Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

You were in the zone for this post, Ken. Henny Youngman has nothing on you.

But that was seriously funny, especially the Andruw Jones and A-Rod lines.

I wouldn't be shocked to see the Mets drop two of the three games in Atlanta -- I doubt Pedro wins (the Braves have a decent pitcher going that night), though I do expect Ollie and Pelfrey to step up.

As bad as this season has gone for the Yanks, they've shown signs of life recently and I really hope they win that last game. Nothing could make this year more depressing than getting smacked down by the lowly O's in the final game at the Stadium.

The baseball video "'fans share Yankee Sadium memories" - look at these guys!!! Would you want to spend good money to sit next to them?

Put your damn hats on the right way and show some respect for the Yankees and the Stadium - and yourselves. if you want to be a "gangsta", go check out Jerry Manuel and the Mets at Shea.

posted in honor of Buck Showalter and his reaction to Ken Griffey, Jr.

As I said a couple a days ago, the Atlanta Braves could decide the NL East. The Mets play the Braves this weekend and so far the Mets are 6-9 against the Braves and 0-6 in Atlanta this year. The Phillies will play the Braves in Philadelphia next week after sweeping the Braves in Atlanta for the season going 9-0 at Turner Field and so far 13-2 overall. With the Mets history of failure at Turner Field, it would not surprise me if the Braves sweep the Mets this weekend with the Mets blowing a couple of those games with the pen.

Curt Schilling will call Manny Ramirez to apologize for his statments....he meant to call attention to himself. not Manny

"Curt being Curt"

from AP..

Schilling criticizes Ramirez

"Injured Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said former teammate Manny Ramirez's behavior was a drain on his teammates and disrespectful to manager Terry Francona.

Speaking on a Boston radio station Wednesday, Schilling said Ramirez's "level of disrespect to teammates and people was unfathomable."

Although he was the first Red Sox World Series MVP in franchise history, Ramirez caused more than his share of problems, with trade demands and nagging or phantom injuries that led him to ask out of the lineup. Schilling, who is close friends with Francona, said the manager had to play Ramirez because of his talent but that playing him undermined the team's unity."

Thanks, Bob... nice to see someone else remembers the pre-1996 days at Yankee Stadium.

And Ken, re Alex... ha ha ha...

I heard the other day that there's a Jake Peavy for Robbie Cano deal in the air, if they can settle on a Yankee prospect to include in the deal. Ken, is this legit? Any thoughts? I'm personally not in favor of trading Cano, but this deal is intriguing... I guess they'd get Orlando Hudson as a free agent and go from there.

Does anyone know if the Nov. 9 final Yankee Stadium ceremony will be televised by YES? I remember Mike Francesa once saying they want to invite over 300 living Yankees and there will be musical acts performing.

Ken,

When you get down there, I wanted you to ask John Maine about how long he has been dealing with the bone spurs in his shoulder. He hasn't had the same life on his fastball all year that he had last year, leading to batters fouling off a lot of pitches against him and running his pitch count up in a hurry. From paying attention to it, his velocity has dipped from last season. He's hit 94/95 a couple of times this year, but he's mostly been in the 91-93 range which worries me. It seemed like he hadn't been right for most of the season and if he had been nursing a problem with his throwing shoulder, that would explain his troubles this year.

For anyone who has ever wished for Tim McCarver or Joe Morgan to be fired from their TV analyst jobs, just remember this--Curt Schilling is first in line to replace either one of them. Be careful what you wish for.

Other Sunday predictions

Yogi will utter the mother of all Yogisms on Sunday when he simply says "It's over".
Bernie Williams, signed to a one day contract, starts in CF and leads off, retiring to a thunderous ovation upon leaving the game after his AB.
Whitey Ford will finally show Andy Pettite where he squirreled away a box of "substances" in the 60's, extending Pettite's career by 5 years.
Giambi stashes his thong in Whitey's cubbeyhole.
505 (who will be in the house) will finally fulfill his lifetime Quixotic quest of securing a foul ball, and will promptly hand it over to some young kid who wears his Yankee cap the correct way and say to him "This is for Bob Tufts".
A picture of Cano napping on the bench will be flashed on the Jumbotron in the 6th inning. The crowd will issue an appropriate wakeup call.
Derek Jeter will be seen bawling his eyes out at shortstop in the top of the 9th.
C'Rod's lawyer will slap a lien on A-Rod's locker space at the end of the game.

Time for lunch.....more to follow. (maybe)

Ken, do you not consider Howard an MVP candidate already? I have my MVP vote done. It's Pujols. When considering the MVP, a lot will argue how can you be valuable if your team didn't make the playoffs? Kinda like the great Ralph Kiner story, we coulda came in last place without ya.
But you know my thoughts...Pujols added value to the Cards season. He made it interesting.

And then I thought of this. Valuable. Well how many Mets are going to be in the top 10? Probably four. Though Utley and Rollins haven't been great, they still add tremendous help for Howard. All Pujols has is Ludwick! Plus, as great as Delgado has been, had you replaced him with an average first baseman for the first three months, the Mets would have been in the thick of things at the beginning! Its not a half season award. And I know no one cares about BA. anymore, but Howard and Delgado cant compare to Pujols.

