Daily Archives: October 22, 2007
This season, Major League baseball players in both leagues have selected finalists for the Players Choice Awards, “in which the players themselves 
recognize excellence on and off the field.”
According to a release from MLBPA, the league’s players have selected Tom Glavine to be among the finalists for Man of the Year, while David Wright joins Matt Holliday and Prince Fielder among the finalists for NL Outstanding Player.
Winners will be announced on Yahoo! Sports this week.
Tagged Tom Glavine |
At ESPN.com’s Page 2, Jeff Pearlman catches up with Wally Backman, who is still in search of a job coaching in the big leagues.
…hat tip to Toasty Joe for the link…
Backman, as quoted by Pearlman…
“When [Arizona] told me they were taking away the job, it was like a death in the family… All I wanted to do was manage a major league baseball team…Now here I am…I’m not one to sit back and mope. What happens, happens. But there’s also a part of me that says, ‘All these other guys get second chances.’ That’s what I don’t understand. I don’t know why I’m different. I don’t know if it’s something someone in Arizona said. The baseball world is a small world. Especially in the front office. I have my suspicions, but I just don’t know for sure why I’m such an outcast.”
…the sense i get is that if backman is to ever be offered a job in baseball, it is going to come from the Mets, for a few different reasons, but mostly because his hard-nosed attitude could be an asset in their minor-league system…i’m not saying i expect it to happen, but if it did i would not be surprised…
According to Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Tom Glavine has ‘shown interest’ in pitching for the Cardinals.
…hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors for the link…
…the obvious buzz from baseball has been, and will continue to be, that glavine will do most of his flirting with the Mets and Braves…
Of course, at his blog for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Braves beat writer David O’Brien categorized Glavine’s rumored return to Atlanta as ‘close to a sure thing.’
Lastly, in a recent update for Rumor Central at ESPN.com, Jerry Crasnick wrote that the Nationals could have interest in Glavine.
Going in to his final three starts of the season, Glavine was 13–6 with a 3.88 ERA, and had not missed a single start.
However, in his final three starts, during which his team lost all three games, Glavine was 0–2 having allowed 17 runs in 10 innings pitched.
…i have to admit, as i get more and more emotional distance from his final start, the idea of glavine returning to the Mets is not so horrible as it once was…i mean, i’d like to see both sides move on, but it will be tough to replace his poise, 200 innings pitched and double-digit wins…it feels very knee-jerk to base my opinion on how i felt during his final three starts, while over looking how solid he had been up through that point…nevertheless, i think a lot will depend on how much money he is seeking, what atlanta is willing to pay, and what other pitchers are available to the Mets in the marketplace…
Tagged Tom Glavine |According to the Associated Press, Bobby Valentine is not currently 
among the candidates who will interview with the Yankees in their search for a new manager.
…i still like bobby v, and am glad to read this…one) because i enjoy not having to cheer against him; two) i admire his passion for and dedication to japanese baseball; and three) it means he is still, sort of, available…
Kevin Millar, who once played for the Red Sox, but now plays for the Orioles, threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park before last night’s Game Seven again the Indians.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona, talking about Millar before the game:
“I don’t get it. This is another one of those things where [Millar] can pull it off. He’s a member of the Baltimore Orioles, he’s going to be spurring on the Red Sox and nobody is going to say a word. He’ll probably bring the house down. I don’t get it. I love it, but I don’t get it. It’s Millar.”
