The Major League Baseball Post

[rocdamike11]

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

Smoltz said he's going back to being the Braves' closer.

that's gotta suck for those who drafted him in fantasy expecting 15 W's, 200 IP's, ~ 200 K's and a sub 3.50 ERA
would definitely prolonghis career though...

Originally Posted by Nowitness41Dirk

yeah, i know. i went to try to pick him up in our league and noticed you done got him.

I was all over it the minute I saw he got called up... Kid is a stud.
didn't help that he went 4.1 perfect innings in relief a couple days ago with 7 K's...

that really got everyone's attention

now he's gonna be in the starting rotation... good pick-up

 

[koolbarbone]

Originally Posted by SCuse7

Chad Gaudin is having a good year and dude is only 25

and yea Yankees won't make the playoffs. The pitching is so bad.

Until the Yankees actually miss the playoffs, I'm convinced that they'll find a way to get there. Their roster still has too much talent and theyalways have the ability to pull off a big trade. But that doesn't mean I'm not rooting against them.

 

[wildkycat]

we suck. it's unbelievable that we can't hit. i'm looking for Jocketty to start making some changes, with Adam Dunn the first one out.

here's Harang's #'s: 2.98 ERA, 48 IP, 16 ER's, 41 K's, 11 BB's.

pretty good right?

he's 1-4.

 

[the wizard]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

The pitching is so bad.

They just don't get it.

what do you want them to do? we get bashed when we overpay and when we decide to groom some pitchers from the minors, we get criticized.
they are doing exactly the opposite of what they normally do. they are using homegrown pitchers.

the yankees are going to get bashed no matter what they do. oh well. just because the indians beat us every 10 years, doesn't mean that they get it either.

 

[wildkycat]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

what do you want them to do? we get bashed when we overpay and when we decide to groom some pitchers from the minors, we get criticized.
they are doing exactly the opposite of what they normally do. they are using homegrown pitchers.

don't you think that too much is being asked of Phil Hughes? you think they rushed him up?

 

[the wizard]

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

Originally Posted by The Wizard

what do you want them to do? we get bashed when we overpay and when we decide to groom some pitchers from the minors, we get criticized.
they are doing exactly the opposite of what they normally do. they are using homegrown pitchers.

don't you think that too much is being asked of Phil Hughes? you think they rushed him up?

yeah i think too much is expected out of Hughes and Kennedy right now, but at the same time, they are stinking up the place.

no not at all, I don't think they rushed him up. last year he came up and pitched a good amount of games for us, like 10 or more and he pitchedeffectively. especially in the stretch run, Hughes was amazing. and then he was pitching 5 to 6 innings, so no one expected this to happen. However, thecontrol problems he has had this year, he showed these issues last year at times so it's just him working on that.

i think a bit much is being asked from him because NY is such a pressure cooker for a sports town, but it's not to say that a 21 year old hasn'tcome in the big leagues and done well.

I like how the Yanks sent Kennedy to the minors, i hope they will be able to do the same with Hughes once he heals from his injuries.

 

[wearinthefourfive]

Chad Gaudin is having a good year and dude is only 25

Chad Gaudin the go to man.

 

[wildkycat]

Griffey's days in Cincinnati may be numbered

Ken Griffey Jr., playfully yelling moments earlier from his corner of the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse, suddenly is talking in almost a whisper before a game last weekend in Atlanta.

It is flat and unemotional, reflecting no remorse or bitterness about a nine-year-old decision that dramatically altered his career.

"I wouldn't change anything," says Griffey, who was traded to the Reds on Feb. 10, 2000. "I had to leave Seattle when I did. I just had to. They know the real reason why I left."

More than eight years after departing Seattle, it might be time to leave again, perhaps returning to the Northwest.

SLUMP BUSTED: Reds end five-game losing streak

TOPSY TURVY: AL Central teams all shook up

"It's everybody's dream to go back where they started," the 38-year-old right fielder says. "Everybody who plays the game would love to go out the way they see fit."

Griffey, raised in Cincinnati and a direct descendant of the Big Red Machine, has 597 home runs, three shy of becoming the sixth player in history to hit 600. Three players - Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays - are in the Hall of Fame. The other two, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa, have been linked to illegal performance-enhancing drug use and will await their fate when eligible.

