Obscure Signings For The Week

For every Sabathia or Furcal signing, there are dozens of signings of fringe players struggling to keep their slight major league careers going. Here are a few of this week's:

Jody Gerut - Free Agent, signed by the Padres
Gerut, a centerfielder, was signed in the second round by the Rockies in 1998 after playing for Stanford. Now 32, Gerut first broke into the majors in 2003 for the Cleveland Indians. He had a nice rookie year there where he hit 22 homers and 33 doubles, knocked in 75 runs in only 480 at bats while batting .279. The following year, his average fell to .252 in 481 at bats while his homer total halved to 11. Gerut played for three teams in 2005, starting with the Indians who traded him to the Cubs. He went 1 for 14 there and the Cubs released him. Gerut then had 18 at bats for Pittsburgh and had only two hits there. He didn't play at all in the majors in 2006 and 2007.

He suddenly appeared again in the majors in 2008 with the Padres and had a nice little year, batting .296 and hitting 14 homers for the Padres in only 100 games. He was eligible for arbitration, but the Padres gave him a one year contract.

Greg Norton - Free Agent, signed by the Atlanta Braves.
Transactions that list a player's position as "PH" for pinch hitter automatically qualifies a player as an obscure signing. First of all, only a National League team would sign a "pinch hitter." But usually, pinch hitters are bad field/good hit sort of players. Norton doesn't qualify there.

Norton has played parts of twelve years after being drafted in the 2nd round by the Chicago White Sox after his college career ended at Oklahoma. The 36 year old, Norton, has only once had more than 300 at bats in a season and has a lifetime batting average of .252 and a lifetime OPS of .776. Ouch.

You have to wonder how a player with those kinds of numbers hangs around that long. But great for Norton, who has another year and another $800,000 salary.

Chris Bootcheck - Minor League Contract, Pittsburgh Pirates
Bootcheck even has a perfect name for an obscure signing. But it shouldn't have turned out this way. Bootcheck is a former first round pick by the Anaheim Los Angeles California Angels, or whatever they are calling themselves this year. But he has never panned out for them. He had cups of coffee for the Angels in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008. His only full year was out of the bullpen for the Angels in 2007 where he compiled a hefty 4.77 ERA in 51 appearances. His lifetime totals? How about 89 earned runs given up in 132 and 2/3 innings. Yeesh. Perhaps the Pirates can find a genie in a bottle. Lord knows they need one.

Terry Tiffee - Minor League Contract, Phillies
The Fan is a pretty avid devourer of daily box scores and has to admit that this transaction wire entry is the first time Terry Tiffee has ever been heard of. Incredibly, the first/third baseman has played parts of four years for the Twins (who drafted him in the 26th round in 1999) and Dodgers. Hardly lighting his brief times in the majors on fire, his lifetime totals to date equal 253 at bats with a batting average of .226, an on base percentage of .276 and an OPS of .626. Oh baby! Ironically enough, the transaction wire also lists Tiffee as a "PH."

Such players serve as a reminder of just how difficult it is to establish a game at the highest level. Sure, every year there are two or three big name signings of elite players. But on the other end of the spectrum are guys just trying to hold on or find another job and somehow stretch their career and their dreams out another year. With five years needed for a pension, these players deserve a little space in the blog sphere. Good luck fellas.

The Furcal Flap

The Fan has been reading with interest the various stories and opinions concerning Rafael Furcal's decision to sign with the Dodgers after apparently agreeing in principle to a deal with the Braves (see here for example). The linked article indicates the wrath of Wren (cool line alert!) upon the supposed flip-flop. The Fan thinks the anger is misplaced.

One can understand the Braves' disappointment. First they got outbid by the Yankees for A. J. Burnett and now they have lost out on Furcal. Bummer for them. At the same time, the deal wasn't signed and as a fellow human being (though in a considerably lower living wage), a man has a right to make the right personal choice for his future.

Say for example, the average Joe Blow (or Flagrant Fan) is looking for work and suddenly finds two opportunities worth pursuing. Mr. Blow meets with the hiring executive for the first opportunity and really enjoys the meeting. The hiring executive expresses a strong desire to hire Mr. Blow and does everything he can to convince Mr. Blow that the executive's company is the one to work for. Mr. Blow tells the executive that the offer is fantastic and would enjoy the opportunity. "I'll be in tomorrow morning to sign up," says Mr. Blow.

After that meeting, Mr. Blow then meets the second company's hiring executive and receives an almost identical offer and opportunity. The second opportunity is closer to home and would require less change of lifestyle and location. After careful deliberation concerning what is best for his life and his family, Mr. Blow takes the second job.

Wouldn't that make the most sense for Mr. Blow or anyone in that position? Sure the first executive is going to be disappointed in losing a good prospect and fit for their organization, but as a human being, he is going to have to understand that we all have an obligation to make the best choice for ourselves.

Furcal's decision is no different. There is no indication that the Dodgers offered Furcal any more money at the last minute. Perhaps Furcal had "buyer's remorse" about moving to the Braves. That's his right and is perfectly understandable.

The bold statement that Frank Wren and the Braves will never again deal with Furcal's agent or his agency (the Wasserman Group) is peevish and illogical. Get over it already. Heck, if Furcal's back is going to be a subject of future problems, you may have dodgered a bullet (another great line alert!).

The Red Sox Are Out of the Texieria Sweepstakes?

Sure they are. And the tooth faerie has given in to inflation and now has a one dollar pillow minimum. We will see what we will see. The Fan still thinks the Yankees would be crazy not to make a play for him.

Some Thoughts From the Mall

As the Fan sat in the Mall during the annual shopping season, the following random thoughts appeared in the upper lobe while the long dead Dinah Shore sings Jingle Bells on the mall speakers:

- Considering the last post concerning the WBC: If Johnny Damon hurts his arm, would anyone notice the difference? Perhaps the ball would take 43 hops to get to the cutoff man instead of 41?

- Was Fukodome the biggest Japanese flop since Steinbrenner's "Toad"? At least a Japanese flop hit someone else besides the Yankees, who have had two of them.

- The Fan can't help hoping that Giambi hits 40 homers someplace in 2009.

- The Fan also can't help hoping that Josh Hamilton and Rick Ankiel continue growing in their career. Rick Ankiel would look good in centerfield for the Yankees.

- Why would anyone sign Farnsworth for $9 million over two years?

- Why can't the Fan figure out if he loves or hates Rob Neyer's blog? It is a good thing that the Baseball Writers have finally undone the stupidity of last year and let him into their little club.

- Will Posada make it back behind the plate for the Yankees this year? And if he does and struggles early, will they stick with him?

- Dean Martin still sounds drunk even when singing Christmas songs.

- The Fan wishes Texiera would sign somewhere already. The suspense is killing him.

- What are the odds that teammates call Rafael Furcal, "Furball" or "Furby"?

- Since Furcal started his free agency, the offers for his services have gone down by $9 million. Ouch. I guess the late bird doesn't get the worms after all.

- Is Randy Johnson the most misunderstood tall man since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? At least Kareem was better looking.

- The Fan wonders if David Ortiz will continue to diminish or if he'll come back to his former formidable self.

- Does anyone in baseball swing harder than Dustin Pedroia? One of these days, he will spin himself into the ground like Bugs Bunny.

- The reports that Barry Bonds has still not retired show a man not faced with reality. Umm...Barry...take a seat next to Sammy Sosa over there and remember when you had artificial fun.

- There was a time when throwing Rickey Henderson out while stealing second was one of the most exciting plays in baseball. Any writer who does not vote for Henderson for the Hall of Fame is just plain stupid.

- Why is Davey Johnson managing the WBC and not a major league team? Seems all the guy ever did was win.

- Is anyone aware that Cito Gaston is one of the best managers in the modern era?

- The Mall bookstore had a copy of Bill James grandiose book. The Fan looked at it and it's one million pages and really would love to be that well informed to speak intelligently with the stat heads, but golly, that just seems like too much work. Does one really have to read it to know that Adam Dunn is worth his money even though he strikes out twice a game?

Guess the brain has run dry...now where is that mall bench?

