2004-05 Hot Stove League

[Johnny E]

Just in case anyone is interested, this site has authentic retro Negro League Jersey's for 59 bucks. Just got my Satchel Page KC Monarchs Jersey last week. What a bargain! Real wool replicas that normally go for upwards of $200 for $59!

[BFrank]

Another Alou is coming to Giants

Moises, S.F. agree on a two-year deal

- Henry Schulman, Chronicle Staff Writer

Thursday, December 23, 2004

The Giants are planning to give their manager a Christmas present: his son, wrapped in a San Francisco uniform.

The club has reached an agreement with free-agent outfielder Moises Alou on a two-year contract that will not be finalized until he passes a physical on Monday, two sources told The Chronicle on Wednesday. Alou would shift from left field to right and join Barry Bonds and Marquis Grissom in one of oldest outfields in major-league history.

The agreement was reached Tuesday and reportedly is worth $13.25 million if Alou plays both years. The second year of the contract is a player option.

An Associated Press story out of the Dominican Republic said the 38-year- old outfielder also received offers from the Dodgers, Mets and Astros and will take less money to play for his father, Felipe, before retiring.

The story also quoted Alou as saying on Dominican television Tuesday, "If I sign with the Giants and they win a World Series, then I will retire immediately."

Neither the Giants nor Alou's agent, Fern Cuza, would confirm the agreement. Assistant general manager Ned Colletti said, "We have been in contact with Alou's agent. But we have been in contact with agents for a lot of players. When we have something to announce, we'll make an announcement."

Alou would provide the potent right-handed bat his father declared the Giants needed to hit behind Bonds. Alou batted .293 with 39 homers and 106 RBIs last season for the Cubs, who made him a free agent by declining to exercise an $11.5 million option for 2005.

Alou turns 39 in July and, barring a further acquisition, would play right field alongside Grissom, who turns 38 in April, and Bonds, who turns 41 in July.

He would also be the fourth member of his family to play for the Giants in San Francisco, joining his father (1958-63) and uncles Matty (1960-65) and Jesus (1963-68).

This was not Plan A for the Giants, who hoped to upgrade their outfield defense and find a long-term solution in center. But after 39-year-old Steve Finley spurned the Giants, they found no viable alternatives via trade, changed course and began looking at corner outfielders. They also have held discussions with free agent Jeromy Burnitz.

It is believed that even if they sign Alou the Giants will continue to discuss deals between now and Opening Day to strengthen their outfield.

Felipe Alou did not return phone calls Wednesday. As recently as 10 days ago he sounded pessimistic about a reunion in San Francisco with Moises, who played for his dad in Montreal from 1992-96.

"We have a lot of veterans in the outfield," the elder Alou said. "Mo is 38. If he were 33 or 34, I probably would bring his name up."

Furthermore, Alou said, "He's going to get a good job and he's going to drive in 100 runs. Mo was born to play right field."

Despite Moises Alou's age, durability does not appear to be an issue. He played in 155 games and had 601 at-bats for the Cubs last season, his 13th in the majors.

His solid numbers in 2004 might have been inflated by playing at Wrigley Field, but he also has fared well in San Francisco, batting .321 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 56 at-bats since the club moved to China Basin.

[Dan Gould]

Given what Alou does to his hands, was anyone actually willing to shake on this deal?

Meanwhile, I'm now hearing the best of all possible Christmas presents: Jason Varitek is re-signing with the Sox.

[Brad]

Right now it looks like LA GM Paul De Podesta is skirting the line between genius and madness. To be continued.

Madness is more like it. He lets Beltre get away and Finley. Then he nixes that deal. If he didn't, he would have been run out of town. It looks like the Yanks are on a bit of a losing streak. Not sure Pavano is that great a signing or Wright. It will make things interesting for sure. Not sure what my stupid team (Mets) are doing, trying to sign the big Cat. They're supposed to be making a big pitch for Beltran. I think the guy will be a bit of a bust. Heck, he only hit .268 during the regular season. He just got hot at the right time.

[chris olivarez]

The Dodgers did get J.D Drew which will be a good pickup IF he stays healthy. LA is still in dire need of a couple of starting pitchers. There aren't too many of them left on the market but any of the still available names would be an improvement over last year's staff. A catcher who can hit more than his weight would be nice too.

