Metal Sludge Gossip Board

Jonah Keri's definitive book on the rise and fall of the Montreal Expos comes out this week:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030736 ... kericom-20

Keri is an excellent writer, Montreal native, and grew up an Expos fan. He spoke to anybody and everybody in researching this book.

It should be excellent.

WOLF wrote:Jonah Keri's definitive book on the rise and fall of the Montreal Expos comes out this week:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030736 ... kericom-20

Keri is an excellent writer, Montreal native, and grew up an Expos fan. He spoke to anybody and everybody in researching this book.

It should be excellent.

I liked Montreal, they gave the Rockies Larry Walker at the right time. They can fuck off for Delion Deshields tho.

I remember the Expos as a team that never wanted to win and was more about making money....But that's just the kid in me growing up and recalling that team. And something about their stadium being a joke?

UtahRatt wrote:

WOLF wrote:Jonah Keri's definitive book on the rise and fall of the Montreal Expos comes out this week:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030736 ... kericom-20

Keri is an excellent writer, Montreal native, and grew up an Expos fan. He spoke to anybody and everybody in researching this book.

It should be excellent.

I liked Montreal, they gave the Rockies Larry Walker at the right time. They can fuck off for Delion Deshields tho.

I remember the Expos as a team that never wanted to win and was more about making money....But that's just the kid in me growing up and recalling that team. And something about their stadium being a joke?

Remember though if the strike didn't happen they were heavily favored. So much so that Pedro Martinez dedicated his 2004 ring to them. He said something along the lines of "this is for Montreal, if we didn't have the strike we would have won the Series." Another one of Bud's accomplishments.

WOLF wrote:Jonah Keri's definitive book on the rise and fall of the Montreal Expos comes out this week:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030736 ... kericom-20

Keri is an excellent writer, Montreal native, and grew up an Expos fan. He spoke to anybody and everybody in researching this book.

It should be excellent.

Definitely gonna check this out.

UtahRatt wrote:

WOLF wrote:Jonah Keri's definitive book on the rise and fall of the Montreal Expos comes out this week:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030736 ... kericom-20

Keri is an excellent writer, Montreal native, and grew up an Expos fan. He spoke to anybody and everybody in researching this book.

It should be excellent.

I liked Montreal, they gave the Rockies Larry Walker at the right time. They can fuck off for Delion Deshields tho.

I remember the Expos as a team that never wanted to win and was more about making money....But that's just the kid in me growing up and recalling that team. And something about their stadium being a joke?

The team desperately wanted to win, but it became next to impossible in the MLB Bud Selig refused, and still refuses, to fix.

From their inception, up until the early 90's the Expos were owned by Charles Bronfman, a billionaire. Bronfman was getting increasingly disgusted with the way baseball payrolls were going up, coupled with the lack of a salary cap and/or revenue sharing. He foresaw what indeed happened before it happened and got out.

There were no willing buyers for the Expos (given the economics of baseball), so they were bought by a consortium of owners, based out of Montreal/Quebec. None of these guys were mega-rich. They were millionaires, but barely. They were in it to support baseball in Montreal and NOT lose money. The MO quickly became invest in scouting and the farm system, which Bronfman had always been a big advocate of, and compete by being smarter than everyone else - which the Expos often were. The Expos would scout and develop great young talent, or trade aging veterans for terrific prospects. The problem was that the Expos couldn't afford to keep their rising stars, and by the time they were arbitration eligible, let alone free agents, they would need to be replaced by the next batch of up and comers.

1994 was the year that it all came together. The young core had matured fast enough and was going to win it all before it had to be dismantled. Winning it all would result in huge crowds, and renewed interest, saving the franchise. And then the strike happened...

I honestly believe if coming out of the 1994 strike/lockout baseball had really solved its problems, and the fans here felt that there was a purpose to the season of our lives being cancelled, then baseball would have survived here. However, when the dust settled there was no salary cap and no meaningful revenue sharing. Baseball resumed and within days Walker, Grissom, Ken Hill, and John Wetteland were gone. It was the same old same old. It's not that the franchise didn't want to compete, but they COULDN'T. How can you compete when your team (Expos) has to pay to put games on local radio and TV and another team (Yankees) gets paid $250,000,000 for what you receive nothing for? The Green Bay Packers exist because the NFL shares the wealth. MLB does not and hence nobody here wanted to own the team, or support it. People here are just more practical than fans in Pittsburgh, Oakland, KC, Milwaukee, Tampa, etc. Sure, a squad will catch lightning in a bottle every now and then, but for the most part the playoffs will always be owned by the Sox, Braves, Yankees, Cards, etc.

Montreal IS a baseball town. The Montreal Royals were the Brooklyn Dodgers' AAA team. Many greats came through here. Any player who played here - with the Royals or Expos - will tell you they LOVED the experience. When the team was able to compete they drew well - upwards of 2,000,000 many years. Unfortunately, baseball killed baseball in Montreal.

That's my version. There's way more to it, as I haven't even got to Jeffery Loria or the latter day version of the team that MLB ran, but I'm sure Keri's book will cover it all.

Rangers top prospect Jurickson Profar out 10-12 weeks.

Arizona ace Patrick Corbin to have Tommy John.

Max ( Cy Young winner, beneficiary of 8.9 runs per game support ) Scherzer reportedly turned down 144m extension with Detroit.

Atlanta tells Freddie Garcia he won't break camp with the club. I was always a fan of Garcia, but if Atlanta says "no", you should believe they saw something.

