Yardbarker: Chad Tracy

The 2008 ‘Pitties: Game of the Year

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:58:20 -0500

With Max Scherzer having won the expected massive victory as Rookie of the Year - getting 75% of the votes - it's time to move on to the next of the 'Pitties. The season may have ended without a division title or play-off baseball, but we still had 82 victories in the season, covering a wide ...

D-Backs blow 4-0 lead, get swept in San Diego

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:17:05 -0500

The Skinny: The theme is becoming all to familiar. The Diamondbacks' offense struggles, and the bullpen blows a lead. Well, guess what happened in San Diego on Wednesday? Yep, Randy Johnson pitched 7 strong innings, only to see Chad Qualls allow two runs in the 8th inning, and the Diamondbacks lost [

Injury Concerns

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:53:49 -0500

The calendar is about to flip to September, which means the arrival of football and the winding down of the fantasy baseball season. With precious little time to make up ground in categories (in roto leagues) or to reach the playoffs (in head-to-head leagues) some drastic measures need to be taken. Since trades are no longer an option, the waiver wire is the only place to turn to for help.

Fuentes pitches out of jam, Rockies top D-Backs 6-5

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:13:34 -0500

The Skinny: Brad Hawpe jacked a two-run homer off of Diamondbacks' reliever Jon Rauch in the bottom of the 8th inning, breaking a 4-4 tie, and lifting the Colorado Rockies to a 6-5 win at Coors Field. The D-Backs had battled back to tie the game at 4 after trailing 3-0 and 4-1, but [...]

Inside The Box August 13th Edition

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:22:42 -0500

Today's look shows a player in the wrong era, a player in the wrong spot in the order and a player who may or may not have scored points from the wrong sport. And lots more.

Fantasy Baseball Five Questions: NL-Only Leagues

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:01:08 -0500

There was a time when the AL dominated not only the All-Star game and World Series, but the fantasy world as well. However, here in 2008, at least one of those is beginning to turn around. As Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon explains, the NL is slowly beginning to narrow that fantasy gap and now may be more excited than the AL.

The Media Circus

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:19:36 -0500

Steve Braband is not a SportsCenter anchor. He doesn't recite poetry jams, doesn't have a sweaty combover and doesn't wear hideous looking ties (that we know of, anyway). Even so, he's become unbearably annoying. You may not know the name, but if you watched the Yankees/Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball, you know his face.

Braband has been "hosting" ESPN's commercials pimping the soon-to-debut live weekday morning SportsCenter episodes. To really cram into viewers' heads what "live television" is all about, Steve is starring in roughly 25 live commercials every day. He also has a hand-written sign that serves as a secondary reminder that yes, on August 11th, SportsCenter in the morning will be live every hour as opposed to reruns of Neil Everett yelling.

Having sat through Sunday night's barrage of promos, we've become annoyed to the point that the next time we turn on ESPN and see him, we'll probably throw rocks at his head through the TV screen. It takes a lot of repetition to get us to this point, and there's really only one other person who constantly reappears on Sunday Night telecasts to drive us crazy.

Ironically, he's also the star of a commercial.

You thought we were talking about Joe Morgan, didn't you. No, he doesn't star in any commercials (rumor has it he doesn't watch enough television to know about any commercials). If he did though, he'd probably be annoying.

Not as annoying as that Finally Fast idiot, though.

Crap that actually came from somebody's mouth

"General manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy barely mentioned the "BF" word in their address to stockholders on Thursday."- Reid Cherner, USA Today

You know things are bad when the mainstream media won't even say the name Brett F***e. You know Favre's contemplating a comeback, right?
__

"The conservative offensive style that was the signature of the first two Scott Linehan years has been replaced by a bold and beautiful up-tempo Greatest Show on Turf revival."- Bryan Burwell, STL Post-Dispatch

When you consider last year's documentation of Greatest Show comments from the media, you realize that Burwell is off the mark. This year would mark the revival of the Greatest Show on Turf Revival.

