Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

Teixeira has a better chance to sign with the Yanks or Mets than Manny does. Tatits woun't hit like this forever. At some point Tatits will have a slump.
Ken, privately you are rooting for theYanks to not make the playoffs. Because if they do, you will have egg on your face.
Jim, did you see the replay on the play at the plate with Pudge sliding in? He touch the plate with his left hand before he was tag by Jeff Mathis. Clearly he was safe and umps blow the call.

Ken, a few things:

1. I was a high school senior during that election, but as a 16 year old couldn't vote. However, I was quite active in the campaign, even though Jerry Ford wasn't exactly "my cup of tea."

2. I don't think Carlin has a valid point at all about the Mets. No way should they have traded away even more young players. I might be a voice crying out in the wilderness, but I think what the Mets have been doing these past few years could very well bite them in the rump and lead to some really bad seasons.

3. I don't expect Manny to come to NY next year. No way do the Yankees want him and the Mets would never want to pay him, let alone deal with his nonsense. He would be even worse in NY because he still has lots of friends in the Washington Heights area and they aren't the greatest influences to have hanging around him or the team.

4. I do expect the Mets to blow lots of smoke about being “players” in the Manny sweepstakes. They like to throw plenty of red meat to their fans. It always makes me sick when they do that.

5. What about Manny in Philly? Now that could possibly happen with some chess moves. He could compile some nice numbers there and it's a lot closer to his home in FL. The Mets won't like that.

6. Agreed about I-Rod and Marte, but I have a wait and see attitude on Nady. I read I-Rod's comments about wanting to stay on the Yankees "for a long time" and shuddered. No way should they ever consider bringing this guy back. Marte's $6 million salary for next year might be affordable, but I am willing to predict they can find a cheaper internal or external alternative, or negotiate a new deal with him. Don't exercise the option.

7. Jeff Karstens started for Pitt at Wrigley this afternoon. Through six innings, he has given up five hits, four walks and NO runs.

8. Dug up an interesting story about Jerry Ford and baseball. Evidently, he loved baseball, played it as an outfielder/catcher, and hoped to get signed by a pro team, he also was a regular fan of his local women's pro team and went to lots of games. Here's the interesting story from the Baseball Almanac about Ford when he was the VP. (Sorry in advance Ken for mentioning B- -ie K's name)

"Nobody's going on the field (Hank Aaron's 714th home run). We won't interrupt the game." - Red's General Manager Dick Wagner "Dick this is very simple. The Vice President is going to participate in a field ceremony right now. You have a ladder brought out, or you're suspended immediately." - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn

Dennis: I did see that and the ump really missed it. What a terrible call. They are bringing instant replay onto themselves, which is a shame because I am against it, but that call was horrible. However, Meacham is still not a very good third base coach and I am still not sure I-Rod should have been running there.

Pat Burrell is a free agent at the end of this season. After signing Brad Lidge to a new deal, I would think they will try to resign Burrell and go after pitching before the Phillies even consider Manny.
Larry Bowa is missed by Jim already.

I think Cano misses Bowa, even if he won't admit it. Cano has really faltered this year without Bowa being on him and nurturing him.

Ken, I was only objecting to the idea that the Yankees were "losers" at the deadline. Even if all three players bomb, what did they really give up? A few decent minor-leaguers who didn't have a place on the team (more than likely), one potential star who has a lot of mental and injury issues, and a good reliever who's inconsistent and wouldn't have been back next year. In return they got what a lot of teams were looking for -- a righty bat and a lefty reliever. I like Nady best of the three, and I think Pudge will be average at best, but when you're not giving all that much up, what's the downside to these deals? Listen, I am a HUGE Farnsworth fan. I was long before he became a Yankee and I was happy he signed here. Trust me when I tell you I was the only Farnsworth fan in N.Y. The fans hated him. I'm not thrilled to see him go like so many others. But with the stash of 'pen arms the Yankees have, I don't think it's that big of a deal to lose him for half a year. Edwar and Veras can handle the eighth for now, and Bruney and Melancon will be up shortly.

baileywalk, don't put too much hope in Bruney. He has been BRUTAL in the minors. He isn't anywhere near being ready, and I never liked him that much even when he was healthy. Melancon is a much different story. He appears to be the real thing.

