than at a time of the year when it might influence revenue streams, like regular season TV games and the playoffs?

This stuff continues to defy logic and makes me believe baseball is pathologically obsessed with wetting its pants. This is the time of the year when you’re supposed to be getting people fired up, not sick of the game before the first pitch.

Conor Jackson's power will come, Blogging Birddog predicts

2009-02-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

Conor Jackson avoided arbitration with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, signing a one-year $3.05 million contract. It’s a nice pay raise from the paltry $419,500 he made in 2008, according to The Associated Press.

The prediction here is that Jackson’s power is going to come. He won’t be 30 for another three years. My reasons for this are based in scouting. Jackson’s traditional two-hand follow through, hard swing and good approach gives him a good set of power tools. Jackson’s power will always be line-drive oriented, but as he matures and continues to add strength, he’s going to be able to continue developing at the big league level.

Jackson’s always had a good handle on the strike zone, but never lost his aggressiveness. That is also important. He maintains his balance and body control and uses his lower half. He’s strong to the point of contact and drives though the ball. There’s room for growth here.

While we wait and see if Jackson proves my scouting is worth a [spit], here’s a piece I wrote last summer.
http://www.klimaink.com/baseballwriting/mlbessays/essay49.html

Why Henry Aaron shouldn’t care if Barry Bonds keeps the home run record

2009-02-16T19:35:00.000-08:00

“It belongs to Barry,” Henry Aaron told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “No matter how we look at it, it’s his record, and I held it for a long time.”

Through all the theatrics, court dates, leaked grand jury testimonies, 50, 60 and 70-home run seasons, this is what Barry Bonds got right.

For all the bat flips, intentional walks, bickering with players, fans, coaches and media, this is what Bonds inadvertently did well.

The greatest contribution Bonds made to baseball was removing the all-time home run record from Aaron’s keep.

It was not because Aaron did not deserve the record, but he does not deserve the rancor that will forever accompany the record and the manner by which Bonds surpassed it.
READ THE REST at www.klimaink.com

A-ROD: 'Kids, Don't do drugs, or You May Never hit 50 HR"

2009-02-16T18:32:00.000-08:00

Alex Rodriguez is about to become the Nancy Reagan of Major League Baseball. I might suggest puppetry and ventriloquist lessons so that A-Rod can go classroom to classroom with his trusty Muppet to tell the kids the dangers of drugs. “Kids, don’t do drugs, or you may never hit 50 home runs.”

Since I know A-Rod likes to stick to talking points, let me snag the greatest anti-drug line ever.

THIS IS YOUR GAME. THIS IS YOUR GAME ON DRUGS

How Ervin Santana Went From Basket Case to Bargain Ace

2009-02-14T18:16:00.001-08:00

Ervin Santana pitched for the fifth starter’s job last Spring Training, coming off such an atrocious 2007 season that the Angels considered trading him and, politely speaking, questioned his maturity and moxie.

One year later, Santana signed a four-year, $30 million contract extension with an option for a fifth year. The Angels avoided arbitration, which was probably a good idea considering how Santana wears his heart on his sleeve. Santana has proven two things in his short major league career: his stuff is explosive and his memory is long.

Read the Rest at SEEDS World HQ, www.klimaink.com

Selig Must Step Up; Accept Responsibility

2009-02-13T00:04:00.000-08:00

‘Out of Touch’ has become a pop cultural phrase, a talking point with power. ‘Out of Touch,’ helped get the President elected. ‘Out of Touch,’ is the worst badge that can be placed on a public personality, be it a corporate CEO or a politician.

In the case of Bud Selig, he is both a corporate CEO and a politician ‘Out of Touch’ with what is going on below him. I recently joked that with Selig’s $18.5 million annual salary, he could purchase 300,000 of his favorite red ties. That was last week. This week, he says Alex Rodriguez has ‘shamed the game.’

‘Out of Touch,’ will be Selig’s legacy if he will not allow it to be the accountability he is forcing players to accept.

He has wildly succeeded as a businessman, driving the game to unseen revenue levels, the ultimate owner’s commissioner. One of Selig’s public talking points in recent years has been that Major League Baseball, his MLB, is in a golden age.

But for whom does the Bud toll?

Read the rest at the mothership, Klima Ink on the front page, followed by a jump.

We Now Give You a Breather from All A-Rod, All the Time

2009-02-12T22:52:00.000-08:00

I’m going to be profound in the next post, but not right now. Pitchers, catchers and confessed cheaters will soon start reporting to camp. When they do, some will be as giddy as Juan Berenguer was when this spring training snapshot was taken in 1986. The biggest joke in this card can be seen in the background. Take a look at the fuzzy backdrop of all those cheap advertisements on the outfield wall.

Remember when baseball used to be sponsored by Mom and Pop stores? Berenguer is wearing road grays here, so I’m not sure which Cactus League park he was posing in. But I do know this: I don’t see McDonald’s, The Gap, Bank of America, Budweiser, or any of America’s other corporate GIANTS. I see a bunch of little shops that are either out of business or are too poor these days to spend big bucks on outfield walls. I see a bunch of small business that baseball wouldn’t dare do business with in this ‘Golden Age.’

In my next post, I’m going to discuss how baseball is ‘Out of Touch,’ but we’ve got a great example of economic disparity right here. This is only 23 years ago, and the little guys have already been blocked out, something that the often chunky Berenguer’s rather slim gut couldn’t achieve on this fine spring day.

Why Alex Rodriguez Doesn't Matter To Me (And it's not because he doped)

2009-02-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

SEEDS reader Husker Bob asks: ‘John, why are you blogging about such random stuff like baseball cards?’

My answer is something that a former career minor league outfielder Brent ‘Cookie’ Cookson once told me. He said this one dreary summer in Triple-A Tucson when he was raking and was blocked yet again at the big-league level. “You gotta have fun or this game will bury you,” Cookson told me.

And that’s why there’s a picture of Juan Beniquez right here, card No. 8T, today. I don’t have anything flashy to say about this. In fact, I don’t feel like trying. I just want to look at the goofy Orioles uniform. Do you know why?

It’s because I’m sick of hearing about Alex Rodriguez. I’m sick of a steroid era that will never end because Major League Baseball will never outsource drug testing and the Union will never allow for blood testing. I wish baseball would just admit that it is as dirty as every other sport, because trying to save face is more painful than cutting out the bullshit and just saying what we all know is true.

I am immune. I do not care. The game will never change. I don't understand why this needs to be a morality play. The fans speak with money. The fans know what is going on, but their passion should be respected more. It is stronger than baseball's need to conduct this in-house Passion Play, this pathological need to drama queen itself.

It’s always going to be about MLB throwing the very players who made it wealthy under the bus and making those players take the bullet. Players are guilty, but so is ownership. Selig will grandstand and call it integrity.

So, Husker Bob, I want to tell you about Juan Beniquez. He was a damn good bench player who hit .300 for the Angels from 1983-1985. He always looked mad for some reason, but Gene Mauch didn’t care as long as the cranky son of a bitch hit. It took one cranky SOB to respect another. That’s the way it worked in the baseball I grew up around.

This photo was taken in old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. I remember that faded green outfield wall. Nope, this doesn’t have anything to do with A-Rod and what is happening in baseball today. All I know is I gotta have fun or this game will bury me.

VOTE FOR BEDRO: Steve Bedrosian, 1987 NL Cy Young Award winner.

2009-02-04T15:56:00.000-08:00

I have been woefully negligent in my duties to cover the entire 1986 Topps Extended Set.

For those of you new to SEEDS, here’s the deal. Right before Christmas, I got sick of buying everyone else gifts and decided to buy myself something. $37 later, karma kicked me square in the balls when SEEDS reader Chris W. told me I got really screwed on the price. I decided these cards would go to the Cyber Cemetery here at SEEDS, buried alongside countless gags and WILLIE’S BOYS plugs. (Coming in Fall 2009, the story of Willie Mays before he started acting like Willie Mays)

So here is card No. 7, Steve Bedrosian. I’ve had a long time to think about what to write about this bland photo of the closer called ‘Bedrock.’ Often, I stayed up late at night asking, ‘What would Cardboard Gods dude do (WWCGDD)’ or ‘What would Pack a Day say? (WWPADS).'

Finally, I reached these conclusions. I think Bedrosian has to be an Armenian name because of the ‘ian’ ending. Second, I am still so bitter that Bedrosian won the 1987 NL Cy Young Award for what would now be considered a measly 40 saves, jobbing Nolan Ryan out of the hardware despite Ryan’s 2.76 ERA and crummy 8-16 record on a garbage team. (These stats are off the top of my head. Consult the record books and sites to see if my memory is still here.)

And had Bedrosian gotten the moniker ‘BEDRO’ rather than ‘Bedrock,’ he could been PEDRO before there was a PEDRO. That means Steve could have worn a badge that read VOTE FOR BEDRO.

Maybe he was wearing the T-shirt after all. Enough guys from the BBWAA, back in the good old days of lying on their expense reports and jacking the company for ungodly overtime to ask guys like BEDRO how he felt that day, voted for him. Which I suppose is a good thing because a Cy Young Award is nice to talk about. I do want to mention that you can see BEDRO’s greatest gift very clearly in this image. Look at that right arm. It is loose, limber and all ligaments. That’s old school scouting for you.

