Tag Archives: Mlb

Nov 18

Ruben Tejada Has Grievance With Mets

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I have no idea whether the New York Mets deliberately delayed recalling shortstop Ruben Tejada last September, nor do I care. ESPN reported Tejada’s agents are considering filing a grievance against the Mets because the move delays Tejada’s free-agency eligibility until after the 2017.

That’s three years from now, and there’s a better than reasonable chance Tejada won’t be with the team by then. The advantage in delaying Tejada’s eligibility is it could make him easier to trade, something the Mets would do faster than it takes the moody shortstop to sometimes run to first base.

TEJADA: A moment of hustle.

TEJADA: A moment of hustle.

That Tejada would rather spend his energy fighting with the Mets on something they had a right to do instead of trying to improve his game, shows where his head is. Actually, the Mets could hasten his free agency by releasing him now, but they are holding out somebody might bite.

The bottom line is Tejada has been a disappointment, both in the field and at the plate. Tejada has been a thorn to manager Terry Collins by his lackadaisical attitude, which included not reporting to spring training earlier than he hoped two springs ago. Tejada had no obligation to do so, but considering he went into spring training with the inside track on the job vacated by Jose Reyes.

It showed disinterest on Tejada’s part. Luckily for him, he salvaged his season by hitting .289 with a .333 on-base percentage. It appeared Tejada could fill the void, but last year he had miserable start defensively and at the plate. He was later injured and went to the minor leagues. Tejada was activated, but showed little signs of improvement and ended the season breaking his leg.

If any party has a grievance here, it is the Mets for how Tejada has performed.

The Mets are attempting to upgrade at shortstop, but are out of it financially with Stephen Drew. The Yankees re-signed Brendan Ryan Monday, which takes a reasonably priced defender off the market.

Reportedly, the Mets are targeting Jhonny Peralta, who served a 50-game suspension for failing the MLB’s drug policy. Peralta is a lifetime .268 hitter with a .330 on-base percentage and has averaged 18 homers and 82 RBI during is 12-year career with Cleveland and Detroit. In seven of those seasons he struck out more than 100 times, and had two more years with 95 or more.

However, those numbers are suspect because of the PED infraction, and must also be looked at skeptically when considering what he might hit at spacious Citi Field.

The two-time All-Star made $6-million last year with the Tigers.

Peralta, if his numbers weren’t a fluke, would instantly upgrade the Mets’ at-times anemic offense. His defense isn’t as good as Tejada’s, but when Tejada is playing with his head in the clouds, his defense isn’t red hot, either.

Oct 27

Obstruction Play Handled Perfectly By MLB

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In the 109 years the World Series has been played, never has a game ended with a runner scoring on an obstruction play until Saturday night. Let’s hear it for Major League Baseball falling for the flawed reasoning that “you don’t make that call to end a World Series game.’’

Well, why not? It that’s the rule, and that’s what happened, then call it as such. There’s a reason why that rule is in place, so make the correct play. Baseball and its fans deserve as much.

Obstruction play handled perfectly. (AP)

Obstruction play handled perfectly. (AP)

Major League Baseball and its umpires handled everything superbly, with third base umpire Jim Joyce immediately making the call that gave the Cardinals a 2-to-1 Series lead.

The rule dictates “intent’’ is not relevant in making the call, nor should it be. Will Middlebrooks did not get out of the way in time, and consequently Allen Craig stumbled over him and was thereby awarded home.

It just happened to come in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 3, giving the Cardinals a “stumble off’’ victory.

Middlebrooks kept saying after the game that “I had nowhere else to go.’’ It’s surprising how many players, in all sports, don’t know the rules of the games they play.

“Just to go over the rule quickly, obstruction is the act of a fielder obstructing a runner when not in the act of fielding a ball. It does not have to be intent,’’ crew chief John Hirschbeck said. “There does not have to be intent, OK? Once he has the opportunity to field the ball, he can no longer in any way obstruct the runner. That’s basically the rule.’’

No, that’s not basically the rule. It is the rule.

Middlebrooks could not come up with catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s errant throw. Fact. He could not get out of Craig’s way. Fact.

Joyce made the correct ruling, and also a fact, Major League Baseball’s umpires did not hide behind a press release or pool reporter, but had all the principles involved accountable to answer any and all questions.

There weren’t too many complaints as to how the play was hoped, and I would hope MLB learns from that and lets its umpires be more open in addressing significant calls.

Major League Baseball did make the decision to review the rule regarding the issue of intent, but here’s hoping they don’t allow Saturday night’s controversial ending put the burden of having its umpires now judge intent.

Previously, the decision was simple in that either the defender was in the way or he wasn’t. Just because one game ended on an obstruction play, don’t make it so the umpires have to read a defender’s mind.

Oct 26

World Series Return To St. Louis Reminder Of MLB Gimmicks

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Can you imagine in the NBA finals with the team holding the home court advantage being allowed to shoot a three-point shot while the other is not? Can you imagine one team in the Super Bowl allowed to go for a two-point conversion while the other is not?

However, Major League Baseball continues on with its inane designated-hitter rule, which is a blatant advantage to the National League. It defines unfairness, and with it also reminds us of some of the issues that takes away from the sport.

Whether you are for the Red Sox or not, you must admit the unfairness of them being denied an aspect of their game that they played with all season.

That’s just one more aspect of how MLB devalues its most valuable entity, which is the World Series. Another is the decision to award home field to the league that wins the totally unrelated exhibition otherwise known as the World Series.

