The Roundup will be tardy this morning. In the meantime, feel free to poke fun at one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history. Why is Derek Jeter wearing a wig? Because he’s a in a movie. With Marky Mark and Will Ferrell. We’re ripping up today’s agenda and winging it. We’ll try not to reference 2012 too many times. It opens tonight. We’re totally going. Also, it is Harrison Barnes day! The Des Moines Register has blanket coverage. His decision comes between 2-4 pm. If he selects Duke, Dick Vitale will silently cheer in his Sarasota home. [D-Listed]
Yes, two posts on Curtis Granderson potentially getting traded to the Yankees is necessary.
1. Detroit needs to trim payroll. According to this, the Tigers are doing what many fans think they should - generating revenue and spending it on their team. That’s great if you win. The Tigers lost a one-game playoff and missed the postseason. Despite a 12-win improvement in 2009 over 2008, the Tigers lost an average of 8,000 fans per home game. Granderson is set to make $5.5 million in 2010, and $8.25 million in 2011. He’s trade bait. Read the rest of this entry »
First of two posts on Curtis Granderson. One from the Detroit POV; the other from the Yankees’ POV.
Baseball teams are businesses. Unstable revenue streams cannot support massive expenditure indefinitely. The Tigers’ bubble was bound to blow at some moment. With the team now shopping Curtis Granderson, that moment has come.
One of our readers sent us this photo of Indians’ GM Mark Shapiro and Cavs GM Danny Ferry fraternizing at a Bruce Springsteen concert. Struck by such a collision of astute minds, we must ask, which is more brutal. Paying $20 million to see Kerry Wood stroll out of the bullpen in the 9th or paying $20 million to watch Shaq defend a Pick and Roll?
MLB Hot Stove! Rather than sign one of the appealing free agent DHs (Vladdy loves the West coast), the Seattle Mariners have opted to instead welcome home Ken Griffey Jr., again. The Kid is 40 years old, batted .214 last year and had surgery last month to remove a bone spur in his left knee. Sounds about as promising as a foam party with the cast from Cocoon. [Seattle Times]
Derek Jeter: The lady-killing Yankee shortstop won his fourth career gold glove Tuesday. It was his first since 2006. In a brief google search, we couldn’t really find anyone ripping Jeter. Joe Posnanski said that Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers was the best defensive shortstop in the league, and that would have been his choice. Even though errors are not the end-all, be-all when it comes to fielding (nor is “Dewan plus-minus” or “UZR”) … Andrus made 22. Once again, baseball’s offseason is off to a rousing start - announcing award winners when people have tuned out baseball, and passing on instant replay! [AP]
Shane Victorino and Jon Gosselin: The Phillies outfielder is getting married this weekend in Hawaii. (Photos of his fiancee, Melissa Smith, can be found here and here.) Victorino had his bachelor party last weekend in Atlantic City. Ryan Howard was there. (Hopefully, he brought his college “friends.”) Name you might recognize from the guest list: Jon Gosselin, a reality TV guy who is going through a midlife crisis at 32. If you have to ask yourself, “who?” then your best bet is to call your wife/girlfriend and ask. She knows. [Philly.com]
MLB Trade Rumors released their top 50 Free Agents List. It’s as titillating as a memoir of A.C. Green’s sexcapades. Matt Holliday, the top rated player, can’t hack it in the American League. John Lackey, the top rated pitcher, has missed 15 starts with arm trouble the past two seasons and been relevant for Cy Young voting once. Marco effing Scutaro cracked the top ten.
These free agents will be hyped, to talk about something, but none of them will dramatically affect a team’s ability to win the World Series. Teams have less money than last winter, a year into a depression rather than anticipating one. The story of the offseason will be trades, not free agents. Here are three players likely to move.
The Roundup will be tardy this morning. In the meantime, feel free to poke fun at one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history. Why is Derek Jeter wearing a wig? Because he’s a in a movie. With Marky Mark and Will Ferrell. We’re ripping up today’s agenda and winging it. We’ll try not to reference 2012 too many times. It opens tonight. We’re totally going. Also, it is Harrison Barnes day! The Des Moines Register has blanket coverage. His decision comes between 2-4 pm. If he selects Duke, Dick Vitale will silently cheer in his Sarasota home. [D-Listed]