Now if BEDRO was hard, guess who is on deck? Juan Beniquez. In the hole is Juan Berenguer. Seriously, what the hell am I going to say about Juan Berenguer that isn’t a fat joke? After that, it’s Mike Bielecki. Finally it gets better with Barry Friggin’ Bonds. I’m trying to decide if I should offer a teaser. OK, here’s one.

DODGER CLONE WARS: Is Craig Crawford Peter O’Malley’s Double?

2009-02-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

SEEDS fans, I must know: Is political commentator Craig Crawford not the friggin’ spittin’ image of former Dodger owner Peter O’Malley? Whenever I see Crawford on MSNBC, my first thought is, ‘Hey! It’s Pete, the Patriarch of the Plastic Glove Giveaway!’

Talk to me, SEEDERS. I must know.

Is Craig Crawford Peter O’Malley cloned?

SEEDS Could Use a Bailout, Too

2009-02-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

Dear Citi:

Since I started this blog, I have been giving mad love to Federal Bailout Ballpark, aka Citi Field. I was wondering if you would mind sponsoring this blog for maybe $100 a week. In exchange, I would be glad to rename this blog, SEEDS ON THE DUGOUT FLOOR, PRESENTED BY CITI.

That’s right, Citi! You can be a presenting sponsor. You like baseball. So do I! You like cash infusions. So do I! And if you lose your presenting sponsorship of the Mets’ new field, you can funnel some of that loot this way. I’ll even pay taxes on it, seeing as how it was the taxpayers’ money.

Just wanted to know how you felt. And I wanted to ask because I already barked up Enron’s tree.

Sincerely,
SEEDS

Bud Selig to purchase 360,000 plain red ties

2009-02-02T23:56:00.000-08:00

With his pay all the way up to $18.4 million, Bud (saving $400,000 for living expenses) can now splurge on all the red neck ties he can dream of.

Like this one, priced at $50 a pop! Let’s read the product description and see how many of these terms apply to Bud: “Fiery and bold! For the man who wants to liven up his wardrobe with this zesty color. Best worn with a charcoal, black or navy suit and a crisp white dress shirt.”

Now, for our showcase model to strut down the catwalk! Music, please!

“I’m too sexy for my tie, too sexy for my tie, so sexy I love All-Star game Tieeees. I’m the Commish and You know what I mean, and I do my little turn on the Bud Walk.”

And in this photo, we see Bud discussing the size of his....salary.

How Jon Weisman and I go way back

2009-02-02T23:54:00.001-08:00

We were once clerks together at the Los Angeles Times several years ago, taking high school sports results. That job is a bit like being the target of a firing squad and having to take each bullet with a smile (I rarely smiled). Later, when we both moved on, Jon started blogging before I knew what a blog was. His Dodger Thoughts grew, I rode a bus in the Northwest League, we both kept writing and both wrote books with actual publishers for actual money. Now, he heads back to The Times. I say, Go Get ‘Em! But if Ned starts calling in his scores, bail IMMEDIATELY.

COMING OUT OF SUPER BOWL INDUCED COMA

2009-02-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

Wait a minute! According to my counter seven of you looked at this blog on Super Bowl Sunday? Well, thank you. Really, you didn’t have to. Let me get my scorecard out…SEEDS 7, Super Bowl 30 million. That looks bad, but it is seven more readers than some newspapers have. More tonight!

METS SIGN MANNY RAMIREZ! No, I'm just kidding, but they did sign Gil Hodges on this date in 1962

2009-01-30T12:51:00.000-08:00

On this day in 1962, the New York Mets signed Gil Hodges for $33,000. This isn’t an earth-shaking anniversary, but it’s better than any of the news I’m seeing on the wires today. It also allows me to break out one of the favorite features here at SEEDS, the Sweet Retro Picture of the Day. Freshly scanned from my used bookstore-fresh 1970 Sporting News baseball guide is the team picture of the World Champion 1969 New York Mets.

It took Hodges less time to find a job for the 1962 season than it’s taking Manny Ramirez to find work in 2009. This stint was the lesser-celebrated of Hodges’s two stays with the Mets in the 1960s, but this brief layover at the end of his playing career certainly didn’t hurt his status when the Mets called for a new manager in 1968.

When the Hodges-led Mets started the 1969 World Series against the Orioles, this telegram arrived to Mets chairman Donald Grant from Yankees President Michael Burke. It remains one of the classics of baseball smack talk.

CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING NUMBER ONE – AM ROOTING FOR YOU TO HANG IN THERE AND TAKE ALL THE MARBLES. AS A NEW YORKER I AM ECSTATIC, AS A BASEBALL PERSON I AM IMMENSELY PLEASED AND AS A YANKEE I CONSIDER SUICIDE THE EASY OPTION.

Have a Coke and a Samoan Smile

2009-01-29T19:40:00.001-08:00

A special hello to anyone who found SEEDS via the Troy Polamalu story I did for Yahoo. As a tribute to Polamalu, here’s a shout to the first major league baseball player ever born in American Samoa. Tony Solaita. He was a part-time player but he got more attention for being from Samoa. Tony, who died in 1990, was ahead of his time, though maybe in the wrong sport.

The Angels actually held a day for him back in the 1970s. As a catcher, he was the original Throwin’ Samoan (that’s a shout to former QB Jack Thompson). One thing about Polynesian athletes – these guys deeply respect where they came from. That makes them fun to interact with. Heritage means something and it transcends the uniform they wear.

Chicago Barack Sox

2009-01-28T21:34:00.001-08:00

If Sen. John Boehner is given the first of the Chicago White Sox’s proposed brand-spanking new President Obama lids, I have a feeling his first act will be to shape the bill and then say the hat doesn’t fit.

The White Sox are hoping that you too can play pass the hat with your very own Obama White Sox cap. According to the White Sox, the club is hoping to get permission from the Administration to proceed with the souvenir-hawker’s dream and donate the proceeds to local charities around the ballpark. It’s just another reminder that Major League Baseball hats are the official hats of the much-hipper NBA.

I hope No. 44 approves this message. I hope part of the stimulus package then involves a free hat for all of us, except for the Mets fans, who already got Federal Bailout Ballpark.

The White Sox have gotten pub you can’t buy from Obama. The White Sox cap to Obama seems to be what the Stove Top hat was to Lincoln. The White Sox are leading baseball’s charge. They sent their mascot to the inauguration parade. And I don’t think the TV cameras showed it, but the club actually brought back Steve Lyons to recreate his famous self-de-pants-ing moment from old Comiskey Park. Pretty soon, the White Sox are going to recreate the famous Lyons vs. Wally Joyner tic-tac-toe in the dirt game and invite Obama and Boehner to go at it.

The White Sox say they are donating the proceeds to charities around the ballpark in Chicago. I say that’s great. You know how Obama rolls in the community. And this statement isn’t directed at the White Sox per se, but why do these wealthy baseball clubs generally ignore financial community investment unless they’re getting props? I’m sure there’s a low-income high school baseball coach near them who can use a dozen new balls and shirts for his kids and could care less if there isn't a press release about it. Relax, member clubs: not every coach is going to jack the gear.

I digress. I expect this relationship between the White Sox and President Obama to continue. The President’s secret service detail will shortly include Greg “The Bull” Luzinski, Carlton “Pudge” Fisk, and burly 1980s right-handed reliever Bob James. Those guys might be slow, but they would offer the Prez a supreme bunch of bouncers with cool nicknames. I also predict that sometime in President Obama’s administration he will be petitioned to pardon disgraced White Sox outfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson. But let’s pass the hats first.

Williams and Updike Meet Again

2009-01-27T19:54:00.001-08:00

I imagine John Updike passed through that tiny little bandbox of a ballpark in the great beyond and proceeded directly to the batting cage, where Ted Williams has been waiting.

By now, Ted’s hands are calloused again and heaven-be-damned if you give him a bat a fraction of an ounce removed from what he specified. Williams is the patron saint of the F-bombers, dropping profanity like he sprayed line drives, a bomb for every opposite field blast that banged off the left-field wall.

He would greet Updike with a glare that conveys, ‘Don’t disturb my round, I don’t give-a-(f-bomb) how many (f-bomb-ing) books you (f-bomb-ing) wrote.’

I’m sure Updike knew this was coming.

And when the last ball is hit and Williams steps out and bitches at Cronin to get his ass in the cage and not embarrass himself, I imagine Williams will stomp up to Updike. He will reach his sweaty fingers into his back pocket and produce a wrinkled and yellowed envelope.

“Here,” Williams might say. “Here’s your letter I never sent back.”

CASEY AT THE BLOG: So long to Smilin’ Sean

2009-01-26T23:24:00.000-08:00

I always liked talking to Sean Casey whenever one of his teams came through Los Angeles or Anaheim. The guy liberally sprinkled random “awesome!” usage and sometimes began sentences with “Dude!” more than any player without the last name of Weaver. Casey was one of the rarities in the modern big-league locker room: the storytelling ballplayer.

The storyteller is a rare species because most professional athletes are so conditioned to mundane questions that they give out Novocain answers.

One instance of the storyteller in action is recorded here in the personal files of SEEDS, as Casey described a ball Gary Sheffield hit that almost killed Adam Dunn.

