Yardbarker: Arizona Diamondbacks

Pirates Get a Whole Lotta Nothin from Karstens

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:48:54 -0500

The Yankees didn't give up nearly enough in the Xavier Nady-Damaso Marte trade blah blah blah blah. Today, the Pirates are feeling like they made out pretty well. 25 year-old Jeff Karstens, who the Bucs picked up in that trade, not only outdueled Randy Johnson, but he threw a (near) PERFECT game - Chris Young broke up the Perfecto in the bottom of the 8th with a 2-out double. But, hey, the Yankees still have Joba, right?

Arizona Locks Up Haren

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:54:07 -0500

The AP is reporting that Diamondbacks' pitcher Dan Haren has signed an extension worth $44.75 million over four years...

Inside The Box August 6th Edition

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:45:13 -0500

A look at a guy who you don't want to get traded for, the pitcher who leads the majors in wins since 2005, a minor league lifer who excelled in his major league debut, a hitter with his eyes on an elusive 30-30 mark, a star who was once packaged for Lou Collier and lots more.

Alice Cooper Wants You to Eat Randy Johnson's Big Unit

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:32:15 -0500

Last night on No Reservations, Tony Bourdain took a tour of the Southwest and stopped in at the Alice Cooper/Randy Johnson-owned Cooperstown Sports Bar in Phoenix. At Alice's "prodding," Tony proceeded to stuff his face with the 2-foot long "Big Unit."

Quick Hits: Garcia, Hernandez, Eyre

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:29:56 -0500

-Several teams are expected to be scouting RHP Freddy Garcia today during a workout in Florida as he tries to come back from shoulder surgery. The NY Post reports the Mets will be among those teams as they search for pitching help.
-With pitcher Livan Hernandez clearing waivers today,any team that takes him will only pay a prorated portion of the league $390,000 minimum. the Twins would have to pay the remainder of his $5 million contract.The Rockies, Diamondbacks and Mets are showing interest.
-Speaking of pitching, the Cubs are looking to make a waiver trade for Scott Eyre. Interested teams are the Yankees, Rays, Phillies and Boston. Kerry Wood's return appears to be imminent and that may have factored into the Cubs' decision to try to get something for Eyre.

Inside The Box August 5th Edition

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:41:01 -0500

Today we have a player with a .956 success rate on stolen bases, a way to determine when a pitcher with a 5.55 ERA is going to win, a Rule 5 guy on the road to stardom, the schadenfreude of seeing closers on other teams melting down and lots more.

Fantasy All Stars: 1992-1994

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:25:49 -0500

Razzball.com and FBHOF.com continue to recreate All Star teams of the fantasy era. Robbie Alomar, Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey JR, Mike Piazza, and Jeff Bagwell (among many others) make their All-Star debuts.

A Super Hero Clash in St. Louis?

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:56:08 -0500

Tomorrow night, Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals welcome Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers into town. It's only the second series for Manny in Dodger-blue, so we're guessing the hoopla and media coverage will still be at max capacity (depending on any 'breaking' Brett Favre discoveries).

Los Angeles is 7-3 in their last 10 and currently sit a game back of the NL West leading Arizona Diamondbacks. Mr. Ramirez went 4-for-5 with a homer yesterday - giving him eight hits and five RBIs in his first 13 at-bats in a Los Angeles uniform. Not too shabby.

Locally, Mr. Pujols has his own super fan. In fact, we caught him in all his glory a few months ago.

A loyal reader pointed out that Manny Ramirez has a similar idolizer in Boston. A fan with this type of desire doesn't just sit idle while their luminary finds a new home 3000 miles away.

While all eyes will be on Carpenter's second start since rehab...and Manny's second series in blue and white...our eyes will be fixed to the centerfield bleachers, where there's a chance of grown adults in silk superhero suits duking it out.

MLB Trade 'Em - Week 19

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:32:14 -0500

Screaming Sports' Tommy D breaks out another edition of MLB Trade 'Em and suggests some very surprising moves. Trade Ryan Ludwick? Randy Johnson? You betcha. And while it may sounds crazy, he follows it up with some very sound reasoning.

MLB Sleepers of the Week - Week 19

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:22:32 -0500

Screaming Sports' Andrew Thibodeau breaks out another edition of MLB Sleepers and runs down a quick list of potential needles (in a haystack - get it?) for the upcoming week. So, who could surprise some unsuspecting opponents this week? Only one way to find out ... click it.

Weekly Starters - D-Backs bring their best

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:53:34 -0500

Foxsports.com tells you the top 2-start pitchers this week. Both D-Back aces are up, as well as Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano. Also, every team's rotation schedules for August 4-10.

