Friday’s roundup
Terse headlines
A’s bench coach Geren steps up to manager
Frank Thomas signs 2y, $18m deal with Blue Jays
USSM still not supplied with Wii despite constant promotion of Nintendo-owned team
Even though they’re sending everyone else one and we’re local
And we promise we’d write an article
A’s talking to Bonds
MLB owners approve new TV deals worth $3 billion+
Meteor shower! Good thing we live in a city with near-total cloud cover for nine months a year.
Other good stuff
Over in an article at Baseball Prospectus, Nate Silver’s quoted saying the dollar cost teams are paying per win a player contributes looks like it’s jumped 30% or more this season. Teams have money to spend, labor peace, and there aren’t many free agents worth having.
I still can’t believe Scott Spiezio got 2y, $4.5m from the Cardinals and he’s trash talking about the M’s.
how many 1B/3B/DHs do the Blue Jays need???
Is there any hope for us this off-season? On the bright side, the A’s look a lot weaker with the depature of Big Frank.
Actually, scratch that. Now that they don’t have Hillenbrand and Hinske it’s not as bad as I thought. Remember last year when they put Glaus at short?
I can’t believe Sandfrog has 2 World Series rings and a brand-new multiyear contract. What’s next? Jeff Cirillo wins the batting title next year?
[GEREN]
“A’s bench coach Green steps up to manager
#4– which brings to mind Scott Hatteberg recalling Cirillo getting on first base and bitching to Scott about hitting 9th in the Ms line-up…
Seriously, what do you expect Spiezio to say. “Hey, Seattle! Good times, man. Of course, I reeked, but…”
On the other hand, if Pokey Reese bitches about hit “time in Seattle”, it’s on!
…his “time in Seattle”…
Seriously, what do you expect Spiezio to say.
Nothing at all?
gosh, an exciting video of the Moose & Joh in Japan!
I’m a little surprised that ESPN is, um, punting postseason baseball.
I can’t imagine ESPN would actually *lose* a bid if they wanted the TV rights, but I really wouldn’t know if FOX submitted a faria nd balanced bid, this year.
On the bright side, I believe I remember hearing Dan Schulman saying that ESPN Radio has rights to postseason play through the next couple years or so.
USSM Spelling and Grammar Helper, I’m on my way…
other tidbits from Rotoworld:
The Yankees and Giants are both discussing multiyear deals with free agent Rich Aurilia.
Agent Larry O’Brien said he could get on the phone today and snag Ted Lilly a four-year deal worth about $35 million.
Sterling Hitchcock, who retired after the 2004 seasons, was at the GM meetings and said he hopes to make a comeback next season.
Geez, no wonder ARod still has a career average around .300…
Maybe I should put a winkie emoticon after that. After all, he IS the best offensive 3B in the American League. 😉
Bonds to the A’s would suck. The M’s need to step up and keep that from happening.
“Statistically, Barry is terrific,” Wolff told MLB.com. “But you know how we operate. We’re going to stay in a certain budget. So I don’t know if that’s going to give us any chance with him or not.”
Why would the Yankess want Rich Aurilia? I smell a conspiracy….
About Scott Spiezio’s trashtalking the M’s?
Any ballplayer can get mail care of his team, i.e. c/o ST. LOUIS CARDINALS, 250 Stadium Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63102. It’s be marvelous if he had about 2,000 letters with some witty retorts waiting for him on Opening Day 2007.
And I’d bet his e-mail address is sspiezio@stlcardinals.com . It’d be interesting to see if that works (I’m just guessing). At the very least pass along a link to his own page at mlb.com and point out his Fantasy Comparison and Past 3 Seasons down at the bottom of the page, then tell him to STFU.
It looks like A’s wil ge the best season and the best deal out of Thomas for the last 5 years of his career, 2004 – 2008 seasons. Only $500K for the 2006 Salary, but with $2.6 million in incentives.
The Bluejays will pay more and get less
#20– and Derek thinks I’m mean.
Jon Heyman:
“It looks like the Mariners will have serious company in their pursuit of top right-handed free-agent Jason Schmidt. The Dodgers are expected to join in the hunt, and the Yankees are another possibility.
Schmidt’s handlers have been fighting an uphill battle to dispel the notion that he very much wants to remain on the West Coast. The Mets aren’t convinced and are focusing elsewhere (Barry Zito), while the Yankees, said by one official to “love” Schmidt, also are skeptical as to whether Schmidt would move 2,500 miles. This perception could end up costing Schmidt and making him the one true bargain among front-line starters in a free-agent market that’s been described as “white hot” by excited agents.”
#17
How would you propose the M’s “step up” and prevent Bonds from going to the A’s?
#24
offer him more money than the A’s do
25. But not enough hopefully for him to agree to a contract, right?
#24 & #25
Yeah, I fully expect the M’s want about as much to do with Bonds as they do with say – plutonium.
Going to have to figure out another way to “step up”. Maybe the M’s could spread some vicious rumors about Bonds of some sort.
27. Yeah vicious rumors that can’t be mentioned on this site.
Maybe the M’s could spread some vicious rumors about Bonds of some sort.
I heard that he pushes old ladies into traffic, just for fun.
Great. Plutonium. If the NSA wasn’t data-mining our site before, they are now. Thanks.
Welcome to the no-fly list, everyone.
[still feeling a little mean ;)]
And here I was going to suggest in response to #24, “Find out if Jeff Gillooly Stone is interested in a little knee-knocking…”
…and thought better of it.
They still don’t have a shortstop. That team needs pitching. I have no idea what they think they’re doing.
Oh, and I’m already a selectee when I fly in the US. I don’t know why.
Last time I flew I got SSS. Twice. In a row.
I think it’s the beard.
Whoops, didn’t close the bold.
If you like, I can post some excerpts from cropduster flight manuals. In Arabic. Or (with a little more effort) Pashto, Persian, or Urdu.
(Funnily enough, I got pulled out of line and had to take my boots off while going through security at the airport… in Dubai… in 1995)
#3–well, at least Glaus used to be a ss …