K-Rod not in Mets future

So much for the K-Rod to the Mets rumors. Both the team and Rodriguez's agent refute rumors that he's headed to the Big Apple.

A Mets official who preferred his name not be used characterized the report in El Universal as "not true," and agent Paul Kinzer said his client was in Venezuela and that the report was inaccurate.

Mets general manager Omar Minaya didn't respond to a telephone call.

"Unless I know nothing about it, there's no truth to it," Kinzer said via cellular phone from the Atlanta area. He said he had spoken with his client, who had told a reporter in Venezuela of the need for a flight for business purposes. "But it wasn't for a physical," Kinzer said. "It didn't involve this."

Kerry Wood Mets rumors should start to fly any time now.

Northside Unit

Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune wonders if the Cubs should pick up Randy Johnson.

Is it really crazy stupid?

Johnson has a career 91-35 record in day games, and his 2.41 earned-run average in the second-half of 2008 suggests he’s not cooked yet. But he also served up 24 home runs, and is a fly ball pitcher like fellow lefty Ted Lilly. We all know he’s not exactly a warm and fuzzy guy, but that shouldn’t matter to Hendry if Dempster leaves and he has to find a replacement.

But he's 45 and unreliable from a health standpoint. That means he's a stop-gap option at best. Johnson will not be a Cub if they can get anyone else of ability.

Cubs trade for Gregg

The Cubs may not be bringing back Kerry Wood. They traded a minor leaguer for Kevin Gregg today. Gregg has closer capabilities, and coupled with Carlos Marmol, he could fill either the setup role or the closing role for the Cubs in 2009. Here's the release:

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today acquired right-handed pitcher Kevin Gregg from the Florida Marlins for minor league right-handed pitcher Jose Ceda.

Gregg, 30, went 7-8 with 29 saves, four holds and a 3.41 ERA (26 ER/68.2 IP) in 72 relief appearances for the Marlins last season. He tied for the National League lead with seven relief wins, ranked eighth in the league in saves and 11th with a .203 batting average against, including a .181 batting average (21-for-116) by left-handed hitters and a .222 batting average (30-for-135) by right-handed hitters.

In 2008, Gregg posted a 2.92 ERA or less in five of his six calendar months, closing the season with nine scoreless outings in September. In a three-month period from May 6-August 12, Gregg went 3-2 with 21 saves, a 1.86 ERA (8 ER/38.2 IP) and a .165 batting average against (23-for-139).

Since pitching exclusively in relief the last two seasons, Gregg has stranded 32 of his 36 inherited runners, an 88.9 percent success rate. He stranded 15 of 16 inherited runners last season, a 93.8 percent success rate.

Gregg recorded a 3.48 ERA (59 ER/152.2 IP), a .205 batting average against (114-for-557) and 61 saves in 146 relief appearances for Florida from 2007-08. The 6-foot-6, 238-pounder struck out 145 batters in 152.2 innings pitched, an average of 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings, and allowed only 10 home runs, an average of one per 15 innings pitched in the last two campaigns. Gregg went 2-3 with 13 saves and a 2.56 ERA (9 ER/31.2 IP) in 28 appearances against the National League Central during the last two seasons.

The righthander joined the Marlins prior to the 2007 campaign in a trade from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, where he spent the first four seasons of his major league career (2003-06). In his first season in Florida, Gregg set a career high with 74 relief appearances and 32 saves, which tied for eighth in the National League, while stranding 17 of his 20 inherited runners.

Gregg is 18-21 with 62 saves and a 4.00 ERA (181 ER/407.2 IP) in 271 major league appearances, all but eight in relief. He appeared in the 2004 and 2005 postseasons with the Angels, combining to toss four scoreless relief innings in two appearances. A native of Corvallis, OR, Gregg was originally selected by Oakland in the 15th round of the 1996 Draft. He signed with the Angels as a minor league free agent prior to the 2003 campaign.

Ceda, 21, combined to go 4-3 with nine saves and a 3.83 ERA (36 ER/84.2 IP) in 37 appearances (12 starts) between Single-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee in 2008. The Cubs acquired the righthander from San Diego for infielder Todd Walker and cash considerations on July 31, 2006.

Managers of the Year

Congratulations to Joe Maddon and Lou Piniella for winnings American League and National League Manager of the year, respectively.

Maddon was an obvious pick, but Piniella had to fend off the likes of Joe Torre and Freddie Gonzalez to lock up the N.L. award. In the end, it looks like voters went with Piniella for guiding the Cubs to the N.L.'s best record.

No Holliday heading to Oakland

Beyond the Boxscore asks that we not assume Matt Holliday's production will falter now that he's leaving Coors Field for a more pitcher-friendly home park in Oakland. Among them:

Players perform better at home than on the road, all else being equal. That's what causes a home-field advantage! Across MLB in 2008, the average home OPS was .770 while the average road OPS was .730.

I think Holliday will do fine away from Coors, but his fantasy stats will not likely be those of a first-round pick like they have in the past. Holliday is not just switching parks, he's switching leagues, which means he's adjusting to seeing a lot of new pitchers, too.

Phils Assistant GM Search down to two

Whether or not the Phillies have success finalizing contracts in the future will depend greatly on this decision.

Leaving for the Leafs?

Former Phillies GM Pat Gillick will not return to the Toronto Blue Jays as team president, but he may consider a much different move to Toronto instead: general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"I might be interested in something other than baseball," he said.

Gillick also has a prior business relationship with Gordon Kirke, the man who has teamed with interim Leafs boss Cliff Fletcher to find a new hockey chief for Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Ltd.

Although he denied that he has been contacted about the job, Gillick left the door open to a move from MLB to the NHL.

"I probably would be interested in doing something like that, you know, something different," he said. "It could be hockey."

I don't see this happening. We're in the middle of the hockey season, and Gillick (71) will likely be retired away to Seattle before the next hockey offseason. This is probably a reporter drumming up something to write about. Still, it would be intriguing to see a baseball guy suddenly shift gears into hockey.

Hunting for Pence

I think it's very difficult to pick the top nine National League defensive players for the Gold Glove. I don't pay much attention to the award, because it is difficult to judge players on their defensive performance. So many factors go into how good a player is defensively, and some of those factors are practically immeasurable from watching a game on television.

That said, I'm surprised Hunter Pence didn't earn himself the award this season. The Astros outfielder matched Gold Glove winner Nate McClouth's fielding percentage (.997) and was better than Gold Glovers Shane Victorino (.994) and Carlos Beltran (.993). Pence gunned down 16 base runners from the outfield which was tied for most in the majors. He also played for the best defensive team in the league, and somehow Houston didn't earn a single Gold Glover.

Pence is not the most graceful fielder in the world, but he's done a competent job for the Astros.

Manny being money

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti offered Manny Ramirez a contract worth somewhere in the $22.9 to $27.5 million range per year. While that's a ton of money, especially for a player who turns 37 in May and was unceremoniously run out of Boston in the middle of a pennant race, in this case it is worth it.

"If you saw the bid, it's nothing that we're embarrassed by," Colletti said at the GM meetings. "Manny was close to that number, anyway — closer to that area than the last place he's been."

Most likely, the Dodgers offered Ramirez a two-year contract worth just over $50 million. Colletti said the Dodgers also offered an option year, but declined to specify the exact length of contract.

"We said, 'Think about it for a while. It's not going to be there forever,"' Colletti said. "Things are always subject to change, and it depends on what else we do, to some extent. I've been asked a few times here if we're going to wait to see what happens with this before we do anything else. But I'm not sure we're going to have the luxury to do that. If there's something else that comes about that we feel we need to do, and the timeliness is there to do it, we'll have to do it."

The Dodgers would be smart to tie up a slugger for the next two seasons. Ramirez is something they haven't had in a long time (he hit .520 in the playoffs!), and even if he does decline the Dodgers would only be on the hook for a couple of seasons. That's nothing.

Now Gwynn needs to win

Tony Gwynn will continue to coach at San Diego State after signing a three-year deal. Anyone who thought Gwynn's original hiring was a PR stunt for the school should probably reconsider. He's been coaching at SDSU now for six years, so his current contract will make it nearly a full decade as head coach.

The length of his stay, however, should up the ante a bit for Gwynn. He's just 173-190 in his six seasons at the helm. That's not a terrible record, but for someone who should have an almost unlimited ability to recruit, wouldn't you expect something better?

“We're judged on how many games we win or lose, but college coaching is a whole lot more than that,” Gwynn said. “The average fan is not going to pay attention to the other part. They just want to see if you're playing in a regional in late May or June.

“But it's more than just baseball.

“I think they trust me enough that I'm going to make good decisions. They trust me enough that I'm going to teach these young men what they need to know to become men. I keep talking about how important the baseball is, but there's more to it than that.

“We need to teach our kids that you need to get out there and be part of your community. Do stuff. And try to help other people while you're helping yourself.”

