Jays fans have to be excited about the published reports that George Steinbrenner wants to hire Lou Piniella.
Not only would it mean the end of the incredibly successful reign of Joe Torre; not only would it mean replacing Torre's calm, steady hand on the tiller with Piniella's alienating pressure cooker approach; not only would it mean panic is setting in in the Bronx; not only would it mean Steinbrenner is back to sticking his ignorant nose actively into baseball decisions; but it would also mean hefty compensation flowing from the Yankees to the D-Rays. The D-Rays had to part with Randy Winn to get Piniella in the first place; what delights might they wring from the Yanks in mid-season to part with him? Of course, knowing the D-Rays they'll ask for Raul Mondesi or something.
The Yankees, incidentally, are looking to get Bernie Williams back around the All-Star break.
So Mark Bellhorn got traded to the Rockies for Jose Hernandez, very much a challenge trade as both are going to be third basemen. I think the Rockies got the better deal, but the Cubs are trying to win now and rather than try to talk Dusty Baker into giving Bellhorn a further shot this is the easier way out. Dusty isn't going to like those strikeouts, though.
If Major League Baseball is concerned about losing fans, they might want to take a look at exercising some more control over how baseball is covered by the media. Baseball Tonight is a case in point. Reacting to the Bellhorn-Hernandez deal, Baseball Tonight panelist Rob Dibble was asked whether Hernandez would be a good pickup for the Cubs. His answer? "Well... I hope so... they traded for him... he did strike out 186 times... we'll see." That statement isn't just vapid, it's semantically null. No wonder people think baseball is the most boring thing out there, given the goddamn air pockets that are paid to talk about it in the mainstream media.
The Tigers are still on pace to better the modern mark of 120 losses set by the '62 Mets. Having been battered in the still-spacious confines of Comerica Park by the Indians (21 runs in three straight losses), their pitchers now get to go to Coors Field. Yummy. Graphic of the day: ESPN.com's "Clubhouse" for the Tigers features (as it does for all teams) a chart of the three "Top Young Hitters" for the team. Craig Monroe features on the chart for the Tigers. (Of course, Erick Almonte features for the Yankees...)
Kyle Farnsworth might want to concentrate a bit more on keeping his head down. We've all seen the highlights now... after the Reds and Cubs had traded plunkings, Farnsworth threw a fastball high and tight to Cincy starter Paul Wilson as Wilson was attempting to bunt. Words were exchanged, benches were emptied, and Wilson was bloodied rather badly. Farnsworth, who had the ERA of a jetliner last year, was feeling his oats on the mound after the brawl, obviously pleased with himself. Psst... Kyle... what goes around comes around, believe it or not. And Paul Wilson should think twice the next time he rushes a 6-4, 250-pound football player.
Reds bench coach Ray Knight, who was a bit of a red-ass in his playing days, might well be the one egging the Reds on to these brawls. He'll get someone hurt in one of them, no doubt, sooner or later, hopefully not Ken Griffey Jr. again. He always seemed to be in the thick of the brawls as a player, including some memorable ones (like the time he got mad at Eric Davis for stealing third base and began to pummel him right then and there... leading to the famous situation where Jesse Orosco and Roger McDowell played the outfield and swapped back and forth). Read through the boxscore and play-by-play of that game sometime, and tell me if it isn't the strangest thing you've ever seen. Left out of that play-by-play is Pete Rose's ejection for arguing how many warmup pitches Jesse Orosco was allowed, and the protest that was entered over that fact. Baseball Primer reader Mike Mundy remembers the brawl Knight precipitated... giant Dave Parker was apparently picking guys two at a time off the pile, and tossing them aside, but I don't remember this.
The Expos are coming home, bloodied and bent, but unbowed. A win over the Pirates yesterday (their third game in less than 20 hours) meant they ended their 22-game road trip at 8-14. They went 1-8 to start the trip, won six straight, and then lost six in a row before yesterday's win. They're seven behind the Braves but only three behind the Giants and Dodgers for the wild card, and with their schedule much more normal from here on out, they may be able to make up ground once Vlad comes back.
Padres manager Bruce Bochy is shamelessly promoting both Mark Loretta and Rondell White as potential All-Stars. You know what, Bruce? Nobody, not even Padres fans, likes this one-player-per-team rule. At least have the decency to shut up about it.
Still on the Padres, when Rod Beck recorded the save on Sunday (his first since 2001) it was a nice comeback moment... "it's not any more special than any other one," he said, "other than it's been a long time and it's good for my family, because they're the ones who pushed me to come back." One can only assume they were trying to get him the hell out of the trailer.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Cal State-Fullerton shortstop Justin Turner, who took a nasty pitch square in the face yesterday during the College World Series. Those of you who saw the replay will not be able to believe that Turner is "just" badly cut and bruised, and had no broken bones or teeth. His worst injury might be the sprained ankle he suffered while trying to duck.
