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History tells us that things at the winter meetings usually heat up on the next to last day.

Forget big trades, they are a thing of the past. The winter meetings are now solely the time for the agents and their clients to corner the baseball world in a small space such as the lobby or bar of the hotel housing the meetings and make their deals.

Wednesday should see Mike Piazza become an Athletic. Can’t see Piazza going from LA to NY and then to Texas to end his career. Oakland and the Bay Area area are better fit. Piazza isn’t the hitter Frank Thomas is so the A’s should beware of a two year deal.

At the trade deadline last year I suggested the A’s trade Joe Blanton and Mark Ellis for Lastings Milledge, Mike Pelfrey, and Aaron Heilman.

Mets fans screamed "Absurd".

Now it looks like some part of that deal might happen with pitcher John Maine possibly replacing Heilman since the Mets are desperate for middle relief.

I like the potential move because Nick Swisher should stay at 1B and not be moved back to the outfield. Milledge and Milton Bradley would make things pretty lively in the clubhouse.

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I was down in Arizona for a good part of November and saw some Arizona Fall League Baseball. So with Raf’s help I sent in a report from Arizona which you can click on and hear. I also give some other baseball thoughts.
Let me know what you think of this format I’m considering doing a weekly audio update on the site until our winter baseball shows begin on Jan. 3rd, 2007 on 1550 AM KYOU radio here in the Bay Area. Then we’ll have the weekly radio show every Thursday before Cal Basketball on 1550 AM right up to the start of the spring training games.
We are still looking for a qualified web person to help with web design issues. Contact me at luriem@earthlink.net if you have any suggestions.
Thanks,
Marty [Read more →]

After reading this article, I hope Beane is just posturing when he says: "Most of our team is already in place." And "Whether or not we participate in the free-agent market or trade market, we’re not looking to reinvent the wheel." Well, Mr. Beane, do you remember that bargain, Frank Thomas? You know: the $500,000 man who put your team on his shoulders and pushed them into postseason relevance last year? Well, he’s gone. Not to mention that scrappy, left fielder with some occasional thunder, Jay Payton? Yeah, that one: He’s probably gone, too. And, last but not least, that tall, durable, lefthander with the filthy curveball, Barry Zito? Yeah, he won’t be playing his guitar in your clubhouse next year, either. Sorry, Billy, but this current roster doesn’t make me want to Loaiza on Highway 880, and snatch some World Series’ tickets just yet. But that can change next week. I remain, Professor [Read more →]

One thing I don’t do is worry about how much money billionaires should spend on their baseball teams.

These folks are not in the same world with the rest of us working for a living on a daily basis.

Baseball owners think about flying to Paris, that’s France, not Texas, for lunch.

Let them throw around their millions for ball players. All I’m interested in is how the team will play next season.

I don’t care if Barry Zito is worth 10 mil per year or 15 mil, just tell me where he is going to pitch in ’07.

Ball clubs set arbitrary payroll limits. They all make money, people are falling all over each other buying ball clubs once they hit the market.

It’s just a matter of how little money a club can spend to keep the turnstiles moving and keep the people who pay the bills interested. Those people being fans plus the television folks, cable and national who really line the owners pockets.

If the Giants really want Barry Bonds they can afford it. Haven’t heard of Peter Magowan not buying a new flat screen television because of the money he might have to spend on Bonds.

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There has been much speculation about Mark McGwire’s possible entry into Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
McGwire was Rookie of the Year in 1987 and set a rookie record for most home runs in a season by
a rookie. He played with the A’s until mid 1997 when he was traded to the St. louis Cardinals.
When he left in 1997, McGwire had hit over 300 homers and had been sidelined by a foot injury
that cost him parts of 2 seasons. In addition,the strike in 1994 cost all the players the last 2 months of that season.

