Happy New Year, indeed!
The MLB Network was launched (fine way to start off 2009, huh?), and after MLB Commissioner Allan H. �Bud� Selig�s introductory speech, the first program on MLB Network�s schedule was Hot Stove Live, which led off at the network�s 6:00pm debut time. Prior to its launch, the channel�s very first program was Epic Moments, which highlighted the best performers and performances in MLB history. Following the aforementioned Hot Stove Live was All Time Games, an anthology series that placed the best MLB games alongside interviews with some of the surviving contributors to the successes in question � in this case, Don Larsen�s Perfect Game in Game 2 of the 1956 World Series between �Dem Bums� and the Yankees. You knew the true Best Team in Baseball had to come first! (No offense to Albert Pujols�)
1.2: Bard in Boston?
According to several sources, Boston supposedly agreed to a deal with Josh Bard, but no word was given on whether this contract would be official.
1.3: Handsome A.J. BURNETT Turning 32
�Nuff said.
1.6: Handsome MARK TEIXEIRA Donning Pinstripes for First Time
So Mark Teixeira officially exposed himself in his sexy new wardrobe. However, Pettitte didn�t want the Yanks� $10 million offer to come back for 2009. Are you serious, Pettitte? And you wanted more than that? You spoiled brat, you! I�m sure most people remember a 1977 issue of Sports Illustrated that said: �Greed�Look What It�s Done to Our Players.�
According to MLB.com, Sergio Mitre (Yankees Triple-A Pitcher) and J.C. Romero (Phillies�I brought him up anyway) each received 50-game suspensions for using dope. What �dopes!� Bugs Bunny would have approved.
The Jason Giambi Cat and Oakland were close to being reunited for the first time in eight years.
In other news, American League Champion diva Tampa Bay brought already World Series champion Pat Burrell (from Philly!) into her roster.
1.7: �K-Rod� Turns 27; Jon Lester Turns 24
End of discussion.
Ah, Mariano Rivera. You would be one of Panama�s trimmed down 28 participants in the WBC.
As for the Jason Giambi Cat, he and Oakland made a deal for the 2009 season�just in time for Giambi�s 37th birthday the following day. Oakland let him go in November 2001; he played with the Yankees only to have his reputation be tarnished after admitting to steroid use; and now there he was, back in the Athletics Nation.
1.8: Smoltz, Baldelli Headed for Red Sox Nation, but Nady or Swish Might Have to Leave New York
Aside from the Jason Giambi Cat turning 37 and Jeff Francoeur of Atlanta turning 25, John Smoltz and Tampa Bay vet Rocco Baldelli would become part of the Red Sox Nation. Smoltz had spent his entire MLB career in Atlanta, but now it was time for him to see red in a whole new region.
The acquisition of Mark Teixeira left the Yankees with a major dilemma: Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher had no active place in the outfield, which most likely meant that either or both would have to go. Now, the Yanks might keep Nady, who was great in 2008, but I don�t know about Nick Swisher. The Centerfielder position was strictly reserved for Gardner vs. Melky, but I very much doubt the Yanks will do an abrupt second off-season trade on Swishy. At least not yet!
We�ll just have to wait and see.
Oh, and not that this matters, but Elvis Presley was born on this day in 1935.
1.9: Mark Kotsay, Mama Sa, Mama Coo Sa?
Boston signed Kotsay, Penny, and Baldelli, and was close to signing Smoltz. Angel Berroa signed a Minor League deal with the Yankees, who also signed one with John Rodriguez. The Mets? They were ready to sign a 1-year contract with Tim Redding!
Jeter, Chipper, McCann, David Wright, J.J. Putz, and others were mentioned as USA Baseball revealed the players for their roster in the WBC.
In other news, Trevor Hoffman went to Milwaukee and signed a 1-year deal with them.
1.10: Atlanta Got Somebody�
�and that somebody was Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami.
Boston completed his deal with Bard, and signed Takashi Saito for the 2009 season.
In other news, B-Jays manager Cito Gaston earned the Jackie Robinson Award for Lifetime Achievement.
1.11: Yanks, Nats Discuss Possible Trade of Nady and/or Swish
The Yanks and Nats began making negotiations to determine whether Nady or Swish would become part of the Nationals Nation. Washington had high interest in Nady, and some interest in Swishy. (He was attempting to get both of them because Nick Johnson was still recuperating from his injuries.) Will he get both? Who would the Yankees get? Stay tuned.
1.12: Did Rickey Henderson Make the Hall of Fame Ballot?
Yes, but then so did Jim Rice, who spent all 15 seasons with Boston and was an 8-time All-Star. Rickey, arguably the greatest base thief of all time (who is Jose Reyes, anyway?) and a 10-time All-Star, got 96.4% of the required votes for election, and Jim got 76.8% (you must get 75%). While Jim was fortunate enough to get there in his last year of eligibility, Rickey�s name seemed to be a guaranteed confirmation for HOF entry on the first try from the very minute he was eligible.
Mattingly didn�t make a dent in the voting, but then nor did HOF eligibility newbie David Cone. Notables that also didn�t get in were Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven. And don�t even talk to me about �Mark Misfire� or �Pete Hose.� They don�t deserve to get in based on what they did.