Dennis, I get egg on my face every single day. It's part of my job. Am I more pleased when I'm right than when I'm wrong? Of course. But I'll live if the Yankees make the playoffs.

baileywalk, I agree that the Yankees didn't necessarily suffer any long-term losses - except for stud, Cubs-beater Jeff Karstens! ;) But I do think they will take some short-term losses. I HATED Farnsworth for his first two years here, but to me, Girardi and Eiland helped Farnsworth show how good he can be. None of these guys have the sort of dominant stuff that Farnsworth had.

Interesting thought re: Manny and the Phillies, Jim. Can't rule it out, with Charlie Manuel running the Phils. I personally think Manny will try to stay out West.

Dennis, if the Yankees miss the playoffs will you admit here in writing that Ken was right? Just asking.

If the Yanks miss the playoffs this year Jim, then I will say Ken Davidoff was right.
Ken, I would think the Phillies will try to re-sign Pat Burrell and/or go get pitching first before they consider signing Manny.
The Cubs just swept a 4 game series against the Brewers in Milwaukee to take a 5 game lead on the Brewers and Cardinals. So what do the Cubs do today at home? They lose to Jeff Karstens and the Pirates. Go figure.

Gerald Ford's 1934 team won only one game and his was the team's MVP so the line about him being captain of the worst Michigan team is probably true. However they were co-national champions in both 1932 and 1933. Ford wore #48. He turned down offers to play in the NFL (he was a center and linebacker) to go to Yale law school.

Jim C., I am officially appointing you this blog's historian. Thank you for coming through, as always.

Gerald Ford deserved better than being thought of by so many as the accidental president. On the other hand, Reagan would never have made it to Washington had Ford won re-election in 1976.

Meanwhile, Ponson pitches seven scoreless and Rivera gives up a run. What gives? Oh, yeah, the Yankees played the Halos tonight....

The Halos are showing they are clearly superior to the Yankees, as if there was any doubt. A-Rod did what he has done so often when needed, namely nothing. He struck out looking when the team needed him to get on base - and he was ahead in the count 3-1.

JE - Jerry Ford was a pretty awful president. I still have one of his WIN (Whip Inflation Now) red and white buttons. As if wearing buttons was going to tame runaway inflation. People really came to dislike Kissinger under Ford. The GOP would have been better off if Reagan had defeated Ford for the 1976 nomination. He picked Nelson Rockefeller as his VP, which was a little over the top for many people and then dumped him and picked Bob Dole to run with him against Carter/Mondale. Dole of course had a case of foot in mouth disease and said during a VP debate that World Wars I and I, Korea and Vietnam were "Democrat Wars." He never completely lived that statement down.

I'm trying to think of one thing that Ford did that was good. I haven't come up with it yet. But, he would have been a lot better than Carter - one of the all-time worst.

Ken, everyone, I issue a big apology for saying the F-word on this blog. It was in frustration after a Yankees lost to the Angels. It was out of character for me to say something like that. If I offeneded anyone, I feel deeply sorry for my actions. I pledge that I will not curse on this blog ever again, and watch what I type.

Tonight the Yanks got good start from Ponson despite the fact he was living on the edge, especially in the 5th inning where he has bases loaded one out and 2-0 count on Figgins and got out of the ininng with no runs. The Yanks did nothing against Ervin Santana, even when they had runners on bases. The only run score when the the Angels score off Rivera in the 9th. Rivera seems to have trouble in games when the game is tied or when the Yanks are losing this year more than he has in the past. All of a sudden the Yanks have lost 5 out of 6 after wiining 8 staright after the All-Star Break.

As I said before, the Yanks never EVER play well against the Angels. They never catch a break at all. Even in games they win against the Angels they struggle to do so. I know the Angels have the best record in baseball. And they have a very good team. But if the Yanks don't make the playoffs, the Angels will be one of the reasons why.

It's just Dennis being Dennis. Ship him to LA, Ken, and let Torre work his magic. Dennis can be Joe's executive assistant.

You dropped an F-bomb, Dennis? I didn't see it. Did anyone else? I'm pretty sure the blogging software wouldn't let that get through.

In any case, apology accepted. No harm, no foul. Carry on.

I'm trapped at this A's-Red Sox game. It's amazing how much calmer this place is when the Yankees aren't here. Ortiz looks terrible.

Dennis did what?!? I missed it somehow! Hey, Ken, no harm, no foul, but don't you think he could at least buy a round of beers to those of us who were thoroughly corrupted as a result of his choice of words? ;-)

Jim, you and I agree that Ford was a decent man and he tried. Regrettably, the office swallowed him up.

