Yardbarker: Jeromy Burnitz

Prospect Retrospective: Pete Schourek

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:26 -0500

The Mets drafted Pete Schourek in the second round of the 1987 draft out of Marshall High School in Virginia. Schourek’s principal asset as an 18-year-old was his height; his lanky, six-foot-five frame offered lots in the way of projection, and his sinking fastball was already sitting in the high 80s. It didn’t require much imagination to see Schourek eventually sitting in the low 90s, plus velocity for a southpaw. The other big point in Schourek’s favor was that he already had a very good breaking ball, a hammer curve that could bend knees. He needed a changeup, but that’s really not uncommon for young high school arms. The Mets quickly signed Pistol Pete and sent him to Kingsport to close out 1987. He made 12 starts and pitched just okay: his strikeout rate was okay, his walk rate was okay. He wasn’t a world beater, but he held his own, and the Mets were prepared to give him a taste of full-season ball in 1988. But Schourek’s elbow had other ideas, and Tommy John surgery kept him out for the entirety of the season. Schourek’s 1989 suddenly become a season of paramount importance. He had lost a year of development, and nobody knew what to expect from his arm as it recovered. He played a whole season for Columbia in the South Atlantic League, and the results were generally positive. His ERA was well above the league average, and his strikeout rate was much stronger than it had been at Kingsport, increasing from 6.5 to 8.7 per nine innings. He was walking a batter every two innings, but, coming off a major arm surgery, it was a strong showing. The Mets rewarded his performance with a promotion to St. Lucie late in the season. And in 1990 Schourek had a breakout. He started in St. Lucie and made five starts, posting a 0.97 ERA while walking just eight in 37 innings. The Mets aggressively promoted Schourek and sent him to Double-A Jackson, where he continued his strong pitching in the Texas League, posting a 3.02 ERA over 19 starts. The walk rate was still strong at 2.8 per nine innings, and he did a good job of keeping the ball in the park. Like the season before, the Mets promoted Schourek just before season’s end, sending him to Triple-A Tidewater to make his final two starts. All-in-all, Schourek went 16–5 with a 2.57 ERA over 175 innings across three levels. While the strikeout rates fell to pedestrian levels and his velocity never really broke 90, Schourek was looking like a very good finesse prospect. Baseball America named Schourek the Mets’ second-best prospect behind flamethrower Anthony Young and the number 33 prospect in baseball. Mets manager Bud Harrelson shocked everyone when he told the press that the 22-year-old Schourek had made the 1991 Mets’ staff out of spring training. The spot in the bullpen opened when Sid Fernandez fractured his arm, forcing the team to move reliever Wally Whitehurst into the starting rotation. It was a puzzling move. Schourek was a promising starting pitching prospect. He needed regular work, and he wasn’t going to get that in the back of a major league bullpen. And he struggled, predictably posting a 5.32 ERA before being demoted at the end of May. He made a couple starts in Tidewater, pitching well before the Mets recalled him after injuries ravaged their pitching staff. He mostly stayed in the bullpen, but was inserted into the rotation at the end of August. He pitched better there, going 3–1 with a 4.15 ERA over his final six starts, the highlight being a one-hit shutout against the Expos. On the whole, this was the Mets’ first misstep with Schourek, resulting in a lost year pitching in an unfamiliar role that was neither his past nor his future. In 1992, new manager Jeff Torborg sent Schourek to Tidewater where he pitched well over his first eight starts. He was promoted and posted a solid 3.64 ERA over 21 starts and a relief appearance. This was how the Mets should have treated Schourek in 1991. There was a warning sign, however: his strikeout rate was a pitiful 4.0 per nine innings. But the walk rate was under 3.0 per nine innings, and he kept the ball inside the park. Whatever the strikeout rate, it was a step forward for Schourek, and it looked like he might pull a Mary Tyler Moore and make it after all. That is until Dallas Green happened. Torborg was fired early in 1993, and the Mets replaced him with Green, who was instructed to light a fire under the mostly veteran team. The problem was Schourek wasn’t a veteran and shouldn’t have been treated like one. He got off to a rocky start, and when Green took over, he immediately yanked him from the starting rotation, which didn’t please the 24-year-old lefty. Green took notice of Schourek’s attitude and spent the season using him as his personal yo-yo, yanking him between the rotation and the bullpen. When Schourek pitched poorly, Green would publicly bash him to the press. After one September relief appearance, Green yanked Schourek after one inning in a blowout, telling reporters afterward, "I’ll give him to you for Christmas if you want." Although both men claimed to be ready to bury the hatchet the next spring, neither one made much of an effort, and the two barely spoke. And while Green claimed to be willing to accept Schourek on the team, he insisted the kid be demoted during the first week of the season—Schourek didn’t even pitch—in favor of the forgettable Doug Linton. Out of options, the Mets had to expose Schourek to the waiver wire, a move general manager Joe McIlvaine called a gamble. Reds GM Jim Bowden immediately made a claim and looked like a genius. He pitched fairly well for the Reds in 1994 before finishing second to Greg Maddux in the 1995 NL Cy Young race. It’s well known that Schourek was never as good again. But Schourek’s 18–7 1995 did not have many of the qualities of a fluke season. He had phenomenal control, an above average strikeout rate, and an above average ground ball rate. His FIP that season was nearly as good as his ERA. The real problem was that he was never completely healthy after. His pitching elbow would undergo three more surgeries before his career ended in 2001, the first of those coming in July 1996. Schourek bounced around for a while afterward, and he’d occasionally be quite effective, as with Boston in 2000. Getting back to the Mets, where did they go wrong with Schourek? In general, they showed a complete lack of patience. Young pitchers need two things: regular innings and time. The move to the bullpen in 1991 cost him the former, and the team rarely seemed willing to ride out the rocky points in Schourek’s career. This is sometimes excusable. Schourek’s strikeout rates were concerning, and not every team can wait for a pitcher to develop at the major league level. But the 1991–1993 Mets were not one of those teams, losing an average of 92 games a season. And Dallas Green was just an unfortunate choice to manage those mid-90s teams. They started out as a veteran team, but they needed to transition into a developing one, and Green’s refusal to accept talented kids like Jeromy Burnitz and Schourek—not to mention his abuse of young pitchers’ arms—contributed to the team’s woes over the next few seasons.

