2007 MLB Trading Deadline
Holy crap - I might be the most incompetant sports blogger in the history of the whole InstaWebs. Seriously, we're in the middle of an historic run of sports stories, and I can only find the time to post here once?
Like I said last week, there's Mike Vick and his nomination for PETA President, Tim Donneghy and his 15 minute G
oodfellas cameo
, and Barry Bonds' chase at history (just as long as he can do it at home with no chance of being booed or scrutinized. Pretty please? He'll even "donate" stuff to the Hall of Fame...)
Now, add to that this week is the MLB Trading Deadline (I have
no idea how this snuck up on me) and the persistent rumor that the Boston Celtics may have just traded their way into the 2007/08 NBA Finals (with a legitimate shot to stop the Spurs/Suns).
I mean, where the hell have I been? (Besides Vegas and Atlantic City...)
I'm devoting the rest of this post to the MLB Trades and Rumors (including rumors that I'm starting...) Maybe I'll even come back tomorrow and discuss the Celtics, assuming anything happens.
So, tomorrow is "Trading day" in Major League Baseball (or it's today, if you're reading this post along with your morning coffee at your desk...) There have been a number of trades made in the past three weeks in MLB, and obviously the biggest name on the move appears to be Mark Teixeira going to Atlanta, pending physicals. To me, this move is good if, and only if, one of two things happens for the Braves - they win the World Series in '07 or '08 (or both), or Big Tex signs an extension before his deal expires next season.
The Braves are giving up a ton of talent in this trade, which is amazing considering the Rangers really
had to move Teixeira given all the publicity they've received this month. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the only current major leaguer on the move, but the other prospects Atlanta is giving up - SS Elvis Andrus and pitchers Matt Harrison and Neftali Feliz - all rate at top prospects in their organization.
Now, far be it for me to question a man as brilliant about the game of baseball as John Scheurholtz. This is the same man who turned former "top prospect" Andy Marte into Edgar Renteria, and still managed to get the Red Sox to pay $3M yearly to offset Renteria's salary.
In fact, for the most part, I believe that unless you have an absolute can't miss young prospect (Cole Hamels, Jonathon Papelbon, Jose Reyes, etc.) you don't think twice about trading them when given the chance to get a top level, high quality,
proven player. However, you don't necessarily move prospects for guys that are having career seasons at the right time (Victor Zambrano to the Mets, Heathcliff Slocumb to the Mariners and Jeff Suppan to the Red Sox all come to mind).
But in a situation like this, where everybody with any understanding of baseball knew that Mark Teixeira would not be a Ranger by season's end, I think the Braves still overpaid. The Rangers were originally asking for a ridiculous amount of talent from other teams (case in point - Texas asked Boston for Jon Lester, Manny DelCarmen
and minor league prospect Jacoby Ellsbury). There's no way that any team would pay their top three prospects in exchange for a very good player having a down year with only one more year on his contract.
But that's exactly what the Braves did. We'll never know how much they would have had to give up if they'd waited another 18 hours or so. But if they win it all in '07 or '08, or Teixeira falls back in love with the Atlanta area after leaving Georgia Tech, then it will have been worth it.
Now, as for the other moves made and rumored...
To me, the most significant move made so far (aside from Big Tex) was the Phillies grabbing Tad Iguchi from the White Sox. When Chase Utley broke his hand last week, Philadelphia fans nation-wide (alright... state-wide) (alright... city-wide) gasped as they thought that any hope of catching the Mets or staying in the Wild Card race went right out the door. In stepped Kenny Williams and the Chicago White Sox, trading away Iguchi for a Low A-Ball prospect (?!?) and saving the Phillies' chances.
Iguchi might not duplicate Utley's numbers - let's be honest, Utley is a top-3 second baseman in the majors - but he will at least provide them the best possible option to replace what they lost in Utley. With him in the infield, the Phillies at least stand a chance.
Of course, as I write this, I'm watching the Phillies lose two right fielders to leg injuries - Shane Victorino and Michael Bourn - within two innings of each other. So who knows, maybe they'll have to go grab Jermaine Dye too if they want to stay competetive. Injuries are the best way to level a playing field - the Mets are reeling with players on the DL - the teams on top usually get there by not only playing the best, but staying the healthiest.