I never saw a thing. I am dying to see this rant. Dennis, where is it? Dennis you have to accept the fact that the 2008 Yankees just aren't that good. No crime in that. After all, this is a transition year. Merely acknowledge that and move on.

I see Bay is working on getting his strikeout total up even higher. CWS have 10 hits so far tonight (Griffey has two) and they have all been singles.

JE - Definitely on Ford. A good guy, good husband and father. He served his country for decades in the H of R and then as VP and Prez. I supported his decision to pardon Dick. Our politics differed. But, he was an honorable person, without question.

Oh well, off to see a band play in wonderful Huntington, LI.

Jim, remember how he got crucified for accepting corporate gigs shortly after he left office? (Actually, I don't, as I was only eight years old while this was going on.) When we ask ourselves about Bill and Hillary's connections to the law firm doing business in Kazakhstan and the secrecy behind donations to the Clinton and W presidential libraries, it is hysterical to think that some folks thought that Ford was being sleazy.

Is anyone watching the Sox on MLB.TV? It is so frustrating that, regardless of whether I use Firefox or Safari, half of the time I log on, I don't get a decent picture or an uninterrupted stream on my MacBook! Argh!

Ken, I sumit a entry in which I curse out the F-word out of frustration after the Yanks lost to the Angels tonight. When I sumitt it, it wasn't shown on the blog.
Anyway Ken, can you or anyone here figure out why Rivera has struggle in tied games or when the Yanks are losing this year more often than in the past? The last 2 outings Rivera gave up a run on Tuesday and tonight he give up the only run in the game to the Angels.
Jim, we got 2 mouths to go. If this were a transtiton year, the Yanks would not have made deals for Nady, Marte and Pudge. Anything can happen now until October.

Jason Bay plays the hero in Boston! Wow!

Ken, Andre Ethier is sitting out tonight's game against Randy Johnson and Andruw Jones is starting in center. Let's hope this is the exception and not the rule.

Jason Bay scores winning run tonight making himself a folk hero in the Bay State. manny grounds out vs. Randy Johnson in his first-ever NL at bat. Aaron Heilman does what he does best--lose

For anyone who didn't see the Red Sox game on NESN (Red Sox and NY Times-owned TV) Jerry remy and Don Ursillo pretty much buried Manny around 7:30pm tonight. They never said a bad word about him, and all his "eccentricities" in all the 5 years I've been watching "Extra Innings".

Heilman was indeed ineffective, Sandy, but the Amazins' bats should have done better against Brandon Bake.who came into the game with a WHIP of 1.536 and an ERA that was nearly a half-run higher than the league average.

Sorry, but I have to ask again: does anyone find that Reebok commercial ("Join the migration") featuring Eli Manning a wee bit spooky?

Thanks for the heads-up on NESN, Sandy. That is SO weak. I'm gonna ask the Watchdog, Neil Best, to look into that.

Dennis, you'd think it's a @*$% mental thing with Rivera when he's in a *&^%# non-save situation ;)

All right, I'm packing up my stuff and am gonna start driving home. I'll try to check in once or twice this weekend, but nothing crazy. I am plain tired.

Ken, nice of you make fun at my expense. Livan Hernandez was just cut by the Twins. Any interest from the Yanks?

Manny and The Mets?

(With apologies to Mssr's John and Taupin)

Yo Mets, what in hell are you thinkin?
The spotlight's hitting Manny
Who's been known to drive one drinkin'
He killed the fatted Sox this week.
So get a clue
You're gonna hear a raucous chorus
Solid walls of Boo.

Say, Omar and Jerry, have you seen him yet?
Oh, but he's so spaced out, Manny and the Mets?
Yeah and he's weird and he's wonderful,
Oh Manny what he coulda been
He's got dynamic hands, a booming bat
You know he'd rather read a magazine?
Manny and the Mets?

Regarding Sandy's earlier point about NESN, Ken, BP's Jay Jaffe made a fairly relevant comment in his latest BP chat:

bctowns (Chicago, IL): Jay, What's with the reference to the Boston media as a house organ? You've used it twice today, and I don't recall ever seeing it anywhere before. Is it the beers I had for lunch, am I just slow, or is that a weird reference to make?

