How about some San Diego Padres news today.

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, the Padres will announce today that the legendary Dick Enberg will be doing the play-by-play on TV for the Padres in 2010.

Enberg, who is best known for calling the NFL on CBS, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open (Tennis), will be announcing anywhere between 110-120 games for the Padres in 2010. Mark Neely, who was the Padres play-by-play man in 2009, will be doing the games that Enberg doesn’t do.

The new Padres' announcer

This won’t be Enberg’s first rodeo when it comes to announcing local baseball games. Enberg was the voice of the then California Angels from 1969-1978.

I think this is a good move for the Padres. I have always liked Enberg in the booth even though his voice reminds me of the many New York Jets failures I have had to endure throughout the years.

Enberg is one of those rare announcers that gives the game he is announcing a big game feel no matter what the game is.

Vin Scully, Bob Costas, and Al Michaels are in that same category.

Current analyst Mark Grant will continue to serve in that role in 2010. 2010 will be Grant’s 14th season with the Padres.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

Maybe because I didn’t grow up in California, where he was the voice of the California Angels for the better part of a decade, but when I think of Dick Enberg, I think of AFC football games and Merlin Olson.  Still, the 75-year-young master of the microphone will be calling out an occasional “Oh My!” when Adrian Gonzalez (assuming he stays put) hits a late inning homer for a win.  The Padres inked Enberg to voice the television broadcasts for 2010.  (I’d LOVE to have that job.)  [SI]

News and Notes…

The Oakland As signed reliever Joey Devine to a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration.  Acquired for Mark Kotsay (brilliant!) from the Braves a couple of years ago, Devine had an amazing 2008 but his elbow went awry in 2009 and he had Tommy John surgery in April.  Devine will earn about $560K.  [MLB]

Two guys playing ball in the Dominican Republic are heading home…  Jarrod Saltalamacchia, he of the long name and sore shoulder, reinjured his throwing wing swinging a bat.  “Salty” has thoracic outlet syndrome – which is when a rib contracts a nerve or artery heading into the arm.  Some players have had the rib removed (Jeremy Bonderman) to deal with the problem…  [MLB]

Meanwhile, Indians catching prospect Carlos Santana (not THAT Santana) came home with a pretty nasty case of the flu…  [MLB

The Cleveland Indians added four players to their roster…  Brian Buscher, a mobile third baseman who looks to be able to get on base but isn’t adding a lot of power, joins the infield.  Luis Rodriguez, a shortstop, was added likely as a utility infielder – but isn’t much of a hitter.  To the bullpen, the Tribe added Mike Gosling – who at best projects as a long reliever with control issues – and Jason Grilli, who had a really good year in 2008 but not many others like it.  Obviously, the Indians are hoping he can find his good form and fortune and help in the later innings but he looks to be about a seventh inning guy at best these days.

Tampa released reliever Ramon Ramirez, whom they had acquired from the Reds.  Must be a roster limitation move because this Ramon Ramirez had shown little reason to think he might not be an okay pitcher.  Somebody will sign him.

Happy Birthday! I noticed that the last couple of days were not loaded with birthdays – and it makes sense.  There are a lot of people born at the end of September or early October (like, say, my dad) because the parents hook up for the holidays and share a little holiday cheer.  Is anyone not surprised at the number of people born in February, March, and April?  I mean, there are a lot of weddings and anniversaries between May 15 and late July.  But to be born in December – what was the occasion?  I mean, other than Valentine’s Day (meaning a lot of mid November babies), what reason is there to get a couple in the sack around March first?

I digress.

Those celebrating with cards, cake, or remembrances include:  Patrick (Cozy) Dolan (1872), Harry “Suitcase” Simpson (1925), who played for 17 different Negro Leagues and Major League teams in his long career, Clay Dalrymple (1936), Chico Salmon (1940), Wayne Garrett (1947) – and for some reason I can still see his Topps baseball card in my head when he was with the Mets, Larry Anderson (1952), Gene Nelson (1960), Damon Berryhill (1963), Darryl Hamilton (1964), Paul Byrd (1970), and Chad Durbin (1977).

Kenny said he hasn’t even heard the 3 team (Sox-Angels-Padres) Adrian Gonzales rumor but:

I asked Williams if he had talked to Jake Peavy during this offseason, trying to get a gauge on Peavy’s fire and preparedness for his first full season in Chicago. Williams told me that the two had spoken, with Williams needing to ask Peavy about a player from another team to whom he had interest.

“He’s already pumped up,” said Williams of Peavy.

When I asked Williams if that player he asked Peavy about was Gonzalez, he responded with a quick “No comment.”

Remember, a Sox fan talked with Peavy and Peavy said the Sox are trying to get Gonzales.

BTW, Kenny also said it’s too early to talk about extensions to Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski.

19 days was all it took for Roberto Alomar to return this perfectly signed baseball card back to me!!!

Alomar was one of the biggest stars during the 1990’s and has a legitimate shot at being voted into the Hall of Fame in January.

