The evil Tyrant himslef, Lew Woff

A day after I wrote an Article on how the A’s owners should reconsider building Cicsco Field, the next day they cancel it. How funny? Did I get to them? Nah!

The Oakland A’s have asked the city of Fremont to stop the planning process for building a stadium in the city, various agencies are reporting. The move is not much of a surprise — rumors had been circulating this week that the team was reconsidering its plans to build the stadium in Fremont. Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman told The San Francisco Chronicle that he thinks “this means the A’s aren’t going to build this here, at least not at that site.”

The A’s should really consider buying out Golden Gate Fields.

Hello, World!!!!

My name is Cameron Webb and I’m super excited to be a blogger for the Arizona Diamondbacks! I’ve done a few minor writings for blogs but nothing as full scale (nor as cool)!

Background: I live in Iowa, smack dab in the fun part of”Tornado Alley.” I’m also in my final semester of studying Computer Science at Luther College.

Why I’m a DBacks fan: In 1998, I had never been to an MLB game before. While visiting some family in Phoenix, we decided to go. It was a game against the Colorado Rockies, and I remember also that it was a tight battle for most of the game…until in the bottom of the 9th. The Dbacks hitters simply unloaded on the Rockies pitching (as they were down 3) to win the game. The roar of the crowd and their excitment was fun thing for me to experience, and from there I was hooked (and yes, Arizona had a crummy year. Really though, how much can you expect out of an expansion team?).

Enough about me, on to the “real” blogging!

To start, the amount of talent the Dbacks have coming back this year is phenomenal. Upton, Jackson, Drew, and Reynolds are going to be stronger than ever this year. With that in mind, it will still be the case that the DBacks pitching is the reason they win games. With arguably the best 1-2 punch in the Majors with Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, Arizona also added John Garland. His ERA might be high but I feel as if the likes of Webby and Haren may help him hone in on his pitching, and that my friends is a scary thing for everyone facing him. On top of that, Doug Davis is back, and I predict he’ll be a little more consistent this year (last year, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and wasn’t really the same since).

And finally: Max Scherzer.

Yes, he has multi-colored pupils, but he also some wicked pitching!

If you HAVEN’T heard about this kid, you will. Last year, he went on a tear in his first major league appearance in relief, sitting down 13 straight batters! This kid has some crazy potential, and if he can keep up what he did last year, he’s in for a great year!

One other note: 4 Days until the first Dbacks Spring Training Game! Get excited!!!

Best # 3: Trading for Mark McGwire

McGwire hit an amazing 70 home runs in 1998.

St. Louis traded for McGwire on the Trade Deadline day (July 31). Big Mac was in the final year of his contract when the Cards traded for him, and he ended up signing a long-term deal to stay in St. Lou. The 1998 season was when he really broke out, hitting a then-record 70 home runs and being half of the Home Run Chase with Sammy Sosa (the record was broken in 2001, when Barry Bonds hit 73 dingers). Big Mac followed up that amazing ‘98 season with yet another one in ‘99, hitting 65 while Sosa hit 63. In his final two years, he played fewer games (hitting 32 homers in 89 games and 29 homers in 97 games respectively), and he retired after the 2001 season because of injury issues. When Big Mac retired, he had made a name for himself in St. Louis. Of course, his retirement paved the way for an unknown named Albert Pujols – and the rest is history.

Worst # 3: Signing Tino Martinez

Before Albert Pujols, there was Tino Martinez. Tino was an accomplished 1st baseman before he signed with St. Louis. He was a member of the Yankees’ dynasty in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Having lost his job to Jason Giambi (who the Yanks signed in the 2001 offseason), Tino elected to sign with the Cardinals in the ‘02 offseason. His production significantly declined during the two years he called St. Louis home. In 2002, he played 150 games, hit .262, hit 24 home runs and had 75 RBIs (a significant decline from the year before, when he hit .280, had 34 home runs and knocked in 113). In 2003, he hit .273, smashed 15 long balls (the fewest in a season for his career), and had just 69 RBIs. Tino was traded to Tampa Bay in 2004 to make way for Albert Pujols. While I have great respect for Tino Martinez, the two years he played in St. Louis were not the greatest.

Hello All,

First, I have to say, the response to the Author opportunities for this blog have been absolutely incredible! We have had over 100 applicants so far in a matter of 10 days!!! As you may have guessed, we had to deny the majority of the applicants, in that many of the authors currently writing for their teams had already locked that particular team up.