Jay Jaffe: Inside baseball and out, some powers have writers willing to do their bidding, to spin things their way consistently in exchange for more exclusive access. That's a house organ.

One thing I will say about Gerald Ford (I voted for Carter who turned out to be a horrible president and even worse ex-president) is he did pardon Richard Nixon 6 weeks before the 1974 Congressional elections. The Republicans were going to take a drubbing but any other President from either party would have waited until after the election. Ford gave the voters a chance to register their opinions at the polls. He also went before Congress to testify on why he did it. No President before or since has ever done that, although Lincoln did answer some questions from a Congressional committee about the loyalties of his wife and her family (many of her brothers and brother in laws served in the Confederate army).
The main thing judging Ford's administration is how much you think the Helsinki agreement had to do with ending communism 15 years later. Although the WIN campaign was silly, unemployment and inflation were falling when he left office. You are free to choose whether or not he had anything to do with that but it was. You can argue whether the "Drop dead to New York city" was right but let's remember who drove NYC to the brink of bankruptcy.

Win number 293 for The Big Unit. Could he win his 300th game in the last week of a pennant race? I don't play the "We will never see another 300 game winner" game because I heard it about Early Wynn as a kid. But Johnson could be the last for a while unless Mike Mussina or Jamie Moyer hang on for another 5 years.

If SALT II constituted negotiating through weakness, at least the Helsinki Accords will be an agreement worth honoring.

Still, sometimes it pays not to be so honorable. Pardoning Nixon just before the midterm elections was politically stupid, particularly for a guy who had been serving as House Minority Leader only weeks before.

The GOP was going to get wiped out in the Nov. 1974 elections no matter what Ford did. He denied the Democrats another pound of flesh. They would have loved to drag out Watergate and Nixon for another 10 years if they could have. His work as House minority leader wasn't too great either. These were the years when the GOP appeared to be a permanent minority. He rolled over more than a few times for the Democrats. My reading of history has never convinced me that Ford was a great political mind. For what it's worth, Nixon immediately thought he made a mistake putting Ford in as VP.

On the Helsinki Accords there are certainly cross-currents of thoughts. I was part of the group that thought it was terrible that the US allowed the USSR to seemingly consolidate their gains from WW II. We were publicly allowing people to be enslaved by those butchers. I don't give Ford any credit for the collapse of communism.

I just never got the feeling that Jerry Ford was a strong leader. Nice guy? Yes. Effective president? Not really.

Hey, did anyone notice Alberto Gonzalez went 1-for-2 last night with a run scored, a double and two walks? He played an errorless shortstp and helped turn a double play.

Is that what you think passes for good news these days in Nationals Park, Jim? ;-)

One can find fault with the immediate results of Helsinki and still respect some of the agreement's long-term effects. While I agreed more with Reagan's approach to foreign policy, you still play the hand you're dealt. Human rights advocates seized upon Helsinki to press for human rights throughout the communist world. Even today, OSCE does some solid work in pursuing human rights in promoting democracy.

Helsinski ended up being used to the advantage of freedom loving people and against those that would enslave them. But, at the time of its negotiation, it really was awful that we legitimized Soviet conduct (essentially enslaving enter nations) and seemed to abandon people that looked to us for help in breaking free of those bonds. Reagan certainly took issue with the Helsinki Accords.

What really bothers me today is that our government and both parties pay nothing but lip service to the gross human rights violations in China. That government is atrocious. To me, more and more what Reagan said about the Soviets is trues about China, "they are the focus of evil in the modern world." I actually look in the store if something is from China and if it is, put it back on the shelf. I don't want to help that crew one bit.

Funny how the world seems a whole lot more complicated than Friedman made it out to be in "The Lexus and the Olive Tree?"

Our government, Jim? Take a look at this: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/state/epaper/2008/08/01/0801obama1.html

Not much has changed since Munich '72, eh?

Whoops! Wrong link! My bad! This is what I had meant to post:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080802152046.l13ah6be&show_article=1

JE, thanks for the new link. I was responding that the other link had to do with offshore oil drilling and couldn't figure out what it had to do with our discourse.

I've been following all the Chinese Olympic issues not only because it interests me but since I am helping a friend's daughter with a college paper for a summer course.

CNN has a story on its website about the Chinese spying on the Danish team at the 2007 World Cup and doing some other outrageous things. It's called Spygate. Here's the link:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/2008/writers/grant_wahl/08/01/denmark/index.html?eref=T1.

