Questionnaire for my research paper...

My topic for my english research paper is abolishing the designated hitter position from baseball. Yes, it's as fun a topic as it might sound, at least for me. However, I need help from you, my fellow baseball junkies: I need a sample size of 10 people to take this questionnaire so that I can use it in my research paper as my primary source. I would even accept 5 as a sample size at this point. Naturally, I have a LOT of secondary sources, but need one primary source. Help, please? E-mail your answers to me (abigail.dice@gmail.com) by Wednesday, December 5, so that I can incorporate the information into my research paper that is due on Thursday, December 6. Thanks very much!

DESIGNATED HITTER: YAY OR NAY?

1.      Which baseball league do you prefer?

a)      National League

b)      American League

  

2.      Do you think designated hitters should be in the running for MVP Awards?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

d)      It depends on their numbers/other factors

3.      Do you think designated hitters should be selected as All Stars?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

d)      It depends on their numbers/other factors

4.      Do you think it is fair that pitchers in the American League do not have to bat?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

d)      It depends on their numbers/other factors

5.      Do you think designated hitters are not as good all-around players as position players?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

6.      Do you think the designated hitter position gives an unfair advantage to the American League during the playoffs?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

7.      Do you think the designated hitter position should be abolished from baseball?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t Care

8.      Would the National League adding the designated hitter position make things more fair between the leagues?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

9.      Would the American League making pitchers bat make things more fair between the leagues?

a)      Yes

b)      No

c)      Don’t care

Baseball and Music: The Parallels

Does having a good memory make you a more impressive sports fan? It's an odd question, but possibly applicable in my case. I have a hard time explaining why I love baseball, but thanks to a good memory I can easily remember a player's name after only seeing it two or three times. Maybe it can't be boiled down to a good memory, but more to reading box scores religiously. Watching Baseball Tonight as much as some watch CNN doesn't hurt either.

My baseball fandom is both the same and different than my music fandom. In music, there are fewer technical terms to learn (at least fewer that are essential) but many more names - and in place of a player's stats, I can name a band or singer's record label, which is only impressive due to how many more record labels there are now than even ten years ago. Additionally, the fact that I am a musician myself makes my love of music different than it would be for baseball. I've never been able to catch or throw well (though I'm a decent hitter) so I can't fully appreciate how amazing baseball players really are - but I'm in awe every time I hear Franz Nicolay's keyboard playing in a Hold Steady song. Hearing Tom Peloso play the trumpet in Modest Mouse makes me want to start playing it too, but watching Buster Posey hit home runs doesn't make me want to join a softball league. That doesn't make me any more of a music fan or any less of a baseball fan, it just changes one's perspective on that particular obsession.

I used to just consider myself a Giants fan (which is not easy to be right now, in light of Melky Cabrera's suspension) but somewhere along the way, the flood gates of my obsession opened and seemingly haven't stopped since. I've developed true yet inexplicable hatred for some players (Justin Verlander) and equally inexplicable love for others (Dan Haren). Of course that same hatred and love also applies for specific teams (beyond the Giants). Yet despite my love of the sport, some of the specifics that fascinate many baseball junkies just don't interest me. I like pitchers in particular, but don't ask me the difference between a fastball and a slider, because I couldn't tell you. A pitcher's ERA and WHIP are more important to me, and let's face it, their aesthetics. I don't particularly like looking at Joe Blanton so his stats less unfamiliar to me, but I know Gio Gonzalez has one of the best records in the National League. And so it is.

My whole long-winded point is that obsessions are so unique to each person, regardless of what that obsession is about. That fact is simeltaneously wonderful and isolating. It can be difficult to relate to other people with the same obsession as you (especially when it comes to music), yet it can also be quite satisfying to be obsessed with something (or someone) so specific. To get so much joy out of anything is (almost) always a good thing.

This idea may very well be one I have already hit on in previous entries, but it is also one worth bringing up again. And with that, go Giants!

It Is What It Is: 2012 Giants Spring Training

It's about time for break-down of the Giants recent spring training action and related developments. As much as I like to keep up with all baseball action, the Giants are my team. And I find myself with plenty to say, despite them just having started their spring training season.

I don't want to overemphasize Buster Posey's spring training debut yesterday; I really don't. Despite what expectations most everyone might have had, I agree with those who say they were just happy that it was uneventful. That mostly sums it up for me too. Let's keep in mind that Posey has never even played a full season of MLB yet. In fact, if you combine his 2010 season and what little he played in 2011, it barely encompassed an entire season. I think chances are good that he will be just fine as time goes on and that he has all the makings of an excellent catcher. But do I think that right now? No, not really.

I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't excited to see the pictures from his debut - I posted one on Facebook recently with the caption "LIKE A BOSS!!" (in reference to The Lonely Island song from an SNL sketch). However, as I've mentioned before, I'm being cautiously optimistic. I think that's the only way to be at this point. None of us know how things will change (or maybe not change) once opening day comes. And it seems like Posey has plenty of back-ups around for however this all turns out. But I admit, the other day was fun!

