MLB Columns

Omar can salvage offseason with series of moves
Comment
February 9
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"With the Mets, it is difficult to determine whether they are trying to spin the news or are just delusional. Consider the state of the roster: For most of this offseason, they acknowledged a desire to upgrade at catcher, second base, slugging (even beyond Jason Bay) and the rotation. Now, with spring training nine days away, Mets officials are suddenly pleased with a group that has Omir Santos catching, Luis Castillo still at second, little lefty power and the same rotation that so disappointed last year. Here is what Mets officials are trying to sell either to you and/or themselves:"
Lincecum has right attitude on deal: 'Whatever'
Comment
February 9
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Scott Ostler
"Will a nasty arbitration hearing be the end of the love affair between the Giants and Tim Lincecum? That seems to be a major concern as zero hour approaches. Experts and baseball insiders warn that arbitration can cause relationship damage because the ballclub goes to great lengths to highlight the player's shortcomings. Look, we love Timmy, but have you seen his clubhouse locker? Here's a photo. It looks like a gypsy camp. He leaves his Cy Young Awards lying around, someone's going to trip and break a leg. Lincecum is asking $13 million. The Giants are offering $8 million. What we're worried about, then, is that Lincecum might go into a huge sulk if the arbiter rules that Timmy must play ..."
My treatment of Bedard has been unfair
Comment
February 8
Seattle Times
 columnist Steve Kelley
"Last week, a few readers — well actually a lot of readers suggested, demanded really — that certain sportswriters, namely me, owed Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard an apology. They're right. After all, we (and by we, I mean I) have spent a lot of the past two years lamenting the trade that sent a large chunk of the Mariners' future to Baltimore for a pitcher we (and, by we, I mean former general manager Bill Bavasi) expected to be the ace of the staff as the Mariners challenged for an American League West title. Of course, that never happened. Bedard rarely was healthy. He made only 30 starts in two seasons. He ran too many deep counts, which meant the bullpen usually had to get up by the ..."
Texas Rangers' new motto: Whatever Nolan says
Comment
February 8
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 columnist Ray Buck
"FIRST SHOT: Dear Mr. Greenberg,Rule No. 1: Listen to Nolan and do as he suggests.Rule No. 2: See Rule No. 1.Sincerely,Every Rangers fan-- Tom Batz, KellerBUCKSHOT: Survey says! You must be tired after knocking on all those doors, Tom.SECOND SHOT: Tommy "Sayonara" Hicks has done the impossible. He has unified MLB owners, the players' union and Rangers fans.Ever since December 2000, when he signed Alex Rodriguez to the most expensive and dumbest contract in baseball history, he has been disliked and distrusted by the owners. Scott Boras is still smiling.After he drafted Matt Purke at No. 14 last year, but didn't have the cash to sign him, the players' union has called him a fraud."
Bob Tewksbury educating young players
Comment
February 7
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
 columnist Rob Rains
"All of the instruction that young baseball players receive is not done on the playing field by coaches wearing a uniform Which is why, in the middle of winter, four Cardinals' prospects joined 100 other young players from every major league organization at a resort outside Washington, D.C. to spend a weekend learning about life in the major leagues. It's a program which has been in place for 10 years now, a joint venture of Major League Baseball and the Player's Association. Its purpose is to educate the players on the environment and the experiences they can expect when they make it to the major leagues. One of the former players serving as an instructor at the camp, as he has done for ..."
Potential difference-makers still on market
Comment
February 7
Chicago Tribune
 columnist Phil Rogers
"The Angels signed Bobby Abreu, the outfielder the Cubs and so many other teams passed on, one year ago Friday. He proved to be a difference-maker, helping Mike Scioscia's team to a first-round victory over the Red Sox after winning its fifth American League West title in six years. The Angels gave him only a one-year contract worth $5 million. There are similar deals to be made in the 2010 market, even as equipment trucks start to head out for camps in Arizona and Florida. The Twins' fine-tuning has been impressive — the additions of Orlando Hudson and Jim Thome solidified them as the AL Central front-runner — but here are some more players available who could have even more impact: • ..."
Mets' failure to sign bargain players goes beyond Minaya
Comment
February 7
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"It is easy to demonize Omar Minaya for the Mets' ills, and I am not here to praise him. I do think the job of Mets GM is too big for Minaya; that his deficits in areas of communication, organization and ability to creatively multi-task — in particular — outweigh his assets. But I think it is fair to question now if any person from Pat Gillick to Billy Beane to the clone of Branch Rickey could succeed in the Mets' current structure. To further this thought, let's play a game. Let's act like we can travel back to Nov. 1 before free agency has even begun. If we were sitting with Minaya, we certainly would have learned he badly wanted Bengie Molina for Molina's power and ability to work with a ..."