Not only would it mean the end of the incredibly successful reign of Joe Torre; not only would it mean replacing Torre's calm, steady hand on the tiller with Piniella's alienating pressure cooker approach; not only would it mean panic is setting in in the Bronx; not only would it mean Steinbrenner is back to sticking his ignorant nose actively into baseball decisions; but it would also mean hefty compensation flowing from the Yankees to the D-Rays. The D-Rays had to part with Randy Winn to get Piniella in the first place; what delights might they wring from the Yanks in mid-season to part with him? Of course, knowing the D-Rays they'll ask for Raul Mondesi or something.
The Yankees, incidentally, are looking to get Bernie Williams back around the All-Star break.
So Mark Bellhorn got traded to the Rockies for Jose Hernandez, very much a challenge trade as both are going to be third basemen. I think the Rockies got the better deal, but the Cubs are trying to win now and rather than try to talk Dusty Baker into giving Bellhorn a further shot this is the easier way out. Dusty isn't going to like those strikeouts, though.
If Major League Baseball is concerned about losing fans, they might want to take a look at exercising some more control over how baseball is covered by the media. Baseball Tonight is a case in point. Reacting to the Bellhorn-Hernandez deal, Baseball Tonight panelist Rob Dibble was asked whether Hernandez would be a good pickup for the Cubs. His answer? "Well... I hope so... they traded for him... he did strike out 186 times... we'll see." That statement isn't just vapid, it's semantically null. No wonder people think baseball is the most boring thing out there, given the goddamn air pockets that are paid to talk about it in the mainstream media.
The Tigers are still on pace to better the modern mark of 120 losses set by the '62 Mets. Having been battered in the still-spacious confines of Comerica Park by the Indians (21 runs in three straight losses), their pitchers now get to go to Coors Field. Yummy. Graphic of the day: ESPN.com's "Clubhouse" for the Tigers features (as it does for all teams) a chart of the three "Top Young Hitters" for the team. Craig Monroe features on the chart for the Tigers. (Of course, Erick Almonte features for the Yankees...)
Kyle Farnsworth might want to concentrate a bit more on keeping his head down. We've all seen the highlights now... after the Reds and Cubs had traded plunkings, Farnsworth threw a fastball high and tight to Cincy starter Paul Wilson as Wilson was attempting to bunt. Words were exchanged, benches were emptied, and Wilson was bloodied rather badly. Farnsworth, who had the ERA of a jetliner last year, was feeling his oats on the mound after the brawl, obviously pleased with himself. Psst... Kyle... what goes around comes around, believe it or not. And Paul Wilson should think twice the next time he rushes a 6-4, 250-pound football player.
Reds bench coach Ray Knight, who was a bit of a red-ass in his playing days, might well be the one egging the Reds on to these brawls. He'll get someone hurt in one of them, no doubt, sooner or later, hopefully not Ken Griffey Jr. again. He always seemed to be in the thick of the brawls as a player, including some memorable ones (like the time he got mad at Eric Davis for stealing third base and began to pummel him right then and there... leading to the famous situation where Jesse Orosco and Roger McDowell played the outfield and swapped back and forth). Read through the boxscore and play-by-play of that game sometime, and tell me if it isn't the strangest thing you've ever seen. Left out of that play-by-play is Pete Rose's ejection for arguing how many warmup pitches Jesse Orosco was allowed, and the protest that was entered over that fact. Baseball Primer reader Mike Mundy remembers the brawl Knight precipitated... giant Dave Parker was apparently picking guys two at a time off the pile, and tossing them aside, but I don't remember this.
The Expos are coming home, bloodied and bent, but unbowed. A win over the Pirates yesterday (their third game in less than 20 hours) meant they ended their 22-game road trip at 8-14. They went 1-8 to start the trip, won six straight, and then lost six in a row before yesterday's win. They're seven behind the Braves but only three behind the Giants and Dodgers for the wild card, and with their schedule much more normal from here on out, they may be able to make up ground once Vlad comes back.
Padres manager Bruce Bochy is shamelessly promoting both Mark Loretta and Rondell White as potential All-Stars. You know what, Bruce? Nobody, not even Padres fans, likes this one-player-per-team rule. At least have the decency to shut up about it.
Still on the Padres, when Rod Beck recorded the save on Sunday (his first since 2001) it was a nice comeback moment... "it's not any more special than any other one," he said, "other than it's been a long time and it's good for my family, because they're the ones who pushed me to come back." One can only assume they were trying to get him the hell out of the trailer.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Cal State-Fullerton shortstop Justin Turner, who took a nasty pitch square in the face yesterday during the College World Series. Those of you who saw the replay will not be able to believe that Turner is "just" badly cut and bruised, and had no broken bones or teeth. His worst injury might be the sprained ankle he suffered while trying to duck.