McGwire went to St.Louis and went on a tear. He hit over 50 homers in 1997 and then shattered
Roger Maris’ record by hitting 70 homers in 1998. Who could forget the remarkable race for the home run crown by Sammy Sosa and Mark Mcgwire. Those 2 men brought the fans back into the game. After the strike in 1994,many fans swore off baseball completely.McGwire retired 5 years ago
when a cranky knee would no longer allow him to play the game and he ended his career with 583
home runs. Normally, a player with those numbers would be a lock for Cooperstown. However, McGwire may not make it to the hall on the 1st ballott and may not make it all. Why?
His former teammate,Jose Canseco, has made allegations that McGwire used steroids to bulk up.
Steroids were not illegal substances at the time. Rather than put these allegations to rest before a congressional committee, Mcgwire refused to testify and looked like a guilty man doing so.
What was illegal was obtaining prescription drugs without a proper prescription. No team doctor would ever order such substances. Also the trainers would not be silent. They could tell if a player
was getting injections.

No one will ever know the truth. All I can say is that the stalls in the bathroom are too small to
hold two huge men giving each other shots. McGwire has put his baseball life behind him and has
moved on. There is no proof that he ever used steroids other than Canseco’s word. I have not
heard any other teammate come forward and say that they saw such behavior.

It is clear that McGwire used nutritional substances that may have cointained a precursor of an anabolic steroid. However,it was not illegal. McGwire als o worked out in the weight room and
had biceps like Popeye. McGwire is 6’5" tall and relatively thin for a man that size. He had
back problems over the years due to the tremeendous torque placed on his back when he would swing at a pitch.

I do not have a vote for the Hall of Fame,but if I did I would vote for his entry into that august body. I believe that a person is innocent till proven guilty and that the individual has a right
not to testify. Using the 5th ammendment,which he didn’t do, does not presume guilt. The only finger pointing at him is the one belonging to Jose Canseco. I do not believe that there is there
there and that the sportswriters should elect him to the hall.

Jerry Feitelberg
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Thanks to Alma for rescuing the site once again from the hackers. I cannot for the life of me understand why someone would take the time to hack into the site and effectively disrupt the flow of information. But this is the world we live in today and the lack of respect is disappointing. So we can’t post any audio and the stories look funny. We are in the process of changing things around so please bear with us. When these disruptions occur the server has no choice but to take us off line. In the meantime the A’s have a new manager. No big surprise here. More importantly the team needs a new DH. Frank Thomas was going to test the market. That was obvious once he didn’t accept the two year offer extended in October. Names bandied about: Moises Alou, Preston Wilson, Barry Bonds. No way Bonds comes to Oakland. The Giants can’t let it happen and Bonds will get his money from SF. Don’t expect to see Willie Mays hanging around the A’s clubhouse. More than likely the A’s will send Nick Swisher back to the outfield and give Dan Johnson a shot at first base. I still think Kotsay and Loaiza should be shopped for a younger hitter. Tony DeFrancesco should be promoted from Sacramento to the A’s coaching staff. Minor league hitting instructor Greg Sparks should get the job as hitting coach. The Red Sox will sign Matsuzaka and have an excellent rotation if Jonathan Papaelbon is healthy. The Arizona Fall League should be on your travel calendar. Great weather good baseball and small crowds. Phoenix won the title again today beating some Ranger, Oriole, Pirate, and Rockie farmhands 6-2. Zito will end up in NY with Rick Peterson. Jason Schmidt most likely in Seattle. Ted Lilly could sign with the Yankees. The Cubs made good moves with Ramirez and DeRosa. Padilla has a market and will get a good contract. Angels are desperate for a hitter and more than likely will have to make a trade because Soriano looks like a good bet to go somewhere else. White Sox want to trade Freddy Garcia. Yanks are interested and don’t need Melky Cabrera. Big disappointment with the website. It’s even hard to write this article because the spacing isn’t working at all while I type. So enjoy the day and I’ll write more once we figure out how to proceed. By the way if you know a web programmer who really knows his or her stuff I’m interested because we need someone to help us figure out how to get the site back to full speed.Thanks,Marty [Read more →]