I think that most athletes have the press conference down pat, especially those who have been signed many times over, like a Johnny Damon.   You just get used it, even though it’s mainly B.S.  But that’s just part of the many events outside of the stadium that players have to excel at.  So why not be good at it?  Why not use every opportunity in front of a camera like you’re auditioning to host Baseball Tonight or a MasterCard commercial?

Using Damon’s recent press conference as a rubric, here are a few things to remember if you ever want to give a great press conference:

“Let’s put a smile on that face!”

For the love of God, smile!  You’ve just been given a pile of cash and access to the most prominent of lifestyles imaginable.  To go in there with some Dickensian attitude or anything less than a smirk will automatically put you on the wrong side of the popularity fence.  The bad boy days are over.  We’re living in a metrosexual, Prozac taking, “it’s okay to cry in baseball after all” world.  People want emotion and they still want to believe that money can buy happiness.  So please, show off them pearly whites whenever the opportunity arises.

I counted, and there are only nine separate seconds in which Damon isn’t smiling.

Tip: Do a small head nod with the smile.  Even if no one has said anything, look like you’re in agreement with, well, everything.  The fans want you to want to be there.  An approving head nod is just enough body language to win them over.

Sit behind as much Aquafina as humanly possible

You need to give the appearance that you are indeed the healthiest and most viable candidate for the job.  So form a barricade of H2O which ultimately says, “I drink this stuff, I’m in great shape and you’ll never have to worry about me going to rehab.”

Tip: Don’t actually drink the water.  You don’t know where it’s been.  For all you know it’s been festering in the backseat of some intern’s Prius.  Take the advice of Vizzini from The Princess Bride: “Only a great fool would reach for what he is given.”  I mean, you do really want to go on the 15 day DL with a case of E. coli?

Thank Somebody

Most people will go with God in this situation or whoever their preferred deity happens to be.  Others will seek immediate approval from the fans by thanking them, which is a good one too.  I prefer thanking ownership, who when all is said and done, is God to all parties concerned.  Daniel Plainview would simply call this last one, the “third revelation.”

Then there is professional schmoozer Johnny Damon, who thanked all three.  It comes off as a bit needy, but it covers all your bases and leaves nothing to question.

Tip: Under no circumstances thank a sponsor, a mistress, or your former team.  The latter comes off as sarcastic, and the other ones are just in poor taste.  However, if you do, you might as well have the P.R. guy schedule another press conference.

The Thumbs Up

So you’ve spread your new jersey out like some colonialist flag and have given some reason to why the number 82 has special meaning to you.  Now what?

Two freaking thumbs up is what!

Siskel and Ebert made it famous.  Now you have to make it look not goofy and contrived.  After you’ve put on your new jersey, keep your hands about a foot in-front of your chest.  Any further and it’ll look like you’re doing a PSA for “People Suffering from Rock’em Sock’em Robot Injuries.”  Any less and it’ll look like you’re covering up hard nipples.  Twelve inches is the “rule of thumb.” < (Even I think that’s corny).

Tip: Allow time for cameras to snap off some pictures, and shake hands with the GM like he’s your guardian angel.  You might even want to call him that at some point during the press conference, but not before you’ve learned his named.

Tip #2: Learn the GM’s name.

Tell them what they want to hear

After you’ve smiled you’re way through the handshaking, the head nodding, and the obligatory thank yous, you must move on to the most important thing:  Lying.  Lie so much that David Frost will want to interview you.

Okay, so maybe not that bad.  You want to tell little white lies.  Or better yet, you want to “do what’s in the best interest of the team” (lie).

Take Johnny Damon’s recent press conference, where he had to wear specially made flame retardant pants just to get through the Q&A:

“Actually, after the Red Sox, Detroit was the first place I wanted to sign.”

Smile.  Next lie.

“This is the place I wanted to be.”

Nod.  Smile.

“The fans are great.”

Hold back laughter.  Keep holding…keep holding…and breathe.  Now smile.

Tip: Keep it to about three compliments on how great the city and the fans are, and how your dreams are being fulfilled.  Basically, don’t work overtime at the B.S. Factory.  Clock-in and clock-out.

Compliment the Manager

You want to play don’t you?  Well, this is the perfect time to kiss some serious behind.  Johnny Damon said some pretty complimenting things about the Tiger’s skipper, Jim Leyland.  Actually, any more flattery and they’d be legally dating in Michigan.  He pulled out all the stops:

“Jim Leyland is a Hall of Fame Manager…you look at Jim Leyland, and you say, wow.”

