Sunday, January 30, 2011

MIGHT AS WELL LAUGH

Still no big news in sports so...

***CAM HUTCHINSON***
"I just had my first airport security pat down. I will continue writing after I finish this cigarette."
***RJ CURRIE***
"The Yankees signed former Expo and 2005 AL Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon to a minor league contract: "I hear Bartolo is half the pitcher he used to be. Does that make him a semi-Colon?''
***BRAD DICKSON***
"Jay Cutler’s toughness was questioned by several players and former players on Twitter, probably unfairly. In Cutler’s defense he was playing behind an offensive line that once gave up four sacks to a practice blocking sled."
***JANICE HOUGH***
"The average Super Bowl ticket price on Stubhub is now over $3000. Geez. For that amount you could get two bleacher tickets to a regular season Yankees games."
***ARGUS HAMILTON***
(This is right out of an Abbott & Costello routine)
"China's president Hu Jintao thanked president Obama for his hospitality Thursday before he left. The White House state dinner belonged on Comedy Central. The head waiter asked Obama six times who gets served first and Obama agreed with him all six times."
***BILL LITTLEJOHN***
"Among current and former NFL players that called out Jay Cutler's toughness in Sunday's NFC Championship Game was Deion Sanders. That's like having your country's toughness questioned by France."

Lindsay Lohan, after being told that Charlie Sheen has been admitted to rehab for the 6th time, said she was glad he was getting help and she thinks he has an addiction problem. How bad are you when you get called out by Lindsay Lohan?

In an article in the NY Daily News, Jorge Posada claims he has "no problem being the full-time DH for the Yankees." However, if you read a little further, he also says he has no doubt he will be behind the plate during "important ballgames." I think this is a potential controversy brewing: Posada does have a strong drive to win and has no problem getting on the case of anyone he doesn't think is trying hard enough, but he also seems somewhat selfish when it comes to HIS role with the club. This is going to be interesting.

CP-

Friday, January 28, 2011

A COUPLE OF RANTS

Since there is really no news to speak of, there's nothing to do but rail on about things that irritate me...and there are a few.

***JEFF FISHER FIRED***
After 16 years as head coach of the Tennessee Titans and with one more year left on his current contract, Fisher was fired by owner Bud Adams. Why, you ask? Well, it could have been because the Titans had two down seasons, but it wasn't. Fisher never got along with QB Vince Young, who happened to be Adams favorite player. The relationship reached a new low on Nov. 21, when Young tossed equipment into the stands in a fit of pique. Oh boy, now what? Adams announced that Young will be traded or released by Jan. 5th, and that Fisher would be retained. After this ringing endorsement of the coach, the inevitable happened: Young is still there and Fisher is gone. The moral of the story: Money Talks and Coaches Walk.

***THAT ALL-IMPORTANT HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE***
We all know this axiom to be the mainstay of all sports. Why? That's easy, because the reasons are many:
1) The hometown fans root for you
2) The home team is used to the field
3) The visiting team has to travel while the home team sleeps in their own bed
Actually, none of that matters. What does matter is the officiating. I know, I know, here comes another Picasner rant on officials, but it's not me this time. In the book, "Scorecasting," by authors Moskowitz and Wertheim, the biggest factor is the officiating and it's true in all team sports. We'll have to read the book to get more insight, but the two authors seem convinced that it's completely true.

***DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR?***
Having visited a few stadiums in various cities, one of the biggest problems I found is where to park. Annie-O and I have walked as far as a mile (Milwaukee) to as little as 75 feet (Pittsburgh) to see games. We've parked in fields, underground parking areas and 7 or 8 level parking garages. But leave it to the NFL to deal with this problem. For parking at Super Bowl XLV, the NFL offers parking at Six Flags Amusement Park, located about one mile from Cowboys Stadium, including free shuttle service. The cost is $71.40. ...plus tax. ...plus shipping. Shipping? SHIPPING? Ship what? Your parking stub? I can't imaging how much the "shipping" fee is, but really. Just charge $125 and get it over with, instead of insulting our intelligence like this. And they don't even allow tailgating. A tenth of a mile from the Stadium, you can get a spot for $990. Now that's more like it. You get bashed right up front with no hidden charges. They have restrooms, security and you can tailgate your head off. But you have to ship your own body back home after the game. I can live with that.

One sad note for the Super Bowl: There will be no cheerleaders...unless you count the Budweiser Clydesdales.

