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Monday, February 16, 2009

Great Moments in International Travel


I'm no fan of the WBC, but I could become one if this sort of thing happens more often:

Kim Byung-hyun's nine-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) is full of dumbfounding affairs ― allowing a game-tying homer in the ninth inning for the second-straight game of the World Series, a middle-finger gesture to home fans of the Boston Red Sox and several refusals to pitch.

Now, the dormant Kim has finally found another to stash away amid the recesses of his storied career as the 30-year-old sidearmer failed to join the South Korean national team practice in Hawaii due to the loss of his passport.

``I was informed that Kim had lost his passport,'' Korean team manager Kim In-sik told the reporters, Sunday.

``As we have to submit the final roster for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) by Feb. 22, we have agreed to take him off the list.''

Maybe he lost it somewhere in 2003. You know, back when he lost all of his control, velocity, and effectiveness.

(Thanks to Neate Sager for the heads up)



Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 7:25am (1) Comments

Today at THT


Today is President's Day. As I've noted before, my favorite president of all time is William Henry Harrison. I can't help myself: I'm a sucker for the stars that burn brightest and then burn out. Plus, as THT's Dave Studeman mentioned in a comment last month, WH2 (as I like to call him) once proposed marriage to one Hannah Cooper, the daughter of William Cooper, who founded Cooperstown, which is now home to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In missing out on having a home of sorts in Cooperstown, WH2 has something in common with Alan Trammell, my boyhood hero, which gives me another reason to love the guy. I could go on about him all day, actually. In blustery weather for an hour and a half, and then die of pneumonia a month later.

But before I do, here's what's happening Today at THT:

  • Victor Wang contemplates whether, all things being equal, he'd rather have Matt Wieters or David Price. I love articles like this because they contain a huge amount of "what in the hell were you thinking?" potential when deployed a couple of years down the road. Either that or Victor will look like a genius.


  • Chris Jaffe has part two of his survey of top Tigers pitchers. Most backhanded compliment of all time: "Morris had teammates who had their moments, most notably Dan Petry, who put together a terrific stretch in the first half of the 1980s. They all paled in comparison to Morris' overwhelming Detroitness, though." Detroitness? Ouch.


  • Evan Brunell runs down last week's transactions. Sadly, Sal Fasano and his mighty mustache will no longer be plying their respective trades in Cleveland. Last year Neyer was so taken with them that he dubbed the Indians the "Fasanos" for a spell. If he remains smitten, he will have to move that moniker to Colorado.


  • Finally, over at Fantasy Focus, Derek Carty profiles Aaron Harang, a guy my nemesis -- Marty Brenneman -- lauded for his ability to take the ball every fifth day and fling 120 pitches until the exact moment he couldn't do that last year, at which point he became the launching pad for a tirade about how soft pitchers have become today. Gotta love Marty!


    • If this Presidents' Day is like all of the past Presidents' Days at my house, I will be overwhelmed with gift-giving and candy and preparing the goose for the big Presidents Day dinner tonight. That said, I will do my best to have a full posting schedule today.
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 5:45am (0) Comments

    Vegas


    Many are speculating in the comments to the Marlins post this morning about where the Marlins might move if Miami falls through. The discussion thus far has focused on Las Vegas, as it often does when new potential Major League cities are mentioned.

    For what it's worth, I've often been dubious of Las Vegas as a big league city. Unlike football and boxing, baseball is not driven by big events. There are 10 times as many home games. Season ticket sales matter, and that's all about attracting the locals who will come on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, not the folks who drive up from L.A. on the weekend. Moreover, you have to ask yourself who would put up the money for a stadium? Not the hotels or gaming companies, brother. Why would they build a place designed to draw upwards of 30-40,000 potential customers away from their casino floors 81 nights a year? The only way they'd even consider it is if you could put slots in the place, and while MLB has gotten more lenient with respect to gambling ties in baseball (e.g. lots of ballparks accept casino advertising now), I really can't see the masters of the game allowing ballparks to turn into gaming parlors.

    Another factor: a disproportionate number of Las Vegas' working population works nights. The blackjack dealers, the restaurant workers, etc. Sure, many of the potential fans would be tourists, but if you're going to make a case for Vegas, you're going to have to make it on the size of the media market, and a big part of that population simply isn't going to be at home to watch the broadcasts, let alone make it the ballpark.

    I'm not saying Las Vegas is a non-starter, but given its unique demographics and economy, there are some major practical hurdles to consider. The solution: I say someone convince Paul Allen to build a stadium in Portland and call it a day.

    Whose got his number?
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 2:10am (0) Comments

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