Really?  I also look at Jim Leyland and say, “Wow”, but it’s usually followed by, “he really looks like Bruce Dern.”  No disrespect to Leyland, who is a good manager, but the Hall of Fame?  Sorry.  No.  He has a World Series ring with the 1997 Florida Mar-Loans, the best rent-a-team of all time.  But he also has a losing record.  Out of the 21 managers ahead of him in wins, only three have losing records: Gene Mauch, Buck Harris (HOF), and Connie Mack (HOF and the most career wins).

Tip: As much as I loved Johnny Damon’s professional press conference, I must say he flubbed it a bit here.  After playing for Terry Francona and then Joe Torre (a total of six World Series titles), there’s no basis for comparison.  It’s not close.  You’ve been there a day and you’re calling the manager a Hall of Famer?  Damon needed to scale it back a bit.  Compliments are most effective when they’re believable.

Say something clever

And finally, have fun.  Like the 1952 movie Singing in the Rain croons, “make’em laugh.”  You don’t have to be Donald O’Connor to do this, but you need a little humanism.  Once again, smile.  Too many athletes like a Tiger Woods or Bret Favre get so serious that you forget they’re talking about playing a game.

At this point in the press conference, you’ve set everything up for a great closing line.  Some people will simply say, “Let’s go (insert team),” but not Johnny Damon.  He opted for an Eastern theme.  “Let’s hope the Chinese are right when they say 2010 is the year of the tiger.” (Room chuckles)

Do you get it?  He plays for the Tigers, and the Chinese calendar indicates this is the year of the aforementioned mammal.  So it’s funny.

Tip: Be cute, not crude. You don’t want your press conference to turn into a sound bite buffet.  (Look what happened to Howard Dean)  In the same token, you don’t want to be too cute.  Damon could have easily ended the conference by proclaiming of his new team that, “They’rrrrrre great!”

Johnny Damon is a consummate professional, who always knows what to say and how to say it.  I don’t want you to get confused though with the differences or lack thereof between him and Tiger Woods.  Yes, whoever writes their scripts should have won Academy Awards by now, but a guy like Damon, and the tongue and cheek “tips” I’ve given are valid. The advice can’t be fed into a machine, only to be regurgitated.  They need a real person to process it.

Just remember this, most of what Johnny Damon said was wrong.  But he said it right.  And that’s all that matters.

Stephen Okawa is the College Baseball Editor for Gotham Baseball and the Co-Executive Producer of Gotham Baseball LIVE. You can contact him here, or follow him on Twitter and add him on Facebook.

Their stories, told by authors Marty Appel (MUNSON: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain) and Judith Testa (SAL MAGLIE: Baseball’s Demon Barber) will join Mark Healey on Baseball Digest LIVE to talk about their award-winning books.

Also joining the show will be former big league pitcher Dick Drago, who pitched in the majors from 1969-1981 with the Royals, Red Sox, Orioles, Angels and Mariners. Baseball Digest LIVE’s Executive Producer and Fantasy Editor Jay Ferraro will also be on hand, discussing the Baseball Digest Fantasy Baseball leagues, as well as promoting the debut of his new show, the re-launch of “Gotham Baseball LIVE”!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE OR TO DOWNLOAD ARCHIVE

The old adage “you can never have too much pitching” rings true every MLB marathon. However, to quote Dr. Seuss,“The 3 best words that best describe you(Kyle Farnsworth), are as follows, and I quote Stink, Stank, Stunk”.

I understand the depth in the Royals rotation has lead management to this decision, but I would rather see rookies get those starts to mature and learn their craft at the MLB level. The Royals are far away from competing and need to groom youngsters for their rotation, not try to transform a journeyman. If Mr. Grinch grabs a spot, every fifth day will be batting practice in the American League.

Farnsworth has a solid fastball and slider when they are working, but as we have seen over the years, those effective pitches are few and far between.  He has always been a very hittable relief pitcher and is MIA in big games.  In 1999, during his  rookie campaign with the Cubs, he started 21 games with an ERA of 5.05,  5-9 record and yielded 28 bombs.  His career ERA is 4.47 while making stops with the Cubs, Yankees, Tigers, Royals and Braves.