CP-

Thursday, January 27, 2011

A FEW THOUGHTS...& AN ANSWER

***CHAMBERLAIN INJURED?***
Brian Cashman has publicly revealed what has been suspected for some time. He claims Joba has not been the same pitcher since he injured his shoulder in Texas in 2008. Perhaps this is the reason that the Yanks have been adamant that Joba was not in the running for a spot in the starting rotation. Why would you keep that a secret? If you had no intention of trading him, keeping it a secret makes Joba look foolish. While he's still throws pretty hard, I don't think he'll be overpowering again unless he can regain 2 or 3 more miles on his fastball.

***THIS CAN'T BE THE ANSWER***
...regardless of the question. The Yanks have signed Bartolo Colon to a minor league contract. Even if he makes the major league roster, he'll still make less than a Million dollars. At least the price is right. According to reports he currently looks like he won a food-eating contest with Pedro Sandoval.

***A POSITION CHANGE***
Brian Cashman has stated that he believes that Derek Jeter will eventually be moved to centerfield, something Picasner advocated a couple of years ago. The Yanks better get Brian something to do because he seems like he's giving away all the corporate "secrets."

***A COMMENT FROM COLUMNIST NORMAN CHAD***
After seeing the Bear's #3 QB in Sunday's game: "I immediately Googled 'Caleb Hanie' and it said"Who?"

***THE GOVERNMENT IS HELPING***
They are going to eliminate color-coding threats, like Level Orange. Big deal! Anybody who's watched the Syracuse basketball team lately, knows the Orange are no threat.

***ANOTHER BIG CONTRACT?***
Supposedly, Albert Pujols and his agent are asking the Cardinals for a 10-year contract at $30 million a year. Since Albert is 31 years old, the Cards will be paying a 41-year-old 1st baseman a hefty $30 million. No truth to the rumor that A-Rod is asking to re-negotiate his deal.

***PICASNER HAS BEEN CHASTISED***
Recently, Vod has complained that I have yet to set up a lunch with our old pal, Dick Endres. I don't mind being prodded, but Vod immediately pulled out the BIG gun, setting Annie-O on me. She told me, and I quote, "If you're gonna do it, do it. If you're not going to do it, don't do it. If we don't get the pledges,...well, we know. I'm on it.

CP-

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Where Art Are Though, Dick? (an interesting question)

I haven't posted in quite a while and that's basically a good thing. That means no one has been insulted and things have generally been pretty good - excluding the fear-everything-congress/media parsing the President's speech into unrecognizable snippets (with annotation), Ann Marie Beurkle, Russian airports blowing up, NY State taking over Nassau County's (Long Island) finances, SU's backcourt exposed for what it is (not good), a Super Bowl with the Packers (surprisingly hard to hate, but I was raised in a NY Football Giants home) and the Eric Forman-led Pittsburg Steelers, and Its-not-my-fault-we-bailed-on-not-giving-up-our-first-round-pick-for-anyone-else Brian "The SteinSchnauser" Cashman.

But in spite of how wonderful everything is, I 'm back with a bone to pick with Picasner.

P, you are a disappointment as a party planner. You dangle the promise of an Endres encounter in January and then disappear without a word. What's up with that? Annie would never handle a situations like that. She'd have a date and time set or called off the whole thing. So, please, have her give you instruction, stakeholder names and contact information, vision statement, action plan, to-do list, project evaluation criteria and forms , and take care of this.

Forever in accountability,
Your best pal,
V


Sunday, January 23, 2011

A FEW COMMENTS FROM THE BOYS

An interesting note: Not only did the Rays sign a couple of guys who are closer to the bottom of the hill than the top, but Johnny Damon, at $5.25 million, is currently the highest paid member of the team. Did they learn nothing from watching Brian Cashman?

Speaking of which, even Cashman knows his place. During an interview in December, he was quoted as saying, "I know my title is general manager, but I consider myself the director of spending for the New York Yankees."

R.J. CURRIE: "Bears coach Mike Martz says Jay Cutler is a better quarterback this season because they've done "footwork stuff" twice a week since game one. Cutler began the season dating actress Kristin Cavallari; probably his first step in the right direction."

This one's for "Connecticut Yankee"
DWIGHT PERRY: "I still ain't spoke to nobody, you know what I'm saying?" Rip Hamilton told the Detroit Free Press of being the subject of rampant trade speculation. "Nobody ain't spoke to me about it."
Not even his high-school English teacher, apparently.


