metirish

Does Malkovich try and do the SA accent?

Read the book last year or the year before I think, quite good, acclaimed IIRC.

Rosenthal reports that Iwakuma to the A's looks dead as he is supposed to be in the Bay area tomorrow for his physical but he's still in Japan. A's would get back their $19 million posting fee. No one wants to play there.

Sherman for one thinks it's about the luxury tax, saying, remember the Sox didn't do extension with Beckett until after Opening Day last season and that contract did not impact 2010 payroll for luxury tax purposes.

Gonzo to the Red Sox, same principles involved, no extension but parameters laid out.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: It makes some of our contracts look pretty good," Alderson said. They may have a hard time prying Minaya out from under the bus. No shit. Did he really say that? Sure did http://proxy.espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/12659/alderson-werth-that-money

This is a done deal, press conference tomorrow. No details right now.

Alderon on the Werth deal It makes some of our contracts look pretty good," Alderson said. "That's a long time and a lot of money. I thought they were trying to reduce the deficit in Washington." Ouch

The Nats right now remind me of the Mets circa. '04/05" needing to overpay for the splash. Rizzo says they are not done and will be very aggressive going forward, hopefully that means offering Lee $160 million and jacking the price up for the yankees. Word is the Red Sox would only go a sensible four years for Werth.

This deal might be going pear shaped tweets are saying.

7 years at $126 million....I guess you need to overpay if you are the Nats.......Crawford must be throwing a party seeing that deal.

Fonzie? Ike Davis?

Some good stuff here By Adam Rubin GM Sandy Alderson offered insights on several topics Friday as the winter meetings approached: (1) Alderson has no intention of signing players to extensions beyond the 2011 season -- at least before spring training. This particularly applies to Jose Reyes and R.A. Dickey, who both should be free agents after next season. Alderson's reasoning is that he wants to have as much financial flexibility as possible next offseason. And he does not want to commit before seeing with his own eyes. (2) Alderson said he would be surprised if Oliver Perez is NOT in spring training with the Mets. The primary reasons: Why eat $12 million now, before watching him in spring training, especially with how thin the Mets are in pitching? And Perez has enjoyed some success in winter ball. (3) Jenrry Mejia and Ruben Tejada ideally will spend the bulk of 2011 at Triple-A Buffalo. Alderson does not want to repeat the previous regime's error in plugging a major league need at the expense of a player's development. (4) Pedro Feliciano has made his last pitch as a Met. Alderson does not want to offer a multi-year deal to the reliever, so Feliciano's chances of returning all but ended when the southpaw declined arbitration Tuesday. (5) Henry Blanco sounds like a goner too. Alderson said there has been virtually no conversation with Blanco's agent, and the only reason Blanco remains even a remote consideration is because there are so few catchers available to back up Josh Thole. (6) Alderson has had two phone conversations with Omar Minaya and plans to have lunch with the former GM after the winter meetings to discuss if there is any compatible role for Minaya. (7) Alderson said the non-tendering of Chris Carter was strictly baseball-related -- that he felt opening that 40-man roster spot was more valuable than retaining Carter.

Keith Law on MacDonald Good guy , very hard worker, favors tools/bodies. Pic

An impressive resume. By Adam Rubin Chad MacDonald, who has been director of international scouting for the Arizona Diamondbacks for the past two years, will be named the next scouting director of the Mets. MacDonald was hired by Arizona under former GM Josh Byrnes, with whom he also worked in Cleveland. He served as assistant scouting director under Mike Rizzo there, and then Tom Allison, after Rizzo left for Washington. A native Texan, he broke into the business with the Rangers. Here is MacDonald's bio from the 2010 Diamondbacks media guide: "MacDonald oversees the scouting of amateur players in Latin America, Europe and Asia and also contributes to amateur scouting for the June First-Year Player Draft each year. Prior to joining the D-backs, MacDonald spent three seasons (2003-05) with the Los Angeles Angels and another three years (2000-02) as a scout with the Cleveland Indians. He left his mark on both organizations after being named Topps� Scout of the Month during the 2001 and 2005 seasons. MacDonald played baseball, football and basketball at Arlington-Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas, before concentrating solely on baseball at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, and Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. He and his wife, Julie, reside in Chandler with their children, Caden and Cort."

Heath Bell is apparently very available according to Rosenthal.

Edgy DC wrote: David Ortiz, New York Met. And I had forgot about him.....

So , if they do this and retain Beltre as some suggest they might , who plays where?, Youkilis is still there right?

I'm actually surprised that Seo hasn't banged this chick yet.

I think Bob the Bollox is thankful that his Christmas might not be ruined because of this , it's been weighing heavily on him no doubt.