Trade Deadline 2008: Winners (Yankees) and Losers (Mets)

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:45:56 -0500

Manny a Dodger?! Pudge a Yankee?! Griffey on the White Sox?! It's hard to remember a July 31 trade deadline as bizarre as 2008. Historically, one or two big deals get done, while the rest of the rumor mill comes to a halt because teams don't settle for mediocre deals. The team with the star usually wants too many top prospects in return, and the team with the prospects won't budge. Of course, that was hardly the case this year, as teams seemed content to settle for weak returns in an effort to dump salary or bad attitudes. So without further ado, here's a rundown of the winners and losers of this year's wheelin' and dealin'. WINNERS Yankees. What a month for The Bronx Bombers. After hosting the All-Star Game, the Yanks get hot and propel themselves back into the race. Then they add a valuable bat and corner outfielder in Xavier Nady, along with a long-coveted lefty reliever in Damaso Marte. Then they make up for the loss of Jorge Posada by adding Ivan Rodriguez, only giving up Kyle Farnsworthto get him. And then, as if things could have gotten any better, their archrivals banished Manny Ramirez to the Left Coast. New York could use another starting pitcher, but they may still be able to acquire Jarrod Washburn or another arm through the waiver wire. Yankee haters everywhere can feel their stomachs turning. Grade: A Angels. Did the team with the best record in baseball quietly just become the best team in baseball? They already had the pitching, all they needed was that middle-of-the-order bat to solidify themselves. And they did just that by adding Mark Teixeira, a rental player, but a significant upgrade at first base over the still finding himself Casey Kotchman. The Yankees do not want to see this team in October. Grade: A Dodgers. Let me get this straight. L.A. adds a Hall of Fame bat to its lineup, doesn't have to pay him anything, and they only have to give up two players that weren't in their plans anyway? Between that and the addition of the solid-hitting Casey Blake, I'd say the mediocre NL West is going to be won or lost by Joe Torre's club. Grade: A Cubs. This was a ways back now, but Chicago added fragile ace Rich Harden to its rotation, as well as a versatile young pitcher in Chad Gaudin, in exchange for a handful of OK prospects. Based on the standings — Chicago has a five-game lead in the Central — I'd say that was a good move. Grade: A- White Sox. With Paul Konerko and Nick Swisher struggling mightily, bringing in Ken Griffeycouldn't hurt. He hasn't had a great season, either, though he has managed to stay healthy for the most part. Don't know how much this will improve the team, or where Griffey will fit in, but it certainly couldn't hurt ticket sales. Grade: B Brewers. C.C. Sabathia has been outstanding since coming over to the National League, as the Brew Crew decided to "go for it all" this season. It just seems that the Cubs have a little too much for Milwaukee to compete. And the sad thing is, Milwaukee is likely to lose Sabathia and/or Ben Sheetsin free agency this offseason. Grade: B A's. Billy Beane knew his team wasn't good enough to compete with the Angels this season. And he didn't let his team's surprising start alter his vision of the future. So he promptly continued to rip the hearts out of A's fans by trading Harden, Gaudin and Joe Blanton after shipping out Dan Haren and Nick Swisherin the offseason in exchange for a laundry list of prospects. I think I speak for all A's fans when I say I'm tired of this act. But at the same time, we somehow still have faith that Beane knows what he's doing. Grade: Incomplete LOSERS Mets. A corner outfielder anyone? A little bullpen help? Maybe another starter with the fragility of Pedro Martinez and John Maine in question? There's always the waiver wire, but New York didn't do anything to help separate itself from the NL East pack. Then again, as you'll read below, neither did its competition. Grade: D Marlins. Arthur Rhodes? Seriously? That guy is still getting paid to play baseball? That's all I have to say about that. Grade: D Phillies. Joe Blanton– a flyball pitcher in a hitter's park — for three top prospects. Well, at least they made an effort to get better. Grade: C+ Pirates. We'll have to wait and see how their prospects pan out, but for my money, Pittsburgh is the worst-run organization in baseball. Whatever they do, you figure they're going to mess it up. Grade: Incomplete Red Sox. Jason Bay is young, can move in the outfield and isn't the talker Manny is. That said, he isn't the hitter Manny is, either. David Ortiz, get ready to receive the Barry Bonds treatment. And Red Sox Nation, I'm sorry, I just can't see a return trip to the World Series without Manny. Grade: C- Tigers. Detroit desperately needed to improve its bullpen — but this? Was this the only way to go about it? Ship out your Hall of Fame catcher for Kyle Farnsworth? The Tigers have been down the Farnsworth road before, and as good of a season as he's having, he's just as likely to blow up as Todd Jones or Fernando Rodney. Isn't that right, crybaby? Grade: D+ Rays. With all the moves the Yankees were making, you'd have thought Tampa would be looking to improve, as well. But, I'll give them a break. This is the Rays' first time in postseason contention, after all. Besides, they hold a three-game lead in the East, so maybe they didn't need any help. Grade: C Diamondbacks. Arizona boosted its bullpen by adding Jon Rauch, but didn't address an offense that could use some assistance. As great as their pitching is, Manny may make the difference. Grade: C+ Twins. I'm not sure how they're still in the race without the likes of Johan Santana and Torii Hunter around anymore. So even though they didn't make any moves, I just have to give them credit for that. Grade: C+twins

Fat, Drunk, and Stupid is No Way To Go Through Life, Son

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:56:05 -0500

The trade for Manny will not have the major impact upon the Dodgers that some people are anticipating, but may be enough to tilt the balance in the NL West toward the Dodgers. Since only two games separate the contending teams in the division, it is reasonable that the few games Manny can win with [...]

2008 Pitcher Rankings

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 06:00:28 -0500

2008 Scores are down, but that doesn't stop the FBHOF from rating the pitchers.

a decade in the desert.

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:21:19 -0500

in their ten years of existence over 200 players counting wore the ever involving colors of the arizona diamondbacks.still of their long years only a dozen distinguished diamondbacks earned membership of the diamondbacks 10th anniversery.if i missed any post them anyone.until next time yall this is gonzalez over and out!