Baseball. Blogging. Whenever.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Sign this petition


I've signed way less important petitions than this one.

To: Major League Baseball, MLB Network

We the undersigned humbly, and with all due respect, ask the MLB Network to air the June 12, 1970 game between the San Diego Padres and the Pittsburgh Pirates. On that day the Pirates' pitcher
Dock Phillip Ellis threw what was at the time the 3rd no-hitter in Pirates history and it was a seminal moment in baseball history. The fans would like to relive this moment and want to see it rerun on the MLB Network.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Do your part for democracy here.

Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 1:01pm (18) Comments

My Morning in Exile


So I'm trying to decide if, upon leaving the legal job, I'm going to keep the law license active or let it slip into inactive status. On the one hand, letting it go inactive saves me several hundred dollars and about 15 hours sitting in a classroom taking continuing legal education classes between now and the end of December. On the other hand, not actually having my license active will prevent me from filing all of those nuisance lawsuits I had always envisioned slapping on people once I left the legal job. I mean sure, I could reactivate the license by filing some paperwork and paying a small fee, but that takes a few days. What happens if I get really angry and need to sue them RIGHT NOW?!

  • "He was a little poopy-pants the rest of the afternoon." This, surprisingly, is not a story about George Brett.


  • Andrew Zimbalist makes the case that the Yankees did not buy their championship. This would be a more impressive claim if it was a decade ago and people still believed everything Andrew Zimbalist says.


  • The Blue Jays traded a third baseman to the Reds a few months ago and got a third baseman in return. Now they may try to get a third baseman from the Reds. No word yet if they'll also try to get a third baseman from the Reds during spring training or at next summer's deadline. I kind of hope they do, though, because eventually they'd have to get to Sabo, right?


  • The weirdest thing about all of this is that before this morning I had no idea that Mike Ilitch's wife owned a casino. Remember back when Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle got banned from baseball for simply doing promotion crap with a casino long after they retired? The game, she is different now.


  • Rookies of the Year to be announced today. When are they gonna do the right thing and name the award after Bob Hamelin?


  • I wonder just how much GMs discount performances by NL players these days. Does everyone do this, or is it really like two or three actually running numbers? I have no clue. Anyone know how these conversations really go inside front offices?


    • Another career question: Starting in December, how am I supposed to answer when people ask me what I do for a living? It seems a little presumptuous of me to say "baseball writer." Roger Angell is a baseball writer. Joe Posnanski is a baseball writer. I snark on headlines and argue with people all day. At the same time, if I say "baseball blogger," about 97% of the people are going to respond with "that's . . .that's a job?" So many questions.

    UPDATE: Mrs. Shyster is too good to comment among you heathens, but she did just email me and suggest that I answer thusly in response to such questions. This is why I love Mrs. Shyster.
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 11:25am (28) Comments

    Friday, November 13, 2009

    Mr. GQ


    So, like, I was building this prototype teleportation machine, and just as I was about to test it on Derek Jeter, the Unfrozen Caveman version of Johnny Damon accidentally fell into the transport pod. Total mess.
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 3:57pm (5) Comments

    “The New York Mets will be facilitating activities that directly violate international law”


    If you were to tell me that a Major League team bumbled its way into an international incident, I would immediately say "The Mets. It was the Mets, right?" I mean, is there any other possible answer?
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 3:29pm (16) Comments

    My Morning in Exile


    Water on the moon? "The Lcross Mission" Noah Cross? Water where it should not naturally be? Forget it Jake . . .

  • Brent Mayne has the most sensible insight I've heard regarding signs since I saw the live recording of Five Man Acoustical Jam at the Trocadero. No, I wasn't there to see Tesla. I thought it was a Dead Milkmen show.


  • We all go a little mad sometimes.


  • The Nats are gonna pull a Belliard. If that doesn't work, they can try a Boeski, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, two Jethros and a Leon Spinks, not to mention the biggest Ella Fitzgerald ever. Yeah, I know I've used that one before.


  • You know what would be cool? The Silver Surfer Awards. Wait, that's no good. Norrin Radd would just win it every year. Unless Torii Hunter discovers the Power Cosmic.


  • The Rangers can't afford a buck fifty for a Cherry Coke Zero, yet they want Vlad Guerrero. Whatever.


  • You're not gonna believe this, but Heyman says that Boras says that a Boras client is, like, super valuable and highly desirable. I know. I'm just as shocked as you are.


