Pitchers Must be Protected

Scenes like this need to be prevented.

If you didn't watch the live telecast of the Toronto Blue Jays - Tampa Bay Rays game, you may not want to watch the replay of Blue Jays' pitcher J.A. Happ take a line drive off his head.

The sound itself was horrible - Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey described the impact as sounding like the ball had been hit by two bats; the actual swing by Desmond Jennings and then the collision with Happ's head. I was grateful the camera shot was from behind Happ rather than from behind home plate.

It was unsettling to watch the fear on the faces of players on both teams as Happ fell to the ground, bloodied on the left side of his head, and stayed there until the he was stabilized and carted off the field. Happ was taken to the hospital for precautions and kept overnight. He was released earlier today and said he was in "good spirits".

How long Happ remains out remains to be seen. He appears to be luckier than Brandon McCarthy was last season when he was hit by a comebacker while pitching for the Oakland A's. It resulted in a skull fracture that required surgery and a six day hospital stay. McCarthy missed the last month of the season and playoffs, but he's back this season as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

As a Yankees fan, I automatically think of the Yankees-Red Sox game back in 2000 when the Yankees Ryan Thompson hit a line drive into the face of Red Sox pitcher Bryce Florie. It was a horribly bloody injury that compromised Florie's vision. He got back to the Red Sox the following season, but was released after seven big league appearances and then bounced around the minor leagues until he called it quits in 2007.

So what do you do? Pitchers can't wear helmets. Do you put some kind of insert in the cap similar to those used by batters as a pre-cursor to batting helmets? (McCarthy pointed out that neither Happ nor he would have been protected by an insert).

ESPN's Buster Olney was on Michael Kay's radio show Wednesday afternoon and mentioned that Major League Baseball is looking at some kind of insert, perhaps kevlar, for the caps. He emphasized that the league has to look into the impact on a pitcher's mechanics and comfort level.  Any kind of head gear would probably need to be tested in the minors first and with the generation of players that will arrive in the Majors soon. Just like the NHL did when helmets became mandatory, the current players would probably be grandfathered in to the old rules giving them the choice to wear some kind of protective head gear.

Whatever the league comes up with, something needs to be done soon. The number of incidents of pitchers being seriously injured has increased and it would be sad if nothing was done until, God forbid, someone suffered a fatal injury.

Jeter Has 2 For 2

With last night's rainout between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays, Derek Jeter's chances of getting hit #3,000 at home diminished by one. The Yankees asked Tampa to play a day-night twinbill today, but the Rays said no, preferring to make the game up in September. Anyone who is angry at Tampa for doing that is bananas. They have to think about winning not about DJ.

Also bananas is Buster Olney, who tweeted this gem on Twitter this morning.

Obviously if not for his pursuit of 3,000 and the chance to reach the milestone at home, Jeter would not have been playing every day since returning from the DL. Joe Girardi is much more cautious than that when it comes to injuries. I will agree with Olney though that Jeter could still attend the game to thank the fans who voted him as the starter in a year that he didn't deserve to start (my words not Olney's). Back to the other side of the coin, this is the first time that Jeter has backed out of a game while playing. Olney later ridiculously brought up Manny Ramirez, who constantly backed out of games, as if there was some comparison.

More bananas- people calling into WFAN or 1050ESPN to criticize Jeter for just about anything. For the Yankees losing four of five since his return as if no one else on the team should shoulder blame. Of course there have also been Mets fans pointing out how well the Mets have done since Reyes has been out of the lineup. There really are a lot of idiots out there. Like someone on 1050 this morning who brought up Jeter not attending Bob Shephard's funeral. Water under the bridge people.

As for 3,000, no one wants to get this out of the way more than Jeter. It's a distraction to him and certainly the fans, just as home run #600 was for A-Rod last year. But it is not a distraction to the team and hasn't affected the way they have played. Injuries, poor pitching, and no timely hitting is responsible for this skid. Seasons are about streaks and this is one of the bad ones. (Boston and Tampa Bay have gone through the same ups and downs too, that is why the race is so close.)

In addition to Jeter, Mariano Rivera (elbow) and Alex Rodriguez (knee) will both miss the All-Star game as well. A-Rod's knee is of major concern as he has not been driving the ball at all. The three days off and maybe today and tomorrow as well will do him good.

Speaking of All-Stars not able to play- Shane Victorino was voted in by the fans in the NL "Final Vote" and immediately went on the DL.

Bad job by NL Home Run Derby captain Prince Fielder for not selecting Justin Upton to compete in front of his home fans in Phoenix.

