Joe Morgan, HOF, calls in from new MLB Urban Academy in Compton, Calif.

We hear about the fall off in kids playing baseball today in the US & the rise of baseball academies in Latin countries. The creation of this academy may help out. Joe Morgan is also involved in the RBI Program, which will play their world series this summer at the Compton facility. I hope this is wildly successful. I'd even be happy just to see some hitting machine/batting cage places scattered around towns everywhere. How great would it be for any kid to drop in there & try to smash a few balls? A good start would be anywhere around Legends Field in Tampa, which currently features a few seedy adult entertainment sites & not much else.

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Todd Zola & Will Carroll join Jeff Erickson on Fantasy Focus on XM

Todd & Jeff discuss recent & ongoing draft moves; scarce middle infielders now offer speed (eg Carl Crawford) as opposed to previous years where slugging was more prominent feature (eg Tejada & Arod). Jeff likes Zola's pick of Todd Helton, thinks injuries held him back last year. Both agree BJ Ryan just needs to prevent homeruns. Todd is with mastersball.com. Will Carroll from Baseball Prospectus discusses his recent remarks about Mark Prior, which caused the Cubs to be a little miffed. Will states he was just doing what he normally does, putting out results of all the information he gets. Re the Kip Wells injury, he's concerned about how Wells' health has been handled presently as well has going back a year or 2. Says he's now done for the year & done with the Pirates. Oliver Perez had greatest potential for this year but is now showing some problems. Will admits he didn't see the Brian Lawrence situation coming (along with the Nats & others); notes more thorough physical evaluations used in NFL (although Jeff notes the team is owned by MLB, so all bets were off). Will likes Joey Gathright & Dave Roberts as late drafts with speed. Jeff notes Aubrey Huff is to be moved to 3B, making room for Gathright in the outfield. Marlins' Mike Jacobs is one of Pecota's favorites. Jeff played one of Will's favorite Led Zeppelin tunes to introduce him--- I hadn't realized Jimmy Page was with the Yardbirds before starting Led Zeppelin.

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Dodgers will have respect for each other

Grady Little says he won't have too many rules. He will have one--while not unique, it will be different for the Dodgers from last year---pre-game music in the clubhouse will be via headphones only. Thank heaven.

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Mariano Rivera has 413 career saves

I shouldn't read any articles about Mariano Rivera. Mariano is the greatest late inning reliever in history, should've won the Cy Young at least once by now & is first ballot Hall of Famer (Charley Steiner has also remarked about the Hall of Fame designation). But, if a writer has to turn in a column on something & decides it'll be about Mariano, he'll choose a stat that puts Mo behind several others of far different stature. This cookie number doesn't tell the true story. Most like me who might speak up have long since been cowed into submission simply because the subject happens to be a Yankee. Mariano actually has 413 career saves, 34 of them in the post season, but the AP & others like to mention those tougher ones later in an article if at all. They often say, Mariano "had the opportunities..." in another attempt to mitigate him. Other pitchers were offered the "opportunity" to pitch for the Yankees & TURNED IT DOWN BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT THE PRESSURE. It never ends.

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Bill Lajoie joins Dodgers as Special Assistant to the GM

Bill has been with the Red Sox in an advisory role since 2002. Continuing his 50 year career in baseball, Bill will now work in the Dodgers organization. He was interviewed on November 29, 2005 on XM when he was active in the evolution of the Red Sox front office.

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Jonah Keri, Baseball Prospectus with Jeff Erickson on XM

Jonah likes Jose Lopez, Jeremy Reed, Caesar Carrillo & of course Felix Hernandez. Jeff mentions popular prospect Santiago Castilla, who has undergone a slight name change, straightening out some documents. Jonah notes special event on Sunday, March 5, a Padres/Mariners special pre-season game in Peoria, Arizona. There will be an hour-long chat session with GM's Bill Bavasi & Kevin Towers at 10 AM prior to the game, & if you can attend, you need to make a reservation at BaseballProspectus.com, events. Jeff will be making an appearance on ESPN News, which is also heard on XM Ch. 141.

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Steve Moyer, Baseball Info Solutions joins Jeff Erickson on XM

Steve chose Carl Crawford #4 overall in his draft, citing his unique combination of power, hitting, & speed; his sb's decreased last year, but he doesn't see that as a problem & isn't worried about the current wrist injury. Both Steve & Jeff think Carlos Beltran's running game will pick up this year. Jeff's favorite catchers are Victor Martinez & Joe Mauer; Steve is still high on Randy Johnson & his WHIP, acknowledges he has physical issues; Jeff reminds him of the high # of HR's Randy gave up last year. (I recall much talk of a totally flat slider). Jeff is high on Mariners bullpen pitcher Rafael Soriano. BIS has a new "Fielding Bible" coming out, & Steve will be discussing new defensive info with teams. Both he & Jeff use the Bill James Handbook extensively.

