Archive for Horrendously Retarded
Rumor of the Day: What the Indians want
Posted by: | CommentsWhile we generally shy away from posting the endless speculation about potential trade requests, this one is too good to pass up. According to Jon Heyman via Twitter, the Yankees asked the Indians about Cliff Lee, and Cleveland expressed its desire for Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain and more. As Chris at iYankees said, a trade involving either of those two would defeat the purpose of acquiring a replacement for Chien-Ming Wang. That Mark Shapiro, he’s quite the joker.
Our Universe is bigger than your Nation
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve always been rather skeptical of the idea of Red Sox Nation. Do fans really need to prove their love of their team through the cost of their fan package and a ludicrous faux-presidential election? While New England dithered with their quaint fan club, the Bronx fans simply went on cheering for the Bombers.
Well, I guess the Powers-That-Be have determined a fan club to a lucrative venture. Earlier today, the Yankees announced the formation of the Yankee Universe, an official Yankee fan club with “members exclusive benefits, unique access and special savings.”
Per the press release, members of the fan club with earn benefits that “extend to all aspects of the fan experience.” They get 10 percent discounts at the clubhouse store and online specials at the MLB.com Shop. Those holding a membership card and a ticket will get fast-tracked into the stadium at Gate 2. That one, by the way, is the gate all the way out in left field at the corner of Jerome Ave. and 162nd St. It’s not really worth the walk.
In reality, this fan club isn’t much of anything. For $19.95 for the rest of the season, members gain access to the Gameday Audio package and all of these benefits. It’s basically an MLB.com enticement with some perks. Some of the proceeds will go to the Department of Pediatrics at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Boston may have its nation, but we have an entire Universe. We win.
Saunders: A-Rod shouldn’t be an All-Star
Posted by: | CommentsReader LC pointed this out in the open thread last night, but I wanted to expand on it a bit. First, here’s what Halos’ lefty Joe Saunders had to say about Mr. Rodriguez:
Following an offseason of steroid revelations and confessions, Saunders said he would not vote for Rodriguez [for the All Star Game], regardless of whatever compelling numbers he puts up.
As Saunders put it to the Los Angeles Times, “It’s over for him.”
Speaking following Saturday night’s game against Kansas City, flush with his 1-0 victory over previously unbeaten sensation Zack Greinke, Saunders didn’t buy that fans are greeting the returning Rodriguez with a “forgive-and-forget” attitude.
“I think the fans do care,” Saunders said. “Pretty much everybody wants a game without cheating.”
This isn’t the first time an opposing pitcher has blasted A-Rod publicly about his admitted steroid use; back in February Astros’ ace Roy Oswalt said he wanted to see A-Rod’s numbers erased from the record books. I certainly understand the disdain people feel for steroid users, but opposing players coming out like this are walking on thin ice.
Joe Saunders made the All-Star team last year with Gary Matthews Jr. (linked to HGH) on his team. Roy Oswalt has been – or still is – teammates with Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada, and Stephen Randolph, all of whom were named in the Mitchell Report. Are these two really naive enough to think that they’ve never benefited from a teammate that was using PEDs? We’re talking about a very slippery slope here.
I’m not saying that players who used steroids aren’t cheaters or anything like that, because they obviously are. I’m not even saying that A-Rod should make the All-Star team, chances are he won’t have the numbers after missing over a month with his hip injury. It’s just that people who come out and blast known users need to realize there’s two coins to this PED stuff, and chances are they’ve been impacted in a positive way (stats wise) by a teammate on something they shouldn’t have been. The grass isn’t always greener.
The Red Sox never forget
Posted by: | CommentsI know this one went around a few days ago, but with my finals schedule, I’ve had this tab open and no time to post it. Since we’re whiling away the hours until a 7 p.m. start time tonight, let’s get to some good ol’ fashioned mocking of the Boston Red Sox.
Earlier this week, with the Yanks trailing by a run and a runner already on base, Joba Chamberlain hit Jason Bay with an 0-0 fastball. At the time, I thought nothing of it and was more dismayed that the Red Sox had two runners on than anything else. Boston, apparently, thought otherwise.