The Chinese government isn't a nice group of people. In a perfect world, we would have nothing to do with them. We are going to have lots of regrets about our policies concerning them.

Jim if you really look at it, the governments of many, many of our allies, are absolutely horror shows. China, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Russia, some of the old satellites of Russia. Saddam Hussein was our ally against Iran. He used WMD's against them. Then we decided he was no good. Khadafi was our enemy, now he's an ally once he got a missile sent sailing over his head in the bunker he was hiding in.
Back to baseball sort of. House organ is The Boston Globe, owned by The New York Times, which is part owner of the Red Sox and of NESN the cable network. House organ also employs many reporters who are unabashed fans of the Red Sox, such as Dan Shughnessy and formerly Peter Gammons. They are definitely pro-management and anti-player up there and they are especially tough on minority players. Besides Shaughnessy's differences with Manny and loudmouth Curt Schilling, a few years ago Carl Everett (I know, a role model if there ever was one) attacked him for extremely negative reporting.
BTW for those who haven't seen yet, Manny is giving mad props to Canada's greatest athlete, Wayne Gretzky, by wearing #99.
Ken, have you seen some of the stories that say Boras orchestrated this whole thing because he wanted Manny out of his contract because he wouldn't collect commission on the options since that contract was negotiated by Manny's old agent? If so, how much truth is in that? I know Boras is a weasel, but can he manipulate things that well for his own benefit?

Re: Boras, JE, do you think any agent wants to be associated with the kind of behavior Manny has displayed lately? It's a ridiculous accusation. Of course Boras wants Manny to be a free agent this winter, so he can start collecting. But he didn't orchestrate this ugly farewell.

Ken, in the big picture I think you are right. A layman like me might think he is a miserable person, but I am sure he has standards and worries about his professional reputation. It doesn't help their reputation to have a client pull what Manny pulled. He might or might not like the end result, but I don't think he had anything to do with making out on purpose and all the stupid remarks. I also think Manny might not be getting as big a payday as he thinks he might. Those two options totaling $40 million might look a lot better.

Boras runs the risk of Manny being snatched by Jeremy Piven now that he is in la-la land.
I wonder if Drama can pitch?
I'm thinking a Drama/Turtle battery combination might bring back memories of Drysdale/Roseboro.

E? He's an Islander fan ....strictly hockey....God Bless Him.

Here's my nod to Boras (and Piven) for a HOF nomination..

;(

The US boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics while Jimmy Carter was in office and in a election year. Among the other countries that join the US in boycotting the olympics in Moscow include China, South Korea, Japan and West Germany. It didn't help Carter in November where he lost by a landslide to Ronald Reagan.
The IOC didn't do its homework when they selected Beijing to host this year's olympics. They didn't realize the problems that China has with air pollution. Nor did they know that China was involve with Darfur and Myanmar (Burma) or issues with human rights in Tibet. Thes summer olumpics coming up will either be a suceess or a disater.
Scott Boras thinks he is smarter than everybody else, but he isn't. Boras thought he can get A-Rod $30 million a year in the open market after A-Rod opted out of his contract. Instead A-Rod beg the Yanks to take him back. With Manny Ramirez, Boras thinks after the 2 options were decline that he can get Manny more than $20 million a year. I think both Manny and Boras will be in for a rude awakening when Manny hits the open market because I don't see any team giving Manny more than $20 million a year.
By the way, I have seen on TV where Jimmy Carter has attended Braves home games with a Braves cap on and that he is a Braves fan since he was Governor of the state of Georgia before he was President of the United States.

Did I make any comments about Boras, Ken? Maybe Jim and I have gone overboard discussing President Ford and now the Helsinki Accords....

JE - I thought I was losing my mind, too. I couldn't find them unless they were in an earlier blog on a different page.

Dennis - Wasn't Carter against the arm chop the Braves fans did? He said it was disrespectful to Native Americans. I have a vague recollection of that. The guy just can't keep his mouth shut in an attempt to be relevant.

Ken, will you be attending Old Timers Day?

By the way, Obama was very smart to open the door to new oil drilling. By taking on the do-nothing, know-nothing Senate/House leadership, he is breaking with the far left on an issue that is increasingly important to working-class and middle-class Americans, not to mention minimizing the traction that McCain was beginning to get from the issue.

