Gregg Pearlman returns with a look at the frustrating relationship some sportswriters seem to have with San Francisco Giants all-world OF Barry Bonds. You can read more of Gregg’s work at the Official San Francisco Giant Fan House Of Pain: EEEEEE!. Sportswriters hate Barry Bonds. They point to his surliness, unfriendliness, and arrogance, and, not…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Outrighted RHP Fausto Macey and C Brett Hemphill to Vancouver, and announced that RHP Shad Williams rejected an assignment to Vancouver, cleared waivers, and is now a free agent. [10/16] This is pretty straightforward roster cleaning prior to the expansion draft and the Rule V draft; Williams was never really a prospect, and…
THE WORLD SERIES "I think it is really neat for the Cleveland Indians and Florida Marlins to be playing in the World Series. I think everybody is tired of seeing the Braves." — David Justice "My graduating class was 125 and so far it’s up to 625 that I graduated with asking for tickets." —…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Announced that INF Craig Grebeck and LHP Greg Cadaret cleared waivers and declared free agency; activated RHP Mark Gubicza and INF Randy Velarde from the 60-day DL and placed them on the 40-man roster. [10/9] C Chris Turner cleared waivers and declared free agency. [10/10] Damn that Craig Crebeck for outplaying DiSarcina as…
THE ORIOLES "Those guys can play with the gloves. That’s the biggest difference I see in them this year." — Lou Piniella, Mariners manager, on the Orioles "He’s the Oriole way." — Davey Johnson, Orioles manager, on Mike Bordick "He’s one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball today. When he’s on his game, he’s…
AL PLAYOFFS "This is the situation I love. It’s party time, time to get down and dirty. I love pressure situations, and I can handle it with the best of them." — David Wells "When you play a 162-game schedule, there isn’t too much doubt who had the best year. But when you get to…
BOSTON RED SOX Released LF Wil Cordero. [9/28] Acquired RHP Jim Mecir from the Yankees to complete the Mike Stanley trade. [9/29] Cordero’s release was well-earned, even without the off-field problems. A left fielder who hits 281/320/432 (which isn’t far off from his pre-’97 career mark of 279/337/424) is close to worthless. As it stands,…
Welcome to our six-part series on the upcoming expansion draft, and who the established teams should be protecting. We’ll be looking at every major league team and making our picks on who they should be protecting. Please note this isn’t a prediction on who they *will* be protecting. We’re sure the Angels will be protecting…
"You know, that strategy is usually the kiss of death." – a fellow LABR owner, to me about half of the way through the LABR-AL draft, on my youth-oriented squad. That ominous greeting made for a slightly despondent trip home after my first LABR auction, but time and a big comeback heal all wounds. Despite…
Welcome to our six-part series on the upcoming expansion draft, and who the established teams should be protecting. We’ll be looking at every major league team and making our picks on who they should be protecting. Please note this isn’t a prediction on who they *will* be protecting. We’re sure the Angels will be protecting…
PLAYOFFS AND PLAYOFF RACES "There’s nothing better than a pennant race." — Dusty Baker, Giants manager "We wanted to let Cleveland know that once the postseason gets here, it’s time to rock and sock." — Jim Thome "We let it get away from us." — Bill Russell, Dodgers manager "When you get knocked out with…
ABOUT PLAYOFF ROSTERS Don’t be surprised when several teams take advantage of the "Hibbard clause" for setting their postseason rosters. In case you missed what that means, the loophole in the playoff roster rules that allowed the Mariners to put Greg Hibbard on their postseason roster in 1995 (since he had spent the season on…
The Archives Baseball Prospectus home In This Issue: Getting the House in Order Thursday Transaction Analysis The Week In Quotes There’s a certain pall that starts to hang over me about the 15th of September. The pennant races (or lack thereof) are coming to a head, a couple of ballplayers are nearing milestones or chasing…
REALIGNMENT "We were given exclusive NL rights to the Bay Area when we bought the team, so I definitely think we have a legal position. We’re not interested in sharing the world of National League baseball with a competitor." — Peter Magowan, Giants owner, on suing MLB if the A’s move to the same division…
Do spring training records predict regular-season success?
Cactus League teams have historically been unsucccessful.