soupcan

So.....I never sent you one?

I saw a college game there in the late '80s. Union College against somebody. Took a roadtrip to Cooperstown from Syracuse and was lucky enough that they were playing a game that day. Pretty cool just sitting up in the stands watching a ballgame being played on that field.

I saw KC's but this was too good to pass up Benny Agbayani of the New York Mets gave a kiss to Ada the pig, held by Josette Hesselein, at the Ala Moana Center Stage yesterday. Agbayani won the dubious privilege after being the local sports celebrity to raise the most money for the American Diabetes Association of Hawai'i. Insulin used to treat the disease first came from pig glands. Next:Tommie Agee

="Nymr83"]How about no more cleonjones11 posts on the CPF... I'll second that emotion. Today's New York Times... December 12, 2006 As Japanese Pitcher Waits, Wheeling Outpaces Dealing By JACK CURRY Jae C. Hong/Associated Press The Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, right, with his agent, Scott Boras, who has until Thursday to strike a deal with the Red Sox. The Daisuke Matsuzaka saga took another twist on Monday night when two of the Boston Red Sox's chief executives flew from Boston to southern California to meet face to face with the pitcher and Scott Boras, his agent, in an attempt to try and finally reach an agreement on a contract. In a calculated, aggressive effort, the Red Sox invaded Boras's backyard because they said Boras was not being responsive during their discussions. The Red Sox posted a bid of $51.1 million to win the right to negotiate with Matsuzaka and they have until Thursday at midnight to complete a deal. "I think it's also fair to say that we're on Scott Boras's doorstep because he hasn't negotiated with us thus far," John Henry, the team's principal owner, said. "We're taking the fight directly to him, a fight to try and have a negotiation here." General Manager Theo Epstein, who traveled with President Larry Lucchino on Henry's private plane, said they made the cross country trip to present an "improved contract offer of considerable magnitude." Epstein said the Red Sox were increasing their offer, despite the fact that Boras has not made a counter to their initial proposal. The two sides will meet on Tuesday. "We simply got on the plane and flew to southern California and called Scott when we landed," Epstein said. "We told him we were here to meet and we'd like to meet directly with him and Mr. Matsuzaka as soon as possible." Although the 30-day deadline for an agreement ends on Thursday, Epstein said it is narrower because the Red Sox do not finalize contracts unless a player has passed a physical. Since the Red Sox want Matsuzaka to be examined in Boston, Epstein suggested that the deadline is actually Wednesday. "We also have the plane available Wednesday morning," Epstein said. "We hope to be flying back to Boston with Mr. Matsuzaka and Mr. Boras on the plane in order for us to complete a physical and get a deal done before the window lapses." Before Epstein and Lucchino landed, Boras held a news conference at his office in Newport Beach, Calif. in which he said Matsuzaka is "worth well in excess of $100 million." When Boras mentioned that figure, he was not including the $51.1 million posting fee. Epstein said Boras's amount was "in the right ball park for the commitment of the club," but, of course, he was including the posting fee. Boras believes that Matsuzaka, 26, who was the Most Valuable Player of the inaugural World Baseball Classic, should be paid as much as $15 million a year. After paying such a lucrative posting fee, the Red Sox believe Matsuzaka cannot expect to be paid like an unrestricted free agent. The two sides strenuously disagree about the $51.1 million the Red Sox spent to speak with Matsuzaka. Boras does not feel that should factor into what Matsuzaka earns. The agent has called the system flawed and has questioned why the Seibu Lions, Matsuzaka's former team, should potentially benefit so much more than his client. "The posting fee represents the problem," Boras told reporters. "It's