*Report: FoxSports offers Chris Rose and intern to Sports Illustrated for Dr. Z.*

"So Al Saunders, who like Martz comes off the flamboyant Air Coryell coaching tree, was hired as offensive coordinator to reinstall the Greatest Show, help reignite the energy in the Edward Jones Dome and make the Rams a dazzling offensive threat again."- Burwell

Again, you might think Burwell is off the mark, but we obtained a copy of Saunders' resume and it had only one line "Worked with the dude indirectly responsible for the Greatest Show on Turf". Pretty easy hiring decision if you're the Rams front office.
___

"If that were [done in a playful way], I think it'd be a lot of fun, but it depends on how playful it is."- Tim McCarver, on the prospect of Red Sox fans wearing Madonna masks during A-Rod at bats

McCarver further elaborated that use of clown shoes and suspenders while listening to the Captain Kangaroo theme song in your head would reach appropriate levels of playfullness.
___

"The Internet age has brought an increased demand for news and information in practically every area of life. And nowhere have avenues opened up for an explosion of blogs quite like sports." - John Coon, Salt Lake Desert News

Nowhere, except politics, news, and entertainment. In other words, pretty much everywhere.
___

*Sources: ESPN in market for lefthanded anchor with frosted tips*

"He was sidelined from baseball by injuries and scandals, but Josh Hamilton battled back to become baseball's R&B leader and homerun derby hero"? TLC Voiceover in ad for TV show, "Real Estate Pros"

You knew about how many RBI he has this year, but it took TLC break the news to fans that Josh Hamilton is also one of the foremost R&B performers in the entire league. Dude's voice is like silk.
___

"And Boston would have to become extraordinarily desperate to start thinking the decidedly un-clutch Adam Dunn could replace (Manny) Ramirez."? Jon Heyman, SI.com

Most people tend to consider a traditional "clutch" situation as 2 outs with runners in scoring position. In those situations, super clutch Manny is hitting .261/.414/.435 (Avg/OBP/SLG) with one homerun in 46 at bats. Meanwhile Dunn is hitting .242/.457/.818 with 6 homeruns in 33 at bats in the same situation. The un-clutch one basically hits one bomb every five at bats in the most clutch of scenarios. Quality analysis as always from Jon Heyman.

*Rumor mill: FSN negotiating with Chris Rose on long term contract*
___

The Media Circus invades the Olympics via Yahoo! Sports

No, Joe Mustache isn't vying for the gold in the javelin competition, and no, the JSF crew hasn't been summoned to sift through smog to cover obscure athletic events, but it's the next best thing. Our own Patrick Imig is one of five writers contributing to Yahoo! Sports' Fourth Place Medal blog.

After honing his skills and practicing the art of media coverage on these here pages, Imig will maintain the general role of media coverage. It means lots of big words from Bob Costas are sure to be documented, and ample reference to Tom Hammond's makeup will be featured. The blog runs through the end of the Olympics on August 29th.

*Update: FSN yet to offer Chris Rose extension*

So head on over to Fourth Place Medal on Yahoo! Sports and revel in Olympics absurdity. Tell 'em Joe Mustache sent you.

Media Rant - the Mark Teixeira trade coverage

Never is the baseball media more prominent than around the end of July. It's trade deadline time, and baseball reporters all over the land are climbing over one another to scoop the next big blockbuster deal.

Luckily, baseball fans have a site like MLBTradeRumors.com run by Tim Dierkes to act as a de facto RSS feed allowing us to sift through all the latest speculation, scoops and wild ass rumors that happen to float across the desks of baseball writers and talking heads like Fox's Ken Rosenthal, ESPN's Buster Olney and Jayson Stark, SI.com's Jon Heyman and scores of their peers.

In the era of hyper-media, it's equal parts amusing and dizzying to follow along the roller coaster that is a big name like Mark Teixeira being traded.

Since Monday afternoon, the Teixeira story alone has commanded significant space on MLB Trade Rumors. Here is a running log of the competing rumor mongers as the deal unfolded.