The Royals have not spent money on starting pitchers since landing Gil Meche. If Farnsworth takes the ball every fifth day, KC will find themselves 21.5 games out of the Central again this season. From a fantasy baseball standpoint, if Farnsworth does manage to secure a rotation spot ,  I wouldn’t touch him with a 39 and a half foot pole–I just couldn’t resist.

Jay Ferraro is the Executive Producer of Baseball Digest LIVE and Gotham Baseball LIVE.  He is also a columnist for Baseball Digest ,Baseballdigest.com, and Gothambaseball.com. You can reach him at Jay_Ferraro@Juno.com , follow him on Twitter here and add him on Facebook here.

Credit: Alan Alabastro for TPNW (c) 2010

Teahen and Dravecky visited with students at the Hutch School, which provides state-certified K-12 education for pediatric cancer patients and young family members of patients.

“It’s always great to be recognized for what you do for the community,” said Teahen at the event.  “But with everything this award stands for, to get recognized by a group like this is pretty cool.”

Teahen, 28, played the first five years of his career for the Kansas City Royals, hitting .269 with 59 home runs and 293 RBI.  He was traded to the White Sox on Nov. 5, then later that month was named the Hutch Award winner.  He is penciled in to start at third base for the ChiSox in 2010.

Rangers’ Ivan Rodriguez, Baseball Digest’s 1999 Player Of The Year
By John Kuenster, Editor, Baseball Digest

Dating back to 1969, Baseball Digest has annually selected its Player Of The Year. In that 30-year span, however, trhere has never been a more difficult decision than the one involved in picking the best all-around player for the 1999 season. Read more…

Baseball’s Biggest Surprises and Flops in ‘99
By George Vass, Baseball Digest

The impoverished A’s, who finished last in 1998, recorded their first winning season since 1992 with a 87-75 mark. They were bolstered by such pickups as designated hitter John Jaha, rookie pitcher Tim Hudson and starting pitcher Kevin Appier, acquired in mid-stream from Kansas City. Read more…

George Brett: A Big-Game Performer
By Joe Posnanski, The Kansas City Star

George Brett’s greatness is too large to condense, too gigantic to abbreviate. You can’t boil down all those hits and the batting titles and the moments and the chase for .400 and the [ain tar home run and the way he tormented the Yankees and the thousand times he broke up the double play and the million throws he made across the diamond. Read more…

Mark Teahen, third baseman and outfielder for K.C. the past five years, was today named the winner of the prestigious Hutch Award, presented annually to the Major League Baseball player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of baseball great Fred Hutchinson, both on and off the field.

Teahen was traded to the Chicago White Sox on Nov. 5, so when the 28-year-old visits children at the Hutchinson Center’s Hutch School in Seattle and receives his award at Safeco Field on Jan. 27, 2010, he’ll be representing his new club.  Legendary pitcher and 1989 Hutch Award winner Dave Dravecky will be the featured speaker at the luncheon, which raises funds for cancer research.

But more importantly, he’ll be representing the many MLB players who give freely of their time and resources to benefit others.  For nearly the entirety of his tenure with the Royals, Teahen served as a key spokesman and fundraiser for the YMCA Challenger Baseball program, a division of Little League Baseball that gives children with physical or mental challenges the opportunity to play on specially designed baseball fields. In addition, he has donated time to the Royals AbilityCAMP, an interactive baseball camp for kids with disabilities, and he has supported other causes and foundations focusing on the well-being of children.

“I am extremely excited to accept the Hutch Award, and I am humbled to be added to the prestigious list of former recipients,” Teahen said. “I am honored and am thankful for all of my friends and family who help me accomplish the many successes I’ve been fortunate to achieve.”

Teahen said the Hutch Award and its connection with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center mean even more to him because this year he witnessed his mother’s successful battle with breast cancer.

The Hutchinson Center was founded by Fred’s brother Bill, a prominent Seattle surgeon, after Fred died of cancer at age 45. The Hutch Award was established in 1965 and was first given to Mickey Mantle. Other Hutch Award winners have included 2008 recipient Jon Lester, Mike Sweeney, Mark Loretta, Craig Biggio, Jamie Moyer, Willie McCovey, Willie Stargell, Omar Vizquel, Sandy Koufax and Carl Yastrzemski. In all, 11 Hall-of-Famers have received the Hutch Award. For more information about the Hutch Award, including a full list of past recipients, visit www.fhcrc.org/hutchaward.