“Sheffield hit one of the hardest balls I’ve ever seen,” Casey said. “Dunner is playing left and the ball skipped in front of him. He didn’t even get his glove on it. The ball rockets flush off his shoulder and hits the fence. Hardest hit ball I’ve ever seen.”

While he told this, Casey mimicked Dunn’s near-death experience with the wide grin of a 10-year-old, er, 10-year major league veteran.

The storytelling ballplayer is always one who loves the game regardless of the level he plays at. I tend to believe that there are fewer storytellers the higher you go, but they do exist up in the stratosphere.

That’s why I’ll miss Casey as a ballplayer and I hope his new gig at the MLB network doesn’t drain him of his personality. I would hate to see him turn into that guy hawking Oxy-Clean at 2 a.m.

ROCK THE VOTE: John Rocker’s Very Cranky Week

2009-01-24T17:54:00.000-08:00

John Rocker is the Sarah Palin of former pitchers. He never goes away, and when he talks, you could decapitate a turkey in the background and he might say the turkey had it coming for speaking gobble.

I’m pretty sure Rocker would hate what I am about to say about him in this blog and probably isn’t fond of the fact that I have pictures of President Obama around here, but at least I’m speaking English.

I’m also certain he’s not a buyer for my forthcoming Willie’s Boys, which tells the story of how Willie Mays escaped segregated Birmingham and the Negro Leagues to play for the New York Giants in 1950.

John was the kind of ballplayer who white owners used as an excuse for why they were afraid to integrate baseball until 1947. Of course, the owners could have fired players like Rocker who didn’t like players like Mays, but they didn’t, which makes them as guilty as Rocker. They always cut this truth out of the Revisionist History Negro League documentaries.

Come to think of it, the Negro Leagues are probably the only leagues Rocker didn’t pitch in after he left major league baseball. He became a Bush Leaguer (oh, the irony of that statement!) and it wouldn’t matter if Rocker threw 110 mph. He became baseball’s Mike Vick, but at least Mike liked dogs of different breeds.

Rocker is a good ol’boy of the Confederacy who probably had a bad week watching a black dude take the Oath of Office. If Fox News has a bullpen, Rocker is itching for a job, and Joe the Plumber is his fluffer.

Reports say Rocker was kicked out of an Atlanta hotel Thursday night after engaging in a shouting match. Said some radio jock named ‘Steak’ Shapiro in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Basically, last night, John proved he was everything I’ve said he was over the years. I saw him staring me up and down. I told him, ‘John, let’s be civil here, that was all a long time ago.’ He told me, ‘It wasn’t that long ago, mother (expletive).’ And right away, he pulled out the ‘Jew’ card.”

Assuming Shaprio's accuracy here, Rock, I am an Irish-Czech-German guy with pointy ears and a Jewish girlfriend who wrote a book about black ballplayers. I like watching Samoan and Tongan football players. I once danced the Haka. I like European basketball players. You’re entitled to your opinion, but guess what? So am I.

You are welcome to your opinions and while I don’t agree, I also agree you have a right to see the world through the eye slits of your white hood.

But I want to leave you with this thought: In a game, were it to be you at your best against Birmingham Negro Willie Mays at his best, skill for skill…you just might be the turkey in the grinder.

Bill Werber, 100, Oldest Living Former Major Leaguer

2009-01-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

“I remember Judge Landis, as a strong, no-nonsense baseball commissioner,” Billy Werber told historian Harvey Frommer in 2006. “If he was around today, he would have kicked Bonds’s ass out of baseball years ago.”

Werber, who died Thursday of old age (the only way to go) and saw more baseball than most ballplayers, scouts, general managers, writers, statistical wizards, coaches, managers and agents ever will, was a guy who saw through B.S. even after his wife died and he had to have his leg amputated.

“They cut off my leg a few years back due to the diabetes,” Werber told Frommer. “But they haven’t cut my head off yet.”

Werber, who was the first All-American basketball player at Duke University, played with anyone who was anyone in the big leagues. He got hosed by Babe Ruth in the shower (a true tale of rookie hazing). He played for the cheap bastard who was Connie Mack. He saw Jimmie Foxx drink, Lefty Grove grumble, Ernie Lombardi (try to) run, and Bill Dickey catch-and-throw. He played in old, old Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and others; played when baseball was segregated, played before World War II.

Werber thought Ruth was a saint, who partied like a rock star, hit like an all-star, banged like a porn star, and was more popular among kids than that friggin’ purple dinosaur. “I saw (Ruth) stand outside of Yankee Stadium signing autographs and kids walking all over his white shoes and cream-colored pants,” Werber said.

Werber wrote an autobiography with SABR a few years back, and if you can find it online, it’s worth your few bucks. The narrative is a time capsule, a solid historical document.

With Frommer, Werber noted that Jeff Kent was damn near Gehrig.

“(Gehrig) was aloof,” Werber said. “He came to the ballpark by himself, left by himself…he was all business and not a very friendly fellow.”

Sounds like the Luckiest Man had everything but the Dirt Bike.

Werber hit leadoff for the Reds in the first televised ballgame on August 26, 1939. He was on the 1940 World Series champion Reds. He leaves behind an oral history that is more significant than his solid playing career, a reminder that no matter how good baseball thinks it is nowadays, baseball, in the words of the old Duke Ellington tune, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.

Jeff Kent, Fulltime Dirt Bike Dealer

2009-01-21T23:06:00.000-08:00

Over at www.klimaink.com, I’ve posted a column about the loveable Jeff Kent, who is dirt-bike riding off into the sunset today. I hope he is elected to the Hall of Fame. Jeff Kent doesn’t care what I think and that doesn’t bother me one bit, which is one reason why I can’t help but like the guy so much.

DON BAYLOR: Hit Me With Your Best Shot

2009-01-21T22:46:00.000-08:00

Here’s the first offensive stud of this 1986 Topps Extended set I grossly overpaid for in this horrible economy. Let me work my bitterness out by explaining why I still love no. 6-T, Don Baylor.

Baylor was a big target in his era (6-1, 210, according to his card, and cards don’t lie). He was drilled 35 times by a pitch in 1986, a career high. It was the seventh of eight times he led the league in being hit by a pitch. When he retired with 267 bruises, he held the modern record until plucky little dirt devil Craig Biggio was drilled 285 times.

Baylor was from that old school of on-base-percentage: get drilled, sometimes get walked, hit one out, clutch up when it counted and command games with the notion that if the pitcher didn’t edge him off the plate, he would extend his arms, and the pitcher would pay. One guy who couldn’t do that against Baylor was Tom Candiotti, who Baylor hit three home runs against in 11 at-bats in 1986.

One guy who could handle Baylor was Angel right-hander Mike Witt, who mixed and matched his top-shelf curveball with his solid fastball and held Baylor to a forgettable 1-for-19 in 1986.

Of course, Baylor got Witt when it mattered most. His two-run home run in the 9th inning in Game 5 of the ALCS at Anaheim cut the Angel lead to 5-4. Witt then got Dwight Evans to pop out for the second out of the inning. The Angels were one out from going to the World Series for the first time.

Then, of course, Gene Mauch went to the bullpen to bring in Gary "I ain't George, you prick" Lucas to pitch to Rich Gedman. Lucas THX'd Gedman with a pitch and put him on base. Mauch went out to bring in Donnie Moore to pitch to Dave Henderson. As Forrest Gump said when describing the painfully traumatic moments of his life, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

Mauch’s old pal Piper Davis was as sad about that moment as I still am.

That said, Baylor 1979 AL MVP season with the Angels is still one for the ages. I’m not going to break down all his stats. My baseball card here gives me his Triple Crown stats, but if I go by those alone, I’ll get ripped. Let’s just say this: the dude was solid as a rock. One day, when there is a SEEDS ON THE DUGOUT FLOOR HALL OF FAME, Baylor is in. Especially if he lets me drill him with the ceremonial first pitch.

CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!

2009-01-20T23:45:00.000-08:00

The final score: Cubs fans 5, White Sox fans 1.

This poll was taken via the wonders of video conference at the Military Ball by President Obama from a group of servicemen and women from Illinois who are based in Afghanistan. Obama seemed more bitter that there was only one White Sox fan than he was about Roberts missing a word. That’s what I call prioritizing.

This Guy Was There and I wasn't

2009-01-20T14:20:00.000-08:00

Say Hello to Southpaw (one word), who like No. 44, is also a left-hander. Southpaw was waving to No. 44 around dusk in DC onboard the Illinois float. So after reviewing the armed forces, Obama smiled at the White Sox mascot. I think, perhaps, the guy in the furry green mask might NOT have flubbed the Oath of Office. OK, OK, I promise to play nice.

Reggie Jackson to Barack Obama: “I was the Original 44”

2009-01-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

A memo from Mr. October to Mr. Obama:

Dear Mr. President:

I was the original Number 44. I know you’ve shown that you can bat clean-up in front of two million fans, but I did it first.

I know you have a trillion fans, but I had ‘em first.

So, here’s my advice. First of all, always swing for the fences. Don’t worry about striking out. Strikeouts are part of the game.

Also, you must win. People love winning. Never divide a clubhouse. Sign a lot of autographs.

But remember, before you were No. 44, I was No. 44. Always be humble.

