- I'm glad that Stephen Strasburg and the Nats were able to come to an agreement, as it's the best thing for both sides. No one ever comes out of it well when draft picks don't sign.
- Can we all agree one and for all that Scott Boras is just a pompous blowhard? Boras insisted that Strasburg was worth a $50 million bonus, only to have the latest greatest Wunderkind sign for $15.1 million. Now, $15.1 million is a lot of money, a record for a drafted player in fact, but it's also barely 30% of the ridiculous amount Boras publicly clamored for. What a clown.
-Royals draft pick Aaron Crow, who never signed after getting drafted by the Nats last year, still isn't signed. The August 18th deadline doesn't apply to him because he's exhausted his college eligibility, but dude, come on, sign your name on the line and go pitch in pro ball.
- Good to see David Wright is okay after a scary beanball on Saturday night. Even more amazing is that Hiroki Kuroda is alright following a line drive off the coconut that same night. The ball that hit Kuroda actually caromed all the way out of play. Awful.
-Interesting article by Tom Verducci about the beanball culture taking root in the modern game. The best point about all of this that I've heard was actually on TV the other night. I don't remember who said it (I think Peter Gammons?), but the point was that aluminum bats have changed the way hitters grow up. Because aluminum covers over hitting mistakes, pitchers stay away, away, away from hitters growing up, which in turn keeps hitters from learning how to react and protect themselves (hitting wise and getting hit wise) on pitches in, and pitchers don't learn how to effectively and safely (pitching-wise and harming a hitter wise) throw inside.
-The Mets lineup was already awful, and now if David Wright really is out for the year, they may not play .400 ball the rest of the way, never mind .500 ball.
-If you're a Mets fan, how many guys on that roster do you even want back next year? Wright, Reyes, Santana, Beltran, K-Rod, and... who?
-Learn to like it, Met fans, as a high payroll, underperforming team and millions of dollars of Wilpon family losses in the Bernard Madoff scandal mean the Mets are unlikely to make big changes this offseason.
- The Rangers, who need all the pitching help they can get, decided to get rid of Vicente Padilla. He's got great 'stuff', but he's evidently a space cadet, a bad teammate, and seemingly a bad guy. The Dodgers may be kicking his tires though.
- Brett Myers says he told a tall tale about how he hurt his eye because he didn't want to look like an idiot. Well, saying you got hurt playing catch with your son then changing the story hours later makes you like like, well...
- John Smoltz' absence from baseball appears to have been brief. If you've ever wondered about how difficult it is to find pitching, just look at the demand for a 42-year old with a 2009 ERA over 8.00.
- The Rangers reaquired Ivan Rodriguez yesterday, bringing him back to the site of the most productive years of his career. Pudge is 37, but it feels like he's been in the bigs forever, because he almost has. His years in Texas may or may not have been fueled by some, uh... help, if you will.
- Jamie Moyer had a nice outing for the Phils against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, and carried a bit of an attitude with it. As long as the attitude doesn't become too big, that can only help the Phillies, as healthy competition rages for coveted spots in the playoff rotation and bullpen.
-I still say Jamie Moyer isn't on the playoff roster. Yes, he had a nice outing last night, but come on, the D-backs three hole hitter was someone named Gerardo Parra.
-Raul Ibanez looks worn out to me.
-Congrats to a fellow former Blue Hen, Reid Gorecki, on getting the call up to the Majors with the Braves earlier this week. Gorecki, 28, played two innings in the field for the Bravos on Monday without getting an appearance at the plate. Hurry up and get the kid an at-bat, Bobby Cox. You don't want the albatross of Moonlight Graham hanging over the kid any longer than it has to. In any event, all members the Blue Hen baseball tradition celebrate with you.
-Speaking of Graham, there's a new biography out about him entitled Chasing Moonlight: The True Story of Field of Dreams' Doc Graham. Written by Brett Friedlander and Robert Reising, it looks like quite an interesting read. It's on my list.
-My 'list' is quite extensive, though.
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15 million is a drop in the bucket though for this kid. Considering revenues are twice what they were when Prior signed, I'm not sure I'd consider this a record (inflation accounted for of course). I'm glad he got paid and probably is worth so much more as long as he doesn't blow his arm out.
ReplyDeleteFirst, thank you very much for the mention of my book. If any of your readers are intersted, I'll be doing a book signing at Nationals Park on Sunday during the Nats-Brewers game. If you can't make it there, you can get a copy of Chasing Moonlight on amazon.com.
ReplyDeleteSecond, it looks like Reid won't have to worry about having a Moonlight Graham career. He got his first two at bats, his first hit and his first RBI tonight for the Braves in a 14-2 win against the Mets!
Congrats, kid! You made it!