Now, pressure's on Phillies to play three
Comment
February 8
Philadelphia Inquirer
 columnist Bob Ford
"Welcome to baseball season. Close enough, anyway. Now that the football season, with its standard helping of local frustration, has come to a finish at the annual NFL orgy of excess last night, it is time to look forward to something that might actually have a happy ending here. Pitchers, catchers, and hope report to Clearwater, Fla., again next week and, for one of the few spans in Phillies' history, the flickering hope is warmed by something more than the promise of a coming spring. Shoveling out of the current winter of discontent - made bleaker by the Eagles' disintegration in consecutive games against the Cowboys - the Phillies offer a chance to believe in the possibility of that ..."
Joe Girardi faces many challenges to repeat
Comment
February 6
Bergen Record
 columnist Bob Klapisch
"In less than two weeks, Joe Girardi will assemble his pitchers and catchers in Tampa and give a dress-rehearsal speech that'll be delivered to the full Yankee squad on Feb. 23. That's the day the clubhouse will be closed, the manager will stand in the middle of the room and for approximately 45 minutes, the Bombers will listen to Girardi's state-of-the-team address. This used to be the center piece of Joe Torre's administration, when he would assure the Yankees the walls of his clubhouse were impenetrable. "Don't let any of that outside stuff distract you," Torre would say. He meant George Steinbrenner, the headlines, the rabid fans, the haters. Just be, is what Torre offered in response. ..."
Hoyer setting a fresh course
Comment
February 6
San Diego Union-Tribune
 columnist Nick Canepa
"Jed Hoyer grew up in small-town New Hampshire, the son of a country doctor, the only physician in a 40-mile radius. If you're an Americana buff, we may be talking the kind of doc you've read about, at times working for chickens and apple pies in lieu of cash. The stuff of Norman Rockwell. But there always was baseball in Hoyer's life. The family would vacation in Florida during spring training. He remembers longing to see the Dodgers' famed facility in Vero Beach, only to find it a dump. "Really disappointing." And so the son went on to play the game at Wesleyan College, where he still holds the school's saves record, before joining the other whiz kids in the Boston Rex Sox organization. ..."
Stand Pat stays put
Comment
February 6
Toronto Sun
 columnist Bob Elliott
"Pat Gillick isn't going anywhere. Remember all the talk in November how the former Philadelphia Phillies general manager would be the perfect choice to mentor Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos? Turns out the Phillies quietly re-upped Gillick for the 2011 season as senior adviser to president Dave Montgomery the same month. Gillick guided the Jays, the Orioles, Mariners and the Phillies to post-season play 11 times total in 20 seasons -- taking two seasons off and twice serving as a consultant with the Jays and the Mariners. The Jays, Orioles and Mariners now are a combined 0-for-33 attempting to make post-season since he left each position as a GM. Centre of attraction Another reason to ..."
Damon overplayed his hand
Comment
February 6
Buffalo News
 columnist Mike Harrington
"Believe it or not, the New York Yankees' equipment truck leaves the Bronx and heads for Florida on Monday. Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 17, the full squad on Feb. 23. While still basking in the post-World Series glow, Yankees fans I hear from have fixated on one gnawing question that won't go away: What the heck happened with Johnny Damon? Last time I saw Damon, he was joyously hobbling around the clubhouse following the Series clincher he left early because of calf tightness. Three nights earlier, his daring steal of two bases on one play keyed the ninth inning rally in the critical Game Four win in Philadelphia. Damon is coming off a season that saw him bat .282 with 24 homers and ..."
Justin Verlander's deal a steal for Tigers
Comment
February 5
Detroit Free Press
 columnist Drew Sharp
"It's always a gamble investing $80 million in anybody who's possibly one fastball away from irrevocable arm trouble, but the Tigers made the right call in telling Justin Verlander that he's the new face of their franchise. And that face bears a big smile right now. This was a no-brainer. The Tigers couldn't lose him at the risk of losing the remainder of the public goodwill established from their 2006 World Series run and organizational commitment to spend more money two years ago. The Associated Press, quoting anonymous sources, reported that Verlander and the Tigers agreed on a five-year, $80-million contract. The team could announce the deal as early as this afternoon. This is a deal ..."
