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A Change of Venue but Still the Same Old Manny Ramirez
Manny Ramirez
Manny Ramirez Will Start His Chicago White Sox Career the Same Way He Ended in Los Angeles.
Manny Ramirez officially joined the White Sox in Cleveland Tuesday afternoon, but he apparently didn’t feel up to starting the game at DH after the long flight from Los Angeles.
So Ramirez will begin his White Sox career as he ended his stint with the Dodgers, on the bench. Though hopefully his first at-bat for Chicago will be more useful than his . He is, however, slated to be in the starting lineup Wednesday night at Progressive Field, where he had so much success as a youngster coming up with the Indians.
Ramirez arrived at the ballpark around 3:15 p.m. and met with the media a short time later — speaking only in Spanish, with coach Joey Cora acting as his interpreter. He was greeted warmly by Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen, who said Ramirez will DH and hit fifth when he is playing.
Guillen said it was his decision to keep Ramirez on the bench Tuesday, telling reporters he asked Ramirez how he was feeling and “I didn’t like the answer he gave me.”
Miami Could Reopen Marlins Parking Garage Deal
We know that Marlins president David Samson was already furious that Deadspin published the team’s financial records, but it’s a good bet that his anger level is even higher now that their publication is creating some issues with their stadium contract.
Miami mayor Tomas Regalado asked the city attorney to look into reopening the city’s contract with the Marlins for a parking garage at the team’s new MLB stadium, according to the Miami Herald. His request comes on the heels of Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa’s request that county administrators try to get the team to pony up more money for the stadium’s construction. In both cases, the revelation that the team made in excess of $30 million in 2008 and 2009.
“If the answer is in the negative, what recourse do we have to expose those who misinformed the commission and public during a public hearing?” Regalado, who voted against the stadium deal, asked the city attorney. Read More >>
Albert Pujols Hits 400th Career Homer
Albert Pujols hit his 400th career home run Thursday night, becoming the 47th major league player to reach that milestone.
The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman cranked a 0-1 pitch from Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann over the center field fence at Nationals Park in the top of the fourth inning for his 34th homer of the season. The 30-year-old hit the milestone in his 1,523rd major league game, breaking a tie with Al Kaline and Andres Galarraga on the all-time list. Both of those sluggers retired sitting on 399 homers.
Pujols’ total ranks eighth among active players, with Andruw Jones next at 405. Every player ahead of Pujols on that list is at least three years older, so he should have plenty of time to keep chipping away at the statistical landmarks still to be conquered.
Perhaps most impressive about Pujols’ power to date in his career is the command of the strike zone that has always accompanied it. He is one of just 16 players in baseball history to have accumulated at least 400 homers while walking more times than he has struck out. Cardinals legend Stan Musial is also on that list.
Dodgers Put Manny Ramirez on Waivers
It looks like we’ll finally get a chance to find out if all there’s fire behind all the smoke when it comes to interest in Manny Ramirez.
A baseball source confirmed that the Los Angeles Dodgers have placed the outfielder on waivers on Wednesday, which means teams have until Friday to put in a claim. If someone does claim Manny, the Dodgers have until Tuesday to decide whether to let him walk, pull him back or work out a trade with the claiming team.
With the Dodgers now well out of the race in the NL West, you can expect that they’ll be seriously looking at that final option. Picking up even a low-level prospect for Manny makes sense for a team that has an uncertain financial future. Failing that, they may just let him walk away to save a little bit of money now.
Numerous reports earlier this week placed the White Sox at the top of the list of interested suitors, but every National League team would need to pass on Ramirez before he is made available to American League clubs. One major league guesses that Ramirez will indeed pass through the NL without anyone placing a claim. Read More >>
Resilient Dusty Baker Deserves Praise, Not Bashing
It’s time for everybody to leave the most abused of baseball’s elite managers alone.
Not that Dusty Baker really cares what you think.
At 61, and with a fluent tongue in Spanish, an affinity for hunting and fishing and a stint in the Marines during the Vietnam War era, this proud son of Sacramento transcends balls and strikes. “Barack has been over to my home a couple of times,” said Baker, without the hint of pretension as we chatted in the visiting clubhouse at AT&T Park, where Baker’s reference was to the “Barack” you’re thinking about.
The president and the MLB manager.
They both continue to serve as punching bags for others, but they both continue to shrug off the left hooks.