"You're talking about one of the greatest achievements in baseball history," says Atlanta Braves starter Tom Glavine, who got his 300th win last season. "I have such a great appreciation for who (Griffey) is, what he's done, and that he's done it the right way."

If Griffey reaches the milestone during the Reds' three-game homestand that started Monday against the Chicago Cubs, instead of a citywide celebration, Griffey's 600th home run might result in little more than a farewell present.

"We're in a tough situation here," says Griffey, whose team improved to 13-20 with Monday's 5-3 win against the Cubs. "We either turn things around or they start getting rid of everybody around here.

"My situation is different only because I can tell them where I want to go. I want to be in position to win a championship. I'm not strong-arming anybody, but that's the way it is."

Griffey, who enters today hitting .229 with four home runs and 15 RBI, says he expects the Reds to approach him before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline seeking his approval for a trade.

He is eligible to hit the market as a free agent for the first time in his 20-year career after the season if the Reds don't pick up his $16 million option for 2009.

There have been no negotiations, much less any discussion. If the Reds, with one winning season in the last decade, aren't in contention, Griffey could be jettisoned for newer and younger faces.

Reds general manager Walt Jocketty says it's too early to discuss plans of retooling the team.

The Mariners, who watched the love-fest between their fans and Griffey last year when he returned to Seattle for interleague play for the first time, say they want Griffey back.

"I think everybody in Seattle would like to see him retire in a Mariners uniform," Mariners President Chuck Armstrong says. "He was born a Mariner. And I'd like to see him finish up as a Mariner.

"I can't say much because he is property of the Cincinnati Reds, but he always will have a special place in my heart, and everyone here in Seattle."

'Who should we trade?'

Griffey broke into the major leagues in 1989 at 19 and spent the next decade putting the Mariners on the baseball map. He was selected for 10 consecutive years to the All-Star Game, won 10 Gold Gloves and was named the 1997 American League MVP. The Mariners, who reached the playoffs for the first time in 1995, were transformed from a laughingstock to one of baseball's premier franchises.

Griffey says he could still be in Seattle if not for a simple question.

When it became clear the Mariners were going to have difficulty re-signing both Griffey and Alex Rodriguez, a team official approached Griffey and asked, "Who should we trade?"

"I refused to answer," says Griffey, who declined to name the official. "That was not my job. So they went and asked the next person.

"I got traded. He stayed one year. Then he left too."

Griffey never mentioned Rodriguez by name, but it was A-Rod who left a year later in December 2000, signing a record 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers. Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln and then-GM Pat Gillick met with Rodriguez and agent Scott Boras after talking with Griffey and released a statement that Rodriguez "expressed his keen desire to play the 2000 season as a Mariner and explore his free agent options at the end of the season."

"Money had nothing to do with me" leaving, says Griffey, adding he was offered an eight-year, $138 million extension from the Mariners.

He wound up signing a nine-year, $116.5 million deal with Cincinnati, deferring $57.5 million in hope that the Reds would be able to build a championship club around him. It never happened.

Griffey helped lead the Reds to an 85-77 record in 2000, but it turned out to be their last winning season. Griffey has struggled with injuries, going on the disabled list eight times and missing 436 games since 2001. And the Reds, with attendance plummeting by a half-million since Griffey's first year, have gone through six managers, four general managers, two ownership groups and two ballparks.

"I know there's been frustration, but as much time as I've spent over the years with Kenny, never once have I heard him complain about the number of injuries he had," says Brian Goldberg, Griffey's agent. "Never once has he said, 'If I hadn't gotten hurt, I could have done this or done that.' "

Despite the injuries, Griffey leads active major leaguers in career homers, RBI, runs and total bases.

"To get to 600 home runs, and for him to have all of these accomplishments, are great," Ken Griffey Sr. says, "but I'd rather see him get a ring. … I've got three. I want to see him get at least one.

"That would mean more to him than anything else."

Going his own way

Even though Griffey has never been linked to performance-enhancing drugs, he still suffers the consequences.

The names of Bonds and pitcher Roger Clemens, two of the game's biggest stars, appeared in former senator George Mitchell's investigative report on performance-enhancing drugs. It's as if the public, Goldberg says, has been "desensitized because of all of the allegations out there."

"I remember when Pete (Rose) broke Ty Cobb's record, and there were all of these fireworks and celebration," Griffey says. "They stopped the game for 20 minutes. Cal (Ripken) broke the (consecutive games played) record and did a lap around the ballpark.