BRAD DICKSON: "The Yankees erected a 6-foot statue of George Steinbrenner outside their Tampa headquarters. It's firing a 5-foot statue of Billy Martin."

CP-

Saturday, January 22, 2011

STILL STRANGE...AND FUNNY

***RAYS BOLSTER THEIR LINEUP***
Maybe. Damon and Ramirez? One can't throw and the other can't catch. Not what you'd call a typical platoon. I don't expect either one will improve. As far as hitting goes, well, it's possible there could be some kind of rejuvenation, but I doubt it. Damon will be a positive influence in the clubhouse, but Manny? Manny will quit on you for reasons as silly as he doesn't like the brand of hot dogs being sold in the concessions.
Imagine if Cashman had made these moves for the Yanks. The fans would be stringing up Cashman and everybody he ever talked to.

***NOT AS STRANGE, BUT JUST AS FUNNY***
Rj Currie: "Can't say I like the Jets' chances this weekend against the Steelers. Most visitors to Heinz Field find themselves playing ketchup." (I don't write 'em, I just copy 'em)

Janice Hough: "The San Francisco Giants have increased their payroll to a team record $115 million. $115 million?!!. Commented the New York Yankees “How cute.”

CP-


-

Thursday, January 20, 2011

STRANGE BUT TRUE

***THOSE POOR KIDS***
An item in Janice Hough's blog, Left Coast Sports Babe:
"Stanford University says they have a problem with “failure-deprived” students, who have never had to deal with disappointment before. The school has thus launched the “Resilence Project” to present stories of failure from successful people."
They NEVER had to face disappointment or failure? So Stanford is going to show them how successful people failed. Who the first guest lecturer going to be? Bill Gates?
"Uh yeah, I had to work hard for a few years before I earned my first Billion." Of course, it is Stanford, so these kids could always get help from Mummy & Daddy.

***THIS IS KIND OF SCARY***
Recently, fans leaving the stadiums after baseball games and football games, were given breathalyzer tests. 8% of the fans were discovered to be legally drunk. How does this explain the actions of the other 92%, who regularly make fools of themselves at the games? They acted like that completely sober? At least 8% needed help to be obnoxious.

***YA GOTTA LOVE BOB MATTHEWS***
Yesterday, he commented on the Yankees pursuit of Andruw Jones. "I know many of the team's fans disagree, but I believe he'd be a significantly positive addition."
Then he made this comment:
"He'll turn 34 in April but there are suspicions that he's a few years older and that he used PEDs in his glory years. He strikes out a lot, isn't nearly the defensive player he once was (10 Gold Gloves) and no longer is a consistent base-stealing threat."
Bob can't even win an argument with himself.

***A COUPLE OF QUIPS***
From comic Frank King on the Packers push to a Super Bowl and "True Grit" a box office hit:
"For me, this is just like 1968 with out the pimples."
From columnist Norman Chad, about the very wordy Darryl Johnston of Fox Sports:
"We're now in year 10 of his career and Johnston starts talking Sunday at dawn and doesn't stop until Sunday at dusk. If he says grace before Sunday dinner, nobody will ever eat."

Lunch with the cousins today.

CP-

Monday, January 17, 2011

WHILE WE WAIT FOR SOME EXCITEMENT...

***WE'RE THE BEST, OF COURSE***
Phil Mushnick (an appropriate name) of the NY Post, wrote a column Sunday, on how the NFL turns a blind eye to all the crudity and trash talk that goes on before, during and after the games. He called those actions "unsportsmanlike," and compared it to a title game between "the Crips and the Bloods." He's correct in that the league should definitely step up and take action to eliminate this, but then he felt the need to blow his own horn regarding the leagues concern over concussions:
"Only after the news media, armed with medical data, began to examine the growing numbers of neurologically impaired ex-players, many of them young men, did the NFL feel enough that it began to act on its rules that had been in place for decades."
Sure, the media helped, Phil, but don't make it sound like a personal crusade. Your personal crusade against Mike Francesa's high-hat machinations sure hasn't done any good.

***THINGS ARE REALLY SLOW***
Buster Olney had so little to say this morning, that he spent four paragraphs on how to break in a baseball glove. Tomorrow's discussion may be on how to clean your spikes.

