Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

[SoCal Pinstriper]

He also has some more obscure, random baseball stats. For instance, he is the only player to hit at least 20 home runs for 6 different teams. He will probably do that with the Royals, too, and make that 7 different teams .

Nice!

[SoCal Pinstriper]

Pirates suckatude by the numbers.

They are 5-18, matching their worst start since 1957. They have lost seven consecutive games. They started the season with six consecutive losses.
The starting pitching staff's ERA is 6.51. Only one of their starters owns an ERA under 5.00 (Zach Duke's 4.50).
They have scored just 94 runs over 23 games for a per-game average of 4.09. However, since first baseman Sean Casey was lost for two months with two fractured bones in his lower back on April 14, the Pirates have scored only 30 runs in 11 games -- or 2.73 runs per contest.

Their best player, outfielder Jason Bay, has seen his batting average drop from .341 before Casey's injury to .267 following it. The Pirates two big offseason free-agent signings -- right fielder Jeromy Burnitz ($6 million) and third baseman Joe Randa ($4 million) -- are batting .217 and .222, respectively

Year	Team	Record (through 23 games)	Final mark
2006	Pirates	5-18 (.217)	TBD
1962	Mets	6-17 (.353)	40-120

The Pirates are on pace to win just 35 games this season. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_448312.html

[AustinTXHorn]

Mench hits #7 in seven games but lose anyway due to Cordero.

Longest HR streak for a right handed hitter in baseball history.

[Bob Saccomano]

Mench hits #7 in seven games but lose anyway due to Cordero.

Longest HR streak for a right handed hitter in baseball history.

Wait, what happened to using Otsuka?

[AustinTXHorn]

Wait, what happened to using Otsuka?

It wasn't a save situation. They brought on Cordero in the 8th down one run (because he's the guy we need to be bringing in when we need a shutdown inning. ) and he gave up a run. We got one in the top of the 9th off of Wickman but it wasn't enough.

Bullpen (Cordero) is blowing games left and right, and that should never happen when the trio of Benoit, Alfonseca, and Otsuka are pitching as well as they are.

[Bob Saccomano]

It wasn't a save situation. They brought on Cordero in the 8th down one run (because he's the guy we need to be bringing in when we need a shutdown inning. ) and he gave up a run. We got one in the top of the 9th off of Wickman but it wasn't enough.

Bullpen (Cordero) is blowing games left and right, and that should never happen when the trio of Benoit, Alfonseca, and Otsuka are pitching as well as they are.

Oh, sorry, I hadn't followed the score in that game closely enough. However, I agree with you - Cordero is about the last guy I want to see on the mound right now in a close game.

[SoCal Pinstriper]

ANAHEIM - As of now, the Angels are not going to call Bartolo Colon's slow recovery a setback, but he certainly has not been quick to heal from a sore shoulder.

Colon is scheduled to come off the disabled list Sunday but has barely played a light game of catch in the outfield and is nowhere near being able to throw from a mound.

"Progress has been a little slow but that's not unusual," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

"I would say it's progressing at its own pace and we're going to keep it there. You can't increase the pace of this thing. You just have to be diligent. He has to be diligent in his exercises, which he is, and the treatment.

"As he sees improvement he'll get back out there and be able to throw the ball the way he can. It's just going to take as much time as it's going to take."

Can it take a month or two before he returns?

"There has been no definitive timeline other than to guage the progress and see how his throwing program gets and when he can get back on the mound," Scioscia said.

"But hopefully it's going to be on the short-term side than anything with a lot of length."

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_3765258

[Bob Saccomano]

I hope Colon is back next time the Yankees play the Angels. He's the one pitcher on the Angels that they can consistently hammer. Well, maybe Jeff Weaver, too .

[SoCal Pinstriper]

The Angels have asked the commissioner's office to investigate the circumstances behind an umpire's alleged claim that the team has a "well-documented" problem with A.J. Pierzynski, Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman said Sunday.

In the absence of proof, Stoneman said, "We don't need people making things up."