Justin Verlander proves he's a Detroit man
Comment
February 5
Detroit Free Press
 columnist Drew Sharp
"While others can't wait to leave Michigan and its vast economic challenges, Justin Verlander's staying. He's got 80 million reasons for sticking around. That's an attractive lure. But let's ignore for a moment the outrageous dollars the Tigers will pay their pitching ace over the next five years. That's a bounty only the luckiest of lottery winners could dream about. But if it was all about maximizing his value in the open market, Verlander could have waited 20 months and received much more from New York or Boston. "But this is home," Verlander said Thursday. "I truly believe that. And why would anybody leave home if you're happy there?" This was a good day for the Tigers, a good day for ..."
Hart loses his case in the people's court
Comment
February 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 columnist Michael Hunt
"Even when the real-world job market is favorable, no one wants to hear that a ballplayer will get a $900,000 raise even if he loses his arbitration case. It's worse when the ballplayer in question isn't coming off a $900,000 year to begin with. OK, so that's not exactly true. No matter how much former all-star Corey Hart's performance dropped in 2009, hitting .260 with 12 homers and 48 RBI in a medically shortened season puts you in a tax bracket where the snooty Ferrari salesman not only holds the door, but also lets you test drive whatever's on the lot. But we've known the price of playing ball around here for a long time. During the really bad recession that hammered this city in the ..."
With Daughter's Struggle, a New Role for Dempster
Comment
February 5
New York Times
 columnist Dan McGrath
"Pro athletes are easily typecast as society's chosen ones, an exalted class of millionaire performers with the financial means to enjoy a worry-free life and the sense of entitlement to expect as much. Ryan Dempster doesn't fit the stereotype. A standout pitcher for the Cubs, Dempster is baseball's version of a model citizen, the antithesis of the celebrity jock: down to earth and approachable, twice nominated for Major League Baseball's Roberto Clemente Award for community service. His latest cause is very personal. Ryan and Jenny Dempster's 10-month-old daughter, Riley, was born with DiGeorge syndrome, a developmental disorder caused by a defective chromosome. She requires nearly ..."
Giants' showdown with Lincecum is only natural
Comment
February 5
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Ray Ratto
"Ahh, kids. They grow up so fast. One day, they're winning the regional spelling bee, the next, they're learning the subtleties of the fine print. It's not like we didn't know this coming in, that Tim Lincecum's arbitration would be the first true intrusion of business into what has been a child's game. He throws pitches that others cannot hit, everyone tells him how swell and noble he is, and life is good. Really good. But as it comes for everyone, this is the day when the dollar sign gets put on the muscle, to borrow the title from Kevin Kerrane's instructive book on the art and science of baseball scouting. This is when Lincecum finds out for the first time the limits of his power and ..."
At the right price, signing Damon would be good idea for Tigers
Comment
February 4
Detroit Free Press
 columnist Jamie Samuelsen
"Johnny Damon Detroit Tigers … any drawbacks you can see?Everything about this story strikes me as reactive, not proactive. Damon claims he wants to be a Tiger. While I'm sure that's true, it's only because he hasn't been able to find another team or another salary that fits his desires. We all wanted to go to the prom in high school. But once the most-popular and best-looking girls were going with the most-popular and best-looking guys, you had to move down the list. This is Damon asking the nerdy-looking girl from chemistry class. (As an aside - I love Scott Boras' line about how Damon insisted he could make the Yankees a winner before he signed there. Hey Johnny - see all those ..."
Joba's bullpen call
Comment
February 3
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"It was impossible to ignore, and the Yankees didn't ignore it. Words were not needed. Joba Chamberlain's body language screamed confidence and the scoreboard flashed 97 mph. Here at the end of his most taxing season, Chamberlain was a strutting fire-breather again. In the postseason. As a reliever. The difference from the starter who too often was tentative and too frequently throwing fastballs at 89-91 mph was stark. As one Yankees official noted recently, "It was hard to miss." The transformation was so blatant, in fact, that the No. 5 starter competition between Chamberlain and Phil Hughes is almost over two weeks before pitchers and catchers even report. The Yankees never would admit ..."
Kings game pinch-hits for a silent Frank McCourt
Comment
February 3
Los Angeles Times
 columnist T.J. Simers
"I'm sorry, I really am, and that doesn't even begin to make amends for what I'm about to do to you. You deserve better, and it's too bad USC and UCLA have crummy basketball teams -- nothing to write there. The Lakers are off, the Clippers are away and Super Bowl media day is best covered by the media that is there. I had planned on better, a treat really for each and every one of you because Frank McCourt is talking again, making that announcement for some reason while I was on vacation. Saw it in the paper, though, the headline reading, "McCourt gets back in the game." It was such big news The Times had two reporters, Dylan Hernandez and Bill Shaikin, write the story. You can imagine my ..."
