Nats bring Lidge on board with one-year deal

The Nationals agreed to terms with reliever Brad Lidge on a one-year contract Thursday.

Lidge will join a bullpen that includes right-handers Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard. Besides providing leadership to a bunch of young relievers, Lidge will probably be one of the team’s setup men.

Lidge has spent the past four seasons with the Phillies. Last year, Lidge spent time on the disabled list because of shoulder problems. When he returned to action, Lidge appeared in 25 games and had a 1.40 ERA.

Thanks to SD.

AJC:  Terry McGuirk discusses Braves payroll, ownership, TV deals

And on another significant note, McGuirk disclosed that the Braves are locked into 25-year local TV contracts that will prevent the franchise from cashing in on Major League Baseball’s trend toward dramatically higher telecast rights fees.

Grantland: Keri: What the Hell Are the Red Sox Doing?

Even Yaz is searching for answers!

So far this offseason, the Yankees have found a way to stash more of that cash, while also filling their biggest holes. The Red Sox have not.

Maybe this means Boston’s not done, that the pipe dreams of Hanley Ramirez, Gavin Floyd, and Izzy Alcantara martial arts lessons will all come true for the 2012 Red Sox. But right now, it’s tough to see beyond an owner who dropped £35 million for a colossal bust in one sport, $82.5 million for another in another, and $400-plus million for players ranging from so far, so good to good for a short while to oh no, what have I done, and finally decided, enough is enough.

And here’s the thing: Boston’s thrifty offseason plan, taken as a whole, might end up making at least a little baseball sense. The Rangers added Yu Darvish to a stacked roster. The Angels got Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. The Yankees finally have the pitching depth to match their terrifying lineup. The Rays might have their best offense in franchise history. And the Tigers just signed Prince Fielder. If baseball waits a year to add a second wild-card team, two or more very good teams will be going home early, and Boston may well be one of them. Maybe the answer is for the Sox to grab Oswalt, then stand pat from here, knowing Cole Hamels, Matt Cain, and other prizes could await in the next free-agent class.

For Red Sox fans, it might be $170 million worth of wait ‘til next year.

Cardinals/Browns: Former batboy shares a little bit of baseball heaven

My mother-###### threw them out.

Jack Houston suited up for three World Series at old Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis—1942, ‘43 and ‘44.

“I’ve been around at least a hundred Hall of Famers,” said Jack, now 85 and living in Collinsville. “Played with a bunch of them.”

Ted Williams. “I idolized him. He was a pure hitter. A nice man.”

Jimmy Foxx. “He hit the longest ball ever off of me. It hit the top right of the big scoreboard out in left center. They told me it had to be more than 500 feet.”

Stan Musial. “Stan was a prince of a man. I knew him when he was a rookie. When you threw a ball to him, you knew where he was going to hit it.”

...“I worked for the Browns. The Cardinals were cheap. They only wanted to give me a dollar a day,” Jack said, shaking his head. “I got four-fifty for Browns games.

...Jack kept typewritten letters from minor league teams and some Association of Professional Baseball Players cards. But just a couple of photos.

“I used to have a whole mess of photos and memorabilia. But when I got a divorce, my wife got rid of all of them. She didn’t like me. This is all I have left.”

Alex Cora announces retirement

Former Nationals utility infielder Alex Cora played winter ball and was the Captain of the Caguas Criollos of Puerto Rico. After the Criollos final game of the season tonight, he announced his retirement from baseball.

Alex Cora, 36, was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third round of the 1996 draft. Cora has played all over the infield for seven MLB teams: Dodgers, Blue Jays, Indians, Red Sox, Mets, Rangers and Nationals Maybe he’ll follow in his big brother Joey’s footsteps and coach.

...(Translated by Bing):
MESSAGE from our captain ALEX CORA announcing his retirement: thank you all for the support they gave me for 16 seasons. We enjoy and we suffer, we won and we lost but heart I can tell you that being Creole is the best there is. Now close a chapter in my career and in the bottom of my heart I say that I do with the high front because I am and always will be pure strain Creole! Thank you all.

(confuded) Maybe the Red Sox still have a shot at him!

