Today is the non-tender deadline, and of course the Cubs are going to keep all their crappy players even though there are kids in the farm waiting for a shot.  Whatevers.  But this is pretty much as good a time as any to start the next season's thread, so have at it!

To my surprise, and maybe everyone elses, Jayson Werth is a Nat. He chose to stay in the NL East at the tune of 126 million for 7 years.
Interesting to see what the Phils do now; play Brown in right or try to sign someone.Whatever they do they need to replace a right hand
stick. Brown hits from the left side of the plate, they are lacking right hand hitters.

The Indians are probably going to be The AL's Farm Team like last year...unless that Winter Wonderland at Progressive Field makes some Benjamins between Thanksgiving and New Years, then we may be able to keep some good players and maybe we can have Winter Wonderland next year too if it's a hit.

To my surprise, and maybe everyone elses, Jayson Werth is a Nat. He chose to stay in the NL East at the tune of 126 million for 7 years.
Interesting to see what the Phils do now; play Brown in right or try to sign someone.Whatever they do they need to replace a right hand
stick. Brown hits from the left side of the plate, they are lacking right hand hitters.


Honestly I thought the Nats overpaid and I'm wondering whether it was wise anyway since they have a lot of holes to fill.  Seems like they have buttloads of money though and are making runs at first basemen and pitchers.  Very surprising.

Honestly I thought the Nats overpaid and I'm wondering whether it was wise anyway since they have a lot of holes to fill.  Seems like they have buttloads of money though and are making runs at first basemen and pitchers.  Very surprising.


I too think they overpaid. I think they, as well as Jayson, will find out that sometimes a player fits a team. I think Werth's full potential
was reached in Philadelphia. Hitting behind Howard and in front of Ibanez did a lot for his stats. Also, the Nats stadium isn't as hitter
friendly as Citizen's Bank Park. We'll see.

Cliff Lee has been mentioned in the same sentence as the Nats, any possibility?

I too think they overpaid. I think they, as well as Jayson, will find out that sometimes a player fits a team. I think Werth's full potential
was reached in Philadelphia. Hitting behind Howard and in front of Ibanez did a lot for his stats. Also, the Nats stadium isn't as hitter
friendly as Citizen's Bank Park. We'll see.

Cliff Lee has been mentioned in the same sentence as the Nats, any possibility?


Honestly I think Cliff Lee goes to either the Yankees or stays with the Rangers.  I think he'll probably stay with Texas because it's closer to his home in Arkansas.  But the Nats are so spend-happy this offseason that I wouldn't be surprised.  The only thing is that aside from Ryan Zimmerman and now Werth there's nobody on that team that can get the team in contention mode in 2011, especially since Strasburg is out until next season.  So I don't see Cliff Lee going to a short-term non-contender as his peak goes away and he starts declining. 

I wish the Cubs would've just saved their money instead of signing Carlos Pena, but that's the Cubs for ya.  Pena should be fun though, but I'm sure the Cubs fans will boo the hell out of him since he strikes out so much despite getting on base at a high clip.

Cliff Lee has been mentioned in the same sentence as the Nats, any possibility?



Honestly I think Cliff Lee goes to either the Yankees or stays with the Rangers.  I think he'll probably stay with Texas because it's closer to his home in Arkansas.

Well...apparently he did neither. I heard last night that he was going back to the Phillies, after declining offers by the Yankees and Rangers. I was hoping he'd stay with Texas, but I'm certainly glad he didn't go to the Yanks.

Lucky Loki!  HAHAHA...

Hell yeah! As a Philadelphia, I'm ecstaitc!  http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/02/beerchug.gif

Now to make the New Yorkers feel even worse, I need Mike Vick and the Eagles to defeat the Giants for basically the NFC East Title.

Hideki Matsui goes to the Oakland A's after spending a single season with the Angels (who'd signed him for a one-year contract upon acquiring him).

Lucky Loki!  HAHAHA...


Hell yes, I was really surprised when I heard Cliff Lee was coming back. still being the pessimistic Philadelphia sports fan though
I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. I trying to figure out what the hell they'll do to screw this up.

Hell yes, I was really surprised when I heard Cliff Lee was coming back. still being the pessimistic Philadelphia sports fan though
I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. I trying to figure out what the hell they'll do to screw this up
Do you really think they would trade one of the three aces at this point? If anything will happen to overshaddow the Lee signing in Philadelphia, it is the Eagles signing Michael Vick to a long term contract. You know how the Eagles coincidently make big news when the Phillies are the hot topic....

Hell yes, I was really surprised when I heard Cliff Lee was coming back. still being the pessimistic Philadelphia sports fan though
I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. I trying to figure out what the hell they'll do to screw this up.


I think they're trying to trade Joe Blanton to create payroll space.  At this point they could either keep Blanton as their #5 starter or just insert anybody there and the Phillies would still win 100 games.

Kerry Wood --> Cubs for 1 year, $1.5M.  DIRT CHEAP.

Kerry Wood --> Cubs for 1 year, $1.5M.  DIRT CHEAP.

Oh my goodness, he's back with the Cubs now?! :o :o

I knew he was a free agent, after spending half a year with the NYY, but... who knew?

Do you really think they would trade one of the three aces at this point?


It's not that. At 15 you haven't experienced the horror Philadelphia franchises can inflict upon we fans. I have been a fan of
all the Philadelphia teams for a long time. I remember the bus trips to Connie Mack Stadium, the frozen bleachers of Franklin
Field. I witnessed the tight fisted shenanigans of Leonard Tose and Norman Braman. I remember Reggie White, Charles Barkley,
Scott Rolen and countless others counting the days for their departure; Curt Flood and J.D. Drew refusing to play here. I am
used to the idea of Philadelphia sports to be competetive but not able to win the big one. Now that they are doing the opposite,
something I've been waiting 40+ years for, it's just hard to believe. They want to win and players want to come, hopefully the
Eagles will follow suit.