Braves, Indians not the best role models for Phillies
Comment
February 3
Philadelphia Daily News
 columnist Sam Donnellon
"IN EXPLAINING why he traded Cliff Lee, Ruben Amaro Jr. often explains that he can't do business like the Yankees. The other day, Charlie Manuel explained it through the model used by the Braves in winning 14 straight division titles. "You have to do what we did this winter," he said. "You have to turn some guys over every year." But are the comparisons valid? Not entirely. Yes, the Yankees run a big payroll, and, yes, their contract with CC Sabathia undoubtedly fueled fears that Lee would not settle for anything less than a 5-year deal. But they also refused to part with some prized prospects when there was an opportunity to trade for Johan Santana in November 2007. Yes, the Braves cut ..."
Mora deserves good memories from O's fans
Comment
February 3
Baltimore Sun
 columnist Peter Schmuck
"In the final year of a fairly distinguished decade in Baltimore, Melvin Mora struggled to the worst offensive numbers of his career. He morphed from good soldier into unhappy camper. He complained about the way he was being used by manager Dave Trembley. He seemed tired of being an Oriole, and a lot of people - both inside the organization and in the stands - seemed tired of him, too. Sad but true. So, when his contract expired, it was pretty clear that the team would make no effort to retain him. The Orioles signed Garrett Atkins and Miguel Tejada to fill openings at the two corner infield positions, and Mora recently agreed to terms on a one-year deal to be a utility player for the ..."
Potential Mauer deal is a win-win
Comment
February 3
MLB.com
 columnist Mike Bauman
"This could be a big one for the little guys. If, in fact, Joe Mauer signs a long-term contract extension with the Minnesota Twins, this will be a good thing not only for the Twins, but for baseball, the sport. During the recent kickoff of TwinsFest, manager Ron Gardenhire said on the topic of Mauer's extension: "I think everybody knows what needs to get done here. From our owners to our general manager to our fan base, we all know what everybody wants. It is right out there for us, and I think they'll make it happen." That kind of confidence is unusual in a case such as this. The history of free agency at the highest level of spending is a history of the migration of the best, most ..."
It's time to give announcer King his due
Comment
February 3
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Ray Ratto
"Jon Miller's latest honor, as the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award for baseball broadcasting, is one of those no-brainers that really was a no-brainer - as in, "You mean he wasn't in already?" Which brings us to Bill King, who hasn't won, and at this rate might never win. Not the Frick, not the Pete Rozelle Radio-TV Award and not the Curt Gowdy Media Award. None of them. And that remains an amazement. King, the definitive voice of the Raiders and Warriors, and longest-serving voice of the A's, has come close to the Frick before only to fall in 2007 to Kansas City Royals broadcaster Denny Matthews, and it is a weird tribute to King's career that the Frick is actually his best shot even ..."
Rehabbing Reyes '100 percent,' ready to roar
Comment
February 2
New York Post
 columnist Kevin Kernan
"Jose Reyes ran like the wind yesterday. Then ran some more. For two hours, I watched the Mets shortstop work, testing his surgically repaired right leg time and again during the strenuous workout. There were 90-foot dashes; explosive 10-yard sprints, on which Reyes would grab a tennis ball on one bounce; ground balls hit to his left and right; high choppers where he had to fly across the diamond; weight-lifting; dynamic stretching; core exercises and hitting. Test after test, and each time Reyes came through with a huge smile. That smile was all you had to see to know this was not the same Reyes who suffered through an injury-plagued season last year. In mid-October he had surgery to ..."
Giants' radio voice, baseball's treasure
Comment
February 2
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Bruce Jenkins
"I almost drove off the road one night on my way home from a Giants game. Things were getting a bit blurry from the tears of laughter. Jon Miller put me there, and it's a good thing I recovered, because it was the Devil's Slide, and that's a long way down. The Giants had just lost to the Dodgers, and to begin the postgame wrap, Mike Krukow awarded his "player of the game" to someone on the Giants' bench, a guy who hadn't even played (anyone but a Dodger). Things got sillier from there, and not long after Miller unveiled his priceless Vin Scully imitation, he could be heard in the background doing John Ramsey, the revered voice of Dodger Stadium for so many years. "He always sounded like he ..."