*Source: Chris Rose heading to ESPN/ABC to host NBA studio show*

Monday, July 28
-Buster Olney says the D-Backs refuse to give up Conor Jackson, Rosenthal thinks it will be the D-Backs or the Angels scoring Teixeira, while ESPN's Keith Law confirms that at least four teams are interested in a deal.
5:08pm - Yahoo's Steve Henson says the deal with the D-Backs is "pretty far along"
6:38pm- ESPN's Jayson Stark claims the Red Sox and Rays are in the mix and that the Angels have taken Casey Kotchman "off the board"
10:32pm- Rosenthal says the D-Backs are close but will trade Chad Tracy instead of Conor Jackson if they do the deal but they won't try to resign Teixeira after the season.
11:06pm - Baseball Prospectus' Will Carroll adds the Orioles and Dodgers to the list of suitors.
11:06pm- Buster Olney claims the D-Backs are close to a deal
11:29pm - MLB.com writer Mark Bowman's source claims the Yankees and Angels are now more likely to get him than the D-Backs
11:42pm- Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune says the D-Backs are not going to acquire Teixeira or Manny Ramirez for that matter.

*Insider: "Stu Scott would welcome Chris Rose with open arms"*

Tuesday, July 29
12:10am- Jon Heyman checks in bright and early on Tuesday morning and says the Braves are focused in on the D-Backs and that a person within the Angels organization sees a deal between the Braves and Angels as "unlikely"
12:33pm - Rosenthal chimes in that the Angels are pushing to include Will Ohman or Mike Gonzalez in the deal
1:01pm - Stark tosses the Dodgers and Yankees back into the mix
1:52pm- Peter Gammons reports that Red Sox are in on Rangers catcher Taylor Teagarden. It has nothing to do with the Mark Teixeira trade, but we just found it amusing that with all the activity around baseball, ESPN's Peter Gammons is working the huge Teagarden-to-Boston deal.
2:33pm- The always reliable NY Post reports that its a battle between the D-Backs and Red Sox, but the Sox are only interested if they can dump Manny Ramirez
3:46pm- Heyman's sources from the Angels see a deal including Casey Kotchman as "remote"
4:50pm- Jayson Stark breaks the news - Mark Teixeira has been sent from the Braves to the Angels for Casey Kotchman and a minor league pitcher.

In the span of one day, the Angels, D-Backs, Rays, Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles and Dodgers were all seen as potential landing spots for Mark Teixeira; Conor Jackson, Manny Ramirez and Chad Tracy were offered up as potential trade bait and the guy who assured us that Casey Kotchman was off the table on Monday, broke the story that Casey Kotchman was the main piece in the deal on Tuesday.

Not sure about you, but we're still chomping at the bit to see if Taylor Teagarden ends up in a Red Sox uniform.

Dave Campbell clears waivers, signs with Associated Press

*CBS Sports in running for Chris Rose and Dave Campbell*

Bob Carpenter Memorial Snappy Line

Upon finding out one half of the Media Circus qualifiedfor the Fourth Place Medal blog, Bobby sent out a congratulatory email to the JSF crew and sent his well wishes. He did state, however, his lone stipulation: that the influence of the Carpenter-esque snappy line show through some of the groundbreaking content.

The Bobber didn't have to wait long, as slow Internet in Beijing caused problems for media members, thus giving birth to a new wave of technologically advanced snappiness that was featured prominently in Fourth Place Medal's first week of existence.

Safe to say cyber thumbs up count just as much as the real thing.

The Media Circus is written by Josh Bacott and Pat Imig. They swear this stuff is real. Email them at info@joesportsfan.com

*Report: FSN content with current roster*

Teixeira Rumors

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:57:34 -0500

So, it looks like Mark Teixeira is probably going to get dealt in the next 66 hours. Four teams have been rumored to be in talks with Atlanta--the Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Rays, and Angels.

Three of those make perfect sense. Arizona is currently platooning Chad Tracy and Tony Clark at first. The Angels have gotten an almost perfectly league average (in a normal year, at least) .259/.330/.421 line from their DHs this year, and Kotchman hasn't exactly been lighting the world on fire himself, with a 104 OPS+. And the Rays have been rumored to be in the market for a bat for awhile, as their DHs have managed only a .681 OPS.

