Birthday team is full of catchers not playing catcher:
C: Jerry May
1B: Scott Hatteberg
2B: Craig Biggio
3B: Bobby Adams
SS: Les Bell
LF: Bill Buckner
CF: John Anderson
RF: Dave Nilsson

SP: Ken Hill
SP: Lefty Tyler
SP: Toothpick Sam Jones
SP: Eddie Smith
SP: Shaun Marcum
RP: Billy Koch

QB: Josh Fields
Antibiotics will clear that right up: Rusty Peters
Today's Birthday Jeff Robinson: Jeff Robinson
Yesterday's Birthday Jeff Robinson: Jeff Robinson

Royals signed P Juan Gutierrez, OF Greg Golson, P Franciscely Bueno and C Max Ramirez to minor league deals. Nice set of pickups. I think Gutierrez would make a lot of bullpens, although the Royals have good depth there so he might not make the team. I wasa big MaxRam fan for awhile, but honestly I think he's about done. Golson is nice depth in the OF. I'm pretty sure Francisely Bueno is a made up name.

Should Bueno make the bigs, he has a three game (iirc) suspension waiting for him, ejected in his only big league outing for throwing around Alfonso Soriano's head.

Dodgers sign C Josh Bard, IF Jeff Baisley, IF Lance Zawadzki, IF Luis Cruz, OF Corey Sullivan, LHP Wil Ledezma, LHP Alberto Castillo, RHP Angel Guzman, RHP Fernando Nieve, RHP Jose Ascanio, RHP Ryan Tucker, RHP Will Savage, LHP Matt Chico, and LHP Scott Rice. Albequerque is going to be AWESOME!

Yu Darvish bids are due today. When will the winner be announced?

I think Gutierrez would make a lot of bullpens, although the Royals have good depth there so he might not make the team.

I think he's out for a few months.

I was thinking about the Trevor Cahill deal and the rumors that Trevor Bauer would be the return. Rules say a players can't be dealt until one year after he was drafted, so Bauer couldn't be technically traded til July. Let's say they make the trade in February, name Bauer as a PTBNL, and he is to be dealt in July. Does he still play for the D-Backs minor league affiliate the entire time? Do the A's have any say in his usage? Can the D'Backs "loan" him to the A's affiliate?

And what happens if he gets hurt?

Hall of Fame third baseman Ron Santo, Meat Apprentice

I didn't think there was a PTBNL in the Cahill trade. I thought all principals had been named.

this is all in the abstract, but:

* Let's say they make the trade in February, name Bauer as a PTBNL, and he is to be dealt in July.
well, the guy is rumored in Feb, named in July - in part to deal w/ these questions
* Does he still play for the D-Backs minor league affiliate the entire time?
yes
* Do the A's have any say in his usage?
no, he's not an Athletic, but Arizona wouldn't bench/overwork him in the interim
* Can the D'Backs "loan" him to the A's affiliate?
while players have been loaned to other orgs (it's been several years since i can remember an instance of this, though), I don't remember it happening for something like this - too far from the spirit of the rule
* And what happens if he gets hurt?
the terms of the deal would have to account for this kind of situation - either formally (pick from a list of players as opposed to get a guy) or informally (both parties try to be good actors because they'll with each other or other teams in the future ... which I think is the key concept here)

all this stuff points, I think, to some of the reasons why we don't see recent draftees dealt more often.

**

this deal, i think, was cahill, breslow, and $ for parker, cowgill, and cook.

I didn't think there was a PTBNL in the Cahill trade. I thought all principals had been named.

There wasn't, but Bauer was rumored to be in the discussions at one point.

while players have been loaned to other orgs (it's been several years since i can remember an instance of this, though),

The last one I can think of was Travis Lee was loaned from the Diamondbacks to the Brewers because the D'Backs hadn't begun play yet and didn't have a AAA affiliate yet.

Birthday team is full of catchers not playing catcher:

And Sean Forman.

Today is the 100th anniversary of the adoption of ERA as an official stat.

That link also notes other events having their anniversary today, including: Florida trades Renteria, the Pirates make an absolutely horrible trade, Baltimore picks up an aging pitcher of little note called Jamie Moyer, Roger Maris dies, Boston trades Fergie Jenkins for silly string and belly button lint, San Diego signs Rollie Fingers and Gene Tenace, the AL holds its first expansion draft, and the A's sell off some players to Boston.

TRIVIA QUESTION:
As noted above, today is the 51st anniversary of the 1st AL expansion draft. Washington made the single best pick in the draft - but traded that guy to the Angels that very same day. WHo was the great pick Washington made that they traded to the Angels that same day?

See the link at the top of the post for the answer.

Washington made the single best pick in the draft

I disagree. I think the Angels made the single-best pick in the draft with the 35th selection.

Dean Chance?

Yup, Dean Chance.

I disagree. I think the Angels made the single-best pick in the draft with the 35th selection.

I assume you're talking about Fregosi. Hell yeah. The Angels got 44 WAR from him, and then traded him for a pitcher who gave them another 41.

Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland traded to Houston for Mark Melancon.

Apparently the new CBA will allow a division winner to play a wildcard team from its own division before the LCS. Not sure whether that puts it in place or it still has to be voted on by the owners.

Apparently the new CBA will allow a division winner to play a wildcard team from its own division before the LCS. Not sure whether that puts it in place or it still has to be voted on by the owners.

Going to two WCs, they pretty much have to, unless you don't want any of the teams knowing who/where they'll play until 24 hours or so before the first pitch.

In the newspaper link, the list under "ALL BIG HITTERS" has an amusing twist.

The last one I can think of was Travis Lee was loaned from the Diamondbacks to the Brewers because the D'Backs hadn't begun play yet and didn't have a AAA affiliate yet.
The expansion teams had a few like that (mainly playing in AA the year that didn't have a team at that level, I think) - think Izzy Alcantara was another one. I remember a few before then, none since.

In the newspaper link, the list under "ALL BIG HITTERS" has an amusing twist.

Ha. Besides May Lynn, I also note that 100 years ago today John Daly was a big-time sportsperson. Wonder if he smoked during his event.

In the quote Dan omitted from the blurb, Billy Gould dramatically uttered to the Englishman, "What kind of 'hop' are you smoking?"