MLB Off Season

[Rosco]

Alex Rodriguez made a personal call to apologize to Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks after the slugger’s admission that he used banned substances while playing for the team from 2001-03.

Hicks told The Associated Press on Tuesday evening, hours after Rodriguez publicly apologized for his misdeeds in a press conference at Yankees spring training, that Rodriguez called him last week.

“He didn’t ask me to accept his apology, and I didn’t,†Hicks said. “But he did apologize.â€

Hicks said the two men talked for about 25 minutes, and he described Rodriguez as “embarrassed.â

 

[Jack the Lad]

Griffey heads back to Seattle ;D

Griffey returning to Mariners
By GREGG BELL, AP Sports Writer
Buzz up! 7 votes
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PEORIA, Ariz. (AP)—Ken Griffey Jr. has decided to return to the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners announced the move Wednesday night. The 39-year-old star’s contract is for one year and believed to be worth $2 million in base salary, plus incentives.

Earlier in the day, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that an apparent agreement with the Atlanta Braves had fallen through. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Mariners had yet to announce the deal.

Griffey is fifth on baseball’s career home run list with 611.

Atlanta appeared to be Griffey’s choice on Tuesday for the same reason the former Mariners star left Seattle in 2000: geography. The Braves’ spring training camp is about a 20-minute drive from the Griffey family home in Orlando, Fla., and Atlanta is about an hour away by plane.

Griffey asked for a trade from the Mariners in 1999 to be closer to home. He eventually got one just before the 2000 season, to Cincinnati.

But after conflicting reports about where the aging star would settle, Griffey ultimately chose to follow through on his proclamation two years ago when he came to Seattle while playing with the Reds—that he wanted to finish his career as a Mariner.

The Mariners have a job as designated hitter and perhaps in left field waiting for him for 2009. The Braves were offering a possible platoon in the outfield—plus that cherished proximity to home.

Seattle had been trying to add a power hitter, and specifically a designated hitter, for months. They were believed to be pursuing Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn until last week, when Abreu signed with the Los Angeles Angels and Dunn agreed to a deal with the Washington Nationals. Seattle also talked to the agent for free agent Garret Anderson.

The Mariners prefer a left-handed bat because the dimensions of pitcher-friendly Safeco Field are shortest in right field.

The configuration fits the left-handed Griffey so well, the Mariners presented him with a framed photo of their stadium before a Reds-Mariners game in 2007, with the words “The House that Griffey Built†across the top. Griffey played just half a season in it before getting the trade he demanded to Cincinnati in 2000.

That was months after he rejected Seattle’s offer for $148 million over eight years.

Yet the fans in Seattle still love “Junior,†who would give an instant jolt to what appears to be a long rebuilding season.

He made his first opening day start with the Mariners as a 19-year-old in 1989. He stayed 10 more years before the trade to Cincinnati. He has been hampered by injuries since and had arthroscopic knee surgery following the 2008 season, the last half of which he spent with the White Sox.

He is the Mariners’ career leader in home runs (398), slugging percentage (.569) and trails only Edgar Martinez in team history in games played with 1,535. He’s also second to Martinez in Seattle history in hits, RBIs, extra-base hits, at-bats, doubles, runs and total bases.

Seattle’s starting outfield currently has Ichiro Suzuki in right field, Franklin Gutierrez in center and question marks in left. DH is one of the many starting positions open for competition in spring training, a camp that general manager Jack Zduriencik has said will be more like a competitive proving ground for all than a warmup for the season.

Hope he stays fit, and blasts a few out the park.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

great way to end what seems to have been one of the few 'honest' careers in this time period.

I wonder if Ripken took 'roids?

 

[Rosco]

[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=28563.msg806834#msg806834 date=1235021514]
great way to end what seems to have been one of the few 'honest' careers in this time period.

I wonder if Ripken took 'roids?
[/quote]

I don't think Ripken could have set the record for games played consecutively if he had been on roids.

More on A-Rod :

A banned trainer has been linked to him, stayed in the same room with A-Rod's cousin on raod trips during 2007:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp...&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

I think we're going to see him unmasked as A-Fraud entirely soon.

 

[Rosco]

Big Papi says he worked out with that trainer one off season, but didn't notice anything related to steroids :

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_y...lug=ap-redsox-ortiz&prov=ap&type=lgns

What are the odds that this Presinal guy has a Radomski style list of clients ?

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Manny & Boras ... What a pair. I think this is more due to Boras though but he's an idiot. Take the contract and play ... He's going to end up taking less in the end is my guess:

PHOENIX (AP)—Manny Ramirez has rejected yet another offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers announced Thursday night the star outfielder’s agent Scott Boras had declined a $25 million, one-year contract with a $20 million player option for 2010. It was the club’s fourth offer to Ramirez this offseason.

“We want Manny back, but we feel we are negotiating against ourselves,†Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said in a statement. “When his agent finds those ‘serious offers’ from other clubs, we’ll be happy to restart the negotiations.â€

General manager Ned Colletti and McCourt met Wednesday in Los Angeles with Boras.

The offer is similar to the two-year, $45 million deal with a buyout or club option that the Dodgers put on the table in November. Ramirez refused the offer and the Dodgers withdrew their proposal. The team came back with a one-year, $25 million offer, but Ramirez turned that down as well. Ramirez also turned down salary arbitration.

“Even with an economy that has substantially eroded since last November, out of respect for Manny and his talents, we actually improved our offer,†McCourt said.

“So now, we start from cratch.â€

 

[Rosco]

Are they still hoping the Giants come in with an offer ?

I can't see anyone giving Manny a long deal.

 

[Whaddapie]

Manny Ramierez is a f#$!ing bellend.

 

[Rosco]

[quote author=Whaddapie link=topic=28563.msg813261#msg813261 date=1235775543]
Manny Ramierez is a f#$!ing bellend.
[/quote]

Greatest hitter in the last 20 odd years. (without steroids)

 

[LeTallecWiz]

After months of back-and-forth negotiations, a meeting Wednesday between Manny Ramirez, his agents and Los Angeles Dodgers management has culminated in a deal for the slugger.

 

[Rosco]

Do you think the drawn out negotiation was just a clever way for him to avoid half of spring training ?

 

[LeTallecWiz]

ha ha as you said somewhere, he's one of those players you just know are not 'on' anything. One heck of a hitter ...

 

[Rosco]

[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=28563.msg817882#msg817882 date=1236201463]
ha ha as you said somewhere, he's one of those players you just know are not 'on' anything. One heck of a hitter ...
[/quote]

Berkman is the other one that springs to mind, he's too fat to be on steroids

 

[Rosco]

Bonds has asked his agent to solicit interest from teams for a contract this season.

I just can't see anyone taking a chance on him.

 

[Rosco]

A-Rod out for 10 weeks, he'll miss the first month and a half of the season. (Yay !)

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/bi...t=AgJAAMh.uOPHghmAf1Zx94M5nYcB?urn=mlb,146043

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Lester, Red Sox reportedly agree
Jon Lester's fairy-tale story appears to have reached new heights.

The left-hander has agreed to a 5-year, $30 million extension with the Red Sox, according to a Yahoo sports report on Sunday. Boston reportedly holds a $13 million option for 2014.

Lester was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma during his rookie season in 2006. He was declared cancer-free later in the year.

He returned in 2007 to appear in 12 regular-season games. The 25-year-old was on the postseason roster and ended up getting the win in the World Series-clinching Game 4 in Denver against the Rockies.

Lester broke through last season, going 16-6 with a 3.21 ERA in 33 starts. He surpassed 200 innings and, more importantly, his velocity returned to his pre-cancer mid-90s mph level.

On May 19, Lester's feel-good story became more dramatic when he threw a no-hitter against Kansas City at Fenway Park.

Lester would not confirm the report to the Boston Globe on Sunday, but he knew that talks had intensified between his agent, Josh Yates, and the Red Sox.

"I know that the past couple days have been pretty good," he said, according to the newspaper.

 

[Rosco]

Steroids found on Clemens items :

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_y...ap-steroids-clemens&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[LeTallecWiz]

and in other shocking news, the sun has risen again. It's sad but all his stats from the Blue Jays on should be chalked off ... Bloody steroids ...

 

[Rosco]

Papelbon oversteps the mark:

NEW YORK (AP)—Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon compared former teammate Manny Ramirez to cancer, saying Boston made the right decision when it traded the slugging left fielder to the Los Angeles Dodgers last summer.

“He was on a different train! And you saw what happened with that. We got rid of him, and we moved on without him,†Papelbon was quoted in the April issue of Esquire. The story was posted on the magazine’s Web site Thursday.

“So Manny was tough for us,†Papelbon added. “You have somebody like him, you know at any point in the ballgame, he can dictate the outcome of the game. And for him not to be on the same page as the rest of the team was a killer, man! It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that’s exactly what was happening.â€

“Once we saw that, we weren’t afraid to get rid of him. It’s like cancer. That’s what he was. Cancer. He had to go. It sucked, but that was the only scenario that was going to work. That was it for us. And after, you could feel it in the air in the clubhouse. We got Jason Bay—Johnny Ballgame, plays the game right, plays through broken knees, runs out every ground ball—and it was like a breath of fresh air, man! Awesome! No question.â€

Manager Terry Francona didn’t condone Papelbon’s remarks, while noting the closer usually says what’s on his mind.

