Q & A with Charlie Hayes

Written for Bronx Pinstripes

The past week felt like the “Bizarro Yankees” world. (Thank you Superman and Seinfeld.) For the first time in the Steinbrenner era, the Yankees were big time sellers at the MLB trade deadline.Carlos Beltran, Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Ivan Nova were all sent to new homes. Conversely, in 1996, the Yankees were big time buyers on their way to their first championship. One of the players they brought in was a former Yankee, third baseman Charlie Hayes.

One of the lasting memories of the that season was the final out of the World Series. Mark Lemke’s foul pop nestled neatly in Hayes’ glove and he squeezed it tightly for the third and final out in the 9th inning. To help commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1996 team, I spoke with Charlie Hayes about the ’96 team, his sons, and what the future holds.

Read the rest of this column for free at BronxPinstripes.com.

Yankees Introduce McCann to the Media

The Yankees introduced free agent acquisition Brian McCann to the media at 2:00 EST Thursday afternoon in what turned out to be a very quick press conference. After PR head Jason Zillo added McCann's name to the long line of Yankees' catching legends - Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Thurman Munson, Jorge Posada - Brian Cashman welcomed McCann's wife Ashley with fresh flowers and two pairs of "onesies" for their children, 16-month old son Colt and 2-month old daughter Colbie.

Manager Joe Girardi then presented McCann with his #34 pinstripes jersey and Yankees cap and turned the mic over to him. The former Atlanta Brave thanked the Steinbrenner family and expressed his excitement for the chance to play for the Yankees.

He then took questions from the floor, including one that dealt with McCann's reactions to Carlos Gomez and Jose Fernandez that nearly caused bench clearing brawls between the Braves and Brewers, and the Braves and Marlins.

A clean shaven McCann downplayed both incidents, complimented both players on their ability, and said his instincts took over with Gomez who was yelling the entire way around the bases after hitting a home run.

McCann looks forward to "pick the brains of the pitchers" to get an idea of how they approach the game and each at-bat. The catcher also said he spoke with former teammate Mark Teixeira to get an idea of what it would be like to play in New York City. He's just four months away from finding out.

Updated 3:45 PM - Here is the video of the press conference.
 

Yankees Catch McCann With Too Much Money

Brian McCann will have to get used to seeing his face again.

A short time ago it was reported that the Yankees and catcher Brian McCann were very close to a deal. That story was disputed by some, of the media such as FOX's Ken Rosenthal, but apparently the former was true.

The Yankees and the free agent catcher have reportedly agreed to a five-year, $75MM deal that could reach $100MM if incentives are met. The deal makes me wonder what the future holds for prospects like Gary Sanchez, J.R. Murphy, and the other highly touted catchers in the Yankees' system. The Texas Rangers had been thought to be the leading candidate for McCann's services, though that was before picking up much of Prince Fielder's contract.

McCann, who will have to remove his trademark beard, will turn 30 during Spring Training. He's coming off a pair of years for the Atlanta Braves in which he was banged up and was limited to 121 and 102 games respectively. He hasn't appeared in more than 128 games since 2010. What he has done is average 21 home runs over the last six seasons, but has seen his OPS drop due to a lack of walks and a lower batting average.

The seven time All-Star and five time Silver Slugger Award winner is clearly an upgrade over the current Yankees catching situation, but I would not have gone more than three years. With a dearth of quality free agent catchers on the market, the Yankees did not want to wait for their prospects to develop or go through another year with a Chris Stewart-type catcher behind home plate.

Defensively, McCann has thrown 24% of would-be base stealers in his career. He should be happy with the short porch in right field and should challenge his career high of 24 home runs. McCann has an .873 lifetime mark with runners in scoring position.

I like the idea of signing McCann, I just don't like the idea of a five year contract.

Sayonara Jones san

Where did I leave my bat speed?

Andruw Jones tore up left-handed pitching in 2011, then only tore up dirt in the batter's box in 2012. The two-year member of the Yankees is headed to the Far East to play in Japan for the Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Jones' US career came full circle - as a member of the Atlanta Braves he was the youngest player to hit a World Series home run when he hit a pair of blasts against the Yankees in Game 1 of the 1996 Fall Classic.

Jones hit 434 career home runs in 17 years in the Majors, that also included stops with the LA Dodgers, Texas Rangers, and Chicago White Sox. He had back-to-back monster seasons for Atlanta in 2005-2006, and finished second in the '05 NL MVP voting. He belted a career high 51 home runs that season and drove in 128 runs, both tops in the NL. A year later he hit 41 home runs and knocked in a career high 129 runs.

