http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/player/1017 Recent articles about Russell Martin en-us Chad Billingsley and Russell Martin aren't the only ones yearning for the glory days of 2008. Big League Stew brings us this surprisingly un-gritty comment from the Phillies' Cole Hamels after his Halloween-night shellacking: "I can't wait for it to end," Hamels said, referring to his wildly inconsistent 2009 season. "It's been mentally draining ... It's one of those things, a year in, you just can't wait for a fresh start." Is Cole Hame... Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Overexposed_and_Underconditioned/1483771 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Overexposed_and_Underconditioned/1483771 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Overexposed_and_Underconditioned/1483771 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/c/1c28a7e25f385ecfa5e90a60e20b102d7d384130/small/0d.jpg Any of you who saw Sunday's ALDS Game 3 between the Yankees and Twins saw that the Twins lost all momentum in the eighth inning, when Nick Punto tried to stop himself from heading home by sliding in the grass after rounding third, only to get tagged out back at third as he flopped back to the bag like a fish: On Sunday, Minnesota ran itself out of the postseason with none out in the eighth inning of New York's 4-1 win when Nick Punto rounded third base and was caught trying to div... Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/A_Cautionary_Tale_For_Russell_Martin/1358548 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/A_Cautionary_Tale_For_Russell_Martin/1358548 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/A_Cautionary_Tale_For_Russell_Martin/1358548 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/8/186651d46cbeb36573b172f7c2c6129b76d31859/small/MLB_JUN_07_f0ac.jpg Now this is cool: Kim Ng parties with Ronald Belisario and Russell Martin. Rick Honeycutt, Joe Torre, Ned Colletti, Don Mattingly. Colletti hugs Martin. "Hey Russell, how about a discount on a multi-year deal?" Jonathan Broxton relieves Matt Kemp. One home-run hitter douses another. Jedi Wolf instructs Padawan Ethier on wielding the tricky champagne-saber. Sun, 11 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Brut_Strength/1347783 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Brut_Strength/1347783 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Brut_Strength/1347783 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/8/186651d46cbeb36573b172f7c2c6129b76d31859/small/MLB_JUN_07_f0ac.jpg Noticed while browsing through baseball-reference.com late last night: Russell Martin (through yesterday) Avg R HR RBI SB Home 0.256 27 2 19 5 Away 0.257 27 2 19 5 Total 0.256 54 4 38 10 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Identical_Splits/1124096 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Identical_Splits/1124096 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Identical_Splits/1124096 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/8/186651d46cbeb36573b172f7c2c6129b76d31859/small/MLB_JUN_07_f0ac.jpg Russell Martin, August 19: ninth-inning error contributes to loss to Cards. Russell Martin, August 20... Grand salami in the sixth inning unties the game. Manny's happy! Fans are happy! O-Dog's happy! Bison's happy! Torre's...happy inside? A bouquet of Dodger outfielders. Clayton Kershaw plays bongos on Martin's head. Super-sub Jeff Weaver pitched well but didn't receive the win. photos 1, 2 & 6 by Jacob de Golish/Getty Images; 3, 4 & 5 by H... Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/From_Zero_to_Hero/1022574 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/From_Zero_to_Hero/1022574 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/From_Zero_to_Hero/1022574 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/8/186651d46cbeb36573b172f7c2c6129b76d31859/small/MLB_JUN_07_f0ac.jpg DODGERS 7, CUBS 2 Sorry for the stark PGT, but I'm in a Turkish prison and my iPhone is about to run out of juice. But when Rafael Furcal and Matt Kemp each have multi-hit games atop the lineup, Manny Ramirez has a three-hit night just for Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, and Russell Martin gets a game-breaking grand slam in the sixth, there's not much about which to complain. Even for me. Dodgers take the first of four against the Cubs. Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:26:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Post_Game_122_Thread_Martin_Slams_Grandly/1021112 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Post_Game_122_Thread_Martin_Slams_Grandly/1021112 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Post_Game_122_Thread_Martin_Slams_Grandly/1021112 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/f/7/f73a002b318a6b5aff2feab2d7c0e8db21a193ca/small/MLB_JUN_01_089f.jpg CARDINALS 3, DODGERS 2 There was a time when Russell Martin was potent offensively and at had a knack for spectacular defensive plays (catching foul balls while falling into the dugout, for example). I don't know what happened, but Martin's 0-for-3 night tonight dropped his average to .260 and his OPS to .685 (vying for worst among Dodger regulars along with Rafael Furcal). And that wasn't even the worst part; Martin's errant throw to second to try and get a stealing Albert P... Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:04:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Post_Game_121_Thread_Just_A_Bit_Outside_Just_A_Bit_Short/1015508 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Post_Game_121_Thread_Just_A_Bit_Outside_Just_A_Bit_Short/1015508 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Post_Game_121_Thread_Just_A_Bit_Outside_Just_A_Bit_Short/1015508 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/f/7/f73a002b318a6b5aff2feab2d7c0e8db21a193ca/small/MLB_JUN_01_089f.jpg Vin Scully on last night's Dodgers-Giants telecast, after Russell Martin was caught on camera talking to himself after grounding out in the ninth inning: As Martin mutters to himself, I remember after Bobby Thomson's home run, Pee Wee Reese said to Jackie Robinson — and I was sitting there — "You know, Jack, of all the years I've played this game, I'm really surprised I haven't gone crazy." AP photo Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Vin_Scully_on_Sanity/969505 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Vin_Scully_on_Sanity/969505 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Vin_Scully_on_Sanity/969505 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/8/186651d46cbeb36573b172f7c2c6129b76d31859/small/MLB_JUN_07_f0ac.jpg Commenter Alireza read about the suggestions that the Dodgers should trade Russell Martin, and he was none too pleased.By the way, there's a good chance that Alireza will be an official writer on this site within a week. I'll make an official announcement later, but I thought I should chime in just in case anybody was wondering why I was posting so many of his thoughts.As a lifelong Dodger fan, I have been pretty spoiled with homegrown catching. I grew up with the hardcore defense, co... Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:20:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Trading_Russell_Martin_Is_Stupid/814873 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Trading_Russell_Martin_Is_Stupid/814873 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Trading_Russell_Martin_Is_Stupid/814873 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/1/81bab0f28eba25c65bb13bba19ac4b4ad13b7ff8/small/MLB_JUN_01_e78d.jpg Unfortunately, it's not a good mention. Martin is named as one of the top three fantasy busts, along with Alfonso Soriano and Garrett Atkins: Russell Martin (Average Draft Position of 41.39): He was the first catcher taken in most drafts but hits the halfway mark with just two home runs in 283 at bats and a .258 average. Here's hoping Martin has a much better second half. He's not the only one under-performing this year, but it is surprising to see our former All-Star candidate ... Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Russell_Martin_in_the_WSJ/802794 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Russell_Martin_in_the_WSJ/802794 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Russell_Martin_in_the_WSJ/802794 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/3/83cdcc0f654843b491c606296d263c2b3362662c/small/MLB_MAY_02_3b68.jpg Russell Martin and James Loney get tangled up in the eighth inning of tonight's game. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:45:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Right_Foot_Red/769366 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Right_Foot_Red/769366 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Right_Foot_Red/769366 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/1/81bab0f28eba25c65bb13bba19ac4b4ad13b7ff8/small/MLB_JUN_01_e78d.jpg Russell Martin goes into the advanced inversion pose Adho Mukha Batasana (downward-facing lumber) to avoid getting hit by a Roy Corcoran pitch in the sixth inning of last night's game. More Dodger yoga content: Namaste, Russell (SoSG) Yoga with Andre Ethier (Vin Scully Is My Homeboy) Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Russell_Martins_Yoga_Training_Comes_in_Handy/746896 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Russell_Martins_Yoga_Training_Comes_in_Handy/746896 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Russell_Martins_Yoga_Training_Comes_in_Handy/746896 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/f/cf17f8f7ac3449e55f47963f75382d46f53e86ab/small/MLB_MAY_02_ce2b.jpg Russell Martin hit his first home run of the season in the third inning of tonight's game: and had this reaction: upon being greeted in the dugout with this: which eventually became this: second photo by Chris Carlson/AP Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/At_Last/724319 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/At_Last/724319 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/At_Last/724319 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/4/4488c9bce670a5810ded4c9cf943211f477f09d7/small/MLB_MAY_05_83b3.jpg If I just gave $600,000 of my hard-earned money* to a charity, I'd want to know what they were doing with it. So I checked out the website of Russell Martin's official cause, One Drop: WHAT WE DO The ONE DROP Foundation believes that water access is an fundamental right. The interdependence of nature and humans means water issues are everyone’s issue. Without water, there is no life on Earth. Water sustains our daily lives, however its distribution and accessibility is not equal... Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Eau_Dog/723458 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Eau_Dog/723458 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Eau_Dog/723458 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/f/7/f73a002b318a6b5aff2feab2d7c0e8db21a193ca/small/MLB_JUN_01_089f.jpg Vin Scully on last night's telecast, after Russell Martin beat out a soft grounder to short: It reminded me of one of the great hitters the game has ever seen, who was a marvelous player for the Pittsburgh Pirates a long time ago, Paul Waner. And Paul Waner was very close to his three-thousandth hit. And it was the second game of a doubleheader, late in the second game. The bunt will be picked up by whom? Suzuki, to get him. Anyway, Paul Waner hit a slow ground ball to short, simila... Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Vin_Scully_on_My_Way/720221 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Vin_Scully_on_My_Way/720221 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Vin_Scully_on_My_Way/720221 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/f/cf17f8f7ac3449e55f47963f75382d46f53e86ab/small/MLB_MAY_02_ce2b.jpg