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 1-26-2012

100 years ago today, the [New York] Evening World checks in with Victory Faust, who’s still hoping the Giants will bring him back for another season:

“I ain’t exactly certain what I’m goin’ to do. If McGraw don’t come after me pretty soon I’m apt to jump to another club…I’ve got two other clubs in mind and I might let my brother go with the Giants. He’s better’n I am.”
...

“Waal, they ain’t exactly after me, but I kin go to the Highlanders or the Chicago Cubs and could be a big help to them. Joe Tinker talked to me about pitching for the Cubs last fall.”
...
During the winter Faust has been living at the Braddock Hotel, and is paying his bills, too. Just where he gets the money nobody knows, but he gets it just the same. Every night he takes a turn at skating at St. Nicholas Rink. His awkward, gangling figure is a familiar sight as it wobbles around the rink. To get Charles right you should see him on his skates, with his hat pulled down over his eyes and a big black cigar between his teeth.

By sheer force of will, Faust managed to attach himself to the Giants for the first half of the 1912 season before John McGraw finally got sick of him and got Faust to leave.

White Sox to wear 1972 red throwback uniforms for Sunday home games

Carlos May gives it thumb up!

When Detroit and newly acquired slugger Prince Fielder come to U.S. Cellular Field in mid-April, the White Sox will counter with memories of former slugger Dick Allen.

The Sox announced Wednesday they will wear the red pinstriped jerseys with the Sox script across the front and red caps for their 13 Sunday home games, starting April 15 against the Tigers.

Those uniforms were worn by the Sox in 1972, when the team was led by Allen, the American League most valuable player who hit a league-leading 37 home runs, 113 RBIs and had a .420 on-base percentage and .603 slugging percentage.

...“Being a part of those early 1970s White Sox teams, with a leader like Chuck Tanner and exciting players such as Dick Allen, Wilbur Wood and a young Goose Gossage, remains one of the fondest times in my career,” former Sox slugger Bill Melton said.  “The red pinstripes and red baseball cap will bring back a lot of great memories for Sox fans from that generation.”

New Cubs pitching coach old-school

Welcome to The Bosio Super Wednesday Show!

Yes, Bosio and his pitchers will rely on advance scouts and some computer printouts for tendencies, but, he says, the strategy “is going to be more focused on how do we get them out. Let’s not worry about (what batters hit) on certain counts.

“Don’t write me a book,” he said at the Cubs Convention. “If you want to write a book, stick it in the mail and give it to someone who cares. Just give me some good information on how I can get this guy out. That’s probably in a nutshell what we’re trying to do.”

Then he is a believer in using certain pitches to get batters out?

“Either that or throw at his (helmet) ear hole,” Bosio said with a laugh. “We’re going to do our share of that. I’m an old-school guy. … There’s a way to do it and do it the right way. I know we’re on the same page, Theo and the coaching staff. It’s not rocket science, it’s just old-school baseball.”

...When he talks about “inside,” Bosio will be referring to location he wants pitchers to throw, not on some bit of inside information gleaned from a computer.

“We’re going to (do) our share inside,” he said. “We’re going to play a good, hard old-fashioned baseball with fundamental stuff. And try to minimize our walks and mistakes. If we do that, we’ll win our share of games.”

Baseball America’s Top 10 Prospects: Oakland A’s

And now we’ve been gutted…

1. Jarrod Parker, rhp
2. Brad Peacock, rhp
3. Sonny Gray, rhp
4. A.J. Cole, rhp
5. Michael Choice, of
6. Grant Green, of
7. Derek Norris, c
8. Jermaine Mitchell, of
9. Michael Taylor, of
10. Tom Milone, lhp

Oakland will have to do a better job of signing and developing talent. The A’s landed a potential frontline arm by taking Sonny Gray with the 18th overall pick in June, yet spent just $3.1 million overall on their 2011 draft class, the third-lowest figure in baseball. They also haven’t been as active in Latin America after getting burned by Dominican righthander Michael Ynoa, who signed for a club-record $4.25 million in 2008 but rarely has been healthy since.

