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#1 Macker

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Posted 16 January 2009 - 07:29 PM

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. -- After spending one-third of a four-hour owners' meeting on Thursday talking about baseball economics and economics in general, Commissioner Bud Selig came out to meet with a group of reporters. His message was that though baseball's economics are strong, the sport certainly is susceptible to outside forces. "We're not inconsistent with the world," Selig said. "I used to console myself that baseball was really essentially recession proof, but you can see that this is something different from what we've ever gone through. What that means I don't know and I don't think there's anybody in that room that knows." Selig has certainly preached caution. Leaning on an instant cash machine that read "OUT OF SERVICE" on its screen, he quipped: "Out of service. Some owner needed money and took all the money out of it." The one-liner got plenty of laughs, considering the reality of it. The collective owners have spent about $1 billion to sign free agents this offseason -- with the Yankees accounting for more than 40 percent of it -- during a 13-month recession that is one of the worst in U.S. history. Selig has been fretting about the global economy since the postseason ended in October and has been counseling the owners about it. At the last joint session in New York this past November, he brought in former Fed chairman Paul Volcker for a lecture. On Thursday it was eminent conservative author George Will, who happened to be in town for another appearance. "He was fascinating," Selig said about Will's presentation. "George is so bright. He gave us a lot of economic history going back to the Great Depression and he actually had a lot of baseball stuff. But he really talked about the world and the world credit markets. It was really an update. [Will and Volcker] have different styles and messages. "But as I've said to all of you, we're living in unprecedented times. Many of us are just trying to understand what it means." Owners this week have pointed to positive signs. Despite the recession, Major League Baseball launched its new Network on Jan. 1 with much fanfare to a potential of 50 million basic digital cable subscribers. Cubs chairman Crane Kenney said the waiting list for Cubs season tickets has now passed 100,000 applicants. A's owner Lew Wolff said season ticket sales in Oakland are off only 10 percent since the team traded for Matt Holliday and brought back fan favorite Jason Giambi as a free agent. Even the Pirates are financially stable after 16 consecutive losing seasons. "The Pirates are in a good position now because we did put a plan in place two years ago when I got more involved with the team." said Bob Nutting, the Bucs' chairman. "We put a plan in place to make sure we had enough financial room in our budgets and in our structure to make sure that we could make good baseball decisions in a small market in Pittsburgh. We haven't seen anything in the economy that changes that system, or changes that approach." On the downside, despite the billion-dollar investment in free agents, an unprecedented 113 were still on the market as of late Wednesday night, including such big names as Manny Ramirez, Bobby Abreu and Ken Griffey Jr. And that's with less than a month to go before pitchers and catchers involved in the World Baseball Classic are mandated to report to Spring Training. Selig said it was way too early to speculate about how the economic downtown might affect the sport. "We talked a fair amount about that today and I don't think a lot of clubs can tell yet," he said. "There's just uncertainty and there's uncertainty everywhere in life today." Selig added that he gains solace from the fact that baseball is coming off a season in which gross revenues were a record $6.5 billion, average player salaries were about $3 million and attendance was off less than 1-percent to 78.6 million. Whether those numbers remain stable is anyone's guess, he said, although it seems to be pointing in the right direction. "It's very difficult right now," Selig said. "We've made a lot of projections. There are a lot of different variables. I'm optimistic. Our sport is very strong. It's very popular with all the things that we've done on and off the field. We've gotten off to a great start with the Network. There's MLB.com and everything else. "The core economics are very sound, but we shall see. That's all I can tell you." Yes Bud knows how to use his position to make his friends rich and himself as well. He irritates me.... The whole Expos to Washington deal, the Expos owner bails on the team that the MLB's 29 teams had to foot the bill. He then buys the Marlins from John Henry who then buys the Boston Red Sox and a chunk of one of the best Nascar teams Rousch Racing? Just shady stuff all around. He continues to get rid of quality players because he'd rather keep the money. He says that the Marlins aren't a draw because they do not have they retractable roof stadium that he says the team needs...BTW He doesn't want to pay anything into a new stadium.
You never ask a navy man if he'll have another drink, because it's nobody's goddamned business how much he's had already.

#2 Macker

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 11:50 PM

Andy Petite must have gotten over his hurt feelings when he realized he wasn't getting many other offers....He signed with the Yankees; 1 year deal for 5.5 million.... He wanted 15mil. they offered 10mil. and he ends up with 5.5????? I'll have to read more about it tomorrow.
You never ask a navy man if he'll have another drink, because it's nobody's goddamned business how much he's had already.

#3 Macker

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 02:44 PM

NY Mets Manager Jerry Manuel and All-Star 3rd basemen David Wright have been really pushing the upper management to sign Manny Ramirez. The higher up say they aren't interested in Manny but are interested in signing Oliver Perez to continue bulking up the pitching. Perez and Ramirez are both clients of sports agent Scott Boras. With Manny, the line-up would look sort of like this;Reyes(SH), Beltran(SH), Church(LH), Wright(RH), Ramirez(RH), Delgado(LH), Castillo(SH), Schneider(LH), Pitcher.. WOW! What If's don't count though. The Seattle Mariners have traded pitcher Aaron Heilman to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for pitcher Garrett Olson and infielder Ronny Cedeno. This marks the second trade for Heilman this offseason. The Arizona Diamondbacks have reportedly agreed to a deal with free-agent pitcher Jon Garland. The Kansas City Royals signed pitcher Zack Greinke to a four-year contract Monday, keeping him with the team through the 2012 season.
You never ask a navy man if he'll have another drink, because it's nobody's goddamned business how much he's had already.