[ghost of miles]

The Big Unit to the Yanks? Truly this time?

JohnsonYanks

[Dan Gould]

The Big Unit to the Yanks? Truly this time?

JohnsonYanks

Apparently, but I also heard Buster Olney on ESPN saying that the Yanks weren't quite so committed to going all the way to get Beltran, which makes no sense if you're a Yankee fan but sounds fine to me.

Think of it: Start the year with a 36 year old centerfielder whose range has shrunk for several years, or get younger and lock in a great player? Apparently its better to commit 32 million to a 41 year old pitcher.

And you know what? One pitcher, even a great one, doesn't make a champion. Mussina isn't getting any younger and certainly didn't pitch very well last year. Then you've got Brown, who they don't even want anymore, and Pavano and Wright.

Frankly, I think the Red Sox starting staff is deeper.

[BERIGAN]

Well, not exactly hot stove league, but still interesting....I don't think I would vote against any of them....I hated Jack Morris, cuz he ALWAYS won the big games...

By Jayson Stark

ESPN.com

We know there were voters out there who didn't think Wade Boggs was as surefire a Hall of Famer as those 3,010 hits made him look.

Boggs turned hitting singles into a science.

We know there were voters who thought he wasn't a complete player, wasn't a team player, wasn't even a dominant player.

Well, luckily for them, this is America. They have a right to their opinion. It just happens to be ridiculous. And the proof will arrive Tuesday, when Boggs will go sailing into Cooperstown on the first ballot.

Of the 12 first-time candidates on this year's ballot, Boggs was the only one who got this voter's vote. But he was not the only guy with Red Sox ties that I voted for. Want to know the identity of the eight players we voted for? Read on:

1. BOGGS

OK, so what are the reasons not to vote for this guy again? You sure need to work hard to find them.

How do you not vote for a man who hit .352 for a whole freaking decade in the 1980s -- the highest average by any hitter in any decade since the '20s?

How do you not vote for one of the four players in history to bat .300 in every one of his first 10 seasons? (The others: Ted Williams, Al Simmons, Paul Waner.)

How do you not vote for the only man since Wee Willie Keeler to rip off seven straight 200-hit seasons?

How do you not vote for a man who won five batting titles, made 12 straight All-Star teams, started six of those All-Star Games in a row (more than any third baseman in history), batted .350 or better in four straight seasons, scored 100 runs in seven straight seasons and thumped 30 doubles in nine straight seasons?

We don't care how many hits he sprayed to the opposite field. Or how many doubles he clanked off the Green Monster. Or how many of those hits came in Fenway, period. Wade Boggs was one of the great hit machines of all time.

But that's not all. He was also one of the great on-base machines of all time.

Boggs had the same career on-base percentage (.415) as Stan Musial. He led his league in OBP five years in a row -- a streak topped only by Rogers Hornsby. He even led the AL in intentional walks six straight seasons -- which tells us all we need to know about how much teams enjoyed pitching to him.

But the feat that defined the precision of both Boggs' swing and his batting eye was this: He had four straight seasons with 200 hits and 100 walks (the longest streak in history). Which means he did that as many times in a row as all the other players in baseball have done it in the last half-century combined.

So some people may have other ideas. But Wade Boggs was such a slam-dunk candidate to this voter, it took about 1.8 seconds to decide to check his box.

Rice

2. JIM RICE

I've always thought there was no dumber Hall of Fame voting rule than the one that allows players to linger on this ballot for 15 years.

Wouldn't you think we could make up our minds on just about anybody in five years? Or 10, tops? Sheez, we're talking about players who never play a single game during any of those years.

Well, I still hate that rule. But then how do I rationalize that it took me 11 agonizing Hall of Fame elections before I finally cast a vote for Jim Rice?

It makes no sense whatsoever, of course -- except for this:

Of all the candidates I've ever had to consider, none of them cost me more sleep, or caused me to ingest more Rolaids, than Rice. He's that hard a call.

There was no question he was the dominant offensive force in his league for a dozen seasons in the late 1970s and early '80s. Unfortunately, his career then tumbled over a cliff -- at age 34.

