Worth Every Penny

Browsing through the sports pages and I come across the above headline. No shit he's going to stay with the Dodgers after having a season like he just had in 2009. He would never come close to that on the open market especially when Jason Bay and Matt Holliday are available, plus add in the current economic situation.

What a difference a year makes. At this time last year, super agent Boras was trying to land a 3-5 year guaranteed deal worth $25mil or so a year for his precious client Manny Ramirez. We all know the Dodgers took a hard stance and didn't cave into the aging slugger's outrageous demands...kind of. Instead, the Dodgers and Manny agreed to their current deal, 2-years worth $40mil.

After suffering through a female fertility drug suspension and a 104AB, .290avg, 19HRs, and 63RBIs, the Dodgers are now kind of stuck.

Looking back the Dodgers didn't have a choice last year. They were stuck with Manny because they had no one else to throw their money at. In my eyes, this aging slugger still has some power left in him. If Manny came out and batted .310 with 30+HRs and batted in 100+, it wouldn't surprise me one bit. He is that great of a pure hitter that producing at the age of 37-38 wouldn't shock/surprise any true baseball fan. On the other hand, he could produce numbers comparable to Vernon Wells in 2009 (minus the 17SBs) and that wouldn't surprise me either. What ever happens, the Dodgers are stuck with their dreadlocks slugger.

This is what $20mil buys you these days in the big leagues. A 37 going on 38 year old slugger who is might be clean now, jogging and shagging balls in left field (during games). Where did the days go when giving a player $20mil gave guaranteed you .320avg, 40HRs, and 130RBIs?

Guess money doesn't buy happiness. It's LA, the land of outrageous everything. Maybe 2010 will bring some happiness to Manny Land.

Time to Sweep

It seems the broom is out in force after the Angels ousted the Red Sox, in Fenway, after the Yanks and the surprising guys out in La La land completed 3 game sweeps themselves.

The Yanks 3 game sweep wasn't all too surprising because of how the Twins finished the final 2-3 weeks of the season. The Twins were battling and fighting every night while the Yanks were resting and enjoying their cushion in the AL East grow. I knew the Yanks would take the series but I was a little shocked it was a sweep. Thought the momentum the Twins had would carry into at least a victory in the division series. A-Rod hits another HR and is batting .455 after three games. Pretty impressive considering his past post-season greatness. Let's see if he can carry that into the next round. Derek Jeter. You know the rest.

The Dodgers were a team I thought had nothing but a first round exit given to them but they proved me wrong. The Dodgers took it to Carpenter, Wainwright (more Franklin), and Pineiro. Andre Ethier seems legit. Fantasy note for 2010, check! Scary thought, what if Manny comes back and goes on one of his runs. Add in Ethier, Kemp, and Furcal and you have a pretty deadly lineup.

Now, to the most shocking series. What the hell happened in Boston? They let one slip through their fingers. With the experience in the Red Sox dugout, I thought they for sure would be sitting in the opposite dugout to the Yanks come the ALCS. The Angels just came out and took it to them from game 1 and didn't stop until they finished the sweep. Papelbon missing a save opportunity? Not being able to convert and allowing ER's? I wonder what the Red Sox Nation is going to do now that their beloved Red Sox are heading into hibernation. You think Epstein is going to go ape shit and buy up some free agents. In my opinion, not likely. They have some core guys that should compete for years to come. Too bad the Yanks do too.

First or Bust

Fantasy baseball is over for another year and I can finally say I am a champion. After playing years of fantasy baseball I have never touched the top. Years of 2nd/3rd place finishes left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Year after year, I build a strong team that always spends time in first place and competes against every team but year after year, there is an owner who has career years from all his players.

Some of the guys I participate with always say I should be happy that I am placing in the top 3 year in and year out but who gives a rats ass if you finish top 3 every year. It is first or bust man!

Fantasy baseball is all about drafting the right players and filling in the holes when DL stints occur and making sure to find rookies or guys having career years to add to your team before someone else picks them off the waiver wire. After a 162 game season, it was all worth it. The time spent sitting in front of the computer clicking and browsing through numbers trying to find some player who is breaking out was fun and now rewarding. Even with the injuries to Beltran, Ibanez, Torii Hunter, and the 50 game suspension of Manny I found a way to take the league. Yes, I had a pretty stacked team. Keepers/draft is where it happens. That is how great of a year I had. Finding McCutchen, Jeter being the old Jeter, Fielder coming into his own, Lincecum throwing smoke, finding Asdrubal Cabrera on the wire, Kurt Suzuki pitching (funny huh?) in from behind the plate, and one of my underrated but not under appreciated staple on my fantasy keeper list Carlos Lee.

At one point in the season, I was thinking I would never finish first especially with all the injuries and “other” things happening. But it all came together and I am glad it did. Now is the time to celebrate a little and rub it into some of my buddy’s faces but in a few weeks I will need to turn my attention to something important, scouting for next year. Yes, I am already preparing for a repeat in 2010. I don’t go hardcore into numbers and spend hours everyday in front of the computer for baseball stats but I do spend some time looking at winter baseball stats and making sure to take note of young guys who are producing. A great league to look at is the Arizona Fall League. Ever heard of a guy named Tommy Hanson? He was MVP of the league last year and we all know what he did this year in the bigs.

The season is over and everything worked out. If anyone is interested in fantasy baseball please leave a comment and if you have a competitive/serious league with owners who actual stay active through the long 162 game season, please leave me a comment and hopefully we can get a league together. March is not so far away, draft time is slowly coming.

103mp/h=165.76km/h

This kid throws 103mph and takes being scared in the batters box to another level. Looking at his mechanics they look pretty smooth and solid but will his body hold up.