WBC - A Classic Case of Blah

It is amazing how things change in two years. Two years ago, George Steinbrenner was still well enough to blast the World Baseball Classic and was even more aggravated when new free agent signing, Johnny Damon, hurt his shoulder playing the...uh...classic. George is no longer in a position to postulate and Damon is pretty much irrelevant. But one thing remains the same: The Fan still hates the World Baseball Classic.

Okay, Jeter is playing shortstop. A-Rod is playing for the Dominican Republic (who knows why). Ichiro and Dice-K are playing for Japan (do they still want Fukodome?). Who cares. Well, a team's fan base will care if one of their players get hurt playing the Olympic wannabe.

And just like two years ago, writers will have two months of excuses to give for any statistical anomalies and blame them all on the WBC: "Pitchers had a head start." "He's usually a slow starter, but played the WBC." And on and on it will go.

All the "classic" does is eat up time before Spring Training can get a team's players in full swing with the rest of the team. What else does it accomplish? We already know that many countries such as Japan, Korea, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and others already have more passion for baseball than a divided sports nation here has. What need is there to promote it further?

The worst part of the "classic" is all the statistics generated that won't mean a thing. You mean A-Rod hit eleven homers this week? Well, oh yeah, they don't count. Or, to fans in New York, "Where were they in October when we needed them?"

The second worst thing is that so much of our favorite new sites will be buggered up with stories about the non-event for at least a month. The Fan said it two years ago, and will say it again. "Blah! and Bah Humbug! On the World Baseball Classic.

Phillies Sign Methuselah For Two More Years

Like Julio Franco before him, Jamie Moyer could play until he is 50! Now 46, the Phillies signed Moyer to two more years, a contract that will take him to the age of 48. And the Phillies knew what they were doing too.

After all, Moyer has won 82 games since he turned 40. 82 wins! In that same period of time, A. J. Burnett has won 53 games. Oliver Perez has won 51. Jake Peavy has won 80. Sabathia has won only five more games in that time span. Andy Pettitte, who has always been ten years younger, has only won four more games since Moyer turned 40. Tim Hudson has won the same amount of games as Moyer in his 40s. And yet, if you turned back time to 2003 and asked any general manager if he had a choice between Moyer and any one of those guys, none would have picked Moyer.

Did the Phillies take a risk? Of course. Any contract longer than a year is risky and the risk doubles for older players. But Moyer is the George Blanda of his era. George kept kicking field goals up past 50 and Moyer will keep his team in the game for just about as long.

The Phillies risk looks pretty good when the then 45 year old Moyer went 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA, while only giving up 199 hits in 196 innings. He will win at least 13 games and post an ERA around 4.00 this coming year while making all his starts. Whether 46 or 26, a lot of teams would take those kinds of numbers.

You go, Jamie Moyer. Pitch another season for the old guys.

Kubek and the Frick Award

Tony Kubek is this year's winner of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters and will become the first pure analyst to obtain the award since the award's inception in 1978. And while the Fan was fond of Kubek and enjoyed those Saturday afternoons with Kubek and Garagiola, the award is a bit troubling.

The trouble goes beyond the name of the award, which calls to mind Frick and Frack or a replacement word for the F-bomb in polite company--such as what Congressman, Barney Frank, might say: "Frick, here comes Ford." The trouble comes from knowing that Kubek turned his back on the game in 1994.

Granted, Kubek seems to be a heck of a nice fellow and spends his time doing charity and foundation work. But after the labor strife of the early 90s in baseball, Kubek walked out on the remainder of his contract broadcasting Yankee games and by his own admission, has rarely watched a game or even read about the game since. He says he's never seen Jeter play and doesn't much care.

While many people made a vow after the strike of 1993 to never watch another baseball game, hardly any of us Fanatics actually followed through with the vow. After all, the sport is a passion that is in the blood and would leave a hole somewhere inside to shed it.

So the question formulated is: How can the Hall of Fame honor someone who turned his back on their game? Is there any comparison? hmm... A fairly young actor recently announced that he was finished with acting. The announcement came as a shock to many. If this actor sticks with the announcement and is serious, will the Academy Awards some day give him a Lifetime Achievement Award? Doubtful.

Should not this award be maintained only for those announcers and analysts who at least continued their passion for baseball until their retirement age? Nice guy and all, it seems odd to give Kubek this honor after he has spurned the game in every other way for fourteen years.

Yankees Appear to Have a Deal with Sabathia

In what appears to be the first piece of Brian Cashman's quest to rebuild the Yankees, it is being reported that the Yankees have a deal for C. C. Sabathia, the former Indians and Brewers start pitcher. The deal will vault the Yankees back into relevance, at least in the preseason polls. The long term prognosis for this deal will have to play out before any judgements can be made.

All indications are that Sabathia is a stand up guy that teammates really like and admire. He wants to use much of his new riches for underprivileged children and--according to reports--really wants to play in New York now.

Analysis:

Sabathia is one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. Besides being stingy with walks, Sabathia has an excellent strikeout to walk ratio as well as strikeout to nine inning ratio. Here's how he fares historically with some of the Yankees main rivals (thanks to http://www.baseball-reference.com):

(Player, AB, H, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, BB, SO, BA, OBP, SLG, OPS)
Carlos Pena: 21 4 1 0 2 2 3 8 .190 .292 .524 .816
David Ortiz: 18 5 1 0 1 3 1 3 .278 .316 .500 .816
Brian Roberts: 16 1 0 0 0 1 3 4 .063 .211 .063 .274
Jason Giambi: 11 2 0 0 0 4 3 1 .182 .333 .182 .515 (assuming he signs with the Rays)
Raul Ibanez: 36 10 1 1 2 8 2 10 .278 .333 .528 .861 (assuming he stays in Toronto)
Carl Crawford: 25 6 2 0 0 1 0 5 .240 .240 .320 .560
Mark Texiera: 21 6 1 0 0 3 3 7 .286 .375 .333 .708 (assuming he signs with Red Sox)

Many of the current Red Sox do not have enough at bats against him to be meaningful (Pedroia is 0 for 3 for example). But none of those numbers above look particularly threatening. Other than improving the Yankees as a team, Derek Jeter must be bittersweet. Here are Jeter's stats against Sabathia: 26 13 3 0 0 2 2 3 .500 .536 .615 1.151. Ichiro also wears Sabathia out.

Sabathia's splits are remarkably consistent. His home and away win/loss, ERA and OPS stats are within a few hundreds of percentage points between them. His OPS against right handed batters is .695 versus .661 against left handed batters.

Opinion:

For the short term (two years at least), the Yankees have obtained a very consistent, at times dominant left handed starter, who, to this point in his career, has been resiliant, durable and a great team player. Long term concerns have to be his weight and large bone structure which are not built to translate to a long career.

The Yankees got who they wanted. To solidify their chances to unseat the Red Sox and the Rays (not to mention Toronto), the Yankees will need one more wheel in their rotation and Texiera would be outstanding for them.

The Fan Hates Being Wrong

Which is pretty stupid when being wrong happens so often.

For years, Greg Maddux was hated. Hated with an almost ungodly passion. But first, Maddux was a Cub and he was a good Cub. Being a good Cub on bad Cub teams was an admirable thing. But then he became a Brave and that was the start of the negative passion.

His first sin in becoming a player with the Braves was having all those awe-inspiring years and being compared--often favorably--with Roger Clemens in the nod for best pitcher in the Major Leagues. Compound that fact with the knowledge that he first turned the Yankees down to go to the Braves was the beginning of the Fan's little passion play.

And then it was the Braves as a whole and the whole guilt by association thing. Let's face it, the Braves were an arrogant bunch in their early years of their incredible streak of success. The Fan falsely lumped Maddux in with the real arrogant SOBs like Chipper Jones. Can you even say, "Chipper" in an adult-like manner? It's like the Fan's aversion to buying cars by Mitsubishi. Any car or player that sounds like baby talk is to be avoided.

But you could see it in Chipper's demeanor. He thought he was the Hersey Syrup on the ice cream. He, and his pretty wife, Karin, who by association was also stuck up since she refused to spell her name traditionally, seemed to be above it all. Well, Karin later divorced him and got half his millions, so there was some justice in it all.