Your pal,
Reggie Jackson,
The original No. 44

IF SABR MEMBER KEITH OLBERMANN IS OUT THERE, THIS GAG IS FOR YOU:

2009-01-16T18:39:00.001-08:00

I know this Alberto Gonzalez kid plays for the Nationals now. I know I could have posted Randy Bush, Larry Cheney, Billy Jo Rove-i-doux, Rummy Hoy (that’s a total historian’s joke), former Padres pitcher James CONDIA Jones (Jimmy Jones) or Jim Rice, but this works almost as well as the “Taco Baldelli” gag from the World Series.

Sorry to go Gonzo-Gate on you, but read Willie’s Boys: The 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, the Last Negro League World Series and the Discovery of Willie Mays, coming in Fall 2009 from John Wiley & Sons!

Sweet Retro Picture of the Day: Musial, Yogi, Adcock and Skowron

2009-01-16T18:16:00.000-08:00

This picture comes courtesy of the 2008 Yankee media guide and shows Stan Musial, Yogi Berra, Joe Adcock and Moose Skowron at the 1960 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. The funny thing is that the one guy who passes the “eye test” as the stud who could strap it on today and beat you is Adcock. Skowron looks like he’s going to rip someone’s head off. Yogi is wondering when his knees will drop off and Stan is pointing at Yogi saying, “Look a’this guy’s body! Can you believe this guy is an All-Star catcher and not a friggin’ Cab driver?”

Scott Bailes: ‘Hey, baby, I’m gettin’ my rookie card picture taken. Gimme a second!’

2009-01-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

Here we see Scott thinking, ‘Hey, ladies, don’t look at my 20-17 minor league record. Check out my 3.28 ERA in 302 innings and the smilin’ Chief Wahoo on my dome.’

Scott lasted nine years in the majors and was thankful he was left-handed in each waking moment. Actually, Bailes has a reputation as a really good guy. He’s one of Jim Abbott’s homeboys from their days with the Angels. I don’t actually have confirmation that he was scouting the stands for talent in this picture, or perhaps eyeing some veteran teammate who might have smashed a shaving-cream pie in his face while he posed. But no matter what Scott did in his pitching career, it never changed the fact that he was forever confused with the guy who played Charles in Charge. On the other hand, it was an easier burden to deal with than fellow lefty Assenmacher had to endure.

(Editor’s note: if you’re too young to get the Charles in Charge joke, that’s good. I like educating young minds. Google the joke, kids!)

FOR SALE: ANDRUW JONES

2009-01-15T21:45:00.001-08:00

1977 Model Future Designated Hitter Seeks New Home for Rebuilding Project. Once one of baseball’s great rising stars, now one of baseball’s great free-agent busts, this relic cracked three home runs in 75 games in 2008, costing a mere $6 million per. Comes with baggage, expanding waistline, booing, bloating, slowing bat and whispers that he came off steroids. This Blue Blunder can be yours for the low-low price of a minor league contract and a Spring Training Invite. This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime free agent deal.

Info: Scotty B, 555-GRA-SLAM

Barack Obobble

2009-01-14T16:48:00.000-08:00

The minor league Brooklyn Cyclones will give away Barack Obama Bobblehead Dolls at a game this summer, which will be great, especially if anyone still has a job and can afford to go.

The Cyclones are a proud New York-Penn League short-A affiliate of the mighty New York Mets, who, of course, will begin play this season in lovely Federal Bailout Ballpark, also known as Citi Field.

While the team is at it, they should go for BROKE, before the rest of us are. How does Beanie Obama Babies sound? How about Obama Power Rangers? Rock’em-Sock’em Barack’ems?

One thing is certain. No. 44 won’t be there because he’ll be shooting hoops at The House. And No. 43 will be shocked to learn that he screwed up the always screwed up Texas Rangers. My suggestion to the Cyclones: let the shoe thrower toss the first cleat. I meant pitch, the first pitch. I’ve seen him throw, he’s pretty accurate.

Dear Paul: I apologize

2009-01-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

Paul Assenmacher was 25 when he worked into this wind-up in 1986, but he already looked like the 38-year old left-handed bullpen workhorse he was destined to become. He finished his career in 1999. This guy rose from a non-drafted free-agent to pitch in 884 big league games, post a 1.69 World Series ERA and a lifetime 3.53 ERA. Note his softball glove he brought with him from the amateur world.

Paul Assenmacher, who went 61-44 in the majors, is card 4-T of the 1986 Topps Traded set. Pretty good considering he had to get over what smart-alec kids like myself thought about the spelling of his last name.

Prior Burnout

2009-01-13T23:09:00.000-08:00

Mark Prior was such a draft darling that he was considered the greatest amateur pitcher in baseball draft history when he came out of USC in 2001. He could do no wrong. Let Prior be a cautionary tale for all young major league pitchers and the front offices that put heavy faith in college pitching. The Cubs bet the (pitching coach Tom) House and lost.

News that Prior has signed a minor league deal with his hometown Padres brings this sad tale one step closer to resolution. My suggestion is to try him in the bullpen where he could be a cheap replacement for closer Trevor Hoffman. Prior's durability as a starter cannot be trusted. We will need to see Prior pitch again. Will he have revamped his mechanics? If he has not, he’s going to be on the DL before he can collect additional service time.

At least it won't cost the Padres much to find out what he has left. These days, that's the only kind of player the Padres can afford.

Just for fun, here’s a look back at what kind of pitcher the Cubs thought they were getting. As a junior in 2001, Prior was 15-1 with a 1.69 ERA. He walked 18 and struck out 202 in 138 innings. Meanwhile, Joe Mauer was having a great senior high school season and the Twins were all over him. Prior went No. 2 overall to the Cubs. Fittingly, infielder Chris Burke, the player who went No. 10 overall in the 2001 draft, has also signed a minor-league contract with the Padres. Too bad it didn't work out for Prior and the Cubs. The team's 11th-round pick in 2001 was catcher and 2008 NL Rookie of the Year Geovany Soto.

Rickey Says So, Rice along for Ride

2009-01-12T15:57:00.000-08:00

Rickey Henderson played for so long that I never came to grips with the fact that he was retired. He played for so many Independent League teams that I lost track. I’m not sure that he ever formally retired after leaving the Dodgers in 2003, but I guess he must have done the paperwork, because here he is, a brand new member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rickey’s personality has always reminded me of Satchel Paige. I’m sure if you asked him today he would say that he could still play. He might be a fourth outfielder or a bench player, but I wouldn’t put it past him. Rickey was the last great base-stealing threat we are likely to see until baseball as an industry moves past the concept that power is the only true way to generate runs.

As for Jim Rice, from 1975-1986 he was a dominant, great or above-average power producer in a baseball town. I have no problem with Rice in the Hall of Fame, but I do have a problem with the continuing exclusion of Andre Dawson.

A baseball legacy is like real estate: location, location, location. If Rice had played in Montreal and Dawson had played his entire career in Boston, this outcome might be reversed. But the Hall of Fame is never one to turn away MLB’s wishes to include Yankees and Red Sox on the same docket. Thank goodness for Rickey representing the West Coast.

Joaquin Takes the Gator Down

2009-01-09T23:23:00.000-08:00

Joaquin’s showcase inning here at SEEDS comes at a great time, where he knocks the Florida Gator off the blog’s top post. Why? When I wrote WILLIE'S BOYS: The 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, the Last Negro League World Series and the Discovery of Willlie Mays (Coming in 2009 from John Wiley & Sons!), my two trips to Birmingham turned me into an Alabama Crimson Tide football fan.

We know what happened when Florida messed up Nick Saban’s hair this season. Therefore, the Gator has got to go, my brothers.

So I’m thrilled that Joaquin comes out of retirement to throw one massive blank over the Gator. By the time Joaquin posed in his new Oakland duds, he was coming off consecutive 20-win seasons in 1984 and 1985. Joaquin threw hard, fastballs and fits. The batting glove under his glove tells me he was doing fungo duty that morning. The rubber long sleeves also indicate that Joaquin was running off the off-season. If I lost Game 7 of the 1985 World Series, I’d drink, too. “Here,” he told the freelance photographer, “Take it from my thin side.”

Thus concludes the first blog entry in history to plug Willie Mays, Nick Saban, and Joaquin Andujar. My six readers are fired up.

Floirda takes on Oklahoma again

2009-01-08T22:28:00.000-08:00

Florida beat Oklahoma tonight, but what would the outcome have been if the two teams played a baseball game based on players born in Oklahoma or Florida?

The Oklahoma lineup:

Alvin Dark, SS (A top NL SS in the 1950s)
Hank Thompson, 2B (stud former KC Monarch)
Johnny Bench, C
Mickey Mantle, CF
Joe Carter, LF
Matt Holliday, DH
Bob Johnson, 1B (seven consecutive 100 RBI seasons, 1935-1941)
Harland Clift, 3B (118 RBIs in 1937 and 1938)
Johnny Callison, RF (226 career HR)

Pitchers: Allie Reynolds, Jesse Barnes, knuckleballer Willis Hudlin, and Brad Penny. Closer is Ben Tincup, because I love that guy’s name. He was also $100,000 bonus baby Paul Pettit’s first pro pitching coach in 1950.

The Florida lineup is a bit more contemporary.

Tim Raines, CF
Chipper Jones, 3B
Alex Rodriguez, SS
Andre Dawson, RF
Steve Garvey, 1B
Boog Powell, DH
Luis Gonzalez, LF
Charles Johnson, C
David Eckstein, 2B

Pitchers: Steve Carlton, Doc Gooden, Tim Wakefield, Rick Rhoden, Mike Hampton and reliever Scot Shields.

First, tell me how sick it would be to face the left-handed Carlton and his slider, then classic Gooden and his right-handed gas and his equally gifted curveball, and then the knuckle-balling Wakefield?

I’m not sure which team I like better. It’s easy to say Florida, but turning down Mantle and Bench? Like I want THAT on my resume.

2-T Neil Allen: WHY IS THIS MAN SMILING?

2009-01-08T01:04:00.000-08:00

I cropped this card as poorly as Neil cut his hair on this fine 1986 spring training day. When this photo was snapped, Neil was still living off his epic 1983 season when he won 10 games for the Cardinals. Here we see Neil livin’ large with the famous SOX logo hats that a generation of Chicago high school kids purchased solely to white out the other half of the “O” and etch in (with blue sharpie!) an E, so they could prance around with hats that read SEX. By the looks of Neil’s grin, this hat had been a good one for him. The dude had worked 60 innings in two years, so I’m sure he was thrilled to have a camp without a scope or a cortisone shot.

Speaking of those 1983 Cardinals, stay tuned for card 3-T…are you ready? I know I am. It’s Joaquin Andujar! Yes, the right-hander who famously went “WALK HARD” with a bat and a toilet after his 21-game-winning-self got she-LACKED in Game 7 of the 1985 World Series. Oh, man, that memory warms my heart every time.

AND AS A PUBLIC SERVICE…let the countdown begin: T-minus-8 cards to BARRY FRIGGIN BONDS. My six readers are into it.

FOR SALE: MANNY RAMIREZ

2009-01-06T16:18:00.001-08:00

1972 model right-handed hitting outfielder/designated hitter/gate attraction with 7,160 at-bats and 2,103 games on him since 1993. This luxury Manny comes with 13 seasons of 30 or more home runs and 13 seasons of more than 100 RBIs. Comfortably seats children and Boston Red Sox traveling secretaries. Runs better when highly motivated. Comes with optional dreadlocks (not pictured) and earrings (pictured). Sometimes makes noise, but engine runs smoothly when properly maintained. Interior comes with baggage, in optional blue, red, orange and black, or pinstripes. Engine compensates for baggage. A once in a generation make.

INFO: Scotty B, 555-GRA-SLAM

1986 No. 1-T: Andy Allanson

2009-01-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

(Or, why the HELL is somebody blogging about former Indians catcher Andy Allanson?)

Here’s the deal. I got this odd hankering for a set of 1986 Topps “Traded” series cards, mainly because I had a set of these a long time ago. So I ambled into a card store and spent the 1987 price on the things. My esteemed friend then told me I could have bought three sets on e-bay for like 10 bucks. After we laughed off the fact that when you don’t buy a baseball card for like 10 years, it’s really super easy to get screwed, I said, I have the perfect revenge in mind. I’m getting my money’s worth, dammit! My lovely girlfriend informs me that I must be clinically insane, and then agreed to proofread the copy. You’re the best, Jen! Between book proposals, baseball writing, job-related typing, I am entitled to this 1986 flash back and subjecting the six or so readers I have to this madness.

Now, let us revisit Andy Allanson. First of all, I’d like to point out that Allanson had ZERO home runs in 273 professional games entering his rookie season with the (projected to be mighty) 1986 Indians, for which he was the epitome of the good defensive catcher who couldn’t hit water if he fell out of the proverbial boat. And, his odds of playing in the big leagues today with a stat like that over his head? Yeah, not so good, I’m afraid. Hit the Frontier League, jack!

Gotta love Andy’s bottom-hand black batting glove, going Mike Jackson (the singer turned freak, not the starter turned reliever). I also appreciate the old school Indians uniform (Jerry Willard’s hand-me-down, no less), and the look on Andy’s face that says: “You f—ing tool, camera guy, if I lose BP swings for my f—ing Topps card, I’m going to shove my f—ing 33-30 Louisville woody up you’re f—ing a—hole.”

I’ve spent a lot of years around ballplayers, folks. I strive for accuracy.

In addition to Andy’s “Major League” Indians uniforms, I’d like to point out that the Indians had been so bad for so long that the “Talkin’ Baseball” factoid looted from the 1986 Indians media guide and printed on the back of Andy’s card reads: “THE OLDEST PITCHER IN INDIANS HISTORY TO LEAD AL IN GAMES PITCHED WAS 44-YEAR-OLD JOE HEVING WITH 63 GAMES IN 1944.”

Way to fill space with a war-time replacement pitcher.

STAY TUNED FOR CARD 2-T: White Sox RHP Neil Allen. We now return you to whatever Harold Reynolds had to say today.

It's 2009? Already? Thank you

2009-01-03T18:16:00.000-08:00

I was thinking of re-naming this blog “The Roger Clemens Institute for Sports Commentary.”

But seriously, it is 2009, and I’m looking for things to change. Would somebody, please, just give Manny Ramirez his four years already? Seriously.

As for the Angels, I’m already looking forward to another exciting season of 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 games and a first-round playoff sweep.

Signing Brian Fuentes is a nice move because Harold Reynolds told me so, but I don’t think he has 30 home runs in him. Fuentes, I mean.

This free-agent signing is a place holder. Jose Arredondo becomes the 8th inning guy, which slides Scot Shields into the 7th inning. One of Manager Mike’s great tactical gifts is winning with his bullpen when he only has a run or two to spare. It makes for consistent regular season baseball, but in the playoffs, it tends to make his offense press.

I keep wondering where Garret Anderson will end up. I’m willing to bet Seattle, which needs a new left fielder. Anderson needs to be in the AL and he’ll prefer to stay on the West Coast.

Brandon Wood playing third base? Kendry Morales playing first base? Oh man, I miss steroids.

20 reasons why the Yankees are going to sign Manny Ramirez

2008-12-24T14:56:00.000-08:00

1. Play him in left, play Swisher in right and DH Matsui. Nady gets a new job elsewhere.

2. He might light a fire at the right time of the year under Alex Rodriguez

3. Doesn't need to be “The Guy,” since the Yankees have about four guys called “The Guy” in front of him

4. Reproduction dreads cost two cents to make and are easily sold for $25.95

5. What's $45 million?

6. The Manny Bar

7. He can't go to Anaheim. Two words. Jose Guillen

8. At this point, 29 other major league teams are farm clubs for the New York Yankees

9. Never pitched a no-hitter on LSD

10. Madonna will need a new guy by June

11. Torment the Boston Red Sox

12. When Manny says he doesn't read the papers, he means it

13. A major upgrade over Kevin Maas

14. Mercenary Ramirez is his given name

15. Played high school baseball in the Bronx

16. Just look at the memorabilia deals Manny Inc. will sign in New York

17. If you sign him short-term, he'll hit like every year is a free agent year

18. Wants one of those snazzy old school Topps baseball cards with the Yankee hat painted on his head

19. Already knows the subway system

20. He's already an outfield monument

NYY Add Tex, Manny might be Next

2008-12-23T18:44:00.000-08:00

The Mark Teixeira, 8-year, $180 million deal unfolded much quicker than anyone anticipated, baseball sources said Tuesday.

As of last week, the Yankees are believed to have had no interest in pursuing an offensive player until after the New Year, after which it was widely believed that Mark Teixeira would be off the market.

But by late Monday night, baseball sources confirmed that the Yankees began having internal discussions after Scott Boras approached them after talks with the Angels and Red Sox reached an impasse. The Yankees internally mulled three ideas.

One idea had the Yankees signing left-handed starter Andy Pettitte to a one-year contract and pursuing either Pat Burrell or Milton Bradley.

Another idea was to sign Manny Ramirez to a one-year contract and play him in right field or sign him to a two-year contract to DH and trade Xavier Nady.

Finally came the bombshell. The Yankees wondered if the team should sign Teixeira, move Nick Swisher to right field, and then trade Nady.

The Yankees aren’t finished yet. Plans to upgrade the starting rotation still exist, with Pettitte or free-agent Derek Lowe still considered possibilities. The Yankees want Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen at all costs.

Let's say Ramirez goes to the Yankees:

Damon, CF
Jeter, SS
Teixeira, 1B
Rodriguez, 3B
Ramirez, LF
Swisher, RF
Cano, 2B
Matsui, DH
Posada, C

At this rate, Babe Ruth is looking strictly Florida Marlins quality.

Scouting the Shoe Thrower

2008-12-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

Baseball front offices get all sorts of faxes from unemployed pitchers at this time of the year, all of which wind up in the trash. Perhaps one will come from Muntadar al-Zaidi, the right-handed shoe thrower who gained fame in the International Incident League, and will probably need to throw shoe pens in the slammer at a cardboard cut-out of 43.

Check out al-Zaidi’s grip on his shoe. It’s a three-fingered grip, which is great form for a palm ball. Chances are he meant to throw a good two-seam fastball, but didn’t have the time to take the ball by the, um, horseshoe.

Now, the rest of al-Zaidi’s throwing mechanics aren’t terrible. His head is aimed directly at his target. He’s leading with his body and his elbow seems to be higher than his shoulder. He’s driving towards the plate. He’s got one guy tugging him from behind and another tugging him from the front and he’s still throwing. His release times are pretty good for a guy who is listed at 29 years old.