Free agent list

As of Wednesday there were 166 players who had filed for free agency. A.J. Burnett's status is not yet official, so he has not been added to the current pool. Here's the list:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
BALTIMORE (4) -- Juan Castro, ss; Alex Cintron, ss; Kevin Millar, 1b; Jay Payton, of.
BOSTON (9) -- Paul Byrd, rhp; Sean Casey, 1b; Bartolo Colon, rhp; Alex Cora, ss; Mark Kotsay, of; David Ross, c; Curt Schilling, rhp; Mike Timlin, rhp; Jason Varitek, c.
CHICAGO (6) -- Orlando Cabrera, ss; Joe Crede, 3b; Ken Griffey Jr., of; Toby Hall, c; Horacio Ramirez, lhp; Juan Uribe, 3b.
CLEVELAND (4) -- Brendan Donnelly, rhp; Scott Elarton, rhp; Sal Fasano, c; Juan Rincon, rhp.
DETROIT (6) -- Kyle Farnsworth, rhp; Casey Fossum, lhp; Freddy Garcia, rhp; Todd Jones, rhp; Edgar Renteria, ss; Vance Wilson, c.
KANSAS CITY (1) -- Mark Grudzielanek, 2b.
LOS ANGELES (6) -- Garret Anderson, of; Jon Garland, rhp; Darren Oliver, lhp; Juan Rivera, of; Francisco Rodriguez, rhp; Mark Teixeira, 1b.
MINNESOTA (4) -- Adam Everett, ss; Eddie Guardado, lhp; Nick Punto, ss; Dennys Reyes, lhp.
NEW YORK (8) -- Bobby Abreu, of; Jason Giambi, 1b; c-Damaso Marte, lhp; Chad Moeller, c; Mike Mussina, rhp; Carl Pavano, rhp; Sidney Ponson, rhp; Ivan Rodriguez, c.
OAKLAND (4) -- Emil Brown, of; Alan Embree, lhp; Keith Foulke, rhp; Frank Thomas, dh.
SEATTLE (3) -- Willie Bloomquist, of; Miguel Cairo, inf; Raul Ibanez, of.
TAMPA BAY (4) -- Rocco Baldelli, dh; Cliff Floyd, dh; Eric Hinske, of; Trever Miller, lhp.
TEXAS (5) -- c-Hank Blalock, 1b; Milton Bradley, dh; Jason Jennings, rhp; Ramon Vazquez, 3b; Jamey Wright, rhp.
TORONTO (3) -- John Parrish, lhp; Brad Wilkerson, of; Gregg Zaun, c.
------
NATIONAL LEAGUE
ARIZONA (6) -- Tony Clark, 1b; Juan Cruz, rhp; Adam Dunn, of; David Eckstein, ss; Orlando Hudson, 2b; Brandon Lyon, rhp.
ATLANTA (8) -- Elmer Dessens, rhp; Tom Glavine, lhp; Mike Hampton, lhp; Jorge Julio, rhp; Greg Norton, of; Will Ohman, lhp; John Smoltz, rhp; Julian Tavarez, rhp.
CHICAGO (8) -- Henry Blanco, c; Ryan Dempster, rhp; Jim Edmonds, of; Chad Fox, rhp; Bob Howry, rhp; Jon Lieber, rhp; Daryle Ward, 1b; Kerry Wood, rhp.
CINCINNATI (9) -- Jeremy Affeldt, lhp; Paul Bako, c; Josh Fogg, rhp; Jerry Hairston Jr., of; Mike Lincoln, rhp; Kent Mercker, lhp; Corey Patterson, of; Javier Valentin, c; David Weathers, rhp.
COLORADO (6) -- Brian Fuentes, lhp; Matt Herges, rhp; Livan Hernandez, rhp; Adam Melhuse, c; Scott Podsednik, of; Glendon Rusch, lhp.
FLORIDA (4) -- Luis Gonzalez, of; Mark Hendrickson, lhp; Paul Lo Duca, c; Arthur Rhodes, lhp,
HOUSTON (5) -- Brad Ausmus, c; Doug Brocail, rhp; LaTroy Hawkins, rhp; Mark Loretta, 2b; Randy Wolf, lhp.
LOS ANGELES (12) -- Joe Beimel, lhp; Gary Bennett, c; Casey Blake, 3b; Rafael Furcal, ss; Nomar Garciaparra, ss; Jason Johnson, rhp; Jeff Kent, 2b; Derek Lowe, rhp; Greg Maddux, rhp; Chan Ho Park, rhp; Manny Ramirez, of; Mark Sweeney, 1b.
MILWAUKEE (10) -- Russell Branyan, 3b; Craig Counsell, 3b; Ray Durham, 2b; Eric Gagne, rhp; Gabe Kapler, of; Mike Lamb, 3b; Guillermo Mota, rhp; CC Sabathia, lhp; Ben Sheets, rhp; Brian Shouse, lhp.
NEW YORK (11) -- Moises Alou, of; Tony Armas Jr., rhp; Luis Ayala, rhp; Damion Easley, 2b; Orlando Hernandez, rhp; Pedro Martinez, rhp; Ramon Martinez, 2b; Trot Nixon, of; Oliver Perez, lhp; Ricardo Rincon, lhp; Matt Wise, rhp.
PHILADELPHIA (2) -- Tom Gordon, rhp; Rudy Seanez, rhp.
PITTSBURGH (4) -- Chris Gomez, 3b; Jason Michaels, of; Doug Mientkiewicz, 1b; Luis Rivas, ss..
ST. LOUIS (8) -- Jason Isringhausen, rhp; Cesar Izturis, ss; Jason LaRue, c; Braden Looper, rhp; Felipe Lopez, 2b; Mark Mulder, lhp; Russ Springer, rhp; Ron Villone, lhp.
SAN DIEGO (2) -- Trevor Hoffman, rhp; Mark Prior, rhp.
SAN FRANCISCO (2) -- Rich Aurilia, 1b; Omar Vizquel, ss.
WASHINGTON (2) -- Aaron Boone, 1b; Odalis Perez, lhp.

Not exactly outsourcing

Indian baseball players? This truly is a historic November.

Burnett clock ticking

A.J. Burnett chose to opt out of his contract with the Blue Jays Tuesday, but that doesn't mean he's out the door just yet.

"I don't think anyone is surprised (that Burnett opted out)," said Blue Jay general manager J.P. Ricciardi by phone from Dana Point, Calif., where baseball's 30 GMs are meeting this week.

"Now he can gauge what the interest is.

"We have not yet made a formal offer, as to financial terms or length of contract. He's played his bargaining chip and now he's going to see if it's worthwhile. When he finds out what's out there, we'll let that get under the bridge before we get specific (about an offer)."

That the Jays have not yet made an offer should not be seen as indifference. Just as Burnett must learn what the market will bear so, too, must the Jays before they make their move.

That market will be a lot more attractive to Burnett and his agent south of the border. If Burnett isn't a Yankee by Christmas, I'll be shocked.

Griffey trade a failure for White Sox

The White Sox declined a $16.5 million option on Ken Griffey Jr., making the eventual hall of famer a free agent.

The 38-year old hit a combined .249 with 18 homers and 71 RBIs in 143 games last season for the Reds and the White Sox. Griffey batted .260 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 41 games with the White Sox, who acquired him July 31 in a trade that sent right-hander Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar to Cincinnati.

Considering the White Sox are unlikely to bring back Orlando Cabrera at shortstop, and that the Sox are likely to move Alexei Ramirez from second to short, dealing Richar away leaves a strange mix at second for the Sox.

Juan Uribe can be brought back, and Chris Getz will get a look, but lost in the Sox declining of Griffey was the pickup made by the Southsiders. The White Sox agreed to a one-year contract with former Rockies second baseman Jayson Nix, who ended up playing mostly at Triple-A once Ian Stewart won the big league job. Richar was considered a possible starter for the Sox at second in spring training '08, while Uribe was the fallback option and Ramirez the wildcard. Now the Sox only have the fallback option at second, plus the rookie, Getz. Nix, another fallback, might end up with the job.

For three homers and 18 RBI in 41 games, bringing in Griffey certainly didn't do much for the Sox.

Morrissey calls for less games

Chicago columnist Rick Morrissey explores the idea of a 130-game MLB season. Weather, as usual in these types of columns, is the culprit, according to Morrissey.

Now I know this would play havoc with statistics. Records we hold dear would likely never be broken again because of the shortened schedule. But let's keep in mind that the steroids era has taken a sledgehammer to the record books anyway. The home run records, in particular, are silly.

Anyone who has had to sit through a game in the spring knows it can be a wretched experience, at least in Chicago, especially when the wind has kicked up and the cold air hasn't received the memo about summer being somewhere on the horizon.

I agree that stats hold less meaning than ever in baseball these days thanks to performance enhancing drugs. That said, I think there is a simple solution to the beginning of April weather issues in cold-weather cities that can still allow for a 162-game season: don't play in the North outdoors until the third week of April.

Baseball should schedule the first two full weeks of games in warm-weather cities and cities with domes. By the middle of the month there is less chance for snow in Chicago or Cleveland or anywhere else they play baseball in the North. Either way, here's hoping the Twins never host an opening day in their new open-air ballpark during the first week of April. Yikes!

Update: Same newspaper, different columnist, with a similar view point to Spitting Seeds.