Anyway, Maddux was lumped into that whole angst thing about the Braves and the Fan really believes that the Braves arrogance led to their downfall in their series with the Yankees. Stories circulated later where the Yankee players were motivated by the Braves' belief they couldn't lose.

It did help some that the Yankees didn't treat Maddux with respect during that series and he got beat. But in the Fan's mind, Maddux was the same as Jones and Smoltz, an arrogant jerk.

The Fan realizes that some arrogance is needed, call it confidence if you will, to play successfully in the Major Leagues. I would not exactly call Clemens and Pedro cream puffs in that category. But darn, how did Maddux always get the favorable call on those questionable corners along with Glavine?

But slowly, as the years went by, the ice started melting in the ego-shrouded, Fan mania. First, there was the "Chicks dig the long ball" commercials. Those were fun and showed Maddux to be a regular guy. The Fan was watching the commercials with a jaundiced eye, waiting for the arrogance to show itself, but the commercials were just fun and Maddux seemed like a cool and decent guy. Crap!

Then stories started appearing on his legendary pranks in the clubhouse and his golf addiction and how he wouldn't retire because he just likes to play and fifteen years after the antipathy began, Maddux was embraced for what he truly was: One of the two best pitchers of the present era.

Consider a five year stretch from 1994 through 1998 where Maddux pitched 1140 innings, gave up only 990 hits, walked only 29 people a year (A YEAR!) and won 87 of his 119 decisions. Consider 1995 when he made 25 starts and only gave up 35 earned runs. The numbers are staggering. For a guy that was supposedly not a strikeout pitcher, he struck out the same number of batters that got hits off of him.

29 Walks a year! That's as many as Perez of the Mets throws in four starts. The real measure of the success of Greg Maddux is his consistency for all those years without trips to the training room or the DL. He won eight games his first two years and eight his last year, but in between, here are his yearly win totals: 18, 19, 15, 15, 20, 20, 16, 19, 15, 19, 18, 19, 19, 17, 16, 16, 13, 15 and 14. Remarkable.

You won the Fan over Mr. Maddux. Big deal, right? You will be remembered and you will be honored in those memories.

Mets New Ballpark Looks Really Sharp

Shea Stadium was kind of a nondescript circle of concrete in the middle of the airport's fly zone. But it was also where the Fan saw his first major league game. In one of the few cherished memories about a father who died too young and too early in the Fan's childhood, memories recall seeing the big sphere, a holdover from the World's Fair (and on display in "Men in Black") and the almost pastel colors of Shea.

They were great seats, right behind home plate and you could see all the players close up and even hear what they were saying. The Mets were playing the Pirates and the two things remembered about the game were that Bob Veale was a very big man pitching for the Pirates and Ed Kranepool hit a homerun for the Mets. Very good memories indeed.

The next memories of that stadium were not so good. As a young, now fatherless Fan whose mother now had to work full time, the Fan and his younger brother were often given $5 each on Saturdays to "babysit" themselves. Not a bad deal for a kid. The problem was that the beloved Yankees were banished to Shea for three years while Yankee Stadium was recycled.

The Yankees playing at Shea seemed like the ultimate insult back then. It took away their identity and for all practical purposes, ended beloved Bobby Murcer's career with the Yankees. The former Yankee Stadium slugger did not have Mike Piazza-like power and suddenly found all his "big flies" falling into outfielder's mitts on the warning track of Shea. The Fan recalls that Murcer's homer production fell from 27 or so to 10. Before you could blink a baby blue Shea eye, our hero was traded away to the Giants for Bobby Bonds.

For a new look at the Mets new ball park, click here. It seems like every fan concern was in mind when they built this place. It should be a win/win for the Mets and their fans. And for Yankee fans, at least a new stadium was built for them so they wouldn't have to slum it some where else.

The Fan has had a chance to work out the angst of losing Yankee Stadium in favor of the new one. And reflection seems to bring the reality that the refitting of the Stadium in those lost Shea years was just as much of a trauma back then as a new Stadium is now. Let's face it, the old ball park was not the same after those three years rebuilding it.

The Fan remembers walking into the new, old Yankee Stadium and feeling cheated. The right field foul pole that used to be 297 feet away was now 310. The cavernous center and left center were left as is, except a new, fake wall was built inside the original dimensions which cheapened the experience. Worst of all, the old facade was removed and that was the biggest sin of all. After all, Mickey Mantle hit one of his most memorable homers off that facade. It WAS Yankee Stadium and it was gone. The only comparison that could be given was if the Statue of Liberty was fitted with a mini dress when the grand lady was refitted. It would be the old statue still, but with modern wrinkle that took away from the classic.

The new Stadium seems to be coming at just the right time. The franchise image has taken a beating lately and seemed tired. The old ghosts of the old Stadium no longer worked their magic and the team that always seemed to find a unique way to win was now watching the Marlins and Diamondbacks and Red Sox find those unique ways to beat them. Time will tell if a new mystique surrounds the team now that they are leaving the historic park while a new ownership era begins at the same time.

What is for sure is that the Fan will be watching with interest as both the Yankees and Mets play their first games in the new ball parks. It should be fun.

Hey! A Free Agent Signing!

Finally! Okay, so it was a small signing and the Astros signed Mike Hampton for a year. But at least it was a signing. The free agent thing this year has the Fan chomping at the bit to find out who goes where. Maybe it has always been this long and drawn out, but this year's free agent sweepstakes seems slower than usual. Perhaps the baseball talks starting December 8 will get things moving.

And the Mike Hampton gamble is a good one. Why not? The guy has a lot to prove and not much time left to prove it. And the bonus for Hampton is that he still gets to hit. Only one year is at risk and the Astros have everything to gain and very little to lose.

A one year flyer on Pedro Martinez would also be worth the risk. There just seems to be a feeling that he has one more good year left in him. A recent ESPN post disparages the Mets contract but it was a risk any team would have taken for the prestige and back page story lines. After all, this wasn't like the Braves signing Hampton. Pedro Martinez, love him or hate him for his on the mound, in your face demeanor, was one of the most dominating pitchers in history. Even those who hated him had to respect what he accomplished and his tenacity in accomplishing it.

In other news, Rickey Henderson is on the Hall of Fame ballot. His election is all but assured and a no-brainer. Like Pedro, you either loved him or you hated him, but he was fun to watch either way. For all his skills and accomplishments, the one thing that will be remembered about Rickey more than anything else was how much he enjoyed playing the game.

Are Adam Dunn and Jason Giambi Worth a Contract

A comment to a recent post here asked why Adam Dunn wasn't in the free agent discussion found in the post. The same question can be extended to Jason Giambi. Both batted in the .240 to .250 range last year. Both are inadequate fielders, but are they worth a contract offer?

If you casually look at the numbers, slow-footed, glove-deficient players with that kind of batting average and strikeout rate would seem to be obvious choices for the "no way" pile. The casual fan would lump him in the same category as Richie Sexson. Then again, during Sexson's good years, that's not a bad comparison.

Let's compare Adam Dunn to Ichiro Suzuki. We can already concede that Ichiro is a better fielder and baserunner. Would you guess that Ichiro was on base 264 times in 2008 and Adam Dunn only 20 times less at 244. Would you also guess that they both had exactly 265 total bases? Would you also know that despite playing on the Reds for years, Dunn has scored over a hundred runs in three of the last five seasons? And wouldn't you value Dunn's 206 homers in the last five years over all Ichiro's singles?

Heck, Giambi only had 35 less total bases than Ichiro in fifteen less games? There is something tangible in those two big guys consistently clogging up the base paths and putting more pitches on the arms of those apposing them. Day in and day out, Giambi and Dunn may have a strikeout each game, but also a hit and a walk or both and one of those hits will travel a long way. There is value in what Giambi and Adam Dunn do to apposing pitchers day in and day out.

Giambi can be an even better deal with someone after getting away from Yankee Stadium. The Jason Giambi from the Oakland days would hit the ball all over the field. Once with the Yankees, he started pulling everything and "The Shift" was instituted and took away a lot of those line drive base hits he used to get. If he went back to hitting the ball where it was pitched, Giambi would be down right dangerous.