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Vin Scully signs with Dodgers through 2008

Charley Steiner mentions that he doesn't usually dress up in a suit & tie for his radio show, but today's a special occasion. He'll be attending the Dodger press conference to announce the re-signing of Vin Scully.

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Picture of Randy Johnson throwing today in Tampa

Randy Johnson throwing today in Tampa, joined in the bullpen by Mel Stottlemyre, Joe Torre, & Ron Guidry.

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Mariano Rivera leads pitchers' defensive drills today in Tampa

Mariano Rivera leads pitchers' defensive drills today in Tampa

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"Wang will be Yankees #1 pitcher eventually"----Posada

Jorge relates his high opinion of Chien-Ming Wang to a reporter, saying he has the best stuff on the club. I'd rather have a ground ball pitcher, quiet & poised anyday myself than a big, loud, power guy. Not to say Wang's arm or shoulder is injury free, but what a joy it was to see him last year, ground ball after ground ball, fielding them himself. I know that's not the stats guys' cup of tea, but still.

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Ron Guidry checks out Ramiro Mendoza today in Tampa

Ron Guidry watching Ramiro Mendoza today

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Jorge Posada leaving bullpen at Legends Field today

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Stump Merrill, #52 Tony Pena, Tommy John , Jorge Posada catching in bullpen session today

A Day to Remember---I took this today at Legends Field. Later I saw the following take BP-- Derek Jeter, Arod, & Bernie Williams hitting from both sides of the plate. There was never a more beautiful, sunny day. Whatever is wrong in the world vanished for a few precious minutes. I've been happy all day from this wonderful experience. On top of it all, it was free to the public.

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Raissman---Yankees may be looking to acquire radio station as Cardinals did...

Bob Raissman's columns on sports media & business are always interesting. Among his topics today are-- * Yankees looking into buying a local radio station...the whole baseball & radio topic has radically changed since Bud Selig went in & sold all the local teams' rights to satellite radio without their permission. Having the local radio rights is now of much less value. * Although most listeners, fans, & Yankee brass like the pairing of Suzyn Waldman & John Sterling, Suzyn hasn't been thrilled with it, & was more than looking forward to the off season. I like both of them, & couldn't live without John Sterling's voice on the broadcast. However, something needs to be worked out where everyone knows Sterling is the #1 guy, fine. But he needs to allow his partner to have some autonomy. The Waldman pairing has a chance of succeeding if John, the greatest voice ever in my opinion, will let it. Raissman adds a few points about how Cardinal fans are already complaining they can't get the signal of the new, weaker Cardinal radio station.

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With Grant Paulsen today on XM--Elliott Kalb, Gary Templeton, Ernie Broglio, Bill Chastain

As always a great show from teen phenom Grant Paulsen on Minors & Majors, starts off hosting Elliott Kalb, award winning statistician & author, who contributes a defense of Sammy Sosa's overall status in the game. Gary Templeton calls in live from St. Louis where he's attending a card show. Gary played 16 years in the majors, had 211 base hits in 1979. Ernie Broglio, a 20 game winner in the 60's, is asked by Grant about differences in the game today. Ernie says today you're just supposed to throw hard, & get out after 6 innings; he prefers night games, as hitters have advantage in daylight.

• Bill Chastain, covering the D-Rays for mlb.com says Joe Maddon has already convinced his pitchers they'll be the best at fielding their positions (sorry strike-out guys).
• Says whole infield is better because of Travis Lee at 1B, that he's the best fielding 1B he's ever seen.
• Scott Kazmir wants to compete to be their #1 starter; previous regime felt that might be too much pressure on him, but Kazmir is up for it. Also speaks highly of Edwin Jackson, their recent pick-up from the Dodgers.

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Don Mattingly signed for many fans today

Don Mattingly signs autographs today (he's in the middle of the crowd with the requisite navy blue hat & shirt). Someone there told me Jeter signed autographs for a long time earlier today at the minor league complex. That's not as likely to happen during the regular season with a lot of players as we know.

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Larry Bowa speaking, others listening

Larry Bowa coaching today in Yankee uniform

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Gene Orza on XM re Guillen criticisms in SI

Dibs & Kevin read excerpts of O. Guillen's comments in SI, which clearly shocked & disappointed them. Gene Orza comes on to respond, says he's heard about comments, hasn't read them, & expects they'll be regretted. Orza's main focus is to defend Alex Rodriguez' sincerity in choosing which team to play for in the WBC, saying he knows personally how difficult it was for Arod, & that in fact both his parents are Dominican. Dibs & Kevin say if Guillen's comments had been made by an NBA or NFL manager, they'd be fined or otherwise disciplined. He apparently slammed several other managers, complained about the speed limit in the United States, taxes, expectations for civil & considerate behavior, etc. All things that reporters live to hear, but substantially change our perception of O. Guillen for the worse.

