Sunday Morning Links

A quick look around the league

• Former White Sox (Sock?) Orlando Cabrera signed with the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.
• In other old infielder news, Melvin Mora has signed a one-year deal with the Rockies.
• Could Mario Lemieux's interest in the Pirates have something to do with starting a television network in Pittsburgh?
• As you'd expect, the only thing most fans at TwinsFest want to know about is what's going on with Joe Mauer's contract situation.
• If Mauer did leave Minnesota, Justin Morneau would have to pick up the torch.  So he's getting some practice doing just that in Vancouver.
• The Dodgers are talking to former Angel Garret Anderson.
• Buster Olney returns from his mini-vacation to talk about what's going on with Johnny Damon.
• Phil Rogers thinks Damon will end up in Detroit.
• Joba Chamberlain wants to be a starter in 2010.
• Contract talks between Justin Verlander and the Tigers are starting at five years, $75 million.
• Some ideas from Gord Ash for fixing the amateur draft.
• Ah, yes, the seldom used but very effective "my client is a slut" defense.
• And, finally, a random link.

Is Mario Lemieux Trying To Buy The Pirates?

I have never liked Mario Lemieux.  The genesis for this hatred was in 1992 when he, along with Jaromir Jagr and the rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins, swept the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals.  It was the first year I followed hockey, and it was a rather rude introduction.  Especially considering that the next sixteen years were filled with a whole lot of bad Blackhawks teams.

Well, now it looks like I may have to start hating the Pittsburgh Pirates, for whom I've always held some affection since they were the first team I played for in Little League baseball.  The reason for this is that, depending on who you ask, Lemieux and the man he co-owns the Penguins with, Ron Burkle, have apparently made an offer to buy the Pirates.

Get Ready For "Jersey? Sure" Night

Last night's television slate was pretty weak during primetime, as all of the Thursday NBC shows I normally watch were reruns. Still, once 9pm hit, things got interesting. There was a new episode of "Archer" on FX and afterwards, the Blackhawks game against San Jose got started. Follow that up with some Wilco on Craig Ferguson, and it was a nice way to spend an evening.

Still, there was something missing.

Though I didn't want it to, "Jersey Shore" had become a staple in my Thursday night television diet over the last few months, but there was no episode last night. The season is over, and I found myself going through a bit of "douchebag dago" withdrawal.

Computers Do Not Like Chicago

There isn't a sport that is as closely tied to statistics as the game of baseball.  There are stats for just about everything when it comes to the game.  Knowing a players batting average just isn't enough, we have to keep track of his average when there are two outs, or with a 2-2 count or when there's a 2-2 count with two outs and a runner in scoring position in the seventh inning or later.

They're incredibly useful, but I don't think statistics can ever tell the entire story in baseball or in any sport.  They're just a tool that can be used to get an idea of what is likely to happen.  Still, there are plenty of fans who live and die with the numbers.  They love the numbers so much they make up all new stats so that they have more numbers to look at.

Thinks like VORP, or WAR are a couple of these new stats that are actually incredibly useful if not hard to really understand.  At Baseball Prospectus, every spring they stuff all of these numbers into a computer and use a system called PECOTA to help determine how each team is likely to fare in the coming season, and on Thursday they released their projections for 2010.

The computers do not like the Chicago teams.

Toronto Considering Damon And Delgado

Now that the New York Yankees have signed Randy Winn, it's clear that Johnny Damon is no longer in the team's plans, and that Damon is going to have to play somewhere else in 2010. Though he may not have to leave the AL East to do so. While the Tampa Bay Rays have shown some interest in Damon, along with the Oakland Athletics, it seems that the Toronto Blue Jays have kicked around the idea of signing Damon as well.

Toronto is in need of a left-fielder and a lead-off hitter, and those are two roles that Damon can fill. So it's not surprising to hear general manager Alex Anthopoulos admit that the Jays have thought about bringing the veteran free agent north of the border during the team's State of the Franchise event on Thursday night...

Continue reading at FanHouse

Ben Sheets Signs With The Athletics

While the Cubs may have signed Xavier Nady on Tuesday, another target that they had been considering is now off the market.  According to Danny Knobler at CBS the Oakland Athletics have agreed to a deal with free agent pitcher Ben Sheets.

Free agent right-hander Ben Sheets has signed with the A's, CBSSports.com has learned.


Sheets agreed to terms on a one-year deal for more than $8 million. He passed a physical today, and the deal is expected to be announced this afternoon.

