The Art of The Trade

Well the trading deal-line passed a few weeks ago and there were a few big deals. One of the biggest was Victor Martinez for Justin Masterson and others. When I saw that trade go down I was dis-appointed to be honest. I had always liked Justin Masterson. The kid would fit into any role the Red Sox wanted him to. Clay Buchholz’s name was rumored for a time in that trade deal instead of Masterson. This trade lead me to think about the art of the trade.

You can look back in time at trades and at the time you would think “what’s going on here?’ Then you have other times where you don’t question it at all. Since the Masterson trade to Cleveland, his ERA is 3.78. In that same time, Buchholz’s ERA is 5.78. Looking at it right now you would think the Sox sent the wrong pitcher. But this is where the art of the trade comes in, well you hope it does.

Back in 1987, a trade between the Tigers and Braves occurred. John Smoltz was traded from the Tigers to the Braves for Doyle Alexander. Doyle went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA for the Tigers. John Smoltz would not pitch for the Braves that year. So, after a quick glance at the numbers it looks as if the Tigers came out on top. Well the next two years Doyle would go 20-29 with a 4.38 ERA, and then retire after the 1989 season. Over the next few years….and years, John Smoltz would become one of the best pitchers in the Majors. He has become one of two pitchers with over 200 wins and 150 saves. The other is in the Hall.

There are many examples of trades that could go either way. The fact for us fans is that sometimes we just have to wait and see. So, here is a little homework. Tell me a trade that went down and at first thought you said “oh no”, but in the end your team made the right move.

It’s All About What’s Right

The other day I had a meeting at a local bookstore coffee shop. As usual, I was a few minutes early so I decided to look for my next read. Of course I went straight to the baseball books and started to see what was available. I picked up a few books and then I picked up Juiced by José Canseco. As I was flipping through the book I started thinking do I really want to read this? I know a good bit of the stuff in the book has come to light, but I just kept thinking why should I read this. I’ve read other books about ball players like Nolan Ryan,  Johnny Damon, and many books about scouting as well.

So after sitting there looking through the book Juiced, I put it back and looked at a few others. In the end I knew that the next book that I read, I wanted it to be something good about baseball and not negative. I’m tired of hearing about steroids, seeing what happen to Shane Victorino during the Cubs game the other night. I want to hear about the good things about this great game. I want to read another Moneyball, or another Idiot. So, throw them at me, what book have you read that you would like to recommend to me?

Also, in closing, had a comment left on my blog the other day about the name of my blog from Johan. It appears that we have the same name blog/forum. So as I did, please check out his site (http://tbebaseball.com/index.php?act=idx), cause with a name like The Batter’s Eye, it has to be good!

Let the Voters Speak

Well over the past few weeks there has been talk in the media that Pete Rose may be reinstated by Major League Baseball. Personally I think this would be a great move. I think public opinion will tell you Pete is one of the most loved baseball players of all time. Not only that, but he is one of the greatest players of all time. There was never a doubt he left everything he had on the field. Ok, that was all as a player. Now as a manager, he did gamble on baseball games which that is a baseball no-no. For that we all know he was given a life time ban from baseball.

So, after 20 years should this ban be lifted? Well, if MLB never wanted to revisit this, then in 1999 he should have not been allowed to participate in the all century team recognition. I would say reinstate Pete back into baseball and let the voters vote. If he is voted in, it should only be as a player and no mention to him as a coach. So I ask of you Bud, let the voters vote.

Take Notice

Well as most of you know Manny Ramirez returned to action last night after testing positive for PED’s. He held a press conference before the game fielding questions, but would not answer anything about his positive test. First off, Manny owes it to the fans and his team to answer these questions, just as anyone who has cheated the game does. The press conference was pretty much a dog and pony show for Manny saying “hey I’m back” and “it’s showtime”.  Well Manny, it will be “showtime” when you show up for every play and prove yourself to your team. As for the fans last night, they made me, well sick, as they cheered for him.

So, here are my thoughts about Manny or anyone who test positive. One, you should have one chance for a positive test. The result of that test would be an automatic 1 year ban from the game. A second positive test would be a life time ban from the game. Done, that’s it. Also a positive test would get an asterisk beside your name in the record books and would automatically make you In-eligible for the Hall of Fame. I know, to some this may sound harsh, but there are players that work so hard to get to the majors the right way. Why should they be punished because a fellow player or cheater be rewarded?

Love at First Sight

Trying to think back to my first baseball memory the one thought that comes up was either ‘85 or ‘86 watching the Braves play a double header vs the Reds. One thing I remember was my dad pointing out Pete Rose to me. I just thought that was cool. Living in the south it’s pretty natural to be a Braves fan. I do pull for them every time I can, but I’m a Red Sox guy. People always say “Oh you started following them when they started winning.” I tell them “No, I started to follow them back in the ’80’s when a guy name Clemens was coming up.”

You see, I’m not a casual baseball guy. I’ve always loved the game. I did have my time after the strike of ‘94 where I got away from the game, but I always loved the game. My family has ties to the game. Frank “Pig” House is a cousin. If you know baseball trivia, he was the first “bonus baby” in baseball. I think he got $18,000 and two cars, pretty funny now days. I remember watching Clemens as a kid on ESPN and watching guys like Oil Can Boyd, Spike Owen, Mike Greenwell, Dwight Evans and Wade Boggs. I know there were a ton of other guys during that time but that is who stands out to me.

