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Mark McLemore

Archive for February, 2010

Ozzie & Twitter

Feb 24

Posted by Tom Biro in Chicago White Sox | No Comments

On Wednesday afternoon, the Associated Press noted that Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen would be letting fly via a new medium – a Twitter account – and that GM Ken Williams was “not happy about it.”

Aside from the fact that a lot of fans of the pale hose – and baseball overall – probably think this is a pretty fun little experiment, given Guillen’s penchant for saying what’s on his mind, this is probably more than just an experiment — it might just set the bar for what a Major League manager, or coach in other major sports, can or cannot say directly to the public going forward.

To date, sports talk radio, SportsCenter and other media have been the channel through which we’ve “heard” from players, managers and executives, for the most part, making it fairly rare that something wasn’t secondhand to the street when it came to sports. Sure, people bump into players or executives on the street, at dinner, and so forth, and maybe in recent years those interactions have been published to Twitter, blogs, Facebook, and so on, but that hasn’t been the primary source for fans across the board. But now, Guillen (and other MLBers, along with players, coaches, and execs from other sports) are cutting out the middleman, creating an opportunity for immediate interaction for fans and members of the media alike.

Love it or hate it, it’s an interesting dilemma. While leagues such as the NFL or broadcasters such as ESPN have set precedents for what its players and employees can or can’t do online or in social media spaces, this is still a pretty new area to set rules in for a lot of PR and communications folks, especially as mobile devices become more and more integral to our day to day lifestyles.

Will we see the blowup that Ken Williams seems concerned about possibly happening from his excitable manager Guillen, or are we all making a mountain out of a molehill? Do we think Guillen’s entrance into the Twittersphere will get other coaches and managers interested in the medium? Only time will tell, obviously, but this could be fun to watch.

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Fordham gets another in broadcasting

Feb 23

Posted by Jerry Milani in Announcers/Broadcasting, New York Yankees, Sports on TV | No Comments

Those who know me are aware of my sometimes unhealthy devotion to my alma mater, Fordham.  I’m one of the die-hards who have been to most of the hoops home games despite a two-win campaign (the four men’s teams I follow are a combined 17-88 in 2009-10), my ring tone is the Fordham fight Song, “The Ram,” and I occasionally lurk among the lunatic fringe that populates the Fordham sports message board.

So today I can be a proud Ram in noting that longtime New York Times writer Jack Curry has joined the full-time broadcast ranks, signing on with YES Network as a Yankees studio analyst, program contributor, and a columnist on YESNetwork.com.

Not just because he went to Fordham (or necessarily because he’s been at The Times), but I’ve always found Curry to be insightful and accurate, and I think he’ll be a great addition to YES.  I worry for the newspaper industry in general that so many of the top sports columnists and reporters have migrated over to the TV and dot-com world, but with YES, SNY, MLB Network and ESPN all putting out quality baseball shows, it’s never been better for viewers, particularly in metro New York.

The public radio station based at Fordham, WFUV-FM, has been the training ground for dozens of top broadcasters, particularly in sports.  Vin Scully, Michael Kay, Mike Breen, Bob Papa, Spero Dedes, Charlie Slowes, John Giannone, Ed Randall, Mike Yam, Ryan Ruocco, and Sal Marchiano are the most notable.

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Park signing solidifies Yankees bullpen

Feb 22

Posted by Jerry Milani in New York Yankees, free agency | No Comments

The Yankees made a nice under-the-radar move today, reportedly signing Chan Ho Park to a one-year contract.

Park has had an interesting career.  He is the first — and to date most successful — South Korea native to play in the majors, and was a solid starter for the Dodgers before cashing in on a huge free-agent contract with the Rangers, for whom he was just awful (5.46 was his lowest ERA in three-plus years there).  His career looked to be over in 2007, when he made just one start for the Mets, struggled at AAA New Orleans and, after the Astros took a flier on him, at AAA Round Rock.