Yahoo: Florida law would turn its publicly funded ballparks and stadiums into homeless shelters

Could the new Marlins ballpark or the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field serve as a homeless shelter for the 270 or so nights a year that they’re not used for baseball?

If two Florida lawmakers have their way, they might. As reported by the Miami Herald, state legislators have unearthed an obscure law that has not been enforced since it was adopted in 1988. It states that any ballpark or stadium that receives taxpayer money shall serve as a homeless shelter on the dates that it is not in use.

depletion Posted: January 25, 2012 at 03:16 PM | 36 comment(s)
  Related News: Business, Florida, Tampa Bay

Bill James Mailbag - 1/22/12 - 1/25/12

If you had to pick one position player to build a team around who do you pick?
Asked by: Florko
Answered: 1/25/2012

Jacoby?  I dunno; might be Jacoby, Braun, Kemp, Longoria.  Brett Lawrie, maybe.

Hi Bill. In Nick Punto’s career he has walked 303 times and struck out 486. However, in his 63 games for the Cardinals last year he walked 25 times and struck out only 21 times and had a very strong half season. Is 63 games enough of a sample size to assume he may be improving as a hitter, or are his previous 824 games a better indication of what type of hitter he will be next year?
Asked by: izzy24
Answered: 1/25/2012

It is most likely an aberration.  It is most likely that his strikeout/walk ratio will return to historic norms in 2012.

...[Win Shares] as you’ve set them up (3 WS= 1 Win) are MORE meaningful in huge samples (i.e., a player with 200 WS over a career is prefereable to one with only 150) but I still thought that even a single WS in one season means something…
Asked by: sgoldleaf
Answered: 1/23/2012

...When we divide one win into three win shares, rather than ten, then each win share has a worth of approximately three runs, and then the distinctions become more reliable, which is not to say ABSOLUTELY reliable, but more reliable.  We are less likely to be wrong by 3 runs than we are by one run, and we are much less likely to be wrong by 9 runs than we are by 3 runs. 

Still. ..and this is one of those points that a lot of people are just never going to get. . .it is not the main purpose of Win Shares to make distinctions between single seasons.  If you’re arguing about, let us say, who to put on an All-Star team, then there are a thousand things you can look at it pursue that argument.  Saying that “This player has 27 Win Shares and that one has 25”—OR saying that this player has 6.9 WAR and that player has 6.3—is something of an effort to end the debate, in that these measures SUM UP all of the other measurements.  It’s not particularly helpful in that way; it’s not really appropriate to try to end those debates by citing a master statistic that overrules all of the other statistics, and it’s not terribly persuasive.  That’s really not the value in Win Shares.

Bill, the 2011 Colorado Rockies got 217 relief appearances from pitchers named “Matt.” Do you happen to know, off the top of your head, whether this is a record for one team getting the most bullpen games out of one first name?
Asked by: TJNawrocki
Answered: 1/22/2012

I’m pretty sure Jesse Orosco pitched that many times himself for the 1987 Mets.  I can’t believe I put 7 minutes of my life into researching this, but. . .I think it is a record.  The 1967 Twins got 162 game appearances (not all of them relief appearances) out of pitchers named “Jim”—Jim Kaat, Jim Perry, Jim Merrit, Jim Roland and Jim Ollom… I don’t find anybody else going over the 200 mark.

Tom, it would have been funny if Bill actually did know that off the top of his head.

Camden Depot: Orioles’ Pitching Years, Options, Cuts

Jon Shepherd offers a model for thinking about pitching staffs as we look forward to spring training.

I have not compared this year’s 40 man roster heading into Spring Training to any other year’s, but it feels as if there is a great deal of roster inflexibility this year.  This post is to run down the current stable of arms and try to determine how many spots on the team are actually up for competition, who that competition is, and who is most certainly going to be placed on waivers.

Kim Jones to leave YES Network

Pork chop on a shtick. Finished, thankfully.

Kim Jones will be leaving YES after turning down several contract offers from the Yankees network, The Post has learned.

Jones had been with them since 2005, working as a reporter, and the split was amicable, a YES Network spokesman confirmed.

