TransMonk

That's just one of many reasons why I can't see this ever working.

Selig, committee considering radical realignment plan When baseball commissioner Bud Selig named a 14-person "special committee for on-field matters" four months ago, he promised that all topics would be in play and "there are no sacred cows." The committee already has made good on Selig's promise by discussing a radical form of "floating" realignment in which teams would not be fixed to a division, but free to change divisions from year-to-year based on geography, payroll and their plans to contend or not. The concept gained strong support among committee members, many of whom believe there are non-economic avenues that should be explored to improve competitive balance, similar to the NFL's former use of scheduling to help parity (in which weaker teams were awarded a weaker schedule the next season). As with most issues of competitive balance, floating realignment involves finding a work-around to the Boston-New York axis of power in the AL East. In the 15 seasons during which the wild-card system has been in use, the Red Sox and Yankees have accounted for 38 percent of all AL postseason berths. The league has never conducted playoffs without the Red Sox or Yankees since that format began -- and in eight of those 15 years both teams made the playoffs. Since 2003 the Sox and Yankees have won at least 95 games 11 times in 14 combined seasons. One example of floating realignment, according to one insider, would work this way: Cleveland, which is rebuilding with a reduced payroll, could opt to leave the AL Central to play in the AL East. The Indians would benefit from an unbalanced schedule that would give them a total of 18 lucrative home dates against the Yankees and Red Sox instead of their current eight. A small or mid-market contender, such as Tampa Bay or Baltimore, could move to the AL Central to get a better crack at postseason play instead of continually fighting against the mega-payrolls of New York and Boston. Divisions still would loosely follow geographic lines; no team would join a division more than two time zones outside its own, largely to protect local television rights (i.e., start times of games) and travel costs. Floating realignment also could mean changing the number of teams in a division, teams changing leagues and interleague games throughout the season, according to several sources familiar with the committee's discussions. It is important to remember that the committee's talks are very preliminary and non-binding. "But if there is something that comes up we feel should be addressed during the season, we can make a recommendation then," said committee co-chair and Braves president John Schuerholz, referring to less complicated issues such as pace-of-game directives. "This is all about any ideas that help make the game better." The floating realignment idea is nothing more than a concept at this point, part of the brainstorming sessions that have occurred in the committee's one in-person meeting and occasional conference calls. (Selig is pushing for another in-person meeting, such as at the All-Star Game. The committee includes current managers and executives, making in-person meetings logistically difficult.) The mechanics of the system are far from nailed down. But what is important is that the committee is making good on its mission to look at absolutely any on-field idea that could make the game better. Blowing up fixed divisions as we know them -- and even leagues -- certainly qualifies as radical thinking. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/tom_verducci/03/09/floating-realignment/index.html?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin

Hey, it's Johan time!

15

Yeah, I agree...the farm is not as bad as the media is (has been) making it out to be. I would also add that none of the prospects we traded to get Santana have panned out.

Finally saw this last night...I agree, it was an interesting interpretation of the book. Not a great movie, but interesting and visually beautiful. I love that that this movie had guys in suits and saved the CGI solely for the faces of the monsters. Much more real to me.

I don't have time to look up pics right now, but I've always thought Mike Pelfrey had some Eddie Vedder in him.

Seems like our staff has been racking up the Ks so far in this young exhibition season. On edit: after checking, the Mets do indeed lead all ML staffs in Ks so far with 58 in 7 games (not including today's). That's over 8 Ks per game. Until the hitters start to catch up...me likey.

Well, if he missed time last year it didn't stop him from throwing 60 innings which is his career best for a season. That 1.95 ERA wasn't shabby either. I like low risk/high reward pickups a lot.

What's the rub? Only a minor league deal? His 2009 stats look pretty great to me.

Pagan is no Beltran, but big-picture-wise, I feel more confident in at least knowing what I can expect from Bay and Francoeur in 2010 than I did from Delgado and Church in 2009.

Possibility?:

Wiki says: Blood-spinning is a method used by athletes to shorten the time to heal an injury. Small samples of the athlete's blood are spun in a centrifuge to increase the concentration of growth hormones. Calcium and the enzyme thrombin are added, forming a gel that is high in natural growth hormones. The sample is then injected into the wound, which can then heal as much as five times faster. Using this procedure can fall foul of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) due to possible non-natural elements introduced into the athlete's body. A notable case where this procedure was used is that of NFL player Hines Ward. Following this there have been calls to legalize the procedure as scientists argue that it does not improve performance, only recovery time.

Whew...that's a relief. I can't help but think ESPN is trying to sensationalize the story by including Reyes' name. This is how rumors get started. Especially with Jose batting 3rd right now. Or maybe I should just pay closer attention. Thanks, Irish!

So, I was on the eliptical machine yesterday evening, huffing and puffing, 25 minutes into my hour workout and trying to concentrate on the calories being burned out of my body. I have the TV tuned to Sportscenter, which is a horrible show, but I need the mindless babble while I'm melting fat and Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader requires too much brainpower. Sportscenter was recycling the day's news...Jets are going to release Jones, Syracuse is #1, Canadians are good at hockey, college football players are looking for jobs, and A-Rod is being questioned about some doctor who was providing PEDs or steroids or some such to MLBers. I was paying enough attention to this last story to crack a smile through my exhales at A-Rod's "no comment" to questions involving his involvement with this doctor. However, as I went back to counting how many reps per minute I was doing, I heard that weenie Mike Greenberg say at the end of the Dr. PED story: "...and New York Met's shortstop Jose Reyes." Because I was not paying attention, I have no idea as to the context of why Reyes would be mentioned in the story about PEDs, doctors and A-Rod. Did anyone else see this...and if so, can you help a brother out with some context?

Per Metsblog: "...Nelson Figueroa will start the Grapefruit League opener on March 2, against the Braves at Tradition Field, followed by Fernando Nieve on March 3 against the Braves at Disney World." I like that they're going right after figuring out this spot rather than tossing Santana out there right away.

This would be an awesome change if it were to go through. Miller/Morgan are horrible and adding Phillips made it unwatchable. Bobby V and Jon Miller I could live with.

Yogi. Wouldn't have had any clue, but it makes sense. Cool addition, BG!

Per Metsblog, Francisco Rodriguez has pink-eye and has been told to stay away from the team.

BAM! The only way that would have been cooler is if Seawolf had said it.