Adam Dunn's real weakness is batting against left handed pitching. He batted only .197 against them in 2008. That's brutal. But if the Fan can get a guy on base 244 times a year and knew he would strike out 160 times the same year, the Fan would take that trade off.

Some Random Thought for Black Friday

1. How can those Wal-mart shoppers look at their families after killing that poor security guard in their stampede?

2. Why don't fringe free agents set themselves up for discount sales on Black Friday to guarantee those jobs for another year?

3. How come those ads at the bottom of most sports articles on-line keep changing the supposed IQs of ball players every day? Manny Ramirez was at 153 one day and 125 the next. Though that may have merit. He is at 153 while batting and setting himself up for big contracts, but much lower in left field.

4. How can ESPN writers get away with frivolous posts that look like they were phoned in or texted with their blackberries? I sort of miss the old newspaper days when those good writers, and they are good over there at ESPN, still had to answer to the editors they worked for.

5. How could the Rockies give away Holliday and not expect their fans to react with anger and angst? The people in charge of the Rockies must be related to the stupid producers that allowed Jim to be killed in Ghost Whisperer. End of this viewer's Friday night fix. I'll have to look at that lovely lass on her bio pages.

6. Will the Barry Bonds saga ever end? This is a Wal-mart layaway run amok.

7. Good for Mussina for walking away this year. Perfect timing. Sheffield, take note.

8. How is it that all those people who voted for Obama because of all the jobs being shipped overseas complain at the mall all day when locally made products aren't as cheap as their Chinese counterparts and turn their noses up at them?

9. If you were a Cuban baseball prodigy, wouldn't you risk any leaky boat to be able to skip the minor leagues and go directly into the elite pay ranges of MLB? The communists should take over the Dominican Republic so those baseball-hungry players down there can get top dollar for coming to the U.S.A instead of losing what little signing bonus they get to bad apple scouts.

10. Article I'd like to see in San Diego: Discarded Star Pitchers Get All Peavyed.

11. Don't you all root for Dontrelle Willis to find a way to pull it together again?

12. Don't you wish for some miracle cure for Baldelli?

13. Am I the only old goat that can't find the energy to figure out which player has the best WARP, OPS+, etc.? Can't we put away posts that sound more like a chemistry class and just list the stats in a separate section of the MLB page on Yahoo/ESPN/MLB?

14. Can anyone really tell me why a new Guns N Roses CD conjures up all this excitement? I guess I need a tattoo or two to figure this one out.

15. Is it possible for any kid to get a big rectangular box under the tree and still be surprised that it's the latest Guitar Hero game?

16. Two of the biggest mysteries in life: Why would anyone willingly wait an hour or two to check out on Black Friday to save a few dollars? Isn't life too short already? Why would you purposely want to eat food that burns all the membranes away from the inside of your mouth? How did Chipotle, or however you spell it, just show up one day out of the blue and be the latest food catch phrase?

17. Why do weight challenged, FANatics eat too much turkey and then do self-penance by shopping on Black Friday?

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving - 2008!

After finishing a terrible football game on television and in anticipation for our upcoming feast, there are a few minutes to contemplate another MLB off season. And it is a very entertaining off season. Which free agents will land where? What team will really improve their 2009 season outlooks with a big trade or free agent signing? The off season truly is almost as fun as the season itself. Here is a look at some big free agents on the market:

C. C. Sabathia. While stunningly successful in his short stint with the Brewers, there are question marks surrounding Sabathia for the future. First, he is coming off his second straight poor post season. Surely, Sabathia got the Brewers where they needed to go based on his heroic pitching down the stretch. Whether he was spent or not ready for the big stage, he pitched poorly in the short season. Secondly, as has been discussed before in this space, the man is big, with a big frame. The Flagrant Fan has this theory that players with big builds only have an eight year window of high performance (search this blog space for more on the topic). Lastly, he seems hesitant to come to a big east team. Early favorites: Dodgers, Giants, Angels. Oh, one other note: The man likes to hit. A National League team seems likely.

Mark Texiera. The Yankees want him badly as do the Red Sox. It seems only logical that the home of Mickey Mantle should be the place for this big, switch-hitting first baseman to play the bulk of his career. There are many voices out there, however, that seem to indicate he would prefer the West Coast. Early favorites: Yankees, Angels.

A. J. Burnett. Burnett had a fantastic year for the Blue Jays and seemed to dispel the concerns about his health. He kills the Yankees and they, barring signing Sabathia, seem the most likely suitor. The Dodgers seem another favorable possibility with Texas lurking. Favorites: Yankees, Dodgers, Rangers.

Derek Lowe. When Lowe was with Boston, he seemed streaky and unprofessional. He would be horrible at times and brilliant at others. With the Dodgers, Lowe has learned how to throw strikes consistently and the only question seems to be his age (36) and how long to tender his offer. The Yankees don't seem a natural fit due to a below average fielding infield for a sinker ball pitcher. The Giants make sense as do the Dodgers. Early favorites: There do not seem to be any for a really good pitcher. But worry not. He will sign somewhere.

Rafael Furcal. The Giants have expressed interest and since Omar V. will not be back with the Giants, the move makes sense. Here is an idea for the Yankees: Sign Furcal, move Jeter to second (it's time, my friend), and move their current second baseman to left. That sounds like a great idea. Cashman? Early favorites: Giants.

Pudge Rodriguez and Jason Veritek. The Fan thinks both of these players are done with productive years. Neither one seems to be an ideal signing, especially for more than one year. Both want to be the main guy and their performance no longer warrants that frame of reference.

Baseball Cards

One of the great tragedies of my life (said with some tongue-in-cheek) was coming home for the first time from college and finding out my mom had thrown out my box of baseball cards. The box was huge, probably four foot squared and filled with all the cards that had been purchased with paper route money and allowances over the years. I can definitely remember having at least five Nolan Ryan/Jerry Koosman rookie cards. Woo boy, those were worth quite a bit during the golden years of collecting.

The post found here by Josh Wilker put me in this mind frame. I remember that card found on his post. The nostalgia from seeing that card was quite powerful. Of course, it was a Topps card and for me at least, that was the only brand that mattered. The others were pretenders, even if they later came out with shinier versions (which corrupted Topps when they had to keep up with those guys). Topps cards had the same feel as the old Sporting News. Recycled or unbleached paper and cardboard with a grainy feel. It was the stats on the back of the cards that I valued most.

For you youngsters, there was a time, not very long ago, when you couldn't get player statistics at the touch of a button or with a keyboard click. But a Topps baseball card had it all there at you finger tips. You could see a player's baseball life on that card.

Buying packs of baseball cards are a thing of the past. Some stores still sell them, but they are five dollars a pack. Heck, we could have gotten 50 packs for that amount of money. We flipped cards (a precursor to later gambling pursuits), clipped them on our bicycles to make a cool noise (another thing of the past as kinds now have ATVs which make real noise).

You had to buy at least two or three packs to make it worthwhile. The Topps logo was on the top of the paper wrapper (wasn't foil in those days). The wrapper sealed on the bottom and you simply pulled the pack open. I can't remember how many cards came in a pack...was it ten? fifteen? Anyway, it was always exciting to separate the cards from the wrapper, quickly throw the useless gum away and see who you got. The real dedicated ones like us used to also mark off those list cards where the players were listed along with the number of their card with a little checkbox to the left of each name. As we got a player for the first time, you took a pencil and darkened the box. It was cool to see which of us had most of the boxes darkened.

I seem to remember that Zoilo Versalles, the Cuban player who is most known for his years with the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins, showed up in every pack. Some cards were like that. Yankee cards were always valued, but for some reason, you could never get the ones you wanted. Mickey Mantle almost never showed up (nor Willie Mays for that matter), but you were sure to get a Mike Kekich or Steve Hamilton card.

I ended up buying a Mickey Mantle card (#500 in the series) from his last year that had his entire career listed. I bought it on eBay for $250. That sure would have bought three years worth of cards when I was a kid.

The very best cards were from players who played a very long time. Pete Rose played for 60 years or something, and the back of his card would be in really small print. Those were cool. Al Kaline had a cool card as did Ron Santo and others who played a long time.