After 12 years in Atlanta, the 10-time Gold Glove centerfielder signed with the Dodgers as a free agent prior to the 2008 season, but was never the same offensively or defensively. While his HR and RBI numbers in two seasons in New York were nearly identical, his OPS dipped from .851 to .701.

Replacement NFL Refs Ump Wild Card Game

Left field ump Sam Holbrook raises his hand in the air like he just don't care.

Wait, what? They didn't. My bad. I thought for sure that the call that was made in last night's St. Louis-Atlanta "play-in" wild card game had to be done by a NFL replacement ref.

Now I get it. It was just the usual pitiful Major League Baseball umpiring, which year in and year out makes horrendous calls in the post-season. And these guys are supposed to be the best and brightest among MLB umps.

With the Yankees playing the Orioles, we'll all get to see plenty of replays of little Jeffrey Maier interfering with Derek Jeter's 1996 ALCS home run. Richie Garcia was the ump in question on that one; wonder if O's right fielder (and later Yankee) Tony Tarrasco has gotten over that.

There was the Phil Cuzzi, who called Joe Mauer's clear double a foul ball in the 2009 ALDS between the Twins and Yankees. I won't go back to the Don Deckinger fiasco that cost the Cardinals a World Series championship in 1985. That's just a small sampling of the horrible job umpires have done in the playoffs. And as everyone knows the regular season sees more than it share of bad calls and bad strike zones.

This year Jerry Meals possibly cost the Yankees a game agains the Orioles when he called Mark Teixeira out on a game ending play at first base. The tying run would have scored on the play; fortunately for the Yankees the loss didn't cost them the division.  Meals also made a horrible call in extra innings between the Pirates and Braves last year. Jim Joyce cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game back in 2010 when he blew an out call at first base.

But back to last night's Cardinals-Braves game; the call in question may not have changed the outcome of game, but we'll never know.

The Braves were down 6-3 and had two aboard when Andrelton Simmons lifted a pop up to shallow left field. Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma and left fielder Matt Holliday converged on the ball and both gave up (mainly Kozma) on it. The ball dropped to the ground and the Braves had the bases loaded...but then they didn't.

An INFIELD FLY is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule.
When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an Infield Fly, the umpire shall immediately declare “Infield Fly” for the benefit of the runners. If the ball is near the baselines, the umpire shall declare “Infield Fly, if Fair.”
The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught, or retouch and advance after the ball is touched, the same as on any fly ball. If the hit becomes a foul ball, it is treated the same as any foul.
If a declared Infield Fly is allowed to fall untouched to the ground, and bounces foul before passing first or third base, it is a foul ball. If a declared Infield Fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an Infield Fly.
Rule 2.00 (Infield Fly) Comment: On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder—not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpire’s judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielder. The infield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play. The umpire’s judgment must govern, and the decision should be made immediately.
When an infield fly rule is called, runners may advance at their own risk. If on an infield fly rule, the infielder intentionally drops a fair ball, the ball remains in play despite the provisions of Rule 6.05 (L). The infield fly rule takes precedence.

Left field umpire Sam Holbrook had raised his arm for an infield fly and an automatic out. But Holbrook raised his arm too late and the location of the baseball was also "iffy" to even call the infield fly.

Manager Fredi Gonzalez argued vehemently, protested the game, and the Braves' fans littered the field with garbage (which was asinine no matter how bad the call was). The fiasco led to a 19-minute delay and the Braves were, for all intents and purposes, done.  (The protest was, of course, overturned.)

It's a shame that calls like this happen year after year, especially when it's in the post-season. Perhaps instead of finding more revenue streams, Bud Selig could find a method to ensure that today's umpires aren't total screw ups.

From the High to the Lowe

The Yankees name always came up whenever Derek Lowe was available. Whether it was when Lowe was a free agent or at the Major League trade deadline.

Though he's had some success - 174 career wins, 21 wins for the Red Sox in 2002 - I've never been enamored of him as a pitcher and was always glad when he or others decided he would not don the Pinstripes.

That all changed today, when Lowe, who was designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians last week, signed on with the Yankees. Lowe had said he was willing to start or relieve for any team. The Yankees clearly signed Lowe as insurance after CC Sabathia was placed on the 15-day DL Saturday with a sore elbow.

