Frayed Knot

Well it's the nature of fans in general and not just 'The FAN' in particular to not be a medical professional yet play one on the air and/or the web. Mets fans specifically have killed the team's medical conduct in recent years* but if they were to suddenly switch their allegiances elsewhere they'd find the same complaints. * and isn't it funny how losing seasons seem to exacerbate that trend? -- Of course one could claim that the 'malpractice' was part of the cause of the losing but I think we're into a chicken and egg thing here.

Also wrist surgery for Carl Crawford which may cause him to not be ready by opening day. You're always surprised by surgeries done at this time of year rather than in October or November but it just goes to show you that medicine isn't an exact science (except on talk radio and websites).

Rangers have until 5PM EST today to reach a deal with Yu Darvish or his returns stay with his Japanese club for this season. It is expected that the two sides will reach an agreement although there are rumors of some 300-lb dude named Prince sticking pins into his 'Yu' doll hoping that they won't.

Torn ACL during winter workouts. Getting 2nd opinion but probably slated for surgery which would wipe out all of 2012 Suxx to be Detroit right about now.

CloserAge2011 TeamStatus for 2012Jonathan Papelbon31Red SoxPhillies - 4 yrs/$50mil + 2016 optionRyan Madson31PhilliesRejected arb -- signed for 1 yr/$10mil w/RedsFrancisco Rodriguez30Mets/Brewers1 yr/$8mil avoiding arbitrationHeath Bell34PadresMarlins - 3 yrs/$27milFrancisco Cordero37Reds---Frank Francisco32Blue JaysMets - 2 yrs/$12milJoe Nathan37TwinsRangers - 2 yrs/$14.5mil + 2014 optionBrad Lidge35Phillies---Matt Capps28TwinsRe-upped w/Twins - 1 yr/$4.75mil + 2013 optionDavid Aardsma28AAA (Mariners)---Mike Gonzalez33Balt/Texas---Jonathan Broxton27DodgersRoyals - 1 yr/$4milOctavio Dotel37Jays/CardsTigers - 1 yr/$3.5mil + 2013 optionJohn Grabow32Cubs---Pat Neshek30Padres---Jon Rauch32Blue JaysMets - 1 yr/$3.5 + 'performance bonus'Kerry Wood34Cubs1 yr/$3mil + $3mil option for 2013

Edgy DC wrote: What's the FBI doing operating in Ireland? Setting up a black/white, American/Irish crime caper ... DUH!!

For comparison purposes, Angel Pagan settled pre-arbitration for $4.85 mil

metsmarathon wrote: isn't it about time for silly notions of race to just go the fuck away? Which was pretty much my point - and why this tactic of clinging to a century-and-a-half (or older) notion where one drop of X makes you X is just as stupid today as it was back then even if you're doing it for different reasons. and derek jeter, too? Well that'd be nice also.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I didn't even know that Derek Jeter was black until a couple of years ago. His father is, his mother not. And, on that subject, isn't it funny how the old 'one drop' rule is still carried on by many in this country even as the attitude towards it is different? Back in the segregationists days, virtually any negro heritage anywhere on your family tree was enough to deny you various rights in certain areas. This so-called 'One Drop' of black blood means you're black standard was obviously an attempt to separate those deemed 'tainted' which turned it into something to be avoided by those of mixed race heritage. Nowadays the same rule seems to apply although in a way where those of mixed race are categorized (almost exclusively by others but often by themselves as well) as being nothing but black. So when Jeter - or Tiger, or the president, etc. - is described, despite recent and well known family histories, AS black it sounds as if the idea now is to seek to minimize or deny any white (or, in Tiger's case, east Asian) lineage.

Edgy DC wrote: Jack Wilson, Atlanta Brave. I guess if you combine Betancourt & Wilson they've got one decent SS in there somewhere. Meanwhile, the Nats take recently acquired Gio Gonzalez - already under club control for the next four years - and ink him to a 5-year extension with options thru 2017 & 2018, avoiding all the arb years that would have started next season plus the first year or three of FA-gency.