First, I want to thank all current authors for their incredible contributions. This community is growing each day, and I have very cool things planned for the future. Player Interviews, media personality interviews, and much, much more…stay tuned for all of that. As for the remaining author spots…I currently have the following teams still available.

• Tigers
• Angels
• Astros
• Blue Jays
• Braves
• Indians
• Nationals
• Orioles
• Padres
• Pirates
• Rangers
• Reds
• Twins

If you, or anyone you know would like to apply simply send an email to MajorLeagueBlogging@gmail.com with the subject: I Want That Exclusive <Team Name Goes Here> Author Spot Right Now!

Simply include a little it about yourself, and why you feel you would be the best choice for the spot.

Until Next time…Happy Blogging!

Hey there fans, Welcome to another season of Rockies baseball! Let’s hope this years a better year for the boys in purple pinstripes then last year was.

This is my first time covering Rockies baseball on a blog so if I screw up go easy on me k? I can’t wait for the season to start as well as meet all you fellow bloggers here on MLBB hope you enjoy the things I blog about.

few things about me to start off:
* I’m a native of Colorado – meaning I was born & raised here.
* I’ve been a Baseball fan since I was 2yrs old & growing up we had the Denver Zephyrs as our only baseball team I don’t remember if they were Major league or Minor league though, I was a Cubs, Yankees fan.
* My first Major League game I went to was Cubs vs Pirates in 1985 in Wrigley Field.
* Even though I’m loyal to the Rockies (they are my heart & soul) I still hate it when they play the Cubs or Yankees.
* Offline (not on the computer) I work part time at Wendy’s doing Janitorial/Product Coordinator work & during the baseball season I’m an employee of Event Services LLC. which work for the Colorado Rockies as their on-field security staff as well as ushers, Guest Relations, Ticket takers & Gates
* I live in Broomfield, Co which is 20 to 30(depending on the traffic on I-25) mins from Denver, I’m single & I live with my mom, step-dad, older sister & her kids because living in LoDo (Lower Downtown Denver) is too expensive specially with gas prices skyrocketing these days.
* (when I can) I like to go shopping for CD’s/DVD’s or go to Starbucks I’m totally addicted to their Java chip frapachino’s. What I reeeeeallly would like to do is go skiing but I can’t afford it.

I can’t wait to talk Rockies baseball with ya’ll & there are a few things that I am/am not interested in discussing:

* I am interested talking about the Montfort Brothers & Dan O’Dowd but if the subject turns from friendly to down right trash talk then I’m gonna drop the subject.
* I am interested in talking about Rockies History from the past to what’s in the Rockies future.
* If your coming to see a Rockies home game & not sure where to go out to eat before the game I’ll gladly offer some advice including what to bring & what not to bring to the game
* I’m NOT interested in talking about the humidor or the fact that Coors Field is still referred to as “Hitter’s heaven” although I’ve heard less of that name since 2007 — but still I ain’t talking about that.
* I REALLY don’t want to talk about this steroid case so if we can please leave it out of discussion?

got anything else you wanna discuss or need some more info on Coors Field email me at coorsfieldrox@gmail.com!

Ok, so moving on from # 5 – The Lack of Zito – we move to something Minaya did act on. The acquisition of Oliver Perez from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Another huge steal came as Minaya traded Nady for Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez.  The Pirates had given up on Perez, but he’s already back to form with the Mets. Three-fifths of the current rotation came via shrewd trading by Minaya.

Ok, Ok…I know Nady is pretty solid, but we all know a (sometimes) tough lefty is a seriously valuable asset as a starter. Oliver Perez fits this bill perfectly. Although he is somewhat unpredictable, when he is on, he is simply a nightmare for opposing teams all over the NL (and AL ☺ )

In 2007 Oliver Perez went 15-10 with a 3.56 ERA and in 2008 Perez went 10-7 with a 4.22 ERA. Although these numbers are not overwhelming, they are still winning numbers, and I feel they will continue to get better. I feel that the Mets new pitching coach has already started to reach Perez, and that he will surpass the 15 win mark this season.

Anyways, that’s it for now, stay tuned for number 3!

Sometimes, players can work magic. Following the accounts of excitement among Mariners, it is clear Ken Griffey Jr.’s return stills last year’s stormy weather in the clubhouse. Days after we heard from J.J. Putz, who was traded to the Mets over the winter, that Ichiro Suzuki wasn’t a team player, the signing of Griffey has the Mariners Spring Training camp snapping with a new energy. The Kid won’t arrive in camp until Saturday.