Mets passed over truly Amazin' baseball exec
Comment
February 1
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"Early in the fall of 1997, at the outset of his first offseason as Mets' general manager, Steve Phillips restructured his front office. He lured Omar Minaya from Texas to be his assistant GM and hired a friend, Jim Duquette, as the director of pro personnel. Because he was good with computers and had ties to Sandy Koufax -- a real bonus in the Dodger-centric world of Koufax pal Fred Wilpon -- Gary LaRocque was named the director of amateur scouting. That was the job Jack Zduriencik deserved. Instead -- despite being employed significantly longer with the Mets than even Phillips -- he was shuffled from farm director to special assistant to the general manager. So at that moment Phillips, ..."
Key to Brewers' season is... a coach?
Comment
February 1
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 columnist Michael Hunt
"The Brewers won the pennant Sunday. OK, so not one player got a ball out of the gaping Midwest Airlines Center, where many of the faithful congregated to receive their twice-a-year dispensation. Along with the home opener, these kinds of fan fests grant that most extraordinary of outlooks in skeptical times - the enormous capacity to believe. But being sensible Midwesterners, we all know why the local nine gave itself no chance last season. Starting pitching overwhelmed the power of a zillion industrial-strength air fresheners to remove its stench from Miller Park and similar venues throughout baseball. That is why maybe the third-most important man in the organization for 2010 was sitting ..."
This year the year the Rockies show fans they aren't a fluke
Comment
February 1
Denver Post
 columnist Troy E. Renck
"The Rockies enter this season with a chance to do something special. They can prove they are not a fluke, not baseball's version of a half-court shot or the proverbial vision-challenged squirrel finding a nut. They can show baseball, show the National League and, more important, show their fans they are not a fluke. No one will ever forget 2007. Nor should they. The Rockies climbed Mount Everest in flip-flops, reaching the World Series with 21 victories in 22 games. In 2009, after an embarrassing encore in 2008, the Rockies proved miracles don't have expiration dates, climbing out of a sinkhole back into the playoffs. "At the beginning of 2008 we stumbled and we pressed," pitcher Jeff ..."
A's Outman vows to return from injury
Comment
January 31
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
 columnist Rob Rains
"For more than 20 years, Fritz Outman studied pitching mechanics, trying to find a motion that would put less stress on the elbow and shoulder, maximize velocity and increase the rotation of the baseball on its way to home plate. He even wrote a book on the subject titled "Over Powering Pitching." Outman's problem with teaching what he had learned and perfected was the resistance that he encountered from coaches and scouts who believed in conventional pitching mechanics. The only two pitchers he could convince to pitch the way he thought they should pitch were his two sons, Josh and Zach. The delivery was unique. It called for the pitcher to begin his motion with his elbow at almost a ..."
Would you give Tigers ace Justin Verlander $15 million or more per season?
Comment
January 31
Michigan Live
 columnist Steve Kornacki
"Pretend it's your money. Would you sign Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander for the next five years at $75 million? What about upping that to six years at $93 million to $95 million? Those are the figures Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports the Tigers are discussing with Verlander and his agent, Mike Milchin. It's easy for fans to spend Mike Ilitch's money and side with Verlander, who, according to Passan, really wants that sixth year. Hey, Verlander tied for the major league lead in wins (19) and led the majors in strikeouts (269), starts (35) and innings pitched (240). But know this: There is only one contract among the six the Tigers gave during the past decade for at least four years ..."
J.J. Hardy putting miserable 2009 season behind him
Comment
January 31
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 columnist Charley Walters
"Playing for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007, 25-year-old shortstop James Jerry 'J.J.' Hardy slugged 26 home runs, hit .277 and was a National League all-star. In 2008, he continued to excel, banging 24 homers and hitting .283. Last season for the Brewers, Hardy batted just .229 with 11 homers, making him expendable. What went wrong? "I've had some time to think about that over this offseason," said Hardy, traded to the Twins in November for outfielder Carlos Gomez. "I was messed up mentally. I wasn't allowing myself to enjoy good games. I was going to the ballpark mad every day. "I was really, really hard on myself. I felt if I went 2 for 4, 1 for 3, which are decent games, I would come to ..."
Twins out to stop being playoff pushovers
Comment
January 31
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 columnist Tom Powers
"Playing against the Minnesota Twins is like getting flicked in the head with a sunflower seed. At first, there's no visible damage. But by the end of the summer, and after dozens and dozens of little pings to head, the opposition is staggered. And the Twins win the division. Then the Twins enter the playoffs brandishing their tiny sunflower seeds and — kapow! — they are the first ones eliminated. How many times have we seen this? After so many entertaining summers the team has gotten no closer to advancing in the postseason. That's because the Twins always have been built for the long haul. They do enough little things right, make the fewest number of critical mistakes, to be able to ..."