A 12-time All-star and 10-time Gold Glove award winner, Alomar was as gifted of an infielder as there was during the 90’s.  With a career batting average of .300 alongside his 2,724 hits, Alomar excelled on offense.   He compiled 210 home runs, 502 doubles, 474 stolen bases, while also scoring 1,508 runs and driving in 1,134.

Alomar was also a member of the 1992 & 1993 World Series champion Toronto Blue Jays.

I am now 2/5 on the TTM requests I sent out just 3 weeks ago.  Who will come home next: Charles Johnson, Jim Palmer, or Bobby Richardson???  We’ll see…

Todd Wellemeyer; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

The Hot Stove is heating up again as a preliminary to next week’s Winter Meetings, but there are also several college storylines to look at on a Tuesday morning:

• Jordan Bastain of MLB.com weighs the pros and cons of the Blue Jays not trading UK alum Scott Downs (or ace Roy Halladay) and instead waiting for draft pick compensation when he becomes a free agent.
• John Heyman of SI.com reports the Brewers are looking at Bellarmine alum Todd Wellemeyer.
• UK Athletics has a news release about alum Sawyer Carroll being named Padres minor league hitter of the year. (Which we reported he first Sunday)
• Second baseman Adam Duvall was the star of UofL’s Omaha Challenge.
• EKU Sports has a recap of the fall baseball series.
• The Lexington Legends have a news release about ace Jordan Lyles being named Astros minor league pitcher of the year. (Which we also reported Sunday)

The Fitted Ohana is on that constant grind yo. After a highly successful Black Friday, they return the day after and drop HEAT.

Three shirts, two hats.. this is getting crazy.

First off, the shirts.  “Babylon” features block letters writing out “FITTED” in Gucci colors. “Creepin’” shouts out the Goodie Mob classic “Cell Therapy.”

Speaking of music, the last shirt shouts out Hova’s classic “Heart of the City.” If you look in the detail shot of the shirt, there should be  some gel printed ALOHA, talking about the decline of the aloha spirit recently.

The New Eras are equally as sick, with a brown San Diego Padres hat and a new PRIDE hat in navy blue, with an olive green brim and purple H.

All heaters. All available today (Saturday) at the Fitted Hawaii Kona St. location.

For more, check out www.fittedhawaii.com

For me, Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year. It’s one of the few times of the year when all bets are off when it comes to food. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

It doesn’t get any better than that.

Thanksgiving is also the time of year where we give thanks to what we have in life. It’s no different for all 30 teams of Major League Baseball. Each team has something they can be thankful for.

NL East

Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies should be thankful that they have one of the best GM’s in the game in Ruben Amaro Jr. A GM who doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves.

Atlanta Braves: The Braves should be thankful the Minor League Player of the Year, Jason Heyward is on his way. The kid looks like a star.

Florida Marlins: The Marlins should be thankful they are getting a new stadium in 2012. Maybe then they can keep their young stars like Josh Johnson

New York Mets: The Mets should be thankful that 2009 is finally coming to an end. 2010 can’t be much worse.

Washington Nationals: The Nationals should be thankful that new GM Mike Rizzo has more of a clue than former GM Jim Bowden

NL Central

St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals should be thankful for the fact that they get to watch the best player in the game on a day in and day out basis.

Chicago Cubs: The Cubs should be thankful that after so many years of being labeled “lovable losers,” they are finally dedicated to winning. Whether or not they are making the right moves to win is another story.

Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers should be thankful that they have an owner in Mark Attanasio, who runs a small market team, but has a big market mentality.

Cincinnati Reds: The Reds should be thankful that Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs, and Joey Votto are young stars, who should provide a solid foundation for the future.

Houston Astros: The Astros should be thankful that Wandy Rodriguez established himself as a solid No. 2 starter in 2009.

Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates should be thankful for the fact that GM Neal Huntington has the team moving in the right direction. The Pirates are making the right moves to compete in the future.

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers should be thankful for Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, who appear to be the foundation of the Dodgers’ offense for years to come.

Colorado Rockies: The Rockies should be thankful that they have one of the best and exciting young teams in baseball. The Rockies have finally figured out how to win in Colorado.

The Giants should be thankful for Lincecum

San Francisco Giants: The Giants should be thankful for being able to watch Tim Lincecum every five days. His unique delivery continues to amaze fans and baffle hitters.

San Diego Padres: The Padres should be thankful that it appears that they will not be trading star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

Arizona Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks should be thankful that Brandon Webb is making progress and looks to be healthy in 2010.

AL East

New York Yankees: The Yankees should be thankful that they are the Yankees. No other team in professional sports has the advantage they have.

Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox should be thankful for their minor-league system, which allows them to trade for players like Victor Martinez and potentially Roy Halladay or Miguel Cabrera.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays should be thankful that they have the most athletic team in baseball and after so many years of losing, they have a winner in Tampa.

Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays should be thankful for the fact they got to watch Roy Halladay pitch in a Blue Jays’ uniform for the last 12 years. He will go down as the best player in franchise history.

Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles should be thankful for that after so many years of not having a clue, they are moving in the right direction. Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, Brian Matusz, and Nick Markakis provide a solid foundation for the future.