Most everyone knows by now that I adore Madison Bumgarner. And yes, I know he's young and still inexperienced, but when I heard about the one-year deal he signed with the Giants recently, I was pretty disturbed by it. A pitcher, who at 21, threw six scoreless innings in the World Series deserves a bit more than $750,000, at least in my book. But that's all he got. Is that really all he got? His spring training debut, however irrelevant it might be in the scheme of things, was brilliant. Tim Lincecum's, on the other hand, was the opposite. His first two starts were pretty bad, actually. Again, spring training starts aren't super important, I admit that - but Bumgarner's was really impressive, enough so that most of the sportscasters on KNBR said he could very well be this year's ace for the Giants. And I definitely trust those guys.

Let's face it, Lincecum is due for a mediocre year at some point. Maybe 2012 is it, maybe it's not. But either way, I think Bumgarner has more than enough great stuff to make this year a top one for himself. Say what you will about his record in 2011, but his low ERA coupled with a less-than-stellar win/loss record was quite unusual. He had one of the lowest ERAs in the National League, even by comparison with pitchers who had better win/loss records. I guess my long-winded point is that Bumgarner is really a pitcher to watch this year and maybe sooner rather than later the Giants will realize he's worth a bit more than $750,000. This fan can only hope so!

And we get to my current favorite, Matt Cain. The guy that everyone else in baseball is finally taking note of, after how many stellar seasons? I guess pitching over 20 scoreless innings in the postseason is something to talk about, right? In a way, as much as his under-the-radar-ness bothered me, it was also something that I liked about him. He was the strong and silent type on the Giants starting rotation. I still consider him that way, regardless of what he ends up doing in the future; I just hope he plans to stay with the Giants for the long-term. We need him a lot more than most people with the Giants think we do.

Speaking of the Giants starting rotation, Barry Zito still has time to prove that his very expensive contract wasn't a total fluke. He has a lot of people to convince, however. I was rooting for him when he came to the Giants. Despite the contract being quite large, my hopes were pretty high that he would succeed. Most of us know how that turned out, which was of course, not very well. It has been reported that Zito spent a lot of time this past off-season tweaking his delivery, changing his routine, and the like. And so far, he's 2-0 in spring training. But that's just spring training and it doesn't really mean much. Just like the Giants have the second best record in the Cactus League right now. Remember last year? Yeah, they had a great spring training record then, too. Ironically, the Giants didn't have such a great spring training season in 2010 and went onto win the World Series. Coincidence? I certainly hope so.

I have my own concerns about the pitching rotation beyond Zito being the fifth starter: Ryan Vogelsong is being conservative with his throwing because of a recent injury; Erik Surkamp is vying for the sixth spot in the rotation and has little to no experience; and Brian Wilson has had elbow problems lately. I don't mean to be so negative, necessarily, but if they all stay healthy, the Giants have a golden pitching rotation; it's their crown jewel. Also, the Giants have been incredibly lucky in recent years with the health of their pitchers, with virtually no problems until recently. Giants fans are allowed a certain level of paranoia at this point.

Being that I gravitate mostly towards pitchers in this game, I haven't touched on the Giants' offense at all. But I'm not worried about that, because as was said on KNBR recently, they couldn't really be worse this year than last year. The Giants can only go up with their hitting. Opening day seems to be both coming up too quickly and also taking forever to arrive. Such is the sport.

The final moments before Spring Training begins...

So it looks like Twins first baseman Justin Morneau could find himself in a Mike Matheny-type situation. He recently acknowledged that concussion symptoms could threaten his career. The circumstances might be different, but it's still a shame. When Morneau is healthy he is really excellent (he won the AL MVP award in 2006) and he has been the face of the Twins franchise for almost a decade now. To me what makes this situation the worst is that he's only 30. And like Joe Mauer (another face of the franchise the last few years), he's never played for anyone other than the Twins. I hope he can figure out a way to continue to play in the future. The Twins already lost Torii Hunter, Joe Nathan and Johan Santana to other teams in recent years (though Santana has also been injury-plagued) so they need this to work out more than just about anyone. I'm definitely rooting for them!

Speaking of Torii Hunter, it seems he has changed his mind on retirement, and wants to play two or three more seasons. He is currently heading into the final year of his contract with the Angels (the only other team he's played for besides the Twins) and wants to continue playing for them. Hunter has always been one of my favorite players, though more so when he was with the Twins. 


Besides being an excellent outfielder, I've always liked his attitude and the energy he brings to the game. I had the good fortune of seeing him play with the Angels in a few games when I lived in LA back in 2008 and I'm really glad I finally got to see him play in person. Despite his age, I think he has at least one or two more seasons in him beyond 2012. I also think the Angels would be foolish to let him go after this season (though that depends on how well he does). I consider Hunter to be one of the more quiet, under-the-radar-yet-excellent players around. 

It appears like the Cardinals were smart in agreeing to sign Yadier Molina to a contract extension of 5 years/$75 million. Much like Justin Morneau for the Twins, Yadier Molina has been the face of the Cardinals franchise for the past eight seasons. I had to remind myself that Yadier is only 29 because he's been with the Cardinals for so long (and now has 2 World Series rings, like both his brothers). Having Albert Pujols on your team for so long makes it easy for everyone else to get overshadowed, which was the case with Yadier. 