I'm not saying this isn't a wonderful time to be a Fan with all the stats, box scores and analysis you have at you fingertips. But it sure would be great if you could get a pack of Topps card for a few dimes on that old feel cardboard. Those were great days.

Revisiting the Fan's Ripken Angst

The recent debate on Alan Trammell's career and his Hall of Fame worthiness made me revisit his career stats and compare them to the "legendary" Cal Ripken, Jr. The fact that Trammell compiled less statistics than Ripken because his career was so much shorter doesn't diminish that the career numbers are pretty similar...and wanting.

If you take away Ripken's iron man streak and view his career without that as a perspective, he was a pretty average player. Ripken did change the prototype of the thin and rangy, punch-and-Judy hitting shortstop to the power position it is today. But was he a great player? Not in my opinion. Let's look at some of the numbers.

Ripken had six years where his on-base percentage was less than .325. He had ten years (out of twenty) where he hit less than .270. He only slugged over .500 five times in his career. He had two brutal stretches in his career wrapped around his two career years, at a time when he was supposedly in the prime years.

1991 was Ripken's best year. He batted .323 with 368 total bases and a slugging percentage of .566. He hit 34 homers and drove in 114. The following year, he was just as bad as he was good the year before. In 637 at bats, he batted .251, had an on-base percentage of .323 and slugged an unbelievable .366. That was a direct result of having 145 fewer total bases than the year before!

The thing I always heard while he was playing was that he was so serious in his baseball study that he positioned himself in the field better than anyone else to make up for his range. Really? Would anyone guess that he made over 20 errors six times in his career, five times as a shortstop? Would you guess that his lifetime fielding percentage was almost the exact same percentage as Trammell and that Trammell made over 20 errors just twice in his career? How about that Trammell's double play percentage was at 13.3 percent of his total chances. The exact same figure as Ripken.

Ripken just wasn't that great a player. His streak was selfish at times and much like Bond's assault on Aaron's record, the thing became of a life of its own and overshadowed his teammates and their objectives while placing his managers in the position that they couldn't always do what was best for their teams. It is interesting that his best years were early and under Earl Weaver.

After looking everything over, it is my conclusion that Trammell doesn't belong in the HOF. But Ripken is in for similar numbers (except the totals which result from a longer career), so if he's in, then Trammell should go too. Bottom line: Ripken wasn't worthy to fit in Lou Gehrig's shoes.

Happy New Year!

Today is the perfect day for resolutions. In the year 2008, I, the Flagrant Fan, make the following baseball resolutions:

1. I resolve to take the cheaper way out and watch all MLB games on my computer in a little four inch box rather than buy the cable package and watch them on the big screen television.

2. I resolve to write this blog that hardly anybody reads nearly every day.

3. I resolve to quit trying to look at box scores on ESPN.com when they are much easier to view on Yahoo.com

4. I resolve to not view Barry Bonds any worse than all those other players and dislike him purely for personality reasons.

5. I resolve to hope the Dodgers win the World Series this year despite the fact that I always hated them. Torre deserves his place as one of the great managers of this age.

6. I resolve to continue hoping that Tony LaRussa falls on his Brian Billick this year.

7. I resolve to acknowledge that the Boston Red Sox are the best team in baseball despite the bad taste it leaves in my mouth.

8. I resolve to find out what all those sabermatic terms mean so when I read Rob Neyer's columns I know what OPS+ means. Old dogs need to learn new tricks eventually.

9. I resolve to keep willing Willie Randalph a "fun" gene.

10. I resolve not to be surprised when the Bay Rays of Tampa become better than respectable this year.

11. I resolve to stop hating the Toronto Blue Jays for the sole reason of holding a grudge against their smarmy announcers of the 1980s.

12. I resolve the Fan's continued quest to see Bud Selig and Bill Gates at the same time so I am convinced they aren't the same person.

13. I resolve to try to like Alex Rodriguez and appreciate his amazing ability to hit a baseball.

14. I resolve to personally will Andy Pettitte to win 20 games so this amazing class act can put to bed one mistake in judgement.

15. I resolve to rejoice when Goose Gossage finally makes the Hall of Fame.

16. I resolve to finally prove to Jayson Stark that Cal Ripken Jr. should have been in his book.

17. I resolve to stop hoping that a batted baseball hits Curt Schilling in the mouth.

18. I resolve to stop being amazed at how stupid and obnoxious fan comments are on ESPN.com.

19. I resolve to hope with all I am to root for the hated Kenny Rogers to win big this year for the sole reason that he fired his agent.

20. I resolve to finally write my baseball book this year.

21. I resolve to try and stay awake on those World Series games that end at 1:00 in the morning.

22. I resolve to not watch the Home Run Derby, which has become a lasting symbol of the steroid era.

23. I resolve to finally watch the Bronx is Burning episodes that have been saved in my DVR for months.

24. I resolve to remember that Willie Mays was the best player I ever saw play baseball.

May your new year be prosperous, healthy and full of fun baseball stories despite the clouds covering the game. Enjoy, Everyone.

Jim Leyritz Accused of Vehicular Manslaughter

In another wonderful story for Major League Baseball, former player, Jim Leyritz, is charged with driving drunk and killing the driver of the other vehicle in a crash. Leyritz, a player never well liked while he was playing, had some spectacular moments in the post season for the New York Yankees.

Drinking and then driving is a serious issue and can't be downplayed as an offense. There certainly is enough warnings in the media concerning the issue and anybody who drives while impaired is seriously flawed in their thinking--especially in this day and age.

All that said, this is unfortunate because the news reports indicate that the driver of the other vehicle was ejected as a result of the crash. We all know that you won't get ejected from a vehicle if seat belts are involved. If that driver was using seat belts, he likely would have walked away from the accident. So two people who thought they could get around laws put on the books to protect people are either dead or in a lifetime of trouble for their actions. Stupid and very sad.

Astros Sign Villarreal

The Astros signed former Diamondback prospect, Omar Villarreal to a two year contract. The young pitcher (26) pitched the last two years for the Braves. Villarreal is a talented pitcher who has a history of walking too many batters. His career average is close to four walks per nine innings, but that number increased this past year, showing a decline instead of improvement.

Unless he can find the strike zone more often, he is a decent middle reliever who keeps the ball in the park.

Ho Hum

Another scintillating transaction day in Major League Baseball as most teams are still in the holiday lull. Two transactions today typify the action lately.

In one deal, the Florida Marlins signed third baseman, Jose Castillo. Castillo broke into the majors in 2004 with the Pirates and played with them all or parts of the last four seasons. His power numbers in 2006 were decent with 16 homers in his only year as a starter, but with a batting average of .253 and an on base average of .299 (right around his career mark), he doesn't appear to be much help for the Marlins. He has played all infield positions except first base and his fielding isn't spectacular either. Looks like roster filler unless he improves dramatically.

While the Marlins picked up a borderline player, the Kansas City Royals picked up another one who used to play with the Marlins, catcher Miguel Olivo. Again, Olivo has decent power and hit 30 homers in his two years as the Marlins' starting catcher. But he never takes a walk. He only walked 23 times in 882 at bats in those two years and has a lifetime on base average of only .275. Yuck! And while Olivo fared okay throwing out runners (34%), he added up 16 passed balls in 2007. So the Royals picked up a low-on-base, high-strike-out and marginal-fielder-behind-the-plate kind of guy. That will boost season ticket sales for sure.

In other transaction news, the Yankees picked up LaTroy Hawkins, your typical 35 year-old career reliever. Hawkins, who failed in previous lives as a closer had three excellent years between 2002 and 2004. His production since has been marginal. He is a solid innings guy who will keep the ball in play, but he doesn't do much to get the ball to Rivera. Hawkins is probably a mild upgrade on Luis Viscaino, who signed elsewhere this year.

Fighting for the Only Life They Know

There have been some excellent posts recently regarding the human element to the recent drug allegations. Most have focused attention on talking with the young people about looking up to ball players who are just talented people in a profession that happens to pay a lot of money and garners a lot of attention. That slant works for me when talking about the bigger names. But what about some of the names that sparked only a small shred of a memory or were forgotten completely? Do names like Exavier Logan, Cody McKay, Bart Miadich and Mike Judd ring any bells? Perhaps there is a human element there as well.

One of the favorite pastimes of this blog over the years has been watching the transaction wire. In the past couple of weeks, we see fringe players signing minor league contracts. Players like Keith Ginter, Chad Paronto and Sean Barker are trying one more time to hang on and keep their careers going. These players, like Logan and McKay have only known the dream of playing baseball at the highest level. At one time they were the stars of Little League and high school teams and made all state teams. Perhaps they were the best players in their South American country.

Who among us who ever dreamed of making it as a baseball player wouldn't have been tempted if it was the difference between giving up the dream and having a chance? Those big names made their millions. The difference for them might have been to make more millions. For the McKays, Logans, Miadich and Judds who rode dusty buses for most of their professional career, they made the choices they made. We can all understand that can't we? Just recently, in my own career, I had to make the choice between losing my soul and doing the right thing. I did the right thing. But don't think for a moment that I haven't had buyer's remorse ever since.

There's a Kind of Hush

I'm dating myself with the title of that old Herman's Hermits song, but it adequately describes the lull in baseball news with the Christmas holiday. There have been no major news stories or transactions since Thursday, which is probably as it should be. I'm in the mall myself selling our books and this is the last day of what has been a successful season. The halls are empty on this Christmas Eve day and the canned holiday music is blaring to no one but us poor venders.

While I am sitting here on this quiet (considering) morning, I thought I would list my Christmas wish list. So in no particular order, I wish that:

- Ken Griffey Jr. would have one more successful season and play on a contending team.

- Santana stays with the Twins and the youngsters the Red Sox and Yankees did not trade have big impact years.

- Francisco Liriano comes back from his surgery and comes back better than ever.

- the Mitchell Report fades into the background so we can concentrate on baseball. I know...fat chance of that.

- Mariano Rivera has one more great year.

- Willie Randolph starts having some fun and confidence in his managing.

- Jim Edmonds has one more good year in San Diego.

- Scott Rolen decks Tony LaRussa.

- Mark Prior and Kerry Wood have very good seasons.

- Derek Jeter has another 200 hits and continues his pace to overtake Pete Rose.

- the Bay Rays have a season over .500

- the Royals have an encouraging and competitive season.

- Prince Fielder continues making gains in his career with a monster year.

- the Home Run Derby is canceled as a remnant of the steroid era. It's boring anyway.

- each league has exciting pennant races, with lots of surprise performances and fans happy everywhere.

Merry Christmas everyone and happy holidays.

Josh Hamilton Traded to Texas

The Cincinnati Reds solved their outfield overload and gained a very good pitching prospect by trading Josh Hamilton, the feel-good story of 2007 to Texas for Edison Volquez. Volquez is a 24 year-old pitcher from the Dominican Republic and was the minor league pitcher of the year for the Rangers last year. He also made six decent starts after being called up to the bigs last year. The Reds are hoping he can slot right into the rotation this year.

Hamilton became one of my box score heroes this past season after several years out of baseball for addiction problems before returning and becoming an impact bat for the Reds in limited action. Though the Reds are losing a fan favorite (well at least those fans who can root for a guy trying to straighten his life out), this deal makes all the sense in the world for the Reds and no sense at all for the Rangers.

For anyone who is more than a casual fan, what is the first thing thought of when considering the Rangers? Chronic lack of pitching. They have always hit well, but couldn't get anyone out. So, in effect, they have added a bat (and crossed fingers that Hamilton doesn't fall off the wagon) while trading away their best pitching prospect. Does that make sense?

The Reds have been in the same boat as the Rangers with a thumping lineup and not enough pitching. If Vosquez works out, they have gained one more step toward pitching acceptability.

Boston's Balls

The Boston Red Sox sure have trouble with World Series baseballs. A recent news story related how Jonathan Papelbon's dog ate the ball that was in play for the last out. The ending of the story is contradictory in that Papelbon first said that he threw out the remains of the ball while he was in Florida. The story now goes that Papelbon still has the uneaten portion of the ball.

You may remember that after the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, Doug Mientkiewicz kept the ball he caught for the final out. He and the Red Sox fought over who should have custody of the ball until it was finally agreed to send it to the Hall of Fame. Well, "Doug" is similar to, "Dog," no?

Mark Prior to Sign With Padres?

Mark Prior has been courting teams since he was non-tendered by the Chicago Cubs. The latest rumor has him deciding to sign with the Padres. That would be a good place for him since it's a pitcher's park and he'll have Maddox and Peavy over there to deflect interference.

You have to root for a guy like Prior. Everyone loves a good comeback story, especially if the person coming back has been unfairly kicked around by critics. The guy was a heck of a pitcher and perhaps the Padres will find lightning in a bottle.

Another kicked around pitcher is Matt Clement, who never recovered from getting hit with a baseball and being booed out of Fenway. I hope he finds a home and wins some big league games again.

Funny how both pitchers were former Cubs. It does not seem that organization is very kind to its pitchers.

Slow Days

Roger Clemens is still denying. Curt Schilling is flapping about Clemens. Congress is calling for hearings. Sports writers are speculating about Bud Selig's options. When those writers are not postulating about the steroids flap, they are speculating about Santana and Bedard. Oh, and a few signings squeaked into the news.

The Rockies signed Kip Wells and Mark Redman. Robert Kip Wells seems to fascinate every general manager but other than a couple of decent years in Pittsburgh, has never done very much other than lose. His lifetime won-loss record is 64-91. Hardly awe inspiring. Along with his lifetime on-base record of .353, it seems another GM couldn't quite resist giving this another shot.

Redman had a good year for the Marlins in 2003 but otherwise hasn't fared much better than Wells. His lifetime won-loss is 66-80, but at least his on-base average given up is 30 points lower. So the Rockies tally here is two pitchers with a lifetime won-loss of 130-171. Yeesh! At least they were one year deals. Both pitchers were former number one picks in the draft. Somebody shoot those scouts.

The Royals are having a good off season and signed Ron Mahay, a much sought after lefty. Mahay had a great 2007, but his career is erratic showing good years and terrible years. That seems to be pretty typical for career relievers.

Expect things to stay fairly quiet until after the holidays.

Alex Rodriguez on 60 Minutes

The Alex Rodriguez interview on the long-running, CBS news series, 60 Minutes, was interesting and entertaining. He made it very clear that he has never used steroids or any other drug and that he was never tempted to do so. When interviewer, Katie Couric, tried to pin him down on his teammates and Barry Bonds, he did not bite and held his ground.

Even more entertaining was his remarks about what went wrong with the opt-out and how it went down during the World Series and his regret and apologies for how it happened. He also distanced himself from his agent, Scott Boras, and how the whole "debacle" was handled.

His responses were candid and contrite and it shed new insight on his falling out with his agent. A-Rod's wife, Cynthia, talked about how her husband had to make phone calls himself and how he had to take the initiative. It was a remarkable sequence and left--at least this Fan--quite gleeful at the hit Boras was taking.

The interview was the same night as the Surviver: China finale, and I couldn't help but compare the new Surviver winner and Rodriguez and Boras. The winner fully admitted manipulating the situations and even gloried in his strategy. He duped everyone so masterfully that the "jury" gave him the top prize even though they were the victims.

Boras has been the master manipulator, but unlike the Survivor winner, will never admit it. Let's face it, part of his job is to sell his clients and make them (and himself in the process) a lot of money. He does his job well, but there is a moral fiber that seems to be missing. Rodriguez seems to understand how Boras went too far and had to fix it with the Yankees, the Red Sox and the Steinbrenners.

Or, as Jeff Probst questioned the "poker player" about the flattery the Survivor winner delivered during the "jury" questioning, "But did he mean it." There is something about Rodriguez that makes me ask the same question. "Did you mean what you said, Alex?" He certainly seemed genuine. Or he could be duping us with just another strategic play where he ended up getting what he wanted in the first place.

Being the rube that I am, I am going to be naive and say he meant what he said. Because if so, it makes a great story and a victory for all of us who have hoped that Boras would be knocked down a peg or two sooner or later.

