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Pro Sports Wrap - Sports Personality of the Day:Tony Romo

I was left shaking my head in disgust when looking at the title on Yahoo! Sports baseball homepage for the free agent tracker. I've never liked Jeff Passan to begin with, but calling somebody a "major league imposter" is uncalled for and bush league. Everyone's favorite Yankee-hater and Rays-lover is at it again, and I really hope he learns to tone it down. It's one thing to criticize a player, but it's another thing when you insult them to that degree.

Because of injuries, GM Sandy Alderson won't re-sign Jose Reyes to a contract longer than five years. That makes a lot of sense, and I wouldn't give him over five years with or without injuries. This is a guy who could very easily bust out of his contract, because he is a 28 year old shortstop who relies heavily on speed. The Nats and Brewers appear to be the frontrunners, and I am sure that he won't make "Crawford money" in light of how that deal went down.


With Mike Quade fired and Theo Epstein kicking into "regime-mode", Mike Maddux and Dale Sveum- two former big-leaguers- could be in the mix to become the team's next manager. However, the Cubs are not talking with their legendary second baseman Ryne Sandberg. No, it's the Cardinals who are interested in his services.

As far the Cardinals go, they are talking with guys like Terry Francona, third base coach and former Cardinals big-leaguer Jose Oquendo, Joe McEwing, and Mike Matheny. These are some of the many very solid candidates that the Cards are considering, and it looks like there shouldn't be a huge drop-off in quality at manager; an overrated position anyway.

The D'Backs received John McDonald in a trade this offseason, and they have already re-signed him to a two-year deal worth three million. They are about to re-sign backup catcher Henry Blanco, but teammate Willie Bloomquist hasn't been talking after declining his half of the option- as did Blanco. Both were mutual options that the team picked up.

Jose Reyes
Brew Crew and Nats interested

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We all know that TLR retired, Davey Johnson is getting ready for another season in Washington, the Sabathia deal, and the moves dealing with Dempster, Grady, and Carmona. I don't want to focus on those moves at the moment, but I will take a look at the Derek Lowe trade and the obvious Brian Cashman re-signing.

Derek Lowe was traded to the Indians for some random minor leaguer, and the Braves will pay ten of the 15 million that the righty is due in 2012. It's a good deal for both teams, as the Braves save some money and get a prospect while getting rid of a starter in a crowded rotation. Lowe has always oupitched his ERA, in that his predictive stats are always better than his actual earned runs allowed. I do expect him to have a better 2012 campaign, but he won't set the world on fire (it's Derek Lowe guys). Still, the Indians get an above-average pitcher who fits in nicely.

We all knew that Brian Cashman was going to get re-signed, and the best GM in baseball was given a three year deal a day after his contract ran out. Yeah, he's definitely with the Yanks for the long term. The problem is that Cashman sometimes gets overrided by guys like Oppenheimer, Hal, and Levine; but he rarely ever makes a wrong move and has mastered the ways of faking out a rival. How you likin' Crawford guys in Boston?

I am hearing that the big stars like James Shields, Aramis Ramirez, and Albert Pujols are going to stay put with their respective teams. I doubt the Cubs bring back A-Ram, but it wouldn't be the stupidest idea seeing that he is still a decent hitter at arguably the weakest offensive position in baseball. Shields is staying for sure, and I bet Pujols sticks with the team that he belongs with. I say this because I can't possibly visualize him playing for a team like the Cubs at all.
Derek Lowe
Indians
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1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury- Is good at everything- especially speed and D- and plays at a position of weakness in the league.

2. 2B Dustin Pedroia- Best defensive infielder in baseball who is also more than capable with the stick. And oh yeah, positional adjustment favors him too.

3. 1B Adrian Gonzalez- The team's best hitter.

4. 3B Kevin Youkilis- Had a down year, but has added value as one of the best power-hitting third basemen in the league. I mean, the worst position in baseball hitting-wise is currently third.

5. SP Jon Lester- More consistent than Beckett, but you wouldn't fully believe that from this year's numbers. But then again, we can't take one season's numbers too seriously.

6. SP Josh Beckett- For as inconsistent as he is from season to season, his averaged out FIP is one of the best out there. The guy is lights out and has the nasty curve to prove it.

7. CP Johnathan Papelbon- Red Sox fans love to dirt on him- they love to dirt on everybody- but this guy is easily one of the best relievers in baseball. I remember a friend was talking about how much he thinks Paps is overrated and isn't a good closer, but I don't think we were watching the same pitcher.