Lowe was in his first season with the Indians after being traded by Atlanta this past off-season. He had signed a four year, $60MM deal with the Braves prior to the 2009 season, but was just 40-39 over the first three years of the deal and lost 17 games in 2011.  Cleveland released him after he had posted an 8-10, 5.52 record in 21 starts.

Lowe was part of one of the best deals the Boston Red Sox ever made when they acquired him and catcher Jason Varitek for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb at the 1997 trade deadline. He was 70-55, 3.72 in eight seasons in Boston, and was a member of the 2004 World Series winners.

He then moved on to the LA Dodgers as a free agent and was part of a high profile divorce when it was learned he was having an affair with Fox Sports' Carolyn Hughes, who was covering the team at the time. The two later married.

All Good Things Come To An End

The Yankees 10 game winning streak got snapped tonight by the Atlanta Braves, who had lost 4 straight to the Bombers over the last week.

After last night's beautiful pitching performance by CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda couldn't follow suit and gave up four runs in seven innings. The Yankees bats didn't show much outside of Nick Swisher's 2-run double in the 1st inning. The Bombers also had a pair of runners thrown out at the plate, though was merely the result of the contact play. 4-3, the final.

One thing that didn't occur tonight, at least not to my knowledge, was Derek Jeter and/or Alex Rodriguez hurdling over another Hall of Fame member on the all time hitting lists. But that is my latest piece for the Yahoo Contributor Network: Jeter and A-Rod Climb the Ladder of Success: A Fan's Take. Hope you enjoy.

Yankees Continue to Bust Up the NL East

Ivan Nova was the latest and greatest for the Yankees pitching staff Sunday afternoon, limiting the Washington Nationals to a run over 7.2 innings for his 9th win of the year. It was also the Yankees' 9th straight win, all against the NL East.

The Yankees began the roll with a sweep of the Mets at home, then went on the road to Atlanta and our nation's capital to take six straight from the Braves and Nats. The team returns home Monday for three games with the Braves (why are they playing Atlanta twice?) and then after an off day on Thursday, face the Mets again at Citi Field in the other half of the "Battle for New York".

The Yankees pitching has been the key throughout the streak, which in addition to the nine straight, has produced 19 wins in 23 games.

I recently wrote about the staff's contributions for the Yahoo Contributor Network: - Yankees Rotation Spins Team to theTop: A Fan's Take. Andy Pettitte's return has been the impetus for the rotation's improvement, and in fact, Pettitte has been working with Phil Hughes and Nova since his time back.

Other recent YCN pieces I have written (yeah, I have been behind on My Pinstripes) are about A-Rod's tying Lou Gehrig for the career grand slam record and about the Yankees drafting of Ty Hensley in the first round. I hope you'll get a chance to check them out.

Injury Notes


David Robertson got reactivated this week and showed some rust his first time back. Rafael Soriano, albeit for one outing, has been outstanding in the closer role. And the Yankees will be strengthened with DRob back in his 8th inning spot.

Nick Swisher sat out Sunday's game as a precaution after taking a knee to the thigh on Saturday. Swisher was thrown out at the plate and catcher Jesus Flores impacted Swisher's leg as he applied the tag.

Brett Gardner says he'll be back this season and surgery is not necessary. While the latter may be true, the former doesn't sound so certain. While Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones have seen increased playing time, you can bet Brian Cashman will look for some younger help so the two oldsters don't wear down.

Friday Night Lights: Sabathia vs. Verlander

A wild night of baseball ended moments ago when Robert Andino doubled off of Jonathan Papelbon with two outs in the 9th to give the Orioles a come from behind 4-3 win over Boston. Just minutes later, Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria lined a home run off the Yankees' Scott Proctor in the 12th inning to give the Rays an 8-7 victory and the AL wild card berth. Not only did the Rays come from 9.5 games back to overtake the Red Sox, but they overcame a 7-0 deficit to the Yankees Wednesday night to do it. Dan Johnson homered off Cory Wade in the 9th to tie the game at 7-7.

The Red Sox were one out and one strike away from victory when Papelbon gave up an RBI double to Nolan Reimold to tie the game. Then Andino continued to be the Red Sox nemesis - he had a three run double off Papelbon in Boston and a three run inside-the-park home run the other night - with the game winner.

In the NL, St. Louis jumped all over Houston's Brett Myers in the first inning and went on to an easy 8-0 win. They then captured the NL wild card when Atlanta blew a 3-2 lead in the 9th and lost in 13 innings.

