In case you missed it
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Feb 19, 2010 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Baseball news continues to happen outside of the Yankees spring training complex in Tampa.
Just a few miles away in Dunedin, the Blue Jays have signed former Yankees backup catcher Jose Molina and will have him compete for a bench job against former Scranton/Wilkes-Barre catcher Raul Chavez.
The Yankees, meanwhile, seem ready to go with Francisco Cervelli on the big league bench. There are a total of seven catchers in camp, but veteran Mike Rivera seems to be Cervelli’s only real competition, and even he seems to be a long shot.
• The Johnny Damon saga continues. The White Sox are out of it, but they might not be totally out of it. The Tigers are on the verge of signing him, but might not actually be close at all. The Rays and Braves might be lingering, or they might be long gone.
• Chien-Ming Wang is officially with the Nationals. “I would like to do my best to make a contribution to this team’s tradition,” Wang said. The Nationals’ tradition? Sounds like Wang’s hoping to repeat last year’s numbers.
• Not what the Angels wanted to hear from Hideki Matsui: “To be honest, my knees aren’t 100 percent.”
• Nice job over at NoMaas, landing an interview with Brian Cashman. Nice answer by Cashman, explaining the decision to sign Randy Winn (and Marcus Thames) instead of Reed Johnson: “My 4th outfielder has to have a history of playing full seasons.”
• Count LeBron James among those expecting championship No. 28. “With the loss of Johnny Damon, it may hurt us, and also Matsui,” James told MTV.com, “But I think the guys are gonna come back.”
• The World Series trophy made it’s way up to Connecticut today (thanks to Tyler for passing along the link).
• Finally, a link that was emailed to me at least a half dozen times: Rumor has it that Ben Affleck — yes, that Ben Affleck, the one from Boston – might be making a movie about one of the more bizarre stories in Yankees history.
Well College Baseball opens tonight, with Cal State Fullerton taking on Oregon……Fullerton has a pitcher to keep an eye out for, Daniel Renken……Gerrit Cole ( remember him ) is going to be the Ace of the UCLA staff…He posted decent numbers 4-8 but his ERA was 3.49 and his stuff translated well to the College level…Still has an electric arm, and just blows his 97 mph heater by hitters….Shame he didn’t ink with the Yanks….
Is Affleck going to play Fritz Peterson or Mike Kekich? or, one of the wives?
Chad, The Matsui bbrief interview also included that a few weeks after the W.S., he was cleared for his off-season work-outs….Furthermore, His knees are another years removed from surgery and are better now than when he reported to camp last season……He will not see any real time in leftfield this season, as he’s in Anahiem to hit, and hit he will…..
Pat, I am going to try a make a Carolina game this weekend. They needed extra innings to win today vs George Washington (yikes). I know you are enjoying the basketball struggles ole Roy is experiencing this year. Goodnight all.
In this instance, Wang is polite to a fault.
Chad,
The site that you linked for the Cash interview is still filtered. Could that be changed?
“• Chien-Ming Wang is officially with the Nationals. “I would like to do my best to make a contribution to this team’s tradition,” Wang said. The Nationals’ tradition? Sounds like Wang’s hoping to repeat last year’s numbers.”
******
Chad, is this the only way you can wish for Chien-Ming??????????????????????
Chicago needs to pony up the $$$ for Damon.
Damon doesn’t want to play in miserable Detroit. His wife doesn’t want to live there either and I don’t blame them.
They want to live in a cosmopolitan city with a contending team… and the White Sox fit that description. They need to stop being foolish and give Damon what he wants….
I guess I should have read the story first, but, it was the only “bizarre” Yankee stories that I know of.
By the way, not on;y are Fritz and Susanne still together, they’ve been married for nearly 30 years. Kekich and Marilyn split up about four months after the “trade”. Fritz says that she’s had a tough time with alcohol for years.
Also best of luck to Fritzie, who’s trying to beat prostate cancer.
Best Line on the trade? New York Yankees General Manager Lee MacPhail remarked, “We may have to call off Family Day.”
I actually met Fritz at a Chicken Delight as a kid, and the first Mrs. Peterson, Marilyn, who was pregnant at the time, was in the car. He gave me his autograph on a napkin (which I still have), left, then came back because he had forgotten his chicken.
“I would like to do my best to make a contribution to this team’s tradition,” Wang didn’t say that in Chinese,it’s the problem of translation…..
Here’s hoping that Chien-ming Wang has a successful comeback playing for the Witness Protection Program known as the Washington Nationals and is able to keep his career going beyond 2010.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9.....451651434/
I’m still weirded out when LeBron talks like he’s part of the Yankees.
I know he and CC are close, but jeez.
GreenBeret7
February 19th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
You tried making your point by using a combination of useless and bogis numbers.
