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Chili Davis

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Mr. Baseball’s Opus

Oct 12

Posted by Jerry Milani in Collectibles-Memorabilia, History, News, books | 3 Comments

Out-of-my-price-range Charity Auction of the day:  the one-of-a-kind autographed copy of the Official MLB Opus signed by the 2010 AL and NL All-Star Teams, at MLB Auctions.  The book itself is a 20-inch square, 75-pound, 790-page behemoth which “tells the epic story of baseball’s heritage on a scale unmatched in the history of illustrated publishing.”

Only 1,000 of the book were printed, which is a shame, since its $3,000 price therefore limits it to the coffee tables of owners, players and other billionaires and millionaires.  Apparently a scaled-down version is available for $295.  Presumably that edition is bound.

Good news on the auction of the super-duper-deluxe version is that proceeds will benefit RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) and the Players Trust.  Bad news is that, as of 10:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, 10/12, the reserve has not yet been met, with $7,000 as the current bid.

Tracking The Transactions

Jun 16

Posted by Jerry Milani in News, Seattle Mariners, Tracking The Transactions | No Comments

The transactions listings have always been one of my favorite parts of the Sports section.  They are direct, just-the-facts-ma’am, no one listing more prominent than the other.  But of course there are stories behind every one, some more complex and interesting than others, some involving other moves which may or may not appear there.

I sometimes see the news of a hiring and imagine that there must be much joy in that household.

From today:

UNLV-Promoted Jennifer Klein to women’s soccer coach.

Is this the culmination of a lifelong dream for Ms. Klein?  Is she ready to be the head coach?  Does she have the same doubts that most new coaches have?  Is she getting congratulatory emails and Facebook wall posts and calls?

And when I see that a player has been released or designated, I wonder what is going through his mind.  “Is this the end of the road?”  “What will I do next?”

Since I look through them daily, I’m going to try to pick one or two of the baseball items that initiate a thought or two in what I hope will be a new feature, “Tracking The Transations,” or TTT.

Today’s TTT:

SEATTLE MARINERS–Designated RHP Ian Snell for assignment.

Okay, I could leave this one up to Tom, but I’ll take a crack.  Snell, fans may recall, broke in pretty strongly with the Pirates a couple of years back., winning 14 games in 2006.  But after signing a fairly sizable contract extension, he struggled in ‘08 and ‘09 and famously requested a demotion to AAA, citing “too much negativity” in Pittsburgh.  After pitching extremely well for Indianapolis, he was later included in a deal with Jack Wilson to the Mariners.

That Snell regressed this year may be related to the issues that came to the front in Pittsburgh.  He is in the last year of that contract extension, and he’s just 28, so the going-nowhere M’s must really think he’s done.

My guess is that we haven’t seen the last of Snell.  Some team will try to make a reclamation project out of him and the arm that was firing 95 mph fastballs not too long ago, especially with another team footing the bill.

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Around the Horn: Monday, 5/24/10

May 24

Posted by Tom Biro in Around the Horn, Awards, New York Yankees, News, R.I.P. | No Comments

Some links of interest from around the baseball world…

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Skipping Vazquez a Panic Move

May 3

Posted by Jerry Milani in Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, News | No Comments

Amidst the Yankees’ terrific start — wins of all but one series and a 16-8 mark with 15 road games (including six against Boston and Tampa Bay) and one West Coast swing in the books — comes the first panic move of the year.  Javier Vazquez, it was announced today, will be held back three days, pitching at Detroit next Monday instead of in Boston this Friday.  With an off day this Thursday following a three-game home series with Baltimore, the move keeps Phil Hughes, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett on regular four-day rest for the games at Fenway.

I still hate the move.

Vazquez is a 13-year veteran, having thrown 200 or more innings in the past 10, except for 2004, when he threw 198.  He’s coming off his best year (15-10, 2.87 ERA, 238 K, 181 H in 219.1 IP).  He’s had five starts, all of them mediocre or worse, and has incurred the wrath of fans and talking heads who remember that 2004 season in Pinstripes, which was among his worst as a pro.

Vazquez is even getting the label as someone who can’t “handle the pressure” in New York, and some feel that pitching in the cauldron of Fenway Park on Friday would do more harm than good.

Not that Detroit on Monday will be a picnic; the Tigers are fourth in the league in runs scored (averaging about a run per game more than the Sox).  But Yanks-Red Sox is a different animal, and along with Yankees-Mets is the closest thing to a playoff atmosphere there is.

Which is exactly why I think Vazquez should pitch Friday.

The Yankees’ starting staff is shaping up to be as good as anyone’s in baseball, top to bottom, if Vazquez can veer back towards his 2009 numbers.  But he’s going to have to pitch in big games somewhere along the line; he’s one of the team’s five starters, he should go in regular rotation, particularly after just five appearances.  A great outing on Friday at Fenway would do more for his confidence — and that of the team and fans in him — than the same in Detroit.

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Around the Horn: Thursday, 4/1/10

Apr 1

Posted by Tom Biro in New York Yankees, News | 3 Comments

Some news and updates from around the world of baseball from Thursday, April 1, 2010.

  • 20 years ago this week (April 3, 1989 to be exact), Ken Griffey, Jr. made his MLB debut for the Seattle Mariners. Over at Hardball Times, Richard Barbieri takes a peek at a few other players who are of the best at their positions, but hold no World Series ring.
  • At the NYT’s Bats Blog, Justin Sablich shares part 2 of a series rounding up how some Yankees bloggers are looking at the 2010 season. (Part 1 is here)
  • Glam Gal’s Heather Zeller says that the Minnesota Twins’ Joe Mauer is “Who’s Haute”
  • Baseball Crank’s talking about JD Drew being clutch. Or unclutch. You decide.
  • The AP reports that Andrew Thomas Gallo, charged with the death of Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, wants to move the trial away from Orange County, CA.
  • Former Major League OF Doug Glanville is joining ESPN as a baseball analyst.
  • Yep, that’s apparently Thurman Munson’s pilot’s license on eBay. Mike at SteadyBurn calls it “atrocious” as a find. [via BallHype]

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