This extension means that he will be with the Cardinals for the long-term, which is important, given Pujols' recent departure. And while Yadier hasn't always been an offensive "powerhouse", his defensive abilities behind the plate have made him something of a Cardinals institution. I hope he can stay with the Cardinals for a long time. I might not be a huge Cardinals fan (though Mike Matheny being the new manager will help) but I've always admired Yadier as a catcher. 

I'm not sure exactly why so many players have recently retired, but one of the most recent ones to announce it was Bengie Molina. As a Giants fan, I naturally adore this guy. His coming to the Giants came at a time when Brian Sabean was in the midst of some bad decisions, player-wise, and signing Bengie was the first sign that he was headed in the right direction. These were the pre-Buster Posey days, after all. And it just so happened that Bengie was my favorite Molina brother (Yadier being second). When my dad and I went to an A's/Blue Jays game a few years ago during Bengie's brief time with the Blue Jays, I had no idea then that he would eventually be a Giant, or that his presence would mean so much to me as a fan. But it really did. 


Part of me feels like I should be conflicted, since his only World Series ring was with the Angels in the 2002 championship, and despite the Giants finally winning in 2010, the scars are still there from that fateful season. But it's Bengie, so I can't hold that against him. One of the many reasons I loved him was because he didn't look like any other catcher; he didn't run like any other catcher either, which I always found so charming. He reminded me of another of my all-time favorite Giants, J.T. Snow, who was also famous for being a slow baserunner but an amazing defensive player. 


Regardless of Bengie's slowness around the bases, no one ever questioned his abilities as a catcher. And he certainly deserved an honorary World Series ring in 2010 even though he went on to play for the Rangers later that year. That was really the only downside of the Giants winning it all in 2010; we were competing against Bengie. I never wanted the Giants to be in that position, and when Bengie would get hits against Giants pitchers in those final few games, I couldn't help but smile. Would I have preferred him to have retired as a Giant? Of course. Yet I don't think Bengie could have possibly done better as a Giant, and for the Giants, than he did in those few seasons he had. He was the best possible catcher for then-newbies Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain to have pitched with to start their careers. I will really miss him and always be thankful for his many contributions to the team. 

So the announcement has not been official yet, but reports seem to indicate that Edgar Renteria is indeed retiring this year. Obviously no Giants fan will forget what he did in the 2010 World Series, but what I find more amazing than anything, is how Renteria got there. As cheesy as it might sound, him being World Series MVP that year was a real redemption story and a real comeback story in baseball. And it was truly special in that no one really saw it coming. I'm happy for Renteria that he was able to go so above and beyond what anyone expected and part of me wishes he had retired after that. I'm sure I wasn't the only one asking why he didn't. I mean, what could be a better time to retire than after winning World Series MVP for a team that wasn't supposed to win the World Series? 


It was definitely a "lightning in a bottle" type situation; Renteria was there when his team needed him the most (much like Cody Ross in the NLCS) and he gave the Giants something they had never had before - a World Series title in San Francisco. He's a permanent hero in the eyes of Giants fans and I will always love him for that. Renteria came and went rather quickly, but he made a major impact; he made THE impact for the team. 

"It's anybody's Spring..."

Aah, it's that loveliest time of year: the anticipation of spring training once February hits. It's that brief time where you fantasize about how great your team will do, before they actually start in their respective spring training league.

As a Giants fan I have mixed feelings this season. Call me a pessimist, but I'm not convinced that Buster Posey will have the best year. People get so caught up in his quick rehabilitation and enthusiasm in returning to catching, but they fail to realize just how much that poor guy has been through. Not only that, but he's returning to the single most strenuous fielding position in the game. Of course I hope he does well; all Giants fans do. But combine that with Freddy Sanchez's long-awaited return and I'm cautious about my expectations. I guess like with any other team, there's a lot of questions that should (hopefully) be answered by Opening Day: Is Barry Zito worthy of being a fifth starter? Will Brian Wilson have recovered from his injury enough to be as great as last season? How good will Brandon Crawford be offensively? Who will get the most starts at first base? Will the new players acquired in the off-season really lift the team's hitting?

This off-season also provided somewhat of a shake-up for the NL West; Trevor Cahill went to the Diamondbacks and Michael Cuddyer went to the Rockies. As much as I like Trevor Cahill, I can't say I'm thrilled about him pitching against the Giants. And Cuddyer is a player I've always really liked, so I'm curious to see how he does in the NL, especially at his older age.

Regardless of all the looming questions, this is still my favorite time of year. Winter is almost over. Days are counted down on calendars until pitchers and catchers report (well, for some of us). For me, Opening Day is like Christmas morning, minus the effort of having to buy presents. Part of my anticipation stems from the fact that the first day of Spring (March 21) is usually within a week of opening day. Also, opening day happens to coincide with a break I have between quarters in school. And, possibly best of all, instead of watching MLB Network shows about nothing but off-season trades and acquisitions, it's back to Baseball Tonight and Quick Pitch.