The Cubs interest in Sheets had waned in the past few days due to his salary demands, and the Mets, Rangers and Mariners were all interested as well, but it seems that the Athletics were the only ones willing to come close to the amount of money Sheets wanted.

It's a good deal for Sheets because if he can stay healthy all season, and pitches well, he'll be right back on the free agent market next winter and a lot more likely to get a long-term deal.  Maybe then the Cubs can move on him.

UPDATE: According to Jeff Fletcher over at FanHouse the deal is worth around $10 million.  So Ben got what he wanted.

It's Official: Cubs Sign Xavier Nady

So it appears that Bruce Levine was right in his report that the Cubs were close to signing a fourth outfielder, and in his opinion that it was likely Xavier Nady.

According to Yahoo's Tim Brown on Twitter, the Cubs have signed Nady pending a physical.

Jon Heyman tweets that Nady will make $3.3 million in 2010, with up to another $2 million in incentives based on games played.  Heyman would know since he's basically Scott Boras' mouthpiece.

Cubs Closing In On Fourth Outfielder

You've probably noticed that I'm ignoring the story in the Chicago Tribune today about Ernie Banks wanting to help Sammy Sosa come out of the steroid closet, but that's because I don't care about Sosa or his steroid use.  We all know he was on them, and I don't really see what difference him admitting it will make in the long run.

It still won't change anything.

No, I'm just focused on what the Cubs are doing for 2010, and according to Bruce Levine the team is pretty close to signing a fourth outfielder.  It's just we don't know which one it is yet.

Arizona Really Wants To Keep The Cubs

There's an old trick that Chicago baseball teams have used for years when they want a new stadium.  It's simple, you just start talking about how much nicer things are in Florida.  Jerry Reinsdorf did this years ago before the Sox built U.S. Cellular Field by saying that the team might move to St. Petersburg.

Now the Cubs have no plans to leave Chicago, but since they want a new spring training complex in Arizona like the one the White Sox just opened up with the Dodgers in Glendale last spring, they followed Reinsdorf's lead.  They started talking about moving their spring trainings to the Sunshine State in an effort to get what they really want, and on Monday night the first step to getting what they really want passed in Mesa, Arizona.

The city has approved a proposal to build an $84 million complex for them.

Jim Thome Is Not Coming Back To Chicago

We finally have an answer to the question of whether or not Jim Thome would be returning to the White Sox in 2010.  Earlier tonight Chicago Sun-Times White Sox beat reporter Joe Cowley tweeted that he had heard from a source in Minnesota that the Twins had been in talks with Thome's people.  Which was all the evidence needed since Thome wanted to hear from the White Sox before looking elsewhere.

Then about a half hour later, Cowley spoke to Guillen who confirmed that Thome will not be returning.

"I don’t want a season where Jim sits three or four days in-a-row." Guillen told Cowley.  "And the media comes up to him and asks, ‘You’re not playing.'  This thing will become a soap opera. It’s about at-bats.’’

The one thing I love about Ozzie's grasp about the English language is that he has the media asking statements instead of questions.


As for Thome, this isn't the news I wanted to hear as I think having Thome as your regular designated hitter is more beneficial than the platoon Guillen plans on using.  Now the Sox can only hope it doesn't come back to haunt them.


Odds are that it will seeing as how the teams interested in Jim at this point are the Twins, Tigers and Rays.

Nothing New On The Cubs Front

While we all sit around and wait for Ozzie Guillen to make up his mind on whether or not he wants Jim Thome back on the south side, I figured we'd check in with things up north where the Cubs have been awfully quiet as of late.

In case you forgot, the team's shopping list at the present time consists of a right-handed reliever, a fourth outfielder, a second baseman and milk.  These items have been on the list for a while now, and there have been rumors of the Cubs being close to signing players, and having interest, but nothing has actually happened.

So thankfully Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal are kind enough to update us on everything going on in Wrigleyville at the moment.

Bronson Arroyo Takes Movie Role After Jersey Shore Cast Turns It Down

As an Italian-American I was subjected to a lot of stereotypes growing up. People would constantly joke around with me by asking me if my family was in the mafia, especially when "The Sopranos" was airing because much like the main character of that show, Tony Soprano, my father is in the waste management business. So when I found out about MTV's reality show "Jersey Shore" would air this winter, I was worried about being subjected to more stereotypes.

I tuned into the show wanting to hate it, but like seemingly everyone else in America, I couldn't get enough of it. It's car-crash television at its finest, because no matter how ugly it gets, you just can't turn away. Well, now the "guidos" and "guidettes" of the show are so popular and busy that they're turning down roles in movies due to a lack of time. So who do you cast in your movie when Snooki doesn't have time for you? Why Bronson Arroyo, who else?

