Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

[SoCal Pinstriper]

Astros owner Drayton McLane and general manager Tim Purpura met with Roy Oswalt's agent, Bob Garber, on Wednesday to begin negotiations on a contract extension with the pitcher.
After exchanging parameters of a deal, both sides appeared pleased with the first day of negotiations. It was believed the Astros would open negotiations at three years and $45 million and that Oswalt's side was looking for a deal of at least five years at the market rate, which would be about $15 million and in the team's ballpark is about $15 million for an ace of his, experience, relative youth and stature.
As is his policy, Purpura wouldn't divulge the Astros' offer. But he didn't deny that a three-year offer and a five-year counter request fit inside the "broad parameters" that were discussed by the parties.
"This is one that has very broad parameters," Purpura said.
"It's a complicated deal because it's a player that is ending a two-year ($16.9 million) deal, going into his final year of arbitration and could be a free agent after next season," Purpura said.

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4107007.html

[SoCal Pinstriper]

The Cubs pitching staff leads the majors in both walks surrendered (471) and strikeouts (839). The last team to lead the majors in both categories was Texas in 1989.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=481936

Leyland said the team will not add many players on Sept. 1, when rosters can expand from 25 to 40. "I've never been a big proponent of that and I never will be. I think it's the wrong system," Leyland said. "I'm not against the principle of it for the players, but I think it's the wrong way to go about baseball. I said this when I was in last place and when I was in first place -- I think it penalizes the teams that have done a good job (because clubs get extra players). You can't make a good managerial move because it's too easy to counteract it."

http://www.mlive.com/sports/statewid...820.xml&coll=1

[Mr. Mxylsplk]

The Cubs pitching staff leads the majors in both walks surrendered (471) and strikeouts (839). The last team to lead the majors in both categories was Texas in 1989.

That's what having Bobby Witt and Nolan Ryan on the same staff will get you.

[SoCal Pinstriper]

Don't be surprised if Guillermo Mota is released in the next day or two.
General Manager Mark Shapiro has tried to move Mota, but no team has been willing to take him. A sign of the Tribe's disinterest in him: Mota hasn't pitched since July 24.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjourna...s/15249866.htm

Kenji Johjima is hitting .389 with runners in scoring position, and if it holds up, Stats, Inc. reported it would tie him with Fred Lynn of the 1975 Red Sox for fourth-highest among rookies since 1974. Ichiro hit .445 in 2001, Kent Hrbek of the 1982 Twins hit .398, Mariners manager Mike Hargrove, playing for the Rangers in 1974, hit .393. Since June 16, Johjima's batting average is .343 (46 of 134), second only to Minnesota's Joe Mauer (.355) among American League catchers in that span.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...rinotes11.html

[splanky]

Socal, this is probably my favorite thread to check out... so thanks for keeping up the postings! It's fun to get out of my AL East mindset and see what else is going on.

[SoCal Pinstriper]

Socal, this is probably my favorite thread to check out... so thanks for keeping up the postings! It's fun to get out of my AL East mindset and see what else is going on.

Thanks.
I think that there are a ton of fascinating stories and factoids buried in the basball season.

I'm glad that someone agrees.

[burke615-RSN]

Thanks.
I think that there are a ton of fascinating stories and factoids buried in the basball season.

I'm glad that someone agrees.

Looking at the views number for this thread, I would say a whole bunch of us agree. Keep up the good work!

[bobby jr]

Someone at work was talking about the "Pine Tar Game" when George Brett hit a game winning HR off Goose Gossage. The game took place on July 24, 1983, at Yankee Stadium, when Brett hit a ninth-inning, two-out, two-run homer off Goose Gossage that gave the Royals a 5-4 lead. Billy Martin waited until the winning HR was hit, then he went out and complained about the pine tar. The umpire (unbelievably) called Brett out, and Brett had to be held back by his teammates. The umpire's decision was later reversed.

My position was that it was a cheap shot by Billy Martin. He was in effect saying that Brett cheated, and there was no need for such a thing to even be implied about a great player like Brett.



Also if he wanted to make an issue about the pine tar he should have done so before the HR was hit, not afterwards. The pine tar had nothing to do with the HR. I just didn't think it was good sportsmanship by Billy.

I thought Billy Martin was a great tactical manager. But the pine tar game wasn't one of his finest hours.

[MatsuiFan55]

Preston Wilson DFA'd according to MLB.com

[Jasbro]

Someone at work was talking about the "Pine Tar Game" when George Brett hit a game winning HR off Goose Gossage. The game took place on July 24, 1983, at Yankee Stadium, when Brett hit a ninth-inning, two-out, two-run homer off Goose Gossage that gave the Royals a 5-4 lead. Billy Martin waited until the winning HR was hit, then he went out and complained about the pine tar. The umpire (unbelievably) called Brett out, and Brett had to be held back by his teammates. The umpire's decision was later reversed.

My position was that it was a cheap shot by Billy Martin. He was in effect saying that Brett cheated, and there was no need for such a thing to even be implied about a great player like Brett.