Of course it's not only my team that I'm curious about come April, because there has been a lot of activity this off-season, most recently that Raul Ibanez is officially a Yankee, and AJ Burnett is officially no longer a Yankee. And while it is only to a minor league deal (that includes a 50 game suspension), Manny Ramirez is officially out of retirement and with the A's. I would think that my dad and I were not the only Northern California fans who had the reaction of, "I'd go to an A's game to see Manny!" So in addition to going to at least a handful of Giants games this year (instead of the mere one game I went to last year - though it was excellent), sometime in the Summer, at least one A's game is in order. And it is only at A's games that I realize how spoiled I am by Giants games.

One final note - I call shananigans on Ryan Braun's 50-game suspension reversal. Something is up with that. More later.

The one where I get to brag a bit about my baseball knowledge...

Before I get to some of the recent (or possibly upcoming) trades, extensions and acquisitions from the past week, I need to talk about the MLB Network show Baseball IQ for a minute. Now I fully acknowledge that when it comes to players from more than, say, twenty years ago, I don't know much. Obviously I should change that and I fully plan to. However, when it comes to players (especially pitchers it seems) from the last ten to fifteen years, I know a lot for someone who turns 30 this year. 

The show Baseball IQ has a decent age demographic range when it comes to their contestants - generally between 30 and 50. The average seems to be about 40. I've noticed after watching just a few episodes though, that most of these contestants are not as knowledgeable about players from the past decade. This completely baffles me. For instance, a recent episode asked both contestants to name the ten relief pitchers with the most saves from 2011; not really a tough category, one would think. Not so for these two guys! Without looking it up, I was immediately able to name Heath Bell, JJ Putz, Brian Wilson, Craig Kimbrel, John Axford and Jonathan Papelbon. One of the contestant's guesses was Houston Street. I wish I were joking. And the other guy could only name three. If this were league specific (AL or NL) I would understand the challenge, but this category was wide open. 

Another example was to name a Marlins pitcher with at least one postseason win. One guy's guess was Dontrelle Willis, which while incorrect, was at least a good guess. No one said Josh Beckett. And there I was, yelling, "JOSH BECKETT!! HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT?!" The final example of some contestants' ineptness was when they were asked to name the pitchers with the most wins in the National League since 1961. No one said Curt Schilling. Does no one remember that he spent some time in the NL? Could I name the pitchers on that list from the 70's and 80's? Not so many and not very easily. But remembering Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, yet missing Schilling is ridiculous. So either I'm way too into baseball for my own good, or they need to pick better contestants for this show. Another option is to not include the 2000's in any category. But then nothing would be left for me. Let's hope this show ups its game on its contestants, so to speak. Ok. Rant over. Moving on...

Poor AJ Burnett. It's never been easy for him, especially not in the last two seasons. Although, as a Giants fan, it's nice to konw that fans for another team can experience a Barry Zito-like situation too (ace pitcher gets signed for millions, then tanks). Due to the Pirates starting rotation woes, the Yankees have been in talks with Pittsburgh to trade AJ Burnett. Not to be mean, but Pittsburgh's pitching issues must be really grave to want AJ Burnett. I suppose if Kevin Corriea (former Giant and major cutie) doesn't get healthy again, they are just forced to grasp at straws. If Burnett were even a bit younger I'd say this wasn't ERA suicide for Pittsburgh, but he's not exactly 28 anymore. 


From New York's standpoint, this move makes perfect sense - they finally have locked in a pretty solid starting rotation and don't need the extra baggage. And regardless of how Michael Pineda works out, New York has one or two back-up starters. That's a pretty enviable position to be in for any team, especially one that has a long-standing explosive offense. The other side of that coin, of course, is that New York's explosive offense is getting older, much like Philadelphia's offense is. 

Probably the biggest news from the last week in acquisitions is the A's signing Cuban Yoenis Cespedes to a 4 year/$36 million deal. There seems to be a theme this offseason, in terms of unlikely teams signing big name (or possibly big name) players. The Angels signed Pujols; the Marlins signed Reyes; the Tigers signed Fielder. Now the A's are joining that list by signing Cespedes. Of all the teams in need of a potential big hitter, it's the A's. No question.  They dumped their best pitchers early on this offseason, no longer having Gio Gonzlez, Trevor Cahill or Andrew Bailey. I still didn't see a reason why the A's wanted to so quickly part with such talented pitchers. Perhaps we will never know. But I'm glad for the A's that they finally made an upgrade offense-wise. 

Of course, who knows how Cespedes will do in America, just as the Rangers have no idea how Yu Darvish will do, but expectations are high for this outfielder. I can think of fewer teams at this point who need this kind of acquisition, though that doesn't necessarily mean I will be watching the A's any more closely than I have in the past few years. As mentioned before, you get rid of a young, cute group of pitchers and you've lost me. On the other hand, one could deduce that because the A's have had a string of young, cute pitchers (starting with Barry Zito back in the early 2000's) in recent years, there could be yet another group of them in the not-too-distant future. This fan can only hope.

