Whats Wrong With Barry?

The buzz during the All-Star break had been that the Yankees were considering Barry Bonds, in the event Hideki Matsui needs season ending knee surgery.

Today, per this article on Fox Sports on MSN the Yankees and Richie Sexson have reached a deal. Sexson had a bad year last year and wasn't doing much better this year. Barry Bonds was one of the game's top hitters last year.

Is there really a conspiracy against Barry? If you had asked me that last week, I'd have laughed in your face and told you "No, there's just no one that feels he's worth a roster spot right now." But seeing the Yankees sign Sexson and ignore Bonds makes me really wonder. Maybe Jeff Boras (Bond's Agent) is correct, and there is a conspiracy to keep him out of baseball.

They Almost Did It Again

Baseball played it's annual All-Star Game last night. If you recall, the 2002 game ended in an extra-inning tie when the sides ran out of pitchers. So began much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Last night, the game was tied after 9 innings. And after 10. After 11. And so on until the 15th inning. At that point, all the pitchers had been used. Had the AL not won the game in the bottom of the 15th, would there have been a 16th inning? Both pitchers were pitching on 2 days rest. Both had strict pitch count limits. What then?

It's time to do away with this "make it count" idea. The All-Star Game is supposed to be an EXHIBITION. It doesn't count in the standings, the players stats don't count. So quit trying to pretend it's anything more important than an enjoyable game for the fans.

Good News for the Giants?

Rick Peterson was fired (freed?) by the New York Mets today. If all you read was the headline, you know that Mets manager Willie Randolph was fired, but along with him Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto were also let go.

What's in it for the San Francisco Giants? Peterson was the pitching coach when Barry Zito had his best years. Zito connected well with Perterson and there was much speculation he would sign with the Mets to be reunited with him. That was before the Giants wowed him with his 8 year, 128 million dollar contract. Zito has never pitched like a pitcher worthy of $18M a year. Frankly, I don't think he deserved it as he is not a staff ace, at best a #2 pitcher, more likely a #3. Right now Zito is pitching like a #5, and that's even debatable. Perhaps Peterson can bring out the best Zito can give the Giants.

There are hangups. There always are. First of all, the Giants have an excellent pitching coach in Dave Righetti. Secondly, when Peterson left the A's to go to the Mets he stated a desire to be closer to his family in New Jersey.

So what to do? Don't worry, I have an answer.

Hire Peterson as a consultant. School is just out so he could bring his family to San Francisco for the summer. He could work with Zito, in consultation with Righetti. When the Giants are on road trips he could either stay behind and meet the team when Zito pitches to give in game feedback, or treat it like with the Mets and go on the road trip. In August he could take his family back to NJ, get them settled and return for the remainder of the season. Playoffs won't be a worry.

That's my 2 cents.

Bad News For The Home Team

From SFGATE.com

Bad news for the home team. One of them anyways. Kevin Frandsen ruptured his Achilles' tendon in a minor league game today and will likely miss the season. Frandsen had been counted on to be a utility infielder. The Giants were already thin at infield position before Frandsen's injury.

More here

Spring Must Be Here

Spring must be here. They've been getting ready for basebal in AZ & FL for over a month. But the true measure of spring has just passed. Yesterday the Oakland A's & Boston Red Sox were getting ready to leave for a special trip to Japan. They were each to play a few exhibition games against japanese teams, then open the season against each other with 2 games in Tokyo. When all of a sudden there was a snag. It seems that the players and the manager of each team will get a 40K stipend for the "inconvenience" of traveling to Japan. Imagain, having to fly to Japan on a chartered jet, stay in 5 star hotels and eat the very best food. All on your company's dime. So in addition to your salary (which for many of them is over 1 Million a year), you get $40K in pocket change for your onconvenience. Rough life, huh?

The sticking point became when many of the players found out the coaches who were to accompany them were not getting paid extra, as had been promised in the beginning. So the players voted to boycott the trip unless the coaches were paid.

I am at a loss. I am glad to see the players looking beyond themselves for a change. But given that all are getting their normal salaries, traveling 1st class, staying 1st class, what exactly do they need an extra $40K for?

Just my 2 cents.

Maybe Next Year, Mark

The Baseball Hall Of Fame balloting results were announced today. Mark McGwire missed again, getting the exact same number of votes he got last year, 128.

McGwire has been pilloried over the steroid issue. For some reason people seem to think it is unfair that a hitter like McGwire or Bonds used steriods, that it caused an uneven playing field. Maybe he was juiced, maybe Bonds was too. But as the Mitchell report indicated, so were many pitchers. How is it unfair for hitters, but ok for pitchers?