"These days, you tip your cap, and that's about it."

Griffey says he suspected widespread doping in the game but was never tempted to talk about it publicly. He knew he could look himself in the mirror each day, and he wasn't about to risk his principles, much less his health.

"They made their decisions, I made mine," Griffey says. "You can't worry about what people do and don't do. You have to do what's best for you.

"You can't just go around accusing people of things. You can see somebody buy it. You can see them put it in their car, transport it and see them put it on the table. But that doesn't mean he used it. You don't know unless you actually see a person do it."

The game itself, Griffey says, remains as beautiful as ever. It has afforded him all of the luxuries he ever could have dreamed and a close-knit family life he always wanted. He and his wife, Melissa, and their three children live in a 33,000-square-foot home in the Orlando area, with 11 acres of land, and a bowling alley in the basement. He rides go-karts, plays basketball and wrestles with the kids, Trey (14), Taryn (12) and Tevin (6).

Trey, 5-11½, has grown 7 inches and gained 50 pounds in the last year and shares all of his dad's characteristics. He prefers basketball and football to baseball, but Griffey - believing that one day Trey could be the third generation of the family to reach the big leagues - refuses to let him play football unless he plays baseball, too.

Taryn is the star of her AAU basketball team, averaging 24 points and leading the team in rebounds and assists, Griffey says. Tevin is a middle linebacker in football, a "mini-Ray Lewis," Griffey says. And everyone wears No. 3, just like dad.

Griffey has a photographer who videotapes all of the kids' sporting events and school functions and sends them to Griffey to watch after returning home from games at night. Griffey shares in the discipline, too, taking away Trey's cellphone when he does wrong. And if it continues, the go-kart will be shut down, followed by his Xbox.

"I wish the go-kart would go first," Trey says, "because it doesn't work anyway. No spark plugs."

Family man first

Griffey will talk to reporters all day about his kids, but when it comes to his career, he becomes withdrawn. He is aware of the magnitude of his 600th home run but shuns the publicity.

"I don't get wrapped up in it," he says, "and the kids certainly aren't. When it's there, it's there."

One day, the home runs will stop. He'll be home for good. He's just not sure when.

"It'll come down to one of two things," Griffey says. "One, you can't do it no more. Or two, people stop calling. That's it.

"I don't want it to be like when I grew up, where my dad went from team to team and by the time he made his last move we were already grown. I want to be there for my family."

Griffey then looks at Trey, breaks into a smile and puts him in a headlock, shouting, "It's on!"

The home run pursuit, along with a potential trade, can wait. It's time to prove he still is king of the family, Griffey laughs, realizing those days might be numbered, too.

USA Today

Griffey downplays latest speculation

Reds star maintains interest in playing in Seattle is nothing new

CINCINNATI -- It's been no secret. Reds right fielder Ken Griffey Jr. started his spectacular career in Seattle. And that's where he'd like to end it.

But on Tuesday, after the publication of a USA Today newspaper article where he reiterated those desires, Griffey found himself surrounded by a larger throng of reporters than usual inside the Reds clubhouse who were interested in what he said.

"I said the exact same thing last year," Griffey said, downplaying the article. "So why is it such a big story now? If I would have changed anything from last year, it would be a story. But I said the same thing. What's the big deal?

"If we were seven games above .500, y'all wouldn't be here."

The Reds were owners of a 13-20 record entering Tuesday's game vs. the Cubs. That's why it raised eyebrows when Griffey made his desire known in the newspaper that he'd like to play for a chance to get a World Series title.

"We're in a tough situation here," Griffey told USA Today. "We either turn things around or they start getting rid of everybody around here. My situation is different only because I can tell them where I want to go. I want to be in position to win a championship. I'm not strong-arming anybody, but that's the way it is."

Griffey, a 13-time All-Star, is in the final season of a nine-year, $116.5 million contract with a $16.5 million club option for 2009 that carries a $4 million buyout. To be dealt anywhere, the 38-year-old would have to waive his no-trade protection as a player with at least 10 years of service -- including the last five with one team.

While starring for the Mariners from 1989-99, Griffey hit 398 of his 597 career home runs in a Seattle uniform. Last summer, during the Reds' first Interleague Play visit to Safeco Field, there was a rekindling of some very warm feelings between player and city.