AL Central

Minnesota Twins: The Twins should be thankful for Joe Mauer. When it is all said and done, I believe he will go down as the greatest catcher of all time.

Detroit Tigers: The Tigers should be thankful for Mike Ilitch. Despite a ravaged economy in Detroit, Ilitch does his best to put a winner on the field in the Motor City.

Chicago White Sox: The White Sox should be thankful for employing Ozzie Guillen. His press conferences have provided baseball fans with hours of comedy. Oh yeah, the guy is a pretty good manager.

Kansas City Royals: The Royals should be thankful that there is only more year left in the Jose Guillen era in Kansas City.

Cleveland Indians: The Indians should be thankful that Grady Sizemore, Carlos Santana, Azdrubal Cabrera, Matt LaPorta, and Shin-Soo Choo provide hope for the future.

AL West

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: The Angles should be thankful for that they have one of the best run organizations in baseball. The job Arte Moreno and Mike Scioscia have done in Anaheim has been impressive.

Seattle Mariners: The Mariners should be thankful for the fact that if they make a couple of solid moves this offseason, they could win the AL West in 2010.

Texas Rangers: The Rangers should be thankful for GM Jon Daniels. His trades and drafting over the last four years have the Rangers poised to make a run at the AL West crown in 2010.

Oakland A’s: The A’s should be thankful for Andrew Bailey. The 2009 AL Rookie of the Year and a great year and should anchor the backend of the A’s bullpen for years to come–or at least until Billy Beane trades him.

I would like to give thanks to all my readers for taking the time out of their days to read my blog. For that, I am truly grateful.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE AND THEIR FAMILIES!!!

A Sox fan describes his encounter with Jake Peavy:

Once again, I told him that I was looking forward to having him at the top of our starting rotation and that our pitching was going to be really awesome. He nodded and said, “Not too many people around the league know about Danks and Floyd, but they’re great.” He took a quick drink, and without me bringing up anything about it said, “We’re trying to get Adrian Gonzalez right now too.” I was like…”Really? I heard about that, but didn’t know if it was true.” He nodded and took another drink.

Cowley and DeLuca will apologize to SoxNet any minute now…

For those of you out there who aren’t rabid sports fanatics like myself, allow me to give you a little back story here: In 1970, Doc Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first major league baseball player to pitch a “no-hitter” (a game in which the pitcher does not allow a single player on the opposing team to reach base by way of a hit. This differs from a “perfect game”, in which no batters can reach base at all. This includes by way of error, walk, balk, wild pitch or hit by pitch, or any other conceivable means)

…On acid.

Sorry. He became the first Major League pitcher to throw a no-hitter on acid.

Here, I’ll let Doc tell you the story:

Sadly, Doc died at USC Med Center in Los Angeles, California after a long battle with alcoholism. He became a drug counselor after his baseball career ended, but ultimately died of cirrhosis of the liver. But god damn did he pitch the hell out of the baseball on that fateful June evening in San Diego.

I should also mention that Doc Ellis is a badass for another awesome reason as well: Ellis attempted to hit every batter in the Cincinnati Reds lineup on May 1, 1974, in an effort to prove a point to teammates. Ellis hit Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, and Dan Driessen in the top of the first. The clean-up batter Tony Perez avoided Ellis’s attempts, instead drawing a walk, and after two pitches aimed at the head of Johnny Bench, Ellis was removed from the game by manager Danny Murtaugh. Ellis’s box score for the game reads: 0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.

NEWS ITEM: Welker runs wild over J-E-T-S

Something occurred to me as Wes Welker was running roughshod over the Jets Sunday (“psssssst, Rex, he’s No. 83”) – Welker should have been the guy getting the ball on fourth-and-2 in Indianapolis.

Now, the intention here was to let that thing die. Argue all you want about whether it was, depending on who was doing the talking, the worst decision in the history of the NFL or pure genius by our resident genius, I’m here to talk about the play itself, and Welker showed again Sunday why he should been the man making that play (“Rex, the little guy. In blue”).

Or maybe even Randy Moss?

Hey, anyone who has seen a Patriots game in this decade knows what a quality receiver Kevin Faulk is, so it’s hard to argue going to him – except when you have Welker, the best possession receiver of his time, on the same depth chart.

Welker (“Yeah, Rex, that guy”) has 302 catches in his 40 games in New England. Think about that, and he did it with Tom Brady missing all but a few plays last season.

You want consistency? The guy caught 112 passes, for 1,175 yards and eight touchdowns in 2007,  grabbed 111 for 1,165 yards and three TDs last year (with Matt Cassel throwing the ball) and now has 79 catches for 854 yards and four touchdowns, with six games left in this season.

“I’m not trying to point nobody out, but you know, Wes Welker, you gotta pressure him, you gotta get physical with him,” said Darrelle Revis, who was busy with Moss.

Pressure him? You have to be in the same zip code first.

What he did Sunday, 15 catches, 192 yards, plus an 11-yard run, was pure video game stuff. Yes, the Jets were determined to limit Moss, and Revis did another fine job, but someone had to pay attention to Welker.