Continue reading at FanHouse

Rays Prospect Involved In Fatal Car Accident

On Friday afternoon 18-year old Rays minor-leaguer Andrew Bellatti was driving with his 16-year old girlfriend in California near his former high school just outside San Diego. Driving at a speed of 80 mph Bellatti illegally crossed over a double-yellow line into oncoming traffic and his Ford Mustang crashed into a Dodge Caravan.

Bellatti escaped the accident with some cuts and bruises on his face, but the same can not be said of the driver of the Caravan. The 50-year old David Reid was killed in the accident, and his 17-year old son was seriously injured in the wreck. Bellatti's girlfriend was also hurt in the accident...

Continue reading at FanHouse

Ben Sheets Isn't On Top Of The Cubs Wish List

All winter the Cubs have been one of the teams named as a likely destination for pitcher Ben Sheets, who missed the entire 2009 season after having surgery on his right elbow.  When healthy, Sheets has the ability to be the anchor of any pitching staff.  Of course, the most important part of that previous sentence were the two words "when healthy."

Sheets isn't healthy all that often.

The four-time All Star hasn't made 34 starts in a season since 2004, with his highest total in any season being the 31 starts he made for the Brewers in 2008.  Well, those 31 starts resulted in the elbow surgery that kept him off the field last season.

Still, for the right price, Sheets could be a very valuable member to the Cubs pitching staff, so it's no surprise that Jim Hendry has Sheets on his radar.  Though according to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Cubs have higher priorities than Sheets right now.

Miguel Tejada Signs With Baltimore

In December of 2003 Miguel Tejada was one of the biggest prizes on the free agent market and he ended up signing a six-year $72 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles. He would only spend four years with Baltimore before being traded to the Houston Astros for four prospects, but now that Tejada is a free agent once more, it's deja vu all over again.

Tejada has signed with the Orioles again, though this time the deal isn't quite as lucrative. All that's known at this point is that it's a one-year deal, and the details of the contract have not been released. Though it's not likely to be for $12 million like the last one...

Continue reading at FanHouse

The Twins Are Interested In Jim Thome

It feels like Foul Balls hasn't turned into a baseball blog as much as a Jim Thome blog the last few days, but what can I say?  I like the guy.

Yesterday I said that the White Sox should quit playing around and just re-sign Thome to be their designated hitter, and today I wrote that Ozzie Guillen doesn't want that to happen.  So it looks as though Jim is going to have to look elsewhere to find work, and that place may end up being pretty close to Chicago.

It turns out that the Minnesota Twins are toying with the idea of bringing Thome up north.

Ozzie Doesn't See A Place For Jim Thome

Yesterday I wrote a post -- okay, actually I wrote it on Wednesday night but through the magic of scheduled posting it didn't appear until Thursday while I was at work -- about the inevitability of the White Sox bringing back Jim Thome to be their designated hitter in 2010.  I thought it made a lot of sense, and that the Sox could still use Thome's bat in the lineup.

Well it would seem that Ozzie Guillen does not agree with my opinion.

Ozzie was back in Chicago on Thursday with SoxFest going on this weekend, and he was asked about the possibility of bringing back Thome.  Long story short, even though Ozzie loves Thome, he doesn't want him on his team this season.

Gary Matthews Jr Traded To The Mets

Gary Matthews Jr used to play for the Chicago Cubs, and he should have served as an example for his former team before they signed Milton Bradley last season. 

You see, back in 2005 Matthews had a career year as a switch-hitting outfielder for the Texas Rangers, and it happened to coincide with his pending free agency.  As a reward for that one season, the Los Angeles Angels gave Matthews a five-year $50 million contract.

He then proceeded to accomplish very little with the Angels, and in fact lost his job as centerfielder the following year when the Angels signed Torii Hunter.  Now Matthews is so valuable that the Angels were willing to trade him across the country to the New York Mets for a middle reliever.

A's Prospect Leaving Baseball To Become A Priest

Grant Desme is an outfielder in the Oakland Athletics organization and is currently ranked as the 8th-best prospect in the Oakland organization according to Baseball America.  Well, it looks like Baseball America is going to have to change its rankings because Desme is no longer a part of the A's organization.

He's no longer a member of any baseball organization, in fact.  No, Desme has decided to leave the game of baseball to join the priesthood. 