During a press conference during that series, Griffey stated his preference to retire as a Mariner -- even if it was to sign a ceremonial one-day contract.

"There's nothing new there. He'd like to retire where he started if he could," Griffey's agent, Brian Goldberg, told MLB.com on Tuesday. "It's not like it means, 'I want to go there right now.'"

Still trying to get the Reds on track, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty wasn't ready to give up on the season. Jocketty said it was premature to think about dealing Griffey.

"I've had no trade discussions with him, and I'm not saying it couldn't happen," Jocketty said. "But it just hasn't at this point."

Reds manager Dusty Baker wasn't concerned that Griffey's comments would be a distraction to the team.

"Every man is entitled to his own opinion," Baker said. "My opinion doesn't mean a lot in this situation. I sure like having him around, though. I've been around some good ones, and he's one of the best."

Before the 2000 season, Griffey requested a trade to Cincinnati so he could play in the city where he grew up. Because of his multiple injuries and the Reds' current streak of seven consecutive losing seasons, it hasn't always been pleasant with the Reds.

"Some people don't understand that it's not easy playing in your hometown," Baker said. "I did it, and a few guys did it. It's tough sometimes. People see you one way. The world sees you another way."

Griffey also believed a turnaround for the team was possible. If he could win a World Series anywhere, his preference would be to do it for Cincinnati.

"It's about my Dad [having] three championship rings," Griffey said. "What are the home runs you think about? Game winner and World Series. That's about it. That's all you really care about."

Griffey also made it clear he was committed to playing his best for the Reds.

"I can go out there and control how I play and try to build this organization and try to help it and go play baseball as hard as I can, day in and day out," Griffey said. "Because there's nobody else on the back of the bubble-gum card other than mine. ... It's my name on the back and my picture on the front. If I do my job, it will take care of itself."

 

[shkinny6]

^i literally read that 2 minutes ago

"Who should we trade?"

am i wrong or does this say that A-rod suggested Griffey should be traded??!?

 

[wildkycat]

Aaron Harang this season:

Mar 31st - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks....loss
Apr 5th - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks...no decision
Apr 10th - 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 Ks...win
Apr 15th - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 6 Ks...loss
Apr 20th - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 Ks...no decision
Apr 25th - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 8 Ks...loss
Apr 30th - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 Ks...loss
May 6th - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 6 Ks...loss (unless we come back in the 9th)

this dude's about to go to 1-5.

 

[wearinthefourfive]

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

Aaron Harang this season:

Mar 31st - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks....loss
Apr 5th - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks...no decision
Apr 10th - 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 Ks...win
Apr 15th - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 6 Ks...loss
Apr 20th - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 Ks...no decision
Apr 25th - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 8 Ks...loss
Apr 30th - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 Ks...loss
May 6th - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 6 Ks...loss (unless we come back in the 9th)

this dude's about to go to 1-5.

^Such a shame, he has great talent. Picture him still in an A's uniform with our rotation!

 

[scuse7]

Originally Posted by WearinTheFourFive

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

Aaron Harang this season:

Mar 31st - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks....loss
Apr 5th - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks...no decision
Apr 10th - 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 Ks...win
Apr 15th - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 6 Ks...loss
Apr 20th - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 Ks...no decision
Apr 25th - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 8 Ks...loss
Apr 30th - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 Ks...loss
May 6th - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 6 Ks...loss (unless we come back in the 9th)

this dude's about to go to 1-5.

^Such a shame, he has great talent. Picture him still in an A's uniform with our rotation!

The reds rotation could be great if they get some consistency. Volquez, Cueto, and Harang. Then if Homer Bailey turns out to be this great pitcher

 

[wildkycat]

Originally Posted by SCuse7

Originally Posted by WearinTheFourFive

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

Aaron Harang this season:

Mar 31st - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks....loss
Apr 5th - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks...no decision
Apr 10th - 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 Ks...win
Apr 15th - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 6 Ks...loss
Apr 20th - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 Ks...no decision
Apr 25th - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 8 Ks...loss
Apr 30th - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 Ks...loss
May 6th - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 6 Ks...loss (unless we come back in the 9th)

this dude's about to go to 1-5.

^Such a shame, he has great talent. Picture him still in an A's uniform with our rotation!