This collection of players is not going to wow any scouts as a major acquisition but most will see playing time at the major league level. This collecting of  low risk players is in line with a team that is looking to cut salary, which is just what Kansas City will be this year. Players like Thompson and Betemit will most likely be on the opening day roster as a low cost alternative.

These low cost alternatives are just the first step in yet another rebuilding plan in Kansas City. These players are bricks that are being laid to build a road that will lead  Meche, Guillen, DeJesus and many others to places like Chicago and New York.

Fields career – .229/.302/.416/84 OPS+
Jacobs 2009 – .228/.297/.401/84 OPS+

Getz career – .262/.323/.346/73 OPS+
Bloomquist – .263/.318/.332/75 OPS+

Pretty freaking eerie, right? Did I mention that both Fields and Getz are below average defensively? They are. So what’s this trade about then? Saving money, replacing Callaspo, or replacing Gordon? My opinion (take it for what’s worth, I’m wrong a lot) is that this paves the way for a Gordon trade and Callaspo/Fields take over the 3B/DH spots. Which I guess would mean that Jacobs is on his way out too but with Moore you never know.

I think centerfield/rightfield/catcher/bullpen were greater needs than 2B and 3B so this trade screams the word odd. But these two players do appeal to Moore’s philosophy of low OBP and sub-par defense. He certainly has a type.

In other words, here we go again.

So at first glance you would suspect that I didn’t care for the trade and you would be right but probably not for the reasons you may think. I am not overrating Teahen, he is what he is. A useful player that you can put just about anywhere who won’t hurt you offensively or defensively. He doesn’t help you much either though which is why I’m not upset he was traded.

And it’s not really Fields or Getz that has me annoyed, no as usual it’s Dayton Moore. Again 2B and 3B were not pressing needs like say catcher or centerfield. Fields and Getz have both shown flashes of potential that may or may not come out in KC and they come cheaper than Teahen so maybe Moore is hoping to shed payroll so he can wade into the free agent pool. Whatever the reason it’s just an odd trade. I get that a lot of people like it and that’s fine. The 2009 Royals were a disaster so roster turnover is to be expected.

To help understand what KC is getting I turned to  faithful (and somewhat cynical) White Sox blogger Andrew Reilly of the 35th Street Review. (I offered him my thoughts on Teahen which you can read here.)

I suspect, Royals fans, that you want to know exactly what the Chicago White Sox just sent you in the mail. Who are Josh Fields and Chris Getz? What have they done? What will they do for their new team?

First the good news: Chris Getz. Make no mistake, Getz may a terrible player someday and we saw last year what happened when the American League finally compiled the book on him. Witness his fantastic April (.340 average, .396 OBP), followed by a miserable May and June (.200/.263, .247/.301). But Getz also rebounded nicely, finishing the year as the Sox’ second-best rookie and being the least painful bottom-of-the-order bat in recent South Side history. His defense, while not fantastic, will serve you well and won’t (read: can’t) make the Royals any worse. You will not curse him, but at the same time you will probably never revere him, either. Knowing what I know about Kansas City baseball, this will probably be a nice change of pace.

On the other hand, I promise you will very quickly grow to hate Josh Fields. Not because Fields is a bad person (which he isn’t), nor because he’s a bad baseball player (which he is), but because for a long time Fields has had all the trappings of becoming a potentially great baseball player. Savage power at the plate coupled with respectable skills at the hot corner should spell stardom, but in Fields’ case that power has been handcuffed to an alarming number of strikeouts in a very short amount in time. In 2007, he gave us fans 23 homers in 100 games, with 125 whiffs to match; in 2009, he struck out (76) almost as often as he played (79). When he connects, Fields can deliver some awesome feats of hitting, but the only problem with that is that Fields, simply put, never connects. You will want very badly to see this man live up to his promise, and he will never deliver on it.

Ever.

Thanks for the third baseman, though. Between the weak-hitting second baseman the Sox had last year and the terrifying third base prospect waiting in Charlotte for the call back to the bigs, the future was starting to look ugly.

What the Sox get with Teahen is an average left-handed bat who can play third base, second base, or right field—although UZR says he can’t exactly play any of those positions well.