“He’s like the Energizer bunny, he keeps on going and going, even if he gets knocked down,” said Revis.

The convincing win quieted the fourth-and-2 talk – some. It likely will never go away, especially if it winds up costing the Pats home field somewhere down the road.

Next up is a visit to New Orleans, and another chance to beat an unbeaten. I thought they’d beat both Indy and the Saints. Now, they get a shot to make me half right.

NEWS ITEM: Savard returns to Bruins

Just a few days off of a bad home loss to the Islanders, the B’s produced a pair of road wins Thursday and Friday night, both on the road against decent teams and both in extra time — and featuring the work ethic it is going to take for this team to win.

To win, this team has to grind. It’s really that simple.

Monday night, the Bruins were set to get Marc Savard, the closest thing they have to a major NHL point getter, back from his broken foot. Reports are swirling he’s about to sign a contract extension, thus passing up unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. If the club had any doubts about the deal in the 15 games he was out, his absence made it clear how much this team needs his skill level.

NEWS ITEM: This and that from the notebook

For the second time in a dozen years, Boston has lost a local college football program. In 1997, it was Boston University. Now, it’s Northeastern, and while there will be screams and sobs of sadness, you have to realize the Huskies played in a residential neighborhood and no one went to the games. How do you keep something like that going?

With former Red Sox executive Jed Hoyer now running things in San Diego, do the Sox pry Adrian Gonzalez loose from the Padres? Stay tuned on that one – and what could be an interesting battle between the Sox and Yankees over righties Roy Halladay and John Lackey. Both could affect the AL East next season.

The Celtics needed a last-second overtime shot to beat the Knicks Sunday, further proof this isn’t going to be the 70-win season I thought it might be. Danny Ainge might need to do some tweaking here, and the C’s will be better when Glen Davis gets back, providing, of course, he doesn’t have any more best friends to punch out.

Finally, with Charlie Weis on the way out at Notre Dame, is it really hard to imagine him coming back to New England? If it’s not here, it’s going to be somewhere – as long as it’s in the NFL. This college thing just didn’t work out.

Congratulations to Tim Lincecum for winning his second consecutive NL Cy Young award.  It’s nice to see that the voters looked beyond uncontrollable stats such as wins in deciding the top pitcher of the National League.  You have to feel for the Cardinal’s Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright.  The voters overlooked the fact that they had more wins and were on a playoff team. Rather they focused on statistics that the pitcher had more control over such as FIP and VORP.  FIP stands for Fielding Independent Pitching and it covers the statistics that a pitcher is responsible for such as walks, strikeouts, hit batters and home runs.  VORP is the Value Over Replacement Player.  VORP measures the value that the players provides over a replacement or backup player.

Like I did with the Zach Greinke when he won the AL Cy Young Award last week, I want to analyze the salaries of the past 4 winners of the NL Cy Young.

The American League over the last 4 years had 4 different pitchers that were more established in the league (ie. they had proven their success early on and their agents had negotiated a high contract before they won the award).  Cliff Lee would be the exception since he was paid $3.75 million during Cy Young year in 2007, but he was signed to a long-term deal that was back loaded in salary.

The National League has 3 pitchers over the last 4 years that are in the early parts of their career.  Lincecum is negotiating year-to-year knowing that he’s arbitration eligible.  He should expect a nice raise for the 2010 season with at least a $1-2 million base salary which he’ll sign before Spring Training 2010.  Jake Peavy and Brandon Webb had similar contracts when they won their awards and a similar pay raise over the following 2 years.  Peavy is now reaping his rewards with the 3 year $52 million contract that is good through 2012.  Webb recently had his 2010 team option exercised for $8.5 million despite his injury plagued 2009 season.  He’ll have to perform well in 2010 to expect a long-term deal similar to Peavy’s current contract.

The Giant’s have a pitching bargain with Lincecum.  He’s easily worth $20 million per season.  They need to milk it and make use of it before his discount expires after the 2012 season.  You can easily predict that Lincecum will be the most sought after pitcher then with the Yankees and the Red Sox taking dump trucks full of cash and dropping it off at his door when he’s a free agent.

En Venezuela como en muchos corazones latinoamericanos muchos esperaban que Felix Hernández fuera el anunciado como el ganador del Premio Cy Young del 2009 de la Liga Americana.

El conocido como “El Rey” y para los anglos “The King” en territorio de los Marineros de Seattle tenia la esperanza como muchos de sus seguidores que seria el segundo de tierra bolivariana en recibir tan prestigioso galardón.

El primero lo fue el magnifico Johan Santana. El hoy serpentienro de los Mets de Nueva York obtuvo el Cy Young de la Liga Americana tanto en el 2004 y en el 2006 en el uniforme de los Mellizos de Minnesota.

Para la desilución de Hernández no pasó. Zack Greinke de los Reales de Kansas City fue el seleccionado como el mejor entre los serpentineros del año.

La palabra es desilución porque Hernández lanzó una gran campaña con 19 victorias, 2.49 de efectividad y 217 ponchetes. Su numero de ganados fue lider junto a CC Sabathia de los Yankees de Nueva York y Justin Verlander de los Tigres de Detroit en la Liga Americana.