Ichiro & Griffey, Mark Harrison, The Seattle Times

As Jerry Brewer of The Seattle Times wrote in 2007, Junior brings out the best in people, particularly Ichiro, and The News Tribune’s Larry LaRue makes the point that Ichiro will enjoy having the attention focus on someone else. Watching Ichiro, it has always been clear that he plays best when competing to be the best. During 2008, the competition among Mariners was only off-field, to see who could be in the worst mood.

The entire team is reportedly “ecstatic,” according to LaRue, and John Hickey at the Seattle P-I says the team is “buzzing” with excitement, leading me to make the bold claim that the Mariners will add 10 wins over the season because Junior is in the dugout and on the field. The Baseball Prospectus has projected a 67-95 record for the Mariners in 2009. I’ll be surprised if the team doesn’t win 77 games, which would place them firmly in third place in the AL West, just because the team is coalescing around Junior’s presence, as well as Ichiro’s opportunity to battle for the limelight and the general influence of confidence on the rest of the team.

In other news, Erik Bedard appears to be poised to have one of his good seasons, at least he’s smiling. Of course, when he’s throwing baseballs, he can be very good. In 2007, before the Mariners made a blockbuster five-player deal to get the left-hander from Baltimore, he was arguably as good as Johan Santana. Bedard got 1.41 strikes per inning pitched to Santana’s 1.07 SO/IP, albeit Santana is always more durable than Bedard. We shall see if, should he encounter any setbacks, whether he’ll disprove the criticism of other players who say he doesn’t pitch through pain. 

With Bedard on his walk year, and a Scott Boras Mark Pieper client, the M’s have to hope he comes out of the gate strong so he can be moved for some young talent. Perhaps the Atlanta Braves, despite losing the Griffey sweepstakes, will be in the hunt in the NL East and willing to trade Tommy Hanson and Jordan Schafer for a healthy Bedard.

Last one for today.

Best # 4: Cards trade for Scott Rolen

This guy was good in STL. Real good.

Scott Rolen was traded to St. Louis in 2002 from Philadelphia for Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin and Bud Smith. At the time he was dealt to the Redbirds, he had an accomplished career. When he left St. Louis in 2008, he became more of a legendary figure.

Rolen had some offensive power, but he was mostly known for his arm. He’s still the best 3rd baseman I’ve ever seen defensively. Scotty Ro rarely made a bad throw. His accuracy is great, especially for how strong his arm is. Like Jim Edmonds, Rolen had his career year in 2004. In 142 games that season, he batted .314, had 34 home runs and knocked in 124 runners. I found that it was really unfortunate to see his relationship with manager Tony LaRussa deteriorate in 2006, and led to his being traded in the 2008 offseason. I still miss seeing Rolen’s # 27 out in the field.

Worst # 4: Cards sign Ron Villone

Ron Villone... a good guy, but not a good pitcher.

The most recent to don # 27 for St. Lou was left-handed reliever Ron Villone. Let’s just say, in short, that he did not have the best of years in 2008. This guy could not throw a strike, and from what I saw, frequently walked players. In 75 appearances, Villone was 1-2 with a 4.68 ERA, striking out 50 and walking 37. Whenever Ron came into a game, trouble would soon show up, even if no one was on base. He’s a nice guy (he tossed several balls to kids at a Tigers game I was at), but he’s not a great pitcher. (Oddly enough, I happened to find the picture above with Comerica Park in the background. This was not the game I was at, but I found it funny that there’s a coincidence)

Looks like Maybin no longer has the braces

Young Cameron Maybin is all but a lock to lead off and play center field for the Marlins this season. And if his late season call up last year is any indication (when he went 12-25 from the lead off position) things are looking good for Fish fans.

Joe Hayden, Maybins manager with the Midland (Ohio) Redskins, said he had “the same instincts in the outfield and at the plate” as Ken Griffey, Jr., who Hayden also coached in the Connie Mack division.

Hello!

His first HR was in ‘07 (when he was called up with the Tigers) off of Roger Clemens, then Clemens plunked him with a fast ball in his next at bat. Figures.

After the 2007 season the Tigers traded Maybin, Andrew Miller, Mike Rabelo, Dallas Trahern, Eulogio De La Cruz, and Burke Badenhop to the always cash strapped Marlins for Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. 

Looking back on that trade I was really pissed off about it. No wait, I’m still pissed off about it.