Bryant Gumbel Accuses Three Players of Steroid Use

Back in June of 2009 there was a bit of a media firestorm all started by a blog post on a previously unknown website. The author of the post, Jerod Morris, speculated that after looking at Phillies outfielder Raul Ibanez's career numbers, it made you wonder if Ibanez had possibly been using steroids. Ibanez found out about the post and vehemently denied it, while Morris was dragged about as the latest example of everything wrong with sports blogs and the kids writing them from their mother's basement. Morris was even brought on ESPN's Outside The Lines to be publicly flogged.

So where is all the backlash for Bryant Gumbel this morning?

If Morris was made public enemy number one for simply implying that Ibanez may have taken steroids, then Gumbel should be in a bit of hot water himself. All he did was come out and say that not one, not two, but three retired Major League players were on steroids at the end of his HBO show Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel...

Continue reading at FanHouse

So When Is Jim Thome Going To Sign With The White Sox?

It's nearly the end of January and Jim Thome is still out there unsigned, just waiting for somebody to call him up and make an offer.  In recent talks with reporters Thome has said he's gotten a few calls from teams, but nothing substantive as of yet.

It's a slow market this winter, and the demand for aging designated hitters just isn't what it used to be in a slow economy.

So the question is: When are the White Sox going to sign Jim Thome?

The 7:11 Start Time Is No More

In this day and age, there isn't much inside a baseball stadium that isn't for sale.  If you're willing to pay a team money, they're willing to put your name on whatever you want.

Even the stadium itself.

Still, one of the odder marketing moves that have been made in this city over the years was when the White Sox announced that 7-Eleven had given the team $500,000 to change the start time of weekday night games from 7:10 to 7:11.  I mean, as far as marketing is concerned, it was a rather ingenious move by the convenience store chain to make.

What I found surprising was that I never knew a time was for sale.  I was aware that time does run out, and now it's done just that for the White Sox and their relationship with 7-Eleven. 

The Cubs Are Looking At Kiko Calero

Okay, so one more time let's go down the shopping list for what the Cubs still need to add to their roster before spring training.

There's that fourth outfielder, which explains why they're looking at Jermaine Dye.

They could use an upgrade at second base, so just get on the phone and give Orlando Hudson a call.

Finally, they still need another arm in the bullpen.  Which would help explain why the team is talking to free agent reliever Kiko Calero.

Ryan Theriot and Carlos Marmol Want A Big Raise

Yesterday it was announced that the Cubs had come to terms and avoided arbitration with five of their eight arbitration-eligible players.  Using my keen math skills I was able to determine that meant there were still three Cubs who the team had not come to terms with, and the team may actually have to go to its first arbitration hearing since Mark Grace in 1993.

Those three players are Ryan Theriot, Carlos Marmol and Sean Marshall.  One of those players has a pretty fair opinion of himself and how much he should be making next year.  Marshall made $450,000 in 2009 and he requested $1.175 million for 2010 with the Cubs offering $800,000, which isn't that big of a gap so it's likely the two sides will have an agreement before February.

As for Theriot and Marmol, not so much.

You Can Now Turn Your Lawn Into a Baseball Field

I remember growing up and playing baseball with my friends in yards all over the neighborhood, and while there were plenty of differences between the front yard down the street and Wrigley Field, we made the best we could with what we had. Of course, one of the biggest problems with playing in a yard is that not all yards are maintained quite like that of a Major League field. The grass isn't as green or neatly manicured, and there are even dips that cause for some wicked hops and kids laying on the ground holding themselves while their friends laugh at them.

If only we had the chance to play on a real baseball field!

Well, while kids across the United States still aren't going to be able to play on the surface of Wrigley Field or Fenway Park, they now have the chance to get as close to the real thing as possible thanks to a deal between MLB and The Scotts Company...

Continue reading at FanHouse

Johnny Damon Has Pondered Retiring

It seems that reality is finally starting to set in for Johnny Damon. The Yankees won the World Series over two months ago, and we're a month away from the beginning of spring training, and Johnny is still sitting at home waiting for somebody to offer him a contract. He had told Yankees general manager Brian Cashman that unless he was prepared to make Damon a $13 million offer for 2010, don't even bother making the call.

Well, it seems that other general managers got the message too, and none of them are calling Damon.

So Johnny's options are limited, and when the Giants announced they had signed Bengie Molina on Monday, it took away one of them. That leaves the Braves and Yankees as Damon's most likely landing places provided he eases up on his salary demand. His only other option is retirement, and apparently he's kicked that idea around in his head...

