Hey Kiddies!
I am not sure why your regular Dad kicked you to the curb again, however he may be nursing his injuries.... In any case, let me get a new pair of sweatpants on, tell you about the Good, the Ned and the Arby's.
Ned Yost recently was hired by the Kansas City Royals as a Special Adviser. Of course, this is hilarious, and subsequently, the Royals have become a lot more interesting to me.
- Kings of Kauffman seem to think the addition of Yost to their front office is a good move, provided Nedgar doesn't end up as their manager. While I certainly wouldn't want Yost to manage the crisper in my fridge, I am not sure why Royal fans are all of a sudden particular about who is at the helm of their trainwreck. After rolling out guys like Muser, Bell, Pena, Boone, etc... Yost seems to fit the bill nicely. That said, I'd rather have this guy in charge of baseball strategy, if I were a Royal fan.
- Maybe the Royals signed Yost as an insurance policy for current choo-choo crasher Trey Hillman? I don't think this is the case, unless the Royals are shooting for contraction, -- or is it another act of desperation.
- Talking Chop is wondering why the Royals are stealing all their players and coaches. However, they do eventually concede that Moore and Yost did work together in Atlanta, and the baseball universe probably needed those forces to reunite. In my humble (yet well-stated) opinion, I think the boys at Talking Chop should just be glad that Nedward's new title is "Special Adviser to Royal Baseball" and not "Bobby Cox's Successor".
- Zack (Soon to be Zacky) Greinke apparently is branching into standup, and prefers Miguel Olivo to Jason Kendall.
- As a side note, I have seen "Adviser" and "Advisor" used interchangeably in Yosty related stories, I am not sure why this concerns me, as both are accepted spellings... I guess I like a little more consistency in my internet.
I don't know what exactly a "Cubs Convention" is, -- but apparently these meetings occur yearly. The big talk so far around the pee-trough is the shedding of 180 lbs of Milton Bradley (don't sublet him your pad by they way), and the skimming of 30 lbs of Geovany Soto. I have always said that the Cubs are a bunch of weird looking dudes -- these Convention photos are certainly not arguments to the contrary.
Russell Branyan is moving on from the Mariners. He is hoping to play in MLB for 4-6 more years, which will allow him to play for another 10 teams, and be traded by the Tribe another 3 times. I do want to take time to clear something up. People often associate Russell Branyan with the "3TO" phenomenon. While Branyan is a 3TO player for certain, the only real reason why Russell the Muscle erects so many shrines in the minds of men, is because he hits massive bombs. Admiring Branyan because he walks and strikes out, is like choosing to remember Colonel Sanders as a war hero.
Ben Sheets has been working out (?!) for some teams this off-season. Sheets is reportedly now looking for a 1 year $8M deal, guaranteed. The Angels think he is high, and the Cubs who are probably going to now end up over $140M for 2010 after Arby's are unlikely to be a landing spot for Benny as well. Ryan Theriot, however is pimping Sheets hardcore, arguing:
"(He's) someone I would welcome with open arms, not because I've known him for a long time, but he brings a 'Scott Eyre feel' to the clubhouse -- a light, funny, keep-everyone-on-their-toes type of feeling."
It does make sense though. Ben Sheets's light & funny nature would nicely complement the heavy and unfunny comedy stylings of Carlos Zambrano.
The Cardinals, after signing Matt Holliday to a billion dollar contract, are not likely to be interested in Felipe Lopez any longer. Orlando Hudson is reportedly concerned.
While Seth McClung would make a good ninja, he is more likely to end up as a Pirate.
The 10 day Arbitration Filing Period ended this weekend, here is the complete list of all 128 players that filed. Seven Brewers filed, (Bush, Coffey, Gerut, Gomez, Hart, Villanueva, Weeks). On Tuesday, the teams and players will exchange numbers, however only a few players will actually have a hearing this year. A number of teams have already inked their Arby players.
- Bobby Jenks signed a 1 year $7.5M deal
- Carlos Quentin signed a 1 year $3.2M deal
- Nick Masset signed a 2 year, $2.58M deal
- John Maine signed a 1 year $3.2M deal
- Matt Kemp signed a 2 year $10.95M deal
- Miguel Montero signed a 1 year $2M deal
- Chad Billingsly signed a 1 year $3.85M deal
- Heath Bell signed a 1 year $4M deal
- Connor Jackson signed a 1 year $3.1M deal
Two men connecting with their wood, seems like a more than adequate way to close this article, however I will instead leave you with a challenge. How many Brewers can you name that played for 8 or more MLB franchises? I was going to create a quiz asking you to name the 30 Brewers that have pissed me off the most over the last 30 years, but this seemed like more fun. Enjoy!