Hey everybody! I know it's been a while since I've posted anything on here.
Well, I'm jumping ship. I'm relocating the blog to Wordpress, and you can find it at:
http://pastorswish.wordpress.com
You'll also be able to find Bases Loaded Balk on Wordpress as well:
http://basesloadedbalk.wordpress.com
The primary reason for the change is that I'm thinking about upgrading so that I have my own domain name without the .wordpress, or .blogspot adding to the address. Simply put, I can't do that on Blogger.
We'll see how the move goes, but for now, I want to encourage you to make the changes in the necessary places.
Peace!
Cub Fan Follow Up on UCONN Booster Demands
After a UCONN booster demanded his $3 million donation be returned because he wasn't consulted on the hiring of the football team's new head coach, thousand of Cub fans have requested their money back because of the hiring of Mike Quade as the new manager of the team.
Judging by this picture:
Quade doesn't give a rip because he is going to the bank with his big ol' paycheck. In fact, he is quoted as saying, "I'm cashing in on this baby. I'm even going to wear my uniform all over town just to rub it in!"
Judging by this picture:
Blyleven, Alomar Given HOF Nod
Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar received an important phone call today - a call congratulating them on their induction to the Hall of Fame. Blyleven received the honor after a mere 14 years on the ballot, while Alomar was elected on his second go-around.
As we all know from a previous post, Blyleven is awesome, and the picture below merely sums up that statement.
Meanwhile, Alomar's awesomeness is not only summed up by his ability to hover...
...but also for his restraint, as he only spit on an umpire once in his career. And we can't really blame him for that. Mentally, he just wasn't in a good place at the time... well, physically, he wasn't either, as you can see the Baltimore Orioles jersey in the picture.
Strangely enough, Alomar received 90% of the votes cast after falling just 8 votes shy in 2010. I'm not exactly sure what he did to cement his legacy and give him the third-highest vote total in history in the last 12 months, but whatever it was Jeff Bagwell, Larry Walker, Mark McGwire, Lee Smith and others are going to be calling him to figure out what it was.
As we all know from a previous post, Blyleven is awesome, and the picture below merely sums up that statement.
Meanwhile, Alomar's awesomeness is not only summed up by his ability to hover...
...but also for his restraint, as he only spit on an umpire once in his career. And we can't really blame him for that. Mentally, he just wasn't in a good place at the time... well, physically, he wasn't either, as you can see the Baltimore Orioles jersey in the picture.
Strangely enough, Alomar received 90% of the votes cast after falling just 8 votes shy in 2010. I'm not exactly sure what he did to cement his legacy and give him the third-highest vote total in history in the last 12 months, but whatever it was Jeff Bagwell, Larry Walker, Mark McGwire, Lee Smith and others are going to be calling him to figure out what it was.
Cubs Close to Reunion
Rumor has it that the Chicago Cubs are nearing a deal for pitcher Kerry Wood. That's right, folks, Kerry Wood is rumored to be returning to the place where it all started... and then went horribly wrong. It's a nice bookend on an otherwise promising, but mediocre career.
Indians Legend Passes
The baseball world mourns the passing of another legend this year. The winningest pitcher in Cleveland Indians history, Bob "the Smeller is the" Feller passed away. Feller was an 8-time All Star and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1962. It was erroneously reported to have passed away last week, but was merely placed in hospice before passing away on the 15th.
The Cliff Lee Sweepstakes
Once again, delivering top-notch, late-breaking news long after it happens, Bases Loaded Balk has learned that Cliff Lee has decided to join the Philadelphia Phillies after coming to an agreement on a 5-year, $120 million deal with a vesting option for a sixth year. Lee personally let the Rangers know, and his agent broke the news to the Yankees.
Here's what we have learned:
1) Players don't always want the maximum years and the maximum dollars. Lee turned down more years and more dollars from both the Yankees and Rangers to go back to Philadelphia, where he spent the last half of the 2009 season and went to the World Series for the first time.
2) The Yankees can't get whoever they want if that person doesn't want to be on the Yankees. Don't worry, Yankee fans, I'm sure this had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you spit on the guys wife during the playoffs. I'm sure he felt safe and welcomed by that reception.
3) The Phillies will be the overwhelming favorite to win the National League in 2011. In fact, some are already arguing that this may be the best rotation in baseball history... before Spring Training even starts. There is certainly that possibility. Two years ago, Hamels was the staff ace, since then, they have traded for Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee - three guys that would be the ace on just about any other staff in all of baseball. However, let's hold off on the accolades until the season is over.
4) The mystery team is not always a fabrication by the agent. ESPN's Buster Olney had tweeted the other day that most of the time, a "mystery team" is simply created by the player's agent in order to gain some leverage in the negotiations. Clearly, the Phillies were the mystery team that was involved - quite unexpectedly because...
5) Just because you trade a player away, don't assume that he's never going to come back. The Phillies traded Lee to the Mariners last offseason as part of a three-team deal that brought Roy Halladay to Philadelphia. The reason they traded Lee: they didn't think they could work out an extension with him.
6) The Yankees are no longer the Yankees of old. Just a couple of years ago, the Yankees would have signed at least one, if not two, of the top free agents. This year, they looked like Alex Rodriguez in a playoff game - going 0-3 on the big fish. In fact, with the signing of Crawford and acquisition (and extension) of Gonzalez, I'd say the Red Sox have become the very thing they hated.
Finally, the Yankees and Rangers have to move on, and perhaps their respective fanbases will be excited to hear the rumors that are flying around regarding Plan B for these teams.
Apparently the Rangers have expressed interest in former Yankee Chien-Ming Wang, and the Yankees could possibly be the next stop in the Mark Prior comeback trail. Yeah, that's what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket... or some other metaphor that conveys a similar idea.
Here's what we have learned:
1) Players don't always want the maximum years and the maximum dollars. Lee turned down more years and more dollars from both the Yankees and Rangers to go back to Philadelphia, where he spent the last half of the 2009 season and went to the World Series for the first time.
2) The Yankees can't get whoever they want if that person doesn't want to be on the Yankees. Don't worry, Yankee fans, I'm sure this had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you spit on the guys wife during the playoffs. I'm sure he felt safe and welcomed by that reception.
3) The Phillies will be the overwhelming favorite to win the National League in 2011. In fact, some are already arguing that this may be the best rotation in baseball history... before Spring Training even starts. There is certainly that possibility. Two years ago, Hamels was the staff ace, since then, they have traded for Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee - three guys that would be the ace on just about any other staff in all of baseball. However, let's hold off on the accolades until the season is over.
4) The mystery team is not always a fabrication by the agent. ESPN's Buster Olney had tweeted the other day that most of the time, a "mystery team" is simply created by the player's agent in order to gain some leverage in the negotiations. Clearly, the Phillies were the mystery team that was involved - quite unexpectedly because...
5) Just because you trade a player away, don't assume that he's never going to come back. The Phillies traded Lee to the Mariners last offseason as part of a three-team deal that brought Roy Halladay to Philadelphia. The reason they traded Lee: they didn't think they could work out an extension with him.
6) The Yankees are no longer the Yankees of old. Just a couple of years ago, the Yankees would have signed at least one, if not two, of the top free agents. This year, they looked like Alex Rodriguez in a playoff game - going 0-3 on the big fish. In fact, with the signing of Crawford and acquisition (and extension) of Gonzalez, I'd say the Red Sox have become the very thing they hated.
Finally, the Yankees and Rangers have to move on, and perhaps their respective fanbases will be excited to hear the rumors that are flying around regarding Plan B for these teams.
Apparently the Rangers have expressed interest in former Yankee Chien-Ming Wang, and the Yankees could possibly be the next stop in the Mark Prior comeback trail. Yeah, that's what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket... or some other metaphor that conveys a similar idea.
Tribute to Ron Santo
I'm a Cardinal fan. That doesn't mean I'm heartless. Not long ago, long-time Cubs player & announcer Ron Santo passed away. Santo certainly deserves HOF consideration, but has still be passed on every year. Below is a first-person account of a third-person conversation that I had with a friend of mine just a few months ago:
"So, we have to take the elevator down, and when the doors open, there's Ron Santo standing there. It was so cool."
I don't remember if those were the exact words of the conversation, but you get the idea - Ron Santo liked to ride the elevator... and he was pretty cool.
Rest in Peace, Ron.
"So, we have to take the elevator down, and when the doors open, there's Ron Santo standing there. It was so cool."
I don't remember if those were the exact words of the conversation, but you get the idea - Ron Santo liked to ride the elevator... and he was pretty cool.
Rest in Peace, Ron.
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