My first and last post this year that metions Pierre.

Happy New Year! Time to start making waffles!

Not that I want to start that debate again either ... so let's forget I said it.

Boy, a lot of minefields in 2008.

I would hate xeifrank to be mad at me.

Did he get confused with Jones, whose contract I believe was announced with a no-trade clause?

http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/los-angeles-dodgers.html

Then I come to the site... and it turns out that U2 was right! Nothing changes on New Year's Day!

A new year... and, let's hope, a new Pierre.

7 A new Pierre in a different uniform sounds good to me.

Commenters here might be more interested that the Trader Joe's float comes up at #42.

http://tinyurl.com/3ybqaa

No B1 this year. That's always been the highlight for me because it would circle over my house before the parade started.

I would like to know why the float has #50 batting. Eric Stults was used mostly as a reliever and had a grand total of 12 AB this year:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/stulter01.shtml

I'm not willing to get excited about it until there's any reason to believe it matters. I still assume Colletti likes Pierre.

If a player could have a "no benching" clause, what would then prevent a player from ever being fined or disciplined in any way?

People somehow drew that conclusion when he said "it's in my contract to play 162 games." It was just a figure of speech.

On another topic - mlbtraderumors.com has an interesting link to a wikipedia entry on a 21 year old pitcher now throwing for the Nippon Ham Fighters. Apparently he's the new Japanese pitching hero, since most of their others have come over here. Half Japanese, half Iranian which is already very interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Darvish

To get Darvish to come to the US before he is eligible to be posted, some team would have to fork over hundreds of million of dollars to the Nippon Ham people.

No telling what the Yanks or Red Sox might do with the money they set aside for Santana if they don't get him, although Darvish has apparently announced he has no desire to come over here anytime in the immediate future

Darvish is really young and I wouldn't be convinced he would be an instant success in the U.S. He would be good, but I can't imagine he would start out any better than Matsuzaka.

I guess by most standards, Japanese ball is no better than AAA, but I wonder what the average Japanese fan feels about the U.S. grabbing so many of their good players. Maybe they think of it as an honor, or maybe it really ticks them off.

Happy New Year, all. And thanks, Jon, for another terrific year of postings.

As bad as you might think MLB's marketing is, NPB's is a thousand times worse.

Rafael Furcal, SS
Russell Martin, C
Matt Kemp, RF
Andruw Jones, CF
Jeff Kent, 2B
James Loney, 1B
Andy LaRoche, 3B (this must've been hard for Ken to write)
Juan Pierre, LF
Brad Penny, P

Only had time to watch the one on Gibson's homer but I think I could watch that one every day. Every time I watch it, I'm reminded of why I love baseball so much and it somehow lets me forget about all the steroid stuff.

I missed it, hopefully they have a re-peat later on today.

It would make more sense to bat him 9th (if he's gonna be in the lineup), with the pitcher batting 8th. That way, the pitcher could bunt guys off of first, and Pierre could move runners up with grounders, rather than forcing them out at 2nd with bunts and grounders.

It might also give Furcal more fastballs to look at which could also be an advantage.

I just checked & unfortunately it won't air again.

Can you tell I'm not enamored of this "tradition?" My sedated dog is still asleep and uncomfortable.

Hauoli Makahiki Hou, everyone!

I can find nothing about JP being no-trade.

Huh? Drew wasn't on the team last year and didn't play CF.

Arizona Diamondbacks 11 - 1
Atlanta Braves 11 - 1
Chicago Cubs 4 - 1
Cincinnati Reds 17 - 1
Colorado Rockies 9 - 1
Florida Marlins 75 - 1
Houston Astros 25 - 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 7 - 1
Milwaukee Brewers 11 - 1
New York Mets 5 - 1
Philadelphia Phillies 5 - 1
Pittsburgh Pirates 75 - 1
San Diego Padres 7 - 1
San Francisco Giants 40 - 1
St Louis Cardinals 11 - 1
Washington Nationals 75 - 1

The Cubs are actually the favorite. I think the odds for the NL West teams are a little long simply because the NL West is gonna be really tough this year. Incidentally, the Dodgers are 20-1 to win the World Series.

I guess the sourness was all Gonzo. Kent, Nomar and Lowe were as happy go lucky as ever.

If the Dodgers keep him as a pinch hitter, pinch runner, extra outfielder, he serves as a reminder to McCourt that many times it is better to not do something than to act in haste.

Were I betting man, I might think the Diamondbacks are a value bet at 11-1.

Huh? Drew wasn't on the team last year and didn't play CF.

I think he's referring to the fact that Colletti was planning on Drew moving to CF to replace Lofton when J.D. "surprised" him by opting out and then Ned grabbed Pierre.

Willie Davis? Manny Mota? Davey Lopes?

my first impression was that the LA Dodger caricature on the float resembled someone mentioned in the MR...

(cue the Dragnet music here: http://tinyurl.com/29nvxs)

Speaking of ignorance--make that arrogance--here's a link to an item on Boras' ego taking a hit from the A-Rod/Yankees fiasco. It should help get everyone's New Year off to a good start, since Boras is so universally loved and admired here....