The resurrection came in 2008, when he returned to the Dodgers, this time in relief, a role he hadn’t been in since his rookie 1996 campaign.  He continued his success with the Phillies last year, and now will be with his sixth team in six years (seven if you count his half-season in the minors for Houston).

The biggest thing that Park gives the Yankees roster is a veteran presence in the bullpen.  Assuming they go with seven relievers, the staff will look like this:

  • Rivera - closer
  • Hughes or Chamberlain – setup/8th
  • Marte - lefthanded specialist/setup
  • Robertson - 6th or 7th inning setup
  • Park - 6th or 7th inning setup
  • Aceves - long relief/6th or 7th inning
  • Gaudin - long relief/spot start

Ramirez

I like how Park gives them added flexibility to move guys around.  That’s a much deeper bullpen than they started the season with last year, and with Jonathan Albaladejo, Mark Melancon, Boone Logan and Edwar Ramirez likely heading for AAA, there’s additional insurance if needed.

Sometimes these middle-relief deals have worked out for the Yankees (Mike Stanton, Tom Gordon), a lot of times they haven’t (LaTroy Hawkins, Kyle Farnsworth, Chris Hammond, Paul Quantrill, Steve Karsay, et al).  But this one is low-risk and, I think, high reward, especially since today’s teams regularly go through 10-12 relievers.

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‘The Club’ Could be Mightier than ‘The Pen’

Feb 19

Posted by Jerry Milani in Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports on TV | No Comments

MLB Network announced today that it will debut a new reality series this summer, entitled The Club, which will follow the front office personnel of the Chicago White Sox, in much the same way last year’s program The Pen did with the Philadelphia Phillies’ relief corps.  I saw a few episodes of The Pen and really liked it.  I thought it was a pretty raw look at the day-to-day of being a major leaguer, and the unique aspects of being a relief pitcher.

I hope and expect that The Club will be even better.  Though The Pen did a good job with the topic of what is like to be a player, that ground has been pretty well covered in books and documentaries.  Front office machinations are less known by fans, and I think a lot of fans — myself included — will be surprised by all that goes on at the highest levels behind the scenes.

The Club is scheduled to premiere on MLB Network on Sunday, July 4 at 8 p.m.

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Over/Under a Fun Preseason Game

Feb 16

Posted by Jerry Milani in Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals | No Comments

I’m not much of a gambler, as my results in various pools would attest, and baseball is an especially difficult sport to handicap on a day-to-day basis.  But I do think it’s interesting to look at the pre-season over/unders for teams, even more so than the straight odds on winning the pennant.

Just like other gambling lines, the numbers don’t necessarily represent the win total that the oddsmaker thinks each team will hit, but what number can entice action on both sides.

I checked out SportsInteraction.com, which listed their preseason odds here.

Not surprisingly, the Yankees, at 96.5, and Red Sox, at 94.5, are the two highest listed.

I found it interesting that the next team is the Cubs, at 91.5, the only other team listed over 90.  The Phillies and Mets are both at 89.5, which seems to be completely against what their respective off-season moves would indicate.  Philadelphia won 93 games in 2009, added Roy Halladay and Placido Polanco, kept the rest of the lineup intact and still have the best offensive team in the National League.   The Mets won 70 games, and added Jason Bay and… well… Henry Blanco. I just can’t see the Phils and Mets battling it out for the NL East crown.

Here are a few over/unders that stand out for me, and my thoughts:

Orioles OVER 70.5 – I think this could be the surprise team in the A.L.  They won’t have enough to challenge the top three in the division, and it won’t help that they have to play 60 games against the Sox, Yanks and Rays, but 71 wins is very doable.

Reds UNDER 79.5 – The Reds have gotten a lot of notice among baseball circles for some strong off-season moves, and they’d only need to improve by 2 games from last year to hit this number, but their top-to-bottom pitching and inexperienced outfield make me think around .500 might be ambitious.