I was happy when I found out that the Indians signed Asdrubal Cabrera (or "strudel" as I affectionately call him) to a one-year deal for $4.55 million. It would have been a big mistake to sign him for much less. I consider him to be one of the best shortstops in the game, and his younger age makes his potential even greater for being excellent long-term. I think he gets a lot less credit than flashier shortstops like, say, Elvis Andrus. It also doesn't help that he's with the Indians, and something tells me he won't be there for the long haul. But right now, he's the kind of player that provides a bright spot on a less-than-stellar team. That's worth something.

Speaking of the Rangers and flashy players, Nelson Cruz signed a 2-year/$16 million extension this past week. Of all the players on the Rangers, as a Giants fan, he's the closest to my heart. After all, he provided the final strike-out that cemented the Giants World Series win in 2010. And I must admit, it was pretty satisfying seeing him miss catching David Freese's game-tying hit in last year's World Series. That moment reiterates what I find so overrated about Nelson Cruz - he's not exactly the best player defensively. If a team is willing to shell out $16 million for an outfielder, he should be more solid than Cruz seems to be. Then again, I feel the same way about Mike Napoli and he's a Ranger too. Could this be a theme? Possibly.


As previously mentioned, there were some other trades/acquisitions that took place recently that I just don't care much about - pitcher Jeremy Guthrie being traded from the Orioles to the Rockies in particular. There's always something to not cover, isn't there?

"I dressed up in my Matt Moore First Win Game-Used uniform..."

Despite my fervent love of baseball, I simply can't cover everything that goes on, even in the off-season. In fact, that's a great example, because I'm not going to care about every single trade or acquisition that goes on - it's just not realistic. In this case, I'm referring to the Mariners/Yankees Jesus Montero-Michael Pineda trade that has recently had everyone up in arms. First of all, I don't like the Yankees; I don't hide that. Secondly, I just don't keep up with the Mariners. There are no players in particular on their team who I like. Besides, they are an American League team and I'm a National League person. So that should sum it up right there. And while I don't read as many baseball blogs as I should, I don't need to say a word about the Montero-Pineda trade. Why is that, you might ask? Because in this case, the lovely Keith Olbermann has done it for me. (http://keitholbermann.mlblogs.com/2012/01/14/montero-pineda-no-big-deal/)

I've always liked Olbermann - he was fun to watch on MSNBC and I always knew he had previously been a sportscaster. I did not, however, until recently know that he had a baseball blog on MLB.com. And not that it's surprising, but the man can write - and he can write damn well. He was recently a guest on Clubhouse Confidential and I had to stop myself from drooling, because this guy is really devoted to baseball. I could pick from any number of his posts, really - the one about the Topps Pack Opening Day event is particularly heartwarming. In that entry he includes a shot of the limited-edition Skip Schumaker card with the Cardinals rally squirrel in it - pretty priceless, if you ask me.

My long-winded point though, is that it is really great to see someone combine their love of a sport with their natural gifts for speaking and writing. He is what I aspire to be with my blog. Sure, he's 1,000 times the writer that I will ever hope to be, but it's a wonderful thing to strive for. Olbermann is, as his blog title states, a baseball nerd - but he is one of the highest order. If he calls himself a baseball nerd, I'm proud to call myself one too.

Players finding new homes, and one who may have screwed his future with one...

Oh, Josh Hamilton. What can I say? I love it when I'm right, because that's not exactly a regular occurrence. So I'm going to gloat. At least a little bit. 

I won't go too much into how predictable I thought (and amusing) his recent relapse was, because that's where I stop being a baseball fan and start slamming the guy for his hypocrisy. But his "press conference" (I use the term loosely) was one of the least sincere apologies I've ever heard. How much credit can you be given for being open and honest about something if you won't even answer questions about it? Okay, so it's a personal matter and this happened before spring training started. And yet...this is the same guy who complained about smelling pot in the outfield of AT&T during the World Series and was so appalled by smelling it while walking the streets of San Francisco. For me, the minute you throw religion into it, you're on thin ice pretty much automatically. You made a mistake, it's no one else's fault, you're human, move on. Leave Christ out of it, please. According to reports, contract extension talks with the Rangers are "on hold for now". I think that means, "Bye bye, contract extension! Enjoy free agency hell!"

Moving on to a more positive happening, Edwin Jackson finally found a new home when he recently signed a 1 year/$11 million deal w/Nationals. The amount of money he signed for is not the surprising part to me - more that it was only for one year. If he's anywhere as good this season as he was in 2011, I'm guessing that contract will be extended. He's also found himself part of a fantastic-looking rotation. That's also where one of my cuties, Gio Gonzalez, recently ended up. I guess this means I may become a Nationals fan - and hey, I have to find someone in the NL East to root for!