Looks like Zack Greinke, a long-time Kansas City Royal, will be heading to the Brew Crew.

It's not that. At 15 you haven't experienced the horror Philadelphia franchises can inflict upon we fans. I have been a fan of
all the Philadelphia teams for a long time. I remember the bus trips to Connie Mack Stadium, the frozen bleachers of Franklin
Field. I witnessed the tight fisted shenanigans of Leonard Tose and Norman Braman. I remember Reggie White, Charles Barkley,
Scott Rolen and countless others counting the days for their departure; Curt Flood and J.D. Drew refusing to play here. I am
used to the idea of Philadelphia sports to be competetive but not able to win the big one. Now that they are doing the opposite,
something I've been waiting 40+ years for, it's just hard to believe. They want to win and players want to come, hopefully the
Eagles will follow suit.


BWAHAHAHA...funny you say that, given the Giants' collapse today.  Philly >>>>> NY/NJ right now.

New HOFers = Roberto Alomar + Bert Blyleven.

^ Excellent. O0 O0


By the way, the Dodgers are now set to begin their season on the same day that most teams will: Thursday, March 31st. (Not the next day, as originally scheduled.) This means they will have an idle date on Monday April 4th.

Cubs acquire Matt Garza and two lumps in exchange for almost their entire farm system.

Suffice it to say that Rice Cube is very displeased.

2010 World Series MVP Edgar Renteria is reportedly going to the Cincinnati Reds. (Well, he had free agency this offseason.)

It's the second straight year in which the World Series MVP signs with a new team the following year. (Hideki Matsui, the MVP of the '09 Series, went from the Yankees to the Angels. He, too, was a free agent after the season ended.)

Trevor Hoffman, the all-time career saves leader (with 601), has announced his retirement.

The Rays now have 11 of the first 89 picks in this year's draft due in large part to compensation from departed free agents.  It must be nice to be an organization with a solid baseball plan.

...and now they're gonna try to get Johnny Damon (who just spent a single season with the Detroit Tigers) to fill the void left by Carl Crawford (who went to Boston). If they don't get him, I guess one of their newly acquired outfielders can get the position.

The AL East is evil.

The Red Sox steal Adrian Gonzalez and get Carl Crawford.

The Blue Jays just fleeced the Angels to save $80M and get some useful pieces back in Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera.  They also have a ton of comp picks in this year's draft.

The Rays fleece the Cubs with Garza and basically kill our farm system, then use the money they saved NOT paying Garza to sign Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez.  They also have a bazillion comp picks in this year's draft.

And the Yankees are the Yankees.

Ridiculous.

The AL East is evil.

The Red Sox steal Adrian Gonzalez and get Carl Crawford.

The Blue Jays just fleeced the Angels to save $80M and get some useful pieces back in Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera.  They also have a ton of comp picks in this year's draft.

I heard about that yesterday on MLB Network. What a shame (in some regard); I liked Napoli and Rivera. In return, the Angels got Vernon Wells from the Jays. This means that their primary catcher will likely be Jeff Mathis, with Hank Conger and Bobby Wilson as possible backups. And with Matsui gone, Bobby Abreu will be their likely DH.

I know it was announced earlier this week, but former Boston Redsox teammates Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez are now reunited, as both have signed one-year deals with the Tampa Bay Rays. Damon will likely play left field, and Manny will likely be the DH.

It's not that. At 15 you haven't experienced the horror Philadelphia franchises can inflict upon we fans. I have been a fan of
all the Philadelphia teams for a long time. I remember the bus trips to Connie Mack Stadium, the frozen bleachers of Franklin
Field. I witnessed the tight fisted shenanigans of Leonard Tose and Norman Braman. I remember Reggie White, Charles Barkley,
Scott Rolen and countless others counting the days for their departure; Curt Flood and J.D. Drew refusing to play here. I am
used to the idea of Philadelphia sports to be competetive but not able to win the big one. Now that they are doing the opposite,
something I've been waiting 40+ years for, it's just hard to believe. They want to win and players want to come, hopefully the
Eagles will follow suit.
I've also haven't seen the glory days of Philly sports from 1974-1983. I have only 1 championship so far

Andy Pettitte will not be pitching anymore; that's because he has decided to retire from MLB. This leaves a hole in the NYY starting rotation. They have Cc Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and AJ Burnett as likely starters, but they will need to decide on two others. Bartolo Colon, who recently signed a deal with them, might be a candidate.

It has just been reported that Vladimir Guerrero will be playing for the Baltimorioles this year; he has just signed a 1-year deal with them.

Pitchers and catchers already reported, position players this Saturday.  BASEBALL!!!!

Oh yeah, Pujols might become a free agent.

http://chicagocubsonline.com/Pujols.jpg

For some reason, I just can't see him playing in a jersey other than that of the Cardinals.

Spring training is now underway! Earlier today the Giants were torturing the Dodgers... and the Phillies and Yankees were playing their first game in the Grapefruit League (edit: Phils won this game).

MLB regular season begins tomorrow! Go Dodgers!!

(In their final exhibition game this year, they are leading the Seattle Mariners 4-0 in the 4th on last check, but I hope they can win...even though it doesn't count. Edit: they ended up winning it 8-1.)