Continue reading at FanHouse

Carlton Fisk Goes Off On Steroid Users

When I was a kid just starting my love affair with the game of baseball and the Chicago White Sox, one of my favorite players was Sox catcher Carlton Fisk.  I was too young at the time to even know that he had spent many years with the Boston Red Sox before coming to Chicago -- I remember being very confused the first time I saw that memorable shot of his home run in game six of the 1975 World Series -- but I wasn't too young to realize that baseball players were getting stronger as Fisk's career came to an end.

I'm not sure what exactly tipped me off to steroid use in baseball at such a young age, maybe my dad had said something about it, but I do remember making jokes with friends about Jose Canseco and his shrunken testicles in junior high.

So if I was aware of what was going on, then surely other people had to be too.  Fisk knew what was going on as well, and after reading his quotes in the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday morning, it's pretty apparent that Pudge wasn't a proponent of the stuff.

Tim Lincecum Settles His Pot Bust

San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is on the precipice of setting a record in arbitration this winter as it's widely believed he'll win more than the $10 million Ryan Howard got from the Phillies in 2008.  Now when Lincecum does enter an arbitration hearing the good news is he'll already have plenty of experience sitting in front of an unbiased judge who is ready to decide his fate for him.

That's because Lincecum spent Tuesday morning in a courtroom dealing with the aftermath of a marijuana possesion charge he was facing after being pulled over in November.  Lincecum made his court appearance and was able to have his charges reduced to a mere civil infraction.

John Danks Agrees To One-Year Deal

After coming to terms with Carlos Quentin, Bobby Jenks and Tony Pena in recent days to avoid arbitration, the only arbitration-eligible player the White Sox had left on their roster was John Danks.  The theory going around was that the Sox were looking to come to terms on a long-term deal with Danks rather than go to arbitration with him, but it seems that theory was only half right.

The Sox have avoided arbitration with Danks, but they only signed him to a one-year deal worth $3.45 million according to ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine.

Now I don't think this means that the Sox will cease trying to sign Danks long-term, but at the very least it keeps them from having to drag Danks into a room and have him listen while they tell an arbitrator everything that's wrong with him.

Cubs Interested In Xavier Nady and Mark Mulder

While the Cubs may have agreed to terms with five of their arbitration-eligible players on Tuesday afternoon -- those players being Mike Fontenot, Jeff Baker, Koyie Hill, Angel Guzman and Tom Gorzelanny -- they still have a few holes on the roster that they'd like to have filled before spring training starts.

That means they're still in the market for a fourth outfielder and another arm to add to their bullpen, and it looks as though they've decided to scour every medical waste bin they can locate to find the men they're looking for.

According to Fox's Jon Paul Morosi, the Cubs are interested in both outfielder Xavier Nady and Mark Mulder.

Alex Rios Is All Better Now

Generally when January rolls around I have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the White Sox in the coming season. I can take a look at the moves they made during the winter, compare them to what the other teams in the AL Central did, and form an opinion of where the team is going to end up.

That's not the case this year.

I really have no idea what this team is going to do or how the AL Central division will shake out. While I'm optimistic that the Sox could have the best starting rotation in the division thanks to a full season of Jake Peavy and hopefully the continued growth of John Danks and Gavin Floyd, that's just on paper. Who knows how things will actually shake out?

My big concern is the team's offense, as no real additions have been made to a lineup that finished 12th in the American League in runs scored and 13th in team batting average. Does putting Juan Pierre atop a lineup that no longer has Jermaine Dye or Jim Thome in the middle really qualify as an improvement?

Then there is the enigma that is Alex Rios.

The Red Sox Were Worried About Jason Bay's Knees

Outfielder Jason Bay was one of the bigger prizes in this winter's free agent class before he signed a four-year $66 million deal with the New York Mets in early January. Of course, had it not been for some concerns of the Boston Red Sox and their medical staff, Bay may have never reached free agency this winter.

According to Peter Gammons, the Red Sox were ready to sign Bay to a four-year $60 million deal last July but when an MRI raised some concern about both of Bay's knees, the Red Sox lowered the offer to two years which Bay rejected and instead opted to hit the open market...


Continue reading at FanHouse

Felix Hernandez Signs An Extension With Seattle

The Mariners have been one of the busiest teams in baseball this winter in an effort to knock the Angels off of their perch in the AL West.  They signed the "biggest" free agent on the market in Chone Figgins, got Cliff Lee from the Phillies in the Roy Halladay trade, got Milton Bradley from the Cubs, and just recently resigned outfielder Frankin Gutierrez to an extension.

But the biggest move the team could have made took place on Monday night.