Also signing a new one-year deal with a new team is Casey Kotchman, who was signed for $3 million with the Indians. I admit, I didn't really know who he was until "the game" the Rays had against the Rangers in last year's playoffs, in which he became my hero by owning the Rangers pitching staff. Hence why he and Matt Moore (for owning the Rangers hitters) were my heroes that day. And while Kotchman is no longer with the Rays, I will remember him fondly for that for at least a few years to come. If the Indians can keep some of their better players (Asdrubal Cabrera, anyone?) for the foreseeable future, they have a chance in the AL Central.

Now the only Giants-related news as of late is that Pat Burrell (or "Pat The Bat") recently announced his retirement. I've always had conflicting feelings about Pat. He was one of the reasons that, during the regular season, the Giants made it to the playoffs in 2010. However, once he got the playoffs, he was, well...terrible. I lost count early on of how many times he struck out, particularly once they were in the NLCS. But they did call him "Pat The Bat" for a reason, mostly because of his time with the Phillies. He is also fourth on the list of all-time home run hitters for the Phillies (at home, anyway). I just wish he had had a better (and fuller) final season. It makes me wonder if another ex-Giant, Edgar Renteria, will now consider retirement as well. One can only hope.

Speaking of the Phillies, Raul Ibanez is apparently in "serious" talks with Yankees for the DH spot. Ibanez would reportedly take less money to be a Yankee, which at 39 makes sense. Personally, I have always found Ibanez rather overrated, but that is in part because he was with the Phillies. Guerrero, Damon and Matsui are also apparently in the running for the spot. If I were Joe Girardi, I would go with Damon, mostly because he's had the most playing time recently of the bunch. But that's just me. Plus, the Yankees have re-signed former players more than once, so reason stands that they might do it with Damon. And while I've never liked the Yankees (but don't hate them like I do, say, the Dodgers), they usually have a few players I like. I also would worry a lot more about my pitching rotation than adding a DH. Once again, only time will tell on this one.

I'm realizing now that this entry turned out to be somewhat Phillies-themed, though I did not intend it to be as such. Moving along on that theme, I suppose it should be mentioned that Chad Qualls signed a 1 year/$1.15 million deal with the Phillies earlier this week. What I find perplexing is that they signed Qualls and yet seem rather sure that they would not re-sign Roy Oswalt. Yes, Oswalt had some injuries in recent seasons, but he's still considered an above-average veteran. It appears the Reds had some interest in Oswalt, but are now denying it. Oswalt is not the type of player I'd deny having interest in.

When the Red Sox denied interest in Cody Ross and then signed him a few days later, that made sense. While I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Ross, at this point, he's not a player that a team shouts from the rooftops about acquiring. I think Oswalt has plenty of gas left in the tank, so to speak. He may have been a Phillie, but Oswalt's numbers and staying power don't lie. And this is why Clubhouse Confidential is my favorite show on MLB Network, because stats are stats. It is the only kind of math I can get behind.

Speaking of impressive stats, the last bit of relevant news to mention is the Dodgers locking Clayton Kershaw into a 2 year/$19 million deal. If nothing else, Kershaw is proof that hating the Dodgers doesn't cloud my judgment of a future pitching ace when I see one. I think he deserves every penny. And his attitude seems to fit in with the Dodgers quite nicely.

Of all people, I never imagined I would be someone who would root for a Dodger, but here I am. I think it's partially the fact that he's a pitcher; Jason Schmidt was a Dodger (very briefly after being a Giant) and I will always love him. And remember the game where I witnessed his lovely home run. Those were good times.

It's all winding down...so far

It's amazing what happens when you keep up with a sport, and yet don't at the same time. The Niners losing to the Giants in the NFC title game was not only sad for me, but will make for possibly one of the most boring Super Bowls of the last decade (or maybe longer). Alas. But yes, I've still been watching MLB Network and checking the MLB Trade Rumors site constantly, but it seems like the last week or so has gotten away from me. And it seems that I have a lot to talk about. But where to start, you might ask? Might as well get Prince Fielder out of the way early. 

In hindsight it doesn't surprise me at all that Fielder signed with the Tigers. Beyond the fact that his dad Cecil played for them, that signing to most of us was about as unpredictable as when Pujols signed with the Angels. As far as I'm aware, the Tigers were really never mentioned in the bidding war for Fielder. It's a strange event for me, since I really have no feeling one way or the other about the Tigers. Sure, I was rooting for them against the Yankees in last year's playoffs, but that was the extent of it. I also think Justin Verlander is egotistical, despite having had an amazing season last year. Other than that though, I kind of have a "meh" reaction to them.

I think the most interesting thing about this signing is what will happen to Miguel Cabrera. One can assume he will move to third base, and that he and Fielder can switch off at DH. I would think Tigers fans are a little less sad about Victor Martinez's injury now than they were, say, a week ago. More than likely anyhow. Cabrera and Fielder provide a hell of an offense for them. Yikes. 