Dodgers win their home opener 2-1 over the Giants, with Don Mattingly picking up his first official managerial win. Clayton Kershaw pitched 7 scoreless innings, striking out 9 batters. The Jints' only run was a solo homer by Pat Burrell in the 9th inning off Jon Broxton with one out. Thankfully Broxton was able to shut the door.

LAD won again last night, 4-3! They still have yet to hit a home run. Hopefully they will do that in today's game, which starts right now.

...and they didn't score any at all today. Gints got a whopping ten runs in today's game, though.

Dodgers finally hit a home run last nite, namely Matt Kemp... en route to a 7-5 victory over the Giants to take the series 3 games to 1.

Tigers, in a home-run slugfest, avert a sweep by the Yankees, defeating them 10-7.

Tampa Bay Rays: winless in their first 5 games. Boston Redsox: almost the same thing.

Texas Rangers: undefeated in their first 5 games.

Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox are now goose-egg and six. I hope that both teams can finally win soon.

Texas Rangers are now the only unbeaten team, at 6-0.

Red Sox finally won a game earlier today! And they beat the NYY in order to do it! :D

Also, Manny Ramirez has decided to call it a career, after spending a brief period of time with the Tampas.

...apparently, Manny retired because he would have faced another suspension for violating the drug policy if he continued playing; he apparently tested positive for another performance-enhancing drug. ::) 8-P

Well, after the Giants and Dodgers took the field together on Monday night to address the crowd before the game (in light of the beating incident that had taken place on opening day; Giants pitcher Jeremy Affeldt and Dodgers infielder Jamey Carroll spoke about the teams' rivalry and that it should be confined to the field), Clayton Kershaw extended his scoreless innings streak against the Giants to 23 2/3 innings, winning that game 6-1 (SF scored on a 9th-inning home run by Pat Burrell). And then last night, Jints won 5-4 after taking the lead in the 7th inning.

The Indians Lost after an 8-game win...

Well...at least I'm NOT The Mets....

okXhAC78d4Q

Dodgers have already gotten bombed in TWO games by the Cardinals (including a pair of home runs by Lance Berkman and a pair of home runs by Albert Pujols in last nite's game), and now have a four-game skid. 8-P I don't know what got into them, but it sure isn't pleasant.

Dodgers finally won one today. After Chad Billingsley struck out 11 St. Louis batters and went 8 scoreless innings and Chris Carpenter also put up zeros for most of the game, Jonathan Broxton came on in the 9th and gave up a run to make it 1-0 STL... but in the bottom of the 9th, Cardinals' closer Ryan Franklin issued a leadoff double to Andre Ethier and a towering home run to Matt Kemp (who had already gone deep off him earlier in his career) and L.A. won it 2-1. :) :D


Oh, and the Minnesota Twins made a personnel change over the weekend... they removed Joe Nathan from the closer role (he'd been ineffective since returning from TJ surgery, which kept him out all of last year) and replaced him with Matt Capps.

Dice K of the Redsox finally wins a game this season, as does Ted Lilly of the Dodgers... although Lilly had gone 7 innings without allowing a run, but good ol' Broxton nearly screws it up in the 9th.

Dodgers won last night 6-1 over the Atlanta Braves (after suffering a brutal 10-1 defeat Tuesday night, with 8 of Atlanta's runs coming in the 9th inning off poor L.A. relief pitching). This gives rookie manager Don Mattingly a well-deserved birthday present (he turned 50 yesterday), and best of all, Jon Garland pitched a complete game.

In other news, the control of the L.A. Dodger franchise is being transferred from owner Frank McCourt to a MLB representative to oversee all aspects of the business and the team's day-to-day operations.

Ugh, I am so mad right now! Jon Garland pitched 7 strong innings and left the game with a 4-2 lead against the Marlins. But then Jon Broxton enters the game with a one-run lead (Vicente Padilla had given up a run in the 8th) and gets two quick outs...but then he issues a walk to Emilio Bonifacio, who later scores after an error is made, and then they knock in the winning run. >:( This is NOT the first time that Jonathan Broxton has expletived up upon inheriting a one-run lead. Seems like the manager and pitching coach just don't seem to understand that Broxton is not effective as a closer...and I bet most L.A. fans would think so too.

Dodgers salvaged a game in Florida this afternoon (local time). They were down 4-0 in the middle of the game, and then Rod Barajas hit a 3-run homer and then Juan Uribe later came off the bench and knocked in the tying run. Matt Guerrier preserved a 4-4 tie in the 9th but almost lost it with runners on second and third with one out, but struck out the next two guys. And then Andre Ethier (who earlier in the game extended his hitting streak to 24 games) began the 10th inning by hitting a solo homer; Vicente Padilla pitched the bottom of the 10th to nail down his first save in 10 1/2 years. I think Mattingly should make Padilla the closer.

Dodgers are in a deeper hole now, although Broxton being on the DL is no huge loss to the team. Substitute closer Vicente Padilla might also go back on, leaving not very many options for Mattingly in the bullpen.

Well...yesterday was a pretty good day in MLB for the first series of games of interleague play this year...

Dodgers, down 3-2 to the Whitesox in the 9th with two outs, fought back, with low-hitting Russ Mitchell hitting a solo homer to tie up the game (off of ace reliever Sergio Santos, who had not allowed a run up until this point) and getting three more in the 10th inning (courtesy of veteran infielder Juan Castro, who was not hitting at all this year) to win 6-4.

Red Sox pounded the Chicago Cubs, who were playing in Fenway Park for the first time since the 1918 World Series, by a score of 15-5.

Astros played the Bluejays in Toronto for the first time ever, and overcame a 2-0 deficit to win 5-2.

