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Official 2008-2009 MLB Offseason Thread of Billy Beane mocking Qwerty for 6 months

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H

HBP

Member
I can't believe Moore signed Willie Bloomquist to compete with Callaspo, he is no better than him, what is the point? Callaspo is decent when he isnt getting DUIs.
 
C

clemenx

Banned
HBP said:
I can't believe Moore signed Willie Bloomquist to compete with Callaspo, he is no better than him, what is the point? Callaspo is decent when he isnt getting DUIs.
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Holy shit, a Royals fan!
 
S

Sanjuro

Member
The Frankman said:
when did Terry Francona get cancer?
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I know he has some sort of illness/problem with his blood, that is the reason why he always is wearing a jacket in the dugout. I'm sure that has probably contributed to his diet or something.
 
R

RBH

Member
Windu said:
info on MLB 2k9 from PastaPadre"
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I really hope that they actually live up to their promises this time around. I remember last year how Brinkman was saying that smoothening up the framerate and overall gameplay was one of their first priorities, and instead, 2K8's framerate was even worse than 2K7. :|
 
Y

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
MLBTradeRumors: On this date eight years ago, Juan Gonzalez signed a one-year deal for $10MM with the Indians. The contract is significant because Gonzalez had turned down an eight-year, $143MM deal from the Tigers less than a year earlier.

:lol
 
C

captmcblack

Member
Y2Kev said:
MLBTradeRumors: On this date eight years ago, Juan Gonzalez signed a one-year deal for $10MM with the Indians. The contract is significant because Gonzalez had turned down an eight-year, $143MM deal from the Tigers less than a year earlier.

:lol
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Wow, so Juan Gonzalez not only fucked himself out of epic money, but saved the Tigers from destroying themselves any further. ROFLCOPTER.
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
LOS ANGELES--Free agent right-hander Kenshin Kawakami is close to reaching a deal with the Atlanta Braves, it was learned Thursday.

The 33-year-old Kawakami, looking to jump to the majors after spending all 11 seasons of his pro career with the Chunichi Dragons, is working out the details through an agent and a deal could be struck soon.

A major league source said the Braves have hotly pursued Kawakami, the Central League MVP in 2004, and expects a contract to be ready by the end of next week.

Earlier this week, Kawakami confirmed that negotiations were progressing and that he was making plans for a trip to the United States.

There still remains a chance that Kawakami could join one of a number of teams that have pursued him, including the St. Louis Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles. But if all goes smoothly, it appears he is bound for Atlanta.

Kawakami, the 1998 CL rookie of the year, has compiled a 112-82 record with a 3.22 earned run average and 1,328 strikeouts for the Dragons.

A two-time Sawamura Award winner as Japan's top pitcher, he has helped the Dragons win three CL pennants, including in 2007, when the team ended a 53-year drought by winning the Japan Series.

Kawakami's signing would fill a hole left by the departure of John Smoltz, who is reportedly close to making a move to the Boston Red Sox.

Kawakami is one of two high-profile Japanese pitchers on the free agent market. Koji Uehara has reached an agreement to join the Orioles from the Yomiuri Giants.
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http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/sports/20090110TDY18311.htm

edit: here is a video of him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU1wMH6lXHQ

Probably a back of the rotation starter, If he gives us a ERA under 4 I'll be happy. I wonder how much he is going to sign for though.
 
W

Wickerman

Member
LJ11 said:
I see this as depth move, Redding isn't guaranteed shit with a contract like that.

Wickerman's hate for Pedro is strong, but I don't want him back with the Mets either. Time to move on.
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I don't hate Pedro. I just feel that historically, the Mets have always tried to hold onto Hall of Fame-type players and claim them as one of their own. It's really annoying and not smart business if your trying to win the championship.

Anyway, here is the patch the Mets will use for stadium sold merchandise.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/3174470956_e547c97ba0_o.png
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
Y2Kev said:
Better than smoltz obviously
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15pflee.gif
 
R

RBH

Member
Frank Wren's past history as a GM:

Orioles Fire General Manager Frank Wren
Friday, October 8, 1999


BALTIMORE, Oct. 7—The Baltimore Orioles today fired General Manager Frank Wren just one season into his three-year contract, continuing a stunning overhaul of the club by majority owner Peter Angelos that also claimed Manager Ray Miller on Wednesday.

In a statement released tonight, Orioles Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Joseph Foss said Wren's firing came as the result of a meeting held Tuesday at Foss's request, in which Wren was confronted with "a season-long series of incidents involving a variety of personnel matters, both with front-office staff and players."