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Larry Bowa on the job as Yankee coach today in Tampa

Larry Bowa, Yankee Coach at Legends Field today, 2/17/06. I believe 2nd from right is Tony Pena. Larry is in the middle facing the camera.

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Eric Karabell of ESPN.com with Jeff Erickson on XM discuss Phillies

Eric will consider it a good year if the Phillies put together 90 wins. Moving the fences back won't have much effect on their hitters as most are lefty power; may get 1-2 fewer homeruns from righty Pat Burrell. Will mainly help pitchers & their attitude. Bullpen has questions with a bunch of people being evaluated for setup roles as well as replacement closer should Tom Gordon get injured. Eric feels they'll get enough innings from Tom Gordon's rebuilt arm, just needs to stay healthy. On building the farm system, Phillies got some good young lefties from the White Sox in the Jim Thome deal. Also worthy in minors are Gavin Floyd & Chris Booker. The team now has a log jam at 3rd base & needs to get a 5th outfielder. Of general interest, a caller mentioned fantasy team he'd been happily using for 16 years has closed down, due to its owner not wishing to pay a license fee to MLB to stay in business. In conversation with another caller, it appears the fantasy league in question was owned by Bill James. MLB has been taken to court by fantasy leagues over this issue, but the fallout has begun. UPDATE---Thanks to an alert expert in the business, the info is the fantasy league that closed down was owned by STATS, Inc., & Bill James isn't known to have been an owner, but may have had an association with them.

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Posada has hitting machine

Posada worked with his Uncle Leo yesterday with this hitting machine---jets of air keep the ball suspended in air.

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Tigers analyst Jim Price on XM with Charley Steiner

Former Tiger player & long-time announcer Jim Price is direct in his comments about the Tigers---thinks attitude was much of problem last year, somehow whole clubhouse went adrift. Speaks highly of Alan Trammell, but thinks players will respond better to Jim Leyland who has more managerial experience. Jim Price's favorites include Chris Shelton, Placido Polanco, & Brandon Inge. Says Maglio Ordonez had no leg drive last year, but reports from Venezuela say he's improved on that this winter.

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Josh Paley of Baseball HQ discusses Cardinals with Jeff Erickson on XM

Notes the walls in new stadium will be a few feet farther, but air flow & how balls will carry aren't known. Cards are ramping up their camp efforts in the Dominican Republic & Venezuela in efforts to get their farm system going. This year much depends on health of Rolen; Josh says Larry Bigbie & Juan Encarnacion will probably platoon in the OF with Taguchi & Juan Rodriguez. Sees a 50-75 total runs dropoff this year, but still enough to win the division. Looking at Sidney Ponson situation, pitching coach Dave Duncan is good at working with veterans. Mentions top pitching prospect Anthony Reyes, though has some injury concerns. Tomorrow, will discuss Phillies.

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Jeff Erickson discusses Mets with beat writer Jan Levine

Sees Carlos Delgado easily hitting 280 or 290 as a Met, accustomed to a pitchers park & a year of national lg. pitching. Jose Reyes & Carlos Beltran are both switch hitters, helping out Willie Randolph's favorite batting order of righty-lefty, perhaps finally allowing David Wright to bat 3rd. Jan notes Mets had best attendance in 2004 in 25 years, contributing to the Wilpons' realizing they must spend big on players, which they did with Billy Wagner. Feels it's a good deal if they get 3 good years from Wagner. Also, Mets building a new ballpark will allow them to escape luxury tax. Jan loves Duaner Sanchez setting up for Wagner. Thinks Victor Diaz will start in RF. Notes Anderson Hernandez had a great winter ball season, & still have prospects Milledge & Pelfrey.

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It's Lima Time for Mets

The Mets have signed rhp Jose Lima to a minor league contract with the possibility he could make the 40 man roster at some point. I'll never forget the great job he did for the Dodgers in 2004, not all that long ago.

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Jeff Weaver has offer from Angels

Arte Moreno mentioned the offer in the course of a radio station interview. It's reported to be 1 year with option for a 2nd year. Weaver must give them an answer by Wednesday when Angels pitchers & catchers report.

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Rotowire's Eric Siegrist with Jeff Erickson on XM talks Marlins

Good to remember Marlins stadium lease is really their main problem, not the fan attendance which was around 1.8 million. It doesn't allow them any of the usual stadium income like parking, etc. Marlins' 3 biggest pick-ups were Hanley Ramirez, Anibel Sanchez & Mike Jacobs. The team sees Ramirez as another Edgar Renteria in defensive skills. His batting may take more time. Marlins made a good rule 5 draft pickup of Dan Uggla, who looks to be a big hitter. There will be competition for fielding positions, & much will depend on Hanley Ramirez---if he has to go back to AAA for awhile, Pokey Reese would probably play SS. Eric & Jeff think Yusmeiro Petit is a good pitching prospect to watch. Rumor still exists Marlins may trade a pitcher to Tampa Bay for Joey Gathright. Eric mentions Marlins Albuquerque facility has very tough conditions for pitchers, so the team often bypasses this stop & moves them up.

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Chien-Ming Wang expects to bow out of WBC; Orel Hershiser takes seat in studio

I was surprised to read this about Wang, but with all the arm problems he's had it was the only thing to do---despite all the back room pressure he got to play. The item was toward the end of this article in USA Today. The article's title indicates it's about Pavano throwing 15 minutes today, a subject in which I have no interest. Later it mentions Hershiser, who's worked for Disney or ESPN in the past.

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White Sox visit White House as World Champs

The meeting was broadcast on XM today, & featured 17 White Sox including Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, & AJ Pierzynski (plus all the usual politicians). I loved the group picture of everyone in street clothes the Chicago Tribune published. Plus, they didn't put the negative political spin on the event the AP story unsurprisingly did. You may have to go directly to the site to see the photo.

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John Manuel, Baseball America, with Jeff Erickson on XM

Discussing Pittsburgh Pirates, any off season improvements will be realized more internally than externally. Both have confidence in Jim Tracy's ability to evaluate & make decisions. Lefty power hitters do better in this park making Jason Bay's accomplishments even greater. Farm hand Brad Eldred might've done as well as Sean Casey at a much lower price tag. They both love Jose Batista, John remarking how Dave Littlefield lost him in the rule 5 draft then had to scramble to get him back. John is a big Freddy Sanchez fan---he's injury prone but gets hits, is good at 3B, would've been a cheaper alternative to Joe Randa. Notes Jose Castillo has more offensive potential & hits better on the road. Jason Bay was great across the board last year, 44 doubles, 20+ sb's. Omar Minaya traded him from the Expos for nothing, & Pirates were lucky to stumble upon him. They have some good starting pitching & bullpen, like Oliver Perez, Paul Maholm, & Zach Duke. Jeff says the Pirates view Mike Gonzalez as their closer & believes Jim Tracy is good at choosing the right pitchers.

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Reds sign 1B Scott Hatteberg to 1 year $750,000 deal

This gives the Reds added flexibility at 1B. New Reds GM Wayne Krivsky had been watching for an opportunity to sign Hatteberg & now is in the position to act.

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Shawn Chacon & Yanks reach agreement ahead of arbitration

Chacon agrees to a 1 year deal of $3.6 million plus incentives, having sought $4.15 million against the Yankees' offer of $3.1 million. So he got a little bit out of the negotiations. If anyone deserves it, he does.

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Milo Hamilton discusses his book, "Making Airwaves" & his comments on Harry Caray

The Harry Caray comments are only part of the book, but have drawn most attention. Harry was beloved as a Cub's broadcaster, but apparently was nasty & mean to a lot of people in all walks of life. Milo recounts how Harry tried to get him bounced out of a few jobs as well. The book is "Making Airwaves, 60 Years Behind the Microphone," by Milo Hamilton with Dan Schlossberg & Bob Ibach, by Sports Publishing, LLC. Milo is one of the voices of the Houston Astros.

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Greg Ambrosius & John Sickels with Jeff Erickson talking Brewers on XM

Brewers have crafted a good group of pitchers with Zach Jackson, Dave Bush, Doug Davis, Chris Capuano, Ben Sheets, & Derrick Turnbow. Doug Melvin is doing a great job, & is also trying to load up their minor leagues with pitching. Corey Koskie will be good for them, & is someone they tried to get a year earlier. Bill Hall will fill the role he did very well last year at various stops in the infield & getting some good at bats. Jeff says Turnbow as closer gives up very few homeruns, a fact not often acknowledged in closers. Mention JJ Hardy is a sleeper; Brady Clark had good year in 2005 in CF, may be near ceiling. John Sickels likes OF Corey Hart. Greg has live fantasy drafts around the country, & his website is www.fantasybaseballchampionship.com. Jeff has special offers at Rotowire.com/xm.

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"It's next year already"---NY Times re spring training

They discuss spring training sites in both Florida & Arizona . The best experience I've had wasn't an exhibition game, but in an inter or intra squad game---all guys from the same team split up into 2 squads. Very few people were there, so I got to sit in the first row behind home plate.

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Jury sides with Moreno, against city of Anaheim

Jury says there was no breach of contract in the name change. The Angels began play in 1961 as the Los Angeles Angels, then became the California Angels, followed by the Anaheim Angels, and the current LA Angels of Anaheim.