Ervin Santana of the Angels pitched a complete-game shutout against the Atlanta Braves (who had come to Angel Stadium for the first time three years ago), not allowing any Braves runner to reach second base; and the Angels piled on nine runs to win 9-goose egg.

The Washington Nationals' offense exploded for 17 runs against the Baltimorioles, who only scored 5, in the first game of the "Beltway Series" this year.

Cubs came back to win yesterday's game in Boston...but not without Marlon Byrd getting beaned with a pitch and having to come out of the game. :-\\

So...last night's Reds-Phillies game went 19 innings, with Philly winning 5-4 on a walk-off sacrifice fly. The winning pitcher was Philly second-baseman Wilson Valdez. It was the first time in 11 years that a position player pitched in a major league game and earned a win (Brent Mayne in 2000 for the Colorado Rockies was the last such player to do that).

Dodgers won their game last night against the Marlins, 3-2, on a bases-loaded, nobody-out single up the middle by pinch hitter Dioner Navarro.

I'll be going to the game tonight with my family; apparently my uncle received some free tickets last week, so the four of us (me, my parents, and uncle) are gonna go. Hopefully they'll do well with me present!

...and alas, they did not win last night. The Marlins jumped on Hiroki Kuroda for 2 runs in the first, and scored 6 altogether...and the Dodgers managed only one run. But hey, I certainly enjoyed being at the stadium. In addition, we sat almost behind home plate, in the Loge level, which is below the club level (where the press box and special facilities are located).

Today's game, however, was a different story, as Clayton Kershaw pitched a complete game shutout (the second of his career; his only other one was achieved on September 14 of last year in SF against the Gints) as L.A. won 8-0. 8)

I'm kind of disappointed in Major League Baseball especially the team in Washington DC. Today being Memorial Day
it is one of the days MLB brings out the hats with the American flag logo. The Nationals day uniforms also contain
the flag in it's logo, doesn't MLB realize that this practice violates the Flag Code.

(j) No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed
to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations

Get with baseball, honor the troops but don't violate a code to do it it sort of defeats the purpose.

They're also ugly, Loki.

BTW, the Cubs still suck.

They're also ugly, Loki.


I think so too. The Dodgers' caps, which were said to be a "navy blue", initially looked black to me...and the Rockies' caps were red (which is nowhere near that team's colors).

Dodgers overcame a 7-2 deficit in the 8th inning in Cincy today, and went on to defeat the Reds in 11 innings, 11-8. It was only the fourth time since moving to L.A. in 1958 that the Dodgers have rallied from a deficit of 5+ runs and went on to win a game. The biggest contribution by the Dodgers in this game was a grand slam by Matt Kemp, who hit a grand slam to tie it up in the 8th.

So...the Phillies have the best record in MLB now, even after losing to the Dodgers today, 6-2. New L.A. starter Rubby De La Rosa (filling in for Jon Garland, who is back on the D.L.) threw 96 pitches over 5 innings to pick up the win.

Dodgers and Padres tied for last place in NL West. Does not look good for my team at all. :-\\

Dodgers won yesterday and today in Colorado to split the 4-game series right down the middle...and finish a ten-game roadtrip at 5-5. Now they come home to play 3 games with the Cincinnati Reds, with the exact same pitchers that were used between the teams not too long ago in Cincinnati. Bronson Arroyo vs. Hiroki Kuroda tomorrow night; Jonny Cueto vs. Clayton Kershaw Tuesday night; Travis Wood vs. Chad Billingsley on Wednesday afternoon. The same three pairs of starting pitchers were used on June 3-5 in Cincy, in that order. So it's like a rematch!

Derek Jeter goes on the DL, six hits shy of 3,000... which means he won't reach the milestone until maybe sometime *after* the All-Star break. :-\\

I am so disgusted with the Dodgers right now. They have not yet won a home game this month, and are now GOOSE EGG and 5 on their current 12-game homestand. What's worse, they are playing against the Houston Astros, the team with the worst record in the majors. Part of this has to do with Don Mattingly making stupid managerial decisions, putting in the wrong guys to bat, pitch, whatever. When is he gonna wake up and smell the coffee? Is the team gonna wait until they're in last place before firing him? They get guys on, but can't score them. :\'( :\'( And the pitching staff is weak, too. I just don't know why they can't seem to win anymore. :-\\
Edit: As if an injury to catcher Rod Barajas helps... :P

...well, they actually won one today. A 1-0 victory over Houston.


Also, Florida Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez resigns, and is replaced by none other than Jack McKeon, who had managed the team to a World Series title in 2003.

Braves pulled one out against texas yesterday. Inconsistency is killing me. Hope chipper gets healthy soon, we don't seem to have a solution for 3B and we ned his bat.

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw went the distance again and blanked the Tigers 4-zip last night. 8) Kershaw even helped his own cause by knocking in a couple of runs in the 8th inning. He'd also gotten a hit earlier in the game, but could not score.

Hmmm...I guess winning 4 straight games is not in the cards for the Dudgers this year. :-\\ Today they failed to complete a sweep of the Detroit Tigers, after Ted Silly (or Ted Lilly) gave up home runs to three different Detroit batters. L.A. is, reportedly, the only team that has not yet achieved a winning streak of 4 or more games this season, and that seems to have something to do with the pitching, and maybe lack of clutch hitting; I'm not exactly sure. Whatever it is, I hope they can do that at some point...and get back up to the .500 mark before it's too late!

nally-what's the story with that dodgers TV deal? Its been out of the news for a couple days.

nally-what's the story with that dodgers TV deal? Its been out of the news for a couple days.