Back to the insane radio callers..."Nick from Manhattan" I can understand your mistrust of ball players, but to suggest that Bartolo Colon is on HGH because he is "like 40 pounds heavier" and in light of Roger Clemens upcoming trial...is idiotic. Colon has 40 pounds of hamburgers, fries, and chalupas.

Good luck to Brian Gordon. The feel-good-story pitcher - released by the Phillies - starting pitcher for the Yankees the next day - was remarkable. That the converted outfielder even got his first big league at-bats in interleague play makes the story even better. But with the return of Colon and Phil Hughes there was no room for Gordon and the Yankees sent him down. Now they have released him and sold his contract to a team in Korea. Long way to go, but if you love the game...

In non-Yankees news, another big time prospect made his debut last night. With centerfielder Peter Bourjos sidelined by a bad hamstring, the Angels recalled 19-yr old uber-prospect Mike Trout from Double-A. Though he went 0-3, it was exciting to see him out there. Trout joined Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Dustin Ackley, Michael Pineda, Freddie Freeman, Brandon Belt, and Lonnie Chisenhall in making their Major League debuts this season. All were among the top 25 prospects (Baseball America) in baseball prior to the season. Pineda (Sea) and Freeman (Atl) have been with their teams since day one and are among the leading contenders for Rookie of the Year.

Breaking News: Yankees Bringing in Sexson

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Yankees have reached a tentative agreement with Richie Sexson, who was released by the Mariners last week.

The Yankees will only be responsible for a prorated minimum of $390,000 of the $14 million salary he is to receive from the Mariners.

Breaking News: Yankees Bringing in Sexson

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Yankees have reached a tentative agreement with Richie Sexson, who was released by the Mariners last week.

The Yankees will only be responsible for a prorated minimum of $390,000 of the $14 million salary he is to receive from the Mariners.

Friday Hot Stove

With reports of the Yankees close to tying up Robinson Cano with a long term deal, the Twins are doing likewise with Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau. Cuddyer inked a 3-year, $24 million deal, and Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP, will get $80 million over 6 years.

The Yankees are close to a minor signing with veteran utility man Chris Woodard.

The A's added Jeff Fiorentino off of waivers from the Reds. The A's are Fiorentino's 3rd team in 3 weeks. The once highly thought of prospect, who's still just 24-yrs old, was released by the Orioles on January 2nd.

Buster Olney says that the Giants and Mariners are the favorites to land veteran 1st Baseman Tony Clark.

The Rocky Mountain News is claiming the Mets are close to signing Livan Hernandez. It would be great to see him as a teammate of his brother, El Duque.

Rod Barajas was supposed to be the Blue Jays starting catcher last year, but free agent talks broke down at the last moment. This time around Barajas has signed on with Toronto as a back up to Greg Zaun. Had Barajas' deal gone through last year, the Jays would have let Zaun go.

The Braves have signed reliever Rafael Soriano to a new 2-yr, $9 million contract. Atlanta decided to buy out Soriano's 1st year of free agency, by paying more than he requested in arbitration.

If the Orioles can't find themselves a closer to replace the injured Chris Ray, Andy MacPhail indicated that Greg Aquino may be the 1st option.

Friday Hot Stove

With reports of the Yankees close to tying up Robinson Cano with a long term deal, the Twins are doing likewise with Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau. Cuddyer inked a 3-year, $24 million deal, and Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP, will get $80 million over 6 years.

The Yankees are close to a minor signing with veteran utility man Chris Woodard.

The A's added Jeff Fiorentino off of waivers from the Reds. The A's are Fiorentino's 3rd team in 3 weeks. The once highly thought of prospect, who's still just 24-yrs old, was released by the Orioles on January 2nd.

Buster Olney says that the Giants and Mariners are the favorites to land veteran 1st Baseman Tony Clark.

The Rocky Mountain News is claiming the Mets are close to signing Livan Hernandez. It would be great to see him as a teammate of his brother, El Duque.

Rod Barajas was supposed to be the Blue Jays starting catcher last year, but free agent talks broke down at the last moment. This time around Barajas has signed on with Toronto as a back up to Greg Zaun. Had Barajas' deal gone through last year, the Jays would have let Zaun go.

The Braves have signed reliever Rafael Soriano to a new 2-yr, $9 million contract. Atlanta decided to buy out Soriano's 1st year of free agency, by paying more than he requested in arbitration.

If the Orioles can't find themselves a closer to replace the injured Chris Ray, Andy MacPhail indicated that Greg Aquino may be the 1st option.