For nearly a century home field was determined on a rotating basis. To go away from tradition to boost the sagging interest of the All-Star Game, brought on by the gimmick of interleague play is part of the legacy of Bud Selig’s tenure as commissioner.

This is one of the rare seasons when the teams with the best record in each league reached the World Series. Now that they are here, it doesn’t seem right a gimmick, a fad, could dictate the winner.

Why leave it to chance?  Either both leagues play with the designated hitter or they do not. Stop with the fads and let the best part of your game – the World Series – shine.

And, do it at a time of night that enables tomorrow’s fans, and ticket buyers, to stay up to watch. It’s a great game and everything should be done to take care of it and show it in its proper light, with none of these detracting issues.

Oct 23

Bloomberg: Mets Valued At $2.1 Billion

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Nobody in Major League Baseball, much less commissioner Bud Selig, can be happy about this news. According to “The Daily Ticker,’’ an Internet website that focuses on financial issues, Bloomberg Billionaires is reporting ten teams are worth more than $1 billion, including your New York Mets, who are tied for second with the Dodgers and Red Sox at $2.1 billion.

The Yankees, not surprisingly, are first at $3.1 billion.

imgresThe report was announced as Game 1 of the World Series approached, which has to make MLB executives steaming because their stance has been to always cry poverty. The numbers are 35 percent higher than the annual Forbes figures, which MLB never confirms nor deny. Matt Miller, editor of Bloomberg, said the Dodgers’ sale changed the landscape of how franchises are valued.

“ … You have to value all of the assets when it comes to the teams, you can’t just do revenue from ticket sales, concessions and stadium-type deals and merchandising,’’ Miller said. “Really the driver of this is regional sports networks.’’

That brings us to the Yankees’ YES Network and the Mets’ SNY, whose ratings were down by a reported 31.6 percent. However, it is more about than just the number of people who tune in to watch Gary, Keith and Ron. What the Bloomberg report did not reveal was the formula in which a franchise is valued. It is also hard to come up with a number because the news outlet does not have access to the Mets’ books.

Also reportedly worth over a billion are the Cubs ($1.3 billion), Giants ($1.2 billion), Orioles ($1.1 billion), Angels ($1.1 billion), Philadelphia ($1 billion) and Rangers ($1 billion). With the exception of the Red Sox and Cubs, all play in new stadiums. The Angels play in a refurbished stadium, plus in weather-friendly Southern California.

We’re talking about real estate.

The Dodgers’ sale includes the vast acreage for parking outside the stadium, which is what part of the original attraction was for owner Walter O’Malley when he moved the franchise from Brooklyn.

The Yankees’ value, in addition to YES and the new stadium, is the brand, which includes 27 World Series titles and a relationship with Manchester United, arguably one of the world’s most popular soccer teams. The Yankees also have a marketing relationship with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

Meanwhile, the Mets have SNY, Citi Field and the land surrounding the park. There are plans to rid the area of the auto repair shops across the street and replace them with hotels, restaurants and a shopping center. While those plans are on an architects’ drawing pad, they exist and presumably there is value in that, in addition to the proximity of a major subway stop, highway and LaGuardia Airport. When you are listed as an attraction, being close to transportation outlets enhances your value.

The first question is undoubtedly, if they are worth that much, then why don’t they spend more money? It is a logical question, but it must be noted the worth is not simply liquid, and there are different sectors other than the baseball operations where the Mets can’t dip into for player acquisition. It also must be remembered there’s the intangible value of being a professional sports franchise in New York City.

Oct 09

Backman Is “Sweet Lou” With Baggage

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wally backman

John Erardi of the Cincinnati Enquirer had some glowing remarks about former Met and current Las Vegas 51s manager Wally Backman as he wonders if he could be the right man to manage the Reds going forward. Much as I like the idea of Reds pitching coach Bryan Price being elevated to manage the Reds, he writes, I’d also think about going in search of a young version of Lou Piniella.

I have no idea of who, almost a quarter of a century later, is the modern-day ‘‘Sweet Lou,’’ that is, somebody with attitude and confidence (even swagger), most notably with something to prove. he opines before answering his own question by saying he’d consider interviewing a Wally Backman-type, or better yet, Wally Backman himself. What are the odds of that happening? Click here to view MLB odds.

If the Reds are looking for a fiery manager, I think Backman fits that mold. Of course, this is all speculation by Erardi and there’s no rumors out there that the Reds have any interest in interviewing Wally for the job, but maybe the Cincinnati front office should take heed here.

Lord knows, Backman’s got something to prove, he says. “It’s obvious his former team — he was the second baseman for the 1986 World Champion New York Mets, for whom he’s managed and rehabilitated his way through the minors, and is slated to return to Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas next year — isn’t going to elevate him anytime soon.”

I love how he refers to Backman as ‘‘Sweet Lou with baggage’’ in his article. It’s perfect.

“There are worse things one could be called. If I were the Reds, I’d give him a call. Even if Backman isn’t envisioned to be a young Sweet Lou by the Reds’ brass, I’m willing to bet he would have some very interesting things to say about what he would do to light a fire underneath the players.”

I feel bad for Wally, and as I’ve said many times before, the Mets front office would never put their team in his hands. They hardly even view him as a coach on the major league level, let alone manager. Sadly, managing the Mets Triple-A affiliate will be the apex of Backman’s managerial exploits for the Mets organization.