En honor a la verdad para el ganador del Premio Luis Aparicio de este año la competencia no estaba facil. Tanto Greinke como Sabathia y Verlander todos tenian los números necesarios para llevarse el Cy Young.

Para los venezolanos especialmente fue la segunda blanqueada en esta época de los grandes reconocimientos de Las Mayores.

Muchos corazones tambien estaban puestos en que el jovenzuelo Elvis Andrus de los Rangers de Texas fuera el seleccionado como el Novato del Año de la Liga Americana.

El campocorto Ranchero habia sido escogido por la publicación USA TODAY Sports Weekly como el novel del año de la temporada pero los votantes en general pensaron diferente.

Los escritores de béisbol de América escogieron al relevista Andrew Bailey de los Atléticos de Oakland.

En honor a la verdad Bailey también tuvo una campaña excepcional salvando 26 partidos en 30 oportunidades.

El serpentinero derecho terminó la temporada con 1.84 de efectividad en 83.1 entradas lanzadas, abanicó a 91 bateadores y solo permitió 49 indiscutibles.

En cuanto a los galardones que quedan por anunciar la última esperanza estaba en el Más Valioso de la Liga Americana.

Sín duda el venezolano Miguel Cabrera de los Tigres de Detroit como el cubano Kendry Morales de los Angelinos de Los Angeles recibirán algunos votos pero la competencia no esta facil.

Para muchos de los entendidos beisboleros el Más Valioso este año debe estar entre el Mellizo Joe Mauer y los Yankees Derek Jeter y Mark Teixeira.

El premio de Más Valioso del circuito nacional debe recaer en el dominicano Albert Pujols de los Cardenales de San Luis.

La única pregunta que hay al momento es sí lo recibirá de forma unanime o no. Su compatriota Hanley Ramírez de los Marlins de Florida se espera sea segundo en tan prestigioso anuncio.

Pujols ya recibió de parte de las grandes ligas el Premio Hank Aaron de la Liga Nacional.

En premios de importancia de Venezuela el lanzador Carlos Zambrano  de los Cachorros de Chicago salvó la zafra como ganador del Bate de Plata como lanzador de la Liga Nacional.

En similar situación estuvieron los puertorriqueños que solo el Cardenal Yadier Molina fue el único galardonado esta campaña con su segundo Guante de Oro en su carrera como receptor en la Nacional. También los mexicanos que solo Adrian González de los Padres de San Diego fue el único galardonado esta campaña con su segundo Guante de Oro en su carrera como inicialista en el más antiguo de ambos circuitos.

En cuanto al premio de Guante de Oro el otro único recipiente este año lo fue el intermedista Placido Polanco de los Tigres de Detroit en la Americana.

Por otro lado junto a Zambrano. los otros seleccionados latinos como Bate de Plata lo fueron Pujols y Hanley Ramírez en la Liga Nacional.

Heyman:

Adrian Gonzalez: Any acquiring team would have to put together a tremendous package for the superstar player with the most reasonable multiyear contract in baseball ($10.5 million over the next two years). The silliest rumor so far had Gonzalez possibly going in a three-way trade with Paul Konerko going to the Angels and prospects to the Padres. Beyond the fact the Angels have a great first baseman in Kendry Morales, Konerko’s high contract makes him a giveaway at this point.

Yesterday, I talked about one of the Cincinnati Reds trade candidates, Bronson Arroyo. Well today, I’ll talk about another Reds trade candidate, second baseman Brandon Phillips.

Phillips has had a pretty interesting career so far. He has been involved in two extremely lopsided trades.

Phillips could be traded this offseason

In 2002, Phillips was traded from the Montreal Expos to the Cleveland Indians along with Cliff Lee, Lee Stevens, and Grady Sizemore for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew.

And in 2006, Phillips was traded from the Indians to the Reds for the ever so popular player to be named later. Or PTBNL as all the cool kids say. That player turned out to be Jeff Stevens.

So Phillips has already been involved in two lopsided trades–will he be involved in a third? Let’s take a look at the pros and the cons of Phillips and what teams would be possible suitors for the man who went to high school in Stone Mountain, GA.

I wonder if he knows Jake “The Snake” Roberts, who also hails from Stone Mountain, GA?

Pros

Because Phillips hasn’t played on a national stage since joining the Reds, people don’t realize how good Phillips actually is.

Over the last three years, Phillips ranks third amongst all major league second baseman in home runs with 71, sixth in hits with 494, third in triples with 19, and second in stolen bases with 80.

Not only can Phillips do it with the bat, but he can do it with the glove. Phillips is one of best defensive second baseman in baseball.

Phillips won a Gold Glove in 2008 (not that it means much), but more importantly, Phillips has ranked at the top in second baseman UZR over the last three years.

As a matter of fact, only Chase Utley has a higher UZR over the last three years than Phillips.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Phillips is his contract. Phillips has two years remaining on his contract with a club option for 2012.

Phillips is set to make $6.75 million in 2010 and $11 million in 2011. That is very reasonable for a man who is only 28-years-old and has been worth $28 million over the last two years according to Fangraphs.