...Industry speculation points Jones to WFAN, where she has worked occasionally as a host, and most recently has been a frequent contributor and occasional partner with Mike Francesa.

A YES Network spokesman said they are looking at several different options on how to handle the future without Jones. They did not know for sure if they would hire a replacement, or give a bigger role to Jack Curry.

“Kimberly’s been a valued member of the YES team, and we wish her well. We would love to have had her return to YES, but we understand her decision,” the spokesman said.

Henning: Tigers’ grab at Prince Fielder could be boom, then bust

Henning: Illusion and Reality…

This contract has a chance to go bad deeper into Fielder’s tenure. Fielder is 27 and carries way too much weight. He also carries a 50-home-run bat. The Tigers were investing in Fielder and his probable span of explosive, middle-of-the-order power, and forget about the other stuff. For now, anyway.

The front office understands what Ilitch also recognizes and is willing to accept. There could be a whopping parting check handed Fielder as he slides into his 30s. Again, that’s part of an owner’s calculation. If you’re rich enough to own the Tigers, you’re well-heeled enough to buy out a bad contract should it evolve into such deep into Fielder’s tenure.

There are going to be some ugly games the Tigers believe they can win by out-slugging opponents who also play defense.

Fielder at first. Cabrera at third. Young presumably will work his share of time in left field. Raburn will play a good deal of second base. Peralta is sure-handed and has the most automatic arm of any shortstop in baseball. But range isn’t his strong suit.

The Tigers have their share of groundball pitchers, with Doug Fister and Rick Porcello leading the group. Infield defense is important. Infield defense will at times create Fright Night at Comerica Park.

MASN: Duquette on Betemit

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette keeps placing emphasis on improving the Orioles’ on-base capabilities, and he feels that he took another step in that direction by signing infielder Wilson Betemit to a two-year deal with a vesting option for 2014.

Betemit has posted on-base percentages of .378 and .343 the past two seasons. And he’s been better hitting from the left side, which also appeals to Duquette.

“We like his bat, and if you take a look at what he’s done the last two years against right-handed pitching, he’s got an above-average average and above-average in getting on base and above-average power,” Duquette said.

“His value to us is as a hitter on the left side. His best position is batting. From the left side, he presents capabilities to hit for average and power. And we’re putting emphasis on improving our on-base percentage. If you look at some of the players we’ve acquired and signed, like Matt Antonelli and Ryan Flaherty, they all have good on-base capabilities. That’s something we’ve made a conscious effort to address and continue to address.”

Thanks to EddieH.

Carlos Beltran tells Met fans: Time to get over 2006 and move on

Work together to realize the progressive promise of our Met Nation!

There is no need to update Carlos Beltran’s relationship status with the people of New York to “it’s complicated” — that has remained unchanged since 2005. So if you have any feelings about his decision to sign with St. Louis, Beltran has a simple response: Get over it.

“Actually, I’m not thinking about the fans, I’m thinking about myself,” Beltran said at Tuesday’s Baseball Assitance Team charity dinner at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square.

...It might strike partisans as strange that their longtime center fielder is now a Cardinal, having agreed last month to a two-year deal with the team that eliminated the Mets in that franchise-altering NLCS that ended with Beltran staring at an Adam Wainwright curveball. But Beltran sees it differently.

“I just want to have the opportunity to be in the playoffs,” he said. “What happened in 2006, you have to turn the page. That’s over. We can’t bring 2006 back to 2012. It has been six years. If they want to continue to think about that moment, then that’s their problem. Like I said, I have turned the page. I have really moved on.”

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 1-25-2012

El Paso Herald, January 25, 1912:

Here we have been priding ourselves on the American national game of baseball and how scientific it has become in its development in the last quarter of a century and right in the face of it all, two learned highbrow archaeologists of London and Berlin…try to show that a game similar to our baseball existed in 1800, B.C.
...

This must have been before Jim McGuire and Cy Young broke into the game.

...but just after Jamie Moyer debuted.

Hauls of Shame: Honus Pocus: Magical Honus Wagner Autograph Uncovers Authentication Malpractice

The latest dirt on the crumbling baseball memorabilia industry. Worth a read, especially if you are planning on buying anything certified by JSA or PSA in the future (why you would want to buy cards and memorabilia arbitrarily graded and stuck between slabs of thick plastic is beyond me, though).