Cabrera's bat outweighs Janish's glove
Comment
January 31
Cincinnati Enquirer
 columnist John Fay
"A fan at the Reds' Select-A-Seat event gave Paul Janish a ringing endorsement as shortstop. She didn't want to see the club sign Orlando Cabrera because she thought Janish deserved a shot. A Reds employee expressed similar sentiment to me. I see where they're coming from. Janish is one of the nicest guys in the Reds clubhouse. He works hard. He took the ball on two occasions last year to save the bullpen. He's top-notch defensively. But, as easy as it is to root for a guy like Janish, there's no room in baseball operations for sentimentality. If Cabrera makes the club better and the Reds can fit him in the budget, they've got to sign him. That's the case. At 35, Cabrera's not as good as he ..."
Put that bubbly back on ice, fans
Comment
January 31
St. Petersburg Times
 columnist Marc Topkin
"Remember a few days ago when Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projections tabbed the Rays to win the AL East with an MLB-best 96 victories? Turns out even the stats experts make mistakes. And after discovering and correcting some errors in computation, they've put up adjusted standings - and the Rays don't fare as well this time."
Wonderful opportunity awaits Phils' Bastardo
Comment
January 31
Camden Courier-Post
 columnist Scott Lauber
"Last year, Antonio Bastardo spent nearly two-thirds of his first 94 days in the majors on the disabled list with a strained shoulder. But when the Phillies needed a second left-handed reliever for the postseason, they had enough confidence to put him on the roster. Imagine, then, the opportunity that will be given to Bastardo this spring. He will have the attention of manager Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee during spring training. And fresh off a dominating performance in the Dominican Winter League, he might even be the favorite to win the job. Bastardo, 24, posted a 1.50 ERA and six strikeouts in seven innings for los Gigantes del Cibao during the regular season, then fanned ..."
Ash's ideas a solid start to fixing flaws
Comment
January 31
Toronto Star
 columnist Richard Griffin
"At various baseball meetings this off-season, one of the priority issues has been how to fix the hit-and-miss, always-overpriced, less-than-satisfying major-league baseball draft as the problems involved in scouting and signing the next generation get worse. Consider that the struggling Nationals finished last overall, partly due to payroll concerns, then were forced to pay the largest bonus in history to keep No. 1 overall pick Steven Strasburg, a left-handed ace, from going back to university. Consider that last July, Aroldis Chapman, a young Cuban, strolled out of a Rotterdam hotel into a waiting car, setting off toward Spain and freedom. Chapman became a citizen of Andorra with a ..."
Words can't express what former Florida Marlin Andre Dawson feels
Comment
January 31
Miami Herald
 columnist Dan Le Batard
"You know why so many people care about sports in a way that is unreasonable and fanatical? It's not just because of how good games can make us feel. It's because they make us feel, period. Up. Down. And all the spots of ``alive'' in between. That's how it is when you really love someone or something. You feel bigger. More. How often does something outside of sports give you so much joy that you actually jump up and down? How often in a day are you so crushed that you scream like you do at a TV in a sports bar? Believe it or not, philosopher-poet Pat Riley, so analytical, so introspective, talked in a way that made you think he preferred losing a Game 7 to tying a series by winning a Game ..."
Frosty days, but warm feeling for Texas Rangers' owners
Comment
January 31
Dallas Morning News
 columnist Jeff Wilson
"Only the desire for autographs outweighed the desire to get indoors Saturday during the Rangers Fan Fest. A hearty gathering of fans braved bone-chilling temperatures and an icy wind that whipped through the concourses at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. But frosty as the conditions were, fans felt nothing but warmth for the ownership change that's coming. Fans are eagerly awaiting to see what changes will take place under the guidance of Rangers Baseball Express and its two most notable figures, Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan. Fans, though, don't want to see many changes on the field. But they are hopeful their voice will be heard as the new owners make a Rangers game a more enjoyable ..."
Cap can't keep Prince in fold
Comment
January 31
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 columnist Michael Hunt
"The NBA has a salary cap, but with all its loopholes and exceptions, it is softer than Eddy Curry's defense. Want to know which teams have the highest payrolls? Look at the standings. Except for the poster child for bad management from the No. 1 market, the New York Knicks, the five highest spenders are the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers. The league has sort of tried to curb spending by setting the luxury-tax threshold at $71 million, but almost half the teams, nearly all that matter, pay the dollar-for-dollar penalty. For the most part, the cap has done little for the have-nots in the absence of real revenue sharing. The NFL has ..."
