Results tagged ‘ Major League Baseball ’
Trade Winds
The Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies came out as the big winners getting catcher Victor Martinez and pitcher Cliff Lee respectively. The Yankees only traded for Jerry Hairston Jr., for versatility while the Mets stood idle and didn’t make any moves. One would think after the Mets train-wrecked press conference that they would make some trades to put the team back in contention? Highly talked about Jarrod Washburn went to the Detroit Tigers, while the Jays most prized possession, Roy Halladay, didn’t go anywhere. A lot of baseball executives said Halladay’s asking price was too high. Until then, see ya at the park!
Dugout Notes & Quotes
The series of all series is this weekend with the Yankees taking on the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Interesting story in Long Island Newsday that Joe Girardi is fighting to keep his job, while Terry Francona doesn’t have to worry about his job. On my radio show Baseball Talk I stated that Girardi has until the middle of the season and then he’s out. I stand by my statement.
WBC: November is Better
WBC Ratings
With the World Baseball Classic over and Japan the winners again for a second time, the viewer ratings came out. 1.3 average rating for the WBC on ESPN up to the semifinals. A 37.8 rating in Japan for their first-round games. Interesting.
November is Better
One thing that must be pointed, and as I said in the past, November is much better for the World Baseball Classic. I wrote about this back in January and again, with the platform of MLBLogs, reiterate that the timing of this was not good. My mind was put to rest when Chipper Jones told Long Island Newsday that the “Classic should be moved to the fall.” His main concern, as is mine, is that the players are in “game-shape” and “injuries will probably be minimal.“
All I ask is that the Classic is kept alive and going, but just move it to November after the World Series.
It will be a homerun for everyone.
Until then, see ya at the park!
WBC ’06 Leaders
The World Baseball Classic will make its second appearance showcasing the best international talent in baseball. It seems like yesterday that the 2006 World Baseball Classic was played. 2006 had many talented players who set the standard for the WBC.
Here’s a look at some statistics from the ’06 WBC.
Batting Average
- Japan .311
- USA .289
- Puerto Rico. 286
- Cuba .283
Earned Run Average
- Korea 2.00
- Puerto Rico 2.08
- Japan 2.49
- Dominican Republic 2.57
2009 Teams to Watch
- United States
- Japan
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
You can also listen to my MLB Radio interview I did back on May 5, 2006 on the World Baseball Classic and about baseball in general at this link .
Until then, see ya at the World Baseball Classic.
Around the League & Antarctica
Finally,
the weather seems to be getting nicer, the sun is shining and Spring
Training is in full swing. This is what baseball fans wait for each
season, the start of summer. All the hoopla surrounding A-Rod, should fade away if he just tells the truth. But, who knows what A-Rod has up his sleeve? Do you believe A-Rod?
Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady
are in a financial pinch, after seeing their assets frozen by
investigators who are investigating the Robert Allen Stanford Company.
Anybody have a few bucks to offer?
Tom Glavine signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Atlanta Braves on Friday. Looking on the West Coast, second-baseman Orlando Hudson signed a $3.4 million, one-year contract with the Dodgers. He’s expected to fill the void Jeff Kent left announcing his retirement this past winter. Also, David Ortiz is still complaining about soreness in his left shoulder and sat out of the Red Sox workout session.
For all you Mets fans, take a look at Flushing9.com, brought to you by scribe John Strubel. Similar to what the Sporting News offers, Strubel has a Mets digital magazine. Interesting stuff.
The Coolest Race
All interested runners, take a look at John Hanc’s new book: “The Coolest Race on Earth: Mud, Madmen, Glaciers and Grannies at the Antarctica Marathon.” I’ve
known John for the last 20-years from the New York Institute of
Technology and writing. A great scribe, who authored seven previous
books, John’s byline can be seen in Newsday, The New York Times, Runner’s World, etc. By the way, he did complete 24 marathons.
Until then, see ya in Antarctica!
WBC ’09 Venues
On March 5, the World Baseball Classic is back with much of the fanfare it had in 2006. International teams will be playing on the International level to be bestowed the best team in the World. The WBC will take our minds off of the negative news that has been surrounding the game within the last couple of weeks.
Here’s a look at the venues and bracket breakdowns:
Round 1 Venues
Pool A Tokyo Dome
Pool B Mexico City
Pool C Toronto
Pool D San Juan
Round 2 Venues
Pool 1: San Diego
Pool 2: Miami
Finals Venue
Los Angeles
WBC Games Schedule (March 5th & 6th)
March 5th
Game 1, 4:30 AM (EST)
CHN vs. JAPAN
March 6th
Game 2, 4:30 AM (EST)
TPE vs. KOR
Game 3, 10:30 PM (EST)
Losers of Game 1 & 2
Loser is eliminated.
I’ll have continued updates on the World Baseball Classic throughout the tournament. Until then, see ya at the World Baseball Classic.
Joe Boesch
Recent Comments