ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Purchased the contract of C Rod Barajas from El Paso (Double-A); placed LHP Bryan Shouse on the 60-day DL. [9/18] Claimed LHP Jeff Kubenka off of waivers from the Dodgers. [9/20] It’s a bit surprising that the Snakes didn’t have a third catcher up sooner. Greg Colbrunn really isn’t much more than an…
September Showdown Six games, ten days, two cities. Three inner-circle Hall of Famers. A division title hanging in the balance. OK, the safety net of the wild card takes away some of the drama, but these are still some of the biggest regular-season series we’ve seen in some time. The New York Mets and Atlanta…
HERE WE GO AGAIN "I was getting a bit anxious up there, a little out of control, swinging at everything because everybody was waiting for this moment." —Sammy Sosa, Cubs outfielder, after belting #60 "What I’ve done so far isn’t too shabby, but it really doesn’t mean much when your team’s not in the race."…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Activated LHP Mike Holtz from the DL. [9/10] As is the theme for the Halos, this has been a wasted year for Holtz. He entered the year with a golden opportunity to clinch a spot as a situational lefty, and he hasn’t done it. He could still be useful to somebody. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS…
Okay, so the Indians have clinched the division title, and nobody was surprised by this since it was a foregone conclusion that they’d win it this year since, what, 1997? The question is we need to keep in mind is whether or not the other teams in the AL Central have spent their time wisely–in…
The Yankees’ other fat toad As the Yankees coast to their third division title in four years, Joe Torre and company must begin to examine candidates for the probable playoff roster, including choosing his postseason rotation. The subject hasn’t received much press, but Torre should consider leaving Roger Clemens out of that rotation entirely. Clemens…
UMPIRES “The resignations will stand and the new umpires are permanent employees. We are proud to have them on board.” — Bud Selig, MLB commissioner “I have no idea what I’m going to do now. There aren’t a lot of opportunities out there for a 48-year old ex-major league umpire that I know of.” —…
Slithering Along The NL West has become a tale of two teams, and including the Giants at this point is admittedly something of a stretch. At the All-Star break, the BP staff posted its collective choices for the best in the majors, and also analyzed the divisional races and tried to anticipate the rest of…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Activated RHP Ken Hill from the DL; recalled RHP Mike Fyhrie from Edmonton; purchased the contract of LHP Juan Alvarez from Edmonton. [9/1] Announced the resignation of manager Terry Collins; named Joe Maddon interim manager; activated OF Matt Luke from the DL; released RHP Mike James. [9/3] Recalled RHP Brian Cooper from Edmonton….
A Bad Trend in Philadelphia In late May, there were several stories in the national media about Curt Schilling‘s desire to pitch complete games, and how he was only the third pitcher in the 1990s to throw five straight complete games. Notably absent from those stories was any discussion of the wisdom of Schilling’s workload….
Anaheim Angels Last Friday’s "mutually agreed upon resignation" of Terry Collins certainly won’t be the final act in the calamitous drama unfolding thirty minutes southeast of Hollywood. General Manager Bill Bavasi and President Tony Tavares will also likely be exiting stage right after the season. Even the parent Disney Corporation is seeking to bail out,…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Released OF Reggie Williams outright. [8/31] There are some teams for which Williams would be perfect, as a right-handed-hitting outfielder with a broad, if not deep, set of skills. For a few months, the Angels were even that team, but with everyone getting healthy, there’s not even enough playing time for Todd Greene,…
BEN CHRISTENSEN BRAVO!! Thank you for having the guts not to soft-peddle the behavior of this lout. If he wasn’t an athlete, he’d be in prison right now… which is exactly where he belongs. Yet another case of preferential treatment for an athlete who might be able to make someone else a few bucks. A…
YOUNG PITCHERS… “I think I’m just happy to get that first one out of the way. I just want to come in and help the team win as much as I can.” — Rick Ankiel, Cardinals pitcher, on his ML debut “I can’t worry about whether I’m going to be here next time or the…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed LHP Mike Holtz on the 15-day DL (strained hamstring). [8/25] It’s been a bad year for Holtz all season long, so this is merely the latest piece of bad news for him. Check in next year. BALTIMORE ORIOLES Acquired RHP Juan Aracena and a PTBNL from the Indians for DH Harold Baines;…
ATLANTA BRAVES Placed RHP Rudy Seanez on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 8/21 (stress fracture/elbow); recalled RHP Dave Cortes from Richmond. [8/23] Losing Seanez is an extremely hard blow to the Braves at this late date, especially since he may not return. While his infamous back isn’t the source of his troubles this time, "Traction…