The next Classic is not until 2013, but if Valentine is available, he should be strongly considered as a candidate to manage the United States team. Valentine has managed in both countries and was the first American manager to win a title in the Japanese Leagues with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2005. If Valentine were free and the job were offered, he indicated he would take it.Valentine makes sense as Team USA's manager, but it will take more pitchers for the USA to compete. A manager that knows both teams inside and out is one thing, but you have to play the best to beat what's currently better than you.
After finishing fourth this season and eighth in the first Classic in 2009, the United States could use an infusion of energy in four years. Valentine would be a good start. He said Japan’s precise, disciplined style was perfectly suited for a three-week tournament, something the Americans should have noticed by now.
“If you rely on a home run in a short series, you’re destined for doom,” Valentine said. “I know teams have won with the home run. But you’ve got to play the game of baseball. Whatever style it is, if you make fewer mistakes, I think you’re increasing your chances of winning a short series.”
Known away from the game as a man who enjoyed cigars and card games and made wise investments, Mr. Franks was hired to replace Alvin Dark after the 1964 season and nearly guided the Giants to pennants in 1965 and 1966. Both times, the Giants lost tight races to the Dodgers.
A six-time All-Star, Jones was the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1999. His .310 lifetime batting average ranks second among switch hitters, trailing only Frankie Frisch's .316. He has 408 home runs, trailing only Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504) in homers by a switch hitter.It's all about production, and Jones still offers a dangerous stick in the middle of any batting order. The fact he's only played 137, 109, 110, 134 and 128 games the past five seasons is a concern, but enough of one to pass on one of the top bats in baseball. Jones is a sure-fire Hall of Famer who is coming up on 1500 R, 1500 RBI and has the ability to hit 500 homers for his career. His record is clean, and he's one of the great third basemen all-time.
He is the only switch hitter with at least 300 homers and a .300 career batting average.
Sheffield said he was told by manager Jim Leyland and president/general manager Dave Dombrowski that the team wanted to go with a more versatile lineup. The Tigers did not envision Sheffield playing any position other than designated hitter.With numbers like those over the past couple of seasons the Tigers must've seen the end of the road coming for their slugger. At $14M this year, that's a ton of money for a guy who struggles to stay healthy. It's not exactly a shock that in this money-saving time in sports a team might cut an aging veteran. The question becomes: who brings in Sheffield after he clears waivers? Nobody but the Yankees can afford to price tag, and New York already owns the ailing Hideki Matsui. There's no way you take on two injury-risk types, especially when you're trying to win a title.
The Tigers will owe Sheffield his guaranteed $14 million salary for this year. If he clears waivers, he'll be free to sign with any team he chooses.
Sheffield, who has 499 career home runs and is on the verge of becoming just the 25th player in history to record 500, said that he was surprised by the move and that he didn't consider it a possibility.
"I never really thought about it, to be honest with you," Sheffield said.
Sheffield spent the last two seasons with the Tigers, batting a combined .247 with 44 home runs and 132 RBIs in 247 games, primarily as a designated hitter. He played in just 114 games last season, missing time because of a sore right shoulder and a strained oblique.
Correa was named the No. 3 prospect in the New York-Penn League in 2007, earning all-star honors with the short-season Class A Jamestown club, going 6-2 with a 3.22 ERA in 11 starts.Correa's biggest problem is he's perhaps too hittable. The youngster strikes out more than a batter per inning, but he's given up more than 20 more hits than strikeouts in his minor league career.
Taschner was 3-2 with a 4.88 ERA in 67 games last season. He gives the Phillies another left-hander in the bullpen to go with Scott Eyre. J.C. Romero was suspended the first 50 games for using a banned substance.Taschner, however, is no Romero. He's unlikely to see many - if any - save opportunities in Philly.
