Big League Stew - MLB

Big League Stew

Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:29 am EST

Top O' The Order: Korea KOs Tapei in its WBC opener

By 'Duk

A few quick links to start your day ... 

• Didn't bother waking up early for Korea's 9-0 triumph over Chinese Tapei this morning? Me either. But we can relive all the unforgettable moments through David Chalk's live blog. (He watched the game so we didn't have to.)[Bugs & Cranks]

• Does A-Rod's ailing hip open a bigger playoff window for the Rays? [DRaysBay]

• Jamey Newberg checks in with a smart and thoughtful piece on the Rangers' media circle of life. Nine years ago, he started blogging from The Ballpark. Now ex-newspaperman Evan Grant has joined his ranks. [The Newberg Report]

• As if we needed any further proof that spring training games don't mean much, the Pirates are in first place in the National League with a 6-2 record. [Honest Wagner] 

• JetBlue is already using the Manny Ramirez deal to its advantage, offering $99 fares from Burbank and Long Beach to Boston and New York. [True Blue LA]

• Your daily dose of optimism: An Astros fan predicts .500 for his team [Crawfish Boxes]

• I can't decide what's more unbelievable: That the Padres are planning on holding a celebration of the 1984 NLCS over the weekend the Cubs come to town? Or that it's actually already been 25 years since that ball went through Leon Durham's legs? [Home Run Derby]

• Jim Bowden has left the Nats, but he may have left his favorite excuse — the team's injury bug — behind. [Federal Baseball]

• Giants release Dave Roberts; fan moves closer to massive coronary. [OBM]

• Not surprisingly, Ken Griffey accounts for two of the Mariners' five biggest subplots of spring training. Rally fries are mentioned in the other three (OK, not really). [Lookout Landing]

• Start working the phones with Japan: Despite a sterling debut in 2007, it would seem that 24-year-old Kyle Kendrick isn't ready to do it consistently in the bigs. [Phillies Nation]

• When asked about the seat relocation program at new Yankee Stadium, jilted fan Jay Jaffe drops an f-bomb for a paper of record. [Wall Street Journal]

digg delicious
more

14 Comments

Post a Comment
  1. T.J.
    1. Posted by T.J. Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:49 am EST

    Report Abuse

    Dam, they have cheerleaders in Korean baseball!
  2. zubee
    2. Posted by zubee Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:49 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Rays do not need an absent Arod or an Arod with an ailing hip to be a playoff contender. They have a nice young pitching staff and good hitters on a team that has plenty of speed and knows how to play good defense. Plus a very smart manager that knows how to play the game inside and out.
  3. Saro G
    3. Posted by Saro G Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:46 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Don't want to pour cold water on another fan base, but the Astros had to play unconscious ball last year to win 86 games, and could've won more if they weren't shafted by Bud.
    That rotation takes a big dropoff after Oswalt and Rodriguez, and I wouldn't bet on LaTroy Hawkins again, as Twins, Cubs, Yankees, etc fans will tell you.
  4. bottomlinesox
    4. Posted by bottomlinesox Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:31 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    " Does A-Rod's ailing hip open a bigger playoff window for the Rays? "
    Yes.
    As zubee said, the Rays were already in the hunt... Arod is just one guy, but I wonder if having an achey Arod all season is better or worse than if he had done the surgery?
    It kinda reminds me of Mike Lowell... if he had just shut it down and had teh surgery earlier... he's be ready for Opening Day right now... and he really wasn't helping the Sox or himslef by fighting through in in '08.
  5. Saro G
    5. Posted by Saro G Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:46 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    It's a different injury, but Pujols did an excellent job playing through a bad elbow last season.
  6. James S
    6. Posted by James S Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:02 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    This article continues to demonstrate how baseball insults the fans across America. Pittsburgh used to be as stable and had a great tradition, now teams become a laughing stock of the league because of the ability of a few teams to Purchase the best players trying to Buy championships. Hey baseball, when you insult the Pirates, Reds, Padres, Orioles, Braves, Astros, Mariners, Brewers, Twins, and the other small market teams, you actually are driving the fans away. In Wikipedias article .."Major League Baseball Strike 1994, it mentions how teams like the Expos and others were having very competitive years, and by the time the strike was over, the fans of several teams never came back due to the distrust and disgust of the Strike. Without salaary restrictions, your sport will eventually implode.
  7. Saro G
    7. Posted by Saro G Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:46 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    If Pittsburgh had spent a little more shrewdly like the Twins and A's have over the past several years *coughDaveLittlefield*, they wouldn't be in their current quagmire. You can win with a moderate payroll: look at the White Sox, Cardinals, Marlins, etc.
    And for the record, a 'small market team' became the first one to lose 100 games on a $100+ M payroll.
  8. Duk
    8. Posted by 'Duk Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:07 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    James S really wants us to read that Wikipedia article, doesn't he?
  9. RandomClown
    9. Posted by RandomClown Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:34 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    i cant read, so im screwed
  10. habs1rule
    10. Posted by habs1rule Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:15 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Boycott the Buyfest Now!!
  11. Crest
    11. Posted by Crest Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:28 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Boring baseball,. Can't wait till football season begins again.
  12. James S
    12. Posted by James S Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:02 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Three hour games plus, ten relief pitchers, speed the damn game up..And make it more competitive, most of the teams already know they have no chance by May. I hate Baseball berry, berry much.
  13. irkt
    13. Posted by irkt Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:25 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Damn HOT Korean cheerleaders at that!
  14. irkt
    14. Posted by irkt Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:25 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Almost forgot; Jesus Hates The Yankees.

Big League Stew

Add to My Yahoo! RSS

'Duk

Big League Stew is an MLB blog edited by Kevin Kaduk. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

Contributors:
David Brown, Alex Remington,

Teams

Customize to follow news and rumors on your favorite teams. [ Sign in ]

Related Photo Gallery

More MLB Photos »

Y! Sports Blogs

Big League Stew Recent Readers

(provided by MyBlogLog)