Omar Infante signed a two-year deal with the Braves.
Rumor had it that San Francisco joined D.C. in the fight over Swisher, offering the Yanks Matt Cain in exchange for Swish and Ian Kennedy. And speaking of the Yanks, investigation of Clemens� case for possible perjury went under way again. Now that was not a rumor.
Boston? He was seeking Miguel Montero�s talent!
1.13: Atlanta Gets Lowe, but Could She Get Nady or Swisher?
Just as Atlanta signed Kenshin to a 3-year deal, Derek Lowe became part of Hank Aaron�s territory, but rumor had it that Atlanta was also pondering adding either Nady or Swish to her roster. That would be real cute, to see Nick Swisher in an Atlanta Braves uniform, and chilling with Chipper Jones in the Braves dugout. Still, with three teams fighting over Nady and Swishy, the Yanks have so much on their plate. Maybe this is just a rumor. What the Yanks will probably do is send Nady and Swishy to�I dunno�Frisco? Atlanta? Washington? Anywhere?
All I kept reading about on the Yankees Message Board was �trade Swisher this� and �keep Nady that.� I said to myself: �Keep wishing for that, Yankees fans�that just might happen, and then you�ll be satisfied.� But Nady�s got the energy, and I love Mark Teixeira. Go figure.
I don�t know about Michael Young in the pinstripes. The Yanks already have their Jeter.
John Smoltz was introduced to the Red Sox Nation.
1.14: It�s a �Cust�-om.
According to several sources, Jack Cust was bound to stay in Oakland for the next year, avoiding salary arbitration.
The Yankees defended funding for their new stadium�s completion, and was Pettitte really going to come back to the Yanks for the �09 season or not? First he rejects their $10 million offer; now he�s undecided? Make up your mind, honey! Either you come back or you don�t!
Kudos to Mets newbie �K-Rod� for winning the A.L. Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year Award (as per the MLB Network�s 2008 American League Awards special)! Kevin Youkilis also took one of their honors.
In other news, Andruw Jones� days with Dodger Blue were officially done. Michael Young? He accepted the Rangers' offer to put him in Third Base!
1.15: New Met in Town
The Mets signed Alex Cora.
In an attempt to boost their Starting Rotation, the Yankees joined the Mets, Rangers, and Anaheim in the fight over Pitcher Freddy Garcia. And Jorge Posada wouldn't play in the WBC after all.
Derek Lowe? He got the opening round of applause in Atlanta!
1.16: Happy Birthday Pujols!
Albert Pujols, the sexy National League MVP from St. Louis, turned 29.
The Yankees (whose Xavier Nady was guaranteed to remain in their outfield � go ahead, baby!) and Mets would receive additional funding for their yet to be opened stadiums. The amount: some $400m plus.
Clemens was liable to be indicted for insisting he was steroid-free back in February 2008.
Meanwhile, Boston suspended Minor League performer Christopher de la Rosa for 50 games for taking illegal drugs, and so did the Mets to one of their own Minor Leaguers: Junior Guerra. This happened just as Boston himself completed his 4-year deal with Youkilis.
1.17: Manny in Pinstripes? �Not in the Cards,� Cash Sez
I was reading an article on Las Mayores and MLB.com, and it told me that the Yanks had no interest in getting Manny Ram�rez. Smart move, because only die-hard Yankees fans thought Manny was that interested in the Yanks. Second of all, the Yanks didn�t seem interested in trading anybody else at this point, let alone increasing their expenditure, unless any team made them an offer they couldn�t refuse (heck even Brian Cashman said so himself). And finally, the Yanks had already spent nearly $424 million just on Sabathia, Burnett, and Teixeira. How much more should they spend? They didn�t even get near their $209 million payroll, for crying out loud!! (So said this article.)
[Imagines following scenario
YANKEES FANS: We want Manny! We want Manny! We want Manny! (Sound of banging drums)
BRIAN CASHMAN: Are you nuts?!? We just spent $423.5 million on three free agents, and you want me to try to get Manny? I don�t want to get Manny�but I�ll try.]
Jorge Posada changed his mind about participating in the WBC.
In other news, Cole Hamels agreed to stay in Philadelphia, where he won both the NLCS and World Series MVP titles, for the next three years.
1.19: On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the World Baseball Classic Rosters Are Announced.
Only the very best of the best performers in MLB during the previous year were invited to participate in the World Baseball Classic, and I�ll mention some of the players that MLB Network�s World Baseball Classic Tonight Roster Special revealed. Those names included Jose Reyes, �Dice-K� (who of course won the 2006 WBC MVP trophy), A-Rod (this time representing the Dominican Republic), David Ortiz, Russell Martin (representing Team Canada), Chipper Jones (!), Carlos Quentin (!!), David Wright, Geovany Soto, Derek Jeter, Alfonso Soriano, Ivan Rodriguez, Jimmy Rollins (yes, Mr. Big Mouth himself who was right), Cole Hamels, Mike Napoli, Albert Pujols [whistles], Matt Stairs, Miguel Tejada, Manuel Acosta, Justin Morneau, Mike Piazza (as bench coach for Team Italy), Ichiro Suzuki, Omar Vizquel, Carlos �Big Z� Zambrano (!), Dustin Pedroia, Carlos Delgado, Mike Lowell, and maybe Johan Santana but his knee operation had yet to determine whether he�d be in or out�plus other names way too numerous to mention, many of whom I�d never heard of before!