————————–
Some of the statistics I used were AVG, OBP, HR, SB, and OPS.
If those are bogus as well, WTH is acceptable to you?
Harold Reynolds is a nice guy, but seriously – he wants to keep Phil and Joba both as relievers permanently? I remember people used to say that SP was the most important thing on a team, yet now when it comes to the Yankees, it’s not. Only the Yankees have to give up on their very talented youngsters…. I have to roll my eyes
My parents knew people who switched partners – I still think it’s extremely weird and I can’t imagine how uncomfortable it was for the kids of both marriages as they went to the same high school.
How about this? The late Ted Uhlaender’s daughter Katie is in the Olympics for the USA. Ted Uhlaender was a pretty decent ball player for the Twins, Indians and Reds. Really good center fielder.
Hey Mr Nick in SF-
I win!!!!
Honestly GreenBeret, you take your arrogance, ignorance, and immaturity to a new level as each day goes by.
I do not come here to argue with you. I come here to talk baseball and yet you insist on childish bickering and constant snide remarks.
It is time for you to grow up. Pretty sad coming from a 22 year old.
“My parents knew people who switched partners ”
I can understand doing it for a night, but jeez, keep it to yourselves.
Yup, Erica, you won, Wang is gone. My first LoHud bet loss.
Rich, I meant they switched permanently, just like Kekich and Peterson.
I know, Betsy. I think that’s taking it too far. There’s a phrase for it, but I’m not going to post it here.
lets go yankees
February 19th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
Honestly GreenBeret, you take your arrogance, ignorance, and immaturity to a new level as each day goes by.
I do not come here to argue with you. I come here to talk baseball and yet you insist on childish bickering and constant snide remarks.
It is time for you to grow up. Pretty sad coming from a 22 year old.
————————————————————
It was a joke, junior. Perhaps you can buy a sense of humor at Wal-Mart’s. You’re sorely in need of one.
There are no Wal-Mart’s in NYC. Do they carry that at K-Mart?
GB, I remember the Peterson / Kekich episode quite well…The Vets spoke openly about it, but us non-rosters kept our mouths shut……George had just bought the club and went out of his mind over it…..Never faced Mike, but did get a few hacks against Fritz in some early spring bp….By the time it all came down, I was reassigned to the minor league camp…..Fort Lauderdale was a happening place back then……..Erica, how do I pay my Tab ????
Nick in SF
February 19th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Yup, Erica, you won, Wang is gone. My first LoHud bet loss.
****************
Wow. I am honored to have been your first
Pat M-
Honestly, you don’t have to. I really feel weird taking money from you.
Nick in SF, You win even for losing…Erica, tell me how to settle up ????
But you don’t feel weird taking money from me?????
Erica, don’t worry , I’m sending the bill to Cashman
Nick in SF
February 19th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
But you don’t feel weird taking money from me?????
********
My weirdness will be irrelevent cause we are (sadly) probably breaking even.
I lost the bet I really wanted to win
Pat M.
February 19th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Erica, don’t worry , I’m sending the bill to Cashman
*******
Well, in that case bill him double for making me sad over the loss of Johnny.
But I am serious. Don’t worry about it
Well, if you feel wierd taking money from me then you can send me $25 if/when Damon signs elsewhere.
In the meantime, I would be happy to act as intermediary for Pat M to get in touch with you to settle up so you don’t have to post contact info here.
Pat M, if you write to me at sftweeindieguy@yahoo.com, I can forward your message to Erica and then she can tell you how to pay up.
Pat M.
February 19th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
GB, I remember the Peterson / Kekich episode quite well…The Vets spoke openly about it, but us non-rosters kept our mouths shut……George had just bought the club and went out of his mind over it…..Never faced Mike, but did get a few hacks against Fritz in some early spring bp….By the time it all came down, I was reassigned to the minor league camp…..Fort Lauderdale was a happening place back then……..Erica, how do I pay my Tab ????
————————————————————
I really was hoping that Stottlemyre, Peterson and Bahnseon were going to make a great roration and then, when Doc Medich joined them, it looked like the start of a rotation to rivel Baltimore’s. the they traded Bahnsen for mckinney, Peterson stopped being good and then traded, Stottlemyre tore his rotator cuff and Medich was traded for Randokph and Ellis. Everything was gone in 3 years.
“Phil talked about the Office all the time on his blog – sounds like a good way to me to decide the 5 spot, lol.”
————-
Betsy,
did I tell you how I used that to my advantage to get a World Series ball from Phil?
Game 5 in Philly, tons of people against the left field wall yelling to him to throw them a ball. I walk up, yell “Hey Phil, I love Seinfeld too!”