Royals UNDER 74.5 – That’s a low number to come under, and even with Zack Greinke going every fifth day and probably winning 15 to 17, the Royals would still need 60 or so wins in the other 130 games.  But Jason Kendall is the starting catcher, Yunieski Betancourt is the shortstop, and Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies and Brian Bannister are pitching three of the other four games.  Or Kyle Farnsworth, who may be tried out as a starter.  No, thanks.

Dodgers OVER 84.5 – I feel like they’re really teasing me here.  After all, the Dodgers won 95 games last year, and it’s basically the same team, with a couple of exceptions, albeit in what I think will be a stronger division across the board.  Still, I don’t see this team being 11 games worse than last year, with Kershaw, Billingsley, Kuroda and Padilla going four of every five games.

Mets UNDER 89.5 – This could be a trap. But I don’t think it is.

Phillies OVER 89.5 – Ditto.

Pirates OVER 68.5 – Maybe I just want this once proud franchise to break through, and there isn’t a whole lot to be optomistic about, except some good young talent and a so-so division that could maybe just lead to about 70 wins.  If God drops everything.

Nationals OVER 65.5 – The division is going to be tougher, but there’s some hope, and 66 wins is still a pretty low bar, so I’ll take the over, especially if Stephen Strasburg gets some innings beginning mid-year and Ryan Zimmerman gets some help from young guys like Nyjer Morgan and Elijah Dukes.

As for the Yankees, 97 is a lot of wins, with Boston and Tampa fielding strong teams and the Orioles improved.  But they won 103 last year, pretty much coasting to the finish, so I think the number is set at an interesting spot.  I’d reluctantly take the over, even not knowing how the outfield situation will settle, especially since the rotation is so strong.

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More Grandy Goodies

Feb 9

Posted by Jerry Milani in New York Yankees | No Comments

courtesy Grand Kids Foundation www.grandkidsfoundation.com

Yankee fans are going to love Curtis Granderson.  I say that fully aware that if he hits .167 in April their patience will be tested.  Though it’s becoming more evident that the Tigers gave up on his potential for stardom more than his salary, I think he’ll be a great fit in the Yankees outfield and lineup.

More than that, he’s someone who really gets it.

Here is good piece by Bryan Hoch and Alden Gonzalez on MLB.com about Granderson’s efforts to fight obesity as part of a MLB program.  Granderson was the one who last off-season went to Europe with a group from the International Baseball Federation to pitch baseball’s 2016 Olympic bid, and he’s been lauded in Detroit for his Grand Kids Foundation and other charitable endeavors.

Right now it looks like Granderson has a spot, at least against all righthanders, probably in center field, where he’s played nearly every one of his almost 700 Major League games, but possibly in left depending on how the other outfield slots shake out.  The knock on Granderson, besides his high strikeout total, is his low production against southpaws.  That was the knock on Paul O’Neill when he came to New York, but the difference was that O’Neill was regularly benched against lefties, whereas Granderson has played against both sides for the past four years, mostly out of necessity in Detroit.

With the Yankees signing Randy Winn, claiming Jamie Hoffmann on Rule 5 and bringing in slugger Marcus Thames as a non-roster invitee, it seems the Yankees see Granderson playing in the 120 or so games in which the Yanks will face a righty, and maybe pinch hitting or running or coming in for outfield defense in the rest.

My pre-Spring Training Yankees lineup thoughts:

vs. RHP

  1. Jeter ss
  2. Johnson dh
  3. Teixeira 1b
  4. Rodriguez 3b
  5. Posada c
  6. Cano 2b
  7. Swisher rf
  8. Granderson cf
  9. Gardner lf

vs. LHP

  1. Jeter ss
  2. Johnson dh
  3. Teixeira 1b
  4. Rodriguez 3b
  5. Posada c
  6. Cano 2b
  7. Swisher rf
  8. Winn/Hoffmann lf
  9. Gardner cf

That’s pretty much the same both ways, with left/center field the wild cards.  Thames has even played some right field, though he’s played four times as many games in left, and Winn has played about a third of his 1500-plus career games in right, so unless there’s an injury, Swisher will probably match or exceed the 130 games he played there last year.