Teahen’s walk rate has plummeted in the last two years, falling from 9.2 in 2006 and 2007 to 7.4 and 6.6 in 2008 and 2009. As a result, his OBP fell from the .350 range to the .310-.320 range. On top of that, his contact rate has fell along with his walk rate.

His current approach at the plate—essentially, one of less patience—is a strong departure from his famed Moneyball days. Some scout quotes on Teahen from the book (page 31):

Good approach to hitting. Not a lot of power right now…he takes pitches.

Teahen doesn’t project. He’s a corner guy who doesn’t hit a lot of home runs.

Teahen not only is a corner guy who doesn’t hit a lot of home runs, but now, he doesn’t even have a good approach to hitting.

Maybe some of that change has been because of poor coaching from the Royals. Or maybe some of that change has been that Teahen got sick of being a corner outfielder who doesn’t hit many home runs.

If the Sox can find a way to get Teahen back to his patient days at the plate (i.e. get his walk rate back up), then he at least can be a good OBP guy somewhere in the lineup. If not, though, he’ll become essentially an expensive utility player.

Teahen is a better defensive right fielder than Jermaine Dye, but he’s still not above-average. So if Teahen is playing a corner position, he won’t have much power or much defense.

A lesser worry for me is that the Sox will move Teahen to third and Gordon Beckham to second. I’d have to hope the Sox know about Teahen’s deficiencies at third and would rather keep Beckham progressing defensively there instead of moving him to second. But that infield shift is not something we can rule out just yet.

But it’s not like the Sox gave up a whole lot for Teahen. Getz has a lot of work to do with his offense, defense, and fragility before he can be considered an everyday major-league second baseman. Fields didn’t have a position within the organization and, unfortunately for him, Kansas City probably isn’t the best place to revive his career.

What’s interesting now is that the White Sox do with second base. Will Jayson Nix become the everyday starter? Will Beckham shift to second? Will Teahen play second base, which he did only three times last year? Will the White Sox acquire a second baseman via the free agent or trade market now? Does this mean C.J. Retherford might crack the majors as a reserve infielder?

It’s only November 5, and already we have a bunch of questions that’ll have to be answered over the course of the winter. That’s a nice way to kick off the hot stove league.

It’s not right and often it’s not fair but a trip through recent history tells us that’s just the way it is. Greinke wouldn’t be the first whose low win total kept him from winning the award (or even the first Royal, more on that later). Looking over the results of a handful of disputed CYA’s we see the silliness in attaching so much importance to a stat that sometimes is beyond a pitchers control (for example Greinke has a 1.95 ERA in his eight no decisions!). Look at these stat comparisons removing wins from the discussion, bold indicates they led the league in that category.

Player A: 2.76 ERA, 142 ERA+, 211.2 IP, 270 K’s, 6.5 H/9 (finished 5th in CYA voting)
Player B: 2.83 ERA, 150 ERA+, 89 IP, 74 K’s, 40 saves (won CYA)

1987 – Nolan Ryan was the only NL qualifier with an ERA below 3.00 but he went just 8-16 and despite leading the league in ERA and strikeouts he lost the award to Steve Bedrosian, who frankly wasn’t that dominant. This was also a very prominent offensive season which makes Ryan’s season even more impressive. This was 22 years ago and we could forgive the voters for focusing on W/L if they would have stopped, but of course they haven’t.

Player A: 2.95 ERA, 126 ERA+, 238 IP, 127 K’s, 2 CG, 2 SHO (won CYA)
Player B: 1.93 ERA, 213 ERA+, 228.1 IP, 209 K’s, 7 CG, 4 SHO (finished 2nd)

1990 – Bob Welch led the league in only one stat in that year, care to guess which one? If you guessed wins you are correct – Welch went 27-6 while Roger Clemens could only muster a mere 21 wins. Voters may have asked how a guy with six fewer victories could win the award but looking at the rest of the stats I ask how could he not? Interestingly enough Clemens finished 2nd in MVP voting while Welch finished 8th, how very odd.

Player A: 3.37 ERA, 125 ERA+, 256.2 IP, 158 K’s, 10 CG, 4 SHO, 0.7 HR/9 (won CYA)
Player B: 2.56 ERA, 179 ERA+, 238.2 IP, 186 K’s, 5 CG, 1 SHO, 0.3 HR/9 (finished 3rd)

1993 – Kevin Appier was the best pitcher in the AL and won 18 games but Black Jack McDowell went 22-10 and took home the prize. Randy Johnson finished 2nd (19-8 3.24 308 K’s) but Appier should have been a near unanimous winner. Instead he got 1 first place vote. If Appier would have won the Royals would’ve had a 10 year stretch (1985-94) where three pitchers won four Cy Young Awards (Saberhagen won in 85 and 89, Cone won in 94). Hopefully Greinke won’t suffer Appier’s disappointment.