Frank McCourt (or as some people call him, Frank McCrook) proposed one, but it was rejected. This was in the whole mess with his divorce trial, and argument over ownership of the team. Multitudes of fans have been very unhappy with this issue (including me), and hope that someone else can buy the team. It's all a complicated mess right now.

Dodgers salvaged a game of the Freeway Series in Dodger Stadium yesterday by defeating the Angels 3-2 on a walkoff single by Tony Gwynn Jr. In the top of the 9th inning, Vernon Wells (who came into this at-bat having struck out three times in the game) hit a solo homer off Clayton Kershaw to give the Angels a 2-1 lead, but the Dodgers struck back in the bottom of the 9th. Aaron Miles, coming off the bench to bat for Kershaw, hit a sacrifice fly to score pinch runner Dee Gordon, who was oh-so-close to being tagged out at home for the third out, and then Gwynn knocked home the winning run. This ends a 6-game home losing streak to the Angels dating back to May 24, 2009.

In other news...the Detroit Tigers retired uniform #11, which had been worn by the late Sparky Anderson during his days as manager of the team. These festivities occurred prior to the start of the team's finale of their series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Dodgers won yesterday in Minnesota against the Twins, for the first time since the deciding game of the 1965 World Series! This time they handed the Twinkies a huge goose-egg, winning 15-0. What's more, every player in the Dodger lineup had at least one hit to his name; first time ever in L.A. Dodger history. (IOW, there were no O-fers.) It all began with a leadoff single by Tony Gwynn Jr. (who went on to get three total hits); he'd knocked in the winning run of Sunday's game (and was piled on by his teammates as a congratulation)! Gwynn was great in the field too; he made a strong throw from the outfield, cut off by Dee Gordon, who threw to the plate to tag out Alexi Casilla, who would have scored the only run had the throw not been in time, to end an inning.

I wonder how they're gonna do tonight with Ted Silly on the mound; I'm not counting on anything.

Braves are rockin' STRONG. Hope we can carry this through/after the break.

Glad that the Dodgers won the opener of a series in Anaheim against the Angels, for the other half of the Freeway Series, and gave Hiroki Kuroda his first win since mid-May. Tonight it'll be a rematch of last Sunday's pitchers: Jered Weaver for the Angels and Clayton Kershaw.

...and Kershaw was not his usual self last night. :( He gave up more runs than he is used to giving up, that's for sure. One other thing, shortstop Dee Gordon committed TWO errors... and made a tag on an Angels baserunner, but the umpires didn't see the tag and called the runner safe! Said runner also ended up scoring, as did the two baserunners behind him. What a raw deal. When Rafael Furcal gets reinstated from the D.L., Mattingly should send Gordon back down to the minors. Yes, Gordon is speedy and all, but he's not totally ready for fielding yet.

The DUD-gers are now cellar dwellers in the N.L. West division. Me unhappy. Many of the fans (including myself) feel that the ownership is partly to blame.

Derek Jeter is now at 2,998 career hits. When will he get his next hit? Not tonight, as the game has been rained out and will be made up when the Rays return to Yankee Stadium in September.

Derek Jeter is now at 2,998 career hits. When will he get his next hit? Not tonight, as the game has been rained out and will be made up when the Rays return to Yankee Stadium in September.
Derek Jeter becomes the first New York Yankee to reach 3,000 career hits with a home run in the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Derek Jeter becomes the first New York Yankee to reach 3,000 career hits with a home run in the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays.

...and he received a curtain call. He would go 5-for-5 in the game, bringing his total to 3,003. What's more, he helped his team to a victory.

And now today he is up to 3,004; he had one hit in four at-bats.


Dodgers did something for the first time this year: achieved a 4-game winning streak, by sweeping the Padres in Dodger Stadium (and this was their first sweep achieved this year). What's more, by sweeping the 3-game series from the Pods, they send them back into the basement, thus going into the All-Star Break not in the cellar. (But they are still 10 games below .500!)

Glad to see the N.L. win back-to-back All-Star games for the first time since the mid-1990's. Prince Fielder's 3-run homer to put his league on top earned him MVP honors.


In other news...the Milwaukee Brewers have acquired ace relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez from the Mets, for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Over the All-Star break, the Dodgers acquired Juan Rivera from the Blue Jays in exchange for a player-to-be-named-later or cash considerations. To include him on the roster, they designated Marcus Thames for assignment, which I think was a good choice, since he wasn't playing very well at all. And in Rivera's Dodger debut last night, he hit the first pitch he saw for a home run over the left field wall to put his new team on the board. L.A. won the game, 6-4. (All of Arizona's runs were unearned.)

Oh, one other thing... Pittsburgh Pirates lead the N.L. Central division! Who'da thunk it?

Dodgers have now won two games since the All Star break, and both of their victories belong to Clayton Kershaw, who fanned a dozen Giants batters today to bring his league-leading total to 167.

Dodgers got their first non-Kershaw win last night, walkoff style against the Washington Nationals. Final score: 7-6. Nats had taken an early 6-2 lead, but they didn't do any more scoring after that. Dodgers got up to 6-5, courtesy of pitcher Ted Lilly doubling in two runs and then pinchrunner Eugenio Velez scoring the tying run on a wild pitch a couple innings later.

And in the Bronx, Hideki Matsui (now a member of the Oakland Athletics) greeted his former team with a home run en route to a 4-3 victory over the E.E., with Rich Harden picking up the win. A few days ago, Matsui had hit his 500th career home run at the professional level, but it was only his 168th in the Major Leagues. (The other 332 were in Japan.)