After the Chicago White Sox catcher was hit on the leg by the Angels' Kelvim Escobar on Saturday, plate umpire Paul Nauert issued a warning to both teams. When the Angels protested, Scioscia said Nauert told him the umpires had "well-documented" information about "the problems with Pierzynski and your team."

Escobar and Pierzynski were involved in two controversial plays in last year's American League championship series. Scioscia said there were no lingering animosities, and Escobar said he was not throwing at Pierzynski.

Chicago Manager Ozzie Guillen, who lashed out at Escobar after Saturday's game, said Sunday he had no interest in discussing the situation with the pitcher.

"I've known Kelvim since he was a kid," Guillen said of his Venezuelan countryman. "It's up to his conscience whether he did it on purpose or not. You can say one thing and, all of a sudden, you believe in what you say or did.

"I believe what he did was wrong, and he should know he was wrong and move on."

Said Escobar: "If he wants to talk to me, fine. If he doesn't want to talk to me, what can I do? … He's 100% sure I did it on purpose because of all the controversy last year. He has to support his players. I'm good with that."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printe...ines-pe-sports

[SoCal Pinstriper]

AGENT WOES: The agent for Braves catching prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia has lodged a complaint with the Major League Players Association accusing agent Scott Boras' group of trying to steal his client. Boras has denied the accusation, which was first reported by ESPN.com. Jim Munsey claims that representatives from Boras' agency continued to pursue Saltalamacchia even after the player repeatedly made it clear he didn't want to switch agents. Saltalamacchia, rated the Braves' top prospect, is hitting .241 with three homers and 13 RBIs for Mississippi.

http://www.ajc.com/today/content/epa...5302810c1.html

[SoCal Pinstriper]

MIAMI GARDENS · Miguel Cabrera was regarded as a Gold Glove-caliber infielder before transitioning to the outfield three seasons ago. Back at third base now, he is having a difficult time maintaining that reputation.

Sunday, Cabrera made his second error in as many games and sixth this season, matching Mike Lowell's total at third from all of 2005. In the second inning, Cabrera's errant throw on a Garrett Atkins' routine grounder pulled Mike Jacobs off the bag.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/b...sports-marlins

[SoCal Pinstriper]

Rays attendance up, Yanks comming to town.

The Rays have had 197,165 fans attend the first 10 games at Tropicana Field this season, a 66.7 percent increase from the 118,261 at the first 10 home games of 2005. … Today's game is the first "Diamond Days with the Rays" promotion, with $1 hot dogs and Pepsi at Fan Favorite concession stands.

http://www.tbo.com/sports/rays/MGBL1Q35OME.html

[SoCal Pinstriper]

Technically, this only has three of the four qualifications to be in this thread. It is interesting (when is looking at baseball cards not interesting), it is related to baseball, and it definitely doesn't need its own thread. It is not, however, a news item.

A year by year comparison of Big Mac and Bonds roid use based on their old baseball cards.
http://armchairgm.com/mwiki/index.ph...t_Up_Better%3F

[IMissBillyM]

ESPN hangs onto Peter Gammons apron like there were no tomorrow..Whatever that weasel says goes. The whole network is a bunch of Red Sox rooters..Its literally obnoxious to watch sports center anymore..

[hardrain]

Mark Bellhorn batting cleanup for SD tonight... WTF

[DrNick]

Micheal Smith of ESPN says RJ has been horrible this year and is clearly not the RJ of Arizona..but hey on the upside he did say that atleast the Yanks have a..and I quote " a servicable starter" in Mussina..umm yeah

[SoCal Pinstriper]

ESPN hangs onto Peter Gammons apron like there were no tomorrow..Whatever that weasel says goes. The whole network is a bunch of Red Sox rooters..Its literally obnoxious to watch sports center anymore..

was that supposed to go here?
http://forums.nyyfans.com/showthread.php?t=94784

[pedromartinezfan]

I don't have news to add yet, but this is a very good, and needed, thread, Social Pinstriper.

[buckyjacobson]

I would have made this a new thread out of respect but I don't think I'm allowed to yet.