So my vote would be as of now
1- Pujols (cant change it)
2- David Wright
3- Ryan Howard
4- Carlos Delgado
5- Ryan Braun
6- Lance Berkman

Berkman maybe too low...its just the Astros never contended and the Cards did. Though if the Stros prove us wrong, then he'd have to get serious consideration.

"I heard the other day that there's a Jake Peavy for Robbie Cano deal in the air, if they can settle on a Yankee prospect to include in the deal."

Was it from a reliable web site or newspaper? I like Cano and don't want to see him traded, but this a deal the Yankees would have to make. They wouldn't need to spend 20 million on C.C. for one thing, and they would be getting a better pitcher.

There's no way the Padres would make that deal.

The Sacramento Bee today reported that a couple a days ago ESPN's Peter Gammons said that the Giants could trade pitcher Matt Cain to the Brewers for 1st baseman Prince Fielder, Shortstop J.J. Hardy and another player.

Here's a link to the story.

http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/1248904.html

As for the Peavy for Cano rumors, the Padres are going to want more than just Cano to even consider trading Peavy. Peavy sign a contract extension last off-season and I'll be surprise if they trade Peavy.

I agree, but the Padres have stated, as fact, that they want to reduce payroll for next year. And the stated deal was for Cano plus a prospect -- that prospect could be Jesus Montero or Dellin Betances. It could be one of the best prospects the Yankees have, in other words. I don't think this deal is real, but I do think it could be worked out if the Padres really wanted to trade Peavy (which they don't, of course; he's the best pitcher in the NL and he signed a hometown-discount contract).

Wow - add Toronto's Shaun Marcum to the list of pitchers needed elbow ligament surgery. Now he's out for the entire 2009 season. He's only 26. Pretty tough for him and for the Blue Jays. What the heck is going on with all of these pitchers?

I wouldn't trade Cano - period! The Yankees have a number of young pitchers in the pipeline right now and have the bucks to go and get a free agent. Why trade one of the best young players in the game who has already put up two fantastic seasons and who has had a pretty strong second half? This is lunacy. Cano has the potential to be a great player. Get him a coach that can mentor him. Don't trade him. I cannot believe that Hal Steinbrenner or even Cashman will embrace such a ridiculous deal.

Bailey, I agree Peavy can be the best pitcher in the N.L. Obviously he isn't this year. But if I ranked the pitchers I'd like to have the most next season in the N.L. I'd put him 4th.

1-Lincicum
2-Webb
3-Santana
4-Peavy
5-CC

Hello, gang. Greetings from Atlanta.

I haven't heard that Cano-for-Peavy deal anywhere. The Yankees would have to do that, even if meant throwing in a Montero or Betances. But I'm skeptical. Even with the Pads downsizing, Peavy might be their most popular player, and he's got a very team-friendly contract.

Richie, re: Howard for MVP, never take what I write in the Weekend Predictions too seriously. As you know, they're just a Trojan horse that allows me to take cheap shots at people. We've got one more week, but I agree that Pujols is the favorite. I do think that you have to say that Astros "contended" for a wild-card slot, therefore increasing Berkman's standing.

Doug, Maine is throwing a simulated game tomorrow, so I will ask him your question afterward.

Can't believe you would trade Cano, Ken. You have been one of his biggest defenders. A team with their resources doesn't need to trade a talented player like Cano when they can just sign a free agent. They would regret this.

Cano is a malingerer...trade him and get a starting pitcher

Grab Mark Loretta to fill the void for next year and see if the free agent market has someone for 2010.

Funny, Cano didn't seem like a malingerer from 2005-07 when he batted, .297, .342 and .306.

Jim -

A multi-year contract sapped his drive..that's my guess.

Kudos to Dennis with his Turner Field research...Phils were 9-0 in Atalnta...they must've fallen short somewhere else.

My theory continues to be that Bowa kept him on the straight and narrow. Bowa left (even though he very much wanted to stay) and Meacham can't come close as a replacement and Cano's play has seriously suffered.

Jim -

There's a maturity problem with Cano...it's evident with the constant smirk.

Another fill-in 2B candidate is former St John's grad rich Aurilia.

You never have enough pitching...

They can buy a pitcher.

I, too, notice the smirk/smile, but Cano is potentially a dynamic hitter (he already batted .342 for a full season) and has power, too. I doubt very much that Cashman would trade him. I would be absolutely shocked. I think Meacham will be let go at the end of the season (because he is an awful third base coach) and his replacement will be someone that will work very closely with Cano.

Does anyone find it strange that MVP candidates are judged so often by how "valuable" they are to teams, yet have points taken from them unless they play for a club that makes the postseason. I mean, how often do MLB teams make the playoffs because one guy had a monster season compared to everyone else's mediocrity? I mean, this is not the NBA!

Oh, yeah, Pujols is clearly the MVP of the NL, and give Berkman second place.

