My parents are Diamondbacks partial season ticket holders for 3 years. They require handicap accessible seating, and they have 3rd deck seats about the home dugout.

They were informed at renewal time that if they weren't willing to extend to larger package of games, they'd face the risk of losing their seats to someone else. They paid their deposit and hoped for the best.

They got the call last week that indeed the seats were sold. They were offered seats behind homeplate (too expensive) or down the line by the foul pole (bad seats), and they could essentially take it or leave it. I don't agree with the choices they were given, since it seems to me that in this economy, you'd want to keep every paying customer you have and if there aren't enough wheelchair seats to meet the demand, maybe they should look at that.

At any rate, I emailed Derrick Hall and within an hour he responded. Obviously there wasn't a resolution, but he said they'd work to find comparable seats and that he didn't want to lose them.

Has anyone ever emailed Frank McCourt, does he respond to customer issues?

Most likely the incentives for Broxton are for games finished. Almost all the incentive clauses in MLB contracts are playing or service time related, either for games, PA, IP, starts, GF, days on roster, etc.

i.e. mostly things that Management ultimately controls, not the player.

After today's historic events, changing uniforms seems kind of petty, but purple uniforms and Sacramento go about as good together as Oil and Water.

Thank goodness the Dodgers would never change thier timeless uniforms (minus the Think Blue days of the Fox Regime)

Thanks for the call. :)

I too, share this sentiment. Is this far-fetched? Thoughts on a long-term deal this year?

Even if Ethier doesn't sign today, the two sides will have 2 weeks or so before the arbitration hearings begin to strike a deal.

In the case of Martin, this secures him at a record salary for a catcher for 2009, so even if a long-term deal doesn't get worked out he's in good shape. With Martin's new agent, they seem more willing to commit long term to the Dodgers.

"I sent a cranky letter to Apple when my 24-inch iMac stopped working. I asked if there was an alternative to my schlepping it to an Apple store since I was recovering from a liver transplant.

Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from the personal assistant of the billionaire CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs.

When does that ever happen? She sent a repair person to my apartment a few days later, and my iMac works like it is brand new.

Jobs is a class act. It bothers me that people seem more concerned with the price of their Apple stock than the health of its genius creator.

Michael Gabriel

Los Angeles"

What would Ryan Howard get in the open market?

Awesome.

I'm just here to tell you Eric that your in the right place.

Does the Dodgers' Ivan DeJesus Jr. profile better as a shortstop or second baseman at the major league level? What could prevent him from being an everyday shortstop: his glove, arm or instincts? Also, do you see him as a potential leadoff man, if he keeps improving his hitting and plate discipline?

Baseball America answers that question.

que piensas tu?

The real potential for savings comes with buying out a free agent year or two. Martin gets a "set for life" level of security (although one could argue $3.9 million could last an awfully long time with proper planning) and the Dodgers could save by paying under market value. Of course, the huge risk for the club is Martin getting hurt, but that's the cost of potentially saving the money.

I heard Martin's more of an RC Cola guy.

http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2009/01/dodgers-fact-russell-martin-do.html

Or he's doing for the endorsement.

AKA "Canadian Coke"

-via the L.A. Times blog

$50k for each of 45, 50, 55 and 60 games finished

Potential for a total of $2.025m

45 GF: 12 Dodgers
50 GF: 10
55 GF: 8
60 GF: 4

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/HG7N

Broxton himself had 32 games finished last season, 27 of which came after he became closer in mid-July.

So maybe he does have two left...

More generally, you like that genre of music, right?

It would seem odd if that pick is mixed in with this year's FA comps.

If a Player is optionally assigned for a total of less than 20 days in one championship season, such optional assignment(s) shall not count as an optional assignment in connection with the limitation upon optional assignments provided for in Major League Rule 11(c). (See Article XXI(B).)

If a Player is optionally assigned for a total of less than 20 days in one championship season, the Player shall be credited with Major League service during the period of such optional assignment(s). (See Article XIX(E).)

So you may be right. Repko only played 8 games in the minors in 2005 and 9 in 2006, but I don't know how long his option assignments were.

Not sure why we're spending this much time on Jason Repko. :)

Academic exercise. Just like, who was constitutionally the president once noon passed and before Obama took the oath.

David Atchison!

2005 - minors stint too short to use up an option year
2006 - full year in majors, except rehab
2007 - full year in majors on the DL (earned arbitration rights)
2008 - most of year in minors, used an option year.
2009 - second year of arbitration

I think the Pirates get pick 48a (or really #49) no matter where it is in the draft. Baseball America usually updates the draft order during their weekly "Ask BA" columns, and the Pirates have been sitting at 49 throughout the offseason even as the compensation picks mount.

All that means for the Dodgers is that their 2nd round pick from Atlanta will be one pick later. The range for that 2nd round pick is from 50 to 63, depending on the number of Type A/B's remaining that sign with other teams.