But the Red Sox? Without taking one of their big bats out of the lineup, the only thing they could do is move Youkilis to right and Drew to center. So their defense would clearly be downgraded--although I suppose they could still bring in Crisp/Ellsbury in the later innings--while the offense would be improved. But what's the point? It just wouldn't make them that much better. For that reason, I suspect they wouldn't be willing to give up as much as the other three, since their upgrade isn't as substantial. You never know, though.

By the way, I plan on doing a live-blog all day on Thursday. So that should be an adventure.

MLB Waiver Wire - Week 16 (All-Star Edition)

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:29:03 -0500

Screaming Sports' Tommy D breaks out the MLB Waiver Wire and runs downs a list of three potential fantasy studs. If you're looking for that extra edge this week and beyond, then this gem is for you.

'Pedroia the Destroyah' leads comeback over D-backs

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:43:55 -0500

Dustin Pedroia is in the zone right now, but Terry Francona reminds him that he can still whip his butt in cribbage... get the recap from last night's game at The Bottom Line blog.

DBacks Tracy back, but in what role

Tue, 27 May 2008 11:42:27 -0500

Chad Tracy made his return to the Arizona Diamondbacks in last night's game. Tracy got the start at first, so the team could give starting first baseman Conor Jackson a day off. Tracy will not be playing their regularly as Conor is having a pretty good season, so where else could he play? Tracy also has experience at third base, but that position is pretty much locked up with Mark Reynolds. So what role is manager Bob Melvin looking at for Tracy?

Tracy Returns To The Lineup But Is He The Right Man For The Job?

Tue, 27 May 2008 10:15:00 -0500

Chad Tracy made his return to the Diamondbacks lineup today with a 1-for-4 performance. His return marks the end of an almost nine month rehab process from micro-fracture surgery. The question is should Tracy's injury guarantee him his roster spot? According to doctors Tracy's full rehabilitation could take upwards of 18 months. That means Tracy [...] //Read The Rest Here:http://azsportshub.com/2008/05/26/tracy-returns-to-the-lineup-but-is-he-the-right-man-for-the-job/

That Old Gag - Week 9

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:26:43 -0500

The term, "That Old Gag" is generally used to explain a tired old joke that has lost its punch. I use the term in a similar fashion to explain some fantasy players. Every season there are fantasy players who are shamelessly owned for no good reason. This is mostly due to their past exploits on the field or a small sample size of success that keeps fantasy owners coming back for more. We go around the league and look at different players who fit the bill and why you should avoid them.

Fantasy Rundown: Joba (Finally) Set to Start

Thu, 22 May 2008 02:40:11 -0500

Joba Chamberlain looks like he will finally be making his long awated transition to the starting rotation according to manager Joe Girardi. While the Yankees wait Darrell Rasner has helped shore up the rotation, Bartolo Colon returned to the majors, Chone Figgins returned from the DL, and Dusty Baker is out to ruin another young promising arm in this edition of the Fantasy Rundown.

Fantasy Tip of the Week - Chad Tracy

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:42:02 -0500

by Kevin Mark The Arizona Diamondbacks are off to a 20-8 start and leading the NL West by 5 games. What should scare other NL West teams is the D-Backs will get a boost soon when 3B Chad Tracy returns. According to the Arizona Republic, Tracy is set to begin a rehab assignment and is only two weeks away from returning. The emergence of Mark Reynolds at 3B makes Tracy's role a bit uncertain. But it is important to remember the left-hand hitting Tracy is not yet 28 years old and is signed through the 2009 season. The Diamondbacks aren't going to bury him on the bench when he activated.Tracy is a solid Major League hitter and will help fantasy owners in homeruns, RBI, and average. Even if Tracy is platooned with the right-hand hitting Reynolds he will be a valuable addition to an NL-only or deep mixed league fantasy team. If the CI position on fantasy team is currently filled with someone like Geoff Blum add Tracy to your roster and be patient. He will be a significant help to your team's offense.