So he never reached 400 homers, or 1,500 RBI, or 2,500 hits. And for a man who had to be evaluated almost solely for his offense, those were career numbers that just didn't quite cut it -- not for this voter, anyway.

But I've always said I was an open-minded kind of guy. So last year, I invited you thoughtful folks in Reader Land to try to change my mind. More than a thousand e-mails later, I'm happy to announce you did. ... SO PLEASE STOP SENDING THEM.

I read hundreds of those e-mails. I talked to baseball people who saw Rice play, or played against him. I finally became convinced he wasn't as one-dimensional as I'd once thought. Which allowed me to give more weight to his incredible period of dominance.

From 1975 through 1985, Rice was No. 1 in his league in homers, RBI, runs scored, slugging and extra-base hits. And aside from homers, only the great George Brett was even close to him in any of those categories.

So you can call off the e-mail assault. It's amazing my inbox didn't explode.

Sandberg

3. RYNE SANDBERG

Since Sandberg's vote percentage jumped from 49 to 61 last year, it's apparent he'll get elected one of these years. But it's absurd that it's taken this long.

Until last September, when Jeff Kent passed him, Sandberg led all second basemen in history in home runs (277). He owns the highest fielding percentage (.989) of any second baseman since 1900. He's the only second baseman ever to start nine All-Star Games. And from 1982-92, he led all second basemen in average, homers, RBI, runs, extra-base hits, OPS, fielding percentage and 500-assist seasons. So about all he didn't do was bake the pizzas at Geno's.

4. BRUCE SUTTER

Sutter

Sutter's vote totals have jumped every year, peaking at 59.5 percent last year. So there's hope for him, too. But we'll ask again: Should it be this hard?

This guy not only dominated his position. He changed his position.

He revolutionized how closers were used, won a Cy Young, pioneered a revolutionary pitch (the unhittable splitter), averaged 25 saves for 12 years when 25 was actually a lot of saves and -- as our friend, Alan Schwarz, pointed out in Sunday's New York Times -- averaged 42 percent more outs per save than Dennis Eckersley.

Sutter was also such a force that he is still the only relief pitcher who ever finished in the top 10 in MVP voting six times (in eight years). So one of these years, the world has to catch on to what this man meant in his era. Right?

5. GOOSE GOSSAGE

Gossage

Speaking of overlooked closers, how the heck can Gossage still be sputtering along, barely collecting 40 percent of the vote? That's a bigger outrage than My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss.

Let's run through his glittering credentials again: Nine All-Star teams in 11 years. A 10-year blitz of microscopic ERAs and terrifying strikeout totals. More than 130 innings in relief three times. A span of nearly 20 years in which the average of right-handed hitters against him never cracked the Mendoza Line. And an aura that came wafting out of his fu manchu every time he grabbed the ball -- an aura that announced: "Game over." For this guy never to have come within 150 votes of election is a crime.

6. ANDRE DAWSON

Dawson

He spent his best years in Montreal, where the AstroConcrete turned his knee cartilage into linguini and all videotapes of his greatness apparently were confiscated at the border by customs agents. So Dawson continues to be overlooked by half the voting populace. And that ain't right.

Until his knees began to crumble, the Hawk was a singular combination of power, speed, defense, leadership and unparalleled respect among his peers. He won one MVP election and finished second in two others. He was a rookie of the year. He won eight Gold Gloves. And despite all those ice packs he kept attaching to his knees, only two other players have ever matched his totals in hits (2,774), home runs (438) and stolen bases (314) -- Willie Mays and Barry Bonds.

If we spent most of the '80s debating whether Dawson was the best player in the National League, why are we still debating so hard whether he belongs in Cooperstown?

7. JACK MORRIS

Morris

Suppose we told you there was a pitcher on this ballot who won 36 more games than anyone else in the sport while he was in it? And suppose we told you this pitcher started three All-Star Games -- a feat surpassed, since the 1970s, by only Randy Johnson?

Then suppose we told you this guy pitched a no-hitter, was an Opening Day starter 14 times (more than any American Leaguer since Walter Johnson), averaged 14 complete games a season for eight years and made 515 consecutive starts without missing a turn (a record at the time)?