So you know who my favorite team is but I guess you are wondering who are some of my favorite players over this time. Well one that comes to mind is Dale Murphy. Again, being in the south I saw a lot of Braves games and went to a bunch. Will “The Thrill” Clark, guy was just a baseball player. I always loved to watch Lee Smith come in and save a game for the Cubs. Why is he not in the Hall yet? Rickey Henderson was another favorite, do I need to tell why? Ryne Sandberg and Mark Grace, I just loved how these guys played the game. Did I mention Bo, Smoltz, Glavine, Maddox or what about my guy Dustin? The three pitchers I just named are all smart and know how to pitch. The thing I love about Dustin is the all out way he plays. Big swings and has a motor that won’t stop.

This is just a little insight to my love of baseball and please feel free to share some of yours. As I write this on fathers day I have to say I’ll never forget the days of my dad and I playing catch or going to the field or a batting cage to hit some balls. So dad, thanks for introducing me to this grand ole game!

Getting in the Groove

As I have had the MLB package for a few years I’ve noticed a lot of different things in the game of baseball. One is which players play every play and which takes a few plays off here and there. I think if we all think we know a few on each list. Also I’ve noticed the players who never really get talked about but play solid ball. And lastly, I’ve always been confused by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

So, you may be asking me why. Well a few weeks ago on Twitter I tweeted the Arizona Diamondbacks confuse me with there line-up day in day out. I started noticing this last year. You always had your regulars like Stephen Drew at short and Snyder at catcher(unless he was hurt) and that was pretty much it, well besides Chris Young in center. Now, I do have to say they did have a few injuries but not enough that I thought warranted the line-up changes made day in day out. You would see O-dog one day and then Augie Ojeda another at second, and Chad Tracy or Connor Jackson at first. You never knew who was going to start. The out field was like musical chairs it seemed.

So, at the end of the year I thought it was just due to injuries. Well not the case. I saw the same thing to start the season off this year. One day Eric Byrnes or Connor Jackson in left or right, Parra or Young in center or throw Upton in the mix as well. I would see Eric go 2-4 or 3-5 and then the next day he sits. Same thing as last year, musical chairs.

To me, I just can’t see how a guy can get in a groove. In baseball that’s what it is about. Getting in a groove. Look at the teams that do well. They have usually 6 guys that are always in the line-up with one spot getting some rotation. Some times you just gotta stick with guys through rough spots but you know, most every time they find their groove.

What’s Done is Done

Last week on the 2nd of June, the Yankees were playing the Rangers. Padilla, hit Teixeira in the rear to load the bases. On the next play, A-Rod hit into a ground play. On the play Tex took out Andrus in a hard slide. In unwritten baseball rules the deed was done. Well to AJ Burnett it was not done. He decided in the next inning to throw at Nelson Cruz. A few days later AJ was suspended for six days. 

I agree with the suspension. AJ was out of line. Tex took care of the issue when he took a hard slide at Andrus. AJ took it one step further and that was an unnecessary step. Then on the lines of Padilla. I think this guy needs to grow up. He has had a history of hitting guys that hit him hard or hit people in an inning when he is getting shelled. One, just play the game, make good pitches and get guys out. Also, if I was on a team with this guy, I’d take him out back and give him a good beating. Play baseball, if you want to load the bases so you have the opportunity to make a force play, then walk the guy, don’t bean him. this opens up so many things that could happen. If Tex would have hurt Andrus, what would Padilla done? Nothing, he’d do it again in the future. 

So, play the game and what’s done is done.

First Pitch

Well here am I starting blog number 2. This blog is strictly devoted to baseball. I’ll talk about different story lines and my thoughts about them. So, with out further adu here we go. First pitch time is 6:26pm and it’s a strike.

Yesterday Tom Glavine was released by the Atlanta Braves. I saw one comment yesterday saying “karma’s a bitch Glavine!” Well yeah sometimes it is, but I think that is off base in this count. When Glavine left Atlanta for New York, the Braves had an opportunity to sign him. They didn’t. They let him walk and play else where.

Now, fast forward to last year, Glavine re-signs with the Braves to finish his career with the Braves. Unfortunatelyhe got hurt during the season which required surgery this past off season. Well in February the Braves re-sign Glavine to a one year deal knowing he would have to re-hab and would be availablesometime during early to mid season. He pitches in the minors for a few games and he’s ready as of yesterday to come back to the majors. Well the Braves site lack of velocity , then told him to retire or get cut.

Here’s my issue, they knew he was going to have to re-hab. They knew there would be some side affects. Glavine is a smart pitcher. He didn’t win 305 games out of luck. He knows how to pitch. They never gave him to opportunity to show his stuff. Has he lost velocity, yes but does he know how to move the ball, change speeds…yes. The move was financial and it stinks. I think Tommy could have been a great influence on the pitchers there this season and could have added a nice fifth starter to the rotation.

It seems like to me that Frank Wren gets caught up in the moment and makes decisionsthat are off base. You saw how he treated Smoltz, he also said earlier this year they would never sign Derek Lowe but when it came crunch time he did. I wish someone would make him eat those words. I think the Braves will suffer in the fifth starting spot and you have Frank Wren to blame.

Over the weekend I’m going to touch on the Yanks/Rangers game from Tuesday night that lead to AJ Burnett getting suspended for six games.