Former Mariners and Giants pitcher Russ Swan died at 42 after a fall.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...25_swan02.html

http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/swanru01.shtml

RIP

[SoCal Pinstriper]

I don't have news to add yet, but this is a very good, and needed, thread, Social Pinstriper.

Thanks. There are a lot of interesting/funny/semi-noteworthy things that go on in the game that do not deserve a thread but, at least to me, add to my enjoyment of baseball.

Ringleader Adrian Beltre, whose father-in-law in California took the day off as part of the national boycott by immigration activists, got Seattle's foreign-born Latin players together to tell Hargrove they felt honor-bound to honor the boycott, too.
Eddie Guardado, American-born but whose father was born in Mexico, acted as the spokesman for the group, which included Yuniesky Betancourt (Cuba), Beltre (Dominican Republic), Jose Lopez (Venezuela), Rafael Soriano (Dominican Republic), Roberto Petagine (Venezuela) and Julio Mateo (Dominican Republic).
The group asked Hargrove for a moment to talk in his office. Hargrove ushered them in, and Guardado broke the news that the group wasn't going to be able to play.
"Three times he asked, 'Are you serious?' " Beltre said. "He really bought it."
Guardado, usually the best of the Mariners at holding a joke in, was the one who gave it away finally. When Hargrove finally realized he'd been had, a huge roar of laughter came from his office, and the players were beside themselves with a case of the giggles.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseba...40_mbok02.html
Goo to know that all the sucking isn't standing in the way of the Mariners having a good laugh.

[SoCal Pinstriper]

The Padres deemed catcher Ramon Hernandez too expensive last April. Since the offseason began, they have acquired five catchers: Mirabelli, Pete LaForest, Mike Piazza, Rob Bowen and Bard. Padres pitchers praise Piazza's team ethic, but longtime Piazza observers have been pained by his decline.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...2padnotes.html

The Pads have saved some cash, but at what expense?
The catching merry-go-round is detailed above.

[SoCal Pinstriper]

Jim Tracy is not happy with Oliver Perez.

"I did not see Oliver pitch," Tracy said. "I saw Oliver just throwing the baseball into infinity. There didn't seem to be a plan -- just throwing the ball and relying on stuff.

"Well, if you're throwing the ball and relying on stuff and you can't throw the ball where you want to and you're falling behind on the count, then you're digging quite a hole for yourself.

"And that's what I witnessed [Sunday]. You can't survive pitching behind in the count. You can't do it. You don't get away with that. And I've witnessed it more than once. I saw a good start on opening day [April 3] and I haven't seen a good outing since. I haven't seen a consistent outing since."

Not that Perez is any danger of leaving the rotation.

"I don't really think he'll get better from the sidelines," Tracy said. "But I think we're getting to the point where you'd certainly like to think we'll sit here and see some improvement."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06122/686717-63.stm

[Bob Saccomano]

Jim Tracy is not happy with Oliver Perez.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06122/686717-63.stm

I think Oliver will always remain the strikeout pitcher who can only be called an "ace" on the Pirates' staff.

[SoCal Pinstriper]

How can this possibly have taken so long.

Almost a year after the Twins' Juan Rincon was suspended for violating baseball's steroids policy, an arbitrator denied the pitcher's appeal.
Rincon, who long ago grew tired of waiting for the ruling, isn't surprised.
"I moved on a long time ago," Rincon said on Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of the announcement of his 10-day suspension. "It doesn't matter. I knew it was going to be tough to beat them and prove my innocence, just because it was my word against theirs."

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pionee...s/14485871.htm

[SoCal Pinstriper]

In the pink: A handful of Rangers hitters will swing pink bats on Mother's Day (May 14) as part of a Louisville Slugger promotion to raise money for breast cancer research. Players including Mark Teixeira, whose mother is a breast cancer survivor, Michael Young and Hank Blalock have agreed to use the bats in the game at Boston.

The players also will autograph the bats, which will be auctioned.

"If I go deep, I'm not giving it up," Young joked. "I'll just spray paint it black."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...e.2b8a628.html