Jim, Jake Peavy is one of the premier pitchers in baseball. He's a true ace. Cano was one of the premier 2B in baseball. But a stud starter is almost impossible to get. I agree I wouldn't give up on Cano, but I dont think you're giving up on him if you get Peavy.

Ken, I know you joke around on Fridays, but for some reason I took you seriously when you said that. Personally, I'd have a very very very hard time voting for Howard. He pulled a Delgado and seemed to only produce in the 2nd half.

As for the Stros, I never considered them in the race. I think they were close to being considered, but Ike sorta ruined that. Or Bud.

I'm curious, where would you rank Peavy in the N.L. (assuming CC stays in the N.L.)

JE, I'm not 100% following. Do you mean you think Pujols and Berk shouldn't be considered because their teams didn't make it? Does that mean if the Mets dont make it all four Mets shouldn't be considered? These aren't rhetorical...I really didn't fully understand haha.

Thanks.

Jim, the reason I'd rather make this trade than sign Sabathia is cost certainty and roster flexibility. The idea of signing Sabathia to a 6-or-7 year deal is absurd to me. There's a good chance that, by the end of that deal, he's going to be nowhere near an ace, and he'll be making ace money at age 34. Same goes for Santana with the Mets.

Whereas Peavy is signed through 2012 (when he'll be just 31), and that year, he'll make a relatively modest $17 million., after $9 million in '09, $15 million in '10 and $16 million in '11. If he's still great, there's an option for $22 mil in 2013. That's five years at $79 mil.

It's the same reason why Oakland got more for Dan Haren (he was signed for three years at great prices) than Minnesota got for Santana (signed for just one year).

And, it's the reason why I think this is all very unlikely to happen - although Gerry, I think Hudson would be the guy to get at second base.

Richie, here's my aces rankings from the start of the season:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/preview/ny-spbbaces0328,0,3028759.story

Hmmm, you too, Jim? ;-) I am not sure that I understand what I typed! Ken might have been joking earlier, but I wasn't! Pujols is the league's MVP, no matter where the Cards finish in the division.

I was lamenting how silly the judging is for who should be MVP. We are told that the "V" stands for "valuable"; therefore, we are not simply choosing the best player. On the other hand, some folks got a crazy idea lodged in their minds that the MVP should come from a team that makes the playoffs. While those two traits are not mutually exclusive per se, they certainly do conflict at times.

Does that explanation clarify? (Please say yes!)

Huh... this is great, didn't think I'd get a big thing started... cool!

I read the Peavey for Cano and a prospect (was never straight up) rumors on another blog, a reputable one, but, you know, it's still a blog, so... That's why I was asking, to see if there was anything to it. Sounds like it's just talk, but it was nice to think about for a little while.

JE that was me who was confused not Jim. I think I agree with what you're saying. I take some stock into what the team does but but if someone has a monster year above everyone, then I will have no problem giving him the MVP.

Pujols to me is so far and above Howard/Delgado/Wright that I think he is my clear cut choice. But whatever team comes in higher in the standings, I'd vote Howard and Delgado higher.

My bad, RG!

I know that we're retracing footsteps, but why not rate Beltran higher than Delgado? Assuming that we forgive both of their slow starts, shouldn't we credit Carlos B too for playing a premium defensive position better than anyone else in the National League?

Regarding David Wright, I was at last night's game in DC. If you watched, did you recall the excellent stop by Ryan Zimmerman on a ball that Wright hit? As good a play as Zimmerman made, that would not have become a BBTN Web Gem if Wright had hustled. Seriously, he jogged the first few paces! As he jogged back to the dugout, we let him have it!

OK, Ken I understand where you are coming from on Cano. I don't want CC signed to a 6 or 7year contact either. But, it would be hard for me to take losing Cano, who I think is going to be a top player for a long time - and a top prospect for a pitcher, no matter how good. I didn't like the Santana deal and still think the Yankees should go to the FA route, albeit for a reasonable amount of years.

Maybe I have some Peter Angelos in me in so far as I would be hesitant to make the deal and some other deals, too.

On the other hand, Peavy is a great young pitcher who doesn't have a ton of innings in his arm. An interesting possibility.

JE, It is so dissappointing to hear that about Wright. It is not the first time he hasn't hustled. The Mets announcers were talking about someone jogging lightly to first base on a grounder when he broke his bat. They said this player jogged to first with the broken bat. I thought they were referring to Wright but I'm not sure. Even Murphy on his big double tonight stared at the ball before running. Its so sad that a 7-year old and a college girl knows fundamentals but the best players in the world dont.

I am very biased against Delgado because of the clear lack of hustle he has shown this season. So its hard for me to be objective. But I just think his amount of clutch hits move him ahead of Beltran. Plus I think Reyes is ahead of Beltran anyways.

Ken, what did you make of Heilman's appearance tonight?

RG, check out this link when you have a sec: http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2008/9/11/611626/all-those-in-favor-of-carl

The post purports to let out some of the air from the Delgado "clutchness" argument.

I am pleased that you mentioned Reyes though. He gets way too grief from the fans (not saying that he doesn't deserve the occasional raspberry, though) and is having an excellent season.

First place, baby!