In one incident, described in detail in the release, Wren on Sept. 17 ordered a team plane to take off without superstar third baseman Cal Ripken, even though Ripken phoned ahead to say he was delayed in traffic.

"As a result of failing to resolve these issues, it was determined that Mr. Wren's employment could not longer be continued," Foss is quoted as saying in the release.

Angelos said in the release, "Regrettably, I must concur with the recommendation to terminate Mr. Wren's services and feel that the Orioles were left with no alternative."

Also today, the Orioles officially announced that they would not exercise their option on Miller's contract for next season, as reported today, ending Miller's two-year stint as manager. Calls to Miller's New Athens, Ohio, home today were not returned. Miller will be paid $100,000 by the Orioles by Dec. 1, as directed in his contract.

In a telephone interview tonight, Foss said the organization will determine "over the next several days" how to proceed in hiring a new manager and general manager. "But we have not come to any conclusions in terms of a process or the number of people to be interviewed, nor whom those candidates may be," Foss said.

Wren, who signed a three-year, $1.35 million contract on Oct. 23, 1998, declined to comment on his firing or on the Orioles' statement tonight, other than to say he was "not surprised" by it. Wren and Angelos differed over several issues in their one year together, most notably the status of Miller, whom Wren sought to dismiss one month into the season.

In the incident involving Ripken, the Orioles' chartered jet was waiting to take off for California at 8 a.m. on Sept. 17, when Ripken called saying he was stuck in traffic and would be arriving in the next five to 10 minutes.

"At Wren's order, the plane took off without Cal, who arrived at the gate a few minutes later. Cal was then forced to make his own cross-country travel arrangements," Foss said in the release.

" . . . In the opinion of management, there was no need for such an arbitrary and inflexible decision. In the meeting [on Tuesday], Wren defiantly dismissed our concerns [and] characterized them as 'silly.' . . .

"The Orioles management cannot and will not abide having a general manager operate in such an unreasonable, authoritarian manner and treat anyone in this way, especially someone such as Cal who has done so much for the Orioles and for baseball."

Ripken could not be reached to comment tonight.

Wren's firing comes just one week before he was to preside over the team's organizational meetings in Lakeland, Fla., in which scouts and minor league coaches convene to discuss player personnel and direction.

The Orioles are expected to begin the dual search for a manager and general manager quickly.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/orioles/daily/oct99/08/os8.htm
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:|
 
S

Sanjuro

Member
jman2050 said:
We'll see how wrong that statement is a year or so from now.
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A year or so for now the entire Yankee jet plane could crash killing the entire team except a rod, a rubber band, and a paper clip.

If your not playing psychic his career stats in MLB are very impressive not to mention his entire baseball career.
 
J

Jazzy Network

Member
Redding is a done deal. i like the signing. Most Mets fans don't. We'll see. It's 2M. Can't really go wrong. If he sucks, Niese will get a chance. If he's good, it's a steal. Can't really lose much.
 
T

The Frankman

Banned
Wait, so the Braves signed a Japanese pitcher??

and his name is KENSHIN???

ahaahhahahahahahahahhhhahahahahah not enough pics in the world for this one!! :lol :lol
 
D

Dr. Strangelove

I'M COOCOO FOR COCO CRISP!
The Frankman said:
Wait, so the Braves signed a Japanese pitcher??

and his name is KENSHIN???

ahaahhahahahahahahahhhhahahahahah not enough pics in the world for this one!! :lol :lol
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The Mets will tremble before the might of Rurouni Kenshin.
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
The Frankman said:
Wait, so the Braves signed a Japanese pitcher??

and his name is KENSHIN???

ahaahhahahahahahahahhhhahahahahah not enough pics in the world for this one!! :lol :lol
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no not yet. still not confirmed, says we are close. We were "close" with Burnett though too.
 
T

The Frankman

Banned
Windu said:
no not yet. still not confirmed, says we are close. We were "close" with Burnett though too.
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oh no, it's gonna happen. After the loss of Smoltz Braves must make a big splash in the FA market, and nothing bigger than signing a Japanese pitcher w/ a name out of some Japanese cartoon?