As for the other deals... well, two more moves have been made today since the Teixeira story broke. The Mets grabbed Luis Castillo (very, VERY good pickup) and the Phillies added Kyle Lohse (?!?) to their rotation. The Castillo trade makes a lot of sense - the Mets needed help their blackhole at second, and the Twins are always looking to add more young, cheap prospects - in this case, a catcher and an outfielder. But the Phillies picking up a pitcher with career numbers of 60-74, 4.83 ERA - including this year's stellar 6-12, 4.58
in the NL Central - is a deal that rivals the D-Rays/Astros Dan Wheeler for Ty Wigginton head-scratcher.
But again, what do I know - I'm just a fan and a writer. These guys get paid to make these kind of mistakes - I'm spending hours writing about it just for fun. Maybe they've got it all figured out.
Quickly, before I end this, I had a nice day and a half in Atlantic City this weekend, playing cards and drinking beers with some friends that I hadn't seen in awhile. Perhaps more than anything else, the beers led to a fantastic
Quote of the Week from my buddy Knob while we ate dinner in the Hooter's restaurant in the Tropicana casino:
"
It's like I'm on the world's greatest safari - I just can't stop looking around..."Lata.
Labels: 2007, MLB, Trade Rumors, Where the hell have I been?
Welcome to Hell
My oh my. Which Federal Investigation involving the sports world to comment on first? The NBA referee who was allegedly shaving points for the mob over the past two seasons? The NFL Quarterback who has been indicted for sponsoring and running an illegal dog-fighting ring on his property? Or perhaps the fall of the most hallowed record in all of sports, being toppled by a man under Federal perjury investigation?
Quite a week to be a scandal reporter. Their BlackBerries are going to need a long charge after this is all sorted out.
I think for the purposes of this post, we’re going to stick to the Vick story. Mostly because I simply wish Barry Bonds would go away, and I don’t want to fall victim to the insta-reaction of the NBA case. Plus, I’m not that big of an NBA fan anyway, so why waste space with uninformed analysis? Let’s just say that if it’s true, that sport is in trouble.
I haven’t been a religious person for quite some time now, but I have always believed that there is a special section of Hell reserved for those that prey upon creatures that can’t defend themselves. Mike Vick may have just punched his ticket.
Ignoring the legal side of this story, the sports and sports business angles are absolutely fascinating. For starters, the guy is probably toast with any endorsements, no matter the outcome of any potential trial. It’s like a person whose name is tossed into any allegation of something heinous – rape, murder, etc. – no matter how it turns out, there’s always a lingering suspicion. There will always be people who believed that three Duke lacrosse players raped a “dancer” (re: hooker), no matter how much evidence is provided to the contrary.
Sure Nike hasn’t dumped his ass yet. Just wait. They’ve already pulled his “signature shoe” and are yanking ad campaigns left and right. I wouldn’t be surprised to see his other sponsors (I believe Gatorade falls into that category) pull their ads shortly.
The bigger business side of this is what happens if these sponsors threaten to pull ads from the NFL in general? Can you imagine watching a game without seeing someone telling us to Just Do It? Or what about not seeing Peyton Manning drinking a huge cup of Gatorade and sweating little fluorescent green and orange dots? (Actually, yes I can imagine that one. It’s a very pleasant thought.)
The NFL has got to be terrified that animal rights groups can convince big money advertisers to yank their sponsorships until Vick is suspended or expelled from the league. How does the NFL respond if that happens? If they suspend him and he’s acquitted, they look like fools. If they don’t suspend him and lose advertising dollars, the league could (for once) actually be looking at money trouble.
And that’s not even factoring in what might happen if he’s found guilty. You can’t tell me that other players aren’t participating in things like this as well (see Portis, Clinton), and that they see nothing wrong with it.
Although, the league seems to have no problem with convicted criminals playing for them (uh… possible double-murderer and former Super Bowl MVP Ray Lewis ring a bell?).
That’s the problem – even with the “get tough” stance of the new league front office, there is no way for them to come out of this without pissing somebody off. Either Falcons fans are angry that Vick is suspended/exiled, other fans are pissed that he’s not, and there’s always the advertising dollars to factor in. As we’ve seen with the NFL in the past, money drives the ship.
Of course, Vick will probably just plead out to some BS misdemeanor charge exactly the same way Lewis did, roll on his “friends”, and skate on the serious stuff to ensure that he stays out of jail. And then he can go back to being the most overrated QB in the history of the league.
Lata.
Labels: Dogs, Hell, NFL, Suspension, Vick
Why you don't support a real baseball team...