Finally, suppose we told you he was one of the most fabled postseason pitchers of his day, that he started Game 1 of the World Series for three different Series champs and that he pitched all 10 innings of possibly the greatest Game 7 shutout ever?

Would you say that guy was a Hall of Famer -- if you didn't know his name was Jack Morris? True, Morris' 3.90 ERA would be the highest of any pitcher in the Hall. But by nearly every other standard, he was the ultimate ace of his era.

8. DALE MURPHY

Murphy

Murphy's vote totals are starting to make Dennis Kucinich look like George W. Bush. So we know now he has no prayer of having his mug on a Hall of Fame plaque.

Still, we have no trouble justifying a vote for a man who was a back-to-back MVP, a five-time Gold Glove winner, a 30-30 guy, a leading vote-getter in the All-Star balloting and the answer to the trivia question: Who led the National League in runs, hits and RBI in the '80s?

Has there ever been a better player who couldn't even get 10 percent of the vote? We can't think of one.

Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/stor...yson&id=1958227

[ghost of miles]

Sox first baseman keeps ball gloved for last Series out

January 7, 2005

BOSTON (AP) -- Red Sox fans have seen the video over and over again. A ground ball to pitcher Keith Foulke. He tosses it underhand to backup first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who raises it high as Boston celebrates its first World Series championship in 86 years.

Mientkiewicz still hasn't let go of the ball. But now the Red Sox want it back.

Calling the ball, ``my retirement fund,'' Mientkiewicz stored it in a safe deposit box. Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino said Thursday he's going to ask Mientkiewicz to return it to the team.

``We want it to be part of Red Sox archives or museums so it can be shared with the fans,'' Lucchino told The Boston Globe. ``We would hope he would understand the historical nature of it.''

Mientkiewicz seems to understand it very well, which is exactly why he held on to it.

Historic baseballs have recently fetched impressive sums. The baseball Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk banged off the foul pole in the 1975 World Series sold for $113,373. The ball Barry Bonds hit for his 73rd home run went for $450,000. The most expensive baseball of all time is Mark McGwire's 70th homer, which went for $3 million.

Mientkiewicz said he thinks the Boston World Series ball has more value than a home run ball.

``Those are important and all, don't get me wrong, but there are always going to be more home runs,'' he said. ``This is something that took 86 years, and 86 years is a long time. Personally, I went through hell and back this year. But winning the World Series is something I'm going to remember for a long time.''

Mientkiewicz came to Boston from Minnesota in the three-team midseason deal that sent Boston shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs.

Mientkiewicz, who batted .215 for Boston, was used primarily as a late innings defensive replacement, and the former Gold Glove first baseman has indicated his unhappiness with the role.

Boston broke its championship drought by beating the New York Yankees in seven games in the American League Championship Series, then sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in four games in the World Series.

After the game, Mientkiewicz said he put the ball in his locker, then gave it to his wife, Jodi, who put it in her purse. The next day, the ball was authenticated by Major League Baseball.

Carmine Tiso, spokesman for MLB, told the Globe that Mientkiewicz owns the baseball, though Joe Januszewski, Red Sox director of corporate partnerships, said he thinks the team owns it.

Mientkiewicz couldn't be reached for comment Thursday by the Globe after Lucchino said the club wanted the ball back. But on Wednesday, he left no doubt that he believes the ball belongs to him.

``I know this ball has a lot of sentimental value,'' Mientkiewicz said. ``I hope I don't have to use it for the money. It would be cool if we have kids someday to have it stay in our family for a long time. But I can be bought. I'm thinking, there's four years at Florida State for one of my kids. At least.''

[Dan Gould]

I just hope that Mintkiewicz isn't hurting his chances of sticking with the club if he doesn't let them have the ball. I'd much prefer if they trade Millar and keep Doug's superior glove and likely-to-be-solid bat.

[Brad]

Why would he worry about sticking with the club. He's going to make a fortune on the ball. Plus, doesn't he want to get more playing time, which the Sox probably won't give him.

[Dan Gould]

Why would he worry about sticking with the club. He's going to make a fortune on the ball. Plus, doesn't he want to get more playing time, which the Sox probably won't give him.

His contract for next year is 3.4 million. That's more than the most expensive ball has ever sold for (McGuire's 70th homer ball). The team is NOT going to keep both Millar and Mintkeiwicz. They've said that both deserve to start somewhere and will be trading one of them. Considering that he provides gold glove defense and only two years ago batted third in the Twins lineup and hit .300, it seems to me its a no-brainer to want to keep him. So if he isn't traded, he will be the starter and get plenty of playing time.

[Brad]

When you're making $3.4, yup, that's better than any money a ball could bring you. On the benefit side, if you get rid of Millar, you're getting rid of some important chemistry there. Not sure I'd part with him.

[Dan Gould]

When you're making $3.4, yup, that's better than any money a ball could bring you. On the benefit side, if you get rid of Millar, you're getting rid of some important chemistry there. Not sure I'd part with him.

Chemistry, yes, but an at best mediocre glove and the epitome of "streak hitter". Maybe it took a certain looseness in the clubhouse to keep things on an even keel, but any rational GM would want Doug over Kevin, so long as Doug is healthy and hits as he did when he was a starter with Minnesota.

[Brad]

In today's New York Times:

Title Is Theirs, and Red Sox Want Ball That Goes With It

By TYLER KEPNER

Published: January 8, 2005

It is the ninth inning, it is late October, and your team is one out from winning the World Series. You are one of nine fielders on the winning team, and the baseball that clinches the championship lands in your glove. What do you do with it?

It happened last fall to the Boston Red Sox' first baseman, Doug Mientkiewicz, a defensive replacement with three months of service with the team. He secured the ball that ended 86 years of torture for New England fans. He still has it, and according to an article yesterday in The Boston Globe, the Red Sox want it back.

"What do I do in his case?" Kent Hrbek, a member of the Minnesota Twins' 1987 title team, said yesterday. "I'd run and hide. That's a pretty significant baseball."

Hrbek was laughing over the phone as he said it. He and Mientkiewicz are former Twins first basemen, and each has caught the last out of a World Series. When Hrbek did it, to wrap up the Twins' first championship, he gave the ball to his manager, Tom Kelly, during the postgame party in the clubhouse.

If Mientkiewicz asked him what to do, Hrbek said, he would tell him to give the ball back.

"If it was a tennis match and you won the last point with that ball, sure, you can keep it," Hrbek said. "But I think it's the team's baseball. It's a team sport, and I think the team should get to have it. I think he'll think about it, and he'll probably give it up. He's smart enough to realize it's the team's baseball."

The Red Sox believe it is, or at least they believe it should be. Their president, Larry Lucchino, told The Globe that the team would ask Mientkiewicz to return the ball so it could be part of the team's collection and shared with fans.

"We aren't going to have any other comment until we have a chance to talk to Doug directly about this matter," Lucchino said in an e-mail message yesterday. "We certainly owe him that courtesy."

On Oct. 27 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, with two outs in the ninth inning of Game 4, Keith Foulke, the Red Sox' closer, fielded a grounder from the Cardinals' Edgar Renteria. Foulke carefully fielded it and made an underhand toss to Mientkiewicz, who caught the ball for the final out and rushed to leap on Foulke.

Mientkiewicz, who is 30, told The Globe that he had given the ball to his wife, Jodi, who had it authenticated by Major League Baseball the next day. He said that the ball was with his 2000 Olympic gold medal in a safe deposit box in Miami.

"That's my retirement fund," he said, later adding: "I can be bought. I'm thinking, there's four years at Florida State for one of my kids."

The topic raged on Boston call-in shows yesterday, and Mientkiewicz went on WEEI radio and clarified his comments. He did not rule out ever selling the ball but said he was joking when he said he could be bought.

"The last thing I am is money crazy," said Mientkiewicz, who made $2.8 million last season. "But I'm also not going to give the thing away, either."

Mientkiewicz said he would be happy to lend the ball to the Red Sox, and he spoke yesterday with the principal owner, John Henry.

"We didn't discuss solutions," Henry said in an e-mail message, adding that Lucchino had already stated the team's position. "I just wanted to listen to what his feelings were with regard to all of this. I have a great deal of respect for Doug."

Paul Weiler, a professor of law at Harvard, sided with the Red Sox.