Here we see his follow through. Even though Bush ducked, al-Zaidi clearly wanted to see if he threw a strike. From here, it looks like he had two pitches and threw two strikes. Note the reporter sitting next to him, thinking, ‘Somebody is gonna get tortured. Glad it ain't me.’

Finally, here’s the modern world of video scouting for you. Roll the Tube:

This guy could work as a middle reliever for about 20 big league clubs right now.

What $160 Million Can Get You Today

2008-12-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

Scanning the globe via Google, here’s a look at what $160 million is worth in the real world, where value isn’t measured by a switch-hitting first baseman with power from both sides, who isn’t yet 30, can play defense, and keeps his mouth shut and his nose out of the news.

In Maryland this September, the state transportation office slashed the budget by $160.4 million. This means vital projects that help people get to work so they can buy the baseball tickets in the first place, you know, to put money back in the economy, have been shelved.

The latest Star Trek movie’s budget has billowed from $130 to $160 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Beam me up, Boras.

In March, the U.S. Senate’s proposed budget set aside $160 million for elder abuse prevention.

In October, the World Bank approved $160 million to offset poverty and increase growth for the African nation of Tanzania. These are programs for the old and the poor, millions of people who will hopefully get a small slice. A baseball player is more important than preventing poverty or abuse?

Also in October, Bahrain Air financed an agreement to purchase four A230 airliners. The “A” is for Airbus, a European corporation, apparently the only way to fly. It might take one of those to airlift Mark Teixeira or CC Sabathia’s new contract to him.

According to www.whitehouse.gov, $160 million was submitted to “provide basic health services and education for Iraqi refugees in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon” in the 2008 War Funding Request. So these are things like Tylenol and flu shots. Again, in one corner is human welfare, and in the other, a switch-hitting first baseman with power.

You get the picture. Too often, these large contracts cease to be about fathomable numbers and become more about some kind of reality-based version of fantasy baseball.

I’m not questioning how much Teixeira’s skills are worth, or that they are very rare. It’s his right to take what someone will pay him. I’d love to have him. But these massive free-agency contracts continue to prove why baseball is no longer the national game, why its lack of self-control among its owners is a debacle, why it is disconnected from the population, why people making seven bucks an hour to sell popcorn and clean toilets at ballparks will be laid off to cut costs and pay these players.

You can’t vilify the athlete for signing up for what the market warrants. But you can vilify the industry for becoming as robust as a raging steroid abuser. Watching baseball owners try to outspend each other is like watching steroid-ripped body builders try to out-squat each other in the gym. They grunt. They make noise. Their veins explode. It is about pure vanity, reality or economy be damned.

Reggie Jackson, Corporate Headhunter

2008-12-11T23:43:00.000-08:00

Over at Seeds on the Dugout Floor world headquarters, www.klimaink.com, is a new story about how Reggie Jackson might have helped sway CC Sabathia to the Yankees.

Read it here

(Not THAT Hot Dog. I'm talking about the ORIGINAL Hot Dog.)

Unprotected Selection, aka Baseball’s 99-cent store…

2008-12-11T20:26:00.000-08:00

By that, we of course mean the annual Rule V draft, the last gasp of the winter meetings. Come forth ye unprotected players striving for prospect status, where at the very worst, you’ll get that invitation to big league spring training you wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.

By nature of the pathetic state of their organization, the Washington Nationals, with the first selection, chose right-handed pitcher Terrell Young from the Cincinnati Reds. When you’re taking pitching from the Reds, that’s like taking votes from Republicans. Joe the Plumber hates me for that joke.

Seattle takes a guy named Reegie Corona, not Reggie, from the Yankees, and perhaps Ray-Jay is bound for the bench in the bustling rain town.

Following form is San Diego, taking shortstop Everth Cabrera from the Rockies. If Everth thought the pitching in the South Atlantic League was filthy, he’s going to love the National League. Here’s hoping he does his part to help Kevin Towers and Chief Gayton forget that, oh yeah, Matt Bush can’t hit.

Pittsburgh needs a federal bailout, but had to settle for left-hander Donald Veal from the Cubs. I’ve never seen Don Veal, but I’m betting he’s not as nasty as former Pirates left-hander Bob Veale.

Baltimore took catcher Lou Palmisano off the Brewers' hands, and he might stick because Ramon Hernandez had been traded to the Reds.

San Francisco loves taking fliers on hard-throwing bullpen arms. I trust Luis Perdomo will call us if he works out.

David Patton has been hearing stupid jokes about General Patton his entire life.

Shouldn’t Detroit know better than to mess with pitches named Kyle? Here’s hoping the Bloom doesn’t come off Kyle as easily as the heat came off Sleeth.

If Jose Lugo can stick with the Royals, maybe he can pitch to Julio Lugo. Then the joke “How Lu can you Go?” really works.

Oakland loves getting their hands on guys from Pitt, but perhaps Ben Copeland will fare better than Brant Colamarino.

With the 11th pick, the Diamondbacks choose catcher James Skelton. The Diamondbacks wear red uniforms. He would then be Red Skelton.

Did Zach Kroenke caddy for Joba The Chamberlain at Nebraska? Huskers of the World, Unite! You have nothing to lose but your Yankee-drafted left-handed pitchers to the Florida Marlins. Ah, none of you will be sober enough to remember anyhow.

Gilbert De La Vara is going to Houston via Kansas City, a classical former junior college pitcher who can roll some ground balls and mix in a strike out. But going from the Royals to the Astros, talk about a horizontal jump.

Jason Jones, come on down! You are the next contestant on America’s favorite game show, “The Yankees Youth Movement is Over!” Yanks get CC, lose three pitchers in the Rule V draft. The good news is they HAD three pitchers worth a damn to lose. That’s what I call progress.

Darren O’Day, popped by the Mets from the Angels, and if he is healthy, he’s going to stick with the Mets. I see how this works. The Mets trade away submariner Joe Smith, ancestor to Iron Joe McGinnity, and replace him with true sidewinder O’Day. Best line ever written about Darren O’Day was written by me, “O’Day has the last name of an Irish bartender and a funky motion that might make batters think they’ve had one too many.” For the love of god, feed me the hit!

http://www.klimaink.com/baseballwriting/mlbessays/essay44.html

Eddie Morlan is a Cuban right-hander with a don’t-mess-with-me glare and a .242 opposing batting average in the Southern League, which isn’t terrible. He also was drafted from the Rays, who also dumped Edwin Jackson in an unrelated move. My, times have changed in Tampa.

Pick # 17 from baseball’s annual 99-cent store bargain bin is Angels right-handed Robert Mosebach, from West Palm Beach, Florida, which means he was a Tom Kotchman kid. Kotchman has sent more talent to the Angels than any other territory scout in the team’s history, but scouts never really care where the kid ends up in the big leagues…as long as he ends up in the big leagues.

After Miguel Gonzalez, Derek Rodriguez and Ivan Nova comes Mr. Irrelevant of the 2008 Rule V draft, right-handed pitcher Rocky Cherry from Baltimore to the New York Mets. Rocky Cherry and I go way back, to the Northwest League in 2003. He was pitching for Boise, I was the radio guy in Yakima. We’ll always have Boise. Cherry is hoping he’ll always have a big league job.

Cash Cow Sabathia

2008-12-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

Right now the San Francisco Giants are thinking, “Oh, good, now Zito’s contract looks like a bargain compared to CC’s.”

Now, the Yankees better hope Sabathia doesn’t go 11-13, 4.53 followed by 10-17, 5.15 with a journey to the bullpen included. Here’s betting that he probably won’t, and that while the deal is great for the Yankees, the rest of the nation will further be subjected to more pinstripe programming from ESPN.

I really thought Sabathia would wind up with the Angels, where he could play with Torii Hunter, and the two would make a great tandem for activism among young black ballplayers trying to help stop the bleeding. Instead, lil’C, Brian Cashman, jetted to California to prove that only the New York Yankees could lowball a player with an offer of $140 million. Personally, I blame the Milwaukee Brewers for failing to match both offers.

Time warp:
http://www.klimaink.com/baseballwriting/mlbessays/essay40.html

The Sage Speaks

2008-12-10T17:14:00.000-08:00

By this I refer to the Sultan of Shea…no wait, that doesn’t work anymore…the Contemplative of Citi Bank Field…or the Mahatma of Federal Bailout Ball Park…his eminence…METSRADAMUS.

METSRADUMS writes to SEEDS ON THE DUGOUT FLOOR in response to The Dugout’s Blogs about Francisco Rodriguez stepping into Omar Minaya’s phone booth stuffed with hundred-dollar bills:

“A very interesting perspective on Frankie,” the seer said. “My response to your note would simply be this: Who doesn't come with nerves? They're closers ... apparently, nerves are what they do best. We've survived Jesse Orosco, John Franco, and Armando Benitez. I'm sure we'll survive this.”

“Believe me, Met fans know that nothing's a sure thing. Frankie's a good start. He'll mean nothing though if the Mets can't do better than the rag arms they currently have in middle relief. We'll see.”

The Orange and Blue Clad Guru then resumed batting against his Iron Mike pitching machine calibrated from extreme submarine angle to simulate batting against Joe Smith.

