Below are the 11 most recent journal entries recorded in angelsbyrd's LiveJournal:

Monday, January 29th, 2007
6:45 pm	Sox sign Romero, re-sign Mirabelli The Boston Red Sox plugged two more holes Friday, announcing the signing of J. C. Romero and Doug Mirabelli. Romero, a 30-year-old free agent left handed specialist who spent 2006 with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, represents a reclaimation project, having put up a 6.70 ERA. Prior to joining the Angels, Romero, who had a general run of success in Minnesota before his bumpy single season in Anaheim, reportedly signed for $1.6 million. He joins fellow southpaw Hideki Okajima in the Sox bullpen, a point of weakness for Boston in recent years. In resigning Doug Mirabelli, a familiar face to Red Sox fans, Boston has filled its back up catcher position with a known quantity, intimately familiar with RHP Tim Wakefield's signature knuckleball. Mirabelli is slated to earn $750,000 in 2007, a figure that could rise to $975,00 if he meets performance incentives. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 26th, 2006
5:36 pm	Trade Review If there's one thing Terry Ryan has shown a great knack for in his time as general manager of the Minnesota Twins, it's getting great value out of trades. While his track record in free agency may be far from spotless, he has been responsible for some of the most noteworthy trades of the last decade, which can often be described as nothing short of a "steal." While the A.J. Pierzynski trade that brought in Francisco Liriano, Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser may be his crowning achievement, you can't overlook the trades that produced players like Nick Punto, Jason Bartlett, and Shannon Stewart. Now, I'll take a look at the major trades that Ryan made over the course of this season as well as the previous offseason, and an analysis of how they're looking so far. As you might have guessed, a couple are looking like definite steals. Travis Bowyer and Scott Tyler to Florida for Luis Castillo Ryan has generally made it a rule of thumb to avoid parting with good pitching prospects. He made an exception to this philosophy last offseason went he sent Bowyer, along with low-level prospect Tyler, to the Marlins in return for a veteran second baseman in Castillo. Bowyer, a 20th-round draft pick by the Twins in 1999, was coming off an excellent 2005 campaign in which he posted a 2.78 ERA in 74 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level as a 24-year-old reliever. He struck out 96 and walked 40. The Marlins acquired him and it seemed that he could be the team's full-time closer as soon as this year. Unfortunately for Florida, Bowyer missed the entirety of the 2006 season with shoulder problems. He had surgery last month and is expected to miss the beginning of the 2007 season. Tyler, on the other hand, had an interesting season in the Marlins' system. He also struggled with injuries at times, but did manage to throw 61 1/3 innings, all at the Double-A level. During that span, Tyler posted a solid 3.67 ERA but struggled mightily with his control, walking 44 batters while striking out 52. Because of this, Tyler posted an ugly 1.63 WHIP despite allowing just 56 hits in those 61.1 IP. Castillo was not sensational in 2006, but he was a tremendous upgrade both offensively and defensively from anything the Twins have had at second base for the past several years. His batting line of .296/.358/.370 was right around his career averages (.293/.369/.358). While his patience was a little disappointing early in the season, he came around near the end and finished with a nearly even strikeout-to-walk ratio (58:56). Castillo also stole 25 bases and led the major leagues in infield hits, taking advantage of the Metrodome surface. Even if you're not a huge fan of Castillo (which I wouldn't say I am), you have to like the way this trade has turned out for the Twins so far. It's too early to stick a fork in Bowyer, but his career prospects have definitely taken a major hit. As for Tyler, it's tough to visualize a guy who posted a 6.46 BB/9 IP in Double-A as having a particularly bright future. J.C. Romero to Los Angeles Angels for Alexi Casilla This was a more traditional Ryan trade, both in its make-up and in its results. Ryan traded a guy whose value was probably higher than it should have been for a prospect who was likely undervalued in his respective organization, and the result is what appears to have been a major steal. Although he posted good numbers in 2005, it was fairly clear to anyone who watched the Twins that Romero had some serious issues. On the exterior, his 3.47 ERA and .235 BAA from that season looked pretty nice, but when you looked deeper there were some troubling peripherals. Romero's numbers were far worse in the second half of the season (4.94 ERA) than the first (2.43). He struggled greatly with his control against right-handed hitters (20 K, 29 BB). Also, it is well-documented that he was horrible at holding inherited runners on base. This year, those problems ballooned for Romero in Los Angeles, and the results were disastrous: a 6.70 ERA, .298/.382/.450 opponents' line, and a 31:28 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 48.1 IP. Righties hit .382/.455/.578 against Romero. Over in the Twins' organization, Casilla turned in an extremely impressive 2006 campaign. After hitting .331/.390/.406 over 78 games at Ft. Myers, he was bumped up to New Britain, where he hit .294/.375/.382 in 45 games. Between both levels, Casilla stole 50 bases while being caught just 10 times, and posted a solid 56:48 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His performance impressed the Twins so much that he earned a September call-up, during which he picked up one hit and two walks in six plate appearances. Casilla has turned himself into the Twins' top infield prospect, while Romero has turned himself into a sub par LOOGY with no ability to get right-handed hitters out. On top of all that, the guy who the Twins signed to replace Romero as their lefty specialist, Dennys Reyes, was arguably the best southpaw reliever in baseball. Another great trade for the Twins. Kyle Lohse to Cincinnati for Zac Ward Ryan resisted the urge to trade Lohse at the deadline in 2005, and then did so again during the last offseason. These turned out to be grave mistakes. Lohse was absolutely horrible early in the season for the Twins, posting a 7.07 ERA before they traded him in late July. He pitched pretty well upon arriving in Cininnati, posting a 2.78 ERA in August, but then fell back into his old habits and finished up the season with a terrible 6.46 ERA in September. For the season as a whole, Lohse posted a career-worst 5.83 ERA and opponents hit .298/.358/.444 against him. Those numbers are not good, but they're not really off-line with his career norms (.285/.342/.453). Lohse just generally seems to get hit hard, which leads me to believe his prognosis in Cincinnati is not great. He is a pain in the clubhouse and he earns more money than he deserves, and now he's Wayne Krivsky's problem to deal with. For his part, Ward struggled for the Twins, going 1-4 with a 5.93 ERA in six starts for Beloit. That's pretty disappointing, particularly since he had pitched so well (7-0, 2.29 ERA. 0.97 WHIP) for Cincinnati's Low-A affiliate in the first chunk of the season. Ward will turn 23 in January, which is starting to get a little old for a Low-A ball prospect. It's hard to predict what will become of him, but at the very least this trade was nice because it got Lohse's salary off the books. Still, it's saddening to think about how much more Ryan could have gotten in return for him had he traded him earlier. Juan Castro to Cincinnati for Brandon Roberts I would not rank Castro as one of the better backup shortstops in the league, so the fact that he started for the Twins for almost three months is an embarrassing blemish on the judgment records of Ryan and Ron Gardenhire. Nonetheless, they eventually woke up and yanked him in the middle of June, around the same time they cut bait on the Tony Batista experiment. Those two players were replaced by Jason Bartlett and Nick Punto, and the rest, as they say, is history. Since Castro was hitting .231/.258/.308 and nearing his 34th birthday when they traded him, anything the Twins got in return was going to be a bonus. That bonus turned out to be Roberts, a 21-year-old speedy outfielder playing for Sarasota, the Reds' High-A affiliate. When he came to the Twins organization, Roberts was hitting an unimpressive .267/.325/.308 in 60 games on the season. Once he started playing in Ft. Myers, however, Roberts broke out, hitting .316/.370/.396 in his 71 games there. Like Casilla, Roberts can terrorize on the basepaths; he stole 50 bases between Sarasota and Ft. Myers while being caught just 14 times. He doesn't have much discipline or power, but the high batting average and the stolen bases are encouraging for a young kid who is a versatile defender. Castro did finish the year pretty well for the Reds, hitting .284/.320/.421 in 95 at-bats in Cincinnati, but I think it's safe to say the Twins didn't (and won't) miss him that much. This was another very good trade. *** I decided not to review the Adam Harben-for-Phil Nevin trade in this article, because it's simply too early to make any judgments. If the Twins release Nevin during the offseason and Harben goes on to have a decent career, it will probably end up as a bad trade. On the flip side, the Twins might bring back Nevin for next year, and if Harben continues to pitch like he did this year for the rest of his career, the trade will look pretty nice. The analysis of these trades is still early and subject to change, but at this point it's looking like another successful season for Terry Ryan in the trade department. I'll certainly be interested to see what he can pull off in the coming months. (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 2nd, 2006
1:12 pm	Fox Fires Lyons for Insensitive Comment Fox Fires Lyons for Insensitive Comment By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Sports Writer 22 minutes ago DETROIT - Fox baseball broadcaster Steve Lyons has been fired for making a racially insensitive comment directed at colleague Lou Piniella's Hispanic heritage on the air during Game 3 of the American League championship series. The network confirmed Saturday that Lyons was dismissed after Friday's game. He has been replaced for the remainder of the series by Los Angeles Angels announcer Jose Mota. Piniella had made an analogy involving the luck of finding a wallet, then briefly used a couple of Spanish phrases during Friday's broadcast. Lyons said that Piniella was "hablaing Espanol" _ butchering the conjugation for the word "to speak" _ and added, "I still can't find my wallet." "I don't understand him, and I don't want to sit too close to him now," Lyons continued. Lyons claimed he was kidding. "If I offended