***MORE YANKEE BULLPEN NEWS***
There has been a lot of rumors floating around that there is a rift in the Yankee front office, between Brian Cashman and the Yankee hierarchy. After insisting he would not give up a #1 draft pick to sign Rafael Soriano, he signed him anyway. All the parties deny this, of course, but there's no denying that the brass felt the bullpen needed bolstering by adding two more set-up men in spite of the fact that they still had Robertson and Chamberlain.
Which brings us to the 2nd point: the Yanks may be"shopping" Joba. I love the way they describe this: "We have no interest in trading Chamberlain, but we're willing to listen to offers." Probably nothing will happen till spring training, and then watch how many scouts watch Joba pitch in the spring. According to one GM, that's exactly how to tell if a club has put a player on the market.

***ALBERT SETS A LIMIT***
Albert Pujols has announced that if he and the Cardinals have not worked out a new contract by the start of spring training, negotiations will be suspended and he will test free-agency. His agent says that this is "for the good of the team." Oh, really? It has nothing to do with money? Nope! He's not putting pressure on St Louis to come up with some monster bucks? Nope! It's "for the good of the team." Yeah, right. I should note that this statement was made just prior to a sold-out, two hour autograph session by Pujols...at $175 per signature. For the "good of the team," of course - Team Pujols.

***FROM BRAD DICKSON***
"Brett Favre’s sister Brandi was arrested on meth charges. When police raided the condo she tried to throw the meth away but it was intercepted by a cop and returned for a touchdown."

"Ted Williams, the former homeless man with the golden voice, got to meet Kobe Bryant. Kobe made Williams an honorary teammate. Which means that for the rest of his life Kobe will never speak to him again."

"In the middle of the snowstorm football recruit Tyler Moore from Clearwater, Fla., arrived in Lincoln, Neb. No truth to the rumor the Jaws of Life were needed to remove him from the plane."

***FROM RJ CURRIE***
"Fashion model and Italian national freestyle skydiving champion Roberta Mancino was recently named the Sexiest Woman in Sports by Men's Fitness magazine. She has logged over 5,500 jumps - including four in the nude. I've never parachuted, but I could see falling for her."

***FROM CONAN O'BRIEN***
"A man held up a bank in Phoenix, Az, demanding all the $20, $40, and $60 bills. Luckily, he left after the teller told him, "All I have are $80s."

CP-

A comment from "Mortified":
With the name "Mushnick," Phil has to at least be an honorary member of the Lollipop Guild, doesn't he?
Dickson's bit about football recruit Tyler Moore from Clearwater, FL is hilarious!
Your bit about Jamie Moyer's other arm, "a used one of his in Cooperstown last year. It was right next to a red and white sock."...is also hilarious!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

AROUND THE HORN

***LOTSA RUMORS***
According to Scott Boras, that bastion of truth, Manny Ramirez has five suitors this winter. He doesn't say if that includes his usual "mystery" team. They've got to be AL teams though, Manny doesn't even pretend to be a defensive player these days. And then, of course, there's Manny's other problem, which was described best by Janice Hough, Left Coast Sports Babe:
"I'll take 'gluttons for punishment' for $600, Alex."

A New York writer suggests that with the Yanks 'new & improved' bullpen, it's time to move Joba Chamberlain back into the starting rotation. One good side effect of this move, no one will notice the problems that AJ Burnett has.

***JUDGE FOR YOURSELF***
I've said in the past that Rob Neyer does not like the Yankees. Here is the first line in today's column:
"Jim Thome's coming back in 2011, and with the possible of exception of the Yankees not getting Cliff Lee or Zack Greinke, this might be the best news of the winter."

***SEEMS KIND OF OBVIOUS***
Buster Olney is generally very astute, but sometimes... He commented today that the Oakland A's could definitely compete in 2011 and gave five keys to a successful season:
1) The A's need to remain healthy
2) The pitching has to be productive
3) They have to get power from their power hitters
4) Their defensive has to remain productive
5) Basically, the Rangers have to be not quite as good as last year.
Not a lot of insight there, and actually if #5 happens, they might not need the first four.

Just a little heads-up for you bloodthirsty fans out there. In the words of Buster Olney:
"If you watch hockey for the fights, if you watch NASCAR for the crashes and if you like it when hitters charge the mound, then you must watch Ravens-Steelers. It's the most violent sporting event that doesn't involve shooting."