Player A: 2.75 ERA, 158 ERA+, 229.1 IP, 182 K’s, 1.13 WHIP, 7.1 H/9, 1 CG, 0 SHO (won CYA)
Player B: 2.26 ERA, 202 ERA+, 199.1 IP, 239 K’s, 0.92 WHIP, 6.5 H/9, 5 CG, 1 SHO (finished 2nd)

2002 – Pedro Martinez went 20-4 but it was Barry Zito’s 23 wins that attracted the eyes of the voters. Now Zito was no slouch that year but Pedro was flat out at the top of his game and I don’t think the 30 extra innings that Zito pitched overcame the rest of the stats that were heavily tilted in Pedro’s favor.

Player A: 2.60 ERA, 177 ERA+, 245.2 IP, 290 K’s, 0.90 WHIP, 6.5 H/9 (finished 2nd)
Player B: 2.98 ERA, 146 ERA+, 214.1 IP, 218 K’s, 1.15 WHIP, 7.1 H/9 (won CYA)

2004 – This was an odd one because the only stat that Roger Clemens led the league in was winning percentage. He went 18-4 compared to Randy Johnsons 16-14. His low loss total and his reputation (though that didn’t help him in 2005) were probably the only two reasons that enabled him to take the award over Johnson.

Player A: 2.87 ERA, 155 ERA+, 231.1 IP, 238 K’s, 0.97 WHIP, 7.0 H/9, 3 CG, 2 SHO (finished 3rd)
Player B: 3.48 ERA, 122 ERA+, 222.2 IP, 157 K’s, 1.15 WHIP, 8.7 H/9, 2 CG, 0 SHO (won CYA)

2005 – This should be the one that gives Greinke pause. Bartolo Colon went 21-8 and won the award despite getting owned across the board by Johan Santana (16-7). What’s amazing is that Santana only received 3 first place votes. This may not be as big a joke as McDowell winning over Appier in 1993 but it’s awfully close. The voters should have just came out after Colon won and admitted that all they care about is wins (and then had their voting rights taken away).

Who knows, maybe this is the year voters decide that a pitchers offensively inept teammates shouldn’t be a factor. After all it’s looking doubtful that an AL pitcher will win the mythical 20 that the voters just love. If Sabathia and/or Verlander win 19 then I honestly think that Greinke could take the CYA with just 15 victories.

But then again I thought 16 wins was enough for Santana in 2005.

Moore’s reputation as a bullpen genius has been compromised this season – a 5.11 ERA and 1.51 WHIP will do that. Joakim Soria is the only relief pitcher with an ERA below 4 (2.97) and he is just 5th among relievers in innings pitched trailing Jamey Wright (64 IP, 4.50 ERA), Juan Cruz (46.2, 6.17), Robinson Tejeda (42, 4.07), and Ron Mahay (41.1, 4.79). He has pitched only 6 more innings than Roman Colon (6.21) which is either sad or funny, depending on your point of view.

Cruz’ disappointing season was a surprise but everybody knew that Farnsworth was going to bomb – everybody but the guy calling the shots apparently. If Moore hadn’t traded Ramirez and Nunez then he wouldn’t have needed to sign Farnsworth and Cruz. It’s said that due to the nature of inconsistency among middle relievers that trading them for everyday players is good business but Moore busted that myth wide open. Those two trades weakened the bullpen thus making the team worse not to mention that Crisp and Jacobs failed to be the difference makers on offense that Moore had envisioned.
———-
Well KC’s misfortune (or Moore’s incompetence) has strengthened the bullpen of three teams making a playoff push. I asked some of my fellow Baseball Bloggers Alliance members their thoughts on the trades that brought them relief help.

Christine from Boston Red Thoughts on the Ramirez/Crisp trade:
My 1st thought when I heard that Coco Crisp was going to KC for Ramon Ramirez was “who the heck is Ramon Ramirez?”  Then I did some research, and saw that he was a good pitcher, and since Coco has pretty much become a gaping hole in the lineup (he never really had the same level of success he had when he was with Cleveland….)