More on the Yankees roster after pitchers, catchers and PR guys report next week.

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Reds, Twins Score with Dual Orlando Signings

Feb 5

Posted by Jerry Milani in Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, free agency | No Comments

Two underappreciated Gold Glove middle infielders named Orlando signed with new teams this past week, Cabrera with Cincinnati and Hudson with Minnesota.  They are the kind of signings (Cabrera, 1 year, $3.02 million; Hudson, 1 year, $5 million) that can fit into the middle-market plans of teams like the Reds and the Twins, and give exceptional value.

I think these are two of the best signings of the off-season, filling needs for both teams.

I’ve been a Cabrera fan for a few years; I know he’s been on seven teams since 2004, but I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that four of the previous six have made the playoffs (every year except 2006) with him as starting shortstop.  Cabrera’s stats don’t look so gaudy, with just a career OPS+ of 86, and some of his defensive numbers from last year seem to show that he’s slowed a step at short at age 35, but I think he solidifies the Reds defense, gives them a veteran presence with a knack for clutch hits.  And at $3 million, I really like the deal for the Reds.  It looks like the Twins will instead go with former Brewer J.J. Hardy at short, who I like, but I think Cabrera would have been a better choice for one more year.

Hudson, 32, has been known as a top fielding second baseman for the past few years, but he’s now on his fourth team since ‘05.  But he’s won Gold Gloves with each of them, and represents a nice upgrade for the Twins over Nick Punto, who looks like he’ll move to third base, though his best role may be in utility across the infield.  Last off-season, some were advocating that the Yankees dump Robinson Cano in favor of “O-Dog,” a sentiment that I did not agree with, but he should be a great fit for the Twins, especially between budding star Denard Span and reigning MVP Joe Mauer in the lineup.  With a new ballpark and a payroll at more than $90 million for 2010, Minnesota is starting to shed its “little engine that could” feel and looking more like the clear favorite in the AL Central.

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Bloomberg Takes Cuts at Baseball

Feb 1

Posted by Jerry Milani in Fantasy Baseball | No Comments

I attended yesterday’s Bloomberg Sports presentation in New York, in which baseball bloggers, writers and geeks (can I be all three of those?) got a sneak peek at their new (intriguing, with room to grow) baseball analysis tools debuting on Feb. 18.

There are two products, one is for consumers (really, mostly for Fantasy players but I could see some hard-core fans/bloggers/others who hate Fantasy also loving it for just the sheer breadth of info) and the other is for major league teams.

Here is what I wrote about the event today on Baseball Digest.  Many others wrote on it, you can track them on Twitter at #BBGSports.

The consumer product is broken up into two separate but related services: the Draft Kit and the in-season tool.  The charts and graphs are very fancy and useful and the I can see the news feeds on each player being very useful as a Fantasy tool and for media.

I’m also interested in the commitment of the R&D team to make this thing better, and how many of the suggestions and thoughts from Sunday’s group end up in the product.  I realize it’s a work in progress, and team leader Stephen Orban did well to indicate that the team is working on some of the issues brought up.

I had two questions of Mr. Orban involving the Draft product, which will need to do some things to stand out from the many projections and services already out there, particularly with at $19.95 price.  First, I was interested in the ‘B-Rank,” the proprietary ranking system that he called the “special sauce.”  As with most projections, the B-Rank assumes a basic 5×5 scoring system, and while the tools are very customizable — to look at the universe of second basemen by a power-speed combo, for example — the actual rankings are based only on 5×5.  The other involved the live draft function, which I can see being very useful if it were somehow able to import data from the draft in real time, and less so with its current functionality, as drafts often move too fast to keep switching between windows.

Bloomberg is expert in data and presentation, not baseball, which they readily admit.  If the developers can take the tools they have created with that expertise and marry them with info (statistics and news) from their content partners like MLB.com and Jonah Keri’s team of writers, they may be on to something.

I’m excited to test-run the products and review them when they go live in a couple of weeks…

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