Said Baker, who first met “Barack” when Obama was a U.S. Senator from Illinois, “I campaigned for him to become president. Knowing him and seeing the criticism that he gets, mine is nothing compared to that. I pray for my family, the world, for my team and for myself. And I also pray that President Obama stays strong, because I know what my small scale looks like from getting attacked, so I can only imagine …” Read More >>
Baseball’s Version of the N-word
Is It a No-No to Utter the Words ‘No-Hitter’ on the Air?
“This is the point in the ballgame, Bob, you start thinking about the possibility of a no-hitter,” John Flaherty said, addressing play-by-play man Bob Lorenz. “Two out here in the sixth, he has not given up a hit yet.”
Yes, Flaherty used baseball’s version of the N-word: no-hitter. With two out in the bottom of the sixth inning on June 6, with the New York Yankees‘ Javier Vazquez pitching in Toronto, YES Network broadcaster John Flaherty said something on the air about Vazquez he never would have said to Vazquez as a teammate.
“I wouldn’t have said it to him, but I would have said it to the guy sitting next to me on the bench,” Flaherty, a former big-league catcher, told FanHouse in recalling the moment. “I wouldn’t say anything to him, but when you’re having a conversation about it, you definitely say, ‘Oh, he’s got a no-hitter going.’ ” Read More >>
Possible Suiters for Manny Ramirez
The are yet to place Manny Ramirez on waivers, but the prevailing thought throughout baseball is that it’s only a matter of time before the team does just that. The Dodgers trail San Diego by 12 games in the NL West — with San Francisco and Colorado between them — and the ongoing divorce between the team’s owners has them in a money-shedding mood.
So it makes sense for the Dodgers to see if they can get anything for Manny, and it seems they already know there will be at least one suitor interested in his services. Numerous tweets say that Kenny Williams and the White Sox are itching to place a claim on Ramirez.
Both Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and Joe Cowley of the say that Williams plans on placing a waiver claim on Ramirez if he gets the chance, with Cowley saying a major league source told him that Williams “is pushing all his chips on getting Manny Ramirez.” Read More >>
Bud Selig at Major League Baseball’s Forefront
Bud Selig worried about this day for several weeks, leading up to seeing his statue for the first time.
“Given the guy didn’t have much to work with because I was never confused with Clark Gable, I thought he did a masterful job,” Selig said at the unveiling Tuesday. “I thought he captured me really remarkably well.”
The former Milwaukee Brewers owner who became baseball commissioner was honored with a bronze, 7-foot statue in front of Miller Park. It was designed and produced by Brian Maughan and portrays Selig with his right arm extended, his hand holding a baseball.
The statue joined those of Robin Yount and Hank Aaron at the stadium Selig pushed to get built.
Yount, Aaron and fellow Hall of Famers Frank Robinson, Ernie Banks and Al Kaline attended the ceremony along with more than a dozen owners and other dignitaries representing the 30 clubs. Rachel Robinson, the widow of Jackie Robinson, also sat in the front row. Read More >>
The New York Yankees Biggest Opponent
When the look in their rear-view mirror, they should be most concerned not with the tailgating Rays nor the blip in the distance known as the Red Sox.
The biggest threat bearing down the on the New York Yankees is Father Time.
If they don’t repeat as World Series champions, the reason could very well be age.
The Yankees went into their weekend series with the Mariners with the third-highest batting age in the American League (31.3) and by far the highest pitching age (30.9). By comparison, the teams that look like the rest of the AL playoff field — Texas, Minnesota and Tampa Bay — are among the five youngest offenses.
“Age isn’t a concern to me,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “Every year we’ve had old and young. At this point in the season, like every team, it’s got to come together. Read More >>
Will The Texas Rangers GM Sill Stand by Ron Washington
Ron Washington’s contract is coming to an end in his fourth season.Washington has been told by the Texas Rangers that they want Washington to come back after this season ends.
After the season ends, Chuck Greenberg indicated that Washington’s contract would be addressed. The team president Nolan Ryan will be approved as the team’s new owner next week.
Ryan’s response to the Rangers request, “We’ve told Wash that we want him back and we’ll address it at the appropriate time, and he’s very comfortable with that. Obviously, we anticipate him being back next year. As far as working out the details and stuff, that will be done at the appropriate time. There aren’t things right now that are incomplete as far as people not knowing.” Read More >>
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