    • I don't know why those kitty cats were even nosin' around for water up there. Don't they know what happens to nosy fellows? Huh? No? Wanna guess? Huh? No?
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 1:15pm (9) Comments

    Thursday, November 12, 2009

    My Morning in Exile


    When you have Wednesday off work, Thursday is Monday. Considering that Monday sucks and that I never really got the hang of Thursdays, I'm just really off my game today. Maybe I'd feel better if opposing counsel in one of my cases were to call me and say he was going to "take a meat axe" to me. Damn, that happened this morning too, and it only made me feel happy for a little while. Sigh.

  • You know you've done something wrong in this world when lying drug dealer who was once implicated in an alleged date-rape drug incident (and lied to police about it) sues you for defamation of character . . . and has the stronger case.


  • The whole Mauer-is-talking-to-the-Twins thing from yesterday? Nope. There's no there there. Which reminds me: he's not talking to Oakland either.
    • .

  • The only thing I could think that would be worse for a player than being released is to be traded to the Venezuelan League.


  • We interrupt this "Yankees Buy Everyone!" complaint-fest to report that the Angels may in fact be willing and able to keep their high profile free agents.


  • Seeing Derek Jeter in another team's uniform would be like, hell, I dunno, seeing Michael Jordan or Joe Montana playing for someone other than the Bulls and 49ers. Wait. Bad examples.


  • One day there will be only two categories of former Braves players: those who the Royals have signed, and those who died before they got the chance. Though I hear that Moore is willing to give Lefty Tyler a look-see.


    • I should totally set up a status conference in the case with the meat axe guy for November 30th.
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 1:02pm (17) Comments

    Wednesday, November 11, 2009

    Two thoughts on Marvin Miller


    I wrote over at NBC this morning that I think Marvin Miller was a no-brainer for the Hall of Fame. Not everyone agrees with that. Not even some pretty damn reasonable people. Here are two perspectives. First Rob Neyer:

    I mentioned this morning that I'm still an agnostic regarding Whitey Herzog's Hall of Fame candidacy. I suppose I'm also agnostic about Marvin Miller. Before you tear my head off, let me ask you one question: If you believe that Marvin Miller belongs, would you be comfortable with Scott Boras someday joining Miller? Because Boras, too, has been historically significant and reaped untold millions of dollars for the players.

    Point taken, but doesn't the innovation trump mere exploitation? Isn't comparing Miller to Boras this like comparing Henry Ford and Lee Iacocca? Wait, that's not even fair. Iacocca at least developed the Mustang. Isn't that like comparing Ford and the CEO of Toyota? If there's an automobile Hall of Fame Ford's in it. The CEO of Toyota isn't.

    Another perspective comes from NBC commenter Simon DelMonte (don't worry; he's one of the reasonable ones over there):

    I'm as pro-union as they come in this day and age, the son of a proud member of the teachers union. And I usually agree with Marvin Miller when he gives interviews on the state of affairs in baseball. But I still feel uncomfortable about having him in the Hall. His accomplishments were off the field. Period. And just don't know if they helped the game. Helped the players, yes. The game? I don't think so.

    Can I offer a compromise candidate in Curt Flood? Here is a brave man who changed the game as well, but was also a pretty good player. And someone who, unlike Miller, basically lost his career for his principles.

    Well, for starters there are a lot of guys in the Hall whose accomplishments were "off the field," so that's a non-starter. I understand the thinking behind the "good for the players and not the game" argument, but I don't buy it. The game is radically different now than it was before free agency, I'll grant that. But I think it's a tall order to say that the game is worse off. More people watch it now. Everyone makes more money. The quality of play remains high. There is competitive imbalance, but is it any worse than what we saw during the alleged Golden Age? Are Royals fans really worse off than St. Louis Browns fans were? Wait, we can't answer that because there are no more St. Louis Browns.

    As for Flood: if you're inclined to put him in the Hall of Fame, I can't see how you can argue against Miller. Miller was behind Flood's challenge in the first place. If failed in his case. Miller persisted and ultimately won with other players what could not be won with Flood alone. Ultimately they were after the same thing, and one succeeded where the other failed. Why honor the guy who failed instead of the one who succeeded? Put less harshly, why honor the name out in front of the challenge instead of the mastermind?

