Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Jon's other site:
Screen Jam
TV and more ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
The Dodgers today signed young American-Japanese right-handed pitcher Robert Boothe to a minor league contract.
"We feel Robert has a good chance to become an effective Major League pitcher," said Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti. "Our scouting department has followed Robert for a couple of years and his signing reaffirms our commitment to reaching out worldwide to find players. It is difficult to sign amateur players out of Japan and we are excited at this signing's historical significance."
Boothe, 21, attended Asia University and was sought after by as many as five teams in the recent Japanese Professional Baseball draft. He was a member of the All-Japan College All-Star Team that played in Holland this summer.
The six-foot, two-inch pitcher was born to an American father and a Japanese mother and has siblings that reside in the United States. He was scouted and signed by Japanese Dodger scout Keiichi Kojima.
"Robert is a quality athlete with a nice delivery, good arm action and a sound mix of breaking pitches which gives him a chance to become a future Major Leaguer," said Assistant General Manager of Scouting, Logan White. "I'm proud of the job Acey Kohrogi and Keiichi Kojima have done in making this a reality." ...
Still I like the signing........can't hurt.
President Daniels started off so smarmy, but grew on me as a leader as the horrible season 6 progressed.
Anyway, I'm glad the Dodgers have decided to sign Boothe and thus make themselves merely mostly irrelevant wrt international signings, instead of completely irrelevant. I hope it doesn't mean anything that Logan White's praise for Boothe seems significantly less glowing than his quotes on other amateur pitchers like Kyle Blair.
He'll always be Cy Tolliver to me......or Curly Bill. :)
Besides, I don't have anything clever to write. Ever.
It's the Hall's first Frankie Frisch-style selection in a while. And it makes me want to hurl. That is, if I cared about who gets elected to the Hall of Fame. Which I don't. Or at least, I try not to.
1) I believe it was Red Smith of the New York Times, in his old age, who first came up with this quip while Kuhn was commissioner. When something really disastrous, I forget what, happened on Kuhn's watch, Smith would say "this never could have happened if Bowie Kuhn were alive today." Soon it became a catchphrase of sorts.
2) When Kuhn was writing his autobiography, his ghostwriter asked him a question about his decision to move all the World Series games to late-night times on the east coast. As the conversation progressed and Kuhn explained the reasons, the ghostwriter asked him, "but what about all the kids who will never see a World Series game because they take place too late at night?"
Kuhn's reply: "#### 'Em."
(I'm not sure if this actually happened, but the story was told to me by an archivist who inventoried the audio tapes from Kuhn's autobiography, which were donated to the Hall of Fame and are supposed to remain sealed until 2035 or some such year.)
"Despite his frequent, albeit forced, accomodations of player demands, Kuhn was perceived as a tool of the owners and as overmatched by the head of the Players Association, Marvin Miller. Kuhn regularly chided the players for their demands, called them overpaid, and preached of the potential evils of free agency, all stances pleasing to his employers, the owners. But Kuhn's officious, pompous manner gained him enemies beyond the ranks of the players.... Writer Red Smith excoriated Kuhn in many columns, producing such bon mots during the 1981 strike as "this strike wouldn't have happened if Bowie Kuhn were alive today" and "an empty car pulled up and Bowie Kuhn got out." Kuhn also feuded with A's owner Charlie Finley, who referred to Kuhn as a "village idiot" and then apologized for the offense to village idiots."
For those of you who take your musical cues from the National Football League, you should be happy this year: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are playing the halftime show. Well, at least your dad will be happy. If he's stoned.
I have to remember that people are nicer here.
Ahh, Professor Zappala, my archnemesis until December 22.
Be merciful to me that day.
I wonder if Norvell will change things a little bit if Karl decides to not coach in the game.
A father? How does that happen? Is there work involved? Any heavy lifting?
Borough president Marty Markowitz, whose job includes sticking up for Brooklyn every way possible, said he was "flabbergasted -- that's the word."
"For O'Malley, the bottom line was that it was his team to do what he wanted with, and he did it at the expense of breaking our hearts, at the expense of ripping out the hearts of the most enthusiastic fans in baseball," said Markowitz, who was 12 years old and lived three blocks from Ebbets Field a half-century ago.