There was a big debate here in Pittsburgh last week about the state of the Pirates. Pittsburgh is and always will be a football town first - hell there's a TV commersial for a local news station advertising "News from your mobile phone", and the choices to read about are "News",
"Steelers", "Weather", "Sports" - but for many years from the 60's through the 80's, they were a very respectable baseball franchise. So what the hell happened?
This week, fans around Pittsburgh
planned a walkout during the June 30th game against the Washington Nationals - not exactly a National League powerhouse themselves. First mistake - if you're planning a ceremonial walkout on a game, try to do it on a night when the park is going to be full to see a halfway decent baseball team. As expected, the protest didn't have
nearly the impact it was planned for, as only about 1,500 people out of a crowd of 27,000 actually left.
I've been spoiled as a sports fan, growing up with the Red Sox, Patriots, C's & B's. No matter what, one of them was always competetive. In the 80's, it was the Celtics and to a lesser extens, the Bruins and Patriots. The 90's were slow for the first half, but blossomed with Super Bowl XXXII and the beginning of the Pedro Era in Fenway. Now, the Red Sox and Patriots are perennial contenders, and the
Celtics look like they're finally trying again.
But around Pittsburgh, it's the Steelers. Maybe the Penguins. But the Pirates are riding a
14-season losing streak, and staring straight at #15. And the thing is, the fans have a legitimate gripe. The problem is that no one seems willing to do anything about it.
In 2006, the Pirates
generated $137M in revenue, not counting revenue sharing from within the league (in a perfect case of irony... the photo used for the Pirates' team page on the Forbes list linked above is actually of Ryan Howard... he of
Philadelphia Phillies glory. Goes to show just how relevant the Pirates are). They opened a gorgeous new ballpark in 2001, paid for with city funding and owned entirely by the City of Pittsburgh. Yet their product still stinks. The team prefers to draw fans to the stadium with the promise of bobble-heads, worthless "collectible" team coins, and the monthly fireworks display (which
is pretty good, I must admit) rather than investing in the product on the field.
And sadly, it's working. Baseball in Pittsburgh is no longer relevant even within the city limits. PNC Park has become just a place to go while waiting for the latest update on Steelers' training camp. Last year the team generated $31M from gate revenues, while only spending $53 on team payroll. This season's
Opening Day Payroll was slightly under $39M, and that includes just over $5.5M being paid to players no longer with the team. In contrast,
the Red Sox are paying $140M+ in payroll, and they are the best team in baseball. The Yankees are
paying out more to players no longer on their roster than any single Pirate will make this season.
The Pirates generated the 4th lowest winning percentage in '06 while ranking #3 in overall profits - thanks largely to hosting the All-Star Game. And yet, even with no end in sight to the winning woes, fans continue to head to PNC for a game because the tickets are cheap, parking is abundant (hard to believe in this city), and the team keeps handing out freebies.
In fact, at
every single home game this season, there is some sort of giveaway or entertainment promotion planned. It's an effective ploy to get fans in the seats, but why not spend some of that money toward signing a free agent or two? This season's "big signings" were Tony Armas and Dan Kolb. Last season it was Joe Randa and Jeromy Burnitz. Yikes.
I can't fault the ownership for realizing long ago that they didn't need to put a top quality product on the field to continue to rake in money hand over fist. That's just good business sense. But if you're going to treat the team like nothing more than a cash cow, why not just tell the fans? It's clear that of the 20,000 or so people in attendance on an average night at PNC Park, 75% or more of them are just there for the atmosphere, probably couldn't tell you the difference between Jason Bay and Chesapeake Bay, and will continue to show up and buy concessions and souveniers whether the team wins 95 games or 65.
Just let the real baseball fans go support a different team in peace. Because until
everyone wakes up, not just 1,500 or so fans in a poorly thought-out protest, and realizes that this isn't going to change without a serious statement, the Pirates' ownership has no reason to do anything differently. One fan summed it up beautifully on a TV interview - "We paid $25 for these seats... why would we get up and walk out?" $25 for very good seats to a Major Laague ballgame - even if the product on the field is closer to a Quadruple-A team. Fans don't expect to pay a lot for their seats (The average ticket price at Fenway is exactly three times that of PNC Park; $51 to $17), they can't expect to get a lot of return on their investments. Hell, $25 in Boston won't even cover parking within six blocks of Fenway, unless you already own a parking spot (at about $200 a month...)
On that note, enjoy the 4th. I'm thinking about going to a Pirates' game to see fireworks, get a bobblehead, and see some band called "Big & Rich". Whatever.
Lata.
Labels: It's all about the Benjamins, MLB, Pirates, Revenue, Your team is a sham