As Rob Bradford detailed on WEEI’s Full Count blog this week, the Red Sox won’t forget that HBP. Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell had quite the rant too:
“Typically, we let the game play out itself because I think our guys have each others backs and they are certainly going to be supportive if a situation like that were to arise. Speaking specifically about last night, he strikes out 12 guys, doesn’t seem to have too many command issues, and if there was a purpose or intent to throw up and in you can disguise it a little bit more than making it very obvious with the first pitch in the middle of the back to Jason Bay. Those things aren’t forgotten. We know there is a history there between the pitcher in New York and our guys here and not to say that he was specifically out to do that but I think history speaks for itself and we’ve got a number of games left with these guys.”
To which I say: Give me a break. The last thing Joba wanted to do was risk falling further behind. That was probably one of Chamberlain’s least intentional HBPs, and it pales in comparison the Joba-Youkilis drama that gets played out every time the two teams meet. Maybe Josh Beckett will throw up and in to A-Rod or Hideki Matsui when these two teams next month, but that would just be blatant retribution for a meaningless hit batter. Let it go, Boston. Let it go.
A-Rod investigation to include pitch-tipping allegations
Posted by: | CommentsThis is ridiculous. According to Jon Heyman, Major League Baseball’s investigation into Alex Rodriguez is being expanded to include an inquiry into the pitch-tipping allegations in Selena Roberts’ book. The allegations come from some — or perhaps one — of Roberts’ anonymous sources, and MLB is simply doing its due diligence here. I have to wonder though why the numerous on-the-record denials aren’t enough to counter Roberts’ nameless allegations.
Either way, Heyman says that Major League Baseball’s burden of proof will be extraordinarily high. “They’d need either Rodriguez to admit to the charges,” Heyman writes, “or for someone else intimately involved to swear to it.” I expect nothing to come out of this. Bud Selig sure is staking a lot on a book that isn’t very good.
Three Yanks highlight worst free agent contracts 05-09
Posted by: | CommentsYanks fans are plenty aware of the poor contracts the team has doled out over the past eight, ten years. When your pocketbooks are that deep, it’s bound to happen from time to time. Thankfully, deep pockets also mean the ability to recover. At Jorge Says No, Josh goes over the worst free agent contracts from 2005 through 2009. Three Yanks made the list, and they’re fairly obvious: Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa, Kyle Farnsworth. A-Rod did not make the cut, although I disagree. The worst third baseman contract Josh found was Adrian Beltre, but he was eventually talked out of it, replacing him with Vinny Casilla. Sorry, but two years and $6.2 million for no production is still better than 10 years and $275 million for a guy who will be 42 when the contract expires. Make sure to check out the whole list; you should be able to name the whole outfield without peeking.
Who wants a Yankees-branded cell phone?
Posted by: | CommentsThis week, tens of thousands of people who work in the wireless industry got together in Las Vegas for CTIA 2009. Hundreds of vendors have their products and solutions on display in a ginormous convention floor room — seriously, it takes five minutes to wade through the sea of people from one side of the floor to the other.
Over in the media room, press releases and media kits flood the walls and tables. Normally I just walk by without looking twice — perhaps taking a flash drive if they’re sitting out. One release in particular caught my eye. Why? The Yankees logo, of course. Apparently, a company called Quantum Telecom has partnered with MLB to issue licensed phones. Whoop dee freakin’ doo.
The only good thing about these puppies is the price: $49.99. The phone is unlocked, meaning you can use it with any GSM carrier in the country. Bad news: that means only AT&T or T-Mobile. Further bad news: The price tag, given that these are unlocked phones, makes it seem like they’re not the most functional devices. Check ‘em out for yourself:
Is anyone really going to buy one of these?