One of the items was a true gem that REA called an “extraordinary 1939 Hall of Fame first day cover (that was) signed in black ink by each of the eleven living members of the Hall of Fame present that day.”

...

Having just paged through scores of old auction catalogues to find each and every offering of a signed first day cover or Baseball Centennial program at auction, I picked up a catalogue from a Mastro auction from April, 1999, and flipped through it quickly.  Within seconds a page caught my eye, as it showed the same first day cover and the exact same Cobb letter being offered as lot 824 by Mastro as, the “Fantastic Hall of Fame Cover and Ty Cobb Letter.”

Looking closely at the cover something just didn’t add up, it just didn’t look exactly the same as the REA cover.  I couldn’t put my finger on it at first, and I even thought for a moment that it might have been another cover altogether that Ballard had.  So, I copied both covers and put them side by side.  I could not believe my eyes.

Kevin Goldstein: Washington Nationals Top 11 Prospects

System In 20 Words Or Less: Thinned out by the Gio Gonzalez deal, but a strong 2011 draft has the potential to make up for it.

Five-Star Prospects
1. Bryce Harper, OF
2. Anthony Rendon, 3B
Four-Star Prospects
3. Matt Purke, LHP
Three-Star Prospects
4. Brian Goodwin, OF
5. Alex Meyer, RHP
6. Destin Hood, OF
7. Michael Taylor, OF
8. Steve Lombardozzi, 2B
9. Robbie Ray, LHP
10. Sammy Solis, LHP
Two-Star Prospects
11. Tyler Moore, 1B

Nine More:
12. Chris Marrero, 1B: Former first-rounder has put up solid numbers, but not enough for a first-base only player.
13. Eury Perez, OF: Speedster with line drive bat, but little in the way of secondary skills.
14. Zach Walters, SS: Good bat for a shortstop, but profiles better as a second baseman.
15. Taylor Jordan, RHP: Groundballer who throws strikes, but there are questions about ability to miss bats as he moves up.
16. Josh Smoker, LHP: Returned from bust status by touching 95 mph out of the bullpen; could move up with more strikes.
17. Jason Martinson, SS: Intriguing power/speed combination, but defense is lacking and might not ever hit for average.
18. Matt Skole, 3B: 2011 Fifth-round pick has plus bat and power potential; could move up after first full-season.
19. Sandy Leon, C: Will get to the big leagues on defensive chops alone, but bat screams backup.
20. David Freitas, C: Interesting catcher to watch due to on-base skills and developing power; defense lags behind.

McCauley: Lincecum and Giants agree to $40.5M, 2-year deal

Two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants reached a verbal agreement Tuesday on a two-year contract worth $40.5 million.

The deal includes a $500,000 signing bonus and salaries of $18 million this year and $22 million in 2013, a person familiar with the agreement said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the terms were not announced. Lincecum still must take a physical, which the Giants hope will happen early next week to complete the deal.

Lincecum had asked for a near-record $21.5 million in salary arbitration and had been offered $17 million by the club. He remains eligible for free agency following the 2013 season.

Posada retires a Yankee after 17 seasons, five titles

Flanked by his wife and children, with five World Series trophies sitting on a table to his right, Jorge Posada announced his retirement Tuesday.

To the relief of all, the accompanying photograph indicates that Jorge’s daughter takes after her mother.

TFT: Mitchell: Darrell Evans, Tony Perez and Why the Hall of Fame Matters

BTW…Updating my BBWAA “promised” ballot collecting gizmo.

After going through 107 ballots (18.7%)

30 - WILL vote for Bonds/Clemens (5.2%...enough already to stay on ballot!)