Back-Page-Rod

2008-12-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

As a courtesy to the Mets cranks across the country, I wanted to share what I believe they can expect from Francisco Rodriguez from the perspective of someone who has watched him pitch regularly since 2002 here in California.

Starting in 2009, you can expect a solid 40 regular-season saves and a dominant first half of his National League season, when he will provide a new look for a new league. I would imagine that Rodriguez could be more dominant in New York than he was with the Angels based loosely on the belief that the talent level in the American League is much superior.

What you can also expect is a pitcher who has been coddled here in Anaheim, even protected in a shrewd manner.

For starters, Rodriguez is going to miss manager Mike Scioscia calling his games, especially in crucial playoff games in which Rodriguez lacked a put-away fastball. The best example of this was in the playoffs when Scioscia nursed Rodriguez through a rocky 10th inning in Game 3 at Fenway Park. Scioscia will miss Rodriguez’s arm, but not his persona.

Rodriguez was prone to blunders that will get him ripped in New York. The greatest example of this is when he dropped a routine return throw from the catcher in a game in Oakland, a play which cost the Angels a game in the pennant race.

Rodriguez could be surly after a loss but was rarely pressed by the media. He hasn’t encountered anything like he’s going to see in New York. How he will respond, I couldn’t tell you. But if you’re looking for the guy with the social élan of Rivera, this isn’t him. It doesn’t mean he can’t do the job. It just means that we all will see for the first time how Rodriguez responds to the fish bowl. It also means that he had better be more consistent in the playoffs than he has been in recent years when he has been effective, but not dominant. Rodriguez brings this upon himself. He’s the one who acts like he is dominant even when he only survives.

He was never once asked to be the franchise guy in Anaheim, and at his best, 2002, he was a kid who blissfully knew no better than to hump up and make his slider explode. He’s still a young man and already doesn’t throw as hard, at only 27, and that is also a red flag.

Federal Bailout Ballpark's New Bullpen?

2008-12-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

While we’re waiting for Francisco Rodriguez to take up employment at Federal Bailout Ballpark (by that I mean, Citi Field, Home of the Mets), the story that the Mets want to sign Trevor Hoffman as his eighth-inning set-up man merits mention.

This is a bad idea. The eighth inning guy needs to be a power arm, and this Hoffman-Rodriguez tandem, while it looks glossy, has some problems. Mainly, this is an issue of stuff. If the Mets sign Rodriguez, they’re buying a pitcher with declining fastball velocity. Rodriguez has an arsenal of above-average breaking pitches to complement and hide this. He started 2008 with a sore ankle and a dead arm before setting the all-time single season saves record with a season that nobody would consider the best closer season of all time. Rodriguez pitched with no pressure on him in Anaheim in 2008. The Angels ran away with the Division. Rodriguez’s final stamp on the collective memory of the Angels will be his whiny head drop after surrendering J.D. Drew’s home run in Anaheim. Why? HE HAD TO THROW DREW A FASTBALL. BP FASTBALLS DON’T FOOL DREW.

Buy Rodriguez and you’re buying a guy with declining fastball velocity. Closers are best developed from the farm system and then dispatched to teams that couldn’t do the same a decade earlier. So assuming Frankie comes to pitch at Federal Bailout Ballpark, his eighth inning guy should not be Hoffman because the two are going to be too similar.

Hoffman was really the master at getting more out of less for years, but you don’t need to crush his numbers to know that his home runs have been rising as the difference between his fastball and his change-up narrows. So now the Mets, who have back to back seasons that should have cost Omar Minaya his GM job, are going to try to pad the back end of their bullpen with soft and softer? It’s a bad combination. Go sign Doug Jones if that’s the plan. (PS – I loved Doug Jones, the minor league journeyman who proved that a guy who looks like Waylon Jennings with a bottle of Jack Daniels stuffed in his back pocket could become an All-Star closer.)

I'd hate to be Kevin Towers Right Now

2008-12-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

If Padres GM Kevin Towers is really forced into trading Jake Peavy - economics, be damned! - it’s going to leave a mark on his resume. The story goes that Towers has a $40 million payroll for this season, and reports have it that Peavy and his $11 million for 2009 will go to the Cubs or return to San Diego.

Excluding the dismal 99-loss 2008 season, the Towers Padres have been decent at best. Before the 2008 season, Towers was at .499, 970-975.

Towers has always been good at avoiding trading players at peak times if he has them on the big league roster, and he’s been good at dumping starting pitchers for young talent while the starters have value.

Two cases come to mind. On January 4, 2006, Towers traded Adam Eaton and Billy Killian to the Rangers for Adrian Gonzalez, Chris Young, and Terrmel Sledge. This is his masterpiece, thanks to the Rangers.

Then there is August 26, 2006. Towers traded for Brian Giles from the Pirates in exchange for three players, including Jason Bay.

He traded for Kevin Brown from the Marlins in December, 1997 for three players including Derrek Lee.

Towers has been at his best with the fringe deals, especially in recent years. His deals usually don’t involve difference-makers, but they are sound moves, if not incredibly daring.

Now we get to a point where if he moves Peavy, he has his pick of the Cubs system. If I’m trading Peavy to anyone, I better not get a list from the other clubs of untouchable players.

Since becoming GM in 1995, Towers has never been faced with making a deal like this. When you look at his all-time trades, there is nobody on that list that matches Peavy’s impact.

So now, the ultra-conservative Towers needs to prove that he can max value for the 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner. This is no fringe player. This is a career changer for Towers as much as it is for Peavy.

Boras Unplugged

2008-12-08T17:40:00.001-08:00

Say what you will about Scott Boras, but what he has always been best at is calling baseball on its own bullshit, per the New York Times on December 7:

"Even if, hypothetically, attendance is down and the revenues go from $6.5[B] to $6[B], the fact remains that players last year received $3[B] in salaries. If the industry is making $6[B] and the players make $3[B], you still have 50[%] to the players and 50[%] to the owners." Boras, referring to MLB's 30 teams, added, "I think there are 30 economies in baseball." More Boras: "We know baseball had record revenues, and the profits that are in the barn for many owners are extraordinary. There are clubs that run their business appropriately, and we all know it's good business to have good players."

What he means of course is that it is good business to have HIS good players, but he’s still got valid points. The problem with the recession is that somebody will always plead poverty, point to the trying times, and say that signing players is impossible. There is nothing major league clubs love more than to cry poverty while stashing cash. On that point, Boras is right.

The economy also leads one to think that the good old “C” word, collusion, is going to get kicked around. There are four free-agents that are too good to screw: Manny, CC, Frankie and Tex. They’ll get theirs – you would think, but all bets are off. The everyday players in the big leagues, well, they can sweat bullets about their next paychecks like the rest of us. It has the cigar-stench feeling of the old boys in the back room collectively sighing, ‘Screw them, we’ll plead poverty.’

MADDUX

2008-12-05T18:08:00.001-08:00

From a historical point of view, I’m sad to see Greg Maddux go because I thought it would have been awesome to see a pitcher match Warren Spahn’s career victory total in my lifetime. Maddux goes out at 355 and Spahnie had 363. Joe Torre had the glove Spahn used in his 300th victory stolen from a storage unit a few years back.

I’m willing to bet that Maddux will resurface in baseball within the next few years as a pitching coach. He’s been that way to the pitchers on his staff for many years, with young pitchers often flocking to him. He had star power among other pitchers that you rarely see. I remember when he first arrived with the Dodgers in 2006 and Derek Lowe and Mark Hendrickson followed him around like caddies. I have a feeling that more than a few of those P.B.P sessions at 2 p.m. at Dodger Stadium involved wagers about who could get one out of the park first.

Maddux had been pitching on smoke and mirrors since about 2003, when his ERA first started creeping into the 4-range on an annual basis, and a lot of factors allowed Maddux to string out his career longer than most.

For starters, umpires almost always gave him the corners. It reminded me of the stories about Ted Williams basically calling balls and strikes with his discipline and perception. If Ted takes, well, it’s gotta be a ball, right? And the same was true for Maddux, who didn’t have to live on the black, but on the black of the black. If Maddux put it where the catcher set up, then, it must have been a strike.

This allowed him to survive as his stuff lost life and he became a more hittable target than in his glory days. No right-handed pitcher in this era deserves to be in the big leagues with an 82 M.P.H. (Maddux Per Hour?) fastball, but that’s what Maddux had. The myth was how good his change-up was, but that wasn’t his best pitch and it wasn’t his out pitch.

What made Maddux so memorable for me was that he made a slushy fastball his out pitch because of his location, command, and more importantly, his total control of sequence and habits. You didn’t call Maddux’s game. He ran it himself.

Then there was the matter of doctoring the baseball. Back in 2006, I had one NL starting pitcher tell me he was positive Maddux cut the ball and one veteran pitching coach tell me the same thing. The quotes then: “I wouldn’t be surprised,” the pitching coach said. “A lot of his cuts are unnatural and you ask how he made the ball move like that.”

The starting pitcher: “It takes a veteran to know how to do it. You can have the worst ball in the world and it won’t do you any good if you don’t know how to use it.”

I’m respecting the code of the game here and not ratting my sources. But you’ve heard of them.

The ensuing arguments will begin about where Maddux belongs in the pantheon of pitching history. I’ll let those who are far more gifted at statistical analysis than I am dig into that subject. But what will stay with me are the 20 consecutive double-digit win seasons for a pitcher with marginal velocity in the steroid era.