We'll never know exactly who and how many players "juiced" during the 90s and early 2000s. Do we blot that whole era out? I think not. It is time to go forward, recognize the accomplishments of the players who did play then and work to make the game better in the future.

Busy Life, Busy at Stuff

It's that time of year when everything seems to come together to rob folks of their time. The holiday season is approaching (what's with the Christmas displays going up before Halloween is even over and done with?), baseball is winding down as the Red Sox (boo...hiss) teach the Rockies a thing or two about postseason play and football is in full gear with the Niners and Raiders failing to live up to expectations.

Things are going to be a little different on my blog, too. I spend a lot of my time in either the San Francisco Bay Area or the Branson, MO area. Or traveling back & forth. Here in CA we try and be ready for the next "big one" (earthquake). In Branson folks try and be ready for whatever the weather throws at them, be it tornados, an ice storm or what have you. The fires in Southern CA have shown that there is more than earthquakes that can cause problems. Lately my son who works in emergency services has said a lot of their talk and planning has been towards disaster preparation. That is some of what I will be dealing with in this blog in the near future. Until those posts start, remember one thing:

Go Rockies!!!

Barry & A-Rod

As I noted in my previous post, Barry Bonds hit his 755th home run last night. What I didn't comment on was Alex Rodriguez hitting his 500th home run earlier in the day. I find that interesting in that A-Rod is picked by many to be the one who surpasses Bonds for the career home run title. I expect that will happen. A-Rod was the youngest to ever reach 500 home runs. Assuming he hits another 25 this year (about his current pace), and plays 8 more years averaging 35 per year, that would give him 795 home runs. Would that be enough? I think so. Barry Bonds has hit 21 this year, or roughly 1 every 5 games. With 57 games left, that projects out to 11 more, or 766 for his career. I may be a little higher once the pressure of chasing the record is gone, but I don't think it would be much higher. Will Barry reach 800? I doubt it. He would have to suddenly get on a home run hot streak. Pitchers have to pitch to him, not around him. Finally, he would most likely have to play another year, something I don't see happening. Not that Barry may not want to play another year and pad his record (and seek 3000 hits), but I don't see any team willing to take him, and his baggage, on.

One More To Go

Barry Bonds hit his 755th home run tonight, to tie Babe Ruth as baseball's home run leader. One more and the home run record will be his. Maybe then the hoopla will end and we can all get back to just enjoying the game.

San Francisco Chronicle article

Roger's Back (YAWN)

Roger Clemens made a successful debut in his return to the New York Yankees today, earning the win by pitching 6 innings in the Yankees 9-3 win over the Pittsburd Pirates. Read More.

Personally, my thoughts are more in line with those expressed in this opinion article by Nancy Armour. I thought it was nice when he unretired the first time to pitch for his hometown Houston Astros. Last year, when he dithered before finally returning to the Astros, I was pretty much an uninterested observer. This year, I can honestly say I was tired of seeing his name in the paper and on online sports reports.

Maybe this year will finally be it, and we'll be spared any more "Clemens Drama" until he is elected to the Hall of Fame.

Cheating in Sports

I wish I could take credit for this, but it is from my Representative at Merril Lynch.

"In most sports today you have to ask who’s running the asylum. Baseball and football players keep saying they want to rid their game of drugs, but it’s hard to believe them when they keep fighting every effort to find the cheaters. Why are the players even in the mix when it comes to drugs in sports? The folks who run the game should be the onlty ones making the decisions or rules concerning banning the taking of illegal drugs in sports.
The latest battle is over human growth hormone. The World Anti-Doping Agency expects to have a blood test ready later this year for the previously undetectable drug. Athletes in Olympic sports will be subject to it. But the players in America’s two biggest sports don’t want any part of it. Again why are we even asking the ones who will be tested for cheating?
We’ve heard this before. Baseball has undergone a steroids scandal whose effects will continue to be felt as long as Barry Bonds is still swinging a bat and guys like Mark McGwire are on the Hall of Fame ballot because the players wouldn’t agree to be tested. They finally gave in on steroids, then fought like the devil against testing for amphetamines, finally agreeing to be tested for the drug that fueled the game for generations – as long as the penalties weren’t too severe.
This is very simple: If the players don’t like the rules against taking illegal drugs, don’t let them play the game. The reality is that players want to protect what they see as their right to cheat. There’s no other way to explain their unflinching resistance to every effort to root out the cheaters among them. They might say they don’t want cheaters, but if they meant that, they’d be the ones demanding the strictest testing possible. It’s just my thoughts!"

Thought provoking, isn't it?