…i don’t get it either…it would be one thing if he just threw out the first pitch…fine…he might be able to get away with that, but let’s not forget that he also cut a promo for FOX in an effort to rally ‘Red Sox Nation’ when the club was down three games to one…then, after throwing out the first pitch last night, he read off the Red Sox starting lineup for FOX…go ahead, call me old-fashioned, but what the hell is going on here…
…i know we live in an era of hired guns, where rosters turn over from year to year, but i fear that an ethical line was crossed last night…think of the backlash in New York if Pedro Martinez or Johnny Damon did such a thing…it would be unforgivable…granted, millar is no pedro or damon, but parading around with a division rival just looks bad…worst of all, new Orioles president Andy MacPhail gave the green light for his appearance…
…the Orioles have a proud tradition and history…anybody who saw Cal Ripken Jr.‘s Hall of Fame induction knows that…that said, how can millar’s appearance at Fenway not be seen as anything besides a slap in the face to Baltimore…not only does Millar have to be smarter and more considerate, but macphail cannot underestimate the intelligence and pride of Orioles fans…
…lastly, i’m tired of actions being justified by silly quotes like “oh, that’s Millar,’ or ‘It’s just Manny being Manny”… these are grown men, not children…they don’t get a pass…
…added to by Matthew Cerrone…
…i agree, d.j., it is an odd side-effect of free agency…i recall Willie Randolph talking about this at some point over the last year or so, in which he expressed his disappointment, but understanding, with today’s players who ‘fraternize’ with the opposition prior to each game, noting that he preferred the old days when the enemy was the enemy, because it further pushed a player to do what was absolutely necessary to win…that always sounded a bit idealistic to me, but i suspect there is some truth to it, as well…
…by the way, the word in boston is that the Red Sox asked the Mets if Pedro Martinez would join millar for the pre-game festivities, but the Mets declined…thankfully…
In the Journal News, Peter Abraham speculates that to get Johan Santana from the Twins the Yankees will need to part with a package such as OF Melky Cabrera, RHP Phil Hughes and a third prospect.
In Abraham’s opinion, “The Mets can’t match that.”
…i agree…in terms of players, that would be Lastings Milledge and Mike Pelfrey, among other people…the buzz from los angeles has been that the Dodgers equiviliant would need to be something like Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp, which also trumps milledge and pelfrey…the point is, the only way a Mets package will be best is if other teams back out, and the Twins committ to a move, which is always possible…otherwise, if the Mets want to trade milledge for a pitcher, i still think they are better suited aiming at the bay area…
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing ‘club sources,’ Tony La Russa has agreed to a multi-year contract and will continue on as manager of the Cardinals.
Keith Hernandez turned 54 years old this past weekend.
…happy birthday, buddy…
…in honor of keith’s big day, scroll to the 1:40 mark in the following video from Sesame Steet…
…hat tip to Babes Love Baseball for the YouTube link and tribute to keith…
…lovely, now i’ll be singing that song all day…just great…
In the Bergen Record, Bob Klapisch looks ahead to how C Jorge Posada and RHP Mariano Rivera will use the open market when negotiating with 
the Yankeess, before becoming free agents in the days after the World Series.
A rival General Manager, as quoted by Klapisch, regarding whether or not the Mets have a chance at signing Posada, said:
“The odds are pretty slim. [Posada] is loyal to [Derek] Jeter and that will help [the Yankees] a lot. But you never know. It’d be worth it for the Mets to least get in the game.”
According to Klapisch, Posada will likely be looking for a three-year, $40 million deal, as will Rivera.
…from what i can gather, though the Yankees will make heavy offers to posada and rivera sooner rather than later, it will not stop these two from testing the open market…either way, when it comes to posada and mo, i just i have this bad feeling that the Mets will be nothing more than leverage in their talks with the Yankees, where they’ll eventually return…
Tagged Free Agent, Hot Stove, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Mets, Rumors, Yankees |According to Joe Capozzi in the Palm Beach Post, the agent for Dontrelle Willis ‘met’ Marlins GM Larry Beinfest in a supermarket this weekend and 
left believing the team will not look to trade his client this off-season.
Capozzi speculates that Willis could earn $7 million in arbitration this off-season. He will be eligible for free agency after next season.
…the buzz from miami has long been that if one of the two is to go, it will be Miguel Cabrera, not willis, who can be traded for more pitching, which can replace willis should he either a) get traded during the season, or b) leave via free agency in one year…which all makes total sense to me…
Tagged Miguel Cabrera | ← Older posts