The Dodger fans will remember this game story, the 1-0 victory over the Giants on August 13, 2006, that included Maddux dueling Jason Schmidt for eight innings and rookie catcher Russell Martin hitting a home run to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. My story from that game:

http://www.klimaink.com/baseballwriting/mlbgamestories/story11.html

There was also this. That season, when Maddux started April undefeated for the Cubs, he pitched on the day of his 40th birthday at Dodger Stadium. I was in the press box that night and I charted his pitches on a legal pad (ah, time spent hanging out with pitchers in the Northwest League paid off) and wrote this column about it:

http://www.klimaink.com/baseballwriting/mlbessays/essay25.html

So now, Jamie Moyer is all that is left of the once heralded Cubs pitching prospect trio that included Maddux, Moyer and Jeff Pico. Hey, Pico threw hard.

Pedroia, AL MVP...called Seven Years Ago

2008-12-04T19:31:00.000-08:00

Seems like only yesterday Dustin Pedroia was carving himself into Arizona State baseball folklore by offering to return his full scholarship following his team’s loss to Houston in an NCAA regional playoff. With his glove he had used for 12 years covering his face, the second baseman told Coach Pat Murphy: “You can have that (scholarship) back to get a pitcher or anything we need because I want to win and I know what this thing is all about now.”

Who did this guy think he was, Lyman Bostock?

After Pedroia signed his six-year, $40.15 million contract on Wednesday that could keep him the object of worship in Boston until 2014, the story about Pedroia, in effect, offering to return his salary because his team lost in the first round of the playoffs has this ‘Ruth called his Shot’ effect for me, one of those tangible moments early in a player’s career that defines who he is.

More from Murphy, circa 2001: “Baseball’s just part of him. Everybody gives him respect. They know that Dustin’s there an hour before every practice with his uniform on.”

When you do that in college baseball, it makes the guys who work hard look like slackers. No wonder Murphy loved him.

“He’s done that for three years. He’s gotten a lot of attention and he’s won every award you can think of,” Murphy said.

Coach calls AL MVP seven years in advance. Nice work.

“But he’s still there every day early. He’s a throwback and he’s a kid who leads by the way he attacks the game.”

What I respect most about Pedroia is that the same things that were said about him in 2001 will apply in 2009. Maybe he’ll pull a Bostock, who offered to return the first month of salary after signing a new contract because he tanked April.

Winter Brawl

2008-12-04T16:43:00.000-08:00

Erick Aybar: Switch-hitter, throws Right and I hope punches Left.

Word that the Angel infielder went all Juan Marichal in a brawl last Saturday night reminds me of why major league teams hate it when their key players partake in winter ball in Latin America. The Angels, frankly, have had bad luck with this in recent seasons. Manager Mike needs a good book this time of the year to keep his mind clear.

Playing winter ball for their native countries is such a matter of pride for many Latin players that you cannot disrespect their wishes to play at home, often for swank money, hilltop accommodations and the Rock Star treatment.

But when you pit so many guys against each other who have played against each other all the way up – and I mean, not just in pro ball, but also from the sandlots, on the buscone teams, to the Academies – then these winter ball games do not mean what they mean to American players.

For American players, winter ball is like “Fall Ball,” the eternal term for “I just want the at-bats.”

For the Latin players, this is also street creed. This is I made it and I’m back here to show you. If you are a player who has made it from nothing, I can’t disagree with a player’s right to thump his chest and dare kids to come take his job away.

What major league teams hate the most is that they cannot control players they view to be their property – even during the off-season, when many players consider themselves freelance. MLB clubs cannot control owners, fans, crowds, and, ahem, things like gamblers. These are pure cash games. The regimented organization of professional baseball in America takes a backseat to the instincts for survival. This is why Erick Aybar going Juan Marichal shouldn’t shock anyone. It’s not a character flaw, though it would be characterized as such in the states. It’s a survival instinct. But just make sure you throw right and punch left.

Red Murff, 87, Pitcher, Scout, Orator

2008-12-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

Red Murff once told me the story of how he was traded for a bucket of baseballs and bought for a reduced rate because one scout beat the other in a fierce card game. The scout most famous for convincing the New York Mets that Nolan Ryan was worth the flier in 1965, the first year of the baseball draft, passed away last week after a long illness. Murff is one of those guys, where if you had never heard of him and simply punched his name into the computer, you would have found a pitcher with 26 big league games to his credit with the 1956 and 1957 Milwaukee Braves.

But Murff should be remembered for more than that. He was an orator of the game, and yes, some stories had mustard on top. He was a scout, yes, who knew how to recruit the kid and how to employ his birddogs. He knew how to take a chance and how to make you laugh. He loved being an old pitcher and wasn’t afraid to tell you so. He had taken many risks of his own to play pro ball and thought he deserved to tell you why he was gutsy and why he was right. I’ve never met a good scout who wasn’t convinced he was always right about the most important things. That was Murff, with a smile, and a shock of thinning red hair when I interviewed him back in 2002. Farewell, Old Bull. I'll keep my eyes open for the keepers.

Braves add Mr. 2,270

2008-12-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

I love Javier Vasquez's career stat lines. They’re so balanced that he could have a second career as a tightrope walker.

The rangy right-hander has pitched 2,270 career innings and allowed 2,270 hits. That’s about as steady as it gets. His career record is 127-129. He’s allowed the nice round sum of 300 career home runs. His career ERA is 4.32 compared with the league’s composite 4.52 average over his career span. While I’m having fun looking at his numbers, one jumps out, and it’s one of the primary reasons he’s still here: 2,015 strikeouts against 604 walks.

It’s not a bad patch-it-up pick-up for the Braves, who at this point need reliability as much as they need to continue getting younger in the rotation. Jair Jurrjens looks like a keeper (well worth Edgar Renteria: Braves steal young pitcher from Tigers, see Smoltz-Alexander, circa 1987). Jo-Jo Reyes was a yo-yo in 2008, but you can’t bail on a 24-year-old left-hander. Tommy Hanson, the last of the draft-and-follow kids, is going to be in Atlanta by this year. The Braves used to LOVE the draft-and-follow. They were good at it.

And if all else fails, Glavine can learn the knuckleball.

Winter Meetings Primer

2008-12-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

Ah, the Baseball Winter Meetings are almost here. I'm willing to bet that despite the poor economy, countless guys around big-league front offices are clamoring to go to Las Vegas. Usually, the Winter Meetings are just like Vegas, but somewhere else: a Nashville, a Denver, and an Orlando. But nothing matches the Winter Meetings like Vegas. Here in the Dugout, I feel that as a hardened veteran of many Winter Meetings, it is my duty to share with the baseball public exactly what one of these things is all about. They’re really quite overrated. As a baseball friend of mine once said, “What brings you to this jock sniffing extravaganza?”

A glimpse of a common Winter Meetings schedule, Vegas-style:

8:15 AM - Breakfast. Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
9:00 AM - Hit the floor. Pack dip in lower lip. Take last empty coffee cup as spitter.
9:15 AM - Begin sandbagging, lying to, and manipulating media members with lines such as: "I need a starting pitcher and all I have to spend is a bucket of quarters."
9:30 AM - Organizational Meetings, or in industry parlance, "ORG MEETINGS." Here, we discuss which scouts we trust and respect (uh, I mean, which players we want to keep and don't want to keep.) If we send Toledo a lousy Triple-A team, there will be hell to pay.
12 PM - Lunch. Mingle in the lobby. Tell war stories. Hey, look! Over there! It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a Boras!
12:05 PM - Boras holds first press conference. His jeans are pressed. His hair is combed. He likes the lights. Where's ESPN? Oh, yeah, my players to sell...they're ONCE IN A GENERATION SPECIALS!
12:10 PM - That was fast.
1 PM - It's going to take more than a bucket of quarters to get Manny, CC or Tex. Immediately, 25 out of 30 teams drop out. Only teams with buckets of silver dollars need apply.
1:30 PM - Dead time. Everyone holed up in meetings. Gossip and rumors are everywhere. So are Showgirls. Play the slots.
2:15 PM - First big deal goes down: Yakima changes radio announcers...AGAIN.
2:45 PM - Jerry Reinsdorf lights up the first of many stogies he'll burn in public.
3:13 PM - Meetings start to let out. No real news. Doesn't anybody work at these things?
4:08 PM - It's like the circus: the minor league mascots, the reporters, the college intern crowd, and free agent baseball players standing around waiting to sign.
5 PM - 8 PM - Dinner.
8 PM - It's Vegas and these are baseball guys. Get a room already.

COMING SOON! Free Agent Predictions!

Welcome to The Dugout...

2008-12-01T19:13:00.000-08:00

WELCOME TO THE DUGOUT...You may commence spitting.

SEEDS is my first blog, but I have a few goals here inside The Dugout. First of all, I encourage everyone who discovers this to participate. If you like what I write or if you hate it, if you like my style or if you think I'm an idiot for what I write, that's fine. Post it. That is a seed. Let 'em fly.

The common expression for a Seed as a baseball term is, of course, a line drive. But since most of us who love this game enough to do stuff like this couldn't hit them, we spit them instead. Anything baseball is in play in The Dugout: Contemporary issues, history, MLB, minor league, colleges, random fun. I am a populist as far as baseball passions go. Enjoy.