No I did that Boras thingy, Ken did a "his bad". The thing is I've read it in multiple sources including Bill Madden yesterday that Boras told Manny what to do to get traded and then he would get him released from the option years of his contract. I know sometimes Madden is out there with accusations but then I read it again today somewhere else that Boras' "manipulations" caused everything to happen. You hope it's not true, but he also tried to pull a stunt with Pudge according to the Daily News and Pudge told him to butt out that Pudge wanted to be traded to the Yankees. Of course ARod dumped him when things got out of hand

JE there are so many caveats to the new pro-oil drilling position that I am not sure he will gain much traction. If we announced expedited offshore oil drilling, opening large sections of ANWR and a crash program to develop alternate fuels with an eye toward having all three of these contribute toward making us as free of foreign oil dependence as possible within 10 years, the price of oil today would plummet. But, even John McCain is against drilling in new ANWR areas. Once again Americans have a terrible choice when they vote.

Ken for president? Two baseballs in every pot, a bat in everyone's garage?

Indeed, that was Sandy, not JE. My bad. I can't keep up with you guys! ;)

Jim, I was supposed to be at OT day today, but when the Manny-Bay trade went down, I had my schedule switched to go to Fenway yesterday and take the rest of the weekend off. Just hammering out my Insider now. Maybe I'll post a blog entry later.

Sandy, re: Boras and Pudge, Boras was just trying to protect his client in waiving the no-trade clause for nothing. Just like any good agent would do there. Boras didn't order Manny to sabotage the Red Sox. That was all Manny. And BTW, A-Rod and Boras are on speaking terms again.

When I'm president, I'll have Jim as my Veep, JE as Secretary of State and Dennis as my Press Secretary, to confuse everyone. Bob Tufts will be my Rumsfeld-esque Secretary of Defense.

No worries!

Just curious, though: why did your employer send you to Boston for the Yankee series on the Acela, but you shlepped up there by car yesterday for Jason Bay's debut?

It was based on my need to get back to NYC bright and early this morning for some family stuff. Don't blame the Dolans! ;) Left Fenway at 11:50 last night, walked into my door at 3:10. I was very proud of my 3:20 driving time.

You certainly deserve a few days off, Ken. Watch a good movie with the family. How did you stay awake on the drive? You must not need much sleep, especially after staying awake pretty late in the week leading up to the trade deadline.

It's funny how two guys stuck in the minor leagues with the Yankees could get traded and contribute immediately to their teams.

I keep hoping that when the bats and balls are put away for the season the Yankees don't take the easy way out and bring back some guys they need to excise. The more I watch the team the more I am convinced that they need to remake the roster. I'm not sure the trades will produce more wins. They might have just added to what I think is a collection of players rather than a team in the traditional concept of the word.

You made great time, Ken. Did state troopers give you an escort? ;-)

Back in '04, I attended the game featuring the A-Rod/Varitek dust-up, hopped into my car at Newton Centre at 9pm for a 7h15 drive down to Dupont Circle. I took I-84 all the way to the NYS Thruway, then down I-287 to the Turnpike. I was especially proud of myself for needing only one bathroom/fill-up/caffeine break....

Certainly if they want to remake the roster, next season is just the right year to do it. With a new stadium, smaller than this one, they are pretty much guaranteed sellout crowds for every game next season, and probably the season after that as well, therefore avoiding the fan backlash to a non-playoff team, like the Mets never get to avoid with their front-running LI contingent of fans who show up only when the team wins. But even they get a free ride next season.

Ken, I give you credit for driving to and from Fenway Park all the way back home. You must be tired right now. Drink any Red Bull or something to keep you awake while driving?
Ken Rosenthal on FOX said that Mark Teixeira wants a 10-year contract when he becomes a free agent. Teixeira will get offers from other teams, but a 10-year contract? No chance at all. If Teixeira gets a 10-year contract, I'll be surprise.
Ken, Livan Hernandez was just cut by the Twins. Ponson and Rasner are on a start by start bases. Ponson pitch well last night and Rasner tomorrow. I do not want Livan Hernandez on the Yanks. You think Cashman would consider signing Livan Hernandez?

I missed the vast majority of these comments. I sorta miss Baileywalk/Jim/Dennis/Tufts and myself not having to share. Though JE is a good addition. Sorry if I missed anyone.