***CURING A LOT OF ILLS***
The SF Giants hefty 3rd baseman, Pablo Sandoval, has a weight issue again. Not because he weighs more, but because he's hitting less. His 2010 stats were basically half what they were in 2009 with the same number of at-bats, a little over 600. His 'listed' weight is 245 lbs, but reportedly he weighs closer to 300 lbs. The Giants want him to come to camp under 250 lbs or risk being sent to the minors. It's an effective threat: Pablo knows the food's no where near as good in the minors.

Syracuse - Cincinnati at noon today.

CP-

A comment from "Mortified":
With the exception of #5, Olney has listed the requirements for every team to be successful. Today, he's a bust.
Manny may have 5 "suitors" this winter, but I'll bet at least one of them is an OB/GYN clinic.

Friday, January 14, 2011

FINALLY! SOME NEWS

***YANKS SIGN RAFAEL SORIANO***
So all the talk about not wanting to lose a first round draft pick was really more "want" and less "talk." When will we ever learn? If Cashman were to talk out of more sides of his mouth, he'd have to buy more lips.
The plan, of course, is for Soriano to be the set-up man for Rivera and then be the heir apparent for the closer job in 2013 or sooner if (gulp) Mariano were to suddenly become human. But who knows? The deal apparently includes player options after the first two years, so this might be just one and done.
The way the Yanks seem to be setting up the team, we could be looking at a 'reverse' pitching staff, where the starters become the set-up men: "Just give me three or four good innings until I can get my crack bullpen in there." Sound interesting, Andy?

***NEWS THAT'S NOT SO "NEW"***
## Cam Newton is "turning" pro. So what has his years at Auburn been? Semi-pro? At least the money goes straight to Cam now, instead of thru Daddy first.

## Jamie Moyer does not want to retire. He's going to miss the 2011 season while the doctors sew on a new arm. I don't think this is his first replacement arm, either. I'm sure I saw a used one of his in Cooperstown last year. It was right next to a red and white sock.

## Ted Williams (no, not that one), he of the magical voice, given a reprieve after living on the streets because of substance abuse, is headed back to rehab. The pattern is: 10 minutes of fame and then The Betty Ford Clinic. Well, if it worked for Lindsay Lohan...

Only 31 days till pitchers and catchers.

CP-

Thursday, January 13, 2011

HERE AND THERE

Let's not forget that we're in the middle of the Silly Season. Here's some of the silliness:

***SILLY SEASON HEADLINES:***

{ Joe Torre interested in working for MLB under Bud Selig }
This could be okay. I guess it depends how far 'under' Selig he is. 6 feet seems about right.

{ It's Scott Boras' job to find 3 old-timers work }
It's Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez and Andruw Jones. Jones is the only one who still knows which hand he supposed to wear a glove on. All three might hit - heavy on the 'might.' Supposedly, the Yankees are interested in Jones. If they sign him, I hope they can convince him to change the spelling of his first name. Amazing as Boras is, I'll be stunned if he gets all three signed.

{ Trevor Hoffman retires }
A superlative closer with a career 601 saves. Last year, he reportedly said he was going to play until Mariano Rivera retired, so he would end up as the career saves leader. Since he was obviously over the hill and no one would make him an offer for this year, his 'saves' record is now in Mariano's hands. Mo' will probably pass him, but that's okay, in five or six years, Trevor will be in the Hall of Fame. He sure deserves it.

{ Tampa Bay signs Kyle Farnsworth }
Kyle has a reputation of being the toughest, scariest guy in baseball. I don't know how many games he'll help the Rays win, but he'll sure make bench-clearing brawls interesting.

{ The Yanks are interested in Justin Duchscherer }
A 34 year-old free agent, formerly with the Oakland A's, has been both a starter and a reliever. He spent most of last year injured. I couldn't figure out why the Yanks were interested, but they do have a spot open on the DL now that Nick Johnson is gone.

The Syracuse Orange won last night to improve their record to 17-0. They're a very good team, but I have one question: who teaches them to shoot free throws? Shaquille O'Neal?

CP-

Monday, January 10, 2011

Reality Check

No Yankee news. Now that’s a surprise.

And then there’s so many murderers, sexual predators, and a wide assortment of thugs in the NFL playoffs that it’s hard to watch without going to confession… we might as well review the news where the real action is.

There are Consequences...

Ms. Gabrielle Giffords was among a group of Democratic House candidates featured on the Web site of Sarah Palin’s political action committee with cross hairs over their districts, a fact that disturbed Ms. Giffords at the time.