#4 One Way Ticket

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 05:35 PM

After this weekend football is over......PLEASE hurry up & get here spring training, I'm ready for some baseball :D
If you stay ready.....you never have to get ready!!!

#5 freedom78

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 07:39 PM

The Pirates have won an average of 67 games the last five seasons. Who's takin' the over? Anybody? Anybody?
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And stand beneath the moon
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#6 Macker

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Posted 29 January 2009 - 09:50 AM

They were always competitive under Jim Leyland. It's weird Steelers Fans, Penguin and Flyers Fans, Phillies but no love for the Pirates???
You never ask a navy man if he'll have another drink, because it's nobody's goddamned business how much he's had already.

#7 AxlsMainMan

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Posted 29 January 2009 - 10:40 AM

I see Pirates caps everywhere here in Toronto.
"Whereas scientists, philosophers and political theorists are saddled with these drably discursive pursuits, students of literature occupy the more prized territory of feeling and experience." - Terry Eagleton

#8 Macker

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Posted 08 February 2009 - 08:31 PM

Hmm.....A-Rod in 2003 was A-Roid......
You never ask a navy man if he'll have another drink, because it's nobody's goddamned business how much he's had already.

#9 LISA

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Posted 08 February 2009 - 08:38 PM

Hmm.....A-Rod in 2003 was A-Roid......

apparently...wonder what that does to ones male member? guess we have to ask Madonna

#10 Macker

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Posted 08 February 2009 - 08:41 PM

Apparently these guys take this stuff under careful watch so that they don't inflict harm to themselves. There was supposedly 140 names on that list of positives?? A-Rod was leaked wonder why?
You never ask a navy man if he'll have another drink, because it's nobody's goddamned business how much he's had already.

#11 GeorgeSteele

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Posted 14 April 2009 - 09:17 AM

Mets opened their new ballpark yesterday, Citifield. First opposing batter hit a homerun. Perfect.

#12 Timothy

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Posted 07 May 2009 - 05:15 PM

So Manny is gone for 50 games. wonder how much it will hurt the Dodgers??

#13 Macker

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Posted 08 May 2009 - 07:57 AM

It will hurt big. He was huge for them last year. Supposedly he appealing the suspension because it was issued by a doctor who was seeing for back and knee injuries. This same drug has also been linked to guys who have are coming off steroids and use this drug as a masking agent.
You never ask a navy man if he'll have another drink, because it's nobody's goddamned business how much he's had already.

#14 freedom78

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Posted 08 May 2009 - 09:15 AM

Remember last year before LA had Manny...they had NO offense. When they Got Manny on July 31, LA was 54-54, and +19 in runs. They had the NL's 13th highest scoring offense (also known as fourth lowest), and the only thing keeping them afloat was having the NL's best scoring defense (to apply a football term, since I don't have the ERA stats). They ended up 84-78, and +52, so having Manny sparked them to a nice 30-24 finish, and +33 runs in those last 50+ games, and their "runs against" number was still the NL's lowest to finish the season. With Manny this year, they're off to a killer start, 21-9, and +53 in the runs column, and Manny is hitting .348 with 6 and 20. So, yes, this will hurt them.
Sister burn the temple
And stand beneath the moon
The sound of the ocean is dead
It's just the echo of the blood in your head

#15 Macker

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Posted 12 August 2009 - 09:43 AM

Not that this has anything to actually do with actual baseball but.... TAMPA — Neighbors and advocates stood before the city Variance Board Tuesday night trying to make an important point in case anyone missed it: Derek Jeter is a pretty big deal. The board agreed. Its members voted unanimously to grant the baseball star permission to build a 6-foot fence around a home he is building across three lots on Bahama Circle, a once quiet street on Davis Islands. Most of the baseball star's immediate neighbors came out in support of his fence, noting an uptick in media and fan traffic. "I've seen people drive up in a cab, get out in a Jeter baseball shirt and take photos in front of the property," said neighbor David Lurie. "We would love it if the wall was even higher to stop the gawking and onlooking." "I think there is some ground for hardship," said board member Gennaro Di Nola. "With every case you have to look at the facts of what's going on here and who's living here." The board allowed construction of a concrete fence 3 feet tall, topped by 3 feet of wrought iron. Ever since the New York Yankee shortstop decided to build himself a new home on Davis Islands there has been nonstop attention from the media and fans, said Jonathan Koch, speaking for Jeter's Kered Connors LLC. "As you can see, even though my client is playing in New York against the Toronto Blue Jays, I'm being stared in the face by three TV cameras," Koch said. Jeter wanted permission to build a fence higher than the 4-foot limit allowed by city ordinance, arguing that it was needed for privacy and security and to hide the 5-foot electric transformer needed to power 33,000-square-foot home. Koch said though most properties in the neighborhood are not fenced, there were a few — including Tampa Bay Lightning star Vinny Lecavalier — that had fences taller than the ordinance allowed. "It's very hard to measure the scope of one's celebrity. To my knowledge Mr. Lecavalier lives peaceably in the neighborhood with no complaints of privacy or security issues," Koch said. "But I have reports that two tour buses have rode past Mr. Jeter's property in the past week, and he doesn't even live there." None of that mattered to the Davis Islands Civic Association, which has opposed the fence. The association's zoning chair, Kris Kral, noted their objection at the meeting, but offered no further comment. The board expressed concerns about how the fence will comply with all the safety and transportation standards, but they unanimously agreed with Koch about the need. "The intended resident is a famous individual and he has to be famous every day of his life, everywhere he goes," Koch said.
You never ask a navy man if he'll have another drink, because it's nobody's goddamned business how much he's had already.




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