I think it was a very good trade for the Sox–they got a good pitcher (although its seems like he lets a lot of inherited runners score, which is a pet peeve of mine) and since the Sox are only paying him $441K, and Coco, who is on the DL (He did that when he was with the Sox too…;-) is being paid $6 million plus, its a good thing.

Michael from Marlin Maniac on the Nunez/Jacobs trade:
I thought the Jacobs/Nunez deal was good for the Marlins then and I think it’s good now. I’m of the opinion that bullpen arms are very replaceable, but I’m also of the opinion that first baseman who can’t get on base and are terrible on defense are a dime a dozen, if not more. I was happy the Marlins got somebody even close to Leo Nunez, who is an average reliever and thus not particularly valuable but, if used the right way, won’t hurt or help your team all that much. Jacobs, on the other hand, has very good potential to hurt your team if you use him in ANY way, as the only thing he can do is hit home runs. Especially for a first baseman, you need to be well above average offensively to be better than replacement level, and that doesn’t even factor the fact that Jacobs is a terrible defensive first baseman.

All in all, neither team came out much better in terms of value, as Nunez has been OK and at times troublesome as a reliever, which isn’t worth much if anything, and Jacobs has been a terrible DH for the Royals, which is definitely worth nothing. The difference here is the Royals are stuck fitting Jacobs arbitration bill, while Nunez makes the rookie rate in Florida. And that’s probably the best advantage the Marlins got in the deal.

Devon from Rays All Day on the Howell/Gathright trade:
My initial reaction was a decent outfielder for a minor league starting pitcher who has a little potential but probably would not amount to anything. He started out bad as a starter, so the Rays got smart and sent him to the bullpen. Nobody thought he would be as good as he is now, but he is like our savior in our bullpen. The Rays bullpen without JP Howell would not be nearly as good.
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There’s a fun little piece at Hardball Cooperative on the best baseball movies of all time (Field of Dreams in my opinion, and there’s not even a close second) that you should check out here.

On May 7th Bannister beat Seattle and KC was 18-11 and the winners of six straight but then something happened, some sort of karmic intervention perhaps (I have a theory I’ll share some time), and the Royals are just 4-12 since then. Gil Meche is obviously broke and I fail to see how a 15 day DL stint is going to hurt him or the team – KC is 3-7 when Meche starts and haven’t won one since May 3rd. That’s your #1 starter folks and he needs to be fixed if they expect to be relevant in September.

The offense is stuck in neutral still. After plating 13 runs in consecutive wins against the Tribe last week they have scored 12 since and have a 1-5 record to show for it. Something has to click soon or they are going to find themselves in a hole they won’t be able to climb out of.

There is still time to right the ship but it has to happen in the next two weeks (tomorrow’s Greinke day would be the perfect time to start) because I fear that if they are 7-10 games back at the break then they are going to be sellers at the deadline and 2009 will go down as more of the same.

Brian Bannister was wildly entertaining. He only gave up one hit but walked six. He settled down after the second inning and is now 2-0 after just two starts.

Hillman had four options – A. bring in left-hander Mahay, B. bring in Cruz who actually fares better against lefties than Mahay, C. bring in Soria for a four-0ut save, something Hillman said he is willing to do this season, or D. leave in Farnsworth. Hillman chose D and the predictable result was a three-run home run.

On April 15, he again turned to Farnsworth, this time with the score 2-2 in the seventh, against the Indians. One-third of an inning later Farnsworth had given up three runs and Kansas City ended up losing 5-4.

On April 19, the Royals were up 5-3 against the Texas Rangers, and again, Hillman made several odd moves. He took Cruz out in favor of Mahay to face Josh Hamilton. This worked but the decision was odd because Hillman has said he hates situational pitching. Also, never mind the fact that right-handers had owned Hamilton in the series, and that Cruz owns everybody right now. Cruz has the ability to go two innings, and was well-rested, so the choice to let him get only two outs was curious to say the least. In the 8th inning with the tying run on second base and Jamey Wright on the mound Hillman chose to leave him in there. Again, avoiding the opportunity for Soria to get a four-out save. Wright ended up giving up a game tying hit. In the bottom of the 9th Hillman turned to Farnsworth — instead of Robinson Tejeda and Soria — and two pitches later, Michael Young hit a game-winning home run to hand Farnsworth his third loss of the season.