Seattle Mariners: losers of 16 games in a row. :P


Final score in Arlington: Texas Rangers 20, Minnesota Twins 6. (I know it looks more like a football score, but those are the exact run totals.) Minnesota called on third baseman Michael Cuddyer to pitch an inning (which he did, allowing no additional runs).

So, yesterday, Ervin Santana of the L.A. Angels pitched a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians, but did allow an unearned run. And the Seattle Mariners ended their 17-game losing streak by defeating the Evil Empire 9-2.

R.I.P to former Yankee pitcher Hideki Irabu  who may have taken his own life at age 42.

St Louis slugger Albert Pujols notches the 2,000th hit of his career, becoming the 263rd Major League Baseball player to reach the milestone.

^ WTG Albert!


Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence accepted a trade yesterday to the Philadelphia Phillies for two minor league prospects.

Cc-ya-later Sabathia: still winless against the Redsox this year. This includes a loss today, at Fenway Park, in which the Sox won 10-4.

I am so disappointed with my L.A. Dudger team right now. They can't keep a 6-0 lead, and they can't seem to beat the Phillies (who still hold the best record in the majors). At least the Padres have been losing to help keep my team from going into the basement. :-\\

Dodgers won last night to end a 4-game skid and guarantee the Houston Astros no winning record this year. They did so in the 10th inning, with Matt Kemp knocking in the only run of the game, after failing to cash in a 9th-inning leadoff triple by Juan Rivera and loading up the bases.

Cc Sabathia has now lost two straight; he issued five solo homers to the Tampa Ray Bays (this accounted for Tampa's only runs).

Well... Dan Uggla's 33-game hitting streak came to an end on Sunday, but he started a new one the next day.

Also, the Dodgers swept a 3-game series from the Astros (outscoring them 14-1 in the series) before heading off to Milwaukee, where they were blanked yesterday but I think Matt Kemp felt that he was tagged out AFTER touching home plate in the 2nd inning (rather than being nailed on a triple play).

So Jim Thome is the newest member of the 600 Career Home Runs Club. He hit his 601st today.

Dodgers-Rockies game was not televised by any station, not even tape-delayed (and I'd gladly smite Fox Network for that), but I watched the play-by-play online and saw my team lose in extra innings for the first time this year. :-\\ On the plus side, Trent Oeltjen hit an inside-the-park home run in the 12th inning (which put L.A. up 6-4, but that lead evaporated in the bottom of the 12th).

Dodgers looked like they were gonna lose yet another game in the confines of St. Louis' Busch Stadium (where they hadn't won since the 2009 NL Division Series), but after rallying from a 1-0 deficit in the 9th inning (given them by a Lance Berkman home run early in the game), they hung on to beat the Cardinals 2-1, with Javy Guerra back to his old self, getting the save.

...and this afternoon L.A. completed a three-game sweep of the Cardinals! This is the first time in 18 years that the Dodgers have swept the Cardinals in St. Louis in a series of at least three games. (A very young Pedro Martinez was a member of that 1993 Dodger team.) In this series, the Dodgers outscored the Cardinals 24 to 7, with 13 of their runs coming in a huge blast yesterday (giving Clayton Kershaw his 16th win of the season) and 9 of them today (giving Hiroki Kuroda double-figures in the win column; he has done much better in the past month than in the previous three; the fact that his team has given him ample run support certainly helps).

Mike Flanagan, a former Cy Young winner and part of the Baltimore Orioles 1983 World Series championship team, has died. He was 59.

Authorities found a body outside Flanagan's home in Monkton, Md. on Wednesday afternoon. Hours later, the Orioles confirmed that Flanagan – who served the team as a pitcher, front office executive and television broadcaster – was dead.
Flanagan was a crafty left-hander who went 167-143 with a 3.90 ERA over 18 seasons with Baltimore and Toronto. He didn't possess an overpowering fastball, but won a fair share of games by depending on a slow curve, a sinker and a changeup.

Flanagan received the Cy Young Award with the Orioles in 1979 after going 23-9 with a 3.08 ERA and five shutouts. The Orioles lost the World Series that year in seven games to Pittsburgh.

"We were a family," former teammate and Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer said after doing the Orioles telecast Wednesday night. "It's devastating."

Flanagan also played for Baltimore's 1983 championship team, finishing 12-4 despite missing nearly three months with ligament damage in his left knee.

He was 141-116 with Baltimore and is a member of the team's Hall of Fame. Flanagan was also the final Oriole to pitch at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore's home from 1954-1991.

^ R.I.P. Mike Flanagan. :\'( :\'( I happen to have a few of his baseball cards (from his later years).

Yankees hit 3 grand slams en route to a 22-9 victory over the Oakland A's today; it was the first time ever in the modern era of MLB that a team has hit 3 grand slams in one game.

And in other news, Jim Thome is going back to the team he began his career with 20 years ago...the Cleveland Indians.

^ R.I.P. Mike Flanagan. :\'( :\'( I happen to have a few of his baseball cards (from his later years).

I have some too.

I have some too.

I read in the newspaper that Mr. Flanagan reportedly took his own life....due to "money problems." :\'(

First 20-game winner in the Major Leagues this year: Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers.

100th RBI of the season for L.A. Dodgers centerfielder Matt Kemp: a walk-off home run in the 11th inning, to give his team a come-from-behind 7-6 victory over the Rockies.

Last night, Clayton Kershaw became the first 17-game winner for the Dodgers in 11 years. The last Dodger pitcher to win 17 or more games in a season was Chan Ho Park, who did so in 2000.
Kershaw did not have his best stuff, especially in the earlier innings (striking out only two batters in the first six innings), but he settled down and managed to pitch a complete game, striking out five total batters, bringing his N.L.-leading total to 212.

Dodgers have completed a sweep of the Padres; the second one this year, both at Dodger Stadium (the other one occurred right before the All Star break). And they have overtaken the Colorado Rockies for 3rd place in the NL West division, but still have a losing record. Now it's on to Pittsburgh to make up a rained-out game from May. And then to Atlanta, Washington DC, and San Francisco, in that order. In other words, 11 games in 11 days in 4 different ballparks.

Dodgers have now won 6 in a row for the first time this year (and 11 out of their last 12)... while the Padres have lost 9 in a row (just like they were doing a year ago at this time).

Zach Stewart of the Chicago White Sox was near perfect against the Minnesota Twins tonight...but settles for a complete-game shutout instead, allowing only one hit (which came in the eighth inning).

Stephen Strasburg made his first start of 2011 yesterday in D.C. against the Dodgers, and was limited to 60 pitches since he just came back from Tommy John Surgery. He pitched 5 innings against the Dodgers, threw 56 total pitches, and didn't allow any runs. He could have won, since he left the game with a 3-0 lead, but the bullpen could not hold it... and L.A. ended up winning 7-3.

Second game of LAD-WSH doubleheader canned due to inclement weather in D.C. ...Silly rain. Word is, said game will be made up on Thursday Sept. 29 only if it has an effect on the standings. But the good news is that my team won the first game (played in the daytime, as originally scheduled for today), 7-4.

Dodgers now back at .500 for the first time since May 2nd...a span of four months! They sent the Giants plunging even further in the standings, now 9 1/2 back of the first place Arizona Deebacks, who beat the last place Padres in extra innings.

Yankees have lost 4 in a row now...including two to the Angels, who handed Ccyalater Sabathia his first loss since last month. But the Boston Redsox lost to Tampa to remain 2 1/2 back in the AL East.

Pittsburgh Pirates have guaranteed a 19th straight losing season, by losing to the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday for their 82nd loss of the year. And to think, they had actually done quite well earlier in the season, even topping the NL Central division for a few days. The Pirates will come to Dodger Stadium for a four-game weekend series, where the Dodgers averted a sweep at the hands of the Arizona Dbacks, 3-2. In that game, Clayton Kershaw was brilliant through 5 innings, until he struck Gerardo Parra with a pitch to lead off the 6th inning, whereupon he was ejected without warning (to the chagrin of thousands of fans). Still, Kershaw's lead was preserved by the bullpen, and he won his 19th.

Phillies clinched a playoff spot a couple days ago (they will either win the NL East division or the NL Wildcard; the only way they could get the wildcard is if the Braves overtake them for 1st in the division).
But the first of the six divisions has been clinched, namely the AL Central. The Detroit Tigers did it last night, with a 3-1 victory over the Oakland A's. This is the first division title for the Tigers since 1987, when they were AL East champions, and the first playoff appearance for the team since 2006, when they won the AL Wildcard and eventually lost in the World Series.

All-time leader in saves now: Mariano Rivera. He achieved his 602nd career save yesterday, closing out a victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Clayton Kershaw has become the first Dodgers pitcher since 1990 to win 20 games in a season; he pitched 7 1/3 innings last night to defeat the Giants 2-1. This also means the Dodgers are back over .500 again! w00t!!! :D

The remaining three divisions have been clinched... the Milwaukee Brewers have won the National League Central (their first division title since 1982, when they were part of the American League East); the Arizona Diamondbacks have won the National League West (by defeating the Giants, who were on the brink of elimination); and the Texas Rangers have won the American League West.

Now all that's up for grabs are the wildcards; Braves and Redsox still lead those races.

Wild card in both leagues is down to two teams; in the NL it is Braves leading Cardinals by only one game, and in the AL it is Redsox tied with Rays (Angels were eliminated yesterday in a loss to the Texas Rangers). It could come down to the last day of the season, which is tomorrow, to decide the winners!

Wild cards got decided last night, on the final day of the regular season! In the NL, the Cardinals trumped over the Braves (who blew a 3-1 lead late in the game), and in the AL, the Rays (who were down 7-0 at one point but came back to win in extra innings) trumped over the Redsox (who led 3-2 in the 9th, but Jon Papelbon blew it).


Matchups are as follows:

ALDS:
Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees (begins Friday in New York)
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers (begins Friday in Arlington)

NLDS:
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Phillies (begins Saturday in Philadelphia)
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Milwaukee Brewers (begins Saturday in Milwaukee)

The Sox let Manager Terry Francona go and it was another reason for just about everyone to wonder wtf is wrong with the Sox.  Most figure that it should have been Theo, who signed stupid contracts with players who never panned out, then expected Francona to produce wins with a bunch of guys who fall down if there is a breeze in the air.

The Sox let Manager Terry Francona go and it was another reason for just about everyone to wonder wtf is wrong with the Sox.  Most figure that it should have been Theo, who signed stupid contracts with players who never panned out, then expected Francona to produce wins with a bunch of guys who fall down if there is a breeze in the air.


I know, I heard about that yesterday. This came after the Sox' September meltdown.

Also, L.A. Angels' general manager Tony Reagins has stepped down.

So now each of the four DSes has two games in the books. Three of them are tied at one game apiece, and one of them is 2-0.

Well...the Texas Rangers are headed to the ALCS for the second straight year, while the E.E. Yankees put the Tigers' celebration plans on hold. In the National League, the Phils take the lead over the Cardinals in their half of the NLDS, while the Dbacks avert a sweep by the Brew Crew, who are still looking for their first postseason series win in 29 years.

