Fastball Fans

Topics discussed…

* Johan Santana to the Mets
* Erik Bedard
* Mitchell Report Depos coming up
* Hot Stove Roundup

Well, someone is not happy about the new directive about the background of umpires being checked — fabled civil rights activist, Jesse Jackson.

Jesse Jackson criticized Major League Baseball on Thursday for sending investigators to the hometowns of umpires to ask neighbors questions that include whether the ump belongs to the Ku Klux Klan.

“Major League Baseball has done a disservice to its progressive social history by equating southern whites with white supremacists,” Jackson said in a statement. “I am surprised the professional league which helped change social attitudes in all sports leagues about segregation, by championing Jackie Robinson, would make such a destructive move.”

World Umpires Association president John Hirschbeck and union spokesman Lamell McMorris said Wednesday that Tom Christopher, the Milwaukee-based supervisor of security and investigations in the commissioner’s office, had asked questions about Klan membership to neighbors of umpires Greg Gibson and Sam Holbrook, who reside in Kentucky. In addition, Hirschbeck said similar questions had been asked to neighbors of umpire Ron Kulpa, who lives in suburban St. Louis.

“In a year with the injustice of Jena Six, nooses hung around the country and the Tiger Woods-Golfweek scandal, Major League Baseball’s false impersonations of friendships and ill-contrived questions further press sensitive racial stereotypes, with no basis for suspicion,” Jackson said. “They have essentially defamed their people in their own neighborhoods.”

Baseball stepped up background checks last August, after it became public that the FBI was investigating NBA referee Tim Donaghy for betting on games. Donaghy pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce, and he awaits sentencing.

I do think the questioning does go a little far; however, every job/corporations has their own conditions for their employees to work under.

Apparently, none of them have ever had to go through getting a government security clearance.

* Free-agent outfielder Luis Gonzalez and the Florida Marlins reached a preliminary agreement on a $2 million, one-year contract.

* Free-agent third baseman Pedro Feliz and the Philadelphia Phillies finalized an $8.5 million, two-year contract Thursday.

* Johnny Estrada and the Nationals agreed to a $1.25 million, one-year contract Thursday, giving Washington an experienced catcher to back up Paul Lo Duca, who is recovering from knee surgery.

* Brad Wilkerson and the Mariners agreed Thursday to a $3 million, one-year contract.

* The Florida Marlins on Thursday signed infielder Dallas McPherson to a one-year contract.

* Free agent reliever Jorge Julio agreed Thursday to a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians and was invited to spring training.

* Right-hander Matt Belisle agreed to a one-year, $1.25 million contract Thursday

Well, Roger Clemens may be up the creek according to a New York Times report. It seems that Andy Pettitte will provide the first account of conversations with Brian McNamee about Roger Clemens’s alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs in earlier years.

Andy Pettitte will soon give a sworn deposition to staff members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and lawyers for his former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, say they believe they know part of what he will say. Pettitte and McNamee talked in 2001 and 2002 about Roger Clemens’ use of steroids and human growth hormone, McNamee’s lawyers, Earl Ward and Richard Emery, said Tuesday. As a result, Ward and Emery said they believed that Pettitte, who has acknowledged receiving H.G.H. from McNamee in 2002, will provide the first account of contemporaneous conversations with McNamee about Clemens’ use of performance-enhancing drugs in earlier years.

This is just in…

From ESPN: The Mets have agreed to a trade with the Minnesota Twins to acquire Johan Santana for four prospects, pending the left-hander passing a physical and working out an extension with New York.

The Mets have been granted a 48- to 72-hour window to work out a new contract with Santana.

If New York can work out a contract agreement with Minnesota, the Mets will send outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey to the Twins.

The trade agreement was first reported by USA Today on its Web site.

“Right now, the Twins have no comment,” the Twins’ head of communications, Mike Herman, told 1050 ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand. Mets vice president of media relations Jay Horwitz also had no comment.

Santana, who completely controls his fate because of the full no-trade clause he possesses, asked the Twins to make a decision, which is why Minnesota imposed a Tuesday deadline for offers from the interested teams.