Markowitz said that after he got wind of the impending O'Malley selection last month, he wrote a letter asking the committee to make a deal -- "if you're going to elect O'Malley, then give Brooklyn some respect by putting that great Dodger, Gil Hodges, in the Hall of Fame as well."
Hodges was a popular player in the heyday of the Dodgers and his repeated rejection by the Hall of fame since 1987 has become something of a cause celebre in Brooklyn.
"I'm at a loss to understand it," Markowitz said. The committee has not replied, he said.
Our last international signing, Pedro Baez got some big love on Friday. I expect him to get more tomorrow from BA. It is not quantity but quality that matters in the end.
This may not mean anything in the end but it was cool to see us win the round. A guy who follows the Japanese league from Baseball HQ gave me this scouting report on Boothe.
"Robert Booth: Pitcher. Japanese-American who plays for Asia University. Big (6' 3") with a mid-90's fastball. Born in Tokyo but has an American passport, meaning he won't need any immigration documents. He's only played one season of college ball but the Dodgers already have an eye on him. Comment: A real-long shot, but I liked the idea of sneaking in a pronounceable name for you.
"
http://www.pac-10.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120307aal.html
I have to work on December 22 until 6, so I will only be able to see the exciting second half!
But I hear that Tina Kinzer-Murphy and her staff do a great job with the Las Vegas Bowl.
(Every quote from UCLA about the Las Vegas Bowl mentions that woman's name sometime.)
Mac Suzuki came straight from Japan to the U.S.
I think because he has an American passport, but I am basing this off absolutely nothing.
Will you get to see:
1. UCLA's only safety
2. BYU's first and second safeties
3. BYU's second safety
4. 1 and 2
5. 1 and 3
So can someone clarify the rules in regards to Japanese amateur players for me?
I hope that one of them is a holding call in the end zone.
Me too. He deserves it.
I believe that Japanese amateur players fall under the same rules as international players from the rest of the world.
First come, first served.
However, in Japan, most amateurs want to stay at home.
I like the way you think.
The Cougars have opened as 4 1/2 point favorites.
For entertainment purposes only though.
We know that Boothe had a loophole; maybe Suzuki did too. His Wikipedia page implies that he was a U.S. resident when he signed a pro contract.
1. a punt
2. a drop kick
3. a place kick from a teammate's hold
Free Kick Thoughts is not a big discussion topic I guess.
The Nats now have four outfielders for three spots. Any ideas which of the four -- Dukes, Milledge, Kearns, Pena -- is the odd man out? And would the Twins or Marlins be interested in that player? And could the Dodgers set up a three-way trade where L.A. gets Santana or Cabrera for less than the crazymaking asking prices because they're getting, say, Lastings Milledge? Is there a trade there that makes sense for all three teams?
I realize this is idle chatter, but this could be the fun part of the hot stove.
Sheesh, apparently not. And here I thought I was opening the floodgates.
"First, the rumored offer to Andruw Jones (two years, $32M) is false. It isn't clear whether any offer has been made, but there are strong indications that there hasn't been one. Second, another rumor you might have seen on the web today, that the Dodgers are talking trade with Texas for third baseman Hank Blalock, also is false...."
http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/archives/2007/12/couple_of_thing.html
http://www.metsblog.com/2007/12/03/buzz-mets-work-with-os-on-bedard/
http://tinyurl.com/2w8g6l
If the Mets traded away their top prospects for Bedard, their system would be absolute garbage.
Seems pretty out there to be a lie... but its a nice story anyway.
Logan White said Greg Miller is the"real deal" also??? he's but only sniffed some success & always falters, I don't know I hope Logan White is right about Miller. I'm sure the Kershaw part is real but GREG MILLER???
For all we know JyStakes it's probably JoeyP doing his thing...
That would be pretty awesome if true. I dont really understand the thing about Greg Miller either, as he cant throw anything for a strike, but traded EJax because he ddint have a second pitch (his slider is pretty top notch, but like Miller, cant find the zone).
Unless this guy is a well-known and respected poster, I would call bull on this story. As great of a guy as Logan seems, the whole thing seems pretty far-fetched.
Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.