And who knows, hopefully some day, we'll look back and know that Alex Rodriguez did not take any drugs, was a decent human being and finally took a page from John Elway and that speed skater (Heiden?) who finally won what he was supposed to win and capped off a glorious career. Time will tell.

Wandering Thoughts

It has been a weird couple of days. Normally, I can't wait to read my favorite on-line sport entities (do people still buy sport magazines in print?). The last two days have been difficult to pull the trigger and go to my familiar haunts. How many more painful stories and analysis will there be today? Who will admit what and who will deny anything and everything. Pettitte came clean, which is good...I guess.

For long-time baseball fans, our game is rooted in our psychology. The memories of the past are part of the fabric of being a human and a Fan today. We naturally compare batting stances to those registered in our memory banks. We remember when today's currently good teams were bad and vice-versa. And, for many of us, we compare statistics of today's players to those we watched and treasured in the past.

Today we find that only two out of the three are sort of the same. So it is, in this post Mitchell haze, that I note the Edmonds trade--which should only help the Cardinals, by the way--without bothering to check his stats for the past few years. That's really odd for me.

But doggonit, I'm not going to give up a lifetime of passion for all of the ugly truth that was revealed, or at least revealed by the pond scum that Mitchell interviewed. Babe Ruth is given credit for saving the game after the Black Sox scandal, but though he did help with his Herculean feats, it was the fans who loved the game enough to keep coming and supporting it. Many who read about the game fixing and the gambling knew that the White Sox players from that infamous team were the only ones from that era who got caught. Many more got away with it and isn't that a parallel to what happened with Mitchell's report?

Nobody should consider Jose Canseco any kind of hero. He is the worst kind of spectator of this whole mess. Not only was he the cheerleader (and in many cases, the ringleader), but then he made a few million more writing about it when he was finished making millions by cheating. But even so, we all know deep inside that he is right that this report was a joke. A handful of players were indicted by hearsay while dozens more got away with their mischief. We know he's right. We just hate he is because of who he is. Can we believe A-Rod's denial? Should we? Does it even matter any more?

The scandal will pass and it will be a milestone looked back upon darkly, much like the "Say it ain't so, Joe." But, the bottom line is that, as much as it sounds like simplistic thinking, we fans are going to start reading our stats again and focusing on the hot rookies, the comeback players and which team will be this year's surprise. I may be an idiot, but this is my game and it has been for decades. I'm not throwing it away with all the other empty syringes.

Arizona's Diamonds!

I'm sitting here shaking the Mitchell dust off my clothing and trying to pretend that if I hope hard enough it will all go away. Oh well, it's not. But I've said my piece and others (including Jayson Stark) will say it much better. So thank goodness there were some trades today to think about!

Arizona! Those Diamondbacks just got themselves a top of the rotation pitcher by prying Dan Haran from the Oakland Athletics along with a middle something prospect pitcher named, Connor Robertson for six player, one of which was their best prospect, Brett Anderson. The Diamondbacks used some of their best prospects, but got a proven and still young (and relatively cheap) pitcher.

Haran has been remarkably consistent while also improving his ability to win games. His WHIP (walks and hit per inning pitched) has remained at 1.21 for three consecutive years but has improved his batting average against for three straight years while increasing his strikeout percentage. And unlike other A's starters, he's remained healthy and has been in the 220 innings pitched range for three straight years.

Oakland is retooling and there is no doubt that Billy Beane got the prospects he coveted.

But Arizona wasn't done for the day. They also traded their league leading reliever, Jose Valverde to Houston in another big swap of players. Valverde may have been the best kept MLB secret last year. Valverde saved 47 games last year for the Diamondbacks who always seemed to be playing one-run games. While Valverde's strikeouts are off the chart, he has control issues and walks a batter every other inning. Perhaps the Diamondbacks got tired of the nail-biting? That is the only thing that makes sense with this trade.

The Astros unloaded Chris Burke, who was awful last year, Chad Qualls, a serviceable reliever, but with no closing track record (he did save five games last year for the Astros). The Astros also sent Arizona another reliever, Juan Gutierrez. Gutierrez is a roster-filler and not much of an addition.

While the addition of Haran is exciting for the pitching rotation to give the Diamondbacks the back to back punch of Webb and Haran, time will tell if they gave up too much. A proven pitcher is a proven pitcher and it's hard to fault Arizona for this deal.

Trading away their closer is a little more confusing considering they got little value in return. The must be more to this story than the headlines.

Mitchell Report Addendum

After checking my post after it was published, I read through some of my most recent ones and found that nearly all of them talk about players named today in Mitchell's report. Boy do I feel like a dork!

The Mitchell Report

The Fan is a fan first and a blogger second and as such, the Mitchell Report did much to sadden me. Some of my favorite players were implicated in the report and thus, a major part of the joy in watching them over the years is diminished. I certainly agree with Mitchell who echoed what I have said many times over the years: the past should be the past and put behind us. Amnesty should be granted to those in the report. They will have enough to deal with concerning their legacy, and for some, their Hall of Fame credentials. Some will lose endorsement deals and others their television careers.

Much of the report was not surprising. What makes it difficult for fans like me, who would rather see the issue dealt with privately and report a few suspensions here and there, is to see such jarring blatancy that makes this a sad day for all involved.

There are several things that bother me about the report. The first is that despite months of investigation, it appears that little traction was gained until two indicted ex-employees were culled for information. The result is that even though 80 players and ex-players were named, there are untold dozens who undoubtedly used and will get away with it. Thus the playing field is uneven and the punishment of testimony partial and crippling to the few who were named. I'm sure there are many players of the past and present who are sighing with relief for escaping the firing squad.

The second thing that bothers me is the glibness in naming the names in the first place. In effect, these players and ex-players are indicted without the due process of law. It would be similar to me as an employer posting in the newspaper when an employee is accused of sexual harassment. The names should have been reported privately to Selig and Fehr and handled on a case by case basis. The NFL has a similar policy when the league announces a suspension for a player for breaking the substance abuse policy without naming the substance or the details. The one benefit of such a breach of privacy is that Selig will now have more leverage to get the players union to cooperate with policy.

It was comical in an ironic way how politicians automatically jumped into the fray after the report was issued. Their duplicity and self-aggrandising knows no limits. During the last hearings, they basically told MLB to clean up its act or face further scrutiny. MLB has done that with this report and these politicians still want to drag it all back to Washington for more hearings. What a waste of time and political energy. Solve the energy crisis and lower green house gases for Pete's sake and let MLB deal with this.

Any action from here on out needs to be discussed by Selig and Fehr and both better be serious about restoring public faith in the game. Will baseball survive today? Certainly. Will the fallout continue? Most certainly. Will fans and writers get crazy and stand on soap boxes? They already are. Let's hope that all parties in leadership and the players themselves get in their fox holes and quietly restore order to baseball. And let's hope that Spring will arrive quickly so we can get a new season started and the bad taste out of our mouths.

Baltimore Orioles Trade Miguel Tejada

Baltimore finally pulled the trigger and sent Miguel Tejada away. In a big trade today, Tejada went to Houston for five players. Keith Law, who is always excellent with analysis of personnel and how teams fared with their trades, outlined what Baltimore received for their days work.

Law wasn't very high on how much the Astros benefited from the trade. He gave them two games at best for improvement from the deal. I think it will depend on if Tejada, in a new atmosphere, will revive his career and return to the kind of form that previously made him part of the Jeter/Garciaparra/Tejada debate during the 1990s. If he does come to Houston with new life and new enthusiasm, the Astros could benefit much more than two games.

Law also pointed out that with Tejada, Houston will probably non-tender Adam Everett, one of the best fielding shortstops in baseball. Everett has had a couple of really awful years at the plate. I would keep Everett, bat him eighth and move Tejada to third. Tejada doesn't want to move from shortstop, but a few million in the bank and an escape from Baltimore might change his mind. Tejada at third is a much better deal than as a shortstop.

Tejada also gives protection to Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee, giving the Astros a potent middle of the lineup. I think this is a better deal for the Astros than Law allows, but time will tell.

Some Quick Musings

Baseball writers are not enthusiastic about the Brewers signing of Gagne for a one year, $10 million contract. To me the risk is worth the signing because it's only one year. Is that a lot of money for the Brewers? Sure. But it's a better risk than $46 million over four years for Cordero. If it works and he saves a lot of games for them, then they are geniuses. If it doesn't work out, it's only a one year dud.

