Baseball. Blogging. Whenever.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Yankees selling directly to StubHub?


At least some folks think it to be the case:

Less than a week after the team slashed prices for many of its premium tickets, hundreds of premium New York Yankees tickets are turning up on StubHub, and speculation is rising that the team or intermediaries may have posted them.

While there is no direct proof that the team is involved – as a policy, StubHub does not disclose seller information – large quantities of premium seats are not turning up on other broker Web sites or exchanges, only on StubHub, which gives the impression that the tickets are not coming from multiple sources.

I don't think there are any rules against this, though I suppose it's possible that it may put the Yankees' sideways with Ticketmaster, the team's primary ticket agent. More than anything else it's just kinda pathetic. The latest public evidence of a massive and arrongant miscalculation in demand on the part of the Yankees.

(thanks to Pete Toms)
Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 3:00pm (9) Comments

Manny was taking a sexual enhancer?


Um, OK:

A source close to Manny Ramirez said Thursday that the illegal substance for which the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger tested positive was not “an agent customarily used for performance enhancing.”

At least not on the baseball diamond. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the substance is supposed to boost sex drive. It is not Viagra, but a substance that treats the cause rather providing a temporary boost in sexual performance, the source said.


  • UPDATE:
    • Before we start to feel like Manny is being persecuted here, let us remember that sexual enhancers are on banned lists in most sports for a reason. Specificially, they are often used to compensate for and/or recover from the side effects of performance enhancing drugs, and are thus suspect. It's too soon to tell if that's the case with Manny, but it's worth throwing out there.

    (link via MLB Trade Rumors)
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 1:50pm (16) Comments

    My Manny reaction


    The NBC folks asked if I'd put it up over there, so anyone interested in what I think about all of this, check it out here. Short version: it's not all that dissimilar from what I thought when A-Rod was outed as a 'roider back in February.
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 1:22pm (23) Comments

    Manny Suspended 50 Games


    So, whaddaya know?

    Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will be suspended 50 games starting today, The Times has learned.

    The test result and suspension is expected to be announced later today. The Dodgers informed triple-A outfielder Xavier Paul this morning that he was being promoted to Los Angeles . . .

    . . . With the suspension taking effect with tonight's game at Dodger Stadium, Ramirez will not be eligible to return to the team until July 3.

    Optimist's take: Well, the Dodgers didn't have him until July 31st last year, so they'll be nearly a month ahead of the game this year!
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 11:56am (22) Comments

    My Morning in Exile


    Things that seemed important to me before the Manny news hit the wire:

  • Paul Janish > Bronson Arroyo.


  • Carl Crawford: Fast + Smart.


  • Bud Selig + visionary statements = scary.


  • One luxury car / two players = chaos.


  • Milton Bradley = insanity squared.


  • Finally, (Pablo Sandoval + Buster Posey) > Bengie Molina.
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 11:39am (0) Comments

    Saving Gate 2


    Am I wrong for thinking that this is a pretty cool idea?
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 11:22am (3) Comments

    And That Happened


    Mets 1, Phillies 0: My God, how the Mets go out of their way not to help their best player win games. Two hits to back him up, and I'm guessing that Carlos Delgado had to be begged to come in from third on that throwing error. Two of Santana's four wins this season are of the 1-0 variety. Chan Ho Park (6 IP, 1 H 0 ER) deserved a better fate, but he is way back of Santana in the cosmic justice line.

    Royals 9, Mariners 1: If you're the Mariners, you gotta look in the mirror after this one and ask yourself what you're made of. The Royals threw their two worst pitchers at them in Ponson and Ramirez, and they were still shut down. They should be glad that Trey Hillman didn't throw Kyle Farnsworth out there for further humiliation. Oh wait . . .

    Cubs 6, Astros 3: The Cubs scored two runs on Ivan Rodriguez passed balls. This never would have happened if Ivan Rodriguez was still alive.

    Rockies 11, Giants 1: Bad night for 90s legends, I guess, as the Big Unit is lit up to the tune of seven runs on eight hits in just under six innings, stalling him at 297.

    Indians 9, Red Sox 2: Victor Martinez has been a beat so far this year (.398/.466/.655, current 15 game hitting streak), and last night was no different (3-5, 2B, HR 4 RBI).

    Braves 8, Marlins 6: I'm not sure what the question is, but Graham Taylor ain't the answer. He was torched for eight runs -- only four earned, but still -- in less than three innings, and that, as they say, was that. And it's not like the Marlins didn't have their chances. Derek Lowe was lit up himself, and the Braves only managed one extra-base hit, and even that didn't plate a run. Jorge Cantu was involved in all six of the Marlins' runs, driving in five and scoring the sixth.

    Cardinals 4, Pirates 2: Pittsburgh has dropped eight of eleven since sweeping the then-hot Marlins April 20-22. At present, that looks like it could be their high water mark for 2009. Pujols went 4-4 with a homer. Just another day at the office.

    Brewers 15, Reds 3: No shutout = no win these days for Cincinnati, and this was certainly not one of those. Ryan Braun had a grand slam and two other RBIs. Bronson Arroyo road ERA: 1.69. Bronson Arroyo home ERA: 16.34. Mercifully, his next start is against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

    Rays 4, Yankees 3: A three-run double by Teixeira in the eighth kept this one from being ugly for the Yankees, but a Carlos Pena homer in the 10th inning does them in. I can't help but think that the Yankees would have won this one if they had simply slapped the Rays around a bit.

    Dodgers 10, Nats 3: 13-0 at home. All of the game stories are talking about "the most wins at home to start a season" which seems like a step beyond meaningful as far as records go. Too much like "most consecutive errorless night games on artificial turf" or something. What's important is that they're winning. If they dropped one at home and ripped off ten on the road, I'd find it more significant than if they won the next five at home and went 5-6 on the road, wouldn't you? More importantly, Clayton Kershaw is now seriously back on track, with his second excellent start in a row.

    Diamondbacks 3, Padres 1: Justin Upton is on a roll lately, hitting two homers and driving in three. Jake Peavy struck out 12 to no ultimate avail. He's taking on the distinct smell of a guy who will break out and go 10-1 down the stretch for a contender a la Doyle Alexander or Randy Johnson back in the day.

    Rangers 3, A's 2: If you're a struggling starting pitcher, the A's lineup will cure what ails you.

    Blue Jays 13, Angels 1: Yesterday I wrote about the Angels' best-in-league rotation ERA. Glad I didn't hold that one over until today. Sheesh. Halladay is now 6-1.

    Orioles 4, Twins 1: I've never been a fan of the unbalanced schedule for a number of reasons, and one of those reasons is that a team tends to only have one road trip to a given non-division ballpark a year, with that series often taking place early in the year. That stinks because (a) I like variety and want to see teams play one another more often; and (b) if there's rain, they'll go through stupid backflips to get a game in even when they shouldn't due to the difficulty in scheduling makeups. That's what happened here as the teams had to sit though hours of rain delays for what was ultimately a truncated game.

    Tigers vs. White Sox: Postponed: While rain is a real downer for baseball, you may be interested to know that it is cherished in other parts of the world and in other endeavors. For example, in Botswana, the Setswana word for rain, "pula," is used as the name of the national currency, in recognition of the economic importance of rain in that desert country. I'm guessing they're not big on baseball in Botswana.
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 5:47am (14) Comments