The reds rotation could be great if they get some consistency. Volquez, Cueto, and Harang. Then if Homer Bailey turns out to be this great pitcher

we just ain't hitting. for the most part, pitching's been great, esp. Harang and Volquez. Cueto's had a couple great outings and a coupleterrible outings. I would think Homer will be up soon, he's been pretty good in Louisville and Arroyo sucks. It also sucks that we got one of the betterclosers in the league in Cordero, but can't ever get to him.

 

[scuse7]

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

Originally Posted by SCuse7

Originally Posted by WearinTheFourFive

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

Aaron Harang this season:

Mar 31st - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks....loss
Apr 5th - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 6 Ks...no decision
Apr 10th - 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 Ks...win
Apr 15th - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 6 Ks...loss
Apr 20th - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 Ks...no decision
Apr 25th - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 8 Ks...loss
Apr 30th - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 Ks...loss
May 6th - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 6 Ks...loss (unless we come back in the 9th)

this dude's about to go to 1-5.

^Such a shame, he has great talent. Picture him still in an A's uniform with our rotation!

The reds rotation could be great if they get some consistency. Volquez, Cueto, and Harang. Then if Homer Bailey turns out to be this great pitcher

we just ain't hitting. for the most part, pitching's been great, esp. Harang and Volquez. Cueto's had a couple great outings and a couple terrible outings. I would think Homer will be up soon, he's been pretty good in Louisville and Arroyo sucks. It also sucks that we got one of the better closers in the league in Cordero, but can't ever get to him.

Yea your lineup

But it would come in time.



DAMN 9-0 REDS

VOLQUEZ-94 PC, 6 INN, 4 HA, 4 BBI, 8 K.

 

[wildkycat]

Originally Posted by SCuse7

Yea your lineup

But it would come in time.


DAMN 9-0 REDS

VOLQUEZ-94 PC, 6 INN, 4 HA, 4 BBI, 8 K.

hitting was there today.

Votto - 3 homers

Dunn and Phillips went yard as well.

Volquez - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 10 Ks

EV goes to 5-1, leading the league in Ks (52) and ERA 1.06

we still in last place.

 

[wildkycat]

give this man the Cy Young now.

and even our mascot sucks:

damn MLB had the vid removed.

 

[wildkycat]

Arroyo saved his spot in the rotation for at least another week...8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 9 Ks.

Nowitness, your boy Scherzer pitched good today, a lot better than his last start. D-Backs are gonna be tuff if this dude pans out, they got some guns in thatrotation.

Sabathia has turned things around.

Vernon Wells out 6-8 weeks, broken wrist.

Greg Maddux gets his 350th win.

 

[briannnnn]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

The pitching is so bad.

They just don't get it.

what do you want them to do? we get bashed when we overpay and when we decide to groom some pitchers from the minors, we get criticized.
they are doing exactly the opposite of what they normally do. they are using homegrown pitchers.

the yankees are going to get bashed no matter what they do. oh well. just because the indians beat us every 10 years, doesn't mean that they get it either.

Got 'em

 

[N41D]

Nowitness, your boy Scherzer pitched good today, a lot better than his last start. D-Backs are gonna be tuff if this dude pans out, they got some guns in that rotation.
He's the goods. Webb/Haren/Owings/Scherzer...

UNFAIR.

Will Victor Martinez hit a HR this year?

Milton Bradley going .313/.424/.530 with 5 HRs and 19 RBI.

If he keeps hitting near that clip, that'll be another success for Jon Daniels in terms ofone-year contracts paying dividends near the trading deadline...

 

[scuse7]

Wow Cueto so inconsistent.


Volquez still

 

[arog27]

Cubbies sweep the "best" team in baseball.

 

[wildkycat]

Griffey

 

[wildkycat]

whew.....

he damn near did it again.

 

[wildkycat]

Coco with the 4 out save.

end the fish's streak.

finally get Harang some runs = Harang gets a win.

before today, Harang had the second lowest run support in baseball...Zito had the lowest.

BP with a BOMB.

 

[scuse7]

Erik Bedard. Whats good?

64 PC, 2 INN, 7 HA, 4 BBI, 2 K, 6 ER

Damn he just doesn't seem to have it like last year. He was crazy with Baltimore.

They better hope this ain't Barry Zito 2.0. It hasn't gotten that bad becuase Bedard has had some good starts