What's next for Atlanta? Sanosuke Hawking? Yahiko Speigel? Maybe InuYasha Starwind is available? :lol
 
T

The Frankman

Banned
Windu said:
Well his first name is Kenshin, not his last.
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Hey gotta needle you guys after Bobby Cox seemed to always make fun of the Bobby V Mets' proclivity to sign Japanese players. I know Cox hates Valentine's guts but I remember him making some comments about it in 2000-2001.
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
heh I'm sure bobby made some comments, don't really remember though. I do remember the two not liking each other. Fun times. He needs to come back to the Mets.
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
I don't even need to read that to know he is the worst ump in the history of the game. I cringe every time I hear his name.
Tucker was safe....lol, well thats what the ump said!

edit:
All the frustration of the first half of the season boiled down to one hotly contested play at home plate today for the Mets.

When Angel Hernandez called Michael Tucker safe in the bottom of the 11th inning, it not only gave the Braves a 3-2 victory over the Mets at Turner Field and a three-game sweep of the teams' first series this season. It also left the Mets angry, bewildered and, as General Manager Steve Phillips later said, with a feeling ''as frustrating as it can possibly be'' going into the All-Star Game break.

A pair of game-deciding calls this weekend succinctly illustrated the difference in the Mets' and Yankees' first-half fortunes. One that was clearly wrong gave the Yankees a victory Saturday; one that looked wrong today meant another crushing defeat for the Mets.

''Anyone who wants to look at the replay or anyone who saw it live knows what happened,'' said a furious Bobby Valentine, the Mets' manager, of the collision between Tucker and catcher Mike Piazza.

''All I know is I've got more wounds on a catcher that was already wounded up -- marks five inches deep on his leg -- and another game that we lost. That's all I know. And it's a joke.''

The play sent the Mets (44-39), who now trail the Braves by a season-high 12 1/2 games in the National League East, into the three-day break having lost seven of their last nine games. And on a hot, humid day here, they realized they had lost just when they thought they had forced a 12th inning.

With one out, the bases loaded and closer John Franco (0-2) in his third inning of work, Walt Weiss lifted a liner into short left field. Bernard Gilkey, who was playing in, made the catch and positioned himself perfectly for the throw home.

Gilkey's low, on-line bullet easily beat Tucker, who had tagged at third, to the plate.

But it short-hopped Piazza, who had caught all 10-plus innings one day after sustaining a mild concussion when he was hit in the back of the head by a Gerald Williams backswing.

Piazza made a tremendous play to gather in Gilkey's throw, then crouched for the imminent collision. Tucker's slide was high enough to tear a gash inside Piazza's right thigh. And replays appeared to show that Piazza's tag beat Tucker's foot to the bag. But Hernandez, who was positioned behind Piazza and just to his left, did not even hesitate as he called Tucker safe.

That set off Franco, who was backing up the play, and Valentine as Tucker and the rest of the Braves went into a wild celebration. Piazza stayed crouched for a moment, head buried in his chest, before raising the ball with his right hand, thinking that he had to get ready for a 12th-inning at-bat. When he realized what Hernandez had ruled, however, Piazza slammed the ball, and then his catching helmet, into the turf behind home plate. Though he tried, he could not get into the argument, so many Mets were already there.

The umpires tried to retreat under the stands through a gate near the Mets' dugout. A screaming Franco did all he could to get in the umpire's way, and appeared to bump Hernandez more than once.

Whatever the umpires said, it wasn't good enough for the Mets.

''It was pathetic,'' Piazza said. ''We were trying to ask him, and they just walked away. He didn't even ask for help.''

Piazza's complaint echoed that of Baltimore Orioles Manager Ray Miller on Saturday, when Marty Foster did not ask other umpires for help after calling the Orioles' Jeff Reboulet out at third base even though the Yankees' Scott Brosius had dropped the ball.

The umpires also did not allow the Mets to appeal Tucker's tag-up at third base, something Valentine said he would have done. Not that Valentine felt it should have come to that.

''I had a front-row view,'' he said. ''The throw beat him. He fell into Mike's lap with a lousy, illegal slide. He cut him up, never touched the plate, got tagged out and they boarded the plane. I saw what everyone else saw. No marks on home plate. A lot of marks on Mike's leg where the cuts are.''

Piazza said: ''That was the most ridiculous call I've ever seen in my 10 years of pro baseball, in my 20 years of baseball, period. It was just beyond belief. I'm completely flabbergasted.''

Hernandez did not comment on his ruling after the game. But the crew chief, Randy Marsh, told a pool reporter: ''He ruled the guy's foot was in before Piazza had control of the ball to tag him. The bottom line was that his foot hit the plate before he tagged him.''

Tucker agreed. ''He tagged me on the knee,'' he said. ''If the ball gets there and he tags you on the knee, where's the rest of your foot?''