historic, it's new. it's something that's never been done. How do you reflect value in a posting fee in an appropriate contract for a player? In the American system, no player is asked to reduce their salaries for luxury tax purposes." The Red Sox have remained mostly mum since learning they had posted the highest bid for Matsuzaka last month, but exasperated team officials spoke at length during a conference call that started at 12:50 A.M. (EST). Even in the round-the-clock passion that loyalists have for the Red Sox, the starting time was pretty late. Still, the Red Sox had some points they wanted to emphasize regarding Matsuzaka and Boras. Epstein called Matsuzaka "a national treasure," the same phrase Boras had used to describe the pitcher a few hours earlier, and gushed about how the best thing for baseball would be if Matsuzaka signs with Boston. While Epstein acknowledged that it is normally not a shrewd decision to make a second offer when the other party has not responded to the first offer, he said the Red Sox "want to demonstrate to Matsuzaka and fans of Japanese baseball around the world just how important this is to us." When Esptein was asked if Boras was operating in good faith with Boston, he sidestepped the question by saying Matsuzaka "is certainly operating in good faith." Epstein added, "Again, in the end, it's the player's decision on whether he wants to sign." Boras, who is baseball's most powerful agent, has often garnered handsome contracts for players by playing offers against each another. He cannot do that in this situation because the Red Sox have exclusive rights to Matsuzaka. What Boras can do is drag out the process and frustrate the Red Sox, perhaps hoping that they will flinch. If the two sides do not agree on a contract, the Lions would not receive a dime of the $51.1 million and Matsuzaka would have to return to Japan for 2007. Matsuzaka, who had told Boras he wants to pitch in the United States next year, would have to wait at least another year before getting the chance again. "If there is no deal, then all bets are off," said Lou Melendez, the vice president of international operations for Major League Baseball. "They'd have to post him again next year because he can't be a free agent for two more years." Boras said Matsuzaka would make the decision about his future on his own. "One thing is clear, D-Mat will some day be a major league player," Boras said. "We have further negotiating to do. The deadline's not here in five minutes. The parties do understand what the player's value is in the free agent system." Some Japanese reporters said it would be awkward for Matsuzaka if he had to return to Japan. Matsuzaka has already said good-bye to his country and the financially-strapped Lions were expecting a significant sum after posting him. "Nobody in Japan is expecting him to come back because the negotiations broke down," said Yasuko Yanagita, a reporter for the Hochi Shimbun. "I don't think this is only for the Japanese culture. But, in Japan, someone asking for 'Money, money, money,' does not leave a good impression." As both sides have tried to concoct ways to make the deal more favorable for them, there has been speculation that Boras could let the deadline pass so that the Red Sox no longer hold negotiating rights and then attempt to buy out Matsuzaka's free agency. Once the Lions knew they were not getting $51.1 million, they might be willing to take half of that from Boras. Boras could then market Matsuzaka as a free agent to every team and the pitcher would stand to make much more than he would get from the Red Sox right now. But Melendez said that is not an option. "The Commissioner's office would not recognize that free agency and the Japanese commissioner's office is in agreement with us," Melendez said. Now that Epstein and Lucchino have visited Boras's neighborhood, they are pushing to sign a pitcher who will drastically improve their team. The Red Sox have a plane that is leaving southern California on Wednesday. They are hoping Matsuzaka will be on it, hoping their own draining journey was worth it.

Don't understimate the Japanese club's interest in getting this done. And I'm thinking the Red Sox aren't. Could the Red Sox be surreptitiously trying to persuade them into throwing some of the $51 mil at the pitcher in order to enrich his deal with Boston knowing that if they don't they might be left holding a big fat bag of $0?

Whichever of those guys those pictures are of, in each pic the dude has the same freaky Spock-like eyebrows.

Omar's a worker bee. He just pulls these deals out of his ass. You go get 'em O-Min.

Funny stuff.

Gosh that's a lot of money. Hmmmm, if I'm Barry Zito do I take all the money I can and lock myself into a team that hasn't sniffed the playoffs in years and probably won't any time soon even with me or do I take less money and maybe less years to play for a better team in a better market (which would give me additional financial opportunities)? Either way I'm gonna be filthy rich and my kids and grandkids will be set for life. What's the difference gonna be - maybe $10-$20 million from one offer to the other? Wow, $10-$20 million is a LOT of money to turn down and maybe I could be the guy that is able to take that not-so-good team to the playoffs. Tough choice.

Agreed. Visions of Ted Kluzewski dancing in my head.

Today's NYTimes December 1, 2006 On Baseball Glavine Reaches a Full Count By MURRAY CHASS Tom Glavine is on the verge of making his decision. “He’s going to make a decision, I would think, by tomorrow,” Gregg Clifton, Glavine’s agent, said yesterday, meaning that today is the day that Glavine should decide if he wants to remain with the Mets for a fifth season or go home to Atlanta, where his 290-victory career began two decades ago. I am not in the habit of telling players what they should do. Where they play, how much they sign for is their prerogative; it’s their career. But I am going to depart from that practice and tell Glavine he should stay with the Mets. Two reasons prompt me to offer that unsolicited advice, professional and personal; professional for Glavine, personal for me. Circumstances can change by the start of next season. But as the Mets and the Braves are presently constituted — and that’s all Glavine can go on — he would probably have an easier time winning 10 games and reaching 300 career victories in New York than he would in Atlanta. Given that he compiled a 33-41 record in his first three years with the mediocre Mets while the Braves were still good enough to win division championships, Glavine made a mistake leaving the Braves. He would probably already have 300 victories had he stayed in Atlanta. But he should not compound that mistake with another. The personal reason? I like Tom Glavine and would like to have him around for the rest of his career. Glavine is one of the classiest players I have met and covered in the nearly half century that I have been writing about baseball. I have known him for more than a dozen years and value the time I have spent talking to him. The Mets, however, need Glavine more than I do. Not that they can’t replace a 41-year-old pitcher, but right now he’s the only established starter they can count on for the start of next season. They think a lot of him, too, as an individual. Newspaper and Internet articles this week have suggested that Glavine has already made his decision and that he wants to play for the Braves. But he has not informed the Mets of such a decision. And Omar Minaya, the Mets’ general manager, said he didn’t believe Glavine would keep information from the team he nearly went to the World Series with last season. “Tommy Glavine isn’t the type of guy who plays those games,” Minaya said yesterday. “The Tommy Glavine I know wouldn’t do that.” According to Clifton, Glavine hasn’t made up his mind. “It’s absolutely untrue,” Clifton said in a telephone interview, adding, “The Mets have been incredibly supportive and understanding of his decision-making process. “I give Omar and the Wilpons credit for the way they’ve handled this,” he said in reference to Fred Wilpon, the Mets’ principal owner, and Jeff Wilpon, the team’s chief operating officer. Clifton said he had had two or three conversations with John Schuerholz, the Braves’ general manager. “Our talks have been cordial,” Clifton said, adding that contrary to some reports, the Braves have not made Glavine an offer. “John has said he’s not in a position to make an offer,” Clifton said. Glavine, of course, would have a problem if he decided he wanted to return to the Braves and they were unable or unwilling to offer him a fair contract. Schuerholz has not acknowledged that he is interested in getting Glavine back, only that he is looking to upgrade the Braves’ pitching. And it’s possible that if Glavine wanted to play for them and the Braves wanted him back, they would first have to make a trade to clear payroll. If Glavine lived in, say, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and not Atlanta, his decision would be easy: stay with the Mets. But it’s the chance to be home for half the season that makes for a difficult choice. Glavine’s family situation compounds his professional problem. He and his wife, Christine, each have a child from a previous marriage, for whom they have shared custody, and they have two children from their marriage. Amber, 11, is Tom’s daughter; Jonathan, 12, is Christine’s son; and Peyton, 7, and Mason, 6, are their sons. Juggling the four children was difficult enough when Glavine was working in Atlanta. Playing in New York created more intricate planning and execution. Yet when Glavine was talking last month about the uncertainty of his plans, he related an interesting story. “When we talk about Dad not playing baseball anymore,” he said, “the first thing they ask is are we going to sell our house in Connecticut, and when I say yes, they get mad at me because they loved it.” Then he added: “I know they still love it up here and enjoy it. But sometimes they struggle with me not being here.” Glavine also talked about the fact that his children were older than they were when he first played for the Mets in 2003, and that their after-school and summer activities, like Little League baseball, are curtailed by their trips to New York. The longer Glavine takes making his decision the more likely, some people think, he will come down on the side of staying home. Others think the opposite, feeling that the longer he takes, the more he realizes how much he has enjoyed playing in New York and how well he has been treated by the Mets. Glavine even appreciates how the Mets haven’t pressured him into making a decision sooner than he wanted. The Mets have talked to Clifton, but they haven’t talked with Glavine or made him an offer in an attempt to lure him with money. At the same time, Glavine doesn’t want to delay his decision indefinitely and make it difficult for the Mets to go forward with their off-season pitching plans. That’s why his decision is imminent, if not today, by the end of the weekend, before the winter meetings start, as he promised.

Sorry my bad. I've got a splitting headache and it's interefering with all rational thought.

I don't get it.

Total bollox.

metirish wrote: Best Dressed They missed the St. Louis Cardinals.

I suppose I'm just saying that I don't think he's irreplaceble and if he chooses to go then so be it and I'm not going to cry and wring my hands over it.

Edgy DC wrote: ]Besides the fact that the guy just doesn't seem to want to be here. Why do you say that? Maybe 'doesn't want to be here' is a bit harsh. How about 'indifferent to where he plays'? Edgy DC wrote: ]This is hard for me to fathom. It's hard for me to conclude. It's hard for me to understand why a guy who so badly wants that 300th win wouldn't want to pitch for a team that appears to give him a much better and easier shot at doing it. Edgy DC wrote: ]We all know the guy is pitching simply to get 300 wins. And to make a boatload of money. Agreed. Edgy DC wrote: ]Don't you think, taking into account that he's rarely going to pitch past the 6th inning anyway, that he'd have a better and easier shot of picking those 11 wins up with a team that basically dominated the division last year with its offense? I do. How deeply do we want to look at that accusation of him as a short worker. It's getting strange now. Your table shows him as averaging 6.19 innings per start.

Frayed Knot wrote: Am I the only one who noticed that Glavine was our best starter last year? Now I'm not suggesting giving him a long-term contract at this point, but w/El Duque even older, Pedro already out thru at least July, Perez an untamed maybe, Bannister a virtual unknown, Pelfrey & Humber w/only a few ML innings between them, and Maine a half-year wonder so far (and you wonder if he's got another half) I don't get the view that Glavine departure is some kind of addition by subtraction. Just because he was the best of a mediocre lot doesn't equate him with being an ace. Besides the fact that the guy just doesn't seem to want to be here. This is hard for me to fathom. We all know the guy is pitching simply to get 300 wins. Don't you think, taking into account that he's rarely going to pitch past the 6th inning anyway, that he'd have a better and easier shot of picking those 11 wins up with a team that basically dominated the division last year with its offense? I do.

Gammons was on WFAN this afternoon and he said that 'the word out of Atlanta is' that Glavine's preference is to pitch for the Braves but there's a question as to whether or not the Braves can come up with enough money to make it worth his while. Good riddance I say. I don't understand all the hullabaloo. He's an above average 41 year-old 5 inning pitcher. Yes it would force the Mets to overpay for Zito but so what? I look forward to the easy wins against Atlanta next year with Glavine on the mound.

Edgy DC wrote: Yet, your vote brings us down to 7.69 staplers. Because I expected more. Gave it 5 Swinglines.

Vic and I were watching this last night at the same time. Good cast, good characters, some funny parts. I was expecting more based on what I'd heard about it. Liked Gary Cole, Diederich Bader (always like him), and thought that '15 pieces of flair' were more than enough.

Everytime I see your name I think of Porky Pig's girlfriend Petunia.

This is a waste of my time.

I used to be RKFast but I take my valium fairly regularly now.

'Juan Signs' was indeed the best.