Now is when we move onto the Giants-themed portion of the evening (as it were). Cody Ross did what most of us Giants fans assumed and signed elsewhere - the Red Sox to be exact. From what I understand, Marco Scutaro going to the Rockies had a lot to do with that decision, at least payroll-wise. Hopefully this will not turn into a Joe Nathan situation (average pitcher for us, amazing pitcher for the Twins right after he left) where Ross hits .330 and 100 RBIs this year. I'd say that's really unlikely, but one never knows. I suppose weirder things could happen. I'm a bit conflicted on Ross' departure though, because of course I loved him during the 2010 playoffs; but last season, not so much. Ross is not the only recent Giant moving elsewhere however...

Short-lived Giant Jeff Keppinger signed with the Rays this past week. He was only with the team for one year, but I liked him. In fact, for awhile there, he was the only Giants hitter getting on base. The poor guy got stranded at first though, countless times. Also, despite not being majorly cute, he understood how a man's beard should really look, and for that I'm thankful. And wishing he'd teach a seminar to many of those who seem to struggle with the concept. The Giants let Keppinger go, but decided to hold onto Mike Fontenot. I'm not entirely understanding that logic, but maybe it will present itself at some point. I hope so.

And this brings us to the Giants recently signing Fontenot's former Cubs teammate, Ryan Theroit. This is yet another decision I would like management (presumably Brian Sabean) to explain to me. I have nothing against Theroit, personally, but I'm not sure why we need yet another infielder. Without any real information to go on, I would guess that perhaps the Giants are not quite as confident about Brandon Crawford's offensive abilities and want a back-up. Or maybe Freddy Sanchez is not as ready for spring training as they once thought. If the Giants sign more infielders after Theroit, I will really start to get worried. Then again, if they have the payroll for an "insurance" infielder, it probably won't do any harm. The consensus on the interwebs seems to be the opposite, though. But I was also (seemingly) the only one perplexed by the Angels signing CJ Wilson for so much money. It is what it is.

Those worried about Tim Lincecum's short-term future with the Giants (like me!) can breathe easier this week, as he signed a 2-year, $40 million deal, avoiding arbitration. I'm hoping this means that a contract extension for Matt Cain is also in the works. With Vogelsong having been re-signed, such a solid starting rotation (with Bumgarner too, of course) going into spring training would be great. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

This final mention is Giants-related, at least to me, but not in a good way. For awhile it seemed that Omar Visquel was rumored to have wanted to only play for the Giants, if he was to play one final season. Visquel having been one of my favorite Giants (ever!), this really excited me. I knew not to get too excited though, since the team already has Brandon Crawford at shortstop. But since Visquel said he wasn't planning on coming back to the Indians or the White Sox, that that would be it for him. This was not so, as he was just signed with the Blue Jays. Okay, so it was a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, but still. It saddens me nonetheless. I'm still holding out hope (like many Giants fans) that after his final season, Visquel will take a coaching position with the Giants. I think he'd fit in beautifully.

I guess I have to mention that Ryan Madson signed with the Reds. So he's not with the Phillies anymore. And that's good. I'm not sure what else I can say about that, since I don't find him particularly impressive. He's above average, for sure, but not spectacular.

Also, another former Phillies pitcher signed with a different team recently - Brad Lidge went to the Nationals. It's hard to say how much of an impact he will have on what already looks like a great pitching rotation, but we'll just have to wait and see. I can't say I will be waiting with bated breath though.

And...there's still no home for Edwin Jackson, although the rumor mill is buzzing, mostly about the Cardinals re-signing him. I'm thinking he will finalize something pretty soon, as the free-agent market is winding down, quality-wise.

I want to end with saying that the idea of the A's signing Manny Ramirez is hilarious to me. I can't even begin to describe it!

Those damn Niners...

As much as I can't believe I'm saying this, I've been a bit consumed with San Francisco 49er football as of late. This is quite strange for me, yes, but it was only after witnessing their amazing win over the Saints at Candlestick on Saturday that I noticed some parallels between the 2011/2012 49ers and the SF Giants in 2010. (New York seriously needs to re-name their football team, because this is confusing!)

It's not that I don't like the 49ers; I do. I can't say that it's a major passion (nor has it ever been) at this point, but I've gone to a few 49er games over the years, and like with Cal Bear football games, I try to watch 49er games when I can. However, this season is different. Or, at least, the 49er coach is very different. I admit, one of the main reasons I've taken interest in the 49ers this year is Jim Harbaugh. And seeing him in person (though not terribly well) at Saturday's game was one of the more fun aspects of having been there. He's got just the right amount of crazy for me. Anyhow.

It isn't easy to compare a football team and a baseball team, and for a myriad of reasons; the incredibly short versus the incredibly long seasons is a big one. However, when I saw Alex Smith run for a touchdown (I'm still digesting that I witnessed that!) in the 49er game, all I could think of was Cody Ross in the 2010 NLDS. While I hope that Alex Smith doesn't go the way that Ross has, the similarities, at least to me, were striking. The Giants claimed Cody Ross when pretty much no one else wanted him and the expectations for him to do well weren't very high. But when the Giants needed him in the playoffs, he delivered. Big time. When the 49ers signed Alex Smith, it was the opposite; he was expected to really excel. Well, anyone who watches any football knows that that just didn't happen with him, and at some point, most people just gave up on him. It was a "live and learn" situation. But here we are, some six years later, and Alex Smith is a big reason why the 49ers are playing in their first NFC Championship game since 1998. I think a lot of it has to do with Harbaugh, and most people would agree; but the coach can only do so much. Smith didn't have to come through, mostly because so few people were expecting him to, even with a 13-3 season. He picked a rather large stage to rebound on, and, from what I can tell, most opinions seem to be more positive about him.