Bartolo Colon may be playing for Oakland this coming year, but his name and the word 'athletic' should never be used in the same sentence.

Nymr83 wrote: I think Schilling is a no-brainer. He's behind only Maddux, Johnson, Martinez, and Clemens among his contemporaries. At his best Schilling was as good as any of those guys (or at least nearly so) but his career didn't have as many good/great seasons or have the consistency of that gang. And, yes, throw in Glavine & Mariano too.

That Racaniello guy gets some cool vacations. Wasn't he also the guy who Wright dared to bike from Jersey to PSL ... in February and with no money?

Yeah, the Mariners need help on offense just about everywhere except 1B/DH these days as Smoak, Montero, and maybe 2B Dustin Ackley could be their best offensive players next season. That's a decent young nucleus that they hopefully can grow on but the best stick after them might be Mike Carp. Ichiro (FA after 2012) is now 38 y/o and his swing-at-everything style of offense isn't nearly as cute when he's hitting .270 instead of .370 (.310 OBA last year) ... and, gee, doesn't that Chone Figgins signing ($17 mil for '12 & '13 plus vesting option for '14) look like a swell idea these days? Most of the rest of the lineup struggled to maintain a collective .260 OBA with little power.

Nice timing coming as it does on the heels of Richard Justice's article on MLB.com today about how quiet the Yanx are this winter and about how this team under Cashman, unlike the days of the ghosts of George past, is content to stick with what he's got, etc. Got to hand this to the Yanx anyway, they tend to get BIG deals done and tend to get them pulled off with a minimum of pre-trade leaks. Seattle has Justin Smoak at 1B so I guess they're content to have Montero as a very young DH and maybe part-time catcher. Supposedly the Ms have more pitching on the way than hitting (like last June's #2 overall LHP Danny Hultzen from UVA) which is what probably allowed them to send a talent like Pineda away, plus that whole thing about hitters being more projectable and Pineda did have some injury concerns last year and all ... but I'm still not sure I would have made that deal if I were them. This Jose Campos guy is talked about as having a real good arm but also only 18 y/o and hasn't been out of short-season ball yet.

The final remaining big-money FA contract aside from Fielder may be Cuban defector (and You Tube video star) Yoenis Cespedes - 26, OF. He's still "establishing himself" in the Dominican Republic (necessary for FA status) and made his debut in the DWL (by going 0-3 w/3 strikeouts). The six leading contenders are said to be Miami, both Chicago squads, Baltimore, Detroit, and Cleveland.

Edgy DC wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: http://bigbadbaseball.blogspot.com/2012/01/jim-jack-and-lash-of-back-baseballs.html This guy argues that the "Morris deoesn't belong" movement is having the same effect the "Blyleven does belong" movement did. That is, it is getting both guys to the HoF. The difference being that the Blyleven & Morris groups were almost directly opposite each other in my experience. IOW, the pro-Bert guys tend to be anti-Morris and verse-vica; roughly translating to the Blyleven guys being the stats crowd while the Morris-ites stuck with more old-skool benchmarks. Which is sort of the point of the article. So now I'm expected to actually read articles before commenting on them? Geez, that'll flip my whole world around!

MFS62 wrote: Manny wants to come back and "rehab his image". http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/12/manny-aims-to-be-a-role-model-rehab-image/related/ Later There's a video of him doing water-aerobics with old ladies as part of his shape-up work - complete with his dreads all tucked up under a bathing cap.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: http://bigbadbaseball.blogspot.com/2012/01/jim-jack-and-lash-of-back-baseballs.html This guy argues that the "Morris deoesn't belong" movement is having the same effect the "Blyleven does belong" movement did. That is, it is getting both guys to the HoF. The difference being that the Blyleven & Morris groups were almost directly opposite each other in my experience. IOW, the pro-Bert guys tend to be anti-Morris and verse-vica; roughly translating to the Blyleven guys being the stats crowd while the Morris-ites stuck with more old-skool benchmarks.

metirish wrote: Great recap, didn't Piazza go looking for Mota in the clubhouse after? That was actually the earlier incident that Healy & Robinson were referring to. Whoever the Dodger catcher was he didn't seem all that keen on keeping Piazza from getting to the mound - it's not like catching Mike from behind is all that hard but he always manages to stay just out of grasp range. It's like he knew Mota pretty much deserved at least a good scare even if he then would have felt obligated to protect his pitcher from an outright beating.