So, the Detroit Tigers have defeated the Yankees in the decisive Game Five of the ALDS, 3-2 (with Jose Valverde striking out A-Rod to end it), and they will play the Texas Rangers for the American League Pennant.

The National League contenders still have yet to be decided, as the deciders of both halves of the NLDS will be played today. Dbacks at Brewers first, and then Cardinals at Phillies.

So...the Brewers have won a postseason series for the first time in 29 years (by beating the Dbacks in 10 innings at Miller Park by a 3-2 score), and the Phillies' season is over after Roy Halladay surrendered a run to the Cardinals in the first inning, which would account for the only run in the game. So this means the NLCS will consist of a 1982 World Series rematch: Brewers vs. Cardinals!

I kinda thought that a Brewers vs. Phillies NLCS might be epic, since the Phils had a great pitching staff this year (for the most part) and the Brew Crew has had a great season themselves. But MIL vs STL seems like it's gonna be a great one.

Each LCS has one game in the books. Game Two of ALCS was postponed yesterday due to inclement weather, and it is being played right now.

Tigers won Game Three of the ALCS last night to avoid a 3-games-to-none deficit; Colby Lewis (who pitched for the Rangers) is no longer unbeaten in postseason play. This was good for the Tigers, especially on their home field.

The big story is the story of how the Red Sox imploded with the worst season end in baseball history.  Fans are more than pissed off at how Tito Francona, the manager with the 2nd best record in Red Sox history, has been treated.  Now Boston, because of Theo Epstein, is saddled with players with over inflated contracts.  After the story of the pitchers, Lackey, Lester, and Beckett, hits the waves they will be even harder to unload.  Epstein has gone to the Cubs, even though Boston tried to prevent it.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2011/10/12/red_sox_unity_dedication_dissolved_during_epic_late_season_collapse/


"Drinking beer in the Sox clubhouse is permissible. So is ordering take-out chicken and biscuits. Playing video games on one of the clubhouse’s flat-screen televisions is OK, too. But for the Sox pitching trio to do all three during games, rather than show solidarity with their teammates in the dugout, violated an unwritten rule that players support each other, especially in times of crisis.

Sources said Beckett, Lester, and Lackey, who were joined at times by Buchholz, began the practice late in 2010. The pitchers not only continued the routine this year, sources said, but they joined a number of teammates in cutting back on their exercise regimens despite appeals from the team’s strength and conditioning coach Dave Page.

...The Sox also suffered from the exorbitant signing of Lackey ($82.5 million over five years), as the righthander logged the worst ERA (6.41) among regular starters in team history."

Tigers, on the brink of elimination, beat the Rangers 7-5 in Game 5 of the ALCS yesterday, and the Brewers evened up the NLCS with a 4-2 win over the Cardinals. So both LCSes will require a Game Six.

Texas Rangers will return to the World Series this year; they scored 15 runs (9 of which occurred in the 3rd inning, chasing Max Scherzer) to the Tigers' 5. As a result, they become the first team to make back-to-back World Series appearances since the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008-2009, and the first American League team to do so since the Yankees from 1998-2001. They will either travel to Milwaukee or St. Louis, depending on which team wins the NLCS, and begin the World Series on Wednesday. I'm guessing Colby Lewis might start for Tex.

So, the Cardinals have advanced to their 18th World Series, and their first as a wildcard team. They will send Chris Carpenter (who would have started Game 7 of NLCS tonight had the game been necessary) to the mound for the first game of the World Series on Wednesday night; the Rangers will counter with CJ Wilson.

Well, aside from the World Series (which continues tonight with Game Six, weather permitting)... I found out that Boston pitcher John Lackey is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery, which means he will miss the entire 2012 season, and possibly return in time for the start of the 2013 season.

So...I just heard this morning that Tony LaRussa has decided to step down as St. Louis Cardinals manager, just a few short days after he led his team to a World Series title. Not only that, he has decided to end his 33-year managerial career (the last 16 of which were with the Cardinals).

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7174263/tony-la-russa-glorious-career-ends-top-st-louis-cardinals

I wonder who is going to succeed him??

Yesterday, the A.L. and N.L. Rookie Of The Year awards were presented. Relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel of the Atlanta Braves took the N.L. award, and starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays got the A.L. award.

Yesterday, Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers won the American League Cy Young award. It was a unanimous choice, as he received all the first-place votes.

Tomorrow, the National League Cy Young award gets presented, and I hope it goes to Clayton Kershaw!

So, yesterday the Manager Of The Year awards were presented for both the AL and NL; they went to Joe Maddon (who manages the Tampa Bay Rays) and Kirk Gibson (who manages the Arizona D'backs), respectively.

And today, the NL Cy Young award was presented to...


Clayton Kershaw!! :D :) O0 8)

I had a feeling he'd win it.

Yesterday, the American League MVP award was presented...to Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers; he'd already won the American League Cy Young last week.

And today, the National League MVP award was presented. I was hoping Matt Kemp would get it, due to his achievements during the season (and leading the league in home runs and stolen bases)... but instead it went to Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. I did find out that Kemp came in 2nd place in the voting, which is not bad at all.

the National League MVP award was presented. ..... went to Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers.

But over the weekend, I found out that Ryan Braun has tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug, which means he could receive a 50-game suspension. :o :o

Infielder Melvin Mora has decided to retire after 13 seasons in the majors, most of which were spent with the Baltimore Orioles. He also played for the Mets, Rockies, and Diamondbacks.