Com'in to town at 195?

The Phillies offered $14m. Howard could have won if he asked for something like $16m, but no way he gets an 80% raise after already obliterating the scale last year.

I think Andrew (regfairfield) looked at this last year and found arb raises tend to be somewhere around 50% each year.

Which is why I think Philly ($14m) will win over Howard ($18m) if it goes to a hearing.

Though we had no view of the capital, we watched the proceedings from a jumbo screen right in front of the WWII Memorial, which is behind the Washington Monument in the mall.

Appreciate Bob's concern but the restroom situation was fine for us.

It took almost 2 hours to get to where we watched the ceromony but only a little over an hour to get back, mainly because we were able to walk back on the freeway.

Sam liked that almost as much as the ceromony.

Well, it doesn't matter until the Phillies actually lose a useful player because of the size of Howard's contract. The Phillies will likely have to let Brett Meyers go at the end of the season and let Ryan Howard eat him or something. I mean, eat the savings from his contract for his next arbitration salary figure.

"He is seeking $3.75 million, while the club is offering $2.65 million."

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/2009/01/ethiers-arbitra.html

At the beginning of the show, they mentioned they were using ERA+, to adjust ERA for park and league. Progress, people!

I'm counting Dreifort as a resign as a FA.

Not sure, but I bet there'd be a lot more cases that make it to arbitration if they were able to do that.

The current system seems to encourage the team and player (agent) to work things out on their own.

As I understand it, a mediator would try to get the two sides to meet in the middle somewhere.

I just read some liability booklet for work.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2009/01/president-takes.html

"Eckstein doesn't need much of an introduction. He has spent the past eight seasons in the big leagues, playing shortstop mostly with the Angels and Cardinals. Over those years he compiled a .284/.351/.361 line (including two World Series rings) while establishing his reputation as a winning player. David is a true grinder who is a very tough out and does all the little things well - a great example for our younger players."

What do you say publicly when asked about this below average player?

I submit that every GM has to say what DePodesta said about Eckstein.

I believe the intention was so that both parties would be inclined to submit offers close to the "true value" of a player. Since the arbiter is bound to take one of the two offers, it would be unwise for either side to get too carried away on their position. Therefore in theory, this drives both sides to submit reasonable proposals.

He goes to conventions about baseball history?

Why Ethier will lose if the case goes to arbitration (which I don't think it will):

http://tinyurl.com/8wt3sk

Basically, the $2.65m number makes Either the highest paid amongst his similar OF so the $3.75m is simply too high.

In the sense that $3.75m would be too close to $3.9m and Either isn't as valuable as Martin? That's a valid thought I think.

Yea, I was thinking it could be something the Dodgers would point to in arb.

http://tinyurl.com/9mxjjj

That would make him SABR-friendly.

If she can beat Eric Gagne after the greatest relief season ever, she can do anything! :)

I would be okay with a contract like that

In other Dbacks news, they fired their mascot who it turns out got pulled over doing 95 on the highway with a BAC almost twice the legal limit and told the cops he'd smoked a bunch of weed earlier in the day. The best part though is that the costume was in the back of his Scion.

So their is an open job vacancy...hmmm downtown phx isn't too far from Scottsdale...

Imagine that thing blown up, plush, and firing a T-shirt cannon. Ick.

Yah in Old Town...since ummm, end of July. Weekends are fun.

It is still a dream of mine to be one of the ball boys on the side on the field at Dodger stadium.

(Just finished it yesterday, and talk of doing 90 in a Scion reminded me of the scene in "Black Sheep" where Farley and David Spade get pulled over for speeding)

Francoeur is asking the Braves for $3.95 million. The club has offered the 25-year-old right fielder a salary of $2.8 million.

So Francoeur wants to be paid more than Ethier. Albeit as a player entering his 4th year, with 3 and a half years of playing time vs. Ethier's super two status with 2 and a half years of playing time.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090120&content_id=3751751&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl

I tend to lead towards PT&A

"You're going the wrong way!"

Yeah, don't rush or anything in that hiring process, Al. :-/

If Ethier and the Dodgers can't settle on a contract before arbitration, the Dodgers will win the hearing.

167.
That extra year sure didn't seem to help Francoeurs cause.

http://www.truebluela.com/2009/1/14/720656/dodger-payroll

In other words, Ethier's side would have to show why his age difference (relative to Scott, et al) is relevant to predicting 2009.

To me, it would be more relevant in predicting future value over a number of years as opposed to just one. Especially since the age difference is relatively small for one season.

If Howard continues his current decline, he'll be eligible for an $18mil/year contract from Ned.

Kobe said he wants to play left field and bat 3rd if Manny doesn't sign.

There must be some way to go down to the cheapskate Marlins' level and pick up Cameron Maybin and Cody Ross.