    Ultimately my argument for Miller comes down to this: there were three times in baseball history where everything frickin' changed: the end of the deadball era, the integration of baseball and the advent of free agency. Marvin Miller was the force behind that third one. How can you not honor that?
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 4:28pm (30) Comments

    My Morning in Exile


    Sorry for the late Exile post, but I had the great fortune of taking a cat to be euthanized! Second one this year! On the bright side: the lone remaining cat has been on his absolute best behavior for the past two hours. Anyway:

  • I like Whitey Herzog, Billy Martin and Marvin Miller for the Hall. Which means that none of them will make it.


  • There's nothin' else goin' on, so why not argue over the DH? As soon as we get that sorted, we'll move on to easier subjects like religion and politics and abortion and stuff.


  • Varitek and other Red Sox stuff.


  • I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Yes, sir. Are you listening? Yes, I am. Genetics. Just how do you mean that, sir?


  • The Law of Conservation of Molinas in action.


  • Can we still call Dave Dombrowski a solid GM given that he has has Dontrelle Willis on the hook for $12 million, Jeremy Bonderman on the hook for $12.5 million and Nate Robertson on the hook for $10 million, but has to trade Edwin Jackson because he might make, like, $6 million?


    • R.I.P., Ringo. Watch your ass George.
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 1:02pm (17) Comments

    Tuesday, November 10, 2009

    My Morning in Exile


    Before we get to the posts, take a look at some amazing pictures of that Utah salt flat NASA tried to sucker us into believing was the moon forty years ago.

  • "If you look beyond the Yankees" there is no competitive balance problem in baseball. And if you leave out the killings, Washington has a very low crime rate!


  • There's a construction law case I worked on at my old firm that has been active since 2000 with no end in sight. The 2003 steroids testing raid is gaining.


  • There aren't many rallying cries less inspiring than "Bring back Riggleman!" but in this case it's probably the right call.


  • Right now I wouldn't bet against John Lackey winding up in the Bronx.


  • Varitek exercises his option. Sadly, he pulled it while exercising it and will be on the 15 day DL.


  • Mark Cuban says he'd buy the Dodgers if they were up for sale. If the McCourt battle gets as ugly as I suspect it will, he may actually look like a palatable option to Major League Baseball for the first time ever.


    • I wish the photo at the link would have focused more on the West Crater so we could see the Monolith. Wait -- It's buried 40 feet below the lunar surface near the crater Tycho. Forget I said anything.

    UPDATE: The 2001 reference got me surfing, and I made it over to the "memorable quotes" section of the IMDB page for the sequel, "2010." This passage stood out:

    Heywood Floyd: I'd love a hot dog.

    Walter Curnow: Astrodome. Good hot dogs there.

    Heywood Floyd: Astrodome? You can't grow a good hot dog indoors. Yankee Stadium. September. The hot dogs have been boiling since opening day in April. Now that's a hot dog.

    Walter Curnow: The yellow mustard or the darker kind?

    Heywood Floyd: The darker kind.

    Walter Curnow: Very important.

    It's not quite 2010, and neither of those stadiums exist anymore. I can't help but think the writers of the flick, back in 1984, thought "well, the Astrodome is totally futuristic, so it'll still be around 25 years from now. And Yankee Stadium is freakin' Yankee Stadium. Let's go with those references.!"

    And while I'm rambling, allow me to go on record as absolutely loving "2010." No, 2001 didn't call out for a sequel -- quite the opposite actually -- and it's not as good as 2001, not does it even attempt to be. But it works on its own merits, and has a bunch of nifty performances by actors I really like. Lithgow and Scheider mostly, but the always welcome Bob Balaban as well. I probably watched that flick on HBO 100 times when I was a kid, and if it's ever on now -- usually SciFi or some other low rent channel -- I'll watch it all the way through again.
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 11:20am (16) Comments

    Don’t bring Griffey back Seattle


    The Seattle Times' Larry Stone thinks that the Mariners should bring Ken Griffey Jr. back. There are many words, but it essentially boils down to this:

    I believe Griffey still has something to offer. He can tickle Ichiro, bring laughter to the clubhouse, hit an occasional bomb and take one more crack at October.

    Sounds great to me.

    With the exception of the occasional bomb, he can do those things as a bench coach. And those occasional bombs are more than outweighed by his other liabilities. Just say no, Seattle.

    Retire his number on opening day. Enshrine him in any Hall of Fame at your disposal. Offer him any job in the organization he wants this side of GM. But don't give the man a roster spot.
    Posted by Craig Calcaterra at 10:20am (12) Comments

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