A quarter-century as a Pirates fan

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:15:47 -0500

My first Pirate cap - Matt Bandi/PLC In just under a month, I will celebrate my 26th birthday. I am not exactly sure when my baseball fandom began, but I am going to make the executive decision to identify today as the 25th anniversary of my introduction to the sport. My first vivid memory of watching a baseball game came at four years old. It was Richard Caliguiri Day, as the Pirates honored the late mayor with a pregame ceremony. At my age, I had little awareness of the significance of that moment for the city. For me, it was simply a chance to go to the ballpark with my dad. We arrived late to Three Rivers Stadium, missing the entire observance. We settled into our seats in the upper deck, a bit down the first base line. The game is a blur in my memory until Sid Bream came to bat with a tied game in the 12th inning. Bream drove a pitch to right-center and the crowd erupted as the ball landed on the warning track to give the Pirates the win. I would learn later that the ball had actually cleared the fence, and the object I had seen was a pizza box or something that had fallen on to the field from the first row of seats. Yes, pizza boxes are generally much larger than baseballs, but I was a small child and could not see very well among the exuberant adults. It is funny what details stick with you for 20+ years. Before that 1988 season, I know that Rafael Belliard was my favorite player. I think I just liked saying the name Raffy, or maybe I knew that my personal baseball future would be that of a scrappy glove-first infielder with non-existent offensive pop. Before that, I recall that my favorite player was Dale Murphy. No idea why, other than the fact that he was a star at the time. That takes us back to when I was about two or three years old, and I remember nothing before that. Some of my relatives still talk about how I sat and attentively watched a World Series game, vocally rooting for the Royals for some reason. That would have been the 1985 series, when I was about one and a half. I woke up with an upset stomach one morning in October 1990. On a typical day, I would have tried to stay home from school. But we had tickets to the Pirates playoff matchup against the Reds that night. So I downplayed the dilemma and soldiered on to school. I did not make it to lunch, vomiting in the school library. Feeling better, I easily made it through the remainder of the day and expected to make the game. But the car ride home did not mesh well with my ailment, and my father’s cassette tape collection fell victim to the aftershock. I spent the rest of the evening on the couch, as my dad went to the game alone. The next year, with another year of experience under my belt, I managed to stay healthy enough to attend a playoff game against the Braves. We had the good fortunate to see a thriller. I think it was the sixth game of the series, in which Doug Drabek and Steve Avery locked horns in a scoreless duel through eight innings. The Pirates were a run away from the World Series, but Atlanta scraped across a run in the ninth and prevailed 1-0. I barely remember being at this game, but apparently I complained the entire night about being cold and bored. I guess I just did not properly appreciate a pitcher’s duel at eight years old. My dad still ribs me about it. (As an aside, I am not sure that I have ever realized how awesome that NLCS must have been. Three 1-0 games.) 1992. An excellent year for the Pirates evaporated into a single moment that would torment every fan for decades. I was in our game room with my dad and uncle when Francisco Cabrera crushed Pittsburgh’s soul. Watching Bream’s foot touch home plate was about as surreal of a moment that I have ever experienced. For a split-second, I wanted to scream that he was out. A shout may have actually slipped from my mouth during that brief instance. The older men in the room were deathly silent, and I quickly realized that he had beaten the tag. The most extreme feeling of helplessness immediately struck me, as we watched the city of Atlanta’s euphoric celebration. Nobody spoke for several minutes. Nobody moved. Nobody looked away from the television screen. Moving on. The next few years are somewhat fuzzy in my mind. I can remember a Lonnie Smith/Al Martin platoon. Kirk Gibson played for the Pirates, and was involved in a fluky play that saw the ball strike the helmet that had fallen from his head. Orlando Merced hit a grand slam on the 4th of July. Despite my protests, we left a game early in which the Pirates were trailing 19-2. The All-Star Game came to Pittsburgh. Baseball went on strike. I was in attendance for the first game back, when the fans littered the field with souvenir flags after the Pirates turned a simple