Link: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1155834752/bclid1184431878/bctid1390861418

What would we do without TMZ?

Brandon Inge is pissed because of this guy…

Read what Inge says:

Inge asked the Tigers to trade him after they made the deal at the winter meetings nearly two months ago, but Detroit hasn’t accommodated him.

“They’re still trying to trade me, but I need to get ready for the possibility that I’m going to spring training with the Tigers,” Inge said Monday, speaking for the first time since the trade. “People have said or written, ‘Take your $6 million and be happy sitting on the bench.’ But money doesn’t make me happy — playing baseball does.”

Inge agreed to a $24 million, four-year contract last winter. After talking to team president Dave Dombrowski on Monday, Inge said he is ready to move on and begrudgingly accept his role as a utility player.

“The only reason I’m bitter, mad and frustrated is that I’m probably not going to play as much as I have in the past,” he said.

Inge played 469 games at third base the past three seasons. The 30-year-old Inge plans to work out with Detroit’s pitchers and catchers beginning Feb. 15 in Lakeland, Fla., where he will get reacquainted with catching, a position he played for 104 games during the 2003 season.

It sucks, but Detroit had to do what they had to do…

Well, according to the Boston Globe, Roger Clemens’ agent released an 18,000-word statistical report Monday to rebut allegations the pitcher’s career rebounded about the time he was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs.

Are you serious?

I really don’t know what to think anymore with this whole steroid debate — especially, with this guy.

“Clemens’ longevity was due to his ability to adjust his style of pitching as he got older, incorporating his very effective split-finger fastball to offset the decrease in the speed of his regular fastball caused by aging,” said the report, created by Randy Hendricks and two associates at his firm.

Clemens’ former trainer, Brian McNamee, claimed in last month’s Mitchell Report on doping in Major League baseball that he injected the pitcher with steroids and human growth hormone at least 16 times in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Clemens vehemently denies the allegations, and Clemens and McNamee are among five witnesses scheduled to testify before a U.S. Congress committee on Feb. 13. Clemens also has sued McNamee for defamation.

Hendricks’ report includes 38 charts, one of which shows Clemens’ ERA was lower than the league average in all but two of his 23 major league seasons. The report also compares variations in Clemens’ career with those of Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling and Nolan Ryan, and maintains slumps often can be correlated with injuries.

“Of the six years that feature Clemens’ best ERA margins, two occurred in Boston, after he had been in the major leagues for several years; two occurred in his two years in Toronto; and two occurred after he switched leagues and pitched for the Houston Astros,” the report said.

Ok….

Well, here’s the latest from Roch’s blog. Considering everything that has been going on since the season ended, could we have expected less than a drama with a litany of twists and turns?

From the Baltimore Sun (Roch’s Blog): “Orioles executive Andy MacPhail wasn’t kidding when he told The Sun last night that he didn’t expect Adam Jones to arrive in Baltimore today for a physical. Or to sample the steamed crabs and a Natty Boh.

You’ll want to check out this story on the Web site of the Mariners’ flagship radio station.

Am I surprised that Jones isn’t here? Absolutely not. Did I expect him to remain in Venezuela? Absolutely not.

I assumed that he returned to the U.S.

If I’m the manager of Jones’ winter league team in Venezuela, I’m afraid to write his name in the lineup.

Jones apparently is backpedaling now and denying that he told a reporter in Venezuela that he had been traded to the Orioles. George Sherrill can’t seem to decide whether he was instructed to take a physical in Baltimore.

My take: Jones and Sherrill were told to stop talking so much. There isn’t a deal in place at the moment. They’re still property of the Seattle Mariners, just as Erik Bedard continues to be slated as the Orioles’ Opening Day starter until told otherwise. And it has nothing to do with pending physicals.”

And the Sun’s Jeff Zrebeic notes that the deal is at a standstill.

“Talks between the Seattle Mariners and Orioles about a trade involving ace pitcher Erik Bedard are at a standstill.