Back to the AL, the Tigers defeated the Indians, but the Rangers did the same to the Angels to capture the #2 seed. Former Angel Mike Napoli hit two home runs against his former teammates for the second straight night.

So Friday night it is CC Sabathia against Justin Verlander at 8:37 EDT. Game 2 follows on Saturday with Ivan Nova facing Doug Fister. Game 3 will be one of the triumverate of Freddy Garcia, A.J. Burnett, and Bartolo Colon going against Max Scherzer, and if a Game 4 is necessary, the Yankees will likely bring back Sabathia on three days rest against Rick Porcello. If the series goes five, Nova will match up with Verlander to decide it all.

Let the games begin.

The Importance Of Being Melky | Baseball Digest

The Importance Of Being Melky | Baseball Digest

It’s not uncommon these days for baseball fans to “fall in love” with minor league prospects. You can obtain updates on their progress just as easily as you can with Major League players. That was not always the case until recently, specifically this wasn’t the case when Melky Cabrera was a New York Yankees farmhand. I followed his career from the early days and saw the potential he showed as he progressed through the Yankees system.

His initial call up to the Majors was an embarrassment- a little fish in a big pond. He couldn’t hit big league pitching and even worse, he looked like an ant trying to cover Yankee Stadium’s spacious centerfield and the adjacent gaps. He eventually worked his way up to a regular position, but performed miserably in 2008 and was sent to the minors. But Cabrera came into the 2009 season with a different attitude and eventually overtook Brett Gardner as the starting centerfielder. It was then that the Melkman began to deliver.

The Yankees had a number of new players and a new tradition, including pie ala A.J. Burnett in the face of any walk-off winning run producer. It began early in the season, April 22nd against Oakland*- a 14-inning affair was decided when Cabrera hit his second home run of the game for a 9-7 victory. On May 24, the Yankees rallied in the 9th against the Philadelphia Phillies and closer Brad Lidge. Down 4-2 entering the inning, the Yankees tied things up and had the winning run on second base. That’s when Cabrera singled to bring home his best buddy, Robinson Cano, with the winner.

Cabrera wasn’t just a walk-off wizard with the eventual champion Yankees, he excelled at the plate when the innings grew late. There was an 8th inning game-winning home run against Texas in June and an RBI single in the same frame to top the Angels in the first game in May. In late and close games, he hit .304 with 19 RBI and a .754 OPS. Though he wasn’t credited with a walk-off salutation, it was his 13th inning grounder in Game 2 of the ALCS that Maicer Izturis threw away to give the Yankees the win.

But the Yankees were not completely happy with Cabrera, most likely because of his relationship/influence on Cano, as well as his tendency to carry too much weight on his six-foot frame. Cabrera was jettisoned to Atlanta after the season and his offense plummeted. His OPS dropped to .671 and he drove in just 42 runs in 509 plate appearances. But the Melkman still had some late inning deliveries in him. An August 2-run single in the 9th inning toppled the Dodgers at Turner Field. In May, Cabrera’s infield single combined with a David Wright error gave the Braves a last inning 3-2 win over the New York Mets.

Cabrera moved on again for the 2011 season after Atlanta released him in October. This season is on average about 20 games old, but Kansas City has quickly learned the lore of “late inning Melky”. Cabrera provided the game winning, 12th inning hit on April 5th to push the Royals’ record to 4-1. Two weeks later, Cabrera threw out the Indians’ Carlos Santana at the plate in the 8th inning to hold the Royals deficit at two. Then in the 9th, he capped off a three run rally with the game winning single. The Melkman had left his calling card once again.

Though he has had an up and down career with the bat, Cabrera has maintained his late inning heroics. His nine walk-off winners since 2006 are the third highest total in Major League baseball (only Andre Ethier (11), and Ryan Zimmerman (10) have more). He may not have a Hall of Fame career, he may be relegated to the bench at some point, but when the game is on the line, fans know that Melky Cabrera can be counted on to set off a celebration.

Marlins Deal Uggla to Braves

The Florida Marlins said they were serious about trading 2nd baseman Dan Uggla and they weren't kidding. This afternoon Uggla was sent to division rival Atlanta for infielder Omar Infante and left-handed reliever Mike Dunn.