His name is Stephen Strasburg and he's a 20 year old throwing at San Diego State University.

I won't talk about his stats because you can just assume what a 103mph pitcher can do in university against guys who won't be bidding for a spot in the majors (hint: 74Ks in 34 1/3 innings). What I am interested in is his future health. Any one that has been in baseball understands the sheer amount of stress being put on a pitching arm/shoulder when a pitcher throws a pitch at full speed. Guys out there who throw hard don't seem to last as long as guys who bore batters to sleep (Greg Maddux, Charlie Huff, and Jamie Moyer). There are exceptions to the rule though, just look at Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, and Curt Schilling (don't get me started with Clemens). Does he have to throw 103mph to get guys out? Can he dial the knob down and throw in the high 90's while dveloping a killer change and knee jerker of a curve. But this leads to another point with injuries.

When players who don't play full speed seem to find injuries knocking on the door. Ever play shinny at the local rink? If he does find a way to preserve his health and maintain his 103mph fastball the sky is the limit for this kid. If he stays physically and mentally fit he'll, hopefully, have a great major league career and be filling the bank account with loads of cash. Which leads me to my next point.

Guess who is representing Mr. Strasburg at the bargaining table? Just GUESS!!!

The one and only superagent Mr. Scott Boras. The same dude who negotiated contracts for A-Rod, Manny, and even the "captain" Jason Varitek. This is a warning to all GM's who are thinking about drafting the rights to Stephen, watch out Boras is going to hold out until his client gets big $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

As I have read the front runner for Stephen is the Nationals who holds the #1 pick, good luck!

Big Albert

News coming out of the Dominican Republic is positive for Manny fans who are a little disappointed that he is not signed and prepping for spring training. Albert Pujols of the Cardinals is laying down the law by asking the Cardinals to go out and try and sign free agent slugger Manny Ramirez. If you read the article on Yahoo! Sports baseball page, you will see Albert being quoted as saying, “I’m not an agent or general manager, but I can’t understand how Manny has not signed.”

Hmmmmm, I guess hitting home runs and being the NL MVP is screwing with his vision/mind. Manny is not signed because he, and Mr. Boras, are asking for too much money over too many years. Why would you sign a guy like Manny for 4-5 years worth 20-25 million a year. That is absolutely over the top since he is reaching the wonderful age of 40. Yes, he can produce but are you going to get the great Manny who took the Dodgers to the playoffs or the Manny who quit on his team in Red Sox nation?

Also, I love the comment, “I speak with Manny every three days and he tells me, `Man, no one wants to sign me," People do want to sign you Manny but you have to first, ditch your agent Boras and second, bring down your asking price. Teams around the MLB want to sign you but not at the price you are asking for.

Manny, you have the championships and you are closing in on some milestones. Wake up and realize that money and this long term contract is not worth it. Financial security is great but come on I think you made enough money over your career, especially since stories are floating out in the world about you not cashing your cheques because you had no need for that kind of money.

I love Manny and I hope he finds a place to play soon. If Pujols does get his wish, imagine that one two punch in the middle of the lineup.

True Hollywood Story Style

Coming across this on the internet made me laugh. People are still talking about how Manny and the Red Sox broke off relations with each other and how terrible it was in the Red Sox clubhouse with Manny. Yes, this was made for entertainment and to grab ratings but what are they going to say that hasn't already been covered by the media. You won't see players speaking on camera about Manny and you obviously won't see any personel from the Red Sox making a camera appearance. So, lesson here. Entertainment/ratings is king.

If I wasted your time by you watching this clip, sorry, but it's Manny being Manny.

Suspending Manny

Did anyone have a chance to read the post on ESPN.com about the Red Sox planning on suspending Manny just before he was traded?

Wow, when I read the post I was absolutely shocked. Not shocked about the article content but for the fact that ESPN.com even took time to report it and waste space on their website.

Come on guys, Manny is out of Red Sox Nation and he might not even be in Dodger blue next season. You need to move on with all this BS about him not playing because he was pissed at the team and all of his stupid crap he pulled when he was patrolling left field in front of the Green Monster.

The time has come to just forget about his time with the Red Sox's. Seriously, guys, there is more important news to report about Manny. Think about it, this guy is about to sign another massive contract. Talk about that. Give me the rumours about that. Don't give me more BS about his past at Fenway.

That time is over.


Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com

2yrs $45-$50mill?

If the reports are true, Manny was offered a fairly big chunk of change by the Dodgers. Rumour has it the deal would make Manny the second highest paid MLB player just behind A-Rod ($27.5million per season) and this number sounds right to me.

Giving Manny a two year deal in the neighbourhood of $20-25 million per season is the right choice for a team that thinks it will make the playoffs and contend for the World Series. Even if you are a team that doesn't have a chance you can still rake in the big bucks with souvenirs and fans who come out just to watch Manny play.

I am happy to see this is not for 3 or 4 seasons because if a team were stupid enough to give him that many years for the amount he is seeking per season that team would be committing suicide. He is a great hitter but in my eyes only for 2-3 more seasons.

Obviously, Mr. Boras will wait until other teams propose some deals but for now, the Dodgers have exclusive negotiation rights with Manny.

Manny being Manny might land him a fat payday.

Manny in Pinstripes?

I would love to see Manny play for the Bronx Bombers. Having a game at Fenway between the two rivals with Manny hitting a moon shot over the Green Monster...now that's a sight.

Well, this might come true. According to reports, the Yankees are going to look at ALL options, which includes Manny, to improve their ball club. After not making the playoffs the Yanks really need to make a splash in the Free Agent market especially this year. With the likes of Sabathia, Burnett, and Manny being available, the Yanks could potentially add some deadly weapons for a 2009 World Series run.