The Lee experiment didn't fail, the rest of the team failed around him. And with the recent clubhouse scuffle with Chone Figgins, its pretty clear Wakamatsu lost the clubhouse.

I probably should have worded that better since I meant more of the Mariners bought Lee as a cornerstone to developing a good rotation while helping Felix Hernandez develop more into a future great pitcher. Felix is already a good pitcher but could become even greater by having Lee there for a year or two.

Similar to Jon Lester on the Red Sox benefiting a lot when Beckett came to the team since it gave Lester a few more years to develop and gave the Red Sox a stronger rotation.

Didn't know about the recent scuffle with Figgins since it probably played a big role in getting the manager fired after the team kept slumping in an initial hyped up year.

If you're curious about the whole story, here it is:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5406300

Jason Heyward is 1 of 4 players to hit a home run on his 21st birthday.

Ted Williams, Frank Robinson, and A-Rod are the other 3.



That is a really cool useless stat there by Espn.

<font color=goldenrod>MLB, the Mets, the bat maker, Luis Castillo, and Ramon Castro (who loaned Castillo the bat) are being sued for an incident in August 2007 where the barrel of the bat broke and flew into the stands, breaking some poor schmuck's face. His face is now being held together by pins and needles.

I don't think people think before filing lawsuits like this. The back of every MLB ticket explicitly says that the team, MLB, players, agents, the city, etc. cannot be held accountable for any injuries suffered as a direct result of the game.</font>

I dont think the Cubs are gunna win 50 games. This is a joke.

Should I visit the Great American Ballpark or Target Field for a weekend series this September?

you can catch a lot of home run balls at Great American Ballpark

I like sitting baseline

So yesterday Brandon Phillips called the Cardinals players a bunch of whiny bitches. Today he steps up to the plate in the 1st inning and Yadier Molina gets in his face and the benches clear, Scott Rolen and Chris Carpenter get into it, and Mark McGwire gets trampled under the mob. LOVE THOSE PENNANT RACES

Holy shit, that was crazy.

Surprised they didn't just plunk Phillips to begin with.

They probably were planning on it until Molina got under his skin....or vice versa, depending on how you want to look at it.

The Reds series I might go to is the last of the season, against the Brewers. That could be hot if them and the Cards stay so close

Os have won 7 of 8 (pending 14-6 over the Tribe in the 9th) since Showalter started.

Theyve gone form barely winning 50 games to maybe improving on their 64 wins last year.

Showalter for AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR LOL

Can't believe Jay Gibbons has made it all the way back to the majors and even hit a home run tonight. Not saying they should make a movie about him, but he at least deserves his own segment on E:60 about this.

Molina hits a HR to rub it in. LOL

...on a related Cardinals note...I didn't know Tony LaRussa is a lawyer. He actually IS a lawyer and just chose to become a manager.

Maybe they can mention him in the movie about the Mitchell Report.

Why do Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa not like each other? What's there beef?

hey, I really dunno a lot about Gibbons, enlighten me plz

Ubaldo Jimenez's last three starts have all been 7 innings 4 hits and 1 earned run

I enjoy the consistency with which he pitches

I enjoy the Giants/Cards/Reds/Padres losing and the Dodgers winning

From wiki.

Steroid allegations

On September 30, 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that former relief pitcher Jason Grimsley, during a June 6, 2006, federal raid, told federal agents investigating steroids in baseball that Gibbons was a user of "anabolic steroids." The Times reported that Gibbons was one of five names blacked out in an affidavit filed in federal court.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference">[1]</sup> However, on October 3, 2006, the Washington Post reported that San Francisco United States attorney Kevin Ryan said that the Los Angeles Times report contained "significant inaccuracies."<sup id="cite_ref-WashingtonPost_1-0" class="reference">[2]</sup> Gibbons, along with the other four players named, denounced the story.<sup id="cite_ref-WashingtonPost_1-1" class="reference">[2]</sup> However, on September 9, 2007, Sports Illustrated reported that a source close to an Orlando-based compound pharmacy alleged that Gibbons had received multiple shipments of performance-enhancing steroids and human growth hormone (HGH) between October 2003 to July 2005.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference">[3]</sup>He was suspended for the first 15 games of the 2008 season on December 6, 2007.
On December 13, 2007, he was cited in the Mitchell Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation Into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference">[4]</sup>.
He was not suspended by Major League Baseball, but he performed so poorly in 2008 spring training that the Orioles cut him even though he was owed nearly $12 million for the last two years of his contract. The Orioles management claimed that the release was a "baseball decision" unrelated to the steroid allegations.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference">[5]</sup>

On June 12, 2008, Gibbons wrote an emotional letter to all 30 MLB clubs, asking to return to baseball, promising to donate his salary to charity.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference">[6]</sup> The only team that gave him a chance was the independent Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, a team unaffiliated with MLB. He played in 27 games for the Ducks, hitting .280 with 5 home runs in 107 at-bats.

LOL totally missed this angle on the Reds feed but the Cardinals feed shows Johnny Cueto kicking Jason LaRue in the head. That's gonna be a few games.


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Remember the days when fans would be yelling and screaming and pushing the players when they got up close to them during a brawl or something, now all anyone is doing is taking a picture with their cell phone.

Probably the Jays won't win the wild card. I say there's 85 percent chance the Yankees get at least the wild card. If not then it's gonna be the someone from the Central. Twins/Sox/Tigers.

What I'll never get is why baseball players are such pussies when it comes to fights. Let 2 guys go toe to toe, none of this bench clearing stuff :n:

What you're describing is every team sport except hockey. And hockey players do it too.

I loved it. I wish the Cubs would fight the Cards or Reds this year, but they're a bunch of corpses at this point. Accept Starlin Castro who has been amazing.

Don't put Johnny Cueto up against a wall.

The Cubs seem to be content with fighting each other this year

If the Cubs fans are content with singing that god awful song every time they win a game, they will never win a penant

I'm definitely watching this Reds Cards game today

The song is great actually. So many variations of the song i've come up with. " Go Cubs Go. Go Cubs Go! Hey everybody what do you say? Cubs gunna give up 17 runs today! Go Cubs Go... "

I pretty much come up with new lyrics everynight at work.

Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs GO!!! Hey everybody what do you say? Cargo just hit walk off hooray !

Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey everybody what do you say? Marmol is trying to blow this save!

that bench clearing brawl kind of looked like both teams were trying to lynch Johnny Cueto

My honest observations of the Cubs fans are that they are way too content with the team sucking. They seem to not care that the team is 15 games out and everyone blows, they're just happy they have a team/got the W that day.
I guess it's probably because they're just calmer people, or have accepted that. I dunno

Wrigley is great though. I hate the scoreboard though