Cons

In a game where OBP is highly valued, Phillips hasn’t seen a pitch he hasn’t liked. Phillips did set a career high in walks in 2009 with 44, but that is nothing to get excited about.

Phillips ranked 12th in OPS amongst second baseman in 2009 behind guys like Alberto Callaspo and Martin Prado.

Perhaps the only other question a GM could have with Phillips is can he produce on a big stage? It’s one thing to put up big numbers when your team is 20 games out of first in August, but can you do it when your team is battling for a playoff spot?

There is only one way to figure out the answer to that question.

Now that we have looked at the pros and cons of acquiring Phillips, let’s take a look at what teams would be interested in the Reds’ second baseman.

New York Mets: Obviously the Mets would have to find a taker for their current second baseman, Luis Castillo. That is a task all by itself.

However, if they can get rid of Castillo, I think Phillips would be perfect with the Mets, who should be building their team around pitching, defense, and speed.

Los Angeles Dodgers: As I mentioned yesterday with Dan Uggla, the Dodgers need a second baseman. Phillips and Rafael Furcal would be a lethal double play combination in L.A.

Unfortunately, because the McCourts are making a made for TV movie, I am not sure how much salary the Dodgers are willing to take on.

San Diego Padres: The Padres are a lot closer to competing than people think. They have talked about adding payroll in 2010 and if they feel Matt Antonelli isn’t quite ready yet to be their second baseman, Phillips could be a nice player for them.

Minnesota Twins: Nick Punto is a nice little player, but should be a utility on a good team. The Twins are moving into a new stadium, which means new revenues.

They have already added payroll in the form of JJ Hardy and Phillips fits the Twins style of play to a tee.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Are the Angels ready to give up on Howie Kendrick? Every year is supposed to be “Kendrick’s breakout year” and it hasn’t happened yet.

Phillips seems like a perfect fit in Anaheim. He is a great defensive player and can’t you see him being Bobby Abreu’s latest patient pet project?

Believe it or not, the market for second baseman these days isn’t as good as one would think. There are a lot of teams in baseball, who already have quality players at that position.

I am going to say that Phillips does get traded this offseason, with the Twins and Angels being the most likely suitors

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

…aaaanndd we’re back!

- If you live in Florida and you care even a little bit about letting responsible adults choose for themselves whether or not they feel that marijuana, a completely naturally occurring plant that has yet to kill a single person in the history of mankind, would be an effective treatment for their ailments, sign this petition sponsored by People United For Medical Marijuana for a constitutional amendment that “gives patients the right to grow, obtain, purchase and possess medical marijuana under a doctor’s supervision.” Pharmaceutical companies have been gouging the American public for decades, and have spent untold millions, if not billions, fighting the legalization of marijuana for anyone, and especially those who could use it, because the idea of a easily grown multiple-use panacea like marijuana is anathema to their entire business plan. Fight it.
- I would imagine choosing the 15 hottest big-breasted Japanese gravure models is something like figuring out who the best 15 NBA players are, or what the best types of candy are – no matter what, everyone comes away satisfied.
- Jessica Alba getting spanked. Just…wow.
- This is really pathetic: out of the top 30 grossing films of this decade, two weren’t remakes or sequels or adaptations of established properties, “Finding Nemo” and “Kung Fu Panda”. That’s it. I wonder when people are gonna be so over all of it that they go back to books.
- Miss Universe Japan 2008 Hiroko Mima. Miss Universe Trinidad & Tobago 2008 Anya Ayoung-Chee. Oh, and Anya’s boyfriend. Together, naked in a hotel room with a video camera. What’s the worst that could happen?
- “Men suck at eating pussy; not because they don’t like it, but because it’s really fucking hard.” Oh, internet – you never disappoint, do you?
- Back when Arizona State University decided against giving President Barack Obama an honorary degree when he delivered a speech there, a lot of people asked, “What does ASU have going for it?” Well…
- It may be considered contemporary art, and it may only reach 20 mph when it’s all said and done, but damn turning an old-school SEGA Outrun arcade game into an actual working vehicle? That’s so fucking cool.
- I don’t watch “Dancing With The Stars”, but the fact that Joanna Krupa and Mya were on this season almost pulled me in. Especially Mya; I’ve been checking for her since she was making songs with Silkk the Shocker.
- “Sir! The Romulans have launched a bevy of photon torpedoes across our starboard bow, reducing our shields to 23% and…is that fucking R2-D2?”
- Look – we’re all nerds, OK? It’s just that some of us don’t know what type of nerd we are; that’s where this handy quiz comes in.
- Some people out there can’t stand the Wii. They say it’s not a real console, it’s meant to gouge the pockets of gullible families, blah blah blah. If you think that way, check this collection of videos out, and let me know if you still feel the same.
- Sigh…honestly? If you’re gonna fuck around with a C-string, just don’t wear panties at all. Seriously, at that point underwear’s just more trouble than it’s worth.
- Everyday I hear about something that brings a smile to my face, because it reminds me that despite all the crap going on in the world, I’m living in “the future”, where the miracles of science are limited only be the bounds of human imagination. Today? “Scientists create bacteria that lights up around landmines.”
- Slayer and Megadeth are on tour with Testament, and tickets are only $10! It’s 1991’s “Clash of the Titans” all over again!
- On June 12, 1970, San Diego Padres pitcher Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter. An impressive feat, but not all that historically noteworthy…until it came out that Ellis was massively tripping on LSD the whole time. This is his story:

I haven’t really spent a lot of time thinking about baseball’s best rookies this year, and I don’t really have any strong feelings about the choices the voters made.  Chris Coghlin hit .321, had a .390 OBP and an .850 OPS, all while playing a full season for the Marlins, which are sufficiently good reasons to make him the NL Rookie of the Year.

