OMNICHATTER 7-22-14

Submitted a bit early to make sure… IT’S THE TUESDAY OMNICHATTER!

Tony Oliva turns 76; Gardenhire: ‘He should be in hall of fame’

Went to a Gardenhire to reminisce…(drive/truck)

Twins special assistant Tony Oliva celebrated his 76th birthday on Sunday.

The eight-time all-star remains a beloved figure inside the Twins clubhouse and throughout the team’s fan base.

“He’s huge,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Look what he’s done. He has a track record. He should be in the hall of fame. That’s probably one of the great injustices in this game as far as Minnesota goes: Tony Oliva not being in the hall of fame. This guy ...

Sports Reference Blog: 1901-02 Orioles Removed from Yankees History

Baseball-Reference has made the move to dissociate the New York Yankees franchise from the 1901 & 1902 Baltimore Orioles (not connected to the current Baltimore Orioles franchise). [...] This move was precipitated by the BAL/NYY joint record approaching the milestone of 10,000 wins, which caused a reassessment of how we approach this move.

OMNICHATTER 7-21

It’s the MONDAY OMNICHATTER. Also, a reminder that Mat Latos has a cat named Cat Latos.

Trading for Price would be right move for Cubs | FOX Sports

The latest Robothal.

Misremembering Mantle’s Final Season

Derek Jeter had a great career. He isn’t great any more. That’s just how it works.

Former first-round pick Karsten Whitson focused on proving value after 11th-round selection - Over the Monster

Really? No regrets?

Sure, Whitson lost nearly $2 million dollars by going to college, but the now 22-year-old has no regrets.

“College was easily the best four years of my life,” Whitson said. “I can’t wait to get back in the offseason and work out and get up with some old friends. I think it helped me a lot as a person and as a player. It matured me and was able to walk away with that degree, so mom and dad were happy and it was good.”

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 7-21-2014

Milwaukee Journal, July 21, 1914:

President Frank E. Murphy of the Green Bay club, in a letter to President Frank R. Weeks of the W-I League on Monday, demanded that punishment be meted out to Catcher Snow of the Oshkosh club for throwing chewing tobacco into the grandstand during Saturday’s game.
...
In the affidavit it is declared the tobacco hit several women in the stand.

I guess it’s better than getting hit by a flying chair.

Mike Lupica: Once Derek Jeter retires, everything the Yankees dynasty era represents goes with him

Better shake a leg on those little boy pants, Mikey…there’s a mighty load coming.

The Yankees had Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams, and for a time it was as storied a five as the Knicks once had in the old days. One by one they all left, and now it is only Jeter left. And when he is gone at the end of this season, the Yankees will go on, the brand of the Yankees will go on, the big business of the Yankees sure will. But more than Jeter’s ...

The Blaze: Chicago Cubs File Suit Over Fake Mascot — You’ll Understand Why After Watching Punch He Allegedly Throws in Windy City Bar Brawl

I wonder if this guy also pulls these stunts at the zoo.

CHICAGO (TheBlaze/AP) — The Chicago Cubs have filed a lawsuit against several people whom the team accuses of being behind a fake mascot that has been engaging in bad behavior near Wrigley Field — including getting into a bar fight that was captured on video and posted online.

According to the suit, the fake mascot — “Billy Cub” — was at Windy City bar John Barleycorn in April, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, when another man ...

ESPN : GM Offers To Get Prostate Exam During Game

Andy Milovich has offered to go this week where no man has gone before: A prostate exam in front of a full stadium of fans. Milovich, the general manager of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, offered to have the exam while singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch if local 10-year-old Fallon Emery, who has brain cancer, gets 10,000 likes on her Facebook page before the game.

“It’s not like I would be getting it at home plate,” ...

KMOV: St. Louis defense continues to keep games in reach

The Vision of St. Louis…or Something.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ defense appears to be better this year than last, but manager Mike Matheny is reluctant to give all the credit to Sabermetrics-inspired shifts the team has used this season.

He said the coaching staff does a good job of pre-game discussions about hitters and how they are going to be defended in certain situations. While the Cardinals may have used shifts more this year, Matheny said it’s only one component to the defense. And, ...

Derek Jeter’s retirement: Ticket prices soar for September 7 ceremony at Yankee Stadium

...The average list price for the home game against the Kansas City Royals went from $139 before the announcement to $497 by Saturday, according to TiqIQ, a ticket resale market aggregator.

The cheapest seat for sale that day skyrocketed from $16 to $211, TiqiQ said. Bleacher seats are now selling for $223 and more, and outfield field box seats with a $175 face value are priced at $575 and more…

Padres’ Offense May Go Down as Worst Ever

“Because of baseball’s long history, there is usually comfort in knowing that as bad as it gets for your team, there is almost always some other club that was worse. But the 2014 San Diego Padres might not have that consolation. At this point, their awful offense is about as bad as any in history, and there are still more than 60 games to be played.”

OMNICHATTER 7-20-14

A Man. A Plan. An OMNICHATTER.

Wait…. that doesn’t work…

MLB.COM - Toman: Lewis takes exception with Rasmus’ bunt

Rasmus, who singled and later scored off Lewis in the fourth, laid down a bunt with two outs and Toronto up, 2-0, in the fifth, with the Rangers playing the shift on him. Lewis fielded the ball, but Rasmus reached first base safely and was credited with an infield single.

“I told [Rasmus] I didn’t appreciate it,” Lewis said. “You’re up by two runs with two outs and you lay down a bunt. I don’t think that’s the way the game should be played.”

When pressed further on what the problem with ...

Nine things to know about the best changeup in baseball | FOX Sports

You don’t know Jack about Felix Hernandez’s change up.

