Baseball

[El Zen]

CC with a rough start to his Yankees career. No Ks and six runs conceded before leaving the mound at Camden in the fifth with the bases loaded.

Bombers 1 - Orioles 6 top of the sixth

[leviramsey]

Both the red hose and the pale hose were rained out today (so the Orioles sit atop the AL East).

A few interesting articles in Monday's USA Today:

2009 player wages were published (14 of 30 teams will have lower wage bills this year than last)

Fourteen of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball will have a lower opening-day payroll than a year ago, according to USA TODAY's annual salary survey.

Ten of the 14 teams are cutting their 25-man-roster budget by at least $10 million.

"That is an amazing number," Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf says. "This isn't just the baseball economy. But the owners who subsidized losses for their team with their businesses don't have businesses as profitable anymore."

The average salary saw a modest 4% increase, to $3.26 million. But even the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have cut payrolls, based on documents obtained by USA TODAY from the Major League Baseball Players Association, clubs and MLB's central office. The Yankees still lead with a $201.4 million payroll, but despite committing $423.5 million on three new free agents, their payroll is down $8 million. The Red Sox lowered theirs by $12 million to $121.7 million, dropping them behind the Yankees, New York Mets ($149.3 million) and Chicago Cubs ($134.8 million).

The Cubs, whose payroll is the largest in franchise history, are spending $16.5 million more. The Philadelphia Phillies, the 2008 World Series champions, are the only other big-market team to increase their payrolls by more than $3 million.

In contrast, the San Diego Padres slashed their payroll by nearly $20 million. They have baseball's second-lowest payroll at $43.8 million, higher than only the Florida Marlins.

"That's terrible," Padres starter Chris Young says. "We're in the fifth year of a new ballpark, we're a midmarket team and we're next-to-last. You would like to see payrolls reflect the way the game has grown the last five to seven years, not have teams cut back."

Obama is, of course, a White Sox fan

The city of Chicago might lay claim to having one of its own in the White House, but not only is President Obama an unabashed White Sox fan, he also doesn't hide his abhorrence toward the Cubs.

Obama had the Cubs and their fans seething last year before the election when he was asked if he would be rooting for the White Sox or Cubs if he took office.

"Oh, that's easy," Obama said. "White Sox. I'm not one of these fair-weather fans.

"You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer; beautiful people up there. People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball. South Side."

The Cubs, undeterred, have invited Obama to throw out a ceremonial first pitch this year, hoping to amend his way of thinking.

"I have no problem with him being a White Sox fan," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry says, "but if he wanted to wear a Cubs hat on a golf course now and then, would that be so bad?

"My only issue with him, and I'll tell him this, is saying that all we care about is drinking beer and not winning. That may have been the old days. It's sure not now."

Says Cubs center fielder Reed Johnson: "We've got plenty of fans already. He can stay on the South Side. Really, we don't need him to be a traitor to the South Side."

[leviramsey]

Red Sox wage bill, by player (minimum $2m to be listed):

J.D. Drew: $14m

David Ortiz: $13m

Mike Lowell: $12.5m

Josh Beckett: $11.167m

Julio Lugo: $9.25m

Daisuke Matsuzaka: $8.333m

Jason Bay: $7.8m

Jonathan Papelbon: $6.25m

Kevin Youkilis: $6.25m

John Smoltz: $5.5m

Brad Penny: $5m

Jason Varitek: $5m

Tim Wakefield: $4m

Yankees:

Alex Rodriguez: $33m

Derek Jeter: $21.6m

Mark Teixeira: $20.625m

AJ Burnett: $16.5m

CC Sabathia: $15.286m

Mariano Rivera: $15m

Jorge Posada: $13.1m

Johnny Damon: $13m

Hideki Matsui: $13m

Xavier Nady: $6.55m

Robinson Cano: $6m

Andy Pettitte: $5.5m

Nick Swisher: $5.4m

Chien-Ming Wang: $5m

Damaso Marte: $3.75m

Jose Molina: $2.125m

Mets:

Carlos Beltran: $19.244m

Johan Santana: $18.876m

Gary Sheffield: $14m

Carlos Delgado: $12m

Oliver Perez: $12m

Billy Wagner: $10.5m

Francisco Rodriguez: $9.167m

David Wright: $7.75m

Luis Castillo: $6.25m

Jose Reyes: $6.125m

JJ Putz: $6m

Brian Schneider: $4.9m

Ryan Church: $2.8m

Ramon Castro: $2.625m

John Maine: $2.6m

Tim Redding: $2.25m

Mike Pelfrey: $2.238m

Alex Cora: $2m

Braves:

Tim Hudson: $15.5m

Derek Lowe: $15m

Javier Vazquez: $11.5m

Chipper Jones: $10m

Kenshin Kawakami: $8.334m

Rafael Soriano: $6.35m

Brian McCann: $3.7m

Mike Gonzalez: $3.45m

Jeff Francoeur: $3.375m

Casey Kotchman: $2.885m

Kelly Johnson: $2.825m

Garrett Anderson: $2.5m

Cubs:

Carlos Zambrano: $18.75m

Alfonso Soriano: $17m

Aramis Ramirez: $16.65m

Derrek Lee: $13.25m

Ted Lilly: $13m

Kosuke Fukudome: $12.5m

Ryan Dempster: $9m

Milton Bradley: $7m

Rich Harden: $7m

Kevin Gregg: $4.2m

Luis Vizcaino: $3.5m

Reed Johnson: $3m

Aaron Miles: $2.2m

And for comparison, the Marlins:

Hanley Ramirez: $5.5m

Dan Uggla: $5.35m

Jorge Cantu: $3.5m

Andrew Miller: $2.463m

Ricky Nolasco: $2.4m

Jeremy Hermida: $2.25m

Cody Ross: $2.225m

[jamescallum07]

if anyone from the midlands would like to try there hand at baseball then I play for a team in birmingham not far from birmingham airport. we are always looking for more players regarless of whether you played before or not. we got alot of nice guys on the team and you will make lots of friends. send me a message if you would like more info

james

[leviramsey]

Dustin Pedroia can't hit the high inside fastball

Dice-K is getting shelled by the Rays... 4-0 in the top of the 4th

But the Yankees are 0-2! lol

[Gringo]

Angels pitcher dies in car crash

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher Nick Adenhart has been killed in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday.

The 22-year-old was among three people who died after their car was struck by a minivan in Fullerton, California, a few miles from the Angels' stadium.

Adenhart, who made his Major League debut in 2008, had tossed six scoreless innings on Wednesday night, although the Angels lost 6-4 to Oakland.

He was rated as the Angels' number one prospect by Baseball America magazine.

[leviramsey]

The Phillies had a bit of a comeback a couple of days ago:

Because baseball is essentially a Markov chain, it's theoretically easy to model a team's chance of winning in any given situation. As the graph indicates, the chance of a Philadelphia win was essentially zero in the seventh inning before the tide turned.

Phils trail 10-3 before winning 12-11

First, they got their bling. Then, they got their first win.

Four Phillies walked with the bases loaded during an eight-run seventh inning and Philadelphia rallied for a 12-11 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer, helping the defending World Series champions overcome a 10-3 deficit and avoid a three-game sweep on the day they received their shiny, new rings.

"We played 2½ games where we hadn't done much right, but we came back and got them," manager Charlie Manuel said.

Brian McCann and Jordan Schafer hit two-run homers for the Braves, and Javier Vazquez left with a seven-run lead after pitching six effective innings in his first start with his new team.

But the Phillies rallied against Atlanta's bullpen in the seventh. Eric O'Flaherty got one out before Chase Utley singled and Ryan Howard was hit by a pitch. Peter Moylan came in and walked Jayson Werth to load the bases. Ibanez and Pedro Feliz hit consecutive RBI singles to cut it to 10-5.

Then, three straight batters walked to force in runs. Moylan walked pinch-hitter Matt Stairs. Blaine Boyer (0-1) walked pinch-hitter Chris Coste and Jimmy Rollins. Jorge Campillo replaced Boyer and Shane Victorino singled in another run to get the Phillies to 10-9. Campillo then walked in Utley to force home the tying run.

Howard's slow grounder to first base brought in Rollins and gave the Phillies their first lead of the season, 11-10.

"This club, we never feel like we're out of a game," Ibanez said. "We certainly felt we can come back if we put good at-bats together."

Pinch-hitter Eric Bruntlett's sacrifice fly in the eighth provided an important insurance run. Matt Diaz homered off Brad Lidge with one out in the ninth to get the Braves within a run, but Lidge retired the next two batters to end it.

"I've never seen anything like it," Braves manager Bobby Cox said of the bullpen's meltdown. "I've seen a couple walk-ins, but never like that."

Clay Condrey (1-0) struck out the only batter he faced to earn the win. Ryan Madson retired the side in the eighth and Lidge earned his 52nd consecutive save, including seven in the postseason and three dating to 2007 with Houston.

During a lengthy pregame ceremony, the Phillies received their championship rings. They are made of 14-karat white gold featuring 103 diamonds totaling 3.84 carats.

Watching the festivities seemed to inspire the Braves. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first for the third straight game and kept piling on.

Chipper Jones and Garret Anderson were late scratches, forcing Cox to juggle his batting order twice. Jones has a bruised left thumb and Anderson tweaked his right calf.

Joe Blanton got roughed up by Atlanta's makeshift lineup. He gave up seven runs and nine hits in three innings, but avoided losing for the first time since joining the Phillies last July 17. Blanton was 4-0 in 13 starts after Philadelphia got him in a trade with Oakland. He was 1-0 in two postseason starts.

McCann's two-out shot to right gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead. McCann also hit a two-run homer in the first off Brett Myers on opening night. Ibanez hit Philadelphia's first homer, connecting in the second to tie it at 2.

Atlanta broke it open with five runs in the third. McCann had an RBI single and Jeff Francoeur drove in two runs with a single. Matt Diaz hit a two-run double to left for a 7-2 lead.

The Phillies' bullpen was perfect in the first two games, retiring 21 straight batters. J.A. Happ walked the second batter he faced in relief of Blanton and Schafer followed with a two-run shot that made it 9-3. Chad Durbin walked in Atlanta's 10th run in the seventh.

The Phillies spent the past few days celebrating the franchise's second World Series title. They raised the championship banner on Sunday night and capped the party with the ring presentation before this game.

"It was nice to celebrate with the fans, but we had to get the first win," Victorino said.

Led by a motorcycle police escort, the rings arrived in a white van that circled around the warning track. Former general manager Pat Gillick, who retired after last season, was the first to receive his ring. An emotional Gillick cried after team president David Montgomery handed him his ring.

Manuel came next, and he was greeted by chants of "Charlie! Charlie" by the sellout crowd of 44,939 at Citizens Bank Park.

Former Phillies Pat Burrell, Geoff Jenkins and Adam Eaton took part in the ceremony. Burrell got a rousing ovation before heading off to Boston to play a night game for Tampa Bay. Eaton, who was left off the postseason roster, was booed.

[BOF]

RIP Adenhart

[RunRickyRun]

Eaton, who was left off the postseason roster, was booed.

It just wouldn't be Philadelphia without booing - even in celebration

[dont_do_it_doug.]

RIP Adenhart

Horrible news. RIP.

Great pitcher as well, tons and tons of potential.

[leviramsey]

[El Zen]

I was very sad to hear the news about Adenhart. Tragic stuff

Yankees 3-3 after seriers in Baltimore and Kansas City. Glad to see CC pitching well vs he Royals after a poor start at the Orioles. We would've been 4-2 too, hadn't the bullpen choked last night in the eigth.

[leviramsey]

Red Sox are at the bottom of the AL East at 2-6 (2 games behind the Yankees and Rays; 4 and 3.5 behind Baltimore and Toronto, respectively).

Power rankings

1. Cubs - Whoever had "April 12" and "groin" in the Milton Bradley injury pool, please claim your winnings at my desk. ... I don't understand why, against right-handed pitchers, the Cubs would ever bat Mike Fontenot behind Kosuke Fukudome or Ryan Theriot. Fontenot gets on base more often and slugs with great and relentless ferocity. It would stand to reason that a team wants its stronger hitters to receive more plate appearances than its lesser ones. ... Was Rich Harden just messing around during spring training? Because he was a different guy in his first regular-season start than he was in March, when his fastball was a gentle embrace on a sweet spring morning..

3. Braves - All the Jordan Schafer excitement -- OMG BASEBALL FINALLY HAS ITS OWN BACKSTREET BOY!!!! -- has helped deflect attention away from the shaky, malnourished 'pen. With competent relief work, they would have swept Philly in the season-opening series and be heading into the series against the Marlins undefeated. ... Say what you want about Jeff Francoeur's first-week power surge. The single walk in 26 plate appearances suggests he still doesn't get it. ... The rotation is as solid as a ... is "rock" the only acceptable way to complete that simile? Can't something/someone be as solid as a brick? A tree? A house?

10. Yankees - Chien-Ming What The Hell. ... Nick Swisher kills me. During his save-the-'pen stint on the mound on Monday, he repeatedly shook off his catcher (who wasn't giving any signs) and rolled the ball into the dugout following his first major-league strikeout. ... This week's breathless Return of A-Rod report: he did some light running Monday. I repeat: the running was "light" ... As witnessed by the videos of him jumping onto a third-floor balcony from the backyard below, we know that Cody Ransom is a wonderful athlete. As witnessed by his at-bats, we know that Cody Ransom is a less-than-wonderful baseball player. Some folks got it, some don't. There's no sin in sucking.

11. Mets - Seven errors in the season's first seven games? Isn't it the team across town that is supposed to have a chronic case of the bungles? And this is before the Mets unleash the defensive whirligig that is Gary Sheffield on an unwitting outfield. ... Oliver Perez's mechanics are fouled up to the extent that, with every pitch, he appears to be attempting to start a new dance craze. It mixes The Watusi's gentle noggin-bobbing with the rhythmic vigor of The Robot.

12. Red Sox - 24 runs in seven games, three against a team with several of its top starters disabled, says a little something about this offense. For all the talk about the creaky Yankees lineup, the Sox are trotting out a similarly in-decline gaggle every day (J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, even David Ortiz). ... Speaking of Big Papi, he looked positively ursine while attempting to swipe a base the other day. ... 39 pitches for Jonathan "Happy Face" Papelbon in an early-season outing? Interesting decision.

13. White Sox - Maybe Dewayne Wise's separated shoulder has blessing-in-disguise potential. After all, it gives Brian Anderson his 24th chance to prove that he can hit like a big boy. ... The back-to-back homers hit by Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye on Monday represented each player's 300th career round-tripper. Eerie! ... If the pitchers don't cut back on the number of walks they issue, Ozzie Guillen is totally gonna curse a lot in Spanish.

30. Astros - For purposes of the 2009 Power Rankings, all games played against the Astros will be stricken from the record. Beating the Astros is like beating a bunch of gloveless nuns and should be weighted as such. ... They should start the inevitable rebuilding process yesterday. Jose Valverde could fetch a few mid-level prospects from a contender lacking bullpen depth and Roy Oswalt, who will be in decline by the time the 'Stros have restocked the pantry, would be coveted by at least 10 teams.

[leviramsey]

In baseball, the voices of the commentators become entwined with the teams they work for. So, needless to say, losing Harry Kalas is a big thing in Philadelphia:

Autopsy results show that longtime Phillies' TV and radio broadcaster Harry Kalas died from heart disease.

A spokeswoman at the Washington D.C. chief medical examiner's office said Kalas, who died Monday, had high blood pressure and suffered from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The disease, in which plaque buildup restricts blood flow in arteries, is a major cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Known for his signature "Outta here!" home run calls, Kalas died after collapsing in the broadcast booth before the Phillies' 9-8 victory over the Washington Nationals. He was 73.

Kalas is survived by his wife and three sons, including one -- Todd -- who is a broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Rays. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Harry Kalas fans will have a chance to pay their respects to the legendary Phillies broadcaster.