Also if he wanted to make an issue about the pine tar he should have done so before the HR was hit, not afterwards. The pine tar had nothing to do with the HR. I just didn't think it was good sportsmanship by Billy.

I thought Billy Martin was a great tactical manager. But the pine tar game wasn't one of his finest hours.

What is the difference between Martin asking the ump to check the pine tar on the bat, and any other manager asking an umpire to check a ball for evidence of doctoring by a pitcher?

Martin wanted to get into Brett's head, and it worked -- at least temporarily.

It had nothing to do with sportsmanship. Rather it was gamesmanship, nothing more.

[Liquid Sky]

Prior may miss rest of season due to shoulder tendinitis.

Mark Prior's season likely will end where it started -- on the disabled list.

The Chicago Cubs announced on Saturday that Prior has been shut down for a minimum of three weeks due to tendinitis in his right shoulder. Even in the best-case scenario of a 10-to-14-day throwing period to rebuild arm strength following the shutdown, it makes little sense to rush Prior back....

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/a...=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[fredgmuggs]

Someone at work was talking about the "Pine Tar Game" when George Brett hit a game winning HR off Goose Gossage. The game took place on July 24, 1983, at Yankee Stadium, when Brett hit a ninth-inning, two-out, two-run homer off Goose Gossage that gave the Royals a 5-4 lead. Billy Martin waited until the winning HR was hit, then he went out and complained about the pine tar. The umpire (unbelievably) called Brett out, and Brett had to be held back by his teammates. The umpire's decision was later reversed.

My position was that it was a cheap shot by Billy Martin. He was in effect saying that Brett cheated, and there was no need for such a thing to even be implied about a great player like Brett.



Also if he wanted to make an issue about the pine tar he should have done so before the HR was hit, not afterwards. The pine tar had nothing to do with the HR. I just didn't think it was good sportsmanship by Billy.

I thought Billy Martin was a great tactical manager. But the pine tar game wasn't one of his finest hours.

A little historical perspective is needed here.... Thurman Munson had a RBI single taken away because of having too much pine tar on his bat against the Twins (I don't recall the year, but I'm sure someone will come to my rescue). If Munson's base hit was negated because of too much pine tar, why not Brett's home run? I'll tell you why... because Lee McPhail was the AL President at the time and he was no friend of George Steinbrenner. But that is all water under the bridge now.....

edit: by the way, it was Nettles that noticed Brett had too much pine tar on his bat earlier in the game.... and yes, they were keeping that info to use if/when it became necessary.

[bobby jr]

What is the difference between Martin asking the ump to check the pine tar on the bat, and any other manager asking an umpire to check a ball for evidence of doctoring by a pitcher?

Martin wanted to get into Brett's head, and it worked -- at least temporarily.

It had nothing to do with sportsmanship. Rather it was gamesmanship, nothing more.

Because having extra pine tar had nothing to do with improving Brett's ability to hit a HR. Doctoring the ball could help the pitcher be more effective, but the pine tar rule was just a technical rule that had nothing to do with performance.

If Martin wanted to get into Brett's head he should have brought up the pine tar issue before Brett swung at the first pitch. Martin wanted to use a technicality to change the outcome of the game, and that was not right.

[bobby jr]

A little historical perspective is needed here.... Thurman Munson had a RBI single taken away because of having too much pine tar on his bat against the Twins (I don't recall the year, but I'm sure someone will come to my rescue). If Munson's base hit was negated because of too much pine tar, why not Brett's home run? I'll tell you why... because Lee McPhail was the AL President at the time and he was no friend of George Steinbrenner. But that is all water under the bridge now.....

edit: by the way, it was Nettles that noticed Brett had too much pine tar on his bat earlier in the game.... and yes, they were keeping that info to use if/when it became necessary.

I have never heard of Munson having a RBI single taken away because of pine tar. If he did, then that was a wrong call too.

[montrealer]

Here`s a story that some poster`s whom think Torre ruins careers in the Bullpen might enjoy.
On june17,1915 Zip Zapel was called from the Cubs Bullpen in the 1st inning of a game against the Dodgers because of an injury to the starter Bert Humphies.The righthander ended up pitching 18 1/3 innings before being credited with a 4-3 victory.To this day Zabel`s stint is the longest relief apparance by any pitcher.

[sprucemoose]

Because having extra pine tar had nothing to do with improving Brett's ability to hit a HR. Doctoring the ball could help the pitcher be more effective, but the pine tar rule was just a technical rule that had nothing to do with performance.

If Martin wanted to get into Brett's head he should have brought up the pine tar issue before Brett swung at the first pitch. Martin wanted to use a technicality to change the outcome of the game, and that was not right.