"Certainly, if it had gone into the hands of a fan in the stands, like the one who caught McGwire's 70th home run, it belongs to the person who paid to be there catching the ball," Weiler said in an e-mail message. "On the other hand, Mientkiewicz is being paid by the Red Sox. To be out on the field catching that ball, and as an employee, even a unionized one, his rights likely are different."

The ball that Mark McGwire hit for his 70th home run in 1998, then the record for a season, sold for $3 million, including commission, the most paid to date for a baseball. Arlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey's auction house, which auctioned that ball in early 1999, said he doubted that the Red Sox ball would go for the same amount. "If I had to throw a number out, I'd probably say a million dollars," he said.

Mientkiewicz could follow the example of Cal Ripken Jr., who caught a liner to end the 1983 World Series for the Baltimore Orioles. Ripken owns the ball, but he has lent it to the Babe Ruth Museum near Camden Yards.

Jeff Idelson, a vice president at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., said the Hall of Fame had the ball from the final out of only two championships, 1889 and 1903.

Idelson said the fate of the 2004 ball was an issue between the Red Sox and Mientkiewicz; the Hall of Fame did not ask for it after Game 4.

"There were so many compelling stories that the ball from the final out wasn't one we pursued," he said.

In his 10 years with the Hall of Fame, Idelson said, he has asked for the last out of a World Series only once: in 1998, when Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez caught the throw from third baseman Scott Brosius to finish a four-game sweep.

But by the time Idelson asked him, Martinez had given the ball to Andy Pettitte, whose father, Tom, was ailing. Idelson did not ask Pettitte for it.

The whereabouts of other final World Series balls are less certain.

Larry Shenk, a longtime Phillies vice president, said he did not know what became of the ball from the final out of the Phillies' only title, in 1980. Catcher Bob Boone got it after a strikeout, but Boone's son Aaron, the former Yankees playoff hero, does not know where it is.

"No clue," he said yesterday.

The Royals won their only title in 1985, but the team said it did not have the ball from the final out. The Mets, who won the next year, do not have that ball, either.

The ball from the Los Angeles Dodgers' last championship, in 1988, belongs to Fred Claire, who was their general manager. Rick Dempsey had promised Claire that if he signed him as a backup catcher, he would catch the final out of the World Series and give Claire the ball. That is exactly what happened.

Dempsey said he hoped Mientkiewicz would not sell the ball. "It may be a priceless item, but who cares about the money?" Dempsey said yesterday. "It's a memory that will go to your deathbed with you."

Todd Benzinger, a first baseman for the 1990 Cincinnati Reds, said he still had the final ball from that year's World Series in an old equipment bag. Benzinger, who also played for Boston, said the Red Sox should buy the ball from Mientkiewicz. "If the Red Sox really want it that bad, then pay for it," he said. "It's just a ball."

Mientkiewicz's plight amused Darin Erstad, who caught the last out of the 2002 World Series for the Anaheim Angels. That ball secured the only title in Angels history, but as soon as he reached the mound from center field, Erstad tried to unload it.

He offered it to closer Troy Percival, following his routine after games Percival saved. Percival told Erstad to keep it. Erstad did not know what to do with it and does not display it.

"It's in a box," Erstad said yesterday, and he did not mean a safe deposit box. "If the Angels asked for it, I'd give it to them in a heartbeat."

Alas, after 86 years, it might not be so easy for the Red Sox.

******

My own take on this is that not only does the ball not belong to him, it probably doesn't belong to the Sox either but to MLB.

[BERIGAN]

Somewhere, Steinbrenner is yelling really loudly at a bunch of baseball people.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1963185

[Dan Gould]

Haven't you followed this at all, Berigan? It was all over the news last week that contrary to what everyone assumed, the Yanks would NOT be involved in the Beltran sweepstakes. And that was true. And he had to know that the Mets were deeply involved, so it stands to reason he doesn't care since he chose not to.

Now, I do believe that in a year or two, Steinbrenner WILL be screaming at someone over letting Beltran pass by, because his team is frankly getting older than dirt and they missed out on a star centerfielder who would have hit 40+ homers in the Bronx, easily, and fielded better than Bernie Williams on Bernie's best day, which is long, long gone.