But Florida GM Larry Beinfest, in his infinite wisdom, did the best with what he had to work with. Which is better than most GM’s. If not all. Maybin, Miller, Badenhop and probably Rabelo will be on the opening day roster.

The five tool Maybin was called up by the Fish in mid-September and promptly tied the Marlins’ records for consecutive hits at 8 and consecutive at bats reaching base at 10.

He seems like a decent guy to. While at spring training last year he signed my sweaty hat after signing stuff for kids for about 20 min. I could tell he didn’t want to but did anyway with no complaints.

But for some reason there is still talk of Emilio Bonifacio leading off. I don’t care that we traded Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham for him I do not want to see him on a major league field this season.

I think Craig over at Fish Stripes summed up Bonifacio better than I ever could. “…he can’t hit, doesn’t draw walks, is crappy at stealing bases but he can run his bat and helmet back to the dugout faster than anyone else in the majors after a non-productive out? I’m sold.”

Just four days until the Cardinals get there first spring beat-down!

First of all, before I get into today’s topic, the deal reported yesterday became official today, as the Dodgers signed Orlando Hudson to a 1 year 3.4 million dollar deal.  Hudson, who made $6.2 last year, was looking for a deal in the $10 million range, but settled for a significant pay cut from last season.

Now, on to todays topic, the Dodger rotation.  I’ve heard a lot of talks about how the Dodgers may have the hitting this season (especially if we resign Manny) but with the losses of Lowe and Penny, our rotation would be significantly diminished.  While losing those 2 arms won’t help, but they mght not hurt us as much as most may think.

We’ll start with our new ace, well not necessarily new to us, but new to the “ace” role, Chad Billingsley.   This will be his first season as our #1 pitcher and the 24 year old righty is coming off his best season and I think he’ll only get better.  He does have some control problems at times, but he strikes out more than a batter per inning.  The main concern for Billingsley this season will be how well he’s healed from the broken leg he suffered in the offseason.  He reported no pain when throwing off the mound recently, and hopefully he’s at 100% by opening day.

Our likely #2 will be Hiroki Kuroda.  Last year was his “rookie” year in the majors after playing in Japan and it took him a little bit to get used to MLB hitting, but he closed the season out well, which bodes well for this season.  During the months of August and September he posted ERAs of 2.29 and 2.96, and had two good starts in the playoffs, both wins, including 6 1/3 shutout innings against the Cubs.  The only knocks on him are his age, 33, and the fact that he usually only goes about 6 innings, but I look for him to be a solid #2.

Our #3 is likely to be Clayton Kershaw.  While his numbers don’t necessarily stand out in any way, he’s only 20 years old, and will be turning 21 before the season.  If you compare him to other young lefties, his rookie year was very similar to Tim Lincecum’s rookie year, and we all know Lincecum won the Cy in his 2nd season.  The thing about Kershaw is that he was 3 years younger than Lincecum in his rookie season, and could quite possibly have more upside.  Now, I’m not guarenteeing a Cy for Kershaw this season, but seeing a jump like we saw with Lincecum last season wouldn’t surprise me, especially from a guy who’s been compared to Sandy Koufax while in the minors.  Expect huge things from Kershaw.

1-3 we’re solid, but #4 we’ll turn to vet Randy Wolf.  I don’t really know what to expect from Wolf this season.  He’s an average pitcher who can hopefully eat up some innings and hopefully post a .500 record for us.  He did close out 2008 on fire, going 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA in September, and who knows, maybe he figured something out that he can use this season, but I’m just hoping for decent outings.

Finally, our #5 will have a lot of competition.  Leading the way will most likley be Jason Schmidt, if he’s healthy.  Would be nice if he was, seeing as we’ve been paying him top dollar for 6 starts over 2 seasons.  If he comes back healthy and to the form he was in SF, he could be the best #5 in the league.  If not, we might be stuck with Eric Milton or Jeff Weaver.  Milton is coming off Tommy John surgery and wasn’t really good the last 3 seasons he played.  Weaver hasn’t been much better, but the last time he was a Dodger in 2005, he was actually respectable. 

Overall, we actually may have a better rotation than we did last year, when you consider that we didn’t really have Penny long last year anyway, so we”re really only losing Lowe, and improvements to Billingsley, Kuroda, and Kershaw may make up for the loss.  We definitely have question marks in the 4 and 5, but we have 4, maybe 5 pitchers competing for 2 spots and hopefully they’ll step up.  I’m really looking forward to this season and seeing what our young pitchers can do, especially Kershaw.