That was not how Piazza saw it. ''I was on the plate; he didn't even reach it,'' he said. ''He hit the ground after he hit me. He just jumped right into me.''

As for the wild argument that ensued, Marsh said: ''I know there was contact with Franco and Valentine. It was hard to get Franco to stop, to be honest with you. He was not only on Angel, but he pushed me away when I was trying to get him to get control of himself.''

Valentine said he never touched anyone. And Franco said: ''I just gave him an earful. I was standing in his way. A lot of guys made contact. At first, he said Mike dropped the ball. Then he said the leg got in there. He didn't even know. It was a hot day, a real tough game. To lose it like that, especially with the way we've been struggling lately, is a tough one to swallow.''

The Mets -- except for Piazza and pitcher Rick Reed, their All-Star representatives -- now have three days to think about the rest of their season, and their coming rematch with the Braves in New York. On Friday, the Mets lost here when Andruw Jones made a spectacular throw from center to cut down the tying run at the plate. On Saturday, they lost Piazza for most of the game to what could have been a serious injury from Williams's backswing. And on today, they lost amid a boiling controversy.

''It will be good to get away,'' Valentine said.

''Maybe that's bottom. We come in here and play our hearts out and have two games decided at the plate. I'm proud of my guys. I think they'll come back.''
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J

jakncoke

Banned
lttn- but Kevin McClatchy selling his share of the Pirates is nice cause he's a dumb fuck cheapskate, nothing is going change until we get sold to someone who wants to win but at least that guy is gone.
 
D

Dr. Strangelove

I'M COOCOO FOR COCO CRISP!
The Japanification of the Red Sox continues!

As first reported by FOXsports.com's Ken Rosenthal, the Red Sox have signed free-agent reliever Takashi Saito to a one-year contract with a team option for 2010. The Sox will officially announce the signing later this afternoon, the Globe's Adam Kilgore reports.
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DATTEBAYO
 
C

captmcblack

Member
Red Sox have signed all of these guys who are about to fall apart or die, or have already fallen apart.

Saito, Baldelli, Smoltz, Penny, et al...oh, how I hope they all meet their ends.
 
D

Dr. Strangelove

I'M COOCOO FOR COCO CRISP!
captmcblack said:
Red Sox have signed all of these guys who are about to fall apart or die, or have already fallen apart.

Saito, Baldelli, Smoltz, Penny, et al...oh, how I hope they all meet their ends.
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It's okay, when we signed Matsuzaka he brought 99 phoenix downs with him.
 
F

funkmastergeneral

Banned
captmcblack said:
Red Sox have signed all of these guys who are about to fall apart or die, or have already fallen apart.

Saito, Baldelli, Smoltz, Penny, et al...oh, how I hope they all meet their ends.
Click to expand...

they're all low risk, short term deals so I don't mind them.
 
J

jman2050

Member
funkmastergeneral said:
they're all low risk, short term deals so I don't mind them.
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I think the problem is you guys have made nothing *but* low risk short term deals.

When did Boston sports teams become the Center for Over-The-Hill Sports Stars anyhow? Do the Bruins pull this type of shit too?
 
F

funkmastergeneral

Banned
jman2050 said:
I think the problem is you guys have made nothing *but* low risk short term deals.
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The Redsox have some major faith in the farm system right now, and are just looking for stop gaps until the kids are ready to play. I think it's a pretty foolish idea since the vast majority of prospects burn out, but they've had some good luck the last few years with Papelbon, Lester, Pedroia, Youk, and Delcarmen. Mark Texiera would've been wonderful

:(
 
S

Sanjuro

Member
captmcblack said:
Red Sox have signed all of these guys who are about to fall apart or die, or have already fallen apart.

Saito, Baldelli, Smoltz, Penny, et al...oh, how I hope they all meet their ends.
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Well this is what I meant when everyone jumped me on the Lowell thing. Out of the 3 major players in the AL East coming from the previous season us and the Rays don't really need to get much better in terms of huge signings. All of these players are risks but if they can stay healthy they can really contribute in several ways. Of course this coming season isn't the previous and there could always be drastic dropoffs from key players.

Another thing people forget is for some reason Buchholz hasn't been dealt or anything. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets another shot at the big league club as he has now had the time to develop his pitches.

jman2050 said:
Do the Bruins pull this type of shit too?
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Bruins are young, hot, and sexy right now. They currently have a team built to compete for years.
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
Kawakami deal is done, pending physical. No word on how much money yet though. Rumor is that its 3/21.
 
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