“We’re on Sarah Palin’s targeted list,” Ms. Giffords said last March. “But the thing is, the way that she has it depicted has the cross hairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they’ve got to realize there’s consequences to that.”

The image is no longer on the Web site, and Ms. Palin posted a statement saying “my sincere condolences are offered to the family of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of today’s tragic shooting in Arizona. On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice.” Late Saturday, the map was still on Ms. Palin’s Facebook page.

Even When You Shop

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the Pentagon was investing in more weapons and technology in response to China's military presence.

The true cost of shopping at Dick’s, L.L.Bean, and WarMart doesn’t come on the cheap.

Have a nice day.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

SINCE THERE'S NO BASEBALL NEWS...

...let's have a few laughs.

From Brad Dickson:
For the eighth year in a row, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver. And, for the fourth year in a row, his car had to be towed to the awards ceremony.


From RJ Currie:
Ten-year-old Kathryn Gray of Fredericton, N.B., became the youngest person ever to discover a supernova - a star blowing itself apart. It will be called Supernova 2010lt because Tiger Woods and Lindsay Lohan are already taken.


Brett Favre is being sued by two former New York Jets massage therapists. The plaintiffs accuse him of a) sexual harassment, and b) rubbing them the wrong way.


From Dwight Perry:

Nadia Larysa, a pass-catcher for the Lingerie Football League's Chicago Bliss, posed for a pictorial in the February issue of Playboy.
Brett Favre, we hear, is already bugging her to text him all the outtakes.

Picasner says:

There was a bench-clearing brawl in a Lingerie Football League game. Really. It was in all the papers. Funny, but I never heard what the score of the game was.

Before each game, the Air Force Academy turns it's mascot, a falcon, loose to fly around the stadium. However, before the Independence bowl game, the falcon took off and never came back. In a companion story, Georgia mascot, bulldog Uga VIII, missed the Liberty Bowl game with an undisclosed ailment. Jeez, if the mascots don't even want to watch these bowl games, why do we have to?

In his recently published book, figure skater Johnny Weir revealed that he's gay. And Generalissimo Francisco Franco is...well, you know.

From Stan Kegel's column:

In Arkansas, thousands of dead birds fell out of the sky. In a related story, the Little Rock Popeye's Fried chicken announced an all-you-can-eat special. (Alex Kaseberg)

The difference between the Big Ten and cornflakes? Cornflakes don't fall apart as soon as they get in a bowl. (Patrick Wyatt)

From Janice Hough:

After winning the World Junior Championships, The Russian junior players were booted off their flight home as it was deemed they were too intoxicated and were declared a safety threat. In their defense, the players said they were in training to become pilots.

Earlier this week, Michigan QB Tate Forcier gave an interview to the Detroit Free Press, saying “I’ve never been the greatest student.” But, he added “you really have to try to flunk out here. All you have to do is go to class, it’s not that hard.” This morning Forcier was declared academically ineligible.

CP-

Saturday, January 08, 2011

AND THE WHEELS KEEP TURNING

***SCOTT BORAS SPEAKS***
This is an interesting guy. He's always got some angle. He produces a "resume" for his players that resembles a doctorate thesis more than just a fact sheet. He's very patient, which makes teams come to him instead of the other way around and, of course, he also drags out the "mystery team" when convenient.
Now he's come out with the statement that his prize package, closer Rafael Soriano, would be willing to sign as a set-up man for only one team: the NY Yankees and Mariano Rivera. Of course, he'll still expect 'closer' money and 5 years, but he would do that out of respect for Rivera. Smart move; win, lose or draw, he's kept the Yankees in play.

Aha, but now Brian Cashman has said he absolutely won't give up his #1 draft pick, which he would have to do if he were to sign a Type A free agent, which is what Soriano is. So either that shuts off any deal for Soriano, OR...it's a negotiating ploy to get Boras to come down on the numbers. Cashman is fresh from his successful hard-ball tactic with Derek Jeter, but before you get too cocky, Brian, I've got to warn you: you're in there with the champ!

***ANOTHER FORMER YANK PASSES AWAY***
Reliever Ryne Duren, he of the 100-MPH fastball and shotglass spectacles, has passed away.
For those of you who don't remember, he was not only half-blind, he was also as wild as they come. His warm-up tosses almost always included a wild shot to the backstop, and even though most players knew it was a ploy, it always worked. Yogi Berra once said, "He's got a lot of different pairs of glasses, but it doesn't matter. He can't see with any of them."