Cameron, Kotsay on the Move

We breathe a sigh of relief that Mike Cameron will not be a Yankee. Earlier tonight Cameron and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed to a 1-year, $6+ million deal.

Meanwhile, Mark Kotsay is close to returning to the National League. According to a source the Braves are set to acquire the veteran outfielder for a prospect.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Kyle Lohse has backed off of his demands for a 4-year contract. K-Ros also says that the Dodgers, Phillies, and Brewers are showing interest in free agent Pedro Feliz.

The A's have signed Emil Brown, a veteran of Kansas City, to a 1 year deal. Meanwhile the Royals are taking a look at free agent Bartolo Colon. Buster Olney reported that the Mets were close to signing Colon last week, but didn't like the condition of his right arm.

As expected, Eddie Guardado signed a 1-year deal with the Rangers, while Matt Mantei grabbed a minor league deal with the Tigers.

Cameron, Kotsay on the Move

We breathe a sigh of relief that Mike Cameron will not be a Yankee. Earlier tonight Cameron and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed to a 1-year, $6+ million deal.

Meanwhile, Mark Kotsay is close to returning to the National League. According to a source the Braves are set to acquire the veteran outfielder for a prospect.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Kyle Lohse has backed off of his demands for a 4-year contract. K-Ros also says that the Dodgers, Phillies, and Brewers are showing interest in free agent Pedro Feliz.

The A's have signed Emil Brown, a veteran of Kansas City, to a 1 year deal. Meanwhile the Royals are taking a look at free agent Bartolo Colon. Buster Olney reported that the Mets were close to signing Colon last week, but didn't like the condition of his right arm.

As expected, Eddie Guardado signed a 1-year deal with the Rangers, while Matt Mantei grabbed a minor league deal with the Tigers.

Friday Hot Stove

One more day until it's officially Winter, but here is the latest from the hot stove.

Buster Olney says that the Padres are the front-runners to land Mark Prior. As we mentioned yesterday, Prior is from the San Diego area.

Now that the Tigers have signed Dontrelle Willis to an extension, GM Dave Dombrowski would like to do the same for slugger Miguel Cabrera.

Carlos Silva's 4-year deal with the Mariners turned out to be for $12 mill per year. What are these people thinking? If Silva is getting that, shouldn't Santana get at least double?

We all remember the controversy back in '04 when Doug Mientkiewicz refused to give up the baseball from the World Series' final out. This year, the Red Sox' Jason Varitek had the ball. Then said he gave it to Jon Papelbon, who didn't know where the ball was (perhaps they're passing it around like the Stanley Cup). Now word comes from Papelbon that his dog at the ball.

Cubbies fans are not happy with the possibility of Wrigley Field's naming rights being sold. Technically, you are already a gum.

According to the Seattle Times, the Mariners and Reds are the front-runners to land the O's Erik Bedard.

The Rockies have signed Kip Wells and Mark Redman to shore up their pitching staff.

Friday Hot Stove

One more day until it's officially Winter, but here is the latest from the hot stove.

Buster Olney says that the Padres are the front-runners to land Mark Prior. As we mentioned yesterday, Prior is from the San Diego area.

Now that the Tigers have signed Dontrelle Willis to an extension, GM Dave Dombrowski would like to do the same for slugger Miguel Cabrera.

Carlos Silva's 4-year deal with the Mariners turned out to be for $12 mill per year. What are these people thinking? If Silva is getting that, shouldn't Santana get at least double?

We all remember the controversy back in '04 when Doug Mientkiewicz refused to give up the baseball from the World Series' final out. This year, the Red Sox' Jason Varitek had the ball. Then said he gave it to Jon Papelbon, who didn't know where the ball was (perhaps they're passing it around like the Stanley Cup). Now word comes from Papelbon that his dog at the ball.

Cubbies fans are not happy with the possibility of Wrigley Field's naming rights being sold. Technically, you are already a gum.

According to the Seattle Times, the Mariners and Reds are the front-runners to land the O's Erik Bedard.

The Rockies have signed Kip Wells and Mark Redman to shore up their pitching staff.

Hot Stove Update

Nothing too much going on out there...still speculation and not much movement.

Johan Santana
Jon Heyman notes that the Twins are still having on-going talks with the Red Sox, the latter still insisting they won't include both Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury in a deal. The Mets are in the same boat, not wanting to have both Fernanado Martinez and Carlos Gomez in a deal. And you already know where the Yankees stand.

Heyman also gives his review of the Miguel Cabrera-Dontrelle Willis deal. Source

The latest from Ken Rosenthal:

The Padres have joined the A's in having an interest in Barry Bonds. Seems like the Padres are considering every outfielder out there.