There's an excellent Jayson Stark column on why the Yanks aren't locks to win it all here.

[Brad]

I think there is even a limit to what the Yanks can spend because they are going to get hit with a huge luxury tax this year and they've been barely making money so they really couldn't afford it.

For all they nay sayers (including myself) of the Pedro move, it now makes perfect sense why they did it, to get people like Beltran here, who is now trying to add his name to get Delgado here. If they were to sign Delgado as well, this would be a very competitive team with decent starting pitching. However, the bullpen is still questionable. But that's a predicament many teams find themselves in.

This is the beginning of capturing back the town from the Yanks. Yessiree, it's looking to be a nice day in Metsville.

[Dan Gould]

I think there is even a limit to what the Yanks can spend because they are going to get hit with a huge luxury tax this year and they've been barely making money so they really couldn't afford it.

For all they nay sayers (including myself) of the Pedro move, it now makes perfect sense why they did it, to get people like Beltran here, who is now trying to add his name to get Delgado here. If they were to sign Delgado as well, this would be a very competitive team with decent starting pitching. However, the bullpen is still questionable. But that's a predicament many teams find themselves in.

This is the beginning of capturing back the town from the Yanks. Yessiree, it's looking to be a nice day in Metsville.

Well, Brad, glad you're so enthused. Personally, I don't see the starters in the way you do - Zambrano and Benson but no Leiter? Forget the bullpen-the starting staff isn't going to be very good anyway.

Beltran will be a great addition for his speed and defense; unfortunately playing in Shea is going to have a very negative impact on his power numbers. He'd put up 40+ homers if he'd stayed in Houston or gone to the Bronx or Wrigley. In Shea, he's probably around 28-30 homers.

Its an awful lot of money for a guy who hit .268 last year. We know he provides great defense, I think he needs to prove that he can be a big bat in a lineup on a consistent basis.

I also have my doubts about him in New York, period. Now he is the star and has to perform. I understand he's deeply religious, shy and reserved. How will he act with the NY tabloids and talk radio when he hits a rough patch? He was much better suited to Houston where he was surrounded by so much talent he didn't have to be the saviour.

Glad you're happy though, seriously! Time will tell if its a great move or not. Its almost certainly a smarter signing than Pedro was.

[sheldonm]

I think this signing shows it's all about the money (as if we needed another example) and not the opportunity to win. I think the Mets are several pieces away from even making the playoffs, let alone winning a World Series. I can't believe the Cubs didn't put any effort into signing him; he would have a better chance of winning with them (although I could care less if the Cubs ever won another game ). I would have bit the bullet and moved Sosa despite his overpriced salary. I did hear someone say they could move Sosa to 1st base; what a disaster that would be!

[ghost of miles]

Report: Sosa traded to Orioles

[sheldonm]

Report: Sosa traded to Orioles

...good riddance, I say!

[BERIGAN]

It's funny, but until Don Baylor came to town, I never heard a discouraging word about Sosa. Then Dusty said some things as well...he might be a bit of a prima donna, but he plays hard, and usually plays most of his teams games. Don and Dusty should have talked to him in private, not thru the media. Being the DH once in a while will help him rest a bit.

I am pissed at the Cubs organision right now. Not only did they poison their relationship with Sosa, but they were asses to Steve Stone as well. Stone was a bit of a Rah-Rah guy for years, he showed some real backbone last year calling the Cubs on their late season choke. He was rewarded with being forced out. Well, Chip Carey left as well so now they have an all new broadcast team. I still hope for long suffering fans that they do win...

[Dave James]

Wonder if they're going to test him for steriods. Might as well get that ball rolling now. He's certainly among the most eggregious and obvious abusers.

The Oriole deal is just a way to get him out of town. He's clearly worn out his welcome in the Windy City. Who's fault that is at this point is academic.

Chicago is going to have to pay a big chunk of Sosa's salary AND he's a free agent after next year. This has all the ear marks of season long rental. I'd be shocked if he's back in black and orange in 2006. The other plus for the O's is that it tends to cool off the naysayers who have been very vocal in their criticism of the Orioles for doing nothing in the off season.

Up over and out.