anybody, I'm truly sorry," Lyons said in a phone interview. "But my comment about Lou taking my wallet was a joke and in no way racially motivated." Lyons flew Saturday to Los Angeles, where he hoped to meet with Fox chairman David Hill. Lyons had been working in the booth for the ALCS alongside Thom Brennaman and Piniella, the No. 2 broadcast team for Fox this postseason. "Steve Lyons has been relieved of his Fox Sports duties for making comments on air that the company found inappropriate," network spokesman Dan Bell said. In the second inning of Friday's game between Detroit and Oakland, Piniella talked about the success light-hitting A's infielder Marco Scutaro had in the first round of the playoffs. Piniella said that slugger Frank Thomas and Eric Chavez needed to contribute, comparing Scutaro's production to finding a "wallet on Friday" and hoping it happened again the next week. Later, Piniella said the A's needed Thomas to get "en fuego" _ hot in Spanish _ because he was currently "frio" _ or cold. After Brennaman praised Piniella for being bilingual, Lyons spoke up. Fox executives told Lyons after the game he had been fired. Piniella, approached before Saturday's Game 4, declined to comment on the situation except to say: "No, he's not here today." This was not a first-time offense for Lyons, nicknamed "Psycho" during his nine-year big league career as a utilityman that ended in 1993 with the Boston Red Sox. Hired when Fox began broadcasting baseball in 1996, Lyons was suspended without pay in late September 2004 after his remarks about Shawn Green of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Green is Jewish and elected not to play one of the two games at San Francisco that took place during the Yom Kippur holiday. The network apologized for Lyons' remarks at the time. Earlier in the playoffs, while working the Mets-Dodgers NLDS, Lyons unwittingly made fun of a nearly blind fan who was wearing special glasses to see the game. "He's got a digital camera stuck to his face," Lyons said. He also once pulled down his pants on the field during his playing days. Lyons, 46, was a career .252 hitter with 19 home runs and 196 RBIs for Boston, the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta and Montreal. He was a first-round draft pick by the Red Sox, 19th overall, in 1981. ___ AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker and AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed to this story. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. (Comment on this)
Friday, September 29th, 2006
7:43 am	MLB standings with Rowdy's radical realignment Maholm and Milton at six. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 29th, 2006
6:35 pm	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim This is a giant batting helmet outside of Angel Stadium in Anaheim. The team changed it's name from Anaheim Angels to Los Angeles Angels and the city of Anaheim has taken the team ownership to court to have the name changed back. The truth is that none of us really care. (Comment on this)
Friday, August 18th, 2006
11:40 am	The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are idiots, part 2 It's not that goofy name, either. What's hard to believe is that an MLB team with serious aspirations, an owner willing to spend and a legitimate superstar (Guerrero) could have started the season with a more washed-up pair of players than the Angels did with Edgardo Alfonzo and Jeff Weaver. They spent over $16 million for the priviledge. Alfonzo got released after going 5-for-50 and Weaver -- who has been one of the whiniest players ever to play the game despite racking up an 81-97 record -- has been designated for assignment after going 3-10 with a 6.29 ERA, 18 HRs and an opposing batting average of 3.09. There's already speculation that the Cards and Dodgers are so desperate for pitching that they'll give Weaver a shot. (New Dodgers hotshot Chad Billingsley lost again on Sunday with Orlando Cabrera stealing home off him). What's good about this for the Giants? The best thing is that Jeff Weaver won't be in the Orange and Black this year. On the Fourth of July, I remain thankful not just for the enormous sacrificies of our founding fathers but also for the fact that I won't be forced to root for Jeff Weaver. Whatever the other defects are for the team, starting pitching doesn't look like one of them, particularly now that Morris is justifying his $9 million salary. Gwen Knapp of the SF Chron wrote on the Splash Blog that the radio crew mentioned that Morris' performance on Sunday may have been the turning point of the season, then added an interesting analysis that argues in favor of making a trade in the next few weeks. Morris' rebound from a horrible start has been the best development for the Giants in a long time. At this point, the team has two genuine stoppers, and as the trade deadline gets closer, that should put them in the buyers', not sellers', market. Well, truth is, Brian Sabean has never been much of a seller, not even last year, when the season fell apart so quickly. The difference this year is that there is reason other than the residual greatness in Barry Bonds to make this a go-for-it year.The starting pitchers, if they keep up their pace, make this Giants team a worthwhile investment when management starts looking at the trade market. It also doesn't hurt that Pedro Feliz and Omar Vizquel are mashing these days and Armando Benitez has stopped whining, though I'm sure the latter development is temporary. Feliz has now hit 4 HRs in the last 5 games, including tonight. He's 9th in the NL with 58 RBIs. (Comment on this)
Friday, August 11th, 2006
10:59 am	Baseball Update | Maddux, Thomas, White Sox Seems like future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux handled the trade from the Chicago Cubs to the Los Angeles Dodgers pretty well the other day. He allowed zero hits over six innings against the Cincinatti Reds before a rain delay that ended his appearance. Meanwhile, former White Sox player Frank Thomas went 7 for 13 in a weekend series for the Oakland A's in their sweep against the Seattle Mariners. Thomas says he's healthy and ready to show he's one still one of the top players in the game. White Sox lost on Sunday, falling 9.0 games behind Detroit and just a half game in front of Minnesota and Boston for the wildcard spot. The White Sox will now face the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, former AL West Division Champs. (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
6:00 pm	So, Where Do You Like Your Pancakes? To drive the neon-flashing boulevards of Myrtle Beach is to embark on a journey of hyperstimulation and information overload. There are so many signs. Just as there are so many businesses that offer the same products and services. Within each mile of the main business stretch of this so-called "Redneck Riviera" (or, as I like to call it, "Daytona Tweaking On Meth") you are guaranteed to see at least one of each of these establishments: ... An obscenely oversized bargain beach store where you can buy bathing suits, shark-tooth necklaces, temporary tattoos and t-shirts with the silouhette of a stripper and "I Support Single Moms" scrawled in big letters. ... An obscenely oversized "Calabash" seafood buffet restaurant that offers the same atmosphere a discerning dining connoisseur would find in pigs gathering around a horse trough. ... A "gentleman's club" that promises the best women and offers (sadly) a lunch buffet. And ... A pancake house. These places are desperate for our attention. They struggle to stand out from the pack -- like the homogenous beach dude banking on the hope that all those wintertime crunches will have his abs blaring the loudest. (They don't understand the sublime simplicity and unassuming charm of the Qwik Mart, by far my mostest favoritest sign in all of known creation). Alas, the beach stores and the buffet restaurants and gentlemen's clubs rely on neon. The strategy is to brainwash you into believing you're a moth. The brightest light wins. For whatever reason, the pancake houses can't quite pull off the neon. So they employ a more-subtle device, one that's more insidious than intrusive. This must be my favorite pancake place (even though I've never eaten there): I love it simply because it's mere yards from this place: Not to be outdone, this one is directly across the street: Yes, the key is to establish your area of coverage. It's kind of like how professional sports teams try to claim a region instead of one mere city (the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, the Florida Marlins in Miami, the ... yes, this is actually their name ... the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim). I'm not sure which ensures the best pancakes: Those pancake houses that claim pre-eminence over large regions or the ones that devote themselves to smaller coverage areas. You can find just about directional-style pancakes you wish: Not too ambitious. Just some acreage. This one shoots a little higher: Perhaps the most directionally appropriate given the locale (and, appropriately, "HIRIN WAITSTAF"). But certainly eclipsed in the shadow of: It doesn't claim international hegemony -- just dibs on, I suppose, the North and South American continents. So, the standard-bearer of pancake houses -- International House Of Pancakes -- is the one with the largest geographical claim? Which leads me to wonder: Should I open a Global House Of Pancakes? A Milky Way House Of Pancakes? Or how about Intergalactic House Of Pancakes? No, I think I've got it: Omniversal House Of Pancakes. Beat that, IHOP. (Comment on this)
Monday, July 31st, 2006
9:58 pm	find out what they want and then advise them to do it." "I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it." ~ Harry S. Truman, U.S. President He, President Truman has something here. Also, I believe is easier said than done! I didn’t take the time to visit my Father on this Father’s day. I felt it was better to spend real time to with my kid. Truth be told, I didn’t have much of a relationship with my father and spending time with my boy was a way to honor the memory of my own father and my unrequited wishes that he would be there for me. Today my child and I respected each other by not setting up obligations other than our dinner reservations with plenty of flexibility and lots of options. It wasn’t always like this. I’ve done my share of teaching my child what I considered the right way to live and behave or so I thought. Yet, in my efforts to teach, what I accomplish effectively alienated him at the time because at times, my teachings were laced anger and frustration. Anger and frustration colored by my experiences and they were experiences that were out of context with his own experiences. It’s like my parents penchant for being cheap and their desire to raise me in that way-because they were products of the depression and the war where the goods were hard to come by. It