Fed-up fans should turn against Nutting
Comment
January 31
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 columnist Kevin Gorman
"Bob Nutting is known as a bottom-line businessman, as reflected by his dealings as Pirates owner. Ron Burkle has a reputation as a savvy billionaire with political muscle who is no stranger to hostile takeovers. When word leaked that Burkle and his Penguins co-owner, Mario Lemieux, made an offer to buy the Pirates, it set the stage for what could become a cross-town tug-of-war for control of the non-Steelers sports market. The Penguins want it, but Nutting isn't budging. Pirates president Frank Coonelly admitted Saturday that the timing of the leak, four months after the fact, was "odd." Considering that it came the night the Pirates unveiled plans for a statue to honor Bill Mazeroski and ..."
Kenny Lofton was exciting, but he will have tough time getting into baseball Hall of Fame
Comment
January 30
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 columnist Bud Shaw
"Unfortunately for Kenny Lofton, there's no "Most Exciting" category for entry into Cooperstown. If there were, he might have slid across home plate in Seattle in Game 6 of the 1995 American League Championship Series and right through the door of the Hall of Fame. Admission to the Hall, as Tim Raines was reminded yet again in the most recent vote when he pulled in 30 percent of the affection, is a far more tedious process for all but an elite few. Seventy-five percent of the vote is needed for induction. The problem for Lofton isn't that he was no Rickey Henderson. Nobody was. The pressing issue for Lofton is that as good as he was, he wasn't Raines. It's not that Lofton isn't in the ..."
Low-budget A's stay off union's list
Comment
January 29
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist John Shea
"The Marlins were busted for pocketing revenue-sharing checks and forced to increase spending following complaints by the players' union. They responded by signing pitcher Josh Johnson to a $39 million contract and saying Dan Uggla is no longer trade bait. The union reportedly targeted the Marlins, Padres, Pirates and Rays as teams that weren't investing enough based on the revenue-sharing formula outlined in the collective bargaining agreement. Those four teams ranked among the majors' bottom six in 2009 payroll. So did the A's. How did they get excused? After all, they were last in American League attendance last year. "That's because we have the lowest revenues," general manager Billy ..."
Despite numbers, David Huff figures to play big role for Cleveland Indians
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January 29
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 columnist Terry Pluto
"The numbers make no sense. David Huff won 11 games for the Indians last season. The lefty won those 11 games with a 5.61 earned run average. He won those 11 games with the opposition hitting .301 against him, and he won those 11 games for a team that was one of baseball's major disappointments with a 65-97 record. Why write about Huff at the end of January? No logical reason. Sort of like how Huff had that 11-8 record which should have been more like 8-11, given the 5.61 ERA. But it's cold, and in 23 days, pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear, Ariz., for spring training. That thought makes me smile. And maybe, just maybe, Huff will do the same for Tribe fans. "I learned so much last ..."
Life tosses curve at Jeremy Accardo
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January 29
Toronto Star
 columnist Richard Griffin
"It was a tough, frustrating year for Blue Jays reliever Jeremy Accardo in 2009. There was that lingering rehab assignment to start the season that turned into an option, a late-July demotion to the minors, suspicious manipulation of two days of service time that will delay his free agency by a full year and, finally, a wedding date in Arizona, with invited guests already on the ground that was mysteriously called off less than 24 hours before the Nov. 14 ceremony. "It was just a series of things that happened," Accardo said of the last-second bailout on wedding vows with fiancée Carly Lind, a Toronto native. "It was the first time for both of us and things just happened. We're just ..."
In tricky times, Holliday was fortunate to get what he got
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January 28
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 columnist Jeff Gordon
"Gamesmanship between agents and general managers is at an all-time high in baseball's free-agent marketplace. In these tricky times, even the big-budget Yankees are willing to reject salary demands out of hand and send popular players packing. In this treacherous era, even super agent Scott Boras gets burned while overplaying his hand. The Johnny Damon saga offered a cautionary tale for everybody involved in the industry. It reminded us how easily the Matt Holliday negotiations could have blown up for the Cardinals."
Divorce leaves Damon, Yankees hurting
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January 28
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"Johnny Damon wanted the Yankees and the Yankees wanted Johnny Damon. But in the end, pride and inflexibility on both sides scuttled a covert, last-second attempt to stay together. So one of the intriguing questions of 2010 now becomes if the Yankees, Damon or both ultimately regret how that pride and inflexibility assured a divorce. If, for example, July rolls around and the Yankees are dissatisfied with their outfield/DH production and are looking for a Damon-esque player, then they probably will rue not behaving like their behemoth-market self to keep Damon. If Damon is unable to find significant dollars and/or ends up slumming in, say, Cincinnati or Oakland, then he may wonder how he ..."