Open Thread: Blacked out
Posted by: | CommentsThe Yankees are playing the Red Sox in Fort Myers tonight, but alas the game will not be seen by those of us in the New York area. YES asked MLB Network to black the game out (as well as the ones on March 22nd and 28th), which is their right. I’m not sure why, but it’s dumb. Apparently no one ever bothered to ask them if MLBN could broadcast Yankees’ games. In case you’re one of the lucky ones who will be able to watch the game, here’s the lineup:
Gardner, CF
Ransom, 3B
Miranda, 1B
Nady, RF
J-Rod, DH
Molina, C
Shelley, LF
Berroa, SS
Pena, 2B
Scheduled Pitchers: Chien-Ming Wang, Brett Tomko, Mike Dunn, Anthony Claggett
Teams are only required to send three regulars on road trips, so they obviously took advantage of it this game. Here’s a slightly abbreviated hodgepodge of Friday Randomness links:
- Hey look, Michael Ynoa exists. Oh, and it’s not Inoa anymore.
- John Dewan, the man behind The Fielding Bible I & II, made a pretty significant discovery. Apparently defense is worth roughly half as much as offense. That’s higher than I would have though, but he backs it up with some evidence. (h/t MLBTR)
- Project Prospect profiled first round draft prospect Kyle Gibson. I am an unabashed Gibson fan (I love the combination of super projectability and college seasoning), so you’l be hearing lots about him between now and draft day. (h/t CBB)
- Things aren’t looking so hot for Dustin McGowan as he battles back from major shoulder surgery.
- Speaking of injuries, Alan Horne’s doing well on his comeback trail.
Here’s your open thread/game thread for the night. In addition to the Yanks, the Knicks and Nets are both in action tonight. Anything goes here, just be civil.
Parsing A-Rod’s compliments
Posted by: | CommentsLast night, Alex Rodriguez made some headlines by offering up an innocuous compliment to his fellow Dominican team member Jose Reyes. “I wish he was leading off on our team or playing on our team. That’s fun to watch,” A-Rod said. Warn the children! Sound the alarms! Make a mountain out of a molehill!
Immediately, the ever-objective media went into overdrive. Peter Abraham accused A-Rod of stirring up past history with Jeter. Marc Craig at the recently-decimated Star Ledger pondered the same thing. I’m sure the News and Post had some equally inflammatory coverage of this statement.
In reality, A-Rod didn’t say anything newsworthy, and he never insulted Jeter. In fact, as iYankees notes, he may have insulted Johnny Damon, but no beat reporter has mentioned that. After all, A-Rod said he wants Reyes leading off, and that role is filled by Johnny Damon. Rodriguez never mentioned that short stop position. He also never used the phrase “instead of” in reference to Jeter or anyone else on the Yanks.
But wait! There’s more. A-Rod said something else after those two sentences. “Anytime you have that type of speed… I mean, we have a guy in Gardner that’ll be fun. That’s probably the most fun you can have, watching those guys run.”
A-Rod is acknowledging what any normal baseball fan in New York knows: Jose Reyes is a young and exciting player who could emerge as one of the game’s top offensive forces and would be a contributor on any team. He has the rare mix of speed and power and has shown the ability to get on base at a rate that would allow him to fully exploit both skills, and gosh, he’s also fun to watch. Let’s put A-Rod in the stockade just for thinking it, and let’s leave off the part of the quote that contextualizes it too.
Stop the presses: Hank & Reggie have an opinion
Posted by: | CommentsSo Alex Rodriguez and Reggie Jackson went out to dinner the other night, and Reggie had some advice for Alex because, you know, he’s dealt with this kind of PED thing before. Coming jointly from Hank Steinbrenner, the invisible executive, Mr. October told A-Rod to “hit the baseball and hit it when it counts.” Hit the baseball. And hit it when it counts. When it counts? When is that? Seems to me like it would be, I dunno, ALL THE FREAKING TIME!!! Reggie also some other words for A-Rod, saying he’s disappointed in him and that when he retired he was one of the best of all time and is sad to see his career accomplishment tarnished. You really didn’t think Reggie could go that long without talking about himself, did you? Even Neyer agrees this is retarded.