Despite being traded twice in one day, Paulino lands with a Marlins team looking for a backup to John Baker. Paulino reportedly had been on the Marlins' radar since the Winter Meetings. Paulino, 27, hit .278 in 304 games with Pittsburgh from 2005-08 before Philadelphia obtained him in an offseason trade. Paulino, who's due to earn $423,500 this season, played in only 40 games for the Pirates last year due to a sprained right ankle, hitting .212 with two home runs and 18 RBIs. But he had his most productive year in 2007, hitting .263 with a career-high 11 homers and 55 RBIs, which matched a personal best. Paulino also owned a .282 lifetime average (11-for-39) against the Giants.Fantasy Impact: Something tells us Paulino will be more than just a backup in Florida. His numbers are good enough to challenge for playing time. In fact, offensively he compares closely to Yadier Molina. Keep an eye on his playing time to see if he can compete with Baker.
Bonifacio is building a strong case to be on Florida's Opening Day roster.Fantasy Impact: Bonifacio might have been a minor option if he was coming off the bench, but now that he's going to get an opportunity to start, watch out! This is a player who stole 61 bases in the minors in a single season. He can fly, if he can get on base. While his OBP climbed to .361 in two minor league stints last year, his career OBP stood at .338 heading into last season. In the majors, Bonifacio managed to reach base at a .300 clip.
If that comes to fruition, the Marlins will have the chance to place three burners in their lineup -- Bonifacio, Cameron Maybin and Hanley Ramirez.
Nothing in terms of the final roster is official yet, but Bonifacio is on a path to make an impact from the time the season opens on April 6 against his former team, Washington.
"I like him. I like him in that lineup, someplace," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He has made unbelievable improvement at third base, a position he didn't play [before]. He's been learning under the gun a little bit. He's done a terrific job learning that position.
"We know he can play the middle of the diamond, and we know he can play the outfield a little bit. We may run him out in the outfield and get a little more flexibility."
"I take full responsibility for not answering the question," Tejada told U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay.Fantasy Impact: It's safe to draft/acquire Tejada in all leagues. He hit 206 home runs from 2000 through 2006 but hasn't reached 20 homers since the steroid talk surfaced. Tejada has slipped to a middle-round draftee, and he still deserves attention thanks to playing his home games at Minute Maid Park.
Standing at a lectern facing Kay, Tejada spoke softly for less than a minute, the talented hands he normally uses to grip a bat or field ground balls stuffed in the pant pockets of his pinstriped, three-piece suit.
He apologized to Congress, to the court, to baseball fans — "especially the kids" — and added: "I learned a very important lesson."
Tejada is the first high-profile player convicted of a crime stemming from baseball's steroids era.
"What people are not entitled to do, your honor, is to provide untruthful or dishonest answers. No one has that right," Durham told the court. "Not the people who are well-known — and not the people who are unknown."
Tejada faced up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. But Kay followed the recommendation of prosecutors who said he deserved a lighter punishment, issuing a sentence of probation, 100 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine. Kay waived drug testing often required of other convicts on probation and said he wouldn't restrict the player's travel.
The plea deal is unlikely to affect Tejada's immigration status because green-card holders are not normally deportable unless the maximum possible sentence is more than one year in prison.
Hicks, who also co-owns Liverpool F.C. with George Gillett, has hired Merrill Lynch to sell his Rangers stake, MLB.com said, citing two baseball sources. The minority shares may be sold in whole or in part.The timing might be good for Rangers fans, who would love to see Hicks bail. Texas is building a talented young nucleus with players like Chris Davis and Elvis Andrus.
Fontenot is the projected sixth hitter, with Kosuke Fukudome in second and Milton Bradley fourth.Fantasy Impact: If you project Fontenot's at bats over a full 600 at bats, he looks pretty good. Fontenot appears capable of 20 HR power, and he's capable of scoring runs (.395 OBP in 243 at bats last season). In the article, however, Piniella says both Fontenot and Aaron Miles will get 350 at bats this season. Miles will slide around the infield as a utility man, but will still steal time from Fontenot against left-handed pitching. Fontenot is therefore a later round pick in most fantasy drafts. He's valuable as a second baseman with pop who might start 5 or 6 days a week.
"I don't want to get caught with two left-handed hitters sixth and seventh or sixth and eighth at the tail end of the lineup," manager Lou Piniella said. "So 2-4-6 is a real nice way to break things up."
In his fifth year with the Cubs after being traded from Baltimore in the Sammy Sosa deal, Fontenot never has been penciled in as a starter.
According to several media sources, including the Philadelphia Daily News, Hamels will fly back to Philadelphia to be looked at by team doctor Michael Ciccotti after having steady soreness in the elbow.Much was made about the 227 1/3 innings Hamels pitched -- not including his postseason innings -- last season. There may be some merit to those concerns. The young ace will have to be watched for the rest of the spring.
However, team general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. indicated it is not presently a serious issue, and the team is taking a cautious approach.
Consumers who buy the Topps 2009 Series 1 deck of baseball cards for $1.99 have an option to pull the "magic" card from the deck, sign onto ToppsTown.com with a code, download a browser plug in and pitch, bat or catch in games served up from the Web site. The cards, which sport members of major league baseball (MLB) franchises, also are available through the Topps Attax baseball card game.It's an interesting idea, but my guess is enthusiasm wanes rather quickly. Offering online games based on the cards and the players' statistics might be a better way to maintain interest, but that's what video games are all about. Good luck, Topps.
The consumer's Web camera pointed at the two-dimensional card laying on someone's desk or in their hand projects the picture of Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria to the computer screen, for example, allowing the picture of the baseball player to come to life in 3D.
The augmented reality technology from Total Immersion lives on Topps's server. It recognizes the image of the player on the card. One player from each baseball team has been digitized.
"Topps hopes to stir new excitement about baseball cards, particularly kids who tells us they like collecting trading cards but no longer rely on them for information," said Steve Grimes, chief digital officer, The Topps Co. "So, we want to give them new uses for the cards, whether that's 3D animation or playing games or unlocking other experiences online."
''The timing for the stadium could not be better and to get this stadium built now is the perfect time,'' Loria said. ``Our nation is embarking on its largest public/private partnership. . . . People need jobs, people need paychecks and the time to get it done is now.''Optimist is putting it lightly, Jeff. The city of Miami votes on Thursday on a new stadium at the site of the old Orange Bowl. We'll see how optimistic Loria sounds after the vote.
Asked about the opposition he encounters in trying to get the stadium built, Loria said: 'I don't want to hear about the naysayers. There's plenty of them around. They are the ones who always look back and say, `You know what? You guys did the right thing.' . . . There will always be people who are opposed to progress. This is a positive thing for Florida. This is a positive thing for the nation and certainly for the thousands of people that need the work.''
Loria added he is optimistic about the stadium deal passing and does not ponder if it were to fail.
''I never think of what if,'' Loria said. ``I am a positive thinker. Our ballclub I think positively about. I'm thinking positively about the stadium. . . . There is no other way to think.''
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said the decision was made collectively by Utley and team personnel.Makes sense that Utley would start in a minor league game if he's not quite up to snuff. A step down allows him to get his bearings, have some success and build confidence before return to the parent club.
"We felt like he was ready to get into one and test the waters," Amaro said.
Amaro said that after the intrasquad game team trainers told him Utley was "tired, but it was a good workout for him. We'll have to see what happens, how he feels tomorrow morning, and kind of progress him day by day."
Amaro said that while Utley has been eager to play, the second baseman has resisted the temptation to return before his hip was ready.
"He knows what is at stake, and how important it is for him to be healthy in the long term," Amaro said. "This was probably a test date for him, and we'll see how he comes out of it."
Manuel said that the team would proceed with caution.
"We'll take it easy on him," Manuel said. "He's not ready for me to just turn him loose and start playing every day. We're going to kind of break him in."
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