The Phillies and Kalas family announced that a public memorial for Kalas will be held Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. Fans will be welcome from 8 a.m. until 12:45 p.m., when all fans in attendance will be directed to their seats for an on-field tribute at 1 p.m. before a game against the San Diego Padres.

The Phillies host the San Diego Padres at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday.

Known for his signature "Outta here!" home run calls, Kalas died Monday after collapsing in the broadcast booth before the Phillies' 9-8 victory over the Washington Nationals. He was 73.

Beverly Fields, a spokeswoman at the Washington D.C. chief medical examiner's office, said Tuesday that an autopsy showed Kalas had atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The disease, in which plaque buildup restricts blood flow in arteries, is a major cause of heart attacks and strokes.

The Phillies will wear a black, circular "HK" patch this season on the front of their jerseys, near the heart, the team announced.

The team also urged fans coming to Friday night's Phillies-Padres game to arrive early for a pre-game tribute to Kalas.

Kalas is survived by his wife and three sons, including one -- Todd -- who is a broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Rays.

A private funeral service and burial is planned for next week.

Tribute to Harry Kalas from Comcast Sports Net

RIP

[usvilla]

he was my favourite commentator RIP

shame about the yankees & red sox start eh

[RunRickyRun]

RIP Harry Kalas

Many people in the UK would identify his voice from the NFL review films.

[El Zen]

The Bombers go into their first game at the new Yankee Stadium 5-4 after winning their series in Tampa. AJ has had a good start to his career in pinstripes and how about that Nick Swisher? Not only is he batting really well but the outfielder/first baseman pitched an inning of relief in our one defeat in Tampa with an ERA of 0.00

Be interesting to follow CC in his home debut tomorrow.

[leviramsey]

Tim Wakefield pitches seven and a third innings of no-hit baseball as Red Sox win 8-2 (and Wake goes on to pitch a complete game)... but the Red Sox are still in the AL East cellar (and second from bottom in the Wild Card race... )

Meanwhile Matsuzaka got placed on the disabled list... I heard one of my coworkers whining that the Red Sox should sue Japan for overusing him in the World Baseball Classic... sound familiar?

And for DDID: Smoltz starts rehab

[leviramsey]

The physics of the knuckleball are fascinating

"You don't catch a knuckleball, you defend against it" -- Joe Torre (who was a catcher in his playing days)

"Trying to hit against [noted knuckleballer] Phil Niekro is like trying to eat Jell-O with chopsticks" -- Bobby Murcer

"I never worry about [the knuckleball]. I just take three swings and go sit on the bench. I'm afraid if I even think about hitting it, I'll mess up my swing for life" -- Dick Allen

"There are two theories on how to hit a knuckleball. Unfortunately neither of them works." -- Charlie Lau

"For a knuckleballer, a pitch count of 150 is not a problem. Unless it's the first inning." -- Dave Clark

"Like some cult that barely survives, there has always been at least one but rarely more than five or six devotees [at this point, there are only three knuckleballers in the major leagues --LR] throwing the knuckleball in the big leagues.... Not only can't pitchers control it, hitters can't hit it, catchers can't catch it, coaches can't coach it, and most pitchers can't learn it. The perfect pitch." -- Ron Luciano

"Knuckleballs suck." -- catcher Geno Petralli, who holds the record for passed balls in one inning (4) thanks to the knuckleball

The very fact that baseball has a particular technique that, as Luciano says, no one knows how any particular application of that technique will work (if the knuckleball isn't knuckling properly, it's basically just a 65 mph fastball: a pitch that any major leaguer worth the league minimum salary will hit several hundred feet), but that most players cannot handle in any way shape or form is part of what makes baseball a great sport.

I'd really like to see Wake pass Cy Young and Roger Clemens for the all-time lead in wins as a Red Sox pitcher...

[jtm2y]

I do feel for the Phils fans.. we lost Skip Caray in the offseason and then Pete retired. luckily we still have chip caray, joe simpson and don sutton came back.

anyway, mostly AL East fans on here i suppose?