The full list of all 16 teams, their rosters, their pools, and their locations of play were available at this link.
Now, let me comment on the selections. Jeter was no doubt an odds-on favorite to make Team USA�s roster, as were Chipper, J-Roll, Dustin, and the like. A-Rod representing his native DR�at least he made the best decision by representing his native territory. Carlos Quentin�I have one thing to say about him: Whee-wheew! He was simply awesome in 2008, and his presence in Team USA�s lineup adds to its burning sexiness! Ichiro�he deserved to get in there, in Team Japan. Ditto for �Dice-K.� Delgado and Beltran (who I forgot to mention) would represent Team PR, but who is this �Yu Darvish� guy from Japan? I never heard of him! I read that his playing style is supposed to be very intense!
How did Manuel Acosta get in here? He was trash in 2008! Ditto for Pudge! But oh well.
The Mets began seeking opportunities to grab Ben Sheets, and add him to their Pitching Rotation.
In other news, Huston Street was signed for one year of service for the Colorado Rockies. It would be either him or another sexy Rocky reow�Manuel Corpas�as the Rockies� closer. And speaking of the WBC, Huston was one of the players on Team USA�s 2006 WBC roster, but this time he wouldn�t be in it because his stats were shit. Good luck, Huston. I hope you make up for your crappy last two years with Oakland!
Okay, I�m gonna stop with the Huston Street shit already and get ready for something different.
1.20: Nady, Melky, and Yanks Avoid Arbitration on 44th American President�s Inauguration
According to several sources, the Yanks avoided arbitration and would give Xavier Nady and Melky Cabrera 1-year deals�a move that tripled Melky�s 2008 salary. Now, whether or not Nady and Nick Swisher would stay, I still don�t have any information on this, but only time will tell what will become of them.
Speaking of avoiding arbitrations, Boston signed Papelbon and J. Lo (Javier L�pez) for one year. The Mets? They signed Angel Pag�n and others to 1-year deals, too, also avoiding arbitration!
In other news, Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., was crowded with some 2 million people, as now President Barack Obama officially took center stage as the 44th president of the USA. Joseph Biden took office as the Vice President. Some of the celebrities present at the Inauguration included Dustin Hoffman and recent Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Golden Globe winner Steven Spielberg. Aretha Franklin and Yo-Yo Ma were among the performers at this Inauguration, and Academy Award-winning veteran composer John Williams was present, but to hear an original composition that he made for this event.
The only reason I mentioned this was that MLB.com had the whole Inauguration live on its website.
The only thing bringing down the tone of this whole event was the sudden collapse of Senators Edward Kennedy and Robert Byrd.
1.21: Irrelevant Garbage #1�Someone Discontented with MLB Network�s Schedule
A disgusted baseball fan posted a message on the Yankees Message Board that went something like this. I only listed the first few replies to this topic up to my response.
Topic: �Is It Me, or Does the MLB Network Show a Lot of Red Sox?�
YanksNeverWinwARod: It�s like everyday they are showing Red Sox this or Red Sox that. Today: Red Sox Memories.
Yesterday, it was the 2007 World Series. I mean come on. There are 31 other teams to talk about where good or bad.
Yankee58RI: I keep waiting for the real MLB Network to start.
Soxtalk: I rather like it. I�m sure they will have their fill of Yankee excitement too. The Red Sox are one of the hot teams today. I think that is why they are paying tribute.
ME (responding to YanksNeverWinwARod): You�re right. That�s all I�ve been seeing all too frequently on the MLB Network: Boston this, Boston that, Boston, Boston, BOSTON! Why don�t they ease off the �Boston this� and �Boston that� and start showing more different �All-Time Games� and other MLB-related stuff aside from those of Red Sox Nation? I don�t give a darn if the MLB Network just launched three weeks ago!
Sorry about my wrath. I�m sure the network will up the ante on their offering of other MLB teams soon enough.
And no offense to you BoSox fans...I love the MLB Network but their schedule seems pretty fixed for now.
1.22: A Former Tiger N.Y.-Destined
3rd-week anniversary for the MLB Network notwithstanding, Las Mayores told me that the Yankees and the Mets expressed high interest in former Detroit Tigers pitcher Freddy Garc�a. My prediction: the Yanks will get him.
Mark McGwire�s brother, Jay, reported that �Big Mac� himself did indeed cheat.
1.23: I Was Wrong!
Freddy Garc�a signed to the Mets as a Minor Leaguer, which left the Yanks still scrambling for another pitcher.
Jon Lester won the Fred Hutchinson Award for his incredible commitment to everything in 2008. You deserved it, honey�particularly with your no-hitter being one of the best MLB games ever.
In other news, Bill Werber, a one-time World Series Champion (in 1940 with Cincy), died at 100 years of age.