Baseball 2014

[derspiess]

Not every ballpark.    Camden Yards sings "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" during its 7th inning stretch.

How long have they been doing that?  I have zero memory of it.

They played it until the early 80s when EBW died, and it disappeared when Jacobs the Hateful Jew bought the team, and then Angelos brought it back--maybe the late 90s? Early 2000s?

I think the last O's game I attended was around 2002.  So maybe after that.

[Barrister]

Well that's one down for the good guys.   

Yeah, well now comes the hard part

I was hoping the Cards would win just one game in San Fran, to give them a shot to win the last two at home.  That didn't happen.

I never said this was going to be easy.   

It's just that after game 1 I think all of the Royals fans had a feeling of 'the clock has to strike 12 on every Cinderella story...", and that perhaps the Giants were going to show that the Royals were nothing more than a fluke.  But no, they showed they do belong. 

Besides, all I wanted was for the Royals to win the Wildcard game - the last few weeks have been pure gravy for me.   

[derspiess]

Well that's one down for the good guys.   

Yeah, well now comes the hard part

I was hoping the Cards would win just one game in San Fran, to give them a shot to win the last two at home.  That didn't happen.

I never said this was going to be easy.   

It's just that after game 1 I think all of the Royals fans had a feeling of 'the clock has to strike 12 on every Cinderella story...", and that perhaps the Giants were going to show that the Royals were nothing more than a fluke.  But no, they showed they do belong. 

They won one game-- don't get ahead of yourself.  If they end up winning 3 games then they belong.

Besides, all I wanted was for the Royals to win the Wildcard game - the last few weeks have been pure gravy for me.   

The 2001 me called-- he wants his shtick back


All joking aside, although I'm not rooting for the Royals I'm glad for you that they've done so well.  Enjoy the ride.

[Valmy]

Besides, all I wanted was for the Royals to win the Wildcard game - the last few weeks have been pure gravy for me.   

Dude...I call bullshit.  When are the Royals likely to be in this spot again?

[Barrister]

Besides, all I wanted was for the Royals to win the Wildcard game - the last few weeks have been pure gravy for me.   

Dude...I call bullshit.  When are the Royals likely to be in this spot again?

2043.

But no - when they made the playoffs I told myself "I just really want them to win the wildcard - just one game doesn't really feel like 'the playoffs'".

But of course I want them to win now.  Only three games away after all.   

[sbr]

Tampa bay manager Joe Maddon opted out of his contract and is now a free agent. 

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/maddon-excises-opt-wont-return-171611741--mlb.html

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Joe Maddon's highly successful run as manager of the Tampa Bay Rays is over.

After discussions on a new deal bogged down with the Rays, Maddon is now free to listen to offers from any club - a prospect the manager apparently found too difficult to resist.

Tampa Bay announced Friday that Maddon had exercised an opt-out clause in his contract. The Rays had expected to have him in their dugout at least through 2015, when his contract was due expire.

''We are turning the page to begin a process to look for a new manager,'' Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman said. ''It's going to be a deliberate and comprehensive search, including both internal and external candidates.''

Maddon managed the Rays for nine seasons, compiling a 754-705 record. Tampa Bay made the playoffs four times, won two AL East titles and appeared in the 2008 World Series.

He did not immediately return a telephone message from The Associated Press.

The 60-year-old did tell the Tampa Bay Times that leaving the Rays after nine seasons was a gut-wrenching decision.

''I have been doing this for a long time,'' Maddon told the newspaper. ''I have never had this opportunity to research my employment on my terms. Never, never, never. And I think anybody given the same set of circumstances would do the same thing.''

The departure is second major loss for the team in less than two weeks. Executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman left for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 14.

Friedman assembled the teams that Maddon guided in transforming the Rays from perennial losers into a club that had six consecutive winning seasons before finishing 77-85 this year.

''There's a lot of work to be done this offseason, and this certainly adds to all that's on our plate,'' Silverman said.

''The last time we went looking for a manager was nine years ago and we did a pretty good job finding Joe,'' Silverman added. ''There's no timetable. It will take us as long as we need to get the right guy. There's no shortcuts here.''

Silverman, who took over for Friedman after serving as team president for a decade, said Maddon's contract contained a clause that allowed to opt-out under certain conditions, including Friedman leaving the Rays.

Friedman's exit raised immediate questions about whether he might try to lure Maddon to the Dodgers when the manager's contract expired after next season.

Friedman said last week that Don Mattingly will remain in Los Angeles to manage the Dodgers in 2015.

He reiterated that stance Friday after learning Maddon had become available earlier than anticipated.

''As I said last week, Joe and I enjoyed a tremendous relationship working together in Tampa Bay and I wish him nothing but the best wherever his next stop will be,'' Friedman said in a statement. '' However, nothing has changed on our end. Don Mattingly will be our manager next season and hopefully for a long time to come.''

Silverman described himself as ''surprised'' and ''disappointed'' by Maddon's decision, adding he and Sternberg were optimistic about the chances of retaining the manager when talks began.

''I believe Joe wanted to be the manager of the Rays long term. That was my intention and Stu's intention. We dove head-first into discussions, but it takes two parties to reach an agreement,'' Silverman said.

''I'm very comfortable with the financial offers that we made Joe. They were very generous,'' Silverman added. ''He listened to those and chose to opt-out.''

There's no way the Cardinals will have the stones to replace Matheny this year, unfortunately.

Despite what the article says I bet 100 internet dollars Maddon ends up managing the Dodgers next year.

[sbr]

And Adam Wainwright had "minor" elbow surgery today. 

ST. LOUIS • That irritation that Adam Wainwright had throughout most of the season behind his right elbow and sometimes led him to "manipulate" the back of the joint to feel more comfortable on the mound has been addressed.

Wainwright had a surgical procedure done Friday on the backside of his pitching elbow, multiple sources have confirmed. Wainwright was said to have had the "ligament trimmed" in his right elbow, a Cardinals official said. The exact description was cartilage trimmed to avoid irritation in that area, subsequent reporting on the surgery by The Post-Dispatch confirmed.

The club confirmed the surgery was done Friday.

General manager John Mozeliak said it was the second opinion that led the procedure. It was performed by Dr. George Paletta.

In an official release made shortly after 4 p.m. St. Louis time, the Cardinals described the procedure as "a minor arthroscopic procedure earlier today to trim a small piece of cartilage from his right elbow."

Mozeliak said the surgery would have no impact on Wainwright's 2015 season.

The pitcher should be ready to resuming a throwing program in eight weeks, the team said in its official statement. That would give Wainwright plenty of time to get ready for spring training, and the righthander was already expected to have a reduced schedule coming into spring training to save mileage on his arm.

Earlier this week, Mozeliak said that Wainwright had an MRI on the irritated joint and went through a battery of tests a week ago. The results of those exams, the Cardinals said, resulted in a diagnosis that no surgical procedure was necessary to alleviate his discomfort. Rest was prescribed.

After Monday's press conference had happened, Wainwright sought a second opinion which resulted in Friday's surgery.

The Cardinals' starter first had troubles back in June with his elbow, and he received treatment from Paletta at the time. He pitched through a difficult August before winning the National League's pitcher of the month award for September. He went 5-0 that month with a 1.38 ERA, which was nearly four runs better than his ERA in August.

In the postseason, Wainwright needed 200 pitches to complete his first nine innings of work -- over two starts. Both revealed signs of discomfort and fatigue. In his final start of the postseason, Game 5 of the National League championship series, Wainwright pitched seven strong innings and allowed two runs while striking out seven. He had insisted that a mechanics issue had been resolved.

His trouble with the elbow and mechanics date back to a knee injury in New York during the first six weeks of the season. It's not uncommon for a pitcher's delivery to be compromised by one injury and have it lead to others because of the increased strain on other joints.

Check back here for more on this story as it develops.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/wainwright-has-surgery-to-address-elbow-irritation/article_920cf81e-a8aa-59d4-b599-437ba936b967.html

[Barrister]

Royals up by 1 after 7 innings.

[Barrister]

Royals are two wins away from being champions of the world.

[Eddie Teach]

Los Royals! 

[Barrister]

Los Royals! 

Les Royales.  

[Valmy]

Les Royales.  

Allez les Royales!

[Barrister]

All tied up.   

[Barrister]

Not any more.

[Admiral Yi]