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Alfonso Soriano goes for out of the park record in salary arbitration

Alfonso Soriano's case was heard in St. Petersburg today, with a decision expected before the end of the weekend. The previous record figure in arbitration was achieved by Andruw Jones in 2001. Soriano is asking for $12 million, & the Nationals have offered $10 million.

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New manager Joe Maddon recommends "Blink"

Maddon recently read the bestselling book, "Blink," & recommends it for all managers. Phil Rogers writes he believes Joe Girardi was deceived by Marlins' ownership from the beginning, & hopes Girardi can be back with the Cubs in 2007.

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Here's Johnny----his ad in today's Boston Globe

Johnny Damon ad in Boston Globe thanking Red Sox fans.

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Minnesota's Wayne Krivsky named GM of Reds---Terry Ryan now on XM

Longtime Minnesota Twins assistant GM Wayne Krivsky has been named the new general manager of the Cincinnati Reds, with a 2 year term & mutual option to renew. Terry Ryan now on XM to discuss the Krivsky hiring. Says Krivsky has done about everything a GM will be called upon to do. Dibs asks Terry if US teams will do much scouting at the WBC. Ryan says perhaps the Japanese, Korean, & Taiwanese (also known as Chinese Taipei). Not so much the Caribbean players. Mentions they don't like drafting players from Dominican & Venezuela because the documents are often messed up. For example, 3 teams may think they got the same player. Terry is pleased about the Twins' acquisition of Tony Batista. A Twins scout alerted them that Batista wasn't happy on his Japanese team.

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Buster Olney with Charley Steiner on possible new Reds GM, Will Clark, Raffy, etc.

Dayton Daily News reports Jim Beattie is front runner to be Reds GM. Buster says Castellini is close with Larry Lucchino, who was very high on Beattie, unable to hire him, & likely would've promoted him to Castellini. But, Charley & Buster both see Beattie as much like the fired Dan O'Brien, very deliberate, close to the vest type. This remains to play out. Olney discussing peripheral steroids stories, mentions parallel careers of Will Clark & Rafael Palmiero (who never got along). Raffy was always jealous of Clark, Clark did well but eventually had physical problems. Raffy didn't have the physical problems for some reason. On WBC, both agree it's a good idea but unworkable. Carl Crawford has withdrawn due to wrist problem.

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Baseball Prospectus' Jonah Keri on XM with Jeff Erickson

Discussing the Houston Astros, Jonah says team still has little offense, & pitching staff depends on whether or not Clemens returns. Astros have done well developing pitching prospects, but not with hitters. They brought up Jason Lane, but he was already 27 years old by then. Astros currently have 4 good pitching prospects in the minors. Jason Hirsch is one, mentioned because he did well in the Texas league which is a tougher one. Predict P Brandon Backe will be back if no Clemens. *Of note to National league teams---Backe is a very good hitter as well. Jonah notes Hunter Penn is a good hitting prospect. Astros have right idea on being flexible developing pitchers, using the Earl Weaver model--bring pitchers up & let them start in the bullpen, as Roy Oswalt did, also Scott Elarton. Jonah mentions his upcoming books, Baseball Prospectus 2006, & Baseball Between the Numbers. Jeff has a special for XM subscribers at Rotowire.com/xm. Tomorrow will discuss BREWERS.

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DC COUNCIL REVERSES EARLIER VOTE, APPROVES STADIUM IN 9-4 VOTE

The council also agreed on a cap of about $610 million. GO NATS!!! Boy am I going to be jealous of that beautiful stadium on the riverfront, & I think you got some extra fed. government money for rapid transit.

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Do you know who leaked secret grand jury testimony about Bonds, Giambi & others to SF Chronicle?

And do you know the names of the Chronicle reporters involved? If so, please let me know. Also, did you know this---"AMONG THE MOST DAMAGING LEAKS WAS A SECRET RECORDING THE CHRONICLE DESCRIBED IN AN OCTOBER PUBLISHED REPORT. A VOICE THE CHRONICLE CLAIMED TO BE ANDERSON'S WAS HEARD SAYING HE PROVIDED STEROIDS TO BONDS." (From an espn report). A recording? That takes hubris---to pass it along or to publish it. This is not a mystery--I'm sure plenty of people know who did it. There's only 1 reason they haven't been prosecuted-- because citizens haven't complained. My talking about it here won't matter. Very few people read this blog.

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DC City Council rejects Nationals stadium deal

As reported tonight, the next step would be arbitration. Consultants hired by the council said the mayor's cap had loopholes. Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine said through a spokesman he's willing to discuss the Nationals' moving to the Commonwealth of Virginia. See, the people on the council are politicians. The get millions of dollars of publicity from situations like this.