Hall made right choice on Dawson cap
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January 28
Chicago Tribune
 columnist Phil Rogers
"Go ahead, don't serve me at Harry Caray's. Give me only the single burger, not the double cheeseburger, at the Billy Goat. Make me buy my way into Grant Park for the Blues Festival and Taste of Chicago this summer. But I am giving the Hall of Fame props for its decision to depict Andre Dawson wearing an Expos cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Even if Dawson would rather have a Cubs cap, as he has said he would, Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson and his staff made the right decision in light of baseball history in ordering a rendition that will put him in one of those blue Montreal lids with the cartoon-style "M." Given the popularity of the Cubs, Dawson's preference and the relocation of ..."
Mets need to give Murphy 'first' shot
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January 28
New York Post
 columnist Kevin Kernan
"The Mets need to cut the Carlos Delgado cord and allow Daniel Murphy to play first base with Ike Davis just around the corner in the minor leagues. Murphy was the only "regular" to show up for the Mets' three-day voluntary mini-camp. He has re-invented himself as a player. He is quicker and stronger. He knew he had to do something to improve his skills. The left-handed hitting Murphy, who could wind up sharing the position with Fernando Tatis, always has been about doing extra work in the batting cage in the offseason. As a result, he didn't put the time in to improve defensively, but this offseason Murphy made a major change in his workout program. He knew he had to get quicker and ..."
If Bud Selig says it, it must be true
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January 28
Philadelphia Daily News
 columnist Sam Donnellon
"SO, MARK McGWIRE has saved baseball. Again. That's how it has been laid out for us, anyway. McGwire's belated confession of steroid use, complete with crocodile tears and face-saving disclaimers, has served as a sort of holy water, ending baseball's era of performance-enhancing drugs, hearkening yet another new fresh start for the game. That's pretty much what Bud Selig said after the man who wouldn't talk about the past to Congress finally spoke about it to Bob Costas. On the day of McGwire's mea culpa, Selig said in a statement that in 2010, the use of steroids and amphetamines in baseball is "virtually nonexistent, as our testing results have shown." Two things: Either the commissioner ..."
Life tosses curve at Jeremy Accardo
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January 28
Toronto Star
 columnist Richard Griffin
"It was a tough, frustrating year for Blue Jays reliever Jeremy Accardo in 2009. There was that lingering rehab assignment to start the season that turned into an option, a late-July demotion to the minors, suspicious manipulation of two days of service time that will delay his free agency by a full year and, finally, a wedding date in Arizona, with invited guests already on the ground that was mysteriously called off less than 24 hours before the Nov. 14 ceremony. "It was just a series of things that happened," Accardo said of the last-second bailout on wedding vows with fiancée Carly Lind, a Toronto native. "It was the first time for both of us and things just happened. We're just ..."
Twins make a bold move -- for once -- in landing Thome
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January 28
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 columnist Patrick Reusse
"The addition of Jim Thome was typical for the Twins in that they found him in the bargain basement. It also was unique as an indicator that the hometown nine might aspire to being more than an AL Central Division contender in 2010. The Twins went through a streak of eight consecutive losing seasons that ran through 2000. Since then, they have five Central titles and eight winning seasons in nine years. When they finally surpassed .500 again in 2001, manager Tom Kelly's most relied-on pinch hitter was Denny Hocking. Since then, Ron Gardenhire has had such loaded guns in his dugout as Jose Offerman, Matt LeCroy, Michael Ryan, Luis Rodriguez, Jeff Cirillo, Mike Lamb, Brian Buscher and Jose ..."
Birds need a bench press
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January 28
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 columnist Bernie Miklasz
"The reporting date for Cardinals' pitchers and catchers is Feb. 17. Position players are scheduled to report on Feb. 22. Presumably, some late roster additions will materialize by April 5 to give the Cardinals a full complement of 25 big-league players for the season opener at Cincinnati. As we look at the Cardinals' roster today, this is what they have for a bench: infielder Julio Lugo and backup catcher Jason La Rue. That's it. Oh, there are a bunch of names to throw in as potential candidates for jobs. An incomplete listing would include outfielder-third baseman Joe Mather, left fielder Allen Craig, infielder Tyler Greene, infielder Ruben Gotay, outfielders Jon Jay, Shane Robinson and ..."