surely didn’t make sense to me, a child of Post WW11 living in the richest nation in the world. It made sense to them however. I was confused as my son was confused with me. It wasn’t all about me either; sometimes the kid didn’t get it! He didn’t get it because he didn’t think in ideas or concepts but in concrete-black and white and all of this stirred by his ego centricity. I learned to trust that my modeling in real life situations somehow took hold of this young man. I also learned to accept being relegated to a cheer leader for this child and frankly, it has made a world of difference! As for living in the moment, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim fans were just great as was the game. Though the Padres lost the ballgame, the feelings of goodwill we had along with the weather and the spectacular coast line made the train ride home all the better. Dinner was fabulous and as we toasted “Fathers Day” I took time to reflect on this young man laden with testosterone. He was happy and I felt happy. This shared experience was a good one! This is one experience my kid and I will file in our good memories category. A category to fill to overflowing. (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 29th, 2006
4:51 pm	CHAMPION: THE DRINKER Las Vegas, Nevada was not like Douglas had ... CHAMPION: THE DRINKER Las Vegas, Nevada was not like Douglas had suspected but it was still awesome. Here's the $$$ breakdown for The Man.Put $1 into a 5 cent slot machine and won $18.50. Hootie Hoo.THEN I took $18 and placed a bet on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to win over the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles.Lackey pitched a SHUT OUT and The Man won another $10.20. I also enjoyed an unlimited supply of free beverages in the sports book area at the Monte Carlo.BOOYAH! Kiss the bread ring! Initial investment = $1 Grand Total of Winnings = $28.70 Pretty small baller status but it paid for my food and alcohol for the 2 day trip. That's why they call it a bargain... the best I ever had. I bet there will be more awesome stuff on our Vegas trip over at The Doibox. OH YEAH... You know how I'm Robin Brown, right? Dumb stuff happens to me that is just comical crappy and not catastrophic crappy but none the less dumb stuff happens to me. One week after my luck was blowing the roof off of Las Vegas I received a little gift from the 133 N Toll Road in the shape of a screw. Where did I find my gift? In my tire. Not only did I get a flat tire but I drove on it long enough to ruin the tire. To make things cooler you can't get my kind of tire on Sundays. They have to be special ordered on a regular business day.Black rims are rad. I think I'll get three more. YAY 4 ME 4 LIFE. I can't say much about Slats.org other than the picture above was taken from it. Check it out. It is rad. PS: Mike MoNapoli rules.Your 2006 Rookie of the Year (according to me right now) (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 27th, 2006
10:47 am	find out what they want and then advise them to do it." "I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it." ~ Harry S. Truman, U.S. President He, President Truman has something here. Also, I believe is easier said than done! I didn’t take the time to visit my Father on this Father’s day. I felt it was better to spend real time to with my kid. Truth be told, I didn’t have much of a relationship with my father and spending time with my boy was a way to honor the memory of my own father and my unrequited wishes that he would be there for me. Today my child and I respected each other by not setting up obligations other than our dinner reservations with plenty of flexibility and lots of options. It wasn’t always like this. I’ve done my share of teaching my child what I considered the right way to live and behave or so I thought. Yet, in my efforts to teach, what I accomplish effectively alienated him at the time because at times, my teachings were laced anger and frustration. Anger and frustration colored by my experiences and they were experiences that were out of context with his own experiences. It’s like my parents penchant for being cheap and their desire to raise me in that way-because they were products of the depression and the war where the goods were hard to come by. It surely didn’t make sense to me, a child of Post WW11 living in the richest nation in the world. It made sense to them however. I was confused as my son was confused with me. It wasn’t all about me either; sometimes the kid didn’t get it! He didn’t get it because he didn’t think in ideas or concepts but in concrete-black and white and all of this stirred by his ego centricity. I learned to trust that my modeling in real life situations somehow took hold of this young man. I also learned to accept being relegated to a cheer leader for this child and frankly, it has made a world of difference! As for living in the moment, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim fans were just great as was the game. Though the Padres lost the ballgame, the feelings of goodwill we had along with the weather and the spectacular coast line made the train ride home all the better. Dinner was fabulous and as we toasted “Fathers Day” I took time to reflect on this young man laden with testosterone. He was happy and I felt happy. This shared experience was a good one! This is one experience my kid and I will file in our good memories category. A category to fill to overflowing. (Comment on this)