8. SP Clay Buchholz- If he pitched at least 125 innings this year, the Sox would have made the playoffs.

9. RP Daniel Bard- Definitely is a closing-quality reliever, but he is a much needed set-up man. He threw more innings than Paps, so they are still maxing out value. You don't need to be a closer to make your presence felt (Jonny Venters). Outside the triumvirate of Bard, Papelbon, and Alfredo Aceves; there isn't much to like about this team's pen.

10. DH David Ortiz- Yes, I am the guy who penalizes DHs for being just that.

11. LF Carl Crawford- I still think a rebound is in order, but he still won't make this contract look any better.

12. SS Marco Scutaro- A solid hitting shortstop who knows how to get on base and doesn't play bad D either.

13. RF Josh Reddick- J.D. Drew, your time has passed.

14. RP Alfredo Aceves- Eats up innings in the pen but is an extremely lucky pitcher.

15. C Jarrod Saltalamacchia- I've seen worse than this league-average catcher, and I really had a hard time picking somebody for the fifteenth and final slot.
Alfredo Aceves
Huge gap between FIP and ERA in over 100 innings out of the pen this year
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6/19 Red Sox Injury Report

June 19th 2011 14:09
1. Carl Crawford

The star left fielder was put on the disabled list with a Grade 1 strain on his left hamstring. The training staff didn't want to take any risks with a player of his caliber, but I wish they didn't go this far to put him on the DL.

2. Bobby Jenks

Jenks threw 45 pitches off flat ground, and he has back tightness. He won't be back immediately after the 15 days that have transpired since the injury. I think he'll be back just before the month ends.

“He assured us that he won’t do too much,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “We don’t want any setbacks with this. I think he’s on board with that. He’s being pretty logical about it.”

3. Jed Lowrie

Lowrie injured his left shoulder, and he is scheduled to take an MRI. The injury is very recent, and it seems like deja vu with the whole Jacoby Ellsbury thing last year. He tried to play through the pain, but he couldn't and said that he felt it pop out or something. The good thing is that the first MRI showed no structural damage, but there needs to be a second MRI to confirm everything.

4. Rich Hill

Hill is always injured, so it wasn't a surprise to see him land there on the 2nd of June. Dr. James Andrews said that the injury has nothing to do with Hill's new sidearm delivery. The injury? Yup, Tommy John. It's another crushing setback for a pitcher who always seems to get injured.

5. Daisuke Matsuzaka

This is another guy who had Tommy John surgery, and he is another guy- Lowrie's the other- who was seen by Dr. Lewis Yocum. Will Matsuzaka ever get a break?

6. Junichi Tazawa

He has made progress in his minor league rehab assignments after having Tommy John surgery last year. His offspeed stuff has gotten better, but his velocity needs to get back to where it was.

7. Franklin Morales

Morales pitched his third rehab game in AAA, and he will get some time off. The goal is to have him throw 30 pitches in his next outing. His velocity is at 92 miles per hour right now, but it still needs to climb back up to where it was.
Rich Hill
Always Injured
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6/19 Daily Rundown: Crawford on DL

June 19th 2011 05:53
1. Hamstring Sends Crawford to DL

Carl Crawford was put on the 15-day DL for a minor hamstring injury. The injury happened in a 10-4 win over the Brewers, and the hamstring was viewed as a Grade 1 strain. The medical staff thought it would be best for him to rest up his hamstring. Crawford was injured after beating it out for an infield single


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5/21 Baseball Stats Check

May 21st 2011 15:56
1. Jonny Gomes has the lowest BABIP at .185 as well as the 14th highest strikeout rate 31.2%. He is hitting .176.

2. A.J. Pierzynski is hitting .252, but he has the lowest strikeout rate in the league at 5.8


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3/2011 Team Scope: Boston Red Sox

March 30th 2011 14:52
The Red Sox made huge acquisitions in this off-season. They two of the best hitters in the game in Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. The Sox also added former star closer Bobby Jenks as well as solid reliever Dan Wheeler from their division rivals in Tampa. It's going to be a big year and another division win for the Red Sox. I just can't see how any team in the AL will keep up with this juggernaut.

Gonzalez is primed for a huge year after having several great ones in one of the heaviest pitchers' parks in baseball. Gonzo is ready for an MVP year on his new team, and he's going to be well acquainted with Fenway. Dustin Pedroia is solid as ever at second, and Marco Scutaro can score runs at short. The Youk moves over to the hot corner, and he's one of the most consistent hitters in the MLB


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