bunt into a two-error, everyone scores debacle. I still have my flag (we were sitting too far from the field to throw it). For a couple years in a row, I attended the season-ending home game, thinking it could be the final game in Pittsburgh. At one of those games (I’m guessing it was 1995), the crowd broke into a ninth inning “Save Our Bucs!” chant. Kevin McClatchy arrived to solidify the ownership group. The major league roster was stripped of most of my favorite players. After four years of mostly miserable baseball, the storybook 1997 season arrived. It is difficult to remember all of the fantastic moments from that season, but I will try. Obviously, there was the no-hitter with a bonus walk-off home run. Mark Smith had another walk-off bomb against the Dodgers, seconds after Joe Randa had tied the game with a home run of his own. Al Martin hit a grand slam in a wild victory against the Rockies. Mark Johnson failed miserably in what was supposed to be a breakout season, but he did manage a pinch-hit walkoff single after losing his starting job. Kevin Polcovich missed a sign on a squeeze attempt, but recovered by hitting a key home run off of Curt Schilling. The Bucs were moments away from losing on July 4th in St. Louis, but managed to win in extra innings on another Smith home run. Kevin Young returned from Kansas City to become the team’s leader. Shawon Dunston arrived in Pittsburgh with a bang. Etc. The Astros came to Pittsburgh for a two-game series in early September, just 3.5 games ahead of the Bucs. I went to the first game and was awed by the electricity in the stadium. Obviously, a meaningful September baseball game in Pittsburgh is a rarity. It has not occurred since that night. The most significant event of 1997 for me was the realization that I was old enough to go to a ball game by myself. On three consecutive August nights, a friend and I purchased $1 general admission tickets and snuck into more expensive seats by the bullpen. We spent way too much time trying to interact with relief pitchers, flicking pumpkin seeds back and forth and exchanging friendly banter. During one inning break, I was leaning over the railing, pestering someone for a ball. Suddenly, a baseball rang off the railing inches above my head. I abruptly turned toward the field, and spotted Mark Smith wearing a terrified look on his face. He had overthrown the bullpen catcher standing a few feet from the bullpen gate, and nearly killed me in the process. Yes, I was nearly ended by an errant Mark Smith throw. I was visibly shaking for the next half inning. Anyway, I went to about 20 games the following season, and maxed out at 40 games in 1999. I kind of drifted away from the Pirates in my late teenage years, focusing more on my social life than baseball. During that time, PNC Park opened and we experienced the Aramis Ramirez trade debacle. In 2004, the baseball fan in me was rejuvenated by a four-day trip with nine of my closest friends. We departed Pittsburgh early on a Thursday night and attended a Tigers-Royals game in Detroit that afternoon. After spending the night in Toledo, we were off to Cincinnati for a Reds-Expos game on Friday night. We relaxed at a Michigan cabin for two nights before driving to Chicago to see the Pirates play at Wrigley Field. Finally, it was back to Pittsburgh. Since that trip, I have seen the Pirates play at Great American Ballpark, Jacobs Field, Yankee Stadium, U.S. Cellular Field and again at Wrigley. In February 2006, hours before the Steelers brought home a Super Bowl victory, I was discussing the upcoming Pirates season with a friend. The specific topic was the acquisition of veterans Jeromy Burnitz, Sean Casey, etc. He did not like the moves, preferring to see youngsters Jose Bautista and Brad Eldred receive playing time. I disagreed, saying that they needed additional minor league seasoning. I pointed to Jose Guillen and Aramis Ramirez as prospects that had been rushed to Pittburgh. Looking back, we were both wrong, as Craig Wilson and Freddy Sanchez were the guys who should have been starting. That was a turning point in my life, as I suddenly realized that I knew virtually nothing about baseball. In September, I was fiddling around on the internet when I stumbled upon WHYGAVS. Just like that, I had discovered the baseball internet world. Over the next few days, I think I read every post in the site’s archive. Then I moved on to Bucs Dugout. By the end of the week, I had started my own blog, and the rest is history. In the past few years, my baseball knowledge has grown by leaps and bounds compared to the previous 20 or so. It has been 25 years of mostly heartbreak, but I would not trade it for the world. Memories of Rob Mackowiak dominating a doubleheader, Brian Giles robbing a home run and Jack Wilson turning two make it all worthwhile.