44 - WILL NOT vote for Bonds/Clemens

33 - UNDECIDED (on their part or mine)

Darrell Evans was almost an exact contemporary of Tony Perez, as the two players careers overlapped from 1969-1986.  Evans, one of the most underrated players in the game’s history, may or may not have been better than Perez.  Evans’ slash numbers were similar .248./.341/.431 for an OPS+ of 119.  Evans came to bat about 150 times fewer than Perez and, significantly for Hall of Fame voters, had about 200 fewer RBIs, while hitting 35 more home runs.  However, Evans spent his prime playing for some offensively challenged Brave and Giant teams while Perez spent his prime batting in the middle of the Big Red Machine.  Evans was a more valuable defender as a third baseman who played a little at first, while Perez did the reverse.  Baseball Reference awards Evans 6.8 more WAR than Perez while Fan Graphs gives them both the same amount of WAR.

...Fans of Darrell Evans can, presumably, understand that there man is not quite worthy of the Hall of Fame, but the election of Tony Perez makes it harder to stomach.  Replace Evans and Perez with Dennis Martinez and Jack Morris, who is likely to get elected next year, or Tim Raines and Jim Rice, and the reason the Hall of Fame matters should be even more clear.

Cecil Fielder shocked by son Prince’s signing with Tigers

Greektown Casino, here we come!

Surprised that Prince Fielder signed with the Detroit Tigers? So was his dad, former Tigers slugger Cecil Fielder.

“That just shocked me,” Cecil Fielder told MLB Radio on SiriusXM. “I just landed in New York … and I got that call—that’s crazy! He’s going to come full circle. You know, he’s been there in Detroit most of his young life, so I think he’ll be comfortable in that place. …

“I know Mr. (Mike) Ilitch is probably pretty excited, because he’s been wanting that kid since he was a little kid, so he finally got his wish.

“I didn’t even see Detroit in the picture. I didn’t even see that happening with all the talk about the Nationals and Texas Rangers and Seattle. … I never saw Detroit making a move like this.”

...• His relationship with Prince (father and son have been estranged the past few years): “We’re having a few chats. We’re doing a lot better than we were. Time heals all wounds, man. Everybody has to come back together at some point.

“I’m just happy for him. I think everybody was anxious for him to get signed.”

...• What adjustment Prince will have to make switching to the American League: “I don’t think much. You know, if you’re a good hitter, you’re a good hitter. If you’re a good player, you’re a good player. I just think guys like Prince and Albert (Pujols) that have changed leagues, I don’t think there’s going to be too much getting used to. Everybody’s gotta throw it over the plate to hit it, so … he’ll be fine, man.

Astros add ‘Baseball Prospectus’ alum Fast in drive for stats knowledge

Congrats, Mike! (and for bbc’s sake let’s hope he…“cleans up real nice, not fat neither”!

The Astros added to their statistical strength in the front office, hiring Mike Fast of Baseball Prospectus to serve in the baseball operations department.

Fast, one of the foremost experts on pitch trajectory (PITCHf/x) data, has also written on HITf/x data for BP. Some of his latest writings have been on hit-and-run success, quantifying how much control pitchers have over batted balls and an analysis of hot and cold zones for hitters.

“We’re definitely excited to have someone with his background and interests,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “It’s a lot of the same things that we’re interested in studying.”

Fast joins director of decision sciences Sig Mejdal in a front office that is increasingly statistically minded. His job title has not been determined yet.

Rosenthal: Get Set For Super ‘Pen as Jays Sign Francisco Cordero

Laboy now has company north of the border!

Taking time out from writing about Prince Fielder and money for the umpteenth time this winter to pass you along this news: Kenny Ken Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweets that the Jays have themselves a new setup man, ex-Reds closer Francisco Cordero.

The deal is for just one year—no option, apparently—and $4.5-million. It’s the same amount they could have paid Jon Rauch, had they picked up his option, only in Cordero it nets them a pitcher who still throws in the mid-90s (OK, he averaged 93 on his four-seamer in 2011), and… well… actually pre-2011 Rauch had some better things going for him: better ERA over the previous two years, better FIP, better fWAR, better walk rates.

But Cordero can miss more bats, will produce a lot more ground balls, and has a lot more depth behind him—Darren Oliver, Jason Frasor, Casey Janssen—to pick up the slack. And, of course, Sergio Santos, to close out ballgames.

LaRussa To Manage National League In 2012 All-Star Game

THIS TIME IT COUNTS!!!!! Except to the guy managing the game.