He turns around, smiles at me, and tosses me the ball.
Good night Yankee people
Sadly, the accountants of America have to work tomorrow
GB, Fritz was an outstanding young pitcher, as you pointed out he was the centerpiece of a good young staff….Munson, Bloomberg, were joining Murcer and White….The swap was the end for Fritz though…..Yanks had another guy back then who I thought was going to have a big career, Freddy Beene…..However both Freddy & Fritz ended getting traded for Chris Chambliss…..And we know how that turned out….Along with Puff Nettles the year before….
I remember Freddie Beene. A little right hander with a big curve and alon with big Steve Kline, and Lindy McDaniel coming out of the bullpem and it looked like it would last forever.
BD, no I didn’t know that – wow, how cool!Phil seemed to keep the media in stitches today – kid has a good sense of humor.
The real surprise in tha Peterson/Chambliss trade was NYYs getting Dick Tidow.
***Tidrow***
After the Bahnsen trade, the worst mistake NYYs made in that era was trading Larry Gura to KC for Fran Healey.
Dick ” Dirt ” Tidrow…He was really the first real set-up reliever, as he’d turn it over to Sparky….He’s high up in the SF Giants Front Office now….Freddy was tough to hit, little guy, who was sneeky fast & you’re right GB, big hook
[[ This is double-posted.. once under the relevant subject), and once under this, the current posting (so it gets read at least once)]]
I just did an analysis of possible pitching starts vs the Yankee’s schedule. Based on the following assumptions:
1. placing starters in order based on who is considered #1, #2, etc. (Place all of CC’s starts on the schedule first, then all of AJ’s starts, etc.)
2. starters always get at least 4 days of rest.
3. when there is a day off, the next starting pitcher could jump over someone if they are higher (in the 1-5 ranking) than the one they would jump over.
4. NOTE that I made no adjustments in September to give top starters a little extra rest (which of course may change is appropriate).
Results- If nothing were to change during the year (injuries, weather days, giving someone an extra day off, etc), I estimate the following number of starts for each pitcher:
CC 36
AJ 36
Andy 34
Javy 32
J/P 24 (Joba/Phil)
CC and AJ have 2 more starts than Andy because they start and end the year, as well as having the last 2 before and first 2 after the All Star Game. Javy gets jumped over a few ties. J/P only gets 24 starts (if my Girardi follows the assumptions I used and always skips J/P when one of the others can be moved up.)
Note that 24 starts = 144 innings at 6 innings/gm or 156 at 6.5 innings/gm, so innings limitations should not be an issue.
Pat M.
February 20th, 2010 at 12:17 am
Dick ” Dirt ” Tidrow…He was really the first real set-up reliever, as he’d turn it over to Sparky….He’s high up in the SF Giants Front Office now….Freddy was tough to hit, little guy, who was sneeky fast & you’re right GB, big hook
————————————————————
I don’t remember Beene’s fastball much, but, that curve was as big as Blyleven’s and Camilo Pasqual’s.
Loved Tidrow. He’d pitch any time and in any situation and always seemed to get the job done.
After seeing his curve, the fastball looked like an asprin
Pat M, I got your email and I’ve forwarded it along to Erica. Sorry I led you down this path of bitter defeat.
Sports Geek, that’s interesting, but I’m hoping that neither CC nor AJ will be starting the final game of the regular season.
The Yanks aren’t going to start Sabathia and Burnett 36 times. There’s zero reason for it.
Nick in SF…I failed to mention that I have 2 tickets for the Yanks /Dodgers in June, and I might be able to squeeze 2 more out of Clear Channel…I’ll know in by mid-April….Yanks in LA in late June…..Will yo be around ???/
Matsui, always the professional, has moved on …professionally. I wish him well but kinda wanted him to pine for NY at least just a little.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/.....7284.story
The early 70s team had so much promise, before the injuries and a few i;;-advised trades. The kids that I remember from the mid-60s were Rich (Boom-Boom) Beck and Bill Burbach. Then came Gil Patterson just after Guidry came up. Lord, what arms.
Pat M, June is still a ways off, but I will most likely be around. Sounds great, I’ve only been to Dodger Stadium once.
By the way, could it be possible that you slightly overvalue Andre Ethier because his name sounds so elegant when uttered by Vin Skully?
“Sometimes you can get swallowed up in New York with guys like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Maybe Hideki was kind of lost in some of those names as far as what he brought to that team.
What in the world is Scioscia smoking.
Make that Vin Scully. Doh!
Yeah, that was a very transparent diss of NY by Scioscia. Watching the Yankees kick his team’s ass in the ALCS was extra sweet because of the jerk that he can be.
I have to admit, however, that Matsui does look sort of good in red.