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Tampa Tribune sports writer fired for manipulating local football award ballot

On Friday, a 10-year sports reporter at the Tampa Tribune was fired after admitting to manipulating a local sports award ballot. She said, "When you want a desired outcome, you are going to eliminate the closest opponent to that desired outcome." She gave her lowest rating to a leading player to make it more likely the player she favored would win. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has recently prohibited all its sports reporters from voting on awards, including Cy Young, MVP, & HOF. One of their reporters, Juan Rodriguez, was on XM's The Beat discussing this matter today. In the article about the Tampa Tribune writer's firing, it mentions the paper will reconsider allowing its writers to vote on any sports awards. This recalled to me the statement of Boston Globe writer Bob Ryan on his recent HOF ballot. On January 10, 2006 on XM he said the following---"I KEPT MY VOTE DOWN FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROTECTING JIM RICE." Ryan only voted for 3 people--Rice, Sutter, & Dave Concepcion. Ryan also said the current voting system is criminal & should be disbanded immediately. Anyhow, he openly said he manipulated his ballot. And no one said a word.

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Lance Berkman & Matt Stairs on XM

Both guys sounded tremendous, Berkman saying continuing recovery from his 2005 off season injury will keep him from playing in the WBC. He missed some of the 2005 regular season due to the injury, so his team will no doubt appreciate the focus on his health. He mentioned the season is too long as it is. Matt Stairs, Kansas City Royals OF, is also an enthusiastic member of Team Canada & says he's a pretty good hockey player too.

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Bluejays.com reports signed Bengie Molina

Just heard on XM---Bluejays.com reports signing Bengie Molina to 1 year deal for $4.5 million, with an option for a 2nd year.

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Mike Piazza press conference coming up on XM

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Good view of The Bullpen, Legends Field, yesterday

The Bullpen, Legends Field Feb. 5, 2006

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Phillies broadcaster Danny Martinez on XM

Danny Martinez is a Phillies announcer for their Spanish language broadcasts & chatted with Joe Castellano from Venezuela yesterday. He sounded terrific & mentioned he'd played for the Phillies at one time, then was injured. He reveals in a matter-of-fact way that he tried to kill himself after he was cut by the Phillies. (His injury didn't allow him to play well enough again). He threw himself in front of a moving vehicle, but survived. He also spoke about what a big adjustment it is for players from outside the US just to get used to the way of life here, the food, etc., & he's enjoyed helping out some of the young guys who come here. Glad your plan didn't work, Danny---we need more like you.

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SOUTH FLORIDA SUN- SENTINEL WITHDRAWS FROM BASEBALL AWARDS

Beginning today, Brian White writes, the Sun-Sentinel will no longer vote on baseball or college football awards. He says they'll report the news, not make it. The Sun-Sentinel joins a growing list of newspapers who no longer permit their writers to vote on these awards, including Cy Young, MVP, & Hall of Fame. Among other things, the remuneration for winners made the paper reconsider its participation.

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Red Sox Alex Gonzalez' homerun brings victory to Venezuela

Red Sox Alex Gonzalez leads Venezuela to 11-9 victory over Dominican Republic. Venezuela is now only team undefeated. Photo from El Caribe.

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Moreno purchases nation's largest Spanish-speaking radio station

KMXE radio 830, the nation's largest Spanish speaking AM radio station currently carries news, talk, & sports. New to their lineup will be Angels baseball for the 2006 season. Moreno's ownership will convert to a bilingual format. Interesting idea---will multiple languages be spoken within individual programs, or vary from program to program?

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Ryan: Red Sox season begins when van leaves Fenway for Ft. Myers

Bob Ryan says Boston is a 2 season sports town. When football's over, there are a few days when nothing is going on (of course, some of us believe that baseball goes on 365 days a year). Then there's a van that leaves Fenway Park signaling to Boston faithful that baseball is back.

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Diamondbacks' Jose Valverde plies sinker in Tigers win

Jose Valverde's sinker helped the Tigers in victory yesterday. Photo from El Nacional.

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Miguel Tejada hit 3 run HR yesterday in Licey Tigers' 10-6 victory. Photo from Listin Diario

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Mets faithful get one from Fidel

Mets signed Cuban defector Michel Abreu to a 1 year minor league deal. He's expected to provide insurance at 1st base. Abreu defected from Cuba in 2004.

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Nomar Garciaparra withdraws from World Baseball Classic

Nomar says he needs to focus on getting ready with a new team, a new position, & the great fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He wishes the Mexican team the best in the tournament & is honored to have been considered.

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Picture of dilapidated field in Dominican Republic

Dilapidated field in Dominican Republic. I originally posted a link to this photo from Listin Diario on Jan. 22. Miguel Tejada & Luis Polonia played on this field which was described at that time as an obstacle to the game. In other words, unsafe for the athletes. I saved the photo & am posting it in hopes someone will fix the field.

