Clem Fandango

I've always thought that the reason African American numbers continue to shrink for baseball is because it costs legitimate money to play and practice the game. And on top of that, you can't practice baseball by yourself, you need peers to help you get better. With basketball, all you need is a ball. You can find a hoop, that's easy. A basketball can be found at a thrift store for $3. You need a glove, bat, cleats, batting gloves (if you choose), baseballs, etc. Baseball is an expensive sport to play, and inner city families don't have that kind of scratch to devote to something their child may or may not have an interest in in the first place. I honestly think that's a huge factor with what's killing African American baseball participation.

I think the fact that the Marlins have publicly stated they plan on outbidding everyone for Cespedes makes them the front runner. The only way I think Cespedes plays for the Cubs is if they make him a reasonable/comparable offer to what the Marlins are willing to give him and he has a stronger desire to play for the Cubs and not the Marlins. When the team President comes out and says they're going to be "aggressive to the point of stupidity", I tend to be more pessimistic than optimistic about the Cubs' chances. I think his desire to play for the Cubs would need to outweigh his desire for a big pay day. He's going to get paid either way, but he's probably going to have to leave more money on the table to play for the Cubs, so he's gonna have a stronger desire to play for the Cubs than just going to the top bidder. TL;DR: I think Cespedes' decision will come down to greed vs. passion so long as the Marlins are involved.

How about we stop with this Spanish nonsense and just speak it all American like. I'ma get back to this Toby Keith record

Houston Mass Murders

I've been pronouncing it Yo-niss, apropos of nothing

McLeod has already said that ideally he'd get at least 100PA in the minors. And it wouldn't shock me if he did, that's just my personal opinion. One way or the other, Byrd is gonna go You don't see the appeal of having a guy dip his toe in the North American professional baseball waters? Top draft picks sign huge deals with MLB sized salaries and start in the minors all the time. For one, you delay his service time which would mean when his contract is up, he won't be a free agent. I see your point, my mistake. For some reason, I keep forgetting he'll be considered a "prospect" because he's 26. His International Fa signing is no different than when we signed Castro, and I keep forgetting about that since he's looked at as a FA like Prince Fielder or Pujols has been. Keeps slipping my mind his signing is in the same boat as other foreign prospects.

McLeod has already said that ideally he'd get at least 100PA in the minors. And it wouldn't shock me if he did, that's just my personal opinion. One way or the other, Byrd is gonna go

The Houston Traffic Jam's

That would put him in Adam Jones/BJ Upton territory. I'd take it. There's a link somewhere in here, but one analyst (possibly using ZIPS projections) said that he best compares to Adam Jones, which is A-OK with me My question is if we get Cespedes, what kind of shakeup is going to happen in the outfield? Because it presents a few issues: 1) Marlon Byrd will have to be moved, assuming the Cubs want to start Cespedes in the majors immediately. I personally don't see the appeal in paying a guy a MLB salary to start out in the minors when the season is a lost cause to begin with. Assuming they want him in the majors immediately, Byrd is likely on the move. 2) What becomes of Brett Jackson? Who is the better CF, defensively? Would Jackson or Cespedes move to a corner? 3) With DeJesus locked up for RF, the Cubs would need to ideally move Soriano whenever Jackson is ready for big league action. If they can't move him, do they platoon him with Jackson/Cespedes? I think it's silly to handicap the young talent that way, Soriano HAS to be dealt somehow in order for the new OF to maximize its potential. 4) Will this make Brett Jackson expendable? Does Theo and Co. see this as a way to move a valuable prospect for more pieces of the puzzle? We talked of Garza for Turner + Castellenos but it's been hazy. If Jackson is thrown in with Garza how much more of a possibility does that trade become? And does it mean we'll be able to to get more than those two if that is the desired target, i.e. will they include Crosby and/or Smyly as well considering Jackson is a valuable asset and not a throw in?

Also, why the [expletive] are the Tigers insisting that both Cabrera and Fielder play the field when they have a wide open DH spot that both of them would be perfect for? Do they not want them to get their fielding rusty so when Martinez comes back a full year later they won't miss a step in their crappy defense?

Covert website startup separate from NSBB. They'll never know... but we will

No way. I think they're more likely to play VMart at 3B or LF. V-Mart is out for the year

No, because there's no Cuban baseball player whose last name is Solar, doofus.

Matt Garza would make for a nice cherry on top, Mr. Dombrowski.

Holy [expletive]

Matt Tolbert, bitches!

Albert Pujols sets no market. He's the greatest player in baseball and no one compares to him, no matter how hard Scott Boras will try. The only other contract/player that can compare is Rodriguez and that's already done, and was likely used to get Pujols his contract. Pujols' deal sets no precedence for any other player. If Boras wants to start using other contracts to get his client the best deal, he should be looking at Howard or Teixeira, not Pujols

turns out that montero's real name is fausto carmona and he's 28 years old. I LOL'd pretty hard.

So he took one year, 10 mil after a bad year, then had a better season and took another one year pact for even less money. Are we sure Boras is still his agent? He is, but other teams aren't being run by Jim Hendry, so...

Or Valtrex

If you can afford Prince Fielder you don't pass him up because you have Mitch [expletive] Moreland at first base.

Or we could try and trade him for a young pitcher that will be probably be better than him and cost several dozen million dollars less in the long run and have much longer control over

I knew that name was too awesome to be true