K-Rod to pay medical costs, a fine and attend anger-management course in plea deal Here's one jam K-Rod is happy to get out of. Disgraced Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez pleaded guilty today to attempted assault and two counts of disorderly conduct as part of a plea bargain with Queens prosecutors in order to avoid jail time for an assault on his girlfriend's father. Queens DA Richard Brown said it was important for K-Rod to finally take responsibility for his actions �for his own sake and that of his family.� "There is no tolerance for domestic violence and he acknowledges that he has an anger management problem," he said. K-Rod's deal in Queens Criminal Court requires him to attend a 52-session anger-management course for allegedly striking Carlos Pe�a at Citi Field after an Aug. 11 game. Rodriguez will have to pay $14,000 in medical bills as well as a $1,000 fine as part of the deal after pleading guilty to three misdemeanors, prosecutors said. Rodriguez left courthouse without speaking to reporters. �Mr. Rodriguez is very glad to have this incident behind him,� said his lawyer Christopher Booth. "He�s looking forward to the 2011 season.� K-Rod could serve 120 days in jail if he violates the conditions of the deal. Rodriguez originally was charged with assault and harassment following the dust-up in the clubhouse. He was later hit with criminal contempt for violating an order of protection and texting Daian Pe�a, the mother of his twins. As a result of the fracas, the Mets withheld $3.1 million from the reliever. A torn ligament he suffered to his right thumb during the scuffle resulted in surgery and ended his season. However, he was reinstated from the disqualified list and is set to be paid $11.5 million next year. The players� union had filed a grievance protesting how the team handled the case after the Mets refused to pay him on the disqualified list. �We are pleased that Francisco has accepted responsibility for his actions," the Mets said in a statement. "We are encouraged that he will continue to undergo therapy and is committed to taking steps to improve himself." The grievance was settled on Oct. 19 and under an agreement between Major League Baseball and the players� association, the Mets stopped trying to convert the remainder of the contract to non-guaranteed. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/assault_will_have_course_plea_fine_DCA2sNRaQh9KTlVa685IbJ#ixzz174YXaRX9

I'l credit bucket for always thinking that trade was terrible , I clearly remember Omar making a big show of convincing Putz to be the famed eight inning guy.......

STFU Strawberry , he sounds like a complete tool Darryl Strawberry sure George Steinbrenner wouldn't approve of Yankees' treatment of Derek Jeter Derek Jeter's contract saga is as delicate a subject as it polarizing, which is why most everyone connected to Yankee Universe has avoided expressing a strong opinion - for fear of offending one side or the other. But such considerations have never stopped Darryl Strawberry from having his say, especially when he's angry. So here he was, on the phone Thursday, speaking from the heart as always. Basically Straw can't believe the hard-line stance management has taken, and he thinks it is only because George Steinbrenner is no longer around to run the Yankees. "George would roll over in his grave if he knew the way they're treating Jeter," Strawberry said. "The Boss never would have let this happen. "If the Boss was alive, there's no question they'd pay Jeter. I got to know George personally, and I know how much he cared about his players. And Jeter was like a son to him. I'm telling you, this wouldn't be happening." To be fair, Strawberry was conveniently forgetting that The Boss fought with plenty of players - publicly and privately - about money, from Thurman Munson to Reggie Jackson to Don Mattingly. He could be ruthless when he felt he wasn't getting his money's worth, embarrassing someone like Reggie by demanding that he undergo an eye exam when Mr. October wasn't hitting. So who really knows how George would have reacted to Jeter's subpar 2010, and how much he would have used it against his shortstop. Strawberry, after all, only saw George's good side. The Yankee owner took a personal interest in reviving Strawberry's career in 1995, after his drug problems, when no other major league team would go near him, and the former Met and Yankee slugger remains forever grateful. Furthermore, Strawberry admitted he is biased on this subject because he remains a friend of Jeter's. Still, he is convinced that Jeter had a special place in Steinbrenner's heart, based on the way he handled himself on and off the field, as well as what he meant to the franchise. "Jeet's one of a kind," said Strawberry. "Maybe him and Cal Ripken. What he's meant to baseball and the Yankees, and what he's accomplished in this game. He's the only guy I ever knew in baseball that I never heard say anything bad about anybody. "I know George could be tough on players, but he cared about them, and he loved Jeet. That's why he made him a captain. Come on, this is frustrating to me to see they think he's not worth the money he's asking. "He had one bad year - he's still a great player. And for all the intangibles he brings to the clubhouse, and what he means to the Yankee brand. He's going to get his 3,000th hit next season - that's history. George knew what he meant to the franchise." There's another side to the argument, as you might have heard by now. The Yankees were putting the word out Thursday that they were upping their offer a bit, but even at the original $45 million for three years they are willing to pay Jeter more than he is worth on the open market. So far there seems to be more fan sentiment for the ballclub's position than for Jeter getting the $22 million to $23 million he wants for four or five years. And while you have to believe Alex Rodriguez's contract sticks in Jeter's craw, no doubt making it all the more difficult for him to cave on his demands, the shortstop would be true to his own pristine legacy by taking the deal without complaint. It's hardly a shock that Strawberry, who walked away from the Mets over money while still in his prime, thinks his former teammate is in the right here. Yet he makes good points, the best being that the Yankees were wrong to publicly challenge Jeter to find a better offer - essentially daring him to leave. "Jeet knows it's a business, but he shouldn't have to hear that from the Yankees," Strawberry said. "He's been nothing but class. "I'm quite sure he's been hurt by some of the things they've said. He won't say anything about it, that's just his way. Me, I'd have been up in people's faces, but not Jeet. "I'm sure they'll get this done eventually and he'll still be a Yankee, but this wasn't the way to do it." Too bad we'll never know if Strawberry was right - if The Boss, were he still alive and active, would have done it differently. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2010/12/03/2010-12-03_darry_strawberry_sure_george_steinbrenner_wouldnt_approve_of_yankees_treatment_o.html#ixzz174C9Fayx

I'm surprised on both Green and Carter I suppose....

Well played ......if attgig ever changes his av there might be a revolt.