***BAD NEWS FOR THE YANKS***
Tampa's Matt Garza has been traded to the Cubs. Why is this bad news? Because Garza had an ERA of 8.10 against the Yanks.

Still no word on Andy Pettitte. If this is a ploy to get more money, Andy, you should know that I'm willing to kick in a few bucks.

CP-

Friday, January 07, 2011

JUST WHEN YOU THINK WE'RE AT THE BOTTOM

...Neyer finds a way to get us lower.

I was going to stop reading him for a while, because I wasn't getting any insight into the sport from him. Alas, another writer mentioned Neyer's new "solution" to Hall of Fame voting, so I was forced to read his column.
This is a beauty: Rob claims that in the next two or three years, there will be 21 "HOF worthy" candidates on the list. Since voters can only vote for 10 at one time, some candidates will be unfairly discriminated against, simply because of the mathematics involved. Of course, Rob assumes that because HE thinks these players belong in, they automatically belong in, so he wants to open up the ballot so all of his choices get in. I've seen his list. Here are some players he calls "outstanding Hall of Fame candidates."
Curt Schilling: 216 wins and a red magic-marker colored sock
Pedro Martinez: 219 wins and 141 hit batsmen in 2800 innings. (Greg Maddux hit 137 in 5000+ innings)
Larry Walker: 383 HRs and 2100 hits
Mike Piazza: 427 HRs and 1300+ RBIs and an inability to throw out base-stealers
and finally this one that Rob calls "terribly underrated"
Kenny Lofton. Kenny Lofton? "Underrated"? Yeah, lets make room for him.

Of course there are some worthy names on the list such as Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, ignoring the problem of the admitted and suspected PED users, like Bonds, Clemens and McGwire.

Instead of increasing the number that can be included on a ballot, we should lower the number and we might not get players like Tinker, Evers and Chance (not to mention Mazeroski) into the Hall next to people who truly belong like Mays, Aaron and DiMaggio.

I doubt we'll ever see Neyers name in the Media section of the Hall.

CP-

Thursday, January 06, 2011

ROB NEYER EXPLAINED

As you may know, Picasner is not a big fan of Mr. Neyer, who writes a daily column (or two) for ESPN. He is a "numbers nerd" who tries to justify his opinions with "statistics" that are usually dependent on judgement at some point in the computation. He titles his daily columns with alliterations, just to be cute, such as: Monday Mendozas, Wednesday Wangdoodles, etc.
On Thursday, it's called "Thursday Throneberries." I couldn't resist:

Rob:
AHA! Thursday "Throneberries." As I recall, Marv "Throneberry" was major league ballplayer with some talent, but almost completely wasted because he never seem to have his head in the game. Reading your stuff for the last year, I can definitely see the correlation.
Picasner (1/6/2011)

I'll let you know if there's a response.

CP-

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER

***TWO WORTHY PLAYERS***
Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were elected into the Hall of Fame this week.
Alomar is arguably the best 2nd baseman in the Hall and, to date, maybe the best ever. He did it all: run, field and hit. He also fits the Picasner Qualification, that of being outstanding in his era and a player you hated to see in the opposing dugout.
Blyleven should have been elected years ago based on his 287 wins and a career .331 ERA. He possessed possibly the greatest curve ball ever.
I am really on the fence about Jeff Bagwell and Barry Larkin, but not any of the other candidates this year. Lee Smith comes close with his 478 career saves, but a WHIP of 1.21 and an ERA of 3.03 are too high for a closer.

***A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE***
Adrian Beltre has signed with the Rangers and ACCUSCORE has devised a statistic to measure his "worth" to the Rangers: 3 more wins. According to them, this makes Beltre an "impact" player. I never gave this much thought before, and on the face of it, you would think an impact player would be worth more wins, but how many more? Is it realistic to think that a players could be a factor to get his team 10 more wins? 15 more? I don't know how they manipulate statistics to come up with this number, but we'll see. Texas had 90 regular season wins. I'll bookmark this and get back to everyone in October.

***WHERE HAVE YOU GONE ANDY PETTITTE?***
We're supposed to find out this week. I wonder if Cashman will be playing "hardball" with Andy? I'll bet not.

Today was my Dad's favorite day of the year, January 6th, The Feast of The Epiphany. He always said it was the Italian Christmas, when children got presents. Because his family was so poor, he felt lucky when he got an orange. I'm sure he's getting better presents now.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

CP-