Pretty much the same for Andrew Bailey.  He had 26 saves and an ERA under 2.00, which is terrific for a rookie thrust into the closing role.  I also like the seasons second and third place finishers Elvis Andris and Rick Porcello had.

Going forward, I was thinking that Andrew McCutchen was the NL rookie I’d most like to have on my team.  However, after checking fansgraphs’ estimate of defensive performance and minor league hitting performance, I think that Colby Rasmus is probably the better bet.

According to fangraphs, Rasmus was the second best defender in centerfield in the NL in 2009, behind only Mike Cameron.  McCutchen ranked a hair below average, and Dexter Fowler (a lot of good rookie centerfielders in the NL this year) was ranked the worst defender in centerfielder in the league.

Rasmus and McCutchen are also both a year younger than Fowler (actually, more like six months).  Rasmus had a much better career minor league career OPS than McCutchen, so I think Rasmus is the better bet going forward.

Among the remaining rookies who received ROTY votes, I like Tommy Hansen the best.  He’s the same age (23 in 2010) as Rasmus and McCutchen and had fantastic minor league numbers.  I don’t like him as much going forward as Rasmus or McCutchen only because pitchers are more prone to injury than position players.

Padres SS Everth Cabrera is also 23 next year, but he’s harder to predict going forward than Rasmus or McCutchen because Cabrera’s only significant minor league playing time came at the A level.  In other words, his 2009 major league numbers could be a fluke.

I’d rank Coghlin about even with Cabrera going forward, given that Coghlin is two years older.  The best of the rest is probably the Diamondbacks  Gerardo Perra.  He’ll also be 23 next year, but didn’t hit enough for a leftfielder in 2009 (.729 OPS).

J. A. Happ, Casey McGehee and Randy Wells were all 26 in 2009.  26 year old rookies generally don’t go on to have great major league careers, no matter how well they played during their rookie seasons.  The major exceptions seem to be at catcher and among power pitchers who finally achieve major league control.

Garrett Jones will be 29 next season, and he had a 2009 campaign that is completely aberrant in comparison to his long minor league career.  In other words, the odds are mighty slim that he’ll ever have another major league season as good as 2009.  It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s trying his luck in Japan’s major leagues by 2012.

In the American League, the obvious choice going forward is Rangers SS Elvis Andrus.  He’s only 20 next year, and fangraphs ranked his defense at SS behind only light-hitting Cesar Izturis.

Andrus minor league batting numbers are not impressive, but that has more to due with the fact that he was consistently the youngest player in the leagues he played (I’m not sure about that, but I doubt there were a lot of other 18 year olds playing in the A+ California League in 2007 or 19 year olds in the AA Texas League in 2008).

Absent injury, Andrus looks sure to be a great player for many years.  In fact, he’s probably a fair bet to challenge his 2009 mentor’s record for games played at SS (Omar Vizquel is now the all-time leader).

There aren’t a lot of players who have established themselves as major league-caliber shortstops on both offense and defense by the time they reach their 20th birthdays.  By way of example, Andrus is further along than Alex Rodriguez was at the same age.  In fairness to ARod, he hit .358 with 54 doubles and 36 HRs in 1996, the year in which he turned 21.

I doubt that Andrus is going to come anywhere close to those numbers in 2010, but he doesn’t have to to become a great player.

After Andrus, I like Gordon Beckham.  He’ll be 23 next year, and he’s a former No. 8 pick in the 2008 draft.  He shot through the minors and should become a big star.

One player I’m not particularly enamoured with is Rick Porcello.  He posted only 89 Ks in 170.2 IP this year, after posting only 72 Ks in 125 IP in the A+ Florida State League last year.  He’s young enough to improve his strikeout numbers considerably over the next few seasons, but pitchers with Ks-to-IP ratios that low do not tend to be consistent.

Another thing is that he threw a lot of innings in 2009 for a 20 year old, and he will likely pitch a lot of innings the next couple of seasons as one of the Tigers’ rotation anchors.  He’s got a contract which paid him more than $2 milli0n in 2009 (according to ESPN), so the Tigers have an incentive to try to get the most out of him now, whether or not his arm is developed enough for the strain of high annual IP totals.