A source familiar with the talks said a potential deal is being held up on the Orioles’ end and unspecified complex issues still need to be resolved for the trade to go through. One of those might be Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail getting the approval of club owner Peter Angelos.

Mariners center fielder Adam Jones, the centerpiece of the Seattle offer for Bedard, was originally expected to be in Baltimore later Monday in preparation for a physical Tuesday, according to a club source. However, those plans have been scuttled, an indication that the deal has either hit a snag or is currently on hold.

The Orioles currently don’t have a physical scheduled for Jones, the source said.

“We are where we were last night,” said MacPhail on Monday. “We have no agreement.”

MacPhail said that he didn’t expect any developments for a couple of days. Asked if an agreement could be pending, MacPhail said, “I don’t know.”

A source indicated that the Mariners and Orioles have agreed to the general framework of the deal, which would send Jones, veteran reliever George Sherrill, 19-year-old pitching prospect Chris Tillman and one or two other prospects to the Orioles for Bedard.”

Well, I would have not have expected any less from this deal. Of course, stay tuned…

Ok, this has nothing to do with baseball; however, this may be news worthy for any blogger, or anyone who reads blogs.

Bernadette of the Lady at the Bat blog sent me this, and as a part-time member of a media outlet, this made me shake my head. (Anyone find this pose suggestive?)

Well, the huge chain conglomerate, Target, has engaged in a move that I think is pretty asinine.

Here’s what Berandette wrote: “Recently a blogger contacted Target to complain about their latest advertising campaign, which includes the image on the left. Her issue is that it’s demeaning to women. That may, or may not be true. If Target had somehow incorporated snow into the image, their intended message about the woman making snow angels would have been clearer. What I have a problem with is how they responded to the blogger’s complaint: They told her that they couldn’t respond to her inquiry because “Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets.”

What was the point of that? I’ll tell you what the point was: to insult the blogging community. If you don’t participate with nontraditional media outlets, then don’t participate! There’s no need to send a look-down-your-nose message saying so. Just ignore the inquiry, especially when you claim to have “limited resources” and “a small public relations team.”

The New York Times picked up on the story, and you have got to read Target’s response:

Target to the blogosphere: you’re irrelevant.

That was the message the cheap-chic retailer seemed to convey in an abrupt e-mail message to ShapingYouth.org, a blog about the impact of marketing on children. Early this month, the blog’s founder, Amy Jussel, called Target, complaining about a new advertising campaign that depicted a woman splayed across a big target pattern — the retailer’s emblem — with the bull’s-eye at her crotch.

“Targeting crotches with a bull’s-eye is not the message we should be putting out there,�? she said in an e-mail interview.

Target offered an e-mail response:

“Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets,�? a public relations person wrote to ShapingYouth.

“This practice,�? the public relations person added, “is in place to allow us to focus on publications that reach our core guest,�? as Target refers to its shoppers.

Word of the exchange quickly spread and the blogosphere did not appreciate the slight. “Target doesn’t participate in new media channels?�? asked the Web site for the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. Target “dismisses bloggers�? commented the blog for Parents for Ethical Marketing. “Ahem! So bloggers don’t count!�? Ms. Jussel chimed in on ShapingYouth.

Could Target, the ever-hip, contemporary retailer, really have such a low opinion of blogs, the ever-hip, contemporary media channel?

Yes, at least for now. “We do not work with bloggers currently,�? said a company spokeswoman, Amy von Walter, who agreed to speak with this traditional media outlet.

“But we have made exceptions,�? Ms. von Walter said. “And we are reviewing the policy and may adjust it.�?

Target’s policy is to focus limited resources on the big media outlets, like television stations and newspapers, which reach large numbers of shoppers. With a small public relations team, she said “we want to make sure we are making an educated decision and we live up to any promises we make, in terms of service.�?

Bad move Target, bad move. In a day in age where a lot of journalists are blogging on their respective organizations websites, you have got to wonder, are bloggers part of the media?