Lengthy piece in BP which makes the case against a Jack Morris C-Town enshrinement.

And now despite the MLB.com report from yesterday putting the Prince-to-Washington chances at about 1%, the Wash Post reports today that the Nats brass continues to be in contact with Scott Boras concerning Fielder including a meeting with him as recently as last night (Wed). What I think is that the "usual suspects" whenever a top FA comes around are either: - set at 1B and therefore uninterested: Yanx, Sawx, Phils. Braves also - already spent their allowance elsewhere: Angels and (depending on Yu Darvish) Rangers - trying to get younger/cheaper for now and/or are tapped out: Cubs, Mets, Dodgers Then when you throw in the teams who almost certainly can't afford it and that leaves who exactly? back to the Brewers - maybe, but probably for less than what he turned down six months ago Giants? (Posey & Belt), Mariners? (they deny it heavily despite early rumors), Marlins (already spent a bunch), O's, Jays, ChiSox (doesn't seem like it) Sounds like the Natinals want him but are, at least for now, playing it smart enough so as to not bid against themselves and overpay like they did last year when talking to Boras (see Werth, Jayson)

My problem with Schilling is that, in between his 5 or 6 truly great years, were an awful lot of seasons that were injury-tainted, or where he was merely so-so and at times not even that good. I wouldn't vote for him but I know that his "big moment" style career is going to appeal to a lot of voters. I'd start with both Biggio, Bagwell -- I don't think either will get in this year (although both do eventually) but if it does happen it'll be a nice day for Houston even as the year itself is going to suck and then end up with them being kicked out of the National League. Their season might peak in June/July with the #1 pick in the draft and the HoF ceremonies. - and then my yearly call for Raines -- he got closer this year although Morris (who I wouldn't put in) was closer still and probably gets in first - and Piazza -- no [u:34s8oj4r]REAL[/u:34s8oj4r] reason why he shouldn't other than unfounded suspicions and stupid 'no 1st year' mottos. - and probably Trammel -- which doesn't seem to have a prayer of happening As far as the 'Known' steroid crowd (Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, McGwire, Palmiero): I'm not saying never, but at least not now. Someday maybe we'll sort this stuff out but for now you're gonna have to live with it.

Their best prospect coming into last year -- Brandon Belt -- was also a 1B. He had a rough first 200 PAs in the majors [.225/.306/.412] but kicked butt in AAA [.309/.448/.527] and is still only 23. Not sure that's where the Gints want to spend their limited allowance.

CloserAge2011 TeamStatus for 2012Jonathan Papelbon31Red SoxPhillies - 4 yrs/$50mil + 2016 optionRyan Madson31PhilliesRejected arb -- signed for 1 yr/$10mil w/RedsFrancisco Rodriguez30Mets/BrewersAccepted arbitrationHeath Bell34PadresMarlins - 3 yrs/$27milFrancisco Cordero37Reds---Frank Francisco32Blue JaysMets - 2 yrs/$12milJoe Nathan37TwinsRangers - 2 yrs/$14.5mil + 2014 optionBrad Lidge35Phillies---Matt Capps28TwinsRe-upped w/Twins - 1 yr/$4.75mil + 2013 optionDavid Aardsma28AAA (Mariners)---Mike Gonzalez33Balt/Texas---Jonathan Broxton27DodgersRoyals - 1 yr/$4milOctavio Dotel37Jays/CardsTigers - 1 yr/$3.5mil + 2013 optionJohn Grabow32Cubs---Pat Neshek30Padres---Jon Rauch32Blue JaysMets - 1 yr/$3.5 + 'performance bonus'Kerry Wood34Cubs---