Kansas City is sitting at 7-5 and tied for first place in the ASL Central, but they could be 10-2 if Hillman had a better understanding of how to use his bullpen. It’s simple really – Cruz in the 8th and Soria in the 9th. Rotate the 7th among Mahay, Wright, Tejeda, and Waechter. Farnsworth should never be brought into a close game but Hillman refuses to accept this.

If he doesn’t soon, the Royals will once again find themselves at the bottom of the AL Central.

Many thought that he had earned the job based on the .305/.361/.371 line he put up in 234 PA’s in 2008 but last seasons stats ultimately didn’t matter. Callaspo is an odd player in that while he doesn’t hit for any sort of power (career .335 SLG) he also isn’t particularly fast (3 career stolen bases). But he almost always makes contact, he has just 37 strikeouts in 464 PA’s, and he will take a walk.

He is off to a great start hitting .360/.407/.440 in his first eight games this season.  Now I doubt he will keep that pace up but a repeat of last years numbers are possible and most likely probable. What happens when Gordon gets back is uncertain at this point but if Callaspo keeps hitting KC will have find ways to get him playing time.

The six runs were a season high for the Royals and it was rather nice to see. Their .201 team batting average is last in all of baseball which is making runs hard to come by. The bullpen was again dominant -  the Yankees were held scoreless in 9.2 innings by the KC ‘pen in the three game series.

But back to Buck, he is fifth among AL catchers in home runs since the 2004 season but has been relegated to a backup. He and Miguel Olivo are essentially the same player as both offer the same skill-set; low OBP, some power, lots of strikeouts. It was a curious decision by Dayton Moore to bring back both as well as Brayan Pena, who just so happens to be the polar opposite of both Buck and Olivo. Buck’s bat may force him back into regular playing time as Olivo has struggled mightily.

A move is going to have to be made to bring up another outfielder as they can’t be serious about playing Willie Bloomquist in RF everyday. I expect one of the Pena’s to be cut and Mitch Maier promoted, though I would prefer 2003 1st round draft pick Chris Lubanski.

Except for one brief, ugly inning by Kyle Farnsworth the Royals pitching dominated the White Sox – Farnsworth 1 IP 3 ER, everyone else 25 IP 2 ER. He didn’t make anymore appearances in the series so let’s hope Trey learned his lesson. Offensively the Royals struggled as they scored only six runs total, they will need to step that up against the Yankees.

The Yankees bats seem to bopping right now and that probably won’t change against the Royals as Ponson and Horacio Ramirez start the first two games. It’s going to be wet and cold so that may keep the runs down a bit.

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I asked Journal News beat writer Peter Abraham for a few Yankee thoughts and here are his answers.

1. How excited are you that the Yankees will get to face Sidney Ponson and Horacio Ramirez in the three game series?

Not remotely.

2. I’ve seen 2009 predictions for New York that range from the World Series to the 3rd place in the AL East. Where do you think they’ll finish?

I think they’ll win the division and get back in the series. They have a lot of pitching and five excellent starters.

3. The Yankees aren’t the youngest team in baseball so are there any prospects that will come up and make a splash this year?

Brett Gardner will start in CF. Phil Hughes will help I think. They have a SS named Ramiro Pena who is a whiz in the field. There are some players coming through the system.

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I sort of get the feeling Royals fans are more down on Ponson than they should be. I asked Mark Feinsand the same questions at Royally Speaking and he went into more detail with question #1 than Peter and it makes me think that the writers that covered Ponson in NY have a little more respect for him than we do here in KC. Sam Mellinger also weighs in with his Ponson thoughts and maybe (just maybe) it’s not the end of the world.

Nobody gave him much of a chance and after a rough start he left to go play for Canada in the WBC.  When he got back two things happened – his defense improved and he started crushing the ball. Now he will never be confused with Frank White but his bat plays well at the position so he may hit just enough to overcome his defensive shortcomings.

Teahen will start the season opener tomorrow at 2nd base and will bat third, which is amazing because he was considered just a utility guy when ST started. Now you can argue that DeJesus or Gordon should be batting third (and probably be right) but ever since 2006 Teahen has teased the Royals with his performance.  It’s now or never for him to live up to his potential.

Whether or not he can do it will go a long ways toward deciding KC’s 2009 fate.