Uggla had recently turned down a four year, $48M contract extension and was immediately put on the trade market by the Marlins' front office. He's a three time All-Star, who averaged 30 home runs over the past five seasons and just won his first Silver Slugger award. The 30-yr old Uggla is expected to remain at 2nd base while current Braves 2nd baseman Martin Prado could move to a corner position. That is at least until the 2010 trade deadline arrives when Uggla could be dealt again.

Infante was a surprise All-Star selection this past season, in which he hit a career high .321 and played in the second highest number of games (134) in his career. Dunn just completed his first full season in the majors after being acquired from the Yankees in a deal that sent Javier Vazquez to New York in Dec. '09. He was 2-0, 1.89 with 27 strikeouts and 17 walks in 19 innings pitched.

Yankees Seal up Rotation with Vazquez

Brian Cashman had spent the current off-season on the lookout for another starting pitcher. Today he landed one. The Yankees GM reacquired right-handed starter Javier Vazquez from the Atlanta Braves for popular outfielder Melky Cabrera. In addition, the Yankees received left-handed pitcher Boone Logan and sent pitchers Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino to the Braves.

Vazquez was originally acquired by the Yankees prior to the 2004 season. Ironically, recent free agent signee Nick Johnson was part of a package (along with Juan Rivera and Randy Choate) that landed Vazquez from the Montreal Expos.

Vazquez started out like a house afire in the Bronx, winning 10 games and was selected to the 2004 AL All-Star team. But a sore shoulder, which he kept hidden from the team, contributed to a miserable second half (6.92 ERA in 14 starts). He sealed his fate in pinstripes when he gave up a pair of home runs to Johnny Damon (more irony), including a grand slam, in Game 7 of the '04 ALCS. Vazquez was sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks in January, 2005 as part of a deal for Randy Johnson.

The right-hander is a work-horse, having averaged 216.1 innings over the last decade. He's in the final year of a free agent deal he signed with the Chicago White Sox prior to the 2006 season (he was dealt to Atlanta - even more irony - with Logan during the last off-season.). Since he'll be a back end of the rotation guy, this was a good move by Cashman.

Cabrera had his ups and downs in the Bronx. He bounced back from a rough 2008, which included a minor league demotion, and losing his starting job, to posting career bests in home runs (13) and OPS (.752) in 2009.

He helped the Yankees to several walk off wins in 2009, hit for the cycle against the White Sox, and was a solid contributor to the Yankees 27th world championship. He became expendable with the recent acquisition of center fielder Curtis Granderson from Detroit. A solid defender with a strong accurate arm, Melky's value was never going to be higher and Cashman was smart to move him before his offense had a chance to take a dip next season.

Slam Duncan

It's over. The great ball man experiment. Not the Seinfeld episode. I'm talking about the hope that the Duncan boys, Shelley and Eric (no relation) could become regular contributors to the Yankees lineup.

Shelley had some moments in the sun during the the 2007 season, hitting seven home runs, but Eric has never had a major league bat and had the bigger upside.

I watched Eric's development at Seton Hall Prep. Local boy makes good. The Florham Park native was the NJ high school player of the year in 2003 and was selected in the 1st round, 27th overall, by the Yankees. Local area baseball fans were excited and full of anticipation as we just knew he would be hitting 30 home runs a year with the friendly right field porch in the old(er) Yankee Stadium.

Things started out well enough. Duncan graduated high school, then spent his summer playing for the GCL and Staten Island Yankees. 6 home runs and 69 RBI in 107 games, plus a good OPS had to be a portend of things to come.

But while Eric hit 35 home runs over the next two seasons, more often than not he wasn't making contact. 267 strikeouts over those same two seasons as the holes in Duncan's game were exposed. He would never hit higher than .260 again and his power diminished. Injuries limited his playing time and led to his departure from the Yankees organization, still just 25 years old.

That announcement came today from LoHud's Chad Jennings (by the way if I haven't said it already, a great replacement for Pete Abe. Chad's work covering the Scranton Yankees was outstanding) that Duncan has signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves. Perhaps a chance of scenery will help turn things around for Duncan. We can only hope so!

And Then There was One

Bobby Cox to hang it up after 2010 season.

There are only two managers in baseball today that will give you the old throwback, the classic umpire arguement. Flailing, hat throwing, dirt kicking, full out maniacal meltdown. Bobby Cox and Lou Piniella are those two. And after 2010, there will be only one. (as long as Piniella keeps his job in Chicago.)

Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox announced yesterday that 2010 will be his last season managing in the bigs. The one-time Yankees farmhand and coach has been managing in Atlanta for 20 years and has been 28 years managing in the big leagues. All but four of those seasons have been with Atlanta.

