It's covers the 1908 pennant race, the last year of the Cubs' dynasty. Really!! That was their 3rd straight year going to the series, they were defending world champs and would win it again that year. Their current "lean spell" in now at 103 years and counting.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 8:43 pm Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
I know a Cubs dynasty did exist, but hearing it in the present day makes me chuckle.
One of the quotes from then Cubs manager Frank Chance: "Have the Cubs EVER lost a game they had to win?"
Moving to the present, looks the Kuroda might not be back with the Dodgers:
Rockies interested in Kuroda: Kyodo
The Colorado Rockies are pursuing free-agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, according to a report Saturday in the online edition of the Denver Post.
The report said the Rockies ''believe they have a decent shot (at acquiring Kuroda) based on preliminary conversations,'' adding that Kuroda ''fits the profile Colorado has been seeking since the final out in September.''
''He (Kuroda) eats innings, averaging 199 over the past two seasons. He's capable of anchoring a rotation and has a strong work ethic, an important trait given the (Rockies) staff could include three impressionable rookies,'' the report said.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 1:24 am Post subject:
I'm just guessing, but the Angels will probably be raising ticket prices.
First:
Angels Land Pujols with record contract
Albert Pujols, the heart and hammer of the St. Louis Cardinals for more than a decade, will leave St. Louis and sign with the Los Angeles Angels, a person with knowledge of the deal told Yahoo! Sports.
Latecomers to the Pujols derby, the Angels will pay Pujols $250 million to $260 million over 10 years, a devastating turn for the Cardinals and a departure from past organizational philosophies for Arte Moreno�fs Angels.
After a month-long search for wealth and happiness, most notably in Miami, Pujols will not return to the only organization he�fs known.
The contract value is the second or third highest in baseball history, behind the contract Alex Rodriguez(notes) signed with the New York Yankees in 2008 ($275 million) and perhaps higher than the one Rodriguez signed with the Texas Rangers in 2001 ($252 million).
And then:
Angels and Wilson reach 5-year deal
DALLAS (AP)—A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that the Los Angeles Angels have made another big splash, agreeing to a deal with free agent pitcher C.J. Wilson.
The lefty�fs five-year contract is worth around $75 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because it had not been announced.
The 31-year-old Wilson was 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA with the Rangers last season, leading Texas to its second straight World Series.
Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish ended months of speculation Thursday by saying he intends to make a move to Major League Baseball.
The 25-year-old right-hander, considered the best pitcher in the Japanese professional leagues, wrote on his blog that he had decided to use the posting system, which allows MLB teams to bid for the negotiating rights to Japanese players who have yet to become free agents.
"I have decided to use the posting system," he said. "I wanted to tell my fans directly, so that is why I am posting this on my blog."
Darvish, the son of an Iranian father and a Japanese mother, went 18-6 with a league-leading 1.44 ERA this season for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. He had 276 strikeouts to lead the Pacific League.
The Fighters had given him approval to negotiate with a major league club through the posting system. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Ichiro Suzuki went to the major leagues under the system.
"I owe a lot of thanks to my team," Darvish said, adding he would provide more details at a yet-to-be-scheduled news conference.
Darvish pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was a member of the Japanese national team that won the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
The 6-foot-5 Darvish has superb control and throws seven effective pitches, including a two-seam fastball introduced during the 2010 season. He's expected to draw attention from major league teams looking for a top-of-the-rotation starter.
Darvish turned pro in 2005 at the age of 18. His pro career got off to a rocky start when he was caught smoking in a pachinko parlor on an off day during his first spring training, despite not being old enough to legally smoke or to gamble at the time.
After going 5-5 with a 3.53 ERA in his rookie season with the Fighters, Darvish had a breakout year in 2006, going 12-5 with a 3.62 ERA and 115 strikeouts.
In 2007, Darvish won the Eiji Sawamura Award presented to the top pitcher in Japanese professional baseball after posting a 15-5 record with a 3.57 ERA and a league-leading 210 strikeouts.
Once Darvish is posted by the Fighters, MLB clubs can submit sealed bids for the right to negotiate with him . If the Fighters accept the highest bid, the MLB club that placed that bid will then have 30 days to reach a contract with the player. If no deal is made, Darvish returns to the Fighters for another season and the Fighters must return the posting fee to the MLB club.
In 2006, former Seibu Lions pitcher Matsuzaka drew a $51.1-million posting fee from the Boston Red Sox, who then signed him to a six-year $52-million contract, taking the total package over $100 million.
The New York Yankees, one of several MLB teams said to be interested in Darvish, won negotiating rights to shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima of the Lions on Wednesday. The posting fee for the 29-year-old is $2.5 million.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 11:31 am Post subject:
Jav_sol wrote:
But they sure got a nice business going over there, you pay just to talk to the players.
They do, but they don't. Last year the A's paid for the rights to negotiate with Hisashi Iwakuma and for reasons no one really understands they totally low-balled him and Iwakuma told them to stick it. Then Rakuten (Iwakuma's team) had to give the money back to the A's. Nobody still understands what the A's were up to. The theory is they knew they couldn't afford him but they didn't want anybody else to have him either.
NEW YORK (AP) �\ National League MVP Ryan Braun has tested positive for a banned substance and is appealing to avoid a 50-game suspension, according to people familiar with the case.
ESPN cited two sources Saturday in first reporting the result, saying the Milwaukee Brewers slugger tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone, adding that a later test by the World Anti-Doping Agency lab in Montreal determined the testosterone was synthetic.
A spokesman for Braun said in a statement issued to ESPN and The Associated Press that "there are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence."
"There was absolutely no intentional violation of the program," Matthew Hiltzik said in a statement sent by the four-time All-Star left fielder's representatives.
"While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident that he will ultimately be exonerated," he said.
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 8:10 pm Post subject:
Brewers win negotiating rights for Aoki
TOKYO, Dec. 18 (14:58) Kyodo
The Milwaukee Brewers have won the right to negotiate a contract with three-time Central League batting champion Norichika Aoki under the posting system, his Japanese team the Yakult Swallows said Sunday.
''I'm honored that I drew the highest bid from a great team,'' the 29-year-old outfielder said in a statement through Yakult.
The Swallows said a day earlier they accepted the highest bid of $2.5 million, or about 200 million yen.
The Brewers now have 30 days to work out a deal with Aoki.
Aoki batted .292 with four home runs and 44 RBIs in 144 games in 2011 and is a career .329 hitter over eight seasons, all with the Swallows.
He is the only player in Japanese baseball history to have had two 200-hit seasons.
If they think they're getting another Ichiro they're in for a big surprise.
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