Excerpt: "A-Rod might not be the most popular guy in the game, but don't think he didn't do some serious damage to Boras' image. He basically called the guy a lying weasel on national TV. Nobody in the business is shedding any tears for Boras, believe me, but he took a serious hit."

Item also says Boras has tried to call A-Rod. But A-Rod won't take the calls.

http://tinyurl.com/yvxasn

There is a funny article about homerism. I am a sucker for pictures of Homer I think.

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/01/introducing-the-homer-award/

Actually, how much does movie theater advertising cost? If the National Guard can run that fifteen (or whatever) minute music video before every movie in the country, I could maybe pop for a screen or two. Preferably somewhere near when Reg (or, better, his parents) live. "You're not really a Pierre-lover are you, honey? There was this ad at the movie theater, but I can't believe it's true. I thought we'd raised you better than that... (in the backround: You're killing your mother, son; I hope you're proud of yourself!)"

Juan Pierre
Austin Kearns
Conor Jackson
Edwin Jackson
Pierre-Luc "Pete" LaForest
Richmond "Richie" Sexson

It also finds 31 current minor leaguers:
Lincoln - 1
Pierre - 1
Richmond - 1
Sacramento - 1
Salem - 1
Carson - 3 (kind of cheating, as I didn't cut any slack for just "Paul" -- no current Jeffersons, though)
Austin - 11
Jackson - 13

The list adds up to 32 because Austin Jackson, currently in AAA for the Yankees, is pulling double duty.

That was also my summer of gophering for AM Los Angeles with Steve Edwards and Christina Ferrare ... and making a diving catch in the outfield in a weekend softball game next to Mark Coogan.

What if there was a good reason? Although I guess the tagline "this message brought to you by the Society for the Prevention of Juan Pierre" would be a tad tasteless.

I have lost my patience or Cowheard.....he is horrible...

I assume you heard from Ned directly. He got a panic attack when he saw Gurnick's article and was just checking the contract when you dropped him an email.

I'm expecting a nice bounce back year from both of them:

Andruw Jones [http://tinyurl.com/5bja8]

Jose Reyes [http://tinyurl.com/yrvmmm]

You know what though, Jose Reyes ob% isn't eye catching but I guess it's good enough.

I like that it seems necessary to publicly affirm that one wishes Pierre no harm. That it's the hallmark of the Pierre moderate.

Now, of course, it has a different meaning altogether.

vr, Xei

111. regfairfield

In Gurnick's defense, a lot of reporters are probably even worse. We should just give thanks that he mostly spells everything right, I say.

Sarah Morris spells everything right, too.

But now I notice that not only is there an extra space, there's also an extra carriage return.

Stanford, who was playing a backup quarterback and a team that featured, at best, one player (Mark Bradford) who could have played significant time for USC.

The defense rests.

What about Lasorda's?

Hit for a higher average than Carlos Beltran
A better on base percentage than Chris Young
A better slug than Ryan Freel
Had a better +/- than Ichiro
And more steals than Grady Sizemore

I'm not saying Juan Pierre is great, but you do the math.

I didn't know that hockey stats had made their way in to baseball yet.

"Saves" has been around for a while now.

(Note, hockey stat people argue about this a lot.)

He answered me with: "that's my understanding, but i don't have details as to whether it's total, partial, for every season or for some."

8-team; 12--team; 16-team--I don't care. Let's decide it on the field.

I use to frequent Tung Lai Shen at the same plaza. Not it's defunct.

There are many other great little eateries in the area that I don't have a clue what the names are.

vr, Xei

Ever.

Ernie Nevers, a good selection, and John Elway, a selection that was baffling.

Elway was a great quarterback. He was not a great college quarterback. He was very good at Stanford, but the Cardinal were never better than 6-5 with Elway playing.

Apparently, Matt Leinart's career never existed.

Has The Trent Edwards Experience taught us nothing?

Your post drips with hatred of all things Granada Hills. Daryl Stroh will haunt your dreams.

And then there was John Elway. A guy whose team was robbed of a chance to play Vanderbilt in the All-American Bowl.

Hawaii sure looks like they are overmatched in this game.

All that talk about how this season is so great and crazy, because things kept changing.

Funny J. Alba article, if anyone cares:
http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/01/off-field-fleeces-gofer-hits-jackpot-lands-alba/

im in awe of Jon... lucky man

FAQ 1) Who is Cash Warren?

Isn't that a double-negative? Wouldn't it be less awkward to say Juan Pierre has a trade clause?

I like the sound of that. Juan Pierre has a trade clause.

Colt's Convicts

Excuse me, but I believe a significant part of the SC team was injured for that Stanford game. ANY team with that many injuries might enter the same fate. Yes, overconfidence... but even so, teams CAN improve mentally and physically over the year.

Heck, Michigan lost to Appalachian state at the beginning of the year, but beat Florida today. Let's put to bed any notion that Michigan is not a bowl worthy team.

Today, SC clobbered Illinois, the same team that, yep, BEAT the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium! Imagine if the Trojans played Georgia instead. It might have been closer than the debacles we saw at the Rose and Sugar bowls tonight.