The Mariners have signed Felix Hernandez to a five-year deal worth $78 million.  The deal was first reported by Francisco Blavia, and the terms were recently confirmed by Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman.

This is a great deal for both sides.

Foul Balls Has Evolved One More Time

It was back in October of 2005 that I was inspired to start a sports blog.  In the first few months of Foul Balls, I didn't really have a direction for where I wanted the site to go, so I basically wrote about anything that crossed my mind.  The writing wasn't that great, as I was still trying to find my voice.

As time went on, the site evolved.  It became less of a sports blog that covered all areas of sport and more of one that focused on the city in which I live, and the teams I grew up rooting for.  And the Cubs.

Well, now the site is changing again, but this is through a conscious decision.

You may have noticed some changes to the site in recent days, and if you've paid close enough attention to them, you've already figured the news out.

Foul Balls will no longer be a Chicago sports blog.  Instead it will be a blog about baseball.  Not just the White Sox and Cubs, either.  The White Sox and Cubs will still be the focal point of the site, but the other 28 teams in the Majors will be covered as well.

There is no singular reason for this, as it's a decision that has been coming for a long time.  I can't even remember when the first time I brought up the idea was, I just know that I've been bringing it up for a while.

It's just now I've finally decided to listen to the voice in my head that has been calling for this.  Repeatedly.  Though I'm still ignoring the one that tells me to burn things.

For now.

As for the look of the site, that banner at the top doesn't make much sense anymore if I'm not going to be covering football or basketball.  There is a new banner on the way, and the entire look of the site may change in the coming weeks.  I assure you that Silvio is hard at work meeting my demands, slaving away at his computer and ignoring all the work he's actually being paid to do.

So let's get on with it, shall we?

Cubs Talking To Jermaine Dye

Apparently even if Tyler Colvin is popular in Utah, he's not popular enough within his own organization that the Cubs have stopped considering other options in the outfield for 2010.  One of those options being a man that spent the last five seasons playing right field on the other side of town.

According to ESPNChicago.com the Cubs have begun talks with former White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye about moving eight miles north to serve as a backup outfielder and backup first baseman.  Dye has been a starter throughout his career, but thanks to age starting to catch up to him and a lackluster final two months of the 2009 season, this may be the best he can get at the moment.

That being said, the Cubs outfield currently consists of Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd and Kosuke Fukudome.  Soriano is prone to an injury once in a while, Marlon Byrd has never been a full-time starter, and Kosuke Fukudome can be pretty streaky.

So if Dye were to sign with the Cubs, I don't think he'd have a very hard time finding a way to get out on the field once in a while.  Especially if he can regain the swing that helped him hit 164 home runs and drive in 461 runs during his time with the White Sox.

Personally I'm hoping this happens as I've always been a huge fan of Dye.  I even get crap for it everyday from my fellow FanHouse writers.  So if Dye were to sign with the Cubs it would actually give me someone to root for while watching Cubs games.

Impersonating Unknown Cubs Rookies Can Get You A $50,000 Truck

Do you know who Tyler Colvin is?

I don't.  It seems he's pretty popular in Utah though.

Colvin is an outfield prospect for the Cubs who got a call up to the team last September and played in six games.  In those six games he had three hits in 17 at bats with 2 RBI, which doesn't seem like much but apparently it was enough to make an impression on one man in the Beehive State.

Colvin impressed this man so much that he became Tyler Colvin.  Why?  To help him steal a truck, that's why.

Recently Released Byrnes Interested In The Giants

Eric Byrnes' first two years in Arizona were productive enough to earn himself a three-year $30 million contract extension from the Diamondbacks. Which was then immediately followed by two seasons of Byrnes spending the majority of his time on the disabled list, and only managing a .218 batting average in the 136 games he did play.

So after the Diamondbacks signed Adam LaRoche last week, it didn't come as much of a surprise when Arizona designated Byrnes for assignment, even if it meant having to eat the $11 million left on his contract. Now that Byrnes is a free agent he's taking a look around to see where he might find some work, and if it was up to him, San Francisco would be a wonderful place to play...

Continue reading at FanHouse

Jose Offerman Has Anger Issues

The last time anybody heard from former Major Leaguer Jose Offerman, he was playing in an independent baseball league and charging the mound with bat in hand.  It's been over two years since that incident in August of 2007, but it doesn't look like Offerman has found a better way to channel his anger.

His violence has evolved, however.

Offerman is now the manager of the Licey Tigers in the Dominican Winter League so he no longer has a chance to get drilled with a pitch and charge the mound.  No, his new enemies are the umpires, and even if he's not attacking them with bats, he's still trying to punch them.

