One of the coolest names in baseball was quietly traded to the Red Sox last week. Jarrod Saltalamacchia went from the Rangers Triple-A affiliate to the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate. According to a report, Salty got a case of the "yips," which basically means he forgot how to throw the ball 60 feet back to the pitcher.
Before the Sox acquired Saltalamacchia, they were reportedly deep into the Rube Baker trade talks before the Indians finally clued them in on the fact that Rube was just a character from the 1994 movie Major League 2.
Jackson In Familiar Territory
Edwin Jackson, formerly of the Arizona Diamondbacks, was traded to the White Sox last week. It is the fifth team that Jackson has been with in his 8 year career, and the fourth in the last 3 years. There was some speculation that White Sox GM Kenny Williams would flip Jackson to the Nationals for Adam Dunn, but that deal never happened.
Jackson has decided to permanently reside in his 2006 Escalade, citing the spacious interior and over-the-seat DVD player as "significant ammenities."
Jackson has decided to permanently reside in his 2006 Escalade, citing the spacious interior and over-the-seat DVD player as "significant ammenities."
Showalter Wins The Next Scapegoat
It became official on Thursday that Buck Showalter won the Baltimore edition of The Next Scapegoat. He will allegedly manage the Orioles until at least 2013, but we all know that he'll get fired long before that year rolls around.
Current interim manager, Juan Samuel, though interviewed for the job, is going to get stuck with his old job as the third base coach, which, if you think about it, is a pretty sweet gig. He doesn't have to do all that much because the Orioles don't get on base, or score all that much.
Current interim manager, Juan Samuel, though interviewed for the job, is going to get stuck with his old job as the third base coach, which, if you think about it, is a pretty sweet gig. He doesn't have to do all that much because the Orioles don't get on base, or score all that much.
Cubs Had Big Z on Trading Block
My initial reaction to seeing that headline - Duh!
Of course Zambrano was on the trading block. The Cubs have had to deal with a lot of head-cases in the last couple of years, but Big Z may be the worst. At least Milton Bradley was just bad mouthing the fan base. Zambrano went after his own teammates. I can just imagine how the conversations went:
Hendry: Hey buddy! We've got a fantastic starting pitcher on the trade block that we're willing to deal!
Random GM: Really? We could use a lefty. What's your asking price for Lilly?
Hendry: Ted? Oh, no, that's not who I was talking about. I'm talking about Carlos.
Random GM: Zambrano?!? *click*
Yup, that's about how it went.
Of course Zambrano was on the trading block. The Cubs have had to deal with a lot of head-cases in the last couple of years, but Big Z may be the worst. At least Milton Bradley was just bad mouthing the fan base. Zambrano went after his own teammates. I can just imagine how the conversations went:
Hendry: Hey buddy! We've got a fantastic starting pitcher on the trade block that we're willing to deal!
Random GM: Really? We could use a lefty. What's your asking price for Lilly?
Hendry: Ted? Oh, no, that's not who I was talking about. I'm talking about Carlos.
Random GM: Zambrano?!? *click*
Yup, that's about how it went.
Ankiel/Farnsworth Could Teach Dunn Something
Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth were traded to the Braves at the deadline, and according to a report by Mark Bowman on MLB.com, they "gladly welcomes the opportunity to spend the next two months playing meaningful games with the Braves."
As one tweet put it - the Braves were falling in line with the "You Break It, You Buy It" philosophy by picking up Ankiel who lost his control as a pitcher in the 2000 NLDS against the Braves. More importantly, however, buried deep within this "no-duh" opening sentence is a point to which Adam Dunn should pay close attention.
If you'll remember, Dunn is mildly upset that the Nationals have yet to offer him a contract extension this season, even though, apparently, his camp made an initial offer during spring training. I think what he fails to realize is that by signing a contract extension, he is contractually obligated to play in Washington on the Nationals - a place that has not seen, nor will see, significant baseball in the last two months of the season for several years.
Of course, if he does sign a contract extension, he could be a major topic of discussion every season when the end of July rolls around. Hmmmm.... maybe he IS a genius!
As one tweet put it - the Braves were falling in line with the "You Break It, You Buy It" philosophy by picking up Ankiel who lost his control as a pitcher in the 2000 NLDS against the Braves. More importantly, however, buried deep within this "no-duh" opening sentence is a point to which Adam Dunn should pay close attention.
If you'll remember, Dunn is mildly upset that the Nationals have yet to offer him a contract extension this season, even though, apparently, his camp made an initial offer during spring training. I think what he fails to realize is that by signing a contract extension, he is contractually obligated to play in Washington on the Nationals - a place that has not seen, nor will see, significant baseball in the last two months of the season for several years.
Of course, if he does sign a contract extension, he could be a major topic of discussion every season when the end of July rolls around. Hmmmm.... maybe he IS a genius!
CarGo's Exclamation Point
Carlos Gonzalez, in one of those fantastic, ironic events that I don't have to make up, completed a cycle for the Rockies on Saturday against the Cubs with a walk-off home run. It wasn't just any home run. It was a massive home run... on the first pitch... one of the farthest in Coors Field history... and it went right to a Cubs fan. Doesn't get any better than this.
If you haven't seen it, check out the video here. I promise the link is safe. I would normally embed the video, but MLB.com won't let me.
If you haven't seen it, check out the video here. I promise the link is safe. I would normally embed the video, but MLB.com won't let me.
Yogi Monday!
We all get a case of the Mondays from time to time. There's no better way to get through a Monday than with a classic quote from one of baseball's greatest quote machines - Yogi Berra.
He hits from both sides of the plate.
He's amphibious.
-Yogi Berra
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