I say yes. It seems that just as many people are getting their info from blogs as the traditional newspapers. All you have to do is look at such sites as Deadspin, the Huffington Post, TMZ, Perez Hilton and countless others to see the impact they are having on the media today.

Some organizations (such as a lot political outlets, and some organizations like the Washington Nationals, a few NHL and NBA teams) seem open to bloggers; however, a lot of enterprises are not.

Folks, the game has changed, the new media is now an important component as to how news is now filtered.

Before I go, this is the kicker I got from the New York Time article:

So what about the offending ad? Ms. von Walter said the ad — part of a marketing campaign that appeared in sales circulars and a large billboard in Manhattan’s Times Square — depicts a fully-clothed woman making a snow angel. Other ads featured a man skating over the bull’s-eye, she said.

Ms. Jussel, who described herself as a faithful Target shopper, was not impressed. “Any customer deserves a response to a concern, so I found this to be a shortsighted, ill-conceived judgment call,�? she said.

Sigh…

Well, Washington Nationals fans will probably not be happy with the latest news about their expensive free agent acquisition, Paul LoDuca. He hurt his knee during an off-season workout and now he’s going to have surgery on it…

From the DC Sports Box: The Washington Nationals’ big off-season free agent acquisition, catcher Paul LoDuca, will have surgery on his left knee Monday morning, according to statements made by his agent to the AP Sunday. Andrew Mongelluzzi, LoDuca’s representative, stated that LoDuca sustained a tear in the meniscus of his left knee working out last week in preparation for reporting for spring training in just a few weeks.

Nats’ General Manager Jim Bowden said only that LoDuca will see team doctors “for further testing”. Early timetables estimate that if LoDuca indeed does have surgery to repair the tear, he would be shelved 3-6 weeks, extending well into spring training.

It’s been an interesting off-season for LoDuca, signing the $5 million, one-year deal, then two days later finding out he was named in the Mitchell Report on performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. LoDuca will turn 36 in April and is a ten-year major league veteran.

Not good for a team that really needs some veteran presence…

Ah, since Sunday night, it seems that business has picked up for the Orioles. Now, take a look at what CNN/Sports Illustrated writer John Heyman wrote last night…

First, more news on what most fans know already:

There are signs the deal is getting closer — such as Jones telling reporters that he’s headed to Baltimore for a physical — but late word Sunday night is there’s still some internal debate in Baltimore over the deal. Club owner Peter Angelos is famous for nixing deals involving his best players.

Mariners GM Bill Bavasi said by phone Sunday night that it was not a done deal. “We’re not there yet,” Bavasi said. “I can’t tell you anything.”

Meanwhile, Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail echoed that sentiment to the Baltimore Sun. “We do not have an agreement with the Mariners,” MacPhail said.

Sources told SI.com that Jones (.314 with 25 homers at Triple-A Tacoma), reliever George Sherrill (2-0, 2.36 with Seattle), a strikeout artist who could bolster Baltimore’s injury-ravaged bullpen, and minor-league pitcher Chris Tillman (6-7, 5.26 at Class-A High Desert), are among players who have been prominently mentioned in trade talks. Catcher Jeff Clement (.275 with 20 homers also at Tacoma) was discussed at one point, but it’s believed the Mariners will hold onto him.

Here’s what Heyman says thereafter about the Cubs possibly acquiring Roberts:

If the Orioles do complete the Bedard trade, word is they would likely then send All-Star second baseman Brian Roberts (.290, 12 HR, 57 RBIs, 50 SBs) to the Chicago Cubs for prospects, possibly outfielder Felix Pie and pitcher Sean Gallagher (3-1, 2.66 at Triple-A Iowa). Pie batted .362 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs at Triple-A Iowa but hit just .215 in 177 at-bats with the Cubs in 2007.

However, the Roberts deal appears to be waiting on completion of the Bedard deal.

It looks like one deal may come after the other; however, let’s wait and see. As most Orioles fans know by what is written by our great scribes is not gospel, as things can change by the minute.

If all goes as rumored, the Orioles would have accomplished in greatly turning over their roster, and more importantly getting guys under their control for several years.