“That’s Pap’s personality,†Francona said Thursday in Jupiter, Fla., before the Red Sox played the Cardinals. “The one thing we don’t ever want is somebody criticizing their own teammates. They know that.â€

Francona would have preferred that Papelbon kept his thoughts to himself.

“Pap is pretty open about how he feels about everything,†Francona said. “From my point of view, if I ever have something to say to a player, I’ll say it to him in my office.â€

Ramirez was sent to Los Angeles on Aug. 31 as part of a three-team trade in which Boston received Bay from Pittsburgh. Ramirez became a free agent after the season, then agreed last week to a $45 million, two-year deal with the Dodgers.

“As an organization, we do what we think is in the best interests of our ballclub,†Francona said. “That’s wha we did. That’s what we’ll continue to do. The moves we make, I think that speaks volumes enough.â€

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Pedro and Pudge are both 'free' ... and having good tournaments (WBC).

I hope the Rangers go for Pedro - a incentive heavy contract ... It's a win/win.

Wrt Andruw Jones, I've read a few things saying his biggest problem is his lack of confidence ...

 

[Whaddapie]

[quote author=Rosco link=topic=28563.msg822248#msg822248 date=1236884520]

Papelbon oversteps the mark:

[/quote]

Sorry mate - He's done nothing wrong here, imho.

Manny's been a right little bitch about things in Boston for years, all the while getting rich beyond his wildest dreams... F$%! him.

I'm glad somebody's come out and said, to be honest.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

[quote author=Whaddapie link=topic=28563.msg822360#msg822360 date=1236893922]
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=28563.msg822248#msg822248 date=1236884520]

Papelbon oversteps the mark:

[/quote]

Sorry mate - He's done nothing wrong here, imho.

Manny's been a right little bitch about things in Boston for years, all the while getting rich beyond his wildest dreams... F$%! him.

I'm glad somebody's come out and said, to be honest.
[/quote]

No Mannie, no titles for Beantown - so 'getting rich' worked for both parties.

And calling him a cancer is wrong ... Most of us have lost relatives, or have friends who've lost relatives, to this disease. Manny, no matter how childish or selfish he was, doesn't deserve this kind of 'label'. Asshole? Sure. Selfish prick? Sure. TO wannabe? Sure why not. But a cancer? No need to excuse that ...

 

[Whaddapie]

Oh come on...

The 'cancer' comment is a very commonly used one, heard all over the sports world about disruptive influences... It's not like Pap was actually comparing Manny to a disease that takes millions of lives annual, Avy.

I'm very sorry that you have lost folks to this curse, and will certainly bear that in mind when posting in the future about such an issue, but please don't make Pap 'that type' of person because of this comment.... you know what he meant, and it is used every day in such circumstances.

And yes, the Manny / Red Sox relationship was certainly mutually beneficial, but that doesn't mean that he can behave the way he did for years on end and somehow be immune to critisism after the fact.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Wishing a full recover to Aaron Boone (despite him hitting 'that' home run for the Skankees):

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP)—Aaron Boone of the Houston Astros will have open heart surgery to replace an aortic valve.

Boone made the announcement Wednesday, saying he has known about his heart condition since college but tests done after his routine physical determined he needed surgery. It is not an emergency, but doctors indicated the procedure was needed.

He said doctors told him he could play baseball when he recovers, but he’s not sure if he will.

An emotional Boone delivered the news flanked by general manager Ed Wade and manager Cecil Cooper and in front of a somber room filled with teammates and Astros officials.

“It definitely hits home, but I’m doing well with it,†Boone said. “I feel like I’m fairly educated on it now. I have a strong faith and a great family and friends and teammates. I really am doing well and I’m ready to tackle this thing and get it behind me and get on with life.â€

 

[Rosco]

Never mind that .... did you see the photoshoot A-Rod decided to do ?

What planet is he on ?

 

[Rosco]

:

 

[LeTallecWiz]

[quote author=Rosco link=topic=28563.msg826467#msg826467 date=1237400641]
What planet is he on ?
[/quote]

Elton's?

 

[LeTallecWiz]

One of the best, and cleanest, players of the past era retires ... So long Curt ...

BOSTON -- Curt Schilling retired from baseball Monday after a career in which he won World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks and was one of the game's most dominant pitchers and grittiest competitors.

The 42-year-old right-hander said on his blog he's leaving after 23 years with "zero regrets." Schilling missed all of last season with a shoulder injury after signing a one-year, $8 million contract.

"The things I was allowed to experience, the people I was able to call friends, teammates, mentors, coaches and opponents, the travel, all of it, are far more than anything I ever thought possible in my lifetime," he wrote

 

[LeTallecWiz]

anyone else think that Aaron Boone (Wish him a successful recovery from open heart surgery) looks like Johnny Knoxville?