Jeremy Affeldt's agents say he has gotten 4-year offers and is looking for a 5-yr deal. They're also quoted as saying "(Affeldt has) the best young left-handed stuff in baseball." Put down the crack pipe guys.

Before he was sent to the Brewers, the Mets passed on Salomon Torres, feeling he was too comfortable playing for losing teams.

K-Ros also has some thoughts on Scott Rolen and Chone Figgins. Source

Buster Olney
The Giants are considering Aaron Rowand for the free agent splash.

Jay Gibbons is looking to win back his fans after his admitted HGH use.

And if you're an ESPN Insider (we're not...we try not to throw good money after bad), you can read Buster's take on the Mitchell Report. Source

Hot Stove Update

Nothing too much going on out there...still speculation and not much movement.

Johan Santana
Jon Heyman notes that the Twins are still having on-going talks with the Red Sox, the latter still insisting they won't include both Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury in a deal. The Mets are in the same boat, not wanting to have both Fernanado Martinez and Carlos Gomez in a deal. And you already know where the Yankees stand.

Heyman also gives his review of the Miguel Cabrera-Dontrelle Willis deal. Source

The latest from Ken Rosenthal:

The Padres have joined the A's in having an interest in Barry Bonds. Seems like the Padres are considering every outfielder out there.

Jeremy Affeldt's agents say he has gotten 4-year offers and is looking for a 5-yr deal. They're also quoted as saying "(Affeldt has) the best young left-handed stuff in baseball." Put down the crack pipe guys.

Before he was sent to the Brewers, the Mets passed on Salomon Torres, feeling he was too comfortable playing for losing teams.

K-Ros also has some thoughts on Scott Rolen and Chone Figgins. Source

Buster Olney
The Giants are considering Aaron Rowand for the free agent splash.

Jay Gibbons is looking to win back his fans after his admitted HGH use.

And if you're an ESPN Insider (we're not...we try not to throw good money after bad), you can read Buster's take on the Mitchell Report. Source

Hot Stove Update

Depending on who/what you believe Johan Santana will remain a Minnesota Twin for now or still has a good chance of going to the Red Sox. Peter Gammons reported that the vibe was more and more like Santana staying put for now. Jon Heyman thinks a deal to the Red Sox is still within reach as does Will Caroll of Baseball Prospectus. Ken Rosenthal says the Mariners are now getting back into the mix, and Heyman feels the Mets are, though they won't get it done without including Jose Reyes.

K-Ros also reports that the Rangers are talking to Scott Boras about both Eric Gagne, and Corey Patterson, who they see as a stop gap measure for centerfield.

In a minor move, the Blue Jays acquired outfielder Buck Coats (great name) from the Reds for a player to be named later or cash.


Buster Olney reports that Aaron Boone is receiving interest from the Giants, Nationals and Brewers. As for Johan Santana...

The Yankees' delegation at the meetings seems less and less interested in rekindling those Johan Santana discussions, even if the Twins try to draw them back in. They've been telling people there's a "99.9 percent chance" they're out of the Santana market for good. So where would the 0.1 percent come from? The unpredictability of the Steinbrenners. Where else?

Here's a good recap/breakdown of the Marlins-Tigers deal from Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein.

Hot Stove Update

Depending on who/what you believe Johan Santana will remain a Minnesota Twin for now or still has a good chance of going to the Red Sox. Peter Gammons reported that the vibe was more and more like Santana staying put for now. Jon Heyman thinks a deal to the Red Sox is still within reach as does Will Caroll of Baseball Prospectus. Ken Rosenthal says the Mariners are now getting back into the mix, and Heyman feels the Mets are, though they won't get it done without including Jose Reyes.

K-Ros also reports that the Rangers are talking to Scott Boras about both Eric Gagne, and Corey Patterson, who they see as a stop gap measure for centerfield.

In a minor move, the Blue Jays acquired outfielder Buck Coats (great name) from the Reds for a player to be named later or cash.


Buster Olney reports that Aaron Boone is receiving interest from the Giants, Nationals and Brewers. As for Johan Santana...

The Yankees' delegation at the meetings seems less and less interested in rekindling those Johan Santana discussions, even if the Twins try to draw them back in. They've been telling people there's a "99.9 percent chance" they're out of the Santana market for good. So where would the 0.1 percent come from? The unpredictability of the Steinbrenners. Where else?

Here's a good recap/breakdown of the Marlins-Tigers deal from Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein.