Oh, you think so, Doctor?

In updating my fantasy team tonight, I stumbled across this tidbit when trying to figure out what happened to Hing-Chih Kuo of the Dodgers:

Kuo finally admitted there was something wrong with his elbow after he threw two pitches over the bullpen gate and onto the field while trying to warm up to enter Friday night's game against San Diego.

Yeah, I'd say that might be cause for concern. I'd also love to see a tape of that game.

Catching up with old friends

Of note to Cubs fans today are two major stories - Greg Maddux has said it's time to head home and Ron Santo was not allowed into the Hall of Fame again.

I'll point you to this feature on Maddux and wish him well. He was always one of those players where it was difficult to separate fact from fiction, in fact, I challenge you to make up a story about the man's control over his pitches and not get your friends to believe it.

The great thing about Maddux was that he wasn't some hulking monster waiting to clobber home runs to straightaway center - which is funny because he was the original "chicks dig the long ball" guy - but rather, a quiet man who got by on his intelligence and preparation.

In short, he's the player we all assume we could be if we worked that hard.

If only it was that easy.

Santo was kept out yet again in a tale that has long since being surprising. Sorry, Ron. Better luck next year. If you could keep a lid on bemoaning the fact all season, we'd all really appreciate it.

Dodgers: "Come early, stay late"

The Dodgers are set to release word Thursday that after nearly 50 years at Chavez Ravine, they're committed to adding one major piece to the franchise has been missing since their move to California.

A fan that actually sees all nine innings of play.

According to the Los Angeles Times:

In a letter sent [Wednesday] to season-ticket holders, owner Frank McCourt and President Jamie McCourt said the improvements would "give the stadium a chance to remain viable and perhaps see its 100th birthday."

The letter did not detail the renovations, but the plan would enact a vision Frank McCourt made when he bought the team in 2004 -- to transform at least part of the Dodger Stadium parking lot into an area offering dining and shopping for fans who arrive early and stay late, avoiding pregame and postgame traffic. The Dodgers would generate additional revenue as well.

This is just a simple case of updating an older ballpark - the story also mentions a dollar figure of $500 million in renovations - in step with Fenway Park and Wrigley Field in order to generate additional revenue. The big difference is that the Dodgers actually have some room to expand versus those other two ballparks, which are hemmed in by the surrounding neighborhoods.

While the extra revenue is nice, I think we can all see what's going on here - the Dodgers are trying to entice fans to fill up a bit before they hit the buffet section. Kind of like encouraging diners to fill up on bread before the meal.

They must be getting killed on that promotion. Not as much as they would if they played in Chicago, Milwaukee or Cleveland, but killed nonetheless.

(Image from: AndrewClem.com)

That's not good

OK, if it took a black cat to jinx the 1969 Chicago Cubs, what does this mean for the Dodgers?

A skunk is much, much worse than a black cat, right?

Dodgers are the McDonalds of baseball

I can only imagine being a bitter Brooklyn Dodger fan, flipping off the last moving truck as the team headed west for California.

"California?" You'd scream, rhetorically. "Screw 'em, no one will ever watch a game in LA. They'll be back with their tails between their legs in three years. And you know what? We'll be right here to tell them to screw off!"

At that point, I'd start to weep until someone took me home. Well, that's the most likely outcome.

Well, for the historically hypothetical me, today would have really, really sucked. According to tonight's Dodgers broadcast, the team turned over the odometer to 175 million fans in the history of the franchise. I can't find any other reference to this yet - Woohoo! The real media is on vacation! It's an exclusive! - but I'll keep checking.

Still, I can't help but wonder where the all-time stats stand for teams that have been around as long, if not longer. Specifically, the Yankees.

For now, the Dodgers are claiming the all-time record - and thank God for the Internet for sites like these to make life easy, great work BallparksofBaseball - which lists the Dodgers as the top draw in baseball for the 60s, 70s and 80s.

I can't help but wonder where they'd stand if attendance was taken when the game started, though. I'm betting they'd be running neck and neck with the Rockies.

(Image property of the Los Angeles Dodgers) at least I assume as much

I know you're all sick of Yanks/Sox, bear with me

As much as I hate to admit it, there were better games that could be on ESPN tonight in the place of the Yankees/Red Sox game. For the record, yes I'm getting tired of the Worldwide Leader's decision to air any and all games between the two teams - burning fans out on the teams and their rivalry can't be any good for baseball and it can actually hurt ratings in the fall.

Piling on to the situation is the unending coverage of Alex Rodriguez being stalked by the media in Toronto as he made the rounds with a woman who wasn't his wife - a situation that I think is really out of bounds.

Say what you will about the old media being too chummy with ballplayers, obliterating the lines of journalistic integrity - teams used to foot the bill for reporters to travel on the road with the team and held sway over who each paper chose to cover the games - but there was a strong sense of what happened on the field and the personal lives of players.

I'm reading a Joe DiMaggio biography right now and there have been more than a few references to DiMaggio going in and out of cathouses both in and out of season. I can't imagine the kind of firestorm this would set off today. Whether it was politicians or athletes, there were plenty of things that were seen but not reported and I don't think that's such a bad thing.

Much has been made of social columnists covering the Rodriguez story and not being forced to be around the players and I think that there's a solid point there. While I don't condone what he's being accused of, I don't think it's the media's place to out Rodriguez on the front page.

Maybe I'm a little too old school like that.

* So, how are you enjoying suspension Sunday? Lou Piniella is out until MLB tells him he can come back and play nice after a problem with an ump bump and there were a few other guys getting run as well. None had as much fun as the Mississippi Braves manager did on his way out, though.

That's because it's impossible to have that much fun.

Michael Barrett will not be catching for Carlos Zambrano until those two can settle their differences and will likely be disciplined by the Cubs.

Anyone care to place odds on Gary Sheffield getting a call from Bud Selig's office for his comments to GQ?

* Roger Clemens is running a little late in his return to the Yankees and Barry Bonds is stalling a bit in his chase for Hank Aaron... Awesome, now what will ESPN cover for 35 minutes on SportsCenter? Oh, right... Clemens' injury and Bonds' chase and why neither is going as quickly as planned.

* It's weird to have Milwaukee ahead in the standings - though it happened last year as well - but their recent skid (4-6 in the last 10 games) hasn't done them any damage in the incredibly weak NL Central.

It's a rich get richer situation in most divisions, with the exception of the Diamondbacks who have rattled off a 9-1 streak to catch up for a three-way tie with Los Angeles and San Diego.

Man, the NL West is weird.

In the AL Central, the Indians have cooled a bit and everyone except for the Royals are within 7.5 games of them. More on the Twins mid-week, but they're showing signs of life. Not many, but two signs are technically plural and count as "signs" of life.

* And because he's fine I can say this: Hey Doug, karma sucks. Guess you should have given the ball back after the World Series, huh? Sorry about your sprained cervix.

This is the long, petty way around to pointing out that the Yankees first base problems are only beginning. With the first- and second-string first basemen out for a while, it's been pretty brutal to watch the stiffs New York is trotting out there.

Expect more than a few problems with position play there this week.

(OK, I feel better now - just saw this from With Leather.)
(Image from Boston.com)

I'll pay you later - the IOU post on the weekly wrap

With Deadspin.com openly pulling for a back-to-back no-hitter situation for Mark Buehrle, I'll go ahead and ask it - is that a preemptive jinx or something?

I mean, if you can talk about one as it's happening, it has to be bad mojo to talk about one before the game even starts, right? Still, if you're a White Sox fan and you're secretly hoping for this to happen, you have to like seeing Kansas City on the schedule, huh?

Buehrle takes the ball Monday night in Kansas City.

* The Red Sox went back-to-back twice against some poor rookie for the Yankees tonight and while the ESPN crew went on and on about the historical significance, it's pretty easy to see why a shell-shocked pitcher is rarely put in a position to equal that dubious feat.

Usually, you let in two homers and you're getting pulled. Four is just cruel. Plus, by adding in the waiting factor as you swap pitchers, etc. it kills the momentum, but hey, it was fun while it lasted. It couldn't have happened to a nicer team.

* The talk radio in the Twin Cities is officially questioning Joe Nathan's spot as closer for the Twins, citing late-inning trouble he's gotten into (and usually out of) since the beginning of the season.

Imagine that - a man with newborn twins at home is having a hard time at work. I can only imagine what the problem might be... Perhaps the coaching staff should allow the poor guy to cat nap in the clubhouse during the games and they can wake him in the seventh inning if the game is close or something.

* Just a quick programming note that I'll be at Twins games Monday and Tuesday night, so I plan to post after those if anything exciting happens. Like a walk off grand slam like in Los Angeles Saturday night. Because that was pretty rad.

Thanks, Tim - We appreciate the vote

According to Tim Kurkjian's breakdown of the best rotations in baseball, the Red Sox are his winners by default.

It's akin to handicapping the presidential races right now, where we really need to see more from each rotation, not to mention that injuries and other fluke things come up in March to hamstring teams that look pretty strong on paper - remember the ESPN the Mag cover in 2004 that had the Cubs rotation as the prettiest girls at the dance?

In any event, the lineup of Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield is being seen as the best of a down year in terms of team pitching, with Kurkjian pointing out it's not like the old days of the Braves rotation that was always the prohibitive favorite heading into Grapefruit League play.

When it's a Japanese rookie with no experience in the majors - much less Boston - an injury-plagued young guy coming off a down year, an older power pitcher, a former closer with a season-ending injury last year, a pitcher who just finished chemo (not going for the cheap laugh here, only stating the facts) and an aging knuckleballer as your rotation, I'm not seeing how this is seen as the staff to beat.

I do, however, see the plot to Major League 4 coming along quite nicely.

Rounding out the Top 5 are the Tigers, Angels, Dodgers and Yankees.

On that list, I see at least two rotations I'd bank on ahead of Boston. It's also interesting to note only one National League team in the mix.

I think this only serves to prove two points. First, that picking a top rotation this year is a total crapshoot (can you honestly make a case that Contreras, Garland, Buherle and Vazquez couldn't be substituted into that five?) when pitchers and catchers have yet to report.

Second, it'll be an interesting year again with no big dog in the majors lurking to take everyone's lunch money and walk to a championship.

* Odds were posted the other day on Deadspin.com and I'm seeing things differently after reading The Wisdom of Crowds which pointed out that the Vegas lines aren't really there to pick who will win, but rather to provide an attractive line to get an even 50/50 split among all the bets being placed with the bookmaker.

Seeing the Cubs near the top of the list was jarring in that regard - all sorts of suckers place bets on the Northsiders every year just for the hell of it and the recent additions make the team that much more attractive to stupid gamblers.

I'm pretty sure they Cubs could be listed as triple-digit odds underdogs and still see plenty of action on the Vegas line. No need to fuel the fire with 9-1 odds this early in the process.

* Just as a housekeeping note, I'm still (I know, I know) deciding on how to handle the preseason previews and when. Obviously, working full time puts a dent into the process, so last year's team-by-team breakdown won't happen again.

Be patient and I'll more than likely start rolling these out by division once the spring games begin.

(Image from: SpringTrainingPhotos.com)

I love the Dodgers

Since the dawn of man, we as a people have been striving towards common goals.

The quest for fire. The invention of the wheel. Cures for diseases from polio to AIDS. The ability to both watch a baseball game and eat enough to feed a small European village for a week at one, set price.

The Dodgers have done it, ladies and gentlemen. They will be offering an all-you-can eat section for the 2007 season.

According to the Los Angeles Times:

A ticket to the right-field pavilion — at $35 in advance and $40 on game day — will entitle fans to an endless supply of ballpark staples, including hot dogs, peanuts and soda but excluding beer, which hasn't been sold in the pavilion for years. The Dodgers tested the concept several times last season.

All the hot dogs I can stomach, a ballgame at Chavez Ravine and all the hot dogs I can stomach?

Man, the only thing that could make that deal better would be some sort of deal wherein other people would bring me as many hot dogs as I could eat as long as I kept asking for them...

Hey, wait a minute...

(Image from Chump.com)

Week's end wrap up

I was really excited Thursday morning after a big night of moves in the hot stove league. Better yet was Steve Phillips chasing Barry Bonds around like Carl Monday, asking who he was talking to, if he was staying with the Giants and if he was jacking it.