If Ohio State doesn't get blown out by LSU next week, you can bet I'm going to make a case for SC being the best overall team at this current moment.

That's the last you will hear from me the SC fan this season. The defense rests...

Update: 135 I see that Bob clarified his opinion on Stanford. Bob, I have a lot of respect for you for qualifying your statement, and I apologize if the tone of my last five paragraphs were overly vindictive

Instead we got two boring blowouts. Thanks, Rose Bowl committee.

LAT: If you want some more suggestions for Rome and Florence, tell us how long you plan on being in each place. There are some day trip to consider. There is a lot more to see in Rome than in Florence, but Florence and that entire area has a great atmosphere. There is a GREAT and CHEAP restaurant in Florence called Garibaldi's. I got the address out of the Let's Go tour book. There are tourist meals that include two courses, a vegetable (salad or fries for some reason), bread, AND WINE! All a fixed price, lots of choices too.

My biggest piece of advice is to use the potties before touring the Coliseum. There is a bit of a line to get into the building, and if you get the audio tour, it takes about an hour to walk around the arena. There are no potties in there, and if you leave to use one outside, you can't get back in.

Also, be VERY mindful of women and children carrying a folded newspaper. There is a bit of pickpocketing going on near the tourist sites, especially in Rome.

My favorite gelato is pistacio. Gelato in Italy is great. Watch for metal tins rather than plastic ones holding the gelato. That tells you if it is freshly handmade (tin) or frozen (plastic). The stuff out of the tins is better. There is gelato everywhere.

Just to spread the love a little further, the Dodgers confirmed today that there will not be a Juan Pierre bobblehead day this season. It turns out that if the bobblehead is bigger than the actual player, the bobblehead is disallowed.

http://tinyurl.com/27ywh2

I compared "plain" (i.e. sweetened) soymilk with cow's milk, and cow's milk actually has more sugar per serving. IIRC, cow's milk has 11-12 grams, compared to 6 for soymilk. So, sweetened soymilk has roughly half the sugar of regular milk.

Sure the offense looked impressive, but that cannot be the defense of the best team in the country right now.

But I changed it because I didn't really know why I came up with that comment.

Anyone who ever enjoyed the song "American Pie" should enjoy this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycgegp0KdE4

Illinois had a great year (for them) but I think the proof is in the pudding that they aren't really in the class of even Michigan right now.

I was just thinking right now: what would have happened if Arizona State won the Pac 10... they'd be in the Rose, while SC could have played Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. On the other hand, SC might have been in the Holiday bowl instead playing Texas. Either way, it would have been a better bowl outcome.

Having USC playing, does make things worse for hotels in the area. I would assume Illinois fans are going to spend around the same amount of money as Georgia fans.

Didnt SC hold Mike Hart to something like 20 yards last year? And SC's front 4 are much tougher than last year IMO. There isnt an O line in the country that can handle that front four.

Honestly, the only teams I see giving SC a run would be Missouri, LSU or Georgia. Outside of them, no one comes close to beating SC.

I picked up a Fender Stratocaster for the new year as part of my resolution: Learn something new for my students; benefit.

Now I'm hoping that I can learn a few Buzzcocks songs as well bang out some guitar riffs while singing about the rock cycle.

158 Sam, I was at Albertsons last night trying to figure out if to go with the vanilla or plain versions, never even thought of unsweetened. I do believe making such a purchase is surely against the Patriot Act.

Just to add onto Andrew's point, if the best from each conference can't meet, the best thing to do is just scrap the tradition for one year and just pick a better matchup.

I don't know. The BCS bowls are nice, but they're not the end all be all.

My favorite unheralded bowls to date are the Holiday Bowl and particularly the Capital One Bowl. Captial One has delivered year after year. I look forward to the Capital One bowl more than the Sugar Bowl sometimes!

Gameday price to park your car at New Yankee Stadium in 2010: $29. That rises to $35 in 2014.

There are too many teams for a national system to really work. And relegation won't work, either, because nobody would tolerate USC's not playing Notre Dame and UCLA every year. So we should all just accept that we'll never know whether LSU is better than USC, and we should accept that it doesn't really matter whether they are--the same way we accept that we don't really know whether the Cubs are better than the (Ham) Fighters. We accept it because we don't really care. Embrace the indifference!

The SC game was over after the first drive, I dont really care how many yards they compile if we win in that fashion. SC has the 4th best run defense in the country YPG wise at 79. What did 400 something yards do for Illinois?

Regarding Oklahoma, Pete Carroll made Bob Stoops look like a Pop Warner coach the last time those two teams met.

And yes, Ohio St. playing for the National Championship tells me the Big 10 is overrated. Go back and watch some tape of that Illinois v Ohio St. game and tell me that team should be playing LSU for the honor of being called the best team in the nation. It's laughable really.

I guess you could get mad about that, but who'd drive a car to Yankee Stadium? I assumed most folks took the subway or the bus from nearby.

I don't think we have a quorum for a cabal though.

End sarcasm.

Here is a quick summary:
http://www.mmbolding.com/bowls/Rose_1966.htm