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Mets' Anderson Hernandez shines in Caribbean Series

Anderson Hernandez slugfest to victory yesterday in Venezuela. Photograph from Listin Diario.

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Kevin Mench signs 1 year deal with Texas Rangers, avoiding arbitration

Outfielder Kevin Mench avoided arbitration by signing a 1 year $2.8 million deal with the Texas Rangers. This was the first time Mench was eligible for arbitration.

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Tampa flooded

Thunder, lightning & torrents of rain all day. Over 12" of rain in the Tampa St. Petersburg area. Flights diverted or cancelled. You can't drive because the streets are flooded. Satellite transmission has problems in storms like this, so my XM radio only comes in sporadically. Can't report too much about XM today, except I know John Sickels was on Fantasy Focus. Also, I'm aware people like to have fun, have their agendas, & make a living. People most interested in defensive stats say their measurement standards need improvement. But, some people like controversy & just go with that. Instead of looking at themselves, which would be hard, they look at a Yankee, which is easy. They get people to hate the Yankees even more, make money on their prejudice & hatred, & feel better about their own miserable lives. But, most of all, spread flimsy hate material about a Yankee for all the world to see.

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Phil Rizzuto, oldest living member of Hall of Fame, discusses it all at Mickey Mantle's restaurant

Some 1000 items from the Scooter's collection of mementos will go on sale this summer. Whether or not you're into memorabilia, it must've been great to see Mr. Rizzuto.

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Sports Bars carrying the YES Network

If one is outside the NY market & wishes to find a sports bar carrying the YES network, how would one go about it? Say if you wanted to watch the Caribbean World Series---I looked for awhile for such a location for a person visiting in Tampa, & couldn't find one. (I understand the series is available online for a fee, but I'd still like to know about the YES Network).

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Padres Cy Young pitcher Randy Jones on XM

Randy Jones sounds entertaining, engaging, & devoted to baseball. Says Sandy Alderson is following through on drafting & developing the Padres farm system. HIS ADVICE TO HITTERS IN PETCO: Don't try to hit a homerun, just be a line drive hitter. They're moving in the fences in right center from about 411' to 395'. In any case, Randy is looking for Mike Piazza to hit some homeruns into that area, which is bounded by "the Western Metals Building." About Petco he says, "So many pitchers come into Petco & become Cy Young winners." (!) Randy also has a barbecue sauce which fans might want to know about.

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Letter from Rep. Tom Tancredo to MLB on the name "Chinese Taipei"

Fascinating to find the text of Tancredo's letter to MLB. I didn't know Taiwan is the only participant not allowed to show its flag on the WBC website---instead its Olympic Committee banner is shown. It's not even allowed to use its name, Taiwan, or Republic of China, but must use the term Chinese Taipei. Tancredo points out the Puerto Rican team isn't forced to use the name "American San Juan." Of course, the Peoples Republic of China is an entirely different country, a communist dictatorship.

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Picture of Miguel Tejada today at the Caribbean World Series

Miguel Tejada today at the Caribbean World Series. Photograph from El Caribe. The Dominican team won over Puerto Rico 5-4 in 11 innings. Anderson Hernandez had the game winning hit (love those clutch hits). Anderson is also a Mets minor league infielder.

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YES Network will televise Caribbean World Series Feb. 2-7

The YES Network will televise the only English language version of the series in North America. The schedule is listed here.

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The Cubs haven't had a player go into an arbitration hearing since 1994

Continuing the theme, the Cubs signed new CF Juan Pierre and lefty reliever Will Ohman to 1 year deals. Pierre was asking for $6.5 million & the Cubs offered $5 million. Pierre will be batting in the lead off spot. Carlos Zambrano still remains to be signed.

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Rob Neyer ESPN.com insider on XM

Interesting idea on how to judge late inning relief pitchers: Pitcher comes in with a man on 1st & 3rd and 1 out. What happens? Add this kind of thing up for a season, plus runs scored with that P, & you'd get a better idea about the best late inning relievers or closers. Rob nevertheless is satisfied to say the current system of judging won't change. I don't know why he'd say that--anything is possible. Rob's main criterion on a Hall of Famer is: "Was he a Top 10 player at his position of all time?" In this regard, he says Frank Thomas & Jeff Bagwell both qualify. Neyer says Oakland is the best team in the west, & would've won last year if had been healthy. Re: Angels, says good rookies are stacked up to take Adam Kennedy's & Orlando Cabrera's spots. Rob has come out with a new book, "The Big Book of Baseball Blunders."