The Cubs are reportedly close to signing Japanese outfielder Kusoke Fukudome. Now there is an unfortunate name for a guy playing in Chicago. I suppose it would have been worse if he were playing in Minnesota with the Metrodome. Imagine all the fun New York fans will have when the Cubs come into Shea Stadium. My Sicilian brethren will probably hammer him.

Fukudome's stats in the Japanese league do not look all that impressive. He has less power than Matsui and hits only around .300. I don't see this as much of a deal for the Cubbies.

The Twins signing of Craig Monroe seems like a good deal to me. The guy is a monster who had some good years for the Tigers. He fell out of favor with Jim Leyland and fell off statistically the last two years. I can remember watching some of the moon shots he hit in the past and this seems like a good risk for Minnesota as a DH or spare outfielder.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Nationals signed 35 year old Paul Lo Duca to a one year, $5 million contract. The one year is not a bad risk, but Lo Duca wore out his welcome in New York, has diminished defensive skills and has a lifetime slugging percentage of .414. I don't see much production in this deal.

Bully for the Padres as they appear to be in the final stages of signing Jake Peavy to a long term contract. The news item today indicated he was taking a physical to finalize the deal. Good for them and for him. Peavy is a class act and a terrific pitcher.

Inge as in Fringe

Sometimes a story comes out that simply boggles your world. Today, it was reported that Brandon Inge wants to be traded so he can play every day. His statements come in response to the recent trade that brought Miguel Cabrera to Detroit. Looking at the facts here makes the Fan want to scream to the player: "Do you have any clue?"

Inge has started for the Tigers for four straight years. In those four years, his on-base percentage and his batting average have declined each and every year. This past year, in 500 at bats, he posted a .236 batting average and an on-base percentage of .312. Gee, if I got benched for that kind of production, my feelings would be hurt too. Consider that in Inge's latest banner year, he struck out 150 times compared to his 120 base hits. Can you say "rally killer?"

If you are a MLB player and have a lifetime batting average of .241 and .304 on-base average and were making a shade under $5 million a year, wouldn't it just be gravy to still have a job? Better yet, wouldn't it be okay considering those circumstances to have a job and work for a team that (on paper) has what it takes to get to the post season? Yes, I agree.

Inge rhymes with, "fringe" and Inge would have been better served had he kept his mouth shut, hung on for a few more years and called it a huge bonus just to have bamboozled his managers he was worth keeping around for this long.

While the baseball world waits for the Mitchell report, news in the last couple of days keeps the the steroid and HGH issue front and center. Jay Gibbons and Jose Guillen received the equivalent of a wrist slap while Barry Bonds had his first day in court and pleaded not guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice charges.

I started this site years ago and write from the standpoint of a fan of the game. I also know that we've been here before. The cocaine years of the 1970s tripped up many players and particularly hit the Pittsburgh Pirates hard. As a fan, many of the professional writers want me to be morally outraged that players would "tarnish" the game in such a way. As much as I've tried to work up myself into a lather, I have to admit in the end that I just don't care.

If anything, the whole business saddens me. Anyone who truly loves the game has to be saddened that records and players have come under suspicion. We can't watch a strong performance or see any record broken without thinking about if the moment will be suspect down the line or will we find out if the player had an "artificial advantage."

I have to admit that I just want to enjoy the game. I want to see the highlights and read the box scores. I want to see which rookie will surprise everyone and what player will have a career year. I want to see comeback stories and long shot career minor leaguers finally getting to play in the bigs. The reality is that I don't want to have my cozy little obsession clouded up with bad news and controversy.

And truth be told, I am not overly impressed with the "problem." I certainly understand steroids are dangerous to those that ingest or are shot up with them. The murder/suicide perpetuated by that pro wrestler a while back showed us all the destructive power of steroids. The side effects do not seem worth the short term gains. But let's say that as many as 50% of MLB players were using during the height of the period. And let's add that half of those would be pitchers. That gives any batter a one in four chance of facing such a pitcher and any pitcher facing such a batter. Did it really make that much of a difference?

Sure, we've all been shown how runs and homers increased in the last twenty years. We've also seen more players reach 500 homers in the last 20 years that for decades before this combined. Can we really say with any certainty that drugs were the only factor? How about the baseball, lower pitching mounds and the general decrease in pitching talent over the years or the greater number of teams causing the same amount of talent to be spread more thinly across the leagues? There is no way to quantify the use of drugs as the only culprit in the statistical anomaly.

Without an effective measure and without all other things being equal, records should stand and all talk of asterisks banished from the grandstands. There were some suspicious developments over the years:

- Brady Anderson's fifty homer season.
- The sudden emergence of Luis Gonzalez at Arizona.
- The long careers and sudden fitness of pitchers like Clemens, Schilling and Johnson.

I'm not making any judgment calls on those items above, but can anyone ever know for sure anymore? That's what this mess has done to the average fan. For me, it still comes down to a pitcher having to throw the ball on a certain plane, sixty feet, six inches away and a batter still has to decide in seconds whether to swing and then once committed, hit the darn round thing on a sold part of a round bat barrel. Drugs aren't going to aid you in those things.

While no one would disagree that steroids are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) was widely prescribed by physicians to aid in the healing process. Not outlawed in MLB until 2005, players would go down with a serious injury and take HGH to help speed the healing process. To me, that is very similar than shots many athletes get to relief stress on joints when they deteriorate and ache.

The commissioner has set a precedent with fifteen-day suspensions on Guillen and Gibbons. That sounds more reasonable than fifty days. But is he punishing those players for using a substance that was legal when they were taking it? Is that the correct thing to do?

The only logical stance, both now and after the Mitchell Report is released is to grant unconditional amnesty for anything prior to 2006 when this issue got to be as big a deal as it is now. Develop tests and policies that ban everything (including those shots!) from here on in and deal harshly anyone caught going forward. Anything more than this plan reeks of unfairness.

And if you are going to go through with punishing players who get caught, then shouldn't the teams and their trainers and physicians be under scrutiny as well?

The Fan just wants it all to go away. Perhaps there will be so many players on Mitchell's list, we will collectively yawn and put the subject away for a while. I totally understand that will depend on the frenzy created post-report by the writers and those politicians looking for a good cause to flex muscles. Let's hope that both of those groups will recognize that we don't care anymore and just want it to all end.

Tony LaRussa's statements concerning Scott Rolen completely went outside the line. LaRussa tries to make nice and state that he wants Rolen to be a star player again and the Cardinals need him. If you take those as sound bites, it sounds all nice and encouraging. Until you read the rest of his statements.

How would you as an employee feel if your boss said (not to you, but to the media reporting about your workplace), "If he works hard, and as well as he can, he can keep working. If he doesn't, he's not working for me." Obviously, you wouldn't take it very well.

To his credit, Rolen's response was, "These are matters I never discuss publicly and are matters that should have remained private." You think? LaRussa is using bully tactics here and it doesn't come across as very pretty.

Rolen is a true warrior of the sport. Of course he was angry when LaRussa pulled him from the lineup in the 2006 playoffs. As many managers and coaches have said before, Rolen wouldn't be worth very much if he wasn't upset at not playing. What LaRussa did in that series was his call as manager and no one can dispute that fact, not even Rolen. But why would other managers and coaches do that all the time and not create two year rifts like LaRussa has. The only answer is the kind of man LaRussa is.

The kind of statement LaRussa made today was uncalled for and totally unprofessional. He had to know that his words would not help the situation and one can only assume that they were meant to add salt into the already festering situation.

Being in management, I know that personality clashes happen from time to time. I also know that if I have a strained relationship with someone on my team, I do not add to the woes by calling that employee out in public. I work behind the scenes and in private to mend the relationship. Most of the time that's possible. Rarely it isn't. But even when it isn't, I still don't call that person out in public. It's just not the right thing to do.

LaRussa should have kept his mouth shut. His statements point to him as the lower person in this particular situation. Let's hope that Rolen does get traded and away from what is a bad situation. He deserves better.