Tony La Russa, the longtime manager of the St. Louis Cardinals who retired following his Club’s 2011 World Series Championship, will serve as the manager of the National League All-Star Team for the 2012 Midsummer Classic at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today.

Commissioner Selig said: “Tony earned this opportunity with the remarkable run that the Cardinals completed last October, and I am delighted that he shared my enthusiasm about his staying in this role. The All-Star Game celebrates all the best of our game, and it is very appropriate that we will have the chance to celebrate one of the greatest managerial careers of all-time as a part of our festivities.”

La Russa will lead the N.L. All-Stars for the third time (previous: 2005, 2007) and it will mark his sixth Midsummer Classic managerial assignment, matching Joe Torre’s total and surpassed only by Hall of Famers Casey Stengel (10), Walter Alston (9) and Joe McCarthy (7). While leading the Oakland Athletics, La Russa was the American League All-Star skipper from 1989-1991. La Russa has a 3-2 record in his five Midsummer Classics as manager. The remainder of La Russa’s N.L. coaching staff will be announced in the months ahead.

Heyman: Prince Fielder signs with Tigers for 9/214

A whole lot of money for a whole lot of man.

prince agrees with #tigers
...
Fielder gets 9 yrs, $200_plus mil.
...
prince deal is $214M, 9 yrs.
...
prince will be the first baseman, for anyone asking. cabrera will have to change role.

NYT: Vecsey:Deconstructing the Legend of Choo Choo

Choo Choo Coleman wants to set the record straight.  Correct — that Choo Choo Coleman.

Over the decades, legend has grown that Coleman did not know how he got his nickname…..Then there is the Ralph Kiner story about interviewing Coleman in 1962, and asking, “What’s your wife’s name, and what’s she like?” Coleman replied, “Her name is Mrs. Coleman — and she likes me, bub.”

On Sunday, Coleman shook his head politely and said it never happened that way. Kiner, on the phone from Florida, softly said it did.

Another part of the legend is that Kiner asked Coleman how he got his nickname and that Coleman said he did not know.

“When I was 8 or 9, I ran around a lot,” Coleman said Sunday. “My friends called me Choo Choo because I was fast.”

(“He could have told me that,” Kiner said, fondly.)

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m certainly not going to let facts screw up a perfectly good narrative

Kings of Kauffman: Check Your Sources

Always make sure your story is Robothal-approved!

This is my tale of a little social experiment.
First, a disclaimer: I don’t work in the Royals front office in any capacity. I don’t have any league sources. I enjoy writing about my favorite team in my free time. That’s it. I doubt I’ll ever be in a spot to break a story, and I’m not sure I’d want to be. I’d be so paranoid I’d double check, triple check and keep checking until someone else broke it.

With that in mind, I felt like testing something out.
It started by my requesting to be followed by one of these accounts so I could share a tip with them. My theory was that if I sold a bogus trade rumor the right way, they’d do no additional digging and report it, on the idea that being “first” would be more important to them than being “right”.

They’ve reported things like Joakim Soria going to the Angels and Yu Darvish returning to Japan. It’s like tossing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. If you get one out of 100 right, push the one and delete the other 99.

I have to admit, this wasn’t a noble task, and I feel a little dirty about it. But I had to know how these guys operated.

Johnny Damon says he has interest in returning to Tigers

“He’s a true ________”

Johnny Damon is open to the possibility of returning to the Detroit Tigers.

“I have interest knowing that I loved playing there and they are a team built to win,” Damon told the Free Press in a text message today.

Damon, a free agent, appears to be among the leading candidates to replace designated hitter Victor Martinez, whom the Tigers expect to miss the season because of a torn ligament in his knee.

Damon signed with the Tigers at the outset of spring training in 2010. That season, working primarily at designated hitter, he hit .271 with eight homers and 51 RBIs. The Tigers didn’t try to re-sign him last off-season, instead going for a big run producer at DH. That was Martinez.

...Damon, who will be 38 next season, is 277 hits shy of 3,000 for his career. He is widely regarded as one of the best teammates and clubhouse leaders in baseball.