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Brandon Funston joins Jeff Erickson on Fantasy Focus 12n-1p

Focusing on the Giants today, this is a year they're built for but will depend on how many games Bonds plays. For fantasy players, they wouldn't risk picking him up before the 5th or 6th round. They're high on pitchers Noah Lowry & Matt Cain. Matt Morris was a 'name' signing, but Jeff's not too enthused. Interesting to watch Jason Schmidt-- will he turn more toward finesse or power? On the Giants' farm system, Jeff points out Brian Sabean's strategy there is groom 'em & trade 'em, so not much to discuss. Earlier in the week, mentioned that Dodgers & Angels have 2 best farm systems in the game. Yahoo offers free products for starting in fantasy, & Rotowire has a free trial method.

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Benjie Molina has offer on table from Blue Jays

There's $4 million for 1 year waiting for Benjie, but his agent Alan Nero says there may be more out there for his client. The Toronto Star guesses it may be the Dodgers or Yankees. This article also mentions a lawsuit filed against the St. Louis Cardinals saying they knew about dangerous pollutants at new stadium site.

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Damon to meet Boss today

Which isn't that big a deal unless you're the analytical type. You envision how big trees from little acorns grow, etc. Damon mentions he met Steinbrenner once in 2004. He kept that brief encounter in his mind in recent months, musing maybe this guy thinks highly of me. (I drove by Legends Field the other night when it was pitch dark. There were about 3 offices with lights still blazing---must be some big deal going on there, I thought).

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"I cannot take it to Wall St.:" Natwar M. Gandhi, CFO, Washington DC on Nationals deal

This in response to the recent mediated offering from mlb to Washington, DC. "The new document deleted a monetary reserve account Wall St. bond raters had requested." I became dizzy reading this account in the Washington Post from Jan. 28. 3 construction companies would be involved---with certain limits but many liberties. (How many no show jobs was that--paid for by fans & wage slaves?) And, "the Anacostia Waterfront Corp., ESTABLISHED BY (DC Mayor)WILLIAMS TO OVERSEE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WATERFRONT AREA NEAR THE BALLPARK, WOULD COVER ANY COST OVERRUNS on acquiring the needed 14 acres by SELLING DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS ON THE STADIUM SITE." The next vote of course is Feb. 7. I want to see the check books AND tax returns of everyone involved in this deal.

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Astros file claim to recoup Bagwell's salary

Bagwell will get his salary no matter what. That's not the issue. It's that the Astros may receive a large amount of money which they may spend on a productive player. The scene at the moment conjures Bagwell showing up at spring training, greeted by bouncers telling him his ID is no good. Reports are doctors say he can't throw & can't be productive. (Stay tuned to see if owners actually do spend any collected money on additional payroll).

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Thom Loverro, Washington Times--Nationals

Thom says it's a miracle the Nats did as well as they did their 1st year---only half their games were on tv, which is a crime. Tv coverage is what grows fans, & theirs was fractional. Promotion? Are you kidding? Think how it might be with some promotional dollars. Merchandising? Loverro says fans had to traipse down to a little trailer to buy a hat or a t-shirt. He thinks Bud has already made up his mind who the new owner will be. Loverro thinks Bud wants Smulyan, because Smulyan won't go out & spend a lot of money on a big star player.

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Sports economist Andrew Zimbalist on XM re revenue sharing

Boston is only the 20th tv market in the country, yet they have to pay revenue sharing. Zimbalist doesn't think this makes sense---Red Sox owners are being penalized for making the business perform better than would be expected. He thinks revenue sharing should exist, but based on market size---larger markets should pay tax independent of how well/how much money the team makes. Smaller markets should get revenue sharing whether they do well or not. The current system penalizes success & rewards failure. He says the Phillies have the largest unshared media market, but when they weren't doing well a few years ago were getting rev. sharing. Currently, it's against smaller market teams' interests to better themselves---they'll lose the rev. sharing. Zimbalist says Bud Selig along with his social skills has managed to do what no one else has in about 40 years: move baseball forward. While things haven't always been better, great changes have taken place & are continuing with Selig. It's almost impossible to get this group of 30 baseball owners to agree on anything, but he's managed to do it one way or another. Further changes in finances will take place, but it will take time with this group.

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Cano won't play in WBC

Robinson Cano intended to play for the Dominican Republic, but says looking at their lineup, he'd just be sitting on the bench. He'll write a formal letter to the authorities in the Dominican informing them of his decision. Cano was in New York yesterday in part for recognition of his charitable work. Andy Pettitte also said he needed to continue with his current workout program, & would probably have to opt out as well.

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Oakland A's will cover 20,000 seats with tarp

So, it'll be a more intimate experience. This policy won't change---if you want tickets to see the Dodgers, Red Sox, Anaheim (that's what they said, & that's what I say), the Yankees or the Giants the A's say you'll just have to buy earlier. They drew 2.1 million fans last year & normally have triple the walk-up of other teams.

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