Gaines Adams Is Dead

A bit of some shocking news this morning as it's being reported that Bears defensive end Gaines Adams is dead.  According to the Greenville News of South Carolina the 26-year old Adams was taken to the emergency room early Sunday morning where he passed away.

Former Clemson University football star Gaines Adams, 26, died this morning after he was taken to the Emergency Room at Self Regional in Greenwood, County Coroner James T. Coursey said.


Adams, a defensive end, was the fourth player chosen in the 2007 National Football League draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was traded from Tampa Bay to the Chicago Bears in October.


An autopsy will be performed today by a forensic pathologist in Anderson County, Coursey said.

The results of that autopsy showed that Adams died of cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart.

Adams just became a Bear this year when the team traded its second round pick in the 2010 draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the underachieving defensive end.  Adams didn't get as much playing time as you'd expect somebody the team just gave up a second round pick for would get, but the team had been hoping that he'd be able to help replace Adewale Ogunleye who is likely to leave via free agency this offseason.

None of that matters now.

Tate Forcier Played With a Torn Labrum

It was a very up and down freshman season for Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier, as he came out of the gate pretty hot and helped lead the Wolverines to a 4-0 start before the team lost seven of its last eight games.  During those final eight games it was evident to anybody watching that Forcier had an injured shoulder.

Forcier hurt the shoulder during Michigan’s comeback against Indiana on September 26 and he’d often be seen grimacing after throwing, being hit, or on the sidelines.  The team kept saying it was a sprained shoulder, but it turns out it was a bit worse than that.

It seems that Forcier was playing the last eight games of the season with a partially torn labrum...

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Tom Glavine May Take a Job with the Braves, But He Won't Be Pitching

Tom Glavine still doesn't know what he's going to be doing for work in 2010, though he seems to have a pretty good idea what he won't be doing, and that's donning a Major League uniform and heading out to the mound anytime soon. Glavine is aware that his playing days are likely over, yet like Barry Bonds and Frank Thomas, he has yet to officially announce his retirement.

So if he has a future in the game of baseball it's going to be serving as a coach, a member of a front office, or maybe in a television broadcast booth. All opportunities that Glavine is currently mulling over with the franchise he spent the majority of his career playing for, the Atlanta Braves. Neither the Braves or Glavine are sure just what he'll be doing for them, but it seems that an announcement is just around the corner...

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Jack Clark Rips Into Mark McGwire and Other Steroid Users

The use of steroids and performance enhancing drugs is an issue in MLB that's not going to be going away any time soon, no matter how badly MLB, the players, fans and even some members of the media want it to. It's also a subject that many different people have differing views of. If you were to poll the MLB writers and bloggers here at FanHouse on what their view of steroids in baseball is, odds are you would get about 12 different answers.

Still, as dead set against steroids as a few FanHouse writers may be, I don't think the subject makes any of us as angry as it does former St. Louis Cardinal Jack Clark. Clark was never shy to share his opinion during his playing days, and now that the newest Cardinals hitting coach, Mark McGwire, has come clean about his steroid use, Clark is letting McGwire and his steroid using buddies have it...

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On The Big Ten And Thursday Night Games

Last season the Big Ten football season kicked off on a Thursday night in Bloomington when the Indiana Hoosiers hosted the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.  Now obviously, this was not a marquee game, but I know I was pretty excited about it.  After spending months preparing this site to launch, I was desperate to have an actual game to write about.

So the earlier it got here, the better.  Plus, I have to admit I was pleased to see that the Big Ten might finally be considering playing more games during the week instead of playing every game on Saturday.  For the 2010 season it seems that trend is continuing.  The Minnesota Golden Gophers will be opening their season on Thursday night September 2 at Middle Tennessee State, and it was announced on Thursday that Ohio State has also moved its opener against Marshall to that same Thursday night...

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Former Wolverine Justin Feagin Cops Plea In Drug Conspiracy Charge

You know, for all the crap I’ve given Minnesota for their players routinely getting in trouble with the police for underage drinking, I do have to give the school some credit.  At least nobody in the Gophers program has gotten involved in any cocaine deals or had their dorm rooms set on fire by a psychotic drug dealer.

No, that type of thing has only happened in Ann Arbor with former Michigan wide receiver/quarterback Justin Feagin.

Feagin was charged with drug conspiracy after his dorm room was set on fire by T.J. Burke when an attempted cocaine deal the two were orchestrating went wrong, and Burke thought that Feagin was attempting to scam him.  Well, Justin finally had his day in court and he plead guilty to one of the charges he faces...