Svrluga: Baseball’s Relentless Grind - Doug Fister

Starting pitchers such as the Nationals’ Doug Fister must mix patience with intensity, down time with diligence

The original beat writer for the Nationals when they surfaced in D.C., Barry Svrluga, submits his 4th installment in a series examining “how the everydayness of baseball affects an entire organization.” A long piece that makes for good weekend reading, or next week at the office :-)

I hope WaPo’s paywall doesn’t prevent you from reading this series, those money-grubbing ...

OMNICHATTER 7-19-2014

The second day of the second half! OMNICHATTER UP!

Neyer: Jeff Garlin, we hardly knew ye.

Just a bit outside the rules of professional conduct. #FJeff

In that same essay, I trumpeted the participation of Jeff Garlin. This gave me a great deal of pleasure, because I’m a huge fan and thought he would bring certain qualities to this page that might otherwise go missing.

I first met Garlin a couple of months ago, over pancakes (him) and French toast (me) before one of his shows at the legendary Largo. He was funny and engaging and down-to-earth, with occasional hints of sincere ...

Nationals Infielder Anthony Rendon Labels Baseball ‘Too Long And Boring’

“I don’t watch baseball—it’s too long and boring,” he told the Washington Post.

The Nationals are in the middle of a pennant race and their best hitter does not like watching baseball. Is that a problem? His success thus far in 2014 suggests otherwise.

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Yeah, and I don’t really watch tapes of technical reviews and staff meetings when I come home.  They too, are too long and boring.  Although, strictly speaking, they are not billed as entertainment.

The comparison to soccer in TFA is ...

105 Year Old Woman To Throw Out First Pitch For Padres

The Padres are going for a record Sunday:

In honor of her milestone birthday, the San Diego Padres selected a spirited 105-year-old lady with a good sense of humor to throw out the first pitch Sunday before a game at Petco Park. . . . Born in 1909, she just missed the Cubs’ last World Series title in 1908.
. . .
Honored as she is, McKee didn’t spare the Padres with her harsh assessment of the franchise, saying, “I haven’t been very into the Padres because they don’t ever win any games.”

The ...

Angels bringing on Huston Street

The Angels and Padres have agreed to a six-player trade that will send All-Star closer Huston Street to Los Angeles, sources told ESPN Baseball Insider Jim Bowden on Friday.
In return, the Padres will receive second baseman Taylor Lindsey, right-hander R.J. Alvarez, shortstop Jose Rondon and another minor leaguer from the Angels, sources said. Los Angeles also will acquire a minor-league player in the deal.

Looks like the Angels have found the Street that leads to the playoffs.

What it’s like to live and play in the Cape Cod League - Sports - The Boston Globe

Nice.

Davidoff: Sabathia shut down for knee surgery — and it might get worse

Here comes debridement.

CC Sabathia will undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery to repair his right knee, Brian Cashman said Friday. The Yankees general manager made clear that the big left-hander is not yet out of the woods in terms of needing the more invasive microfracture procedure that would jeopardize his career…

As Cashman put it, Sabathia, who last pitched for the Yankees on May 10, tried the path of least resistance by rehabilitating the knee, a process that failed when Sabathia ...

Calcaterra: The Astros didn’t sign #1 overall pick Brady Aiken

Aiken: “Not On My Way Here”

The signing deadline for players selected in this year’s Rule 4 draft came and went at 5PM Eastern. And the number one overall pick, Brady Aiken, did not sign with the Houston Astros, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com.

If you aren’t up to speed, the Astros selected Aiken with the first overall pick and the parties agreed to a $6.5 million bonus in early June. But following a physical on June 23, the Astros became concerned about something in his left elbow and ...

Braves release Dan Uggla

That is one Uggla contract.

The Braves on Friday released second baseman Dan Uggla, CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman has learned.

The move is notable because Uggla, whom the Braves signed to a five-year, $62-million deal just prior to the 2011 season, is still owed the remainder of his $13-million salary for this season and another $13 million for the 2015 season. In other words, making Uggla go away is worth, oh, almost $20 million to the Braves.

Even with the money involved, the decision is easy ...

Jim Bouton Still As Opinionated As Ever

“Ball Four: The Final Pitch,” which will soon be released in trade paperback, he says. Told that the book has already been updated numerous times, Bouton laughs.

“I promise this will be the last time,” he says.

As commissioner, Bouton also would cut down the times of games.

“I would eliminate Velcro — that would eliminate 45 minutes right there,” he says.

He’d also make batters stay in the box.

“Get into the batter’s box for Chrissakes and stay there,” he says. “If ...

Dave Cameron: 2014 Trade Value: The Top 10

7. Salvador Perez

If there’s one piece of feedback I got more clearly than any other last year, it was that I was too low on Salvador Perez. I had one friend in the game tell me should have been in the top five, and I had him at 36. My bad, Kansas City. Consider this a mea culpa.

Perez might not yet be the best catcher in baseball, but there are a lot of people convinced that he’s going to be in the near future. He’s basically a power spike away from being Jonathan Lucroy, only he’s ...

Rangers replace Carlos Pena with J.P. Arencibia to play at first

Tell ‘im, Wash.

J.P. Arencibia hit his way back to the majors with the Rangers…  Arencibia replaced first baseman Carlos Pena, who was designated for assignment after hitting only .136 in 59 at-bats.

Arencibia opened the season as the Rangers’ front-line catcher but hit only .133 in 60 at-bats… Arencibia fared better against Pacific Coast League pitching, hitting .279 with 14 homers and 41 RBIs in 190 at-bats…

Arencibia said that while in the minors, he decided to go “back to what makes me ...