You can't knock the Macha move, or can you?

Cubs fans can breathe a sigh of relief; Ken Macha was named Brewers manager. Bob Brenly, Cubs color analyst, was up for the job, but Bob Melvin and company went with the former A's skipper instead.

"One of the things I'm going to enjoy here I think is the relationship with Doug," said Macha, who spent the last two years as a television analyst. "He's been very honest with me, straightforward. He's more of a delegator. He's going to let me go out and do my job as a manager and I'm going to be very grateful for that."

That's a far cry from Oakland, where Macha took the A's to a pair of AL West titles but had an odd relationship with general manager Billy Beane and lost his job after the 2005 season for a week only to return in 2006.
...
Macha also tried to dispel the notion that he'd lost touch with his players in Oakland, including Jason Kendall, now the Brewers catcher.

"I've got a couple things to say about that. No. 1, the job of the manager is really not to be buddies with all the players. You have to make very difficult decisions over the course of the year," he said. "Sometimes players get a little personal and think it's personal. It really isn't."

Sounds like an imperfect match for a team that nearly imploded on itself for a second straight season, but to his credit Macha built a pretty impressive resume in Oakland with a 368-260 record. Still, Oakland got swept out of the 2006 ALCS by Detroit, and Brenly has a World Series under his belt. That, and a very deep knowledge of the team Milwaukee chased all season long.

Jacobs dealt to KC

The Marlins traded slugging first baseman Mike Jacobs to Kansas City for right-handed reliever Leo Nunez. Jacobs can rip, but can he make contact?

Jacobs, 28, set careers highs with 32 homers and 93 RBIs last season, but his on-base percentage was just .299 and he struck out 119 times in 447 at-bats.

Jacobs also could have received a big raise in salary arbitration, an unpalatable scenario for the spendthrift Marlins, who must deal with a whopping 17 arbitration-eligible players this winter.

So much for that $40 million bubble the Marlins will spend toward this offseason. They'll probably throw a fair amount of it at players they already have on the roster.

As for Jacobs, he gives the Royals what Billy Butler couldn't: a lot of pop. He won't give them or your fantasy team much else. Treat Nunez as a middle reliever. He doesn't project as anything else at this time.

Addressing the rain delay issue

The Boston Globe tackles Spitting Seeds' position on baseball's Waterlogged decision making Monday night: get something in writing so this doesn't happen again.

There is expected to be discussion this winter on what some see as a flaw that has fallen through the cracks in the 105-year history of the World Series.

The fact that commissioner Bud Selig said he had sole discretion to suspend Game 5 no matter what the score seemed like seat-of-the-pants manage ment that doesn't cast Major League Baseball in the best light.

This needs to be sorted out.

A's under knife

Daric Barton and Greg Smith have undergone offseason surgical procedures. Barton's to repair a hip injury, Smith's to clean out his pitching elbow. Smith's surgery is less significant than Barton's, as the A's first baseman could be sidelined for three months. Good thing baseball is sidelined for three-plus months until spring training.

Vincent on Selig's missteps

Fay Vincent does not mince words when talking about Bud Selig's errors during Monday's game five.

"I agree with those who say that (playing in those conditions) was just too dangerous. It wasn’t baseball that was being played, and for my money it would have been better to have canceled it long ahead of time and come back and play a full nine-inning game in better weather . . . They weren’t really playing baseball (Monday) night in that weather and I don’t think anybody was getting anything out of it. I think it was unfortunately it was an attempt to get the game in for a variety of reasons — all of which are economic — one regrets that because baseball deserves better."

I'm not sure they were trying to get the game in as much as they were trying to avoid scorn over a rain-shortened World Series victory. That said, it's a good thing Vincent spoke out on Selig's folly.

Drabek back on track

Doug Drabek's son, Kyle, is attempting a comeback from major injury at the ripe old age of 20. The former first-round draft pick looks pretty good.

Eyre not on the side of Selig

Scott Eyre doesn't care much for Bud Selig, either.

Cashman on Joba: very little

Brian Cashman plays the boring card in his first public comments on Joba Chamberlain's run in with the law.

"He's part of our family," Cashman said. "We're going to support him, but at the same time, he knows that stuff like this can't happen."

Nebraska police arrested Chamberlain on Oct. 18 for suspicion of driving under the influence, speeding and carrying an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. Chamberlain faces a court date next month, and Cashman wouldn't comment on whether or not the Yankees plan to independently discipline their pitcher.

"The police are out there doing a good job," Cashman said. "Obviously, on that day, they showed up and did good, stopping Joba from putting himself and other people further in harm's way."

Yawn.

We don't need to shrink the regular season

Just because there's a little weather this year, one Atlanta Journal Constitution writer thinks it is time to re-examine Bud Selig's wishes to shorten the regular season.

ll baseball had to do was listen to Selig and do something such as go from 162 games to 154 in the regular season. Then the division series would begin no later than the last week of September instead of early October. Then you wouldn’t have what you have now: A World Series featuring television ratings dropping as fast as the temperature in Philadelphia.

With game-time temperatures slated for the low 40s (with the wind-chill factor in the upper 20s) tonight, the Phillies are scheduled to hit in the bottom of the sixth inning during their suspended Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

No, that's not necessary. If baseball starts on April 1st, and gets the regular season in by the end of September, shrinks the off days in the postseason to one day between series and has weekend world series day games, well, then life is good in baseball again.

Furcal back in Cubs crosshairs?

The Cubs offseason laundry list of potential signings or trades is familiar and intriguing. Remember the Brian Robers rumors (how could you not)? A lefty power bat? Try Adam Dunn.

Jake Peavy would be a stretch, unless the Cubs get creative. Fukudome's contract really hurts them, as I've talked about before. More doable would be picking up Jeremy Hermida or Mike Jacobs, but neither of those lefty bats patrols center field, so how helpful can they be? And are they better options than an ancient Jim Edmonds? Maybe.

A Rafael Furcal deal seems most reasonable.

The Dodgers' switch-hitting, free agent shortstop led the NL in leadoff on-base percentage (.434 in 159 at-bats) but is injury-prone and snubbed the Cubs three years ago for an offer Hendry considered outrageous. But if Hendry lets bygones be bygones, he could do much worse than having Furcal atop his order. If Furcal came over, Ryan Theriot would move back to second and Mark DeRosa would become the regular right fielder.

This move gives the Cubs an instant catalyst, and keeps DeRosa in the lineup in place of Fukudome. The Cubs can transition their Japanese right fielder into a center field platoon with Reed Johnson, if they bring Johnson back. The move doesn't help the Cubs' need for a left-handed power bat, but Furcal won't be as pricey after his injury-ravaged season.

What's best? Furcal in the leadoff spot slips Soriano down in the order, perhaps all the way to fifth, which would be ideal.

Konerko for Figgins?

Some odds and ends on the White Sox as they prepare for offseason moves. It sounds like Ken Griffey, Jr. and Orlando Cabrera are gone, and Paul Konerko could head West.

The Jon Garland-for-Cabrera deal was completed in less than two weeks last November, and a natural fit for the Sox would be the Angels' Chone Figgins, who could bat leadoff and play third.

But the Angels will need a first baseman if they can't re-sign free agent Mark Teixeira. Paul Konerko came close to signing with the Angels after the 2005 season and is friendly with Angels manager Mike Scioscia dating to their days in the Dodgers organization.

But Konerko has two years left on his contract and full no-trade rights. He also hit nine home runs in September and two in the American League Division Series after coping with slumps and injuries.

Seems like a stretch to move Konerko. He's coming off his worst full season (.240 AVG, 22 HR, 62 RBI), and while he's not old (he turns 32 in the spring), Konerko isn't getting any younger.

Fish wallets open wide(r)

It won't compete with the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers or Cubs, but the Florida Marlins will open the books (a little bit) in 2009. Owner Jeffrey Loria is backing a team payroll of up to $40 million, nearly doubling the Marlins' spending for 2008.

Such a hefty increase over the $22 million the team spent this year would represent an 82 percent hike. Increased revenue sharing, along with the expectation of a new ballpark as soon as 2011 and the World Series run of the low-budget Rays, have emboldened the Marlins to open their wallet again.

That doesn't mean there won't be significant alterations to the roster that won 84 games and finished third in the NL East this season. But it does mean the Marlins probably won't be in the position of dumping salary for that purpose alone.

Deposed closer Kevin Gregg is readily available, as is power-hitting first baseman Mike Jacobs. Lefty Scott Olsen could be dealt as well due to a surplus in the starting rotation.

Gregg, Jacobs and Olsen are all expendable, and the Malins will still have to get creative to compete with the big boys. Still, it could be an entertaining offseason in South Florida.

Holt everything (a closer needs to be)

Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog is wondering if 2008 Mets draftee Brad Holt will eventually become a closer candidate. Pitchers do develop a lot before they make the majors, but Holt sounds like an ideal candidate (5–3, 1.87 ERA, 96 K, 72 IP, .171 OBA).

Peavy money ball

Forget Jake Peavy's no-trade clause. This deal will come down to one matter: money. That's the issue even if Peavy doesn't want it to be that way. It will be a market-driven move, according to the player's agent, Barry Axelrod.