BUCCO Fans is a Year Old

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:40:00 -0500

This past weekend, BUCCO Fans.com turned a year old. I started this site a year ago to accomplish two goals. First, I wanted a central location for all of the resources I reference when talking about the Pirates. These resources incude things that can be found in the features section, such as team payroll, individual salaries, service time, options remaining, trade histories, etc. I'm still working on adding more to the different areas of the site (like the BUCCO Fans Wiki, which I updated last week, and which I hope to have complete by the start of the 2010 season). The second reason was that I was tired of posting my ideas and thoughts about the team on forums, only to see every conversation be derailed with "Nutting is cheap" claims from the tin foiled hat crowd. I'm a guy who hated Dave Littlefield when he was here, mostly because he never fully committed to a rebuilding process. I wanted the Pirates to go with the young talent, and stop wasting money on guys like Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa. So when Neal Huntington came along and blew up the roster, spent a ton in the draft, and fully committed to a rebuild, I was on board. I'm also a guy who doesn't care about Bob Nutting or his bank account. Certain people border on an unhealthy obsession with the Pirates' owner, and I've never seen the sense in that. It's obvious where the problems came from over the last 17 years, and it wasn't money. Does anyone really believe that we would have contended under Littlefield had Nutting given him $70 M to spend per year? Huntington wasn't going to win the last two years with the mess Littlefield left him, no matter what money he threw at the roster. As you've noticed by my writing, I believe there is a time and a place for that money to be spent, and it's not now. Look at any rebuilding team, and their spending was low when their core players started arriving in the majors. That spending increased once those core players reached arbitration. Most importantly, teams like Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, and Cleveland didn't start spending big money until they showed signs that they were a competitive team. That's something we have yet to see from the Pirates. Until we start seeing the need to spend, I'd rather focus on the rebuilding efforts, and less on Bob Nutting. Overall that's why I started this site. I wanted a place where we could talk about the moves that were made, and not the money that could be spent just to say it was spent. I wanted to focus on the rebuilding efforts, since I feel that's the most essential thing for the Pirates right now. I wanted to provide resources to make it easy for BUCCO Fans to figure out whether a player has options remaining, or how much service time a player has. In the first full month the site saw about 1800 page views, and there were a few days where the site received less than 20 views. Now the site sees that much on the average week day, which tells me that there's a lot of you who are either looking for Pirates' analysis over Nutting discussions, looking for analysis on the rebuilding and the prospects involved in that plan, or just looking for some of the resources I provide here. Whatever the case, I want to take this time to thank everyone for the support shown to the site in it's first year. As some of you may know, I was laid off from my previous job as a full time sports writer back in April. The job market in this area is extremely rough. I don't know how it compares to other areas, but I do know that my wife's company had a receptionist position open recently, and saw over 200 applicants for that one position. That's the competition I've been going up against over the last several months, which has made it hard to even get an interview most of the time. As you could probably guess, it's a major confidence killer applying to positions that you're either qualified for, or overqualified for, and not hearing anything back because the company has received too many applications. I started the site as a place to put my thoughts on the team, but over the last few months it has become more than that. There have been times where the site has provided a confidence boost, providing me with the feeling that I'm doing something, even if it's just something small like providing people with content they look forward to reading every morning. It's a bummer getting a "Thank you for interviewing, but at this point..." letter, but a nice rebound to see that something I wrote was linked from MLB Trade Rumors and that 9000 people found it interesting enough to read that weekend. Recently there have been a few promising developments in this area of my life, so the future looks bright in that regard. However, the reason I got all real on your asses there is because I want to emphasize that I am truly thankful for the support shown to the site in the first year, especially during a tough personal year. I kind of know now what a pitcher goes through when he undergoes Tommy John surgery. As for the next year, I'm looking at the 2010 season with a lot of optimism. That's both in terms of the second year of the site, and in terms of the Pirates starting the first big steps of their rebuilding process with the debuts of Pedro Alvarez, Brad Lincoln, and maybe even Jose Tabata. I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a very exciting year for us BUCCO Fans.

Why The "New" Alleged Steroids List Is A Crock

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:08 -0500

Yesterday, RotoInfo posted this widely forwarded "rumored 2003 Steroid list," which purported to enumerate the 104 players who flunked baseball's anonymous round of drug testing that year. Don't believe a word of it. In an e-mail, RotoInfo insisted that the names come from a "trusted source." Maybe so, but the problems with the list are plain to see. For one thing, Jason Grimsley's name is absent. Grimsley, you'll recall, has been confirmed as one of the Juicin' 104. You may also notice that the list now stands at 103 names. That's because, as RotoInfo told me, Jeromy Burnitz's name initially appeared twice. Here's what the "RotoInfo Team" wrote me: Hey Tommy Sorry we haven't called you personally. This story is generating some buzz. The list is a rumor and unconfirmed. We stressed that in the article. Its a trusted source, that's why we didn't hesitate to post it. When we receive more details, you will be the first to know; we will gladly share everything with you. I asked for more details about their source. RotoInfo's response: Hello Jason [sic] As we state in the in the article, its unconfirmed and a rumor. Grimsleys name isnt on there because of give or take a few names. The one thing i did notice at first was burnitz name was on there twice. We removed one, maybe one of them was suppose to be Grimsleys. Were receiving alot of negative feed back especially from Red sox fans. Which leads me to believe this list is 90% accurate. Someone sent me an email regarding KROD on the list. My answer was 2 years ago he was throwing 98 99, now he has a change up and is throwing 92 to 94. lol. As for my source, its a trusted one, thats all ill say. Im sure you understand. Ill update you accordingly if any more of this story comes our way. Were a fantasy site, we could actually care less about this stuff, didnt think it would generate this much buzz. Thought we would give some users on our site something to talk about. So there you are. The list of 104 names, "give or take a few." Now, I'm not suggesting that RotoInfo might be exploiting a hot-button issue to goose traffic. And I certainly wouldn't go so far as to muse about the identity of RotoInfo's Deep Throat and whether or not he or she is the journalistic equivalent of teddy bear propped up at a child's tea party. No, sir. But I will point out that, whatever their identities, RotoInfo's sources haven't always been reliable: An ungenerous reader might idly speculate that the site's sources are all full of crap. The whole lot of them. Give or take a few. Rumored 2003 Steroid list leaks out? [RotoInfo]

On Angel Sano and Latin America in general

Tue, 19 May 2009 10:34:20 -0500

There's been a lot made lately of DK's story in the PG last week about 16-year-old Dominican super-prospect Miguel Angel Sano and the Pirates' chances of signing him. The dollar figures being thrown around with Sano's name are staggering. It seems likely that Sano's signing bonus could top $4 million and people are wondering whether (or maybe more accurately, how) a 16-year-old is worth that kind of money. There are a few things to remember that aren't generally mentioned in this sort of discussion. The first is that Sano is a free agent. He wouldn't be worth $4 million as a draft pick, but then, Pedro Alvarez would've been worth far more than his $6 million tab if we'd signed him as a free agent last year. Much of Latin American scouting is trying to find kids that other teams aren't finding. On the open market, prices are always going to get driven upwards. Re-read some of DK's stories about Rene Gayo's operation in the Dominican and start extrapolating. How many players does he see in a year? How many does he see that other teams see, too? How many players is only he interestedin? How many players does he have to bid against someone else for? With such sheer volume, it's easy to see why so many players are signed so cheaply. Remember, though, that even though the DR is approximately 1/30th the size of the United States (9.7 million vs. 306 million), around 10% of the players in Major League Baseball are Dominican right now. There is talent to be had and some of it can be found by casting a wide net. That's what was so insane about Littlefield's lack of Latin American operations; he didn't cast a net at all. A blind squirrell may find a nut, but not if it just stands there starving to death. But again, you can't forget that all of these kids are free agents. While the vast majority are signed for a relatively low price because Gayo thinks he sees something even though that everyone else might not see and other teams might chose to spend their money on other kids that Gayo doesn't like, it's an open market and in some cases the bidding is going to get driven way up. This might seem obvious and I don't want to seem like I'm talking down to anyone, but that's what's going on with Sano. The Pirates didn't find some kid in a sandlot in the Dominican and consider offering him a $4 million signing bonus. The bidding is being pushed so high because everyone is interested. So is he worth that money? There are a lot of things to be considered. First off, some pointy-haired bloggers would have you believe that there's no real way to evaluate talent in a 16-year-old. It's certainly not easy to project a 16-year-old, but I'll make the same point that I made when talking about the draft last week; if talent and talent development were truly random, then every team that scouts the Dominican would find the same amount of talent and have the same level of success. This would imply the only difference between good teams and bad teams is the ability to keep talent in town, which boils down to money. We know this isn't true; some small market teams succeed where other's fail. Some big market teams fail where others succeed. The difference between good organizations and bad organizations isn't money; it's talent evaluation and talent development. We can go back to the chicken/egg argument of identifying talent vs. developing it, but I'm sure the Pirates would tell you that part of the value of Sano is that he's sixteen. Don't you think they would've loved to get their hands on Tanner Scheppers before Fresno State's coach ran him into the ground? The Pirates get to control every facet of this kid's development and don't have to worry about a high school coach or college coach more worried about personal glory stepping in the way of it. Sure, 16 is young, but the Rays gave $6 million to Tim Beckham and he was just two years older. That can be a lifetime in prospect years, but we scout juniors in high school in the States. It's young, but is it too young? I'm not sure. In recent Pirate history, $4 million is one year of Joe Randa. It's three months of Jeromy Burnitz. It's two years of Ramon Vazquez. It's half of Yoslan Herrera's signing bonus. Even if Sano never comes close to Pittsburgh, $4 million is better spent on him than on anything we used to spend it on. And if we're spending that kind of money in the region, we're making a name for ourselves. Sign with the Pirates! Maybe they can't offer you the best contract, but they have Miguel Sano! They have a beautiful facility! This team is serious! If you trust that Neal Huntington and Rene Gayo have done their jobs and that Kyle Stark will do his, Miguel Angel Sano is worth $4 million.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:33:20 -0500

(1) PITT VS. (8) OKLAHOMA STATE2:50 PM ET, March 22, 2009University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OHCBS NICKNAME: CowboysLOCATION: Stillwater, OklahomaENROLLMENT: 31,800COACH: Travis Ford, 1st year at Oklahoma State, 12th career season (143-125 career)RECORD: 23-11, 9-7 Big 12RPI: 18TOP RPI WIN: vs. Oklahoma (#6) 71-70TOP RPI LOSS: vs. Oklahoma (#6) twice - 82-78 and 89-81LEADING SCORER: G James Anderson, 18.3 PPGLEADING REBOUNDER: G Obi Muonelo, 7.3 RPGNOTABLE ALUMNI: Garth Brooks, Gary Busey, Doug Gottlieb, Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas, John Starks, T. Boone Pickens, "Dick Tracy" creator Chester Gould, James Marsden (X-Men's Cyclops), Jeromy Burnitz, Randy Couture, Pete Incaviglia, Robin Ventura, Eddie Sutton, Mike Gundy, Don Haskins, Tatum Bell, and Big Country Reeves.NOTES:--OSU lost at Pitt, 85-68, on December 15, 2007. Dejuan Blair had 20 points and 10 rebounds.--OSU beat #9 Tennessee 77-75 in first round of this year's tournament.--As the #3 seed, OSU beat 2-seeded Pitt, 63-51, in the 2004 NCAA tournament.Send your news, tips, and links to Mondesishouse@gmail.com.

Countdown to Opening Day - 20

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:44:52 -0500

Continuing our series, their are now 20 days left until the beginning of the 2009 Mets season. I have created a poll where fans can vote on who they want on each day in the countdown. Their were three options for number twenty. Those options were Howard Johnson, Shawn Green and Jeromy Burnitz. In a landslide, Howard Johnson won over the fans just like he did as a player on the New York Mets. Here is how the votes came out:Howard Johnson - 95%Shawn Green - 3%Jeromy Burnitz - 2%Total Votes - 246

My Day At Shea

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 13:38:11 -0500

I love Mets Merized Online. I especially enjoy the many different types of writers the site employs. From beat writers to number crunchers, we got them all. I find myself more prone to writing about personal experience and getting to the root of the love of what I consider the greatest game on earth. For me, baseball, and especially the Mets are a matter of the heart. Manny Ramirez seems to be the hot topic here lately, and it seems that as the winter drags along, Manny has managed to dredge up quite a bit of support from Mets fans. I've said it before, give him the same offer the Dodgers have on the table, throw in a tinfoil lined hat that will help him "Keep his thoughts in", and he might take the deal. Recently, our colleague Rob wrote a wonderful piece about my favorite player of all time, Darryl Strawberry. I once had the opportunity to meet him and I was taken back by the kind of guy he was. It may be because he had just come back to baseball with the Giants, but I found him to be engaging and polite, nothing like his history would have suggested. It was July 23, 1994, there was impending labor strife on the horizon and Matt Williams of the Giants and Tony Gwynn of the Padres were both chasing single season records in homeruns and average. I was given an opportunity to tour Shea stadium and go on the field for batting practice to meet some of the players. I was originally slated to meet Doc Gooden, but he got suspended, then Kevin McReynolds then he got hurt, but I met my share of legends that day. Buddy Harrelson, Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy were three of the kindest and humble people I have had the pleasure of meeting. Barry and Bobby Bonds were also very gracious too, even letting us interrupt their discussion at the batting cage to give us an autograph. Bobby Bonilla, still looked at as "The Man" at the time, was great. Jeromy Burnitz and Ryan Thompson were very cool too. Fernando Vina was in a bit of a mood due to people hollering some unkind things from the stands, but he gave us an autograph anyway.. I still have the picture of him with a sour puss face on handing the ball back. None of them held a candle to meeting "The Straw That Stirred the Mets Drink" though. Even seeing Dallas Green standing at second base with a look that gave the impression he had better things to do couldn't ruin this day. Darryl Strawberry knew my name and I was on Cloud 9. Although the game itself didn't turn out like I wanted it to, the Giants ended up beating the Mets 4-2 after resuming the game after a MLB record 3 ? hour rain delay, it was a day that I'll never forget. Sadly, the season ended with a strike less than a month later and we were left holding our foam fingers asking ,"Why?" I couldn't believe there was no World Series that year. It was almost like the 1994 season never happened. Here's to hoping that never happens again. Chances are, there will be no more Mark McGwire/ Sammy Sosa to bring baseball back again. Although, that's a whole other "can of worms" for another day.

More On The Addition Of Steve Phillips To Sunday Night Baseball

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:21:44 -0500

Official press release just came down from ESPN, and I wanted to pass that along to you. While the release does detail their reasoning, the one thing I didn't think about last night was the MLB Network's role in this. ESPN is probably scrambling now to beef up their MLB coverage, on the heels of MLB-N's success, and with the Phillips move....Peter Gammons is freed up to head back to the studio. Which is where he belongs. Anyway, here's the official statement from ESPN.... ESPN's talented Sunday Night Baseball commentator team of Jon Miller and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, entering their 20th season together in the booth, will be joined each week by analyst Steve Phillips. Phillips, who joined ESPN in 2005, will make his regular-season debut on Opening Night, April 5, when the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies host the Atlanta Braves at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 HD. The game will also be available on ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV. Miller and Morgan have called season-long Sunday Night Baseball game of the week telecasts since the series began in 1990. Phillips will continue to provide game analysis on Monday Night Baseball and in the studio on Baseball Tonight, SportsCenter and other programs throughout the week. Phillips said, ?It?s a tremendous honor to join Sunday Night Baseball, the preeminent MLB game of the week. Jon and Joe have set the standard for baseball telecasts over the last 19 years, and I look forward to being a member of their team.? Morgan added, ?I?m pleased that Steve is joining our Sunday Night team. I have admired Steve since I met him as a general manager, and now as a valued member of the ESPN ?family.? I look forward to interacting with Steve and Jon, with whom I have had 19 fulfilling years on the Sunday Night game of the week. My hope is that our new lineup will provide an even better presentation, and I am anxious to work toward that goal with Jon, Steve and the rest of the ESPN baseball group.? Miller stated, ?Steve, as a former GM, knows better than anybody how teams are put together, trades are made and the inevitable stress between managers and GM?s and between the front office and ownership. Now, combining Joe?s expertise of the game on the field and in the dugout and Steve?s expertise and ongoing knowledge of the inner workings of each franchise, I believe in the 20th season of SNB, we?ll reach our highest level yet as an entertaining and provocatively informative baseball telecast. Welcome, Steve.? The fact that Jon Miller just used the word "expertise" for both Joe and John, just has me rolling on the floor right now. Forget Morgan, because he actually had a HOF career, Phillips is an "expert" GM? This is the guy that signed Mo Vaughn, Pedro Astacio, Mike Bordick, Bobby Bonilla, Rickey Henderson, Jeromy Burnitz and Kazuo Matsui, right? Okay....just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.

The Pirates and free agency

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:33:46 -0500

From today's PG, we've got this quote (and more) from Jack Wilson: "The only thing I wish we could do was compete," he said in an extensive phone interview from his home in California. "I wish we could go out and get some more players to make our team competitive. And, you know, now that this ...

Former Player Watch: Minny Manny

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:38:51 -0500

On the heels of the latest ridiculous comments from Manny Ramirez it's only fitting to discuss the player nicknamed Minny Manny. Apparently Manny doesn't understand Scott Boras' MO otherwise he would know that the longer he waited, in Boras' opinion the better the deal. Instead Manny is insulted ...

The Pirates and Free Agency

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:04:20 -0500

The two just don't work well together. Every off-season, people always go on and on about how the Bucs need to jump in to the market and grab some bats, arms, gloves, whatever. It's not that easy, people. They try. We just don't remember because every year the attempt fails miserably. And guess ...

Mets Payroll Still Short of Luxury Tax

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:34:59 -0500

In the history of the franchise, the payroll of the Mets has never exceeding $117 million, a high water mark they set in 2003 during the ill-fated Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, Jeromy Burnitz era. In '07 the team came close, sporting a payroll roughly at $115 million. However 2008 figures to be a historic year for the Amazin's, according to Adam Rubin on his Daily News blog. Rubin writes that "even if Santana doesn't get a signing bonus or other bump to the $13.25 million he's due to make in 2008, the Mets' payroll will be at an all-time high â€“ an estimated $128 million." Even so, that figure does not even approach the luxury tax threshold, which the Wilpons have avoided like the plague for years.

Damn Yankees: Super Groups Never Win

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:06:05 -0500

So, I found myself driving down the road, jamming some Mastodon, when I thought to myself, "Man, imagine if you put Brann Dailor (drummer from Mastodon) in a band with Buckethead on guitar, Mike Patton on vocals, and Trevor Roy Dunn on bass. God, THAT would be phenomenal!" Then, I thought, "You know what? It probably wouldn't. Each of those guys is so technically sound and their style is so tight that they could never productively coexist in the same group." It's the same reason why Hendrix had a goofy white guy with one snare and a high hat as his drummer in the Experience. Because what Hendrix needed was complimentary pieces to his monstrous style, people who laid down the rhythm for him to wail on. Then came Band of Gypsys. Now that was a great album. He replaced his white bread rhythm section with some soul, and it was a great thing to behold. But, down the line, when you really think about it, the songs played by The Band of Gypsys were just the songs originally written by The Experience souped up by the stylings of an all-star cast. Then the facts rear their ugly head. Band of Gypsys were great for what they were, but they were essentially a novelty. The true talent, and the true center of this rock phenomenon was Jimi Hendrix. You put Buddy Miles behind the drums and Billy Cox on bass and you've got 20 minute versions of "Machine Gun" and so forth, which is great for a time. But, you stick Mitch Mitchell behind the drums and Noel Redding on bass, you've got staying power. Classic after classic was written by these guys, just because Mitch and Noel knew to sit back, cover Jimi's ass, and enjoy the ride. The super group always looks good on paper, let's go through a few, and if you're not musically inclined, bear with me I'll be getting to my point soon: 1. Travelling Wilburys - Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynn, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison. Seriously, that is possibly one of the most important lineups in musical history. Every person in the band is a legend. But, and some may argue with me, this album is a novelty that doesn't stand up to any of their individual efforts. 2. Damn Yankees - Jack Blades (Night Ranger), Tommy Shaw (Styx), Ted Nugent, and Michael Cartellone (a million bands). This band should have rocked. They didn't. They sold a bunch of albums, but so did Mili Vanili. 3. Oysterhead - Les Claypool (Primus), Trey Anastasio (Phish), and Stewart Copeland (The Police). Wow! What a line up! Each person's style and technique is tighter than Barry Bonds' baseball cap. Too bad the album they made is absolute crap. So, why am I talking about all of this music? What exactly is my point as it pertains to sports? What other places have we seen super groups created with great expectations who ultimately fall on their faces? Baseball! Free spending, salary cap-free, championship crazed Major League Baseball. The New York Yankees won the World Series 4 out of 5 years between 1996 and 2000. Let's look at what their lineup GENERALLY consisted of. (I say generally because obviously a few people came and went during the five years, but the lineup stayed relatively the same.) C: Jorge Posada 1B: Tino Martinez 2B: Chuck Knobloch 3B: Scott Brosius SS: Derek Jeter LF: Chad Curtis CF: Bernie Williams RF: Paul O'Neill A couple of those names were different from year to year, but this is generally recent history's World Series juggernaut lineup, and at the time, not one of those players were flat out superstars. They were a collection of men who knew their roles, knew what needed to be done, and each contributed what they could to the pursuit of winning...and they did that a lot. But, then in 2001, the juggernauts didn't win it all. They looked like they might, but Luis Gonzalez and the Arizona Diamondbacks pulled the rug right out from under them. This left a nasty taste in Steinbrenner's mouth. But, a funny thing happened in the offseason. A flux of premier free agents became available. With so much available talent in free agency at the end of 2001, teams realized they could field an entire All-Star team within their own confines. The Mets quickly snapped up Roberto Alomar, Mo Vaughn, and Jeromy Burnitz. Not to be upstaged by the cross town rival, Steinbrenner did what he knew how to do better than anyone, he started throwing money around. Read more at ArmchairAssociation.com

What has this World come to: Jeromy Burnitz holding up Roberto Hernandez Deal to the Yankees

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:06:35 -0500

The Pirates are insisting the Yankees take on Jeromy Burnitz and his 6.7 million dollar salary as part of any Roberto Hernandez deal. Burnitz is hitting .227. It's amazing that NY will have to take on a second less than average player just to acquire the first one, although Burnitz could be fun for a few games trying to hit bombs over the short right field porch.