Anyways, I am disgusted with Chris Carlin. A caller called up and said he didn't want Manny on the Mets because of his poor attitude. And Carlin started screaming at him. LITTERALLY SCREAMING! "DO YOU WANT HIS HOME RUNS?!?!" "HE'D BE ON HIS BEST BEHAVIOR HERE!!"
How the hell would Carlin know that?? He's trying to pretend he's Mike Francesca, and he's not.

Mets just put Marlon Anderson on the DL and brought up a kid named Daniel Murphy (.308 13hr and 60+ RBIs with 13 sb).

The Mets waive Heilman and acquire Livan Hernandez...

Thanks, Richie G. I am enjoying the experience.

Agreed regarding Carlin. I usually confine my (free) talk radio listening to Kellerman & Kenny, although when in LA I turn on the local stations, since I always seem to be stuck in traffic on the 405 or the 101.

I noticed on MetsBlog.com that Beltran will be batting second tonight. Woo-hoo! Ever since Castillo went down, the Amazins have had no production from the two-hole, not that I'm a big Li'l Luis fan. Last night, Reyes singled, but then Endy sacrificed him to second. Have I said before just how much I detest this philosophy of playing for one run with the meat of the order coming up? (This assumes that we're not trying to win the game in a tie game in the ninth and there are already two runners on and no one out.)

Weaver's Fifth Law remains true: play for one run and that's all you get [if that]. The Mets did get that run across on a Wright single, but the Astros played long ball all night long and won, 7-3.

God invented three outs for a reason. I never understand why you'd ever bunt Reyes over to 2nd. Mathematically he'll steal 2nd and be able to be driven in with zero outs then he'd be able to score with one out.

"How the hell would Carlin know that?? He's trying to pretend he's Mike Francesca, and he's not."

He's just as fat

Let's not forget Manny physically assaulted the Red Sox traveling secretary over the tickets incident. The guy is nuts. So what if he hits homeruns. Don't teams have to have some standards? This is getting ridiculous. If a guy reforms himself, that's one thing, but this just happened. I am not worried about the Yankees getting him because it won't happen. But, if the Mets even consider it I will be both shocked and disappointed with the Wilpons, who I don't like to begin with.

What would Hall of Famer B--ie K have done after the Ramirez/secretary incident? He threatened to throw Bobby Murcer out of a window once. Now Ken, don't get worked up about that. It's a historical fact.

Ken, how about a report on July page views and how your blog is being received by us and at Newsday? Why is there a blackout on this? We all would love to know. Is the blog flourishing or falling short of your expectations.

Ever thought Beltran hit second for the Astros, Beltran has said that he didn't like hitting in the 2 spot. We will see how long Beltran hits 2nd in the lineup.
Saw highlights of Old Timers Day today. Wille got a big ovation from the Yankees fans. Good for him.
The Red Sox showed no guts for not suspending Manny when he fought the traveling secretary in Houston. That was the begining of the end for Manny with the Red Sox.
No way I see the Yanks or Mets signing Manny. Teixeria will have a better chance to sign with the Yanks or Mets than Manny.
Carlin has so many jobs to do, that he was going to go nuts sooner or later.

I don't think Teixeira is worth the bucks he is going to want. I would rather that money be used elsewhere by the Yankees. I think a 4 year deal for $80 is really pushing the envelope on his worth, yet he will probably want 7 years and $175 million, if not more. Ridiculous.

Just so many of you know--Manny was quoted in the LA Times today saying he will cut his dreadloc--er--hair extensions down or off because the Dodgers have rules and he wants to follow the rules. He is also no longer giving Wayne Greztky props and is switiching his number to 30, leaving Joe Beimel at #97 the highest number in baseball I believe.
Boras will never get $20 million for Manny, there is not much of a market for him, or dealing with Boras. I think maybe the Dodgers are their best bets, so manny better behave.
Jason Bay hit a HR in the bottom of the first.
Did the Mets really sign Livan and cut Heilman? Livan has only given up about 60 more hits than innings pitched, but at least he and El Duque can keep each other company in the bullpen and stay happy together. (I was going to mention the Latin Quota, but I know Ken doesn't like it :) )

Sandy, no to Hernandez and Heilman.

I don't what it says about Kevin Long, if anything that Robinson Cano hit .246 prior to the AS break and then went home to the Dominican Republic and worked on his swing with his father and then went on a post-All Star break .462 tear in the next eight games. Ken? Coincidence?