I would much rather have the A’s Brett Anderson going forward than Porcello, even if Anderson is a year older, and Porcello had a better 2009 campaign taking into account their home pitching parks.  Anderson struck out 150 men in 175.1 major league innings pitched this year, and struck out 243 in 225.1 career minor league innings pitched.  Anderson’s walks-to-IP ratios are also better than Porcello’s in spite of the fact that Porcello wasn’t striking anyone out.

I’d also rather have Andrew Bailey going forward than Porcello, although it’s close, given that Porcello is a starter.  Although Bailey will be 26 in 2010, his Ks-to-IP and Ks-to-BBs ratios were terrific this year.  Bailey also has strong numbers in the minors, where he was used primarily as a starting pitcher.  In fact, his major league numbers were far better than his minor league career record, almost certainly because he benefited enormously from the switch to pitching in relief.

The last player to receive votes for AL ROTY is the Rays’ Jeff Niemann.  His numbers look almost exactly like J.A. Happ’s right down the line.  The only major difference I see is that Happ is a lefty and Niemann throws right.  Like Happ, Niemann will be 27 next year, which makes him a poor candidate to become a future superstar.

SoxNet:

SoxNet.net has learned that the Chicago White Sox have had preliminary discussions with the Anaheim Angels and San Diego Padres on a potential 3 way deal which would involve Paul Konerko, Adrian Gonzalez, and Angel and White Sox prospects.  …

The exact details aren’t known but the main premise is the Sox sending Konerko and prospects and getting Adrian Gonzales from the Padres.

Stats: B-R: Paul Konerko, Adrian Gonzalez. Fangraphs: Paul Konerko, Adrian Gonzalez.

Why would the Padres and the Angels do that? Are the Sox emptying the farm?

UPDATE: Mark Gonzales tries to analyze the situation. He says the Padres would want Dan Hudson, Tyler Flowers, Jordan Danks and another minor-league prospect, perhaps from the Angels. That sounds like a lot. That would be a complete cleaning of the farm. Cot’s says ‘2010:$4.75 million, 2011:$5.6 million club option (no buyout)’ about Gonzales’ contract (2011 was 5.5 but due to the 2008 All-Star selection it increased to 5.6). That’s 2 cheap years but the price is too steep. Gonzales had a very good 2009 (B-R: .958 OPS, 166 OPS+, 119 BB / 109 K, .278 BABIP; Fangraphs: .402 wOBA, 6.3 WAR, .280 BABIP), but you still trade 18-24 years of cost-controlled production for 2. The Sox would be giving up a lot. I wouldn’t empty the farm for 2 years of Adrian.

Dan Uggla; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

One of the busiest names in the BluGrass Baseball offseason is likely to be Louisville-native and Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla, who is in line for a large arbitration raise. The Marlins appear destined to move the slugger, who ranks seventh on the Kentucky native career home runs list. With that in mind, here is some of the buzz surrounding Uggla (hat tip to MLBTradeRumors.com for several stories).

• Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says the Marlins’ No. 1 priority this offseason is moving Uggla for young, cheap players.
• Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun says the Orioles will probably go with a better defensive third baseman than Uggla.
• Keith Law of ESPN.com says it’s a good time to move Uggla. (subscription required)
• Frankie Piliere of Fanhouse.com says you can’t fault the Marlins for their strategy of trading successful players like Uggla after their results in developing young players.
• Joe Frisaro of MLB.com touches on some Uggla rumors in his mailbag, and says dreams of a Adrian Gonzalez for Uggla swap are very unrealistic.

I saw this kicking around on a few blogs over the weekend but didn’t get around to watching it until now. Anyway, witness the re-telling of Dock Ellis’ LSD no-hitter and enjoy it as much as I did.

(Courtesy of No Mas)

Here is Dock Ellis’ account of his 1970 no hitter, with animated accompaniment (read the back story HERE). This is the most epic thing I’ve ever seen.

With thanks to NO MAS…

This is an awesome animated depiction of Dock Ellis’ amazing game against the Padres on June 12th 1970.  Here’s the kicker; he was dosed out on LSD the whole time.  The video incorporates the narative by Dock himself giving the play by play of that fine day in American history.

I watched a quick ESPN video from this morning about the National League’s To Do list.  Here it is in 30 seconds or less.

Braves:  Looking for right-handed slugger to complement Brian McCann and Chipper Jones.  They may trade pitcher Javier Vasquez.

Mets:  Need #2 starter behind Johan Santana

Marlins:  Seek offers for Dan Uggla and Jorge Cantu

Cardinals:  Want to re-sign Matt Holliday, but he may be too pricey.

Cubs:  Have a need for starting pitching

Brewers:  Need starting pitcher behind Yovani Gallardo.  Two possibilities include John Lackey or Jarrod Washburn.

Reds & Astros & Pirates:  No money.

Dodgers:  Need starting rotation help, but divorce will hurt.

Rockies:  Need to replace pitcher Jason Marquis

Giants:  MLB Executives think they will make a play for a slugger like Jason Bay or Matt Holliday

Padres:  May put Adrian Gonzalez on the market, and if so it will be the “talk of the Winter”.

Phillies:  Need replacement at third base since Pedro Feliz is gone.  Mark DeRosa will be a good candidate.