“It's not that far of a stretch to say this is a free-agent situation,” Axelrod said, “and if there is a guy like Sabathia out there, we would have to look at what any given team is going to pay Sabathia, because he and Jake won the Cy Young award in the same year, and we're going to put Jake on the same plane as this guy.”

He added that “there might be some places where it is a more palatable deal to Jake than any other places.”

Axelrod already has said that whatever club would trade for Peavy, 27, likely would have to extend his full no-trade powers through contract's end.

Peavy and the Padres agreed in December to a three-year, $52 million extension that includes a $4 million buyout on a $22 million option for 2013, and full no-trade powers through 2010.

Sometime this offseason, Sabathia reportedly could sign for $25 million a year, and if a prospective trade partner doesn't thrill Peavy at that point, Axelrod would consider it fair game to bring Sabathia's salary into negotiations with a potential employer.

“Making this about money is not my style, nor Jake's style,” Axlerod said. “I think we proved that. But at the same time, I don't think Jake should have to sacrifice anything.

“Jake signed an under-market deal with San Diego because he wanted to stay in San Diego. It was worth it for Jake to take less.”

Verducci on Bud's Bungle

Tom Verducci backs the commissioner's decision-making on Monday night.

Give credit to commissioner Bud Selig and the umpires working World Series Game 5. They did their best to get the game played, given the weather forecast information available to them, made the right call to suspend the game when conditions grew unplayable -- the pelting rain continued for hours -- and sent people home quickly without wasting time trying to divine when the next "window" might be available to resume play. Too often we jump on baseball when things don't go according to script. But Selig has stepped up twice in this World Series with the right response to rain issues. He insisted Game 3 be played, even with a 10:06 p.m. start time after a 91-minute delay, in part because he knew of the terrible conditions forecast for Tuesday, the next available off day. The game was played in fine weather and field conditions.

Perhaps, but the game could've easily been suspended in the fifth. I talked to a meteorologist about the rain system moving through the Northeast. He told me it would intensify and last through the rest of Monday, easily. There's no way this game should've been pushed through to the bottom of the fifth and beyond.

Bravo to Braves farmhand

The Braves' David Francis picks up Class A Short-Season Best Single Game Performance.

Keep an eye on this kid. Francis as the makeup to be special. He strikes out many more batters than innings pitched, he's proven he can dominate by throwing a no-hitter at a young age, and he wins (5-3).

Free tacos today

Just a reminder.

Bemused by Bud

Baseball Musings is one of the few (only?) writers to come to Bud Selig's defense, citing the rulebook for postponements to show that the commissioner did the right thing in waiting for a tie before calling game five.

Commissioner Selig cited rule 4.12a, section 6, in explaining the suspension of Game 5. According to the rule, "a game shall become a suspended game that must be completed at a future date" for a number of reasons, with section 6 specifying "a regulation game that is called with the score tied."

In this scenario, the rule (4.12c) for suspended games is enacted: "A suspended game shall be resumed at the exact point of suspension of the original game. The completion of a suspended game is a continuation of the original game. The lineup and batting order of both teams shall be exactly the same as the lineup and batting order at the moment of suspension, subject to the rules governing substitution. Any player may be replaced by a player who had not been in the game prior to the suspension. No player removed before the suspension may be returned to the lineup."

Prior to the introduction of this rule following the 2006 season, the suspended game would have reverted back to the beginning of the inning, with the Phillies leading, 2-1, since Philadelphia did not bat in the bottom of the inning. But that is no longer the case and therefore Game 5 will resume with the score tied at 2.

However, Selig would not have allowed the reversion to 2-1 anyway. While Phillies fans might have liked that, Rays fans would have gone through the roof. Selig would have suspended the game no matter what, which would be the right thing to do.

I'm not a big Selig fan, but MLB handled this series in Philadelphia correctly. The wait on Saturday night was due to the bad weather reports for Monday and Tuesday. They had a weather report that the rain Monday night was going to be light enough for the field to absorb. When that proved to be wrong, they suspended the game. They were placed in a bad situation due to the forces of nature, and their decisions were logical. They should be taking too much heat over this.

OK, but if the commissioner would not have allowed a reversion for a 2-1 Phillies' rain-shortened win, couldn't he have asked for the tarp before the game went official in the 5th? There was a downpour for quite some time, and any amateur meteorologist looking at the radar could see the heavier stuff was coming for hours ahead. Heck, I've been to games with preemptive rain delays minutes before the hard stuff falls. Rather than make "logical" decisions after miring yourself in the muck, why not make a better decision before you get stuck? Baseball could have and should have postponed this one much earlier.

Why wait for the Rays to score a run in the slop?

Update: Another voice saying that the game should've been suspended before we hit the midway point of the fifth.

Simply put, Game 5 is hopelessly tainted by what transpired between the time the game should have been called and the middle of the sixth inning, when it was finally suspended.

Whatever happens when play resumes, whether the Phillies celebrate their first World Series championship or the Rays force a Game 6 in Florida, MLB can't justify its decision or its decision-making process.

Bud is bad, Buck is bad

I count lots of anti-Bud stories today. Selig is really getting thrown under the bus for last night's nonsense. As Ken Rosenthal said, it's the freaking World Series! Get it right!

Bud Selig makes a bad call for baseball
Thank god the Rays scored, and that Bud Selig is a boob
Selig and company all wet when it comes to Series scheduling

And Joe Buck takes some well-deserved heat as well:
Joe Buck is a freaking MORON

There's been a lot of bad at this World Series.

Umpires striking out

OK, I'm finally going to cave and write up the umpiring in this series. The biggest calls, or non-calls have gone against the Rays, but there have been many mistakes. Home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg had a different strike zone for every batter. For Pat Burrell, there was no strike zone.

Muddy decision making

You go, Ken Rosenthal. I can barely stomach you with a microphone in your hand, but when you pick up a pen, or your blackberry, or a laptop, or whatever it is you used to write this, you do well, sir.

World Series games should never, ever be played in conditions that compromise the integrity of the competition.

That's what happened Monday night, no matter how commissioner Bud Selig wants to spin it. Selig again was in something of a no-win position because of inaccurate weather forecasts. But he should have halted Game 5 much sooner.

Instead, the game was not suspended until after the top of the sixth inning, an inning in which the Rays tied the score, 2-2, with standing water in the infield.

I can't read the mind of Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, but I'm willing to bet that he didn't speak to the media afterward because he believes his team still should be leading, 2-1.

Not only was I disappointed with the decision to play on, it was a disservice to the two teams. Baseball waited until Tampa Bay tied the game so they didn't have to face a potential short-game nightmare in the clinching game of a World Series. Here's an idea: don't allow 5-inning World Series games! Postpone them at worst. Finish them the next day. You're doing that now, anyway, with mud on your face.

Bear market in Newark

An interesting "sign of the times" piece on the Newark Bears potentially folding and baseball economics thanks to Baristanet. I wonder if Rickey Henderson knows.

Luis Vizcaino DUI

The Rockies faced a number of problems with their bullpen this year. Here's one more. Luis Vizcaino was arrested for DUI in Florida.

Phils take two

With two wins over the weekend in Philadelphia, the Phillies are on the doorstep of their first world championship in 28 years. I'm going to spare you the details since you already know what happened, but Tampa's magical season looks like it will end up just short of the goal.

One other note: this call had nothing to do with the final outcome of game four. The Phillies manhandled the Rays all night long.

Lidge named Delivery Man of the Year

Brad Lidge is MLB's delivery man of the year after saving 41 games in 41 chances. It's a pretty incredible year for a guy who had struggled to retain his closer job in Houston. Then again, what isn't going the Phillies' way these days?

TSN comeback players of the year

The Sporting News names Cliff Lee and Fernando Tatis Comeback Players of the Year.

I've always felt that this award should go to players battling back from adversity rather than bouncing back from a subpar season. Tatis, who's been away from baseball for years, would qualify for a comeback award in my mind. Lee is more of a "bounce-back" player of the year. Joe Crede would've been a good "comeback" candidate had he not gotten injured again.

Halo Joe

Joe Maddon - the only man with both a mohawk and a halo. Hey, he was once an Angel.

Peavy to Dodgers? Um, no

A Bleacher Report article breaks down the chances of the Los Angeles Dodgers acquiring the Padres' Jake Peavy in a trade.

The Dodgers have a ton of money coming off their books this winter but are just as obligated in dead-weight contracts for the likes of Pierre and Jones. They also have the potential for big paydays for all of the young studs that carried them through the first round of the National League Playoffs.

However, is there a better move that could be made than to not only add an annual Cy Young candidate to your rotation, but to take that same talent off a division rival? It is hard to think the Padres would move Peavy not only inside their division, but within a one (or five, depending on traffic) hour drive of their stadium without a substantial payout. This potential marriage has uber-blockbuster written all over it, with the likes of a Hershel Walker-to-Vikings deal written all over it.

Even if the pieces are in place to make this deal, I don't see it happening. Why would San Diego give away its ace to a division rival? As much as a trade could give the Padres a chance to get better, a trade to Los Angeles gives them a chance to be dominated be Peavy for many years. Jake Peavy will never be traded to the Dodgers.

Wriggling Riggleman wants M's job

In an MLB.com article that lists Ken Macha, Willie Randolph, Ned Yost, Art Howe and Bobby Valentine as possible candidates, Mariners interim manager Jim Riggleman asks publicly for position full-time.

"Everyone in the organization knows of my desire to come back," said Riggleman, who compiled a 36-54 record after replacing John McLaren on June 19. "I just hope to be considered a candidate."

If the Mariners decide to go in another direction and cut ties with Riggleman, he could wind up as a coach with the Washington Nationals. He reportedly is being considered for a spot on manager Manny Acta's staff, possibly as bench coach -- the same position he had with the Mariners last season prior to McLaren's dismissal.

"I don't want to commit to anything until I hear from Seattle," Riggleman said.

Near the end of the Mariners' 101-loss season -- the first time they hit triple digits in losses since 1983 -- club president Chuck Armstrong said he had complied a list of 10 potential managerial candidates for the then-unknown Mariners GM.

Armstrong said Riggleman's name was on that list.

And prior to the final game of the season, Riggleman talked about his desire to return.

"I can promise you that nobody wants to manage this club more than I do," he said, "and nobody is more prepared to manage this club than I am. But if I don't manage this club [next season], I am not going to point to anything other than the fact I did not win enough games."

You can't blame Riggleman for his passionate plea, but you also can't expect him to beat out the bigger names. Riggleman isn't a bad manager. He did a nice job with the Cubs years ago, and he wasn't given much to work with after inheriting the M's mid-season.

Marlins building new building

The Florida Marlins will go ahead with their plan to be in a new stadium by 2011 despite a sagging economy.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article on financial issues facing many of the new stadiums across American sports. The newspaper considered the Marlins new stadium to be in jeopardy.

Barlett steals a base, a taco and saves Ryan Howard

Good job by this reporter, remembering that Ryan Howard's Subway ads probably don't allow him to participate in Taco Bell's "steal a base, steal a taco" World Series promotion. I'll let him explain it to you, but if Howard had stolen second, it might only make a bad situation for him.

Jason Bartlett, on the other hand, stole the first base of this year's World Series, and he's Taco Bell's spokesperson, at least for the immediate future.

So how exactly do negotiations take place when seconds after Bartlett steals the base, he is being linked to the promotion in an in-game ad? I called Bartlett's agent Ryan Ware to see exactly how it went down.

Ware told me that before the game the MLB Players Association had called the agents of the players involved in the game, making sure that they were aware of the situation and were willing to be part of the promotion if their player stole the base.

After Bartlett stole the base--minutes after Howard didn't--Ware, who was sitting next to Bartlett's parents and wife at the game, got on his phone and found out what the deal would be. Part of it, he said, would include Jason saying a couple words about Taco Bell in the locker room after the game. So he sent a text message to Bartlett not to leave the clubhouse before doing this quick voiceover that the company could use in a commercial.

"Making the deal was worth it," Ware said. "I'm thinking that only Rickey Henderson has made more from stealing a base."

Fewer playoff "off" days

MLB will knock out a few of the days off in next year's postseason.

MLB shifted the start of the World Series from Saturday to Wednesday beginning last year, adding four extra days off. Selig said he likes the Wednesday start but is concerned about weather next year, when the regular season doesn't start until April 5. World Series Game 7 would be on Nov. 5 if the current format is kept.

"We've got to look at trying to -- maybe not having so many off days and days when you have only one game," Selig said at Tropicana Field before Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night.

Days when you only have one game? Is Selig suggesting no more 2-2-1 format for the five-game divisional series? Does that mean we'll see a seven-game divisional series next year, or will the format return to the original 2-3 series with three games for the team holding home-field advantage?

Here's hoping for seven game series across the board. The extra days off really drags out the postseason, and there's no need for days off between games when you're already in the city you'll play your next game. Days off should only come on travel days.

Rays win game two, 4-2.

The Phillies continue to leave valuable runners on base, and the Rays found ways to scratch out runs, as Tampa grinds out a 4-2 win in game two.

The Rays scored on two ground outs, a single and a safety squeeze, putting four on the board before Eric Bruntlett homered for the Phils in the eighth. Philly pushed across one more on an Evan Longoria error in the 9th, but it was too late for a comeback.

Good pitching from "Big Game" James Shields. While he wasn't as dominant as Cole Hamels in game one, Shields struck out four and scatted seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. He threw 104 pitches in less than six innings, but didn't allow a run.

Mark Grace called this a "must win" for the Rays before the game. It certainly looked that way going in, and now with Matt Garza scheduled to face Jamie Moyer in game three this series could go either direction.

Update: For more on Charlie Manuel's selection of Moyer as game three starter, Baseball Musings breaks it down.

Raysing the stadium issue

I'm not calling this piece great journalism, because it certainly isn't that, but it does bring up a good question: can the Rays postseason run help their chances at a new stadium.

A new stadium proposal fell through earlier this year, but that doesn't mean a new one can't surface.

Baseball leaders say Tropicana Field in the long run just won't produce enough revenue to keep the team competitive.

The Rays temporarily suspended their public push for a downtown St. Petersburg waterfront stadium earlier this year.

Still, a group of community and civic leaders have continued meeting twice a month to discuss the issue. The group hopes to have a new stadium plan within the next two years.

TSN managers of the year

Notorious in elections, Florida is grade-A when it comes to baseball managers. The Sporting News leaves no hanging chads in selection Joe Maddon (Rays) and Fredi Gonzalez (Marlins) as MLB skippers of the year.

I like the Maddon selection, but Lou Piniella, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa are more deserving than Gonzalez in the National League. I like Fredi, and I think he did a great job with Florida this year, but consider what these other three managers accomplished:

Piniella: best record in the N.L., back-to-back N.L. Central division titles
Torre: first place in N.L. West, lifting the Dodgers over Arizona late in the year
La Russa: With a decimated pitching staff, kept Cardinals in race until September

Jeffress dead arm

Brewers top pick of 2006 Jeremy Jeffress is experiencing shoulder fatigue. The 21-year-old is know to touch 100 mph on the radar gun, but those numbers have been slipping.

I guess this means he would've fit right into the Brewers achy staff of Ben Sheets, Eric Gagne, David Riske, et al, but shoulder fatigue is not uncommon for a relatively young player who threw the most innings (94) of his career. They'll probably shut him down for a while and see if it just needs rest.

Process this

An interesting commentary comes from ConsumerReports.org on MLB's postseason ticket policy. It's a complicated story, but it boils down to this: at least some tickets for postseason games come with a processing fee that goes to MLB, even if the game isn't played. So, if you buy a ticket for game seven, and the series ends in six, you can get your money back except for the processing fee, which baseball pockets.

I was surprised, to say the least. If I wanted a refund credited to my charge card, I’d have to apply for it within seven days of the final game of the series. No problem there. But the $20 “order-processing fee” was another matter. This fee amounted to half the price of the ticket, in the cheap seats where I had a chance of sitting. And it was not refundable, even if the game never happened!

Now that was a problem.

“Are you kidding?” I asked a telephone service representative for the Phillies. “How can you justify a charging a fee if the game wasn’t played?

“We have nothing to do with it,” the rep said. “Major League Baseball makes us do it. The money goes to them.”

That is outrageous. Anyone else run into this problem?

Higher education

The Phillies and Rays are made up of a total of 22 players who played college baseball. It's split right down the middle, 11 and 11. That means nearly half their rosters did their thing with aluminum before heading to the minors.

The guy with the least likely path to the majors? The Rays' Ben Zobrist, who played his college ball at Dallas Baptist.

If it rains

Baseball is making the right move if game three is postponed due to expected rain in Philadelphia on Saturday. MLB would move game three to Sunday, and rather than push everything back a day, they'll drop the day off between games four and five.

There are already too many days off in the postseason schedule, and its the right move to keep the series going, especially if the teams end up with back-to-back days off Friday and Saturday.

The rub on Tampa's rubber

Daisuke Matsuzaka's chatter about the Tampa Bay pitching mound led to an investigation that the Rays had moved the rubber to accomodate James Shields. MLB said there was nothing wrong with the hill at Tropicana Field, but the Rays were still miffed.

"It's a ludicrous accusation," Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. "It's crazy."

The story was first reported in Japan, then in the New York Post. The theory was that Shields likes to set up on the first-base side of the rubber and the adjustment would give him a better angle for outside pitches.

Phillies GM Pat Gillick said his team was not aware of any issues.

Yeah, like the Rays needed any more advantage at the Trop. They had the best home record in baseball. Then again, maybe they did doctor the mound!

Hamels reaching for postseason milestone

Globe on Baseball lauds Cole Hamels' game one pitching performance and makes this observation:

No starter has ever won five games in a single post-season, something Hamels could accomplish in his next start on Monday in Game 5 – provided the Phillies haven't won it all by then.

That Hamels is only 24 makes it that much more remarkable. He's really figured it out over the past year or two, and looks to be the dominant left hander of the next decade.

Not Harmon

I, too, once heard that Harmon Killebrew was the silhouette for the MLB logo. Not true, according to this Wall Street Journal article on the logo's designer.

His son once heard a radio broadcaster say that Minnesota Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew served as his model for the logo. Mr. Dior's response: "That's completely untrue. It's not Harmon Killebrew. It's not anyone in particular."

It's a good read, so check it out.

M's new GM

No big announcements are allowed during the World Series, but the Mariners made a splash just hours before game one, hiring Jack Zduriencik as general manager. Zduriencik has an interesting background, having coached both baseball and football at a high level.

The 57-year-old Zduriencik, known for his skill in drafting players, replaces Bill Bavasi, who was fired in June, and takes over for interim GM Lee Pelekoudas.

Since he arrived in Milwaukee in 1999, the team has drafted Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, J.J Hardy and 2007 NL Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun - the young foundation of Milwaukee's playoff team this season.

If he's going to build the Mariners through the draft, it's going to be a five-year plan in Seattle!

Phils win game one

A fairly well-played World Series opener goes to the Phillies, 3-2. I'm impressed with Chase Utley and Carl Crawford, lefties hitting home runs against tough left-handed pitchers.

As Eric Young said on ESPN, "Cole Hamels was dealin'." He allowed just five hits and two earned runs in seven innings, striking out five on his way to victory. Scott Kazmir gave up one more run and threw eight more pitches in one fewer inning of work. It was Hamels domination of the Rays that earned Philly the victory.

Brad Lidge continued his dominance in the Phillies closer role, whiffing Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria to start the 9th, and then getting Crawford to foul out to third. He was dealin', too.

Hamels or Kazmir?

Game one of the World Series pits Cole Hamels against Scott Kazmir, 24-year-old left handers that can beat you with overpowering stuff, and with good pitching acumen.

Something tells me that Hamels will be tough to beat tonight, especially considering his postseason numbers to date (3-0, 1.23 ERA). Kazmir's 4.02 ERA in the postseason leaves something to be desired, although he's 1-0 against the Phils in his career, and he's tough against lefties. His .198 BAA from that side means he could neutralize Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

I'm taking the Rays tonight, although it's hard to pick against Hamels.

Canseco all over the place

Reading Jose Canseco's quotes on wishing he hadn't come forward to name steroid users is probably the lament of a broken man wishing he hadn't heaped some of his problems on others.

Canseco, however, did the right thing in helping to expose a major problem in baseball. If Canseco did one thing right in his drug-abused baseball life and career, it was coming forward when few others would. There's no denying that.

Taking Tampa

Just a hunch, but based on everything I've seen and heard, I'm taking the Rays to win the World Series in seven games.

Diamond rough estimates

Diamond Mind baseball predicts that the Tampa Bay Rays will win the World Series. Out of 2,000 simulations, the game predicts Tampa Bay to win 1,414 times. Good luck, Phillies.

Pay more for Cardinals baseball

Economic down turn affecting ticket prices? In St. Louis they're raising ticket prices, but say it has nothing to do with the economy.

"We are committed to using the same general pricing structure as in 2008, with only a few changes that reflect the dynamic nature of our seating mix," team president Bill DeWitt III said in a release. "We are being very sensitive to the trends in the general economy while also being faithful to our longtime season ticket holders."

Something tells me attendance will be down quite a bit this year, not just for the Cardinals.

Rays flash in the pan?

Are the Rays the next Florida Marlins, a good young team that wins a World Series but can't afford to keep its players?

For every projection of a Rays dynasty, the specter of the Marlins lurks. The Marlins, reminiscent of the old Montreal Expos, represent everything the Rays should fear: talent-rich, economically challenged, the team that develops winning ballplayers but is unable to keep them. Despite having won as many championships as the Red Sox over the past 12 years, the Marlins do not have any more solid a hold on their future. They are struggling with local politicians for a new ballpark and are flirting with that exotic baseball location -- San Antonio -- if negotiations crumble. A massive, publicly financed stadium during a national financial collapse is not an endeavor voters are likely to view enthusiastically.

It's not out of the realm of possibility, but the Rays were smart to lock up Evan Longoria this year. They have at least one piece to build around if, that is, they can afford to pay Longoria, too.

BoSox survive

The battle of solo homers is won with the help of two non-home run scoring plays as Boston beats Tampa Bay 4-2 to force a seventh game in the series.

Justin Upton smoked a solo homer in the first off of Josh Beckett, but then Kevin Youkilis ripped his own in the top of the second for a 1-1 tie. After Youkilis knocked in the go-ahead run on a ground out, Jason Bartlett tied things up with a solo homer in the bottom of the 5th. The very next inning, Jason Varitek sent out his solo shot, giving Boston the lead for good. David Ortiz singled home an insurance run later in the inning.

Boston lives to fight another day, and on paper earns the advantage in the pitching matchup with Jon Lester facing Matt Garza in game seven.

Upton's upswing

B.J. Upton is Mr. This October after hitting his seventh home run of the postseason. Here's what he's accomplished so far in the 2008 playoffs.

What happened, TBS?

I guess TBS wouldn't tell the AP why they couldn't broadcast the beginning of ALCS game six.

The Boston Globe says it was a router issue.

(T)ypically (B)ad (S)tuff

TBS continues to bungle the postseason. You might disagree, but their coverage has been less than good.

Tonight, due to technical difficulties, there's no baseball on right now from the Trop. Insanely bad.

You can watch a live feed at MLB.com.

CC you in Milwaukee?

The Brewers will go after CC Sabathia this offseason, contrary to many reports saying they had no chance to sign the free agent pitcher. Money is not the only motivating factor for Sabathia, and he seemed to enjoy playing in Milwaukee.

Gross in the lineup

Apparently Joe Maddon doesn't believe in momentum like our previous MLB story on the Red Sox lineup. Maddon put Gabe Gross in the lineup tonight, who not only hasn't hit in the postseason (1-15), Gross has also struggled against the Red Sox (.204 this year), although he did hit three of his 13 homers against Boston and went 2-4 against tonight's Red Sox starter Josh Beckett.

ALCS - game six going Rays way

Forget a Rays collapse. I'm picking Tampa Bay over Boston tonight. The reason is two-fold. James Shields dominates at home (9-2, 2.59 ERA at the Trop in the regular season; 1-0, 3.29 ERA in the postseason), and Josh Beckett hasn't been his dominant self since September 16th (11.57 ERA, .400 BAA in the postseason).

There are, however, a couple of caveats in this prediction. Beckett's last dominant start came at Tampa Bay, going eight innings with seven strike outs and one earned run in a no-decision. Beckett went 2-1 with a 2.09 ERA against the Rays this season. Shields struggled twice against the BoSox in Boston this year (5.85 ERA), but pitched well against the Sox the two times he faced them at home (15.1 IP, 2 ER, 2 W). Don't forget his solid performance in game one of the ALCS (7.1 IP, 2 ER), when he was simply outperformed by Daisuke Matsuzaka in a 2-0 Boston win.

Sticking with Shields, I think. Yes, Shields and the Rays it is.

Update: Daisuke can pitch tonight if needed. This is going to be a great night of baseball.

Final Yankee Stadium HR ball yanked

The final home run ball hit at Yankee Stadium wasn't much of a hit at an auction.

It was expected to fetch up to $400,000, but was pulled after offers fell short of the suggested opening bid of $100,000.

The reason it didn't go for much? Quick, who was the guy that hit it? That's why.

Update: That's not the only piece of Yankee Stadium memorabilia not going for the assumed value. Perhaps fans picked enough paint chips off the left field foul pole for everyone.

Three AFL amigos

No surprise that three of the five pitchers leading the Arizona Fall League after just a couple of starts each are players who got a cup of coffee in MLB this year.

Phil Hughes and Clay Buchholz have combined to give up one run (Hughes' run) in 18 innings. Max Scherzer has given up three runs in 12 innings and struck out 12.

Scherzer looked pretty strong at the Major League level this year, and might've stayed with Arizona for longer had he not experienced some arm troubles. Hughes struggled, although he, too, wasn't healthy. Buchholz showed a couple of flashes with the Red Sox, but there's a good reason he's not on the postseason roster: he wasn't very good (2-9, 6.75 ERA) most of the time.

Fantasy Update:Scherzer deserves a serious look from the Diamondbacks in spring training. The other two have the stuff to be MLB starters, but if the Yankees and Red Sox do some offseason spending on their respective rotations, they might be left out of the mix. Does that make them trade bait?

Brewers stale on Dale

Baseball Musings makes a good point that Dale Sveum as manager of the Brewers makes more sense than Jerry Manuel as manager of the Mets. Sveum will not be considered to lead the Brewers next year while Manuel kept his job after New York failed to make the playoffs.

The Sveum firing, however, makes me wonder if the Brewers were not impressed with the postseason fallout. He only has about of month of managerial experience, and if Milwaukee still thinks it is close to competing for a World Series, it probably wants a manager with a long postseason resume.

Manuel, at least, is a known quality to the Mets, as he led the Chicago White Sox to an A.L. Central crown in 2000.

Big mo - no, not that Mo - with Boston?

The Red Sox will stay with the same lineup for game six as they did with game five of the ALCS.

The article talks about having offensive "momentum" going from game five to six. I'm not sure I can buy into the idea of momentum from game to game in baseball. Teams score 10 runs in game one of a double-header, then turn around and score one in the next game. I'm not sure there are any statistics to back me up on this hunch, but just from my time playing the game, there is little momentum from one game to the next in baseball.

Maddon out of context

One more note out of the Chicago Tribune today. Phil Rogers scolds Rays manager Joe Maddon for this comment:

"Of course, if we had won it, we'd be in the World Series by now," Maddon said. "We'll just have to wait one more day, hopefully, to get that done."

He meant one more game, as Friday was a travel day. And he did add an important qualifier with the word "hopefully." But still …

When your team gets as close to the World Series as the Rays were—seven outs away, seven-run lead—and then unravels, the task ahead is about a lot more than waiting "one more day."

The Red Sox had to wait 18 years to get it right after that grounder went between Bill Buckner's legs in Game 6 at Shea Stadium. The Cleveland Indians are at 11 years and counting since Jose Mesa couldn't hold a lead over Florida in Game 7 of the World Series.

Then there are the Cubs. They are at 79 years and counting since failing to protect an eight-run lead in Game 4 of the 1929 World Series —the last time anyone lost a bigger lead than the 7-0 margin Maddon's Rays held in the seventh inning.

They are at 24 years and counting since the grounder went through Leon Durham's legs in San Diego. They are at five years and counting since Florida's eight-run eighth inning in 2003.

OK, I get it. There have been precipitous falls after meltdowns like the Rays had in game five. Maddon, however, was merely stating that his team is in good position to clinch in the next game. What do you want him to say? The sky is falling? I think this is a non-issue, and the article is better left unwritten.

On Manny being a Cub

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune ponders what it might take the Cubs to land Manny Ramirez.

Manny Ramirez won't be going to Boston for the World Series. No one knows where he will wind up in 2009, including Ramirez or his agent, Scott Boras, both of whom are the cleanup hitters of their businesses.

Despite unprecedented production under the brightest lights, the baggage Ramirez carries is so heavy that it's unclear if the Los Angeles Dodgers will pay to bring him back. His fit elsewhere is equally unclear, as is the outlook for improving a Cubs team that has gone 0-6 the last two Octobers.

...

If there's a fan base ripe for that pitch, it's the fans in the bars in Wrigleyville. They have watched Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez go a combined 5-for-51 in the crushing first-round losses to the Dodgers and Arizona and are hungrier than ever for the full ride, not just the big tease.

There's no way the Cubs can play two left fielders, so Soriano would have to go for Ramirez to come. Soriano seems to be essentially an immovable object with six years and $106 million left on his contract, but the Dodgers will need two things if they don't re-sign Ramirez—power hitting and another buzz guy.

Could Soriano soften the blow of losing Ramirez?

Up until this rumorville article all the talk was of the Cubs going after a left-handed bat like Adam Dunn. That, and the potential devaluation of the Cubs franchise as it is sold should make it pretty tough to pay Manny. He's 36, and if he wants a five- or six-year contract, he'll be well past his prime by the end of the deal.

Singing praises of Carroll

Thanks to a revolving door at second base, Jamey Carroll got a chance to play in over 100 games for the Indians this year. The team rewarded him by picking up his $2.5 million option for 2009.

Fantasy Update: The 34-year-old Carroll is hardly a viable fantasy option, or is he? He hit .306 this past season, and he might get to play again in 2009. Follow him, but don't think he's worth starting next season.

BoSox on the bubble: ALCS game five preview

One of the most misleading stats in baseball comes to the forefront tonight as the Rays and Red Sox fight for the final time at Fenway this year. That stat? Team wins in a pitcher's start.

Scott Kazmir tosses for the Rays in game five, with Tampa Bay on the verge of clinching the A.L. pennant. He got shelled in game two, giving up five runs in less than five innings in a 9-8 Rays victory. Long have pitchers been revered for keeping their teams in games even if they don't win. In this case, however, Kazmir kept a pulse and little else as Boston hit him all over the field, including three home runs. Kazmir's team won, but he lost his battle badly.

The reason Kazmir is starting tonight at Fenway has little to do with the Rays feeling confident that they beat Boston in Kazmir's latest start. Kazmir is much worse on the road (4.10 ERA vs. 2.90 at home), and with the right-handed hulks in Boston's lineup, the BoSox should be taking aim at the green monster. The reason Kazmir is pitching is so James Shields doesn't have to. The Tampa right hander carries a 2.59 ERA at Tropicana Field and just a 4.82 mark on the road. Getting him back to the Trop might be the death knell for the Red Sox. Pitching a serviceable Kazmir tonight gives Tampa a better opportunity if the series returns home.

Pick Boston tonight. Daisuke Matsuzaka has pitched brilliantly in the postseason, and the Rays are gearing up for a one- or two-game fight back home. Sure, they'd take the win tonight, but sometimes stockpiling an arsenal means losing a battle to get ready.

What's your name?

Lost in the fray of a Dodgers five-game meltdown in the NLCS was the story that Dodger Stadium might, for the first time, hand out naming rights in 2009. Alas, that won't end up happening, although everything else in the ballpark is up for sale.

Available canvases include the bullpens, dugouts, base lines, outfield pavilions, parking gates, press box, Stadium Club, luxury suites and clubhouse. The team's newly adopted spring training facilities in Arizona are also up for grabs.

The Dodgers said Monday that they had formed a partnership with the William Morris Agency of Beverly Hills to identify opportunities to rename parts of the stadium and its planned $500-million addition. The expansion is intended to transform the ballpark into a year-round destination for dining, shopping and recreation -- and could also serve up numerous branding opportunities.

That brings us to this little piece on stadium naming rights. It's very interesting, especially if you've ever tuned into a broadcast and wondered why you always thought Bank of America stadium was actually called Ericsson Stadium. It was.

All the changes make it really tough on bulletin board warfare; especially for fans visiting another team's message board.

Rockies fan: "We're gonna wipe you out at Pac Bell!"
Giants fan: "It's AT&T Park."
Rockies fan: "Seriously?"
Giants fan: "Yes."
Rockies fan: "Not for long!"

Everyone is right, and everyone is wrong. One more note, why wasn't Fenway ever called "Yankees Suck Stadium?"

Political delay for game six

Forget rain delays, we'll potentially experience our first political delay for this year's World Series. Barack Obama's campaign has a deal with Major League Baseball in place for a 15-minute ad that will push back the start time of game six of the World Series from 8:22 p.m. to 8:35 p.m., or later.

This massive hypothetical inconvenience to the world of baseball fans is notable for a few reasons. First, this would be the first time a network has moved the start time for an event back due to political advertising. Second, the World Series will likely involve the Phillies (already in) and the Tampa Bay Rays, both of whom sit in key swing states in this election; whether the Obama campaign will be willing to take the marginal risk of offending the public of either state in exchange for "roadblock" coverage on all four major networks for their ad is a legitimate question. ("Roadblock" meaning on all four majors at once, meaning you'll have to flip to the Food Network for a few minutes to get away from it.)

I have to say, this is probably a good move on Obama's part, especially considering that a very small segment of the audience will be upset by a later start time. Game six is no guarantee, however, so John McCain should work on snapping up games one through five, asap.

Does a bad economy affect sports? Youbetcha

USA Today publishes this article, which deals with sports and money across the spectrum. It's a pretty interesting read. Baseball receives a blurb just short of halfway down.

Major League Baseball: Attendance fell this season after four straight record years, proving commissioner Bud Selig was wrong when he estimated the sport could break 80 million in attendance for the first time. But the economic slowdown is felt beyond the turnstiles: Team coverage in many newspapers has been cut back, leading to a decreased presence in print for teams. And MLB expects a decrease in car ads - long a major sponsor - forcing clubs and networks to search for other advertisers.

Sales of licensed goods - such as jerseys and caps - is flat when compared with last year. It would be down factoring out the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, which produced extra revenue.

Imagine that, Bud Selig was wrong. Never!

Don't worry, Bud, Spitting Seeds will always write articles on you and baseball; there will be no shrinking column inches here. That's perhaps good for baseball, but not for you, Bud.

If you build it close, they will come

Some major moves occurred in the minors this September with parent club affiliation changes. Among the most notable: Columbus changes from Nationals Triple-A affiliate to the Cleveland Indians. Buffalo, the Indians former Triple-A team, won a battle with Syracuse to take over as Mets Triple-A club.

As the article points out, teams are attempting to tap into proximity with regard to fan base. Columbus, just a few hours drive from Cleveland, should benefit from the close ties between the two ball clubs, including the buzz of showcasing soon-to-be Indians. While Buffalo is closer to Cleveland than New York City, there are still tons of Mets fans across the state of New York, and it certainly doesn't hurt to bolster the fan base in the western edge of the state.

Just look at how the Toledo-Detroit, Iowa-Chicago and Sacramento-Oakland do it. Close proximity tends to build a winner, or at least a lot of fan interest.

Clemens unlikely to pitch in '09

Roger Clemens says he has "no desire" to play baseball in 2009, but the only reason he's not interested is he can't guarantee that he can survive a full season at the MLB level. He did leave the slightest amount of wiggle room, but this sounds like a player who doesn't want to quit knowing he has to head toward the sunset.

“I don’t know if I will ever say no. I would have to know that I could perform at a high level and that my body would be able to hold up.”

Clemens, an 11-time All-Star and seven-time Cy Young award winner, said he did not feel he could play any longer.

“I think I said a long time ago that I’m not a quitter,” Clemens said. “I’m never going to quit. I think I’m just going to walk away. I think I will never be too far from the game.”

There's some poetic justice in that first statement. You know, the part about having to perform at a high level and a body breaking down. Clemens seemed to find the fountain of youth as an older player, and now with his name forever attached to steroids the comments contain an ironic twist.

Good luck, Roger, and good bye.

Phils clinch, 5-1

Congratulations to the Phillies, who did everything right in clinching the National League pennant with a 5-1 win over the Dodgers. The Dodgers did nothing right. For the second straight outing, Chad Billingsley failed to pitch into the third inning. Rafael Furcal made three errors, and only Manny Ramirez brought the offense, knocking his 28th career October homer out to right field when the game was already out of reach. 5-1, the Phils win game five and win the series, 4-1 behind another stellar outing from Cole Hamels.

Now the Rays need to hurry up and beat Boston if they want equal rest in time for the World Series.

Yankees 2009 staff considerations

MLB Trade Rumors dug up the latest on the Yankees offseason plans, including the possibility that they bring back both Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte.

I imagine the Yankees will scrap the plan to sign two of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Derek Lowe if both Mussina and Pettitte return. Or perhaps they'd turn Pettitte away?

Funny, but it was my expectation that the Yankees only bring back Pettitte or Mussina and not both. Things haven't worked out well in the Bronx in recent seasons, and an aging pitching staff can't be counted on to continue to produce at a high level. The Yankees need to get a bit younger with their veteran pitchers, because their young pitchers (Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, etc.) are still works in progress.

Griffey has knee surgery

Ken Griffey, Jr. had his knee scoped. It looks like he won't be returning to the White Sox.

"There's no question," Dr. Tim Kremchek said, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It affected that push-off leg. How much I don't know. But he was dealing with it all year. There's not much you can do early in the season."

Griffey will be a free agent this offseason, if as expected, the White Sox decline his $16 million option for the 2009 season. He has said he would like to continue playing next season.

Griffey looked washed up this past season, and although the knee surgery might help get his production up, he's certainly on the down slide. Where he ends up is anybody's guess, and if he can't put up better numbers it won't be as a DH.

Mazzone wants work, but not in Baltimore

Leo Mazzone is looking forward to returning as a pitching coach next season after sitting out 2008. This quote struck me most about his time in Baltimore:

Mazzone says the three-year, $450,000 contract he was offered by the Orioles was "very generous," but he now admits: "It was not a real good experience. I tried to get people to take more responsibility and be accountable to create a winning atmosphere. That wasn't very well received.

"I'd been with an [Atlanta] organization that was top-shelf, so I was in culture shock."

That says everything you need to know about why the Orioles have struggled for so long.

True sellouts

The Rays will finally have some true sellouts at Tropicana Field. They're removing the blue tarps over the nosebleed seats in the highest recesses of their home park, giving 5,762 more people the chance to experience a postseason game.

The reason those seats weren't open in the first place?

The upper-deck seats were covered in part because they're not exactly the best seats in the house. Tropicana Field's infamous catwalks block the view of the field for a number of those seats.

"Some are obstructed-view, some don't have seatbacks, and they're pretty high up," Silverman said, according to the Tribune. "But you're in the ballpark and you're there making a difference to the team."

That's got to be the worst ballpark in baseball, but hopefully this means the Rays are gaining some long-term support in Florida.

NLCS game five - Hamels vs. Billingsley

The most intriguing pitching match up of the postseason comes tonight when the Phillies and Dodgers throw their young guns in game five of the NLCS.

Philadelphia pitches 24-year-old Cole Hamels, who threw well in a game one win. The Dodgers counter with Chad Billingsley, who was rocked for seven runs in 2 1/3 innings in his game two loss.

This time Billingsley's got the crowd behind him, and Hamels has to deal with more adversity. Billingsley's been better at home this year (2.95 ERA), but Hamels is very strong on the road (3.19 ERA). This one should be a classic, if the youngsters can shake off the nerves.

Kazmir to start game five

The Rays have every advantage in their favor, including the ability to throw Scott Kazmir Thursday in game five of the ALCS in Boston and save James Shields for game six back in St. Petersburg. That's exactly what Joe Maddon is doing, giving Kazmir a chance to finish off the BoSox at Fenway.

Chatham A's change nickname

MLB continues to police usage of its merchandise and likeness. One Cape Cod Baseball League team is changing its name due to the heavy-handedness.

The decision comes after Chatham, one of 10 teams in the Cape Cod Baseball League and one of six sharing a nickname with a Major League Baseball franchise, decided not to sign an annual contract that would allow them to keep the A’s as their name but require them to purchase all uniforms and souvenir merchandise from MLB-licensed vendors.

It has not yet been established what the other five CCBL franchises using MLB nicknames – the Bourne Braves, Hyannis Mets, Orleans Cardinals, Y-D Red Sox and Harwich Mariners – are planning to do, but Bourne and Orleans are strongly considering a name change as well, according to Cape Cod Baseball League Commissioner Paul Galop. All teams must make their intentions known to the Cape League by Oct. 25.

The six CCBL clubs sharing nicknames with major league teams signed an abbreviated contract with MLB Properties this past summer (covering the 2008 season), but have until Nov. 1 to opt of the contract, which covers the 2009 season.

Major League Baseball threatened to withhold its annual $100,000 grant last year until a temporary contract with the six targeted CCBL teams was signed. The Cape League is not in jeopardy of losing that funding next year, Galop said, now that they’ve cooperated with MLB, either by signing the licensing agreement or changing their name altogether.

As I always say, I understand that baseball wants to protect its product, but how far is too far?

Rays on the doorstep

What a thrashing the Rays put on Tim Wakefield and the Red Sox Tuesday night. So deep are the Boston wounds after a 13-4 pounding at Fenway Park that you have to wonder if Boston can force the series back to St. Petersburg on Thursday. I think they'll get that part of the job done, but the Rays are primed for their first World Series berth.

Padres close with Hoffman

It sounds like the Padres will bring back Trevor Hoffman. This is a good move on a couple of fronts. First, it's never a bad thing to have an experienced closer, even if Hoffman's numbers have slipped. Second, a one-year contract makes him obvious trade bait if San Diego struggles. He likely commands at least one prospect near next year's deadline for a big-spending contender.

Move playoffs to cable

Baseball's Monday playoff TV ratings weren't too spectacular.

Over on Fox the NLCS game scored a 5.1/8 between 8pm-10pm. Kinda eh for the playoffs and though MLB is touting that the combined playoff ratings for this round are up, but that’s not doing Fox any good since the growth is all being driven by huge growth over last year on TBS (last year it had the Diamonbacks/Rockies NLCS, this year TBS has the Red Sox).

I'm thinking that all playoff games will move to cable outlets in the coming years, kind of like the NBA format with the finals on network TV.

Dunn done in AZ?

It doesn't sound like the Diamondbacks will be bringing back Adam Dunn. If that's the case, I heard Chicago sports radio talking about the Cubs potential interest in the slugging right fielder. The Cubs need balance in their order, and they might be able to afford him for year. Why wouldn't Dunn sign up and force Kosuke Fukudome into a platoon in center with Reed Johnson? It might work.

Papi is popped

David Ortiz is in a 4-27 postseason funk. I think a number of people point to Manny leaving Boston as the reason he's not hitting well, but that's not right. Jason Bay, Kevin Youkilis and others are still going strong. This has to be the classic case of a wrist injury never quite going away until a player gets an extended period of rest.

Phils and Rays

Shane Victorino's game-tying two-run homer, followed by Matt Stairs' game-winning two-run homer in the eighth inning of game two pushed Philadelphia to a 3-1 lead over the Dodgers, 7-5. The Phillies have a good chance to clinch in Los Angeles with Cole Hamels going against Chad Billingsley.

B.J. Upton's three-run homer ignited a 9-1 Rays blowout of Boston. The good Matt Garza showed up, too. How about that. Tampa leads 2-1, and if they get another one in Boston, forget about it BoSox fans.

Nohawks

The Rays honored a kid who got suspended from school for sporting a mohawk, a fashion that a number of players on the Rays have been wearing this year.

It's ridiculous that the boy got suspended from school in the first place, considering his school district's dress code states: "students shall keep their clothes, bodies and hair clean and well groomed." As long as the little guy is washing his hair, is a mohawk that disorderly? Please.

The boy was soon to be switching schools prior to the mohawk incident, and the new school district is cool with any kind of hairdo. He'll feel right at home.