Bonds told him his testicles were too far gone to even consider the last option. Not really, but in the television of my mind it was awesome.

The biggest, but least shocking moves were today, with Andy Pettitte going back to the Bronx and bringing rumors of a return of Roger Clemens with him. Bonds is also returning to San Francisco where he'll be hated the least.

Other big moves:

Jason Schmidt - Dodgers - Headed to the Dodgers, the biggest free agent arm (tied with Barry Zito this year) undercuts the Giants and helps Los Angeles which has a much better rotation on paper now (Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, Schmidt, Randy Wolf and any number of arms looking to take over the five spot.)

Being able to beef up your team while draining a division rival is a nice bonus, but these moves put the Dodgers as the early favorites in the NL West next year.

To his credit, Drew has defended himself a bit to the media, but given that it's Boston, this could get ugly in a big way. We'll see what happens, but this could be a train wreck right out of the gates.

Seriously, you can't trust LA, but who else is going to step up? In other words, business as usual in the NL West.

JD Drew and Julio Lugo - Red Sox - Here's what worries me. Five words in 20 years: The Curse of Johnny Damon. Expect JD Drew to get a lot of face time with Joe Buck's kid and AJ Pierzinski if this becomes a story line of my future nightmares.

Bad attitude and injury prone? Where do I sign?

To his credit, he's defended himself to a point, but it's still Boston and it's not out of the realm of possibility that this could be a train wreck out of the gates.

As much as I'm skeptical of Drew, I like the Lugo signing.

Not as much as I'd like Damon and Orlando Cabrera, but still...

(The best part of the Cabrera Era was screaming, "Welcome to the O.C., bitch!" every night.

Ted Lilly - Cubs - Please, oh please can we get at least a half-powered Bronson Arroyo factor here?

He was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA in 32 games for the Blue Jays last season.

I can't lie, I was awake after I turned off the TV the other night asking over and again if Ted Lilly was worth $10 million per year. My gut reaction is no.

Hope it's worth hospitalizing a GM over, but this deal isn't as exciting as it should have been. Yes, Cubs front office, we get it, you're trying to win now. There's still no need to try and spend 15 years worth of surplus cash in one mediocre off-season for talent.

Mike Piazza - A's - It's about time, huh? Maybe they'll give him Frank Thomas' old locker.

Freddy Garcia - Phillies - I'm with Frankie on this one who sent me an e-mail when this signing was confirmed. In an off-season where Lilly gets $10 million per, the White Sox give away a very, very durable pitcher for peanuts?

I thought this would be a move to bring Aaron Rowland back, but was surprised when he was left out east.

Still waiting to get word back on whether or not Kenny Williams is still a genius. That said, I'm getting a Billy Beane vibe off Willaims still where no matter how ridiculous the signing or free agent drop is, you can't help but wonder what he's up to.

This is a direct turn around from the Williams we were given in Moneyball where he was emasculated and painted as too dumb to grasp the finer points of a simple multi-player swap.

More from Frankie on this subject can be found here.

Joe Borowski - Indians - This guy keeps finding work and he always seemed like a good enough guy, but I can't help but wonder how he keeps signing contracts.

He's never very good, but never very bad, either. I think this is indicative of the season Cleveland can expect next year.

Gil Meche - Royals - Good for you, Royals!

Aren't they cute everyone? Yes, they are! Yes, they are!

Cute little ballclub you got there, KC...

For more of the same, jump over to ESPN.com where Jayson Stark has a similar breakdown, but with, you know... facts and stuff.

Nomaaaaaah!

I was cruising the MLB.com Outlet today and found a few cool items in just a few minutes.

Between my teams, friends and a brother in law who are White Sox fans and just general baseball stuff, I'll find things every now and again.

In the middle of all this, I question how MLB.com's pricing department employees walk with testicles that big the financial prudence of charging $143.97 (plus shipping!) for their leftover Nomar Garciaparra jerseys.

If I was a gambler, I'd buy as many of these as possible and beat Mitchell and Ness at their own game in 15 years.

You know, in a perfect world, a shortstop who was injured for 80 perecent of his tenure with a given team wouldn't have such a steep price tag associated with his obsolete jerseys... I'm just saying, is all.

(Image from Shop.MLB.com)