If there is a rule against having too much pine tar on the bat, then why can't Billy Martin complain about the rule being broken? Winning matters in baseball, and Billy Martin did what he needed to win. Without cheating, unlike Brett who - regardless of what you think of the rule - did break a law of the game. I think Martin's timing is also a no-brainer. I'm pretty sure Zimmer made a comment after the incident about how there is no point in saying anything about it when Brett strikes out, you wait until he gets a hit. It happens in hockey all the time when a team is pretty sure an opponent has an illegal stick they wait until a penalty call will benefit them most.

On a side note, that game was the first game I ever watched (or at least remember watching) as a kid. Does anyone else remember Guidry playing centerfield when they re-finished the game? Does anyone know why? I was pretty young so I thought it was cool that Gator was in center, but i can't remember why exactly.

[fredgmuggs]

If I remember correctly, Mattingly was used at 2B for the resumption of the pine tar game as well (besides Guidry in CF)..... I believe it was Billy Martin's attempt to make a mockery out of the conclusion of the game after AL President McPhail overruled the umpires. Billy always liked to thumb his nose at authority whenever possible.

[sprucemoose]

If I remember correctly, Mattingly was used at 2B for the resumption of the pine tar game as well (besides Guidry in CF)..... I believe it was Billy Martin's attempt to make a mockery out of the conclusion of the game after AL President McPhail overruled the umpires.

I also remember hearing that Martin appealed at first and second before a pitch was even thrown in the resumption, claiming that Brett didn't touch the bag. Was the resumption even televised....I remember watching the first game, which I'm pretty sure was about a month before, but I didn't see the resumption.

[fredgmuggs]

I also remember hearing that Martin appealed at first and second before a pitch was even thrown in the resumption, claiming that Brett didn't touch the bag. Was the resumption even televised....I remember watching the first game, which I'm pretty sure was about a month before, but I didn't see the resumption.

For some reason the AL office was sure the Yankees were going to do that and they had a written document on hand from the original umpires stating that Brett touched all the bases. I wonder if any of our NYYfans members attended that game?

[buckyjacobson]

.... Billy always liked to thumb his nose at authority whenever possible.

There's an understatement.

[buckyjacobson]

By the way, Indians just hung an 11-spot on the Royals in the first. Good to see the Sox softened KC up....

[Mr. Mxylsplk]

By the way, Indians just hung an 11-spot on the Royals in the first. Good to see the Sox softened KC up....

That was some inning. I was glancing at the score because I have Sowers on my fantasy team, and I noticed when they had 4. It seemed like about 30 seconds later when it was 11. Those guys can really hit when they want to.

[Liquid Sky]

Get ready for the return of the doubleheader. MLB is shifting the start of the World Series to Tuesday next year, which will further condense the period to play the 162-game regular season. So each team is going to be asked to schedule at least one and possibly two doubleheaders in 2007. Teams such as the Mets and Yankees, who routinely draw huge crowds, will be allowed to make the doubleheaders the day-night variety to get the benefits of two gates.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/rookie_...el_sherman.htm

[conkermaniac]

http://www.nypost.com/sports/rookie_...el_sherman.htm

If that's true, that's ridiculous. The current season is taxing enough as it is.

[nj-monarch]

A little historical perspective is needed here.... Thurman Munson had a RBI single taken away because of having too much pine tar on his bat against the Twins (I don't recall the year, but I'm sure someone will come to my rescue). If Munson's base hit was negated because of too much pine tar, why not Brett's home run? I'll tell you why... because Lee McPhail was the AL President at the time and he was no friend of George Steinbrenner. But that is all water under the bridge now.....

edit: by the way, it was Nettles that noticed Brett had too much pine tar on his bat earlier in the game.... and yes, they were keeping that info to use if/when it became necessary.

You are correct sir: http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/munsoth01.php

Pine Tar Game #1
"On July 19, 1975, in a game that the Yanks lost 2-1 to the Twins, Munson had an RBI-single nullified in the first inning when it was ruled that the pine tar on his bat exceeded the 18-inch limit. Eight years later, the Yankees would get a measure of revenge when they nabbed George Brett for the same infraction."

If I remember correctly, Mattingly was used at 2B for the resumption of the pine tar game as well (besides Guidry in CF)..... I believe it was Billy Martin's attempt to make a mockery out of the conclusion of the game after AL President McPhail overruled the umpires. Billy always liked to thumb his nose at authority whenever possible.

I think it was more than that...I think the resumption of the game was on August 18, nearly a month later. In between there had been some roster moves due to injuries, etc. for instance, the night before the resumption of the Pine Tar game, rookie shortstop Andre Robertson was seriously injured in a car accident and sadly was never the same afterwards.

In this case, Jerry Mumphrey had been traded in-between the real game and the resumption game. He needed to be replaced in the field, and Guidry was considered to have CF range anyway.

Martin clearly, and rightly in my opinion, wanted to make a mockery of the resumption. If it was a bad rule, then change. MacPhail was wrong to overrule the umpires. It was not a bad interpretation of a good rule. It was the right interpretation of a bad rule. MacPhail should have let the ruling stand but sought a rule change after the season. His reversal was groundless.