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Yet Another Gopher Cited For Underage Drinking

After graduating college, a friend of mine moved to Minneapolis for their job and spent a few years living there.  When she came back to Illinois to visit the first time and we hung out, I asked her how she liked living in Minnesota.  She said it was nice and that the people there were pretty cool, but there really wasn’t all that much to do there.

“There are two things to do in Minnesota.  You can fish, or you can drink.  Well, I don’t like to fish.”

Yes, and apparently neither do any of the players on Minnesota’s football team.  It’s another week, so that means it’s time for an all new episode of “Guess Which Underage Gopher Got Busted For Drinking.”  We even have a guest star this week!

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Rich Rodriguez Thinks Michigan Will Go Bowling Next Season

By most accounts, Rich Rodriguez’s first two years in Ann Arbor have not been successful.  His Wolverines — not to be confused with Lloyd Carr’s University of Michigan — have gone 8-16 with a 3-13 conference record since taking over the program, and then there were those allegations of overworking his players and that small faction of fans who would like nothing more than to see Rich torn limb from limb and spread throughout the four corners of Michigan.

Rich, however, is optimistic about 2010.

He sat down for a Q&A with the Orlando Sentinel’s Andrea Adelson to talk about what’s gone wrong in Ann Arbor, and what is going to go right in the future.  While Rodriguez admits to some mistakes he’s made, particularly in recruiting too much offense and not enough defense, he’s not quite ready to give up just yet.  In fact, he thinks the Wolverines will be back in a bowl game next season...

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Minnesota Loses James Green To Toledo

Over the last month or so the Minnesota Golden Gophers have lost a couple recruits to other schools with head coach Tim Brewster’s contract status up in the air.  Well, now that the school’s Athletic Director Joel Maturi has confirmed that Brewster will be getting a contract extension following a 6-7 season, there was hope that would calm the recruiting waters.

And it has, but that hasn’t stopped the Gophers from losing another recruit.

James Green is a four-star receiver from Florida who had originally signed a letter of intent with Tennessee last year, but after failing to qualify academically he had to sit out a year.  He then just recently gave Minnesota a verbal and agreed to a scholarship, but once again Green has failed to meet a school’s academic requirements and will be heading to Toledo instead...

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Drayton McLane Grants Negotiating Window to Prospective Buyer

Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane has owned the team since 1993 when he paid $113 million for the franchise, and though he says he has no interest in selling the team now, "when people call, you listen." Well, from now until the end of January there's only a couple of select people that McLane will be listening to.

McLane granted exclusive negotiating rights to a group that is interested in buying the Astros from him, and includes former USOC chief Harvey Schiller. Still, even though he's granting negotiation rights and nearly sold the team to Jim Crane in 2008, McLane wants you to know he's not planning on selling the team...

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Greg Maddux Is Back With The Cubs

I remember back in 1992 when Greg Maddux signed with the Atlanta Braves as a free agent after negotiations with the Cubs broke down.  I was only 11 years old at the time, but I was already immersed in the world of baseball to know that it was a mistake.

Plus I had older cousins who used words I wasn't allowed to say to inform me that my opinion was indeed correct.

I won't go on to talk about all the things Maddux accomplished in Atlanta because you likely already know, but by the time he came back to pitch for the Cubs in 2004, although still serviceable, he wasn't the same pitcher.

Well, now Maddux is back with the Cubs for a third time, but he won't be pitching this go round.  Instead he'll be serving as a special assistant to Jim Hendry.

Amari Spievey Is Going Pro

As a wise man in Iowa once told us, “If you don’t love it, leave it, USA number one.” They were brilliant words when Ricky Stanzi shared them with the number one nation in the world, and they still are these many days later.  One of the great things about this country is the opportunity it presents for those who live within its borders.

Every child has a chance to play sports growing up, and then if they’re good enough they have the chance to get a college education out of it.  Some of those gifted young Americans even have the chance to play that sport professionally, and make gobs of money doing so.

One of those little patriots is Iowa cornerback Amari Spievey, and Spievey has decided to pursue the American dream...

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Mark McGwire Admits Steroid Use, World Keeps On Spinning

Now was that so hard to do?

After years of everybody knowing that Mark McGwire took steroids during his chase of Roger Maris' home run record in 1998, McGwire finally came clean on Monday afternoon. It seems he finally decided to talk about the past and sent a statement to the Associated Press.

In that statement McGwire confessed that he used steroids while playing baseball. The nation then turned its collective head and said "No shit."