I remember so distinctly chanting "Cody! Cody! Cody!" during the 2010 playoffs and I found myself doing the same thing on Saturday, except this time it was "Alex! Alex! Alex!" There's something so great about the fact that one bay area team got their championship title in 2010 and another seems well on its way to winning one in 2011/2012. Maybe I'm jinxing things, but that doesn't seem far-fetched right now. If nothing else, the 49ers are helping make the sting of baseball's off season a bit easier to take. I'm hoping that my Niner-themed fingernail/toenail combo works its magic the same way my Giants-themed manicure did during the 2010 World Series. Fingers crossed!

Next time I will dive head-first into some interesting acquisitions/trades I've neglected recently, because I honestly have been keeping up with it all. For true!

Matthew Stafford, and baseball puppies without homes...

So, here's a random fun fact from watching the Lions/Saints game over the weekend: Matthew Stafford, quarterback for the Lions, at one point played catcher for Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw. If facts like this continue to come out about other baseball players, I may just have to watch more football. Just maybe.

It occurred to me this week that we are now in the midst of the dog days of the offseason for baseball. I guess that's why school work piling up (and, you know, having a life) recently hasn't made me feel too bad about being behind - because what is there to be behind on, really? Well, a few things, I suppose.

There still seems to be no home for Prince Fielder, Ryan Madson or Edwin Jackson. Personally, I've never been super impressed with Madson, but that could be because he was with the Phillies. As far as Prince Fielder goes, I'm not sure what he or any of the supposedly interested teams are still waiting for. At this point, it seems likely that Fielder will sign with a team right before spring training. The same might be said for Edwin Jackson. However, the best news out of spring training (for me) is that Johan Santana will be ready to go in time for it!

Santana has been one of my favorites of the past ten (almost fifteen!) years. Besides being very cute, he was an excellent pitcher for the Twins for many years and then, unfortunately, took a dive once he went to the Mets. But that's not his fault. Hello, it's the Mets. Jason Bay should've thought of that before he went there too. But I'm hoping that maybe 2012 is the year Santana will bounce back. Someone who was so great for so many years has to have some good miles left in the tank, right? Fingers crossed!

Going from someone who is trying to bounce back to someone who is retiring, it appears that Jorge Posada has finally done the latter. Now why would I want to talk about a Yankees player retiring? Usually I would ask myself just that same question. And despite my dislike for the Yankees (with a few exceptions, like Nick Swisher), I have to say that I admired the final year he had with the team. It seemed at one point that he wouldn't be getting much playing time, what with Russell Martin catching for them and a few choices at DH (like Brett Gardner, as I recall). Nevertheless, there he was during the playoffs this year, looking like he was really enjoying himself. Then there were the rumors that he was really trying to find some team to play for for one last season. With how he ended his career with the Yankees, I'm glad he decided to retire now. Playing only for the Yankees as long as he did is impressive. And since he's a catcher, I wouldn't be surprised to later find him in management somewhere. So congrats to him.

It seems the Marlins, in addition to quite a few other players, have acquired Carlos Zambrano. The combination of him and Ozzie Guillen as manager is almost too much for me to take! Zambrano is definitely what you would call a firecracker, and so is Ozzie. But who knows, maybe they get along well enough that there won't be any fireworks in the clubhouse (or on the field) - especially since it was noted that Guillen and Zambrano had talked about this possibility quite awhile before the acquisition took place.

Either way, I still want to know which lottery the Marlins have won and where I can get some of that money. Seriously. Does acquiring all of these players mean more revenue for the Marlins this year? Not necessarily. I think things will not go quite as swimmingly (no pun intended) as the team hopes. It's not that I don't want the Marlins to raise attendance or do well, but this is the team that has a fire sale after every World Series win. Not a good track record.

Normally, I don't make it a habit of mentioning players I don't like. And why would I? However, I just couldn't resist talking about Josh Hamilton. It doesn't matter why I don't like him, I simply don't. But he's been mentioned recently in relation to his future in free agency. Seems that Hamilton's injuries (and his difficulty in getting treatment for them) have put his money-making potential in jeopardy. For me, it's just nice that someone, somewhere is not bowing down to him and kissing his ass. Because that just gets tiring. Really tiring. Besides, he's just never struck me as the most humble guy around. Also, he complains about smelling pot from the outfield of AT&T Park. Regardless of his history of drug abuse, that's silly. Period. Most don't agree with me on that, but I stand by my opinion. And my general opinion of Hamilton.

Even though I should be, I'm just not too interested in the Hall of Fame discussions going around lately. Nothing against, for example, Barry Larkin, but I don't need to be once again reminded of how long it still is until spring training. Oh, January and February are dreary months for sure.