Yanks will miss Hideki Matsui….I know I’m in the minority on this, however when it comes to the 5 hitter, and you need a big hit, you’ll miss him…..Nick in SF, I watch Andre Ethier play alot, and he’s getting better every season…He’s 27, and he’s a slugging right fielder…I always like slugging rightfielders…..And yeah, Vinny does a nice job when he rolls off Andre Ethier….He’s the Bob Shepard of broadcasting….
GB, I think when George brought Gabe Paul over from Cleveland, he told him to clean house….I mean, Sparky, Thurman & Roy White were the only holdovers as everyone elese was gone by 75….Paul did an amazing job in retooling the club & this was before free agency…..
Yeah, the 1973-74 teams were about a 85-90 turn-over in 2 years. I hated seeing Murcer go because he and White were the final link to Maris and Mantle.
Murcer eventually turned into Mickey Rivers and Eddie Figueroa and two titles. McDaniel became Lou Pinella. Cater became Sparky Lyle. Medich became Ellis and Randolph and Gamble became Bucky “Effin” Dent. Charlie spikes and Jerry Kenny became Graig Nettles and Peterson/Kekich became Chambliss. Paul did a great job, but the Bahnsen/McKinney deal just killed me. It took only two years.
What could have been the best trade of all ended with bad turf at Shea Stadium when Elliott Maddox knee exploded. Not a bad cash deal there.
GB, Elliot was a great find by Gabe Paul….He was a .300 plus hitter, lead the league in on base , and was as good as Fred Lynn defensively….The sod at Shea was terrible in 75, as both the Jets and Giants had just finished using the stadium and both the Yanks & Mets were still using it…..His contention in his siut vs. NYC, The Mets & Yanks was that the city didn’t prep the soil for the sod to take effect…He ended up losing the siut as it was determined that he knew of the risk…..Yanks ended up with Mickey Rivers, and the rest is history
Tigers offer Damon a contract.
February 20th, 2010 at 2:59 am
Tigers offer Damon a contract.
————————————————-
Kennedy shot in Dallas
@Pat M.
You Shouldn’t be the minority in that fact. The Yankees will definitely miss Matsui’s performance out of that 5 spot. He was great. However, it was sadly his time to depart from the organization. He will be missed, but he had to go.
Future Knick LeBron a class act both a Yankee and Cowboy fan.
RhapsodyInBlue says:
February 20, 2010 at 6:45 am
Future Knick LeBron a class act both a Yankee and Cowboy fan.
——————————————————
So like his FG% he’s shooting 50% with his favorite teams.
Thanks for the Connecticut love Chad. Here’s a link to some pictures of me with the trophy if anyone’s interested:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4.....4371033797
New post
GB, Pat, I saw Steve Kline pitch a nine inning shutout at the Stadium back in those lean old days. Roy White beat Gaylord Perry with a single up the middle in the bottom of the ninth.
At the time, my wife worked for Citibank, I think, in the department that handled the bank’s tickets. There weren’t many takers in the middle of the week, believe it or not, so I’d sometimes get box seat freebees a few rows behind 3rd base. One day I’m sitting there with a friend during batting practice. There couldn’t have been more than a few hundred people in the place. Danny Cater finishes his swings and starts jogging around the bases – carrying his bat. Well,as Cater approached third, my friend yells out, “Hey, Cater, you huckleberry (or words to that effect), you don’t carry your bat around the bases.” Well, Cater stops in his tracks and does this real stare down in our direction – like a challenge. At that point, my friend, who was about 6’4″, 240 lbs, and as strong as he looked, stood up. Cater didn’t waste a second in completing his jog to home, to the laughter of most of the fans in the Stadium.
Those may have been amongst the worst of times for Yankee fans, but boy was it great to walk up to the ticket office and easily get good, and not terribly expensive, seats the day of the game.
Great stories bringing back memories to another fan who started following the team during the worst of the ’60′s. I too was disappointed by the Bahnsen trade which broke up a potentially devastating rotation of Stottlemyre, Peterson, Bahnsen, & Kline. Pat M — My recollection is that Larry Gura and Elliott Maddox were both on Billy Martin’s *&^% list and that’s why they were given away. Is that correct?
Anyone go to the WFAN show in mohegan sun last week???
If you did, you would have been privy to watching Carlton Fisk make an ass out of himself. He is already being paid by the FAN for his spot on the show, and he had the balls to charge people $40 for autographs. He said that the money was going to his cancer charity, but when one irate female fan explained that Goose signed for free last year, he blurted out to her, are you going to pay my mortgage???
A real piece of sh##$. Hope this makes it to the autograph circut. I wouldn’t give the bast(*& a nickel!!!
Wang now move forward towards a new way, why should you give him unnecessary ridicule.
shut up lebron