Cox currently ranks fourth all-time in wins with 2,409 and his 4,336 games is 5th highest total in major league history. He's skippered one world champion, 14 pennant winners, and 15 division winners (incl. one with Toronto). Cox is the all-time leader in ejections with 132, nearly 35 more than the next manager, Earl Weaver.

The 68-yr old recently signed a one year extension.

A-Rod, Yankees Wake From Slumber

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Alex Rodriguez • Atlanta Braves • francisco cervelli • Interleague Play • joba chamberlain • Joe Girardi • kenshin kawakami • kris medlen • nick swisher • Yankees 6/24 recap • Yankees vs. Braves

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NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	2	2		8	10	1
Atlanta	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	1	0		4	8	2

WP - Chamberlain (4-2) SV - Rivera (16) LP - Medlen (2-3)

The Yankees were on their way to being shut out for the second straight night, and possibly no-hit, when a play at first base seemed to turned things around. Brett Gardner led off the 6th inning with a walk, but was picked off by Atlanta Braves reliever Kris Medlen. Gardner leapt to his feet and began arguing, along with first base coach Mick Kelleher. Joe Girardi came out to replace both in the fray and was eventually ejected from the ball game by first base ump Bill Welke. Whether or not that was the reason, Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees suddenly woke up, scored 3 runs in the inning, and went on to an 8-4 victory over the Braves.

Not only did replays clearly show that Gardner, who was the Yankees’ first base runner of the night, was safe on the play, but Medlen never came to a complete stop in his motion and should have been called for a balk. The very next hitter, rookie Francisco Cervelli, turned the tide, with a game tying solo home run that broke up the no-hitter and shutout. It was the first home run of his major league career....

Read the rest of my recap at Baseball Digest Online

Jr. Heads to Atlanta

Ken Griffey Jr. won't be coming home to Seattle. Instead he'll be heading south to Atlanta, inking a one year deal with the Atlanta Braves. Junior is expected to make between $2 and $3 million a year.

UPDATE 9:38 PM - Late this afternoon, Ken Griffey Jr. dismissed earlier reports that he had agreed to a deal with the Atlanta Braves. He added that he was still deciding where he wanted to play.

Braves Get Their Man

After losing out on A.J. Burnett and seeing their long time starter/closer John Smoltz head north to Boston, the Atlanta Braves came to an agreement today with free agent starter Derek Lowe. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that terms are 4 years and $60 million.

The Braves offer for Burnett fell short of the money the Yankees came up with and they weren't willing to guarantee enough money for Smoltz's liking. So while they talked to Lowe along with teams such as the Mets (Seriously Omar and the Wilpons, how could you not make a comparable offer? Tim Redding?), they bided their time by bringing in Japanese starter Kenshin Kawakami.

Lowe will be playing for his 4th team in his 13 year career, the last 4 of which were spent with the LA Dodgers. He's coming off a solid 14-11, 3.24 campaign and has tough 200 innings in 5 of the last 7 seasons (he missed out on a 6th by just 2/3 of an inning).

Braves-White Sox Swing 5 Player Deal

A deal rumored throughout the day has apparently come to fruition. The Chicago White Sox are sending veteran right-hander Javier Vazquez and reliever Boone Logan to the Atlanta Braves righty Jo-Jo Reyes, shortstop Brett Lillibridge, and a top prospect. The deal isn't expected to be finalized until tomorrow.

Source: ESPN

Braves-White Sox Swing 5 Player Deal

A deal rumored throughout the day has apparently come to fruition. The Chicago White Sox are sending veteran right-hander Javier Vazquez and reliever Boone Logan to the Atlanta Braves righty Jo-Jo Reyes, shortstop Brett Lillibridge, and a top prospect. The deal isn't expected to be finalized until tomorrow.

Source: ESPN

Always Check Your Pockets

Who of us haven't left a Kleenex in our pants pocket only to have it than basically explode in the washer and dryer? Wil Ledezma of the Atlanta Braves took it one step further. Saw this story on Lion in Oil, and can't stop laughing (of course you can laugh, it didn't happen to you).

Ledezma went home to his native Venezuela for the All-Star break. While there he decided to do some laundry. Only problem is he left his passport and visa in his pockets. Both were destroyed and now Ledezma must wait for new ones before he can re-enter the U.S..

Consider Ledezma's ERA is over 6.00, the Braves may not want him to come back so quick.