WOLF wrote:1994 was the year that it all came together. The young core had matured fast enough and was going to win it all before it had to be dismantled. Winning it all would result in huge crowds, and renewed interest, saving the franchise. And then the strike happened.

I quit watching baseball because of that 94 Strike. The Dodgers were coming together, pulled into first and the fucking strike took it away.
Looking back, that was Montreal's year. But I'd like to see another Dodger West banner up, it still angers me.

What's odd is how all this ties together. The year before....November 17, 1993: Dodgers Acquired Delino DeShields from the Montreal Expos for Pedro Martínez...I was fucking pissed we dumped Pedro for Delino, I'll never forget the feeling...WTF are you doing? I watched Pedro, I knew he had something special, how can an professional scout or team not know that. I remember his attitude as well but I seen that arm live, knew it was a mistake.

Anyway I gave up baseball in 94 because of the strike and sadly enough I came back during the ROIDed McGwire and Sammy Sosa battle 4 years later? As much as I hate roids, like everyone else I turned an eye too it. We all talked about it but knew everyone was juiced at the time.


The good thing about strikes and lockouts, I hated them...Haven't watched Basketball since 98-99.

UtahRatt wrote:

WOLF wrote:1994 was the year that it all came together. The young core had matured fast enough and was going to win it all before it had to be dismantled. Winning it all would result in huge crowds, and renewed interest, saving the franchise. And then the strike happened.

I quit watching baseball because of that 94 Strike. The Dodgers were coming together, pulled into first and the fucking strike took it away.
Looking back, that was Montreal's year. But I'd like to see another Dodger West banner up, it still angers me.

What's odd is how all this ties together. The year before....November 17, 1993: Dodgers Acquired Delino DeShields from the Montreal Expos for Pedro Martínez...I was fucking pissed we dumped Pedro for Delino, I'll never forget the feeling...WTF are you doing? I watched Pedro, I knew he had something special, how can an professional scout or team not know that. I remember his attitude as well but I seen that arm live, knew it was a mistake.

Anyway I gave up baseball in 94 because of the strike and sadly enough I came back during the ROIDed McGwire and Sammy Sosa battle 4 years later? As much as I hate roids, like everyone else I turned an eye too it. We all talked about it but knew everyone was juiced at the time.


The good thing about strikes and lockouts, I hated them...Haven't watched Basketball since 98-99.

I quit in '94 also. The roid race didn't fascinate me because I knew Mcgwire was juiced. That whioe A's team was. I watched Pedro put together the two most dominate pitched seasons in baseball history ( in the roid era too ), I didn't tune back in until the 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 2001 WS. Which became ( game 7 ) the most badass WS I ever saw.

killeverything wrote:I quit in '94 also. The roid race didn't fascinate me because I knew Mcgwire was juiced. That whioe A's team was. I watched Pedro put together the two most dominate pitched seasons in baseball history ( in the roid era too ), I didn't tune back in until the 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 2001 WS. Which became ( game 7 ) the most badass WS I ever saw.

Funny what drew me back is the same thing that killed baseball for good.

After the sosa and mcguire battle the reality of it all got under my skin. After 98 things became increasingly worse and I simply got sick of the whole thing. Then enter Bonds......I was disgusted before but when Bonds took over it was like having a Kidney Stone that got worse. Whatever I had left for baseball Bonds destroyed.

So I left again, this time for good up til the last few years I've slowly crept back in and like football...Last year I was totally back.

Then, just when you think things are better again you pull up ESPN or MLB today and see Bonds back on the field in a uniform. Like full circle. Sure Mcguire and others came out but Bonds is not only the worst of the era, he's the worst of people. Bonds is the reflection of a turd in a toilet no one flushed.

Bonds is back and A-Roid is still around.....The two worst faces of baseball...Are still around.

Remembering Bonds ball did bring back a happy ending. At least this was the last I recalled.....Funny fucking shit.

Designer to brand asterisk on ball; Hall of Fame to accept it


NEW YORK -- The ball Barry Bonds hit for his record-breaking 756th home run will be branded with an asterisk and sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fashion designer Marc Ecko, who bought the ball in an online auction, set up a Web site for fans to vote on the ball's fate, and Wednesday announced the decision to brand it won out over the other options -- sending it to Cooperstown unblemished or launching it into space.

Ecko said he believed the vote to brand the ball showed people thought "this was shrouded in a chapter of baseball history that wasn't necessarily the clearest it could be."

Ecko, whom Bonds called "an idiot'' last week, had the winning bid Sept. 15 in the online auction for the ball that Bonds hit Aug. 7 to break Hank Aaron's record of 755 home runs. The final selling price was $752,467, well above most predictions that assumed Bonds' status as a lightning rod for the steroids debate in baseball would depress the value.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I never checked back to see if they put it on display. I know it was on hold for a while but what better ending could there be for Bond's record ball?

UtahRatt wrote:Remembering Bonds ball did bring back a happy ending. At least this was the last I recalled.....Funny fucking shit.

Designer to brand asterisk on ball; Hall of Fame to accept it


NEW YORK -- The ball Barry Bonds hit for his record-breaking 756th home run will be branded with an asterisk and sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fashion designer Marc Ecko, who bought the ball in an online auction, set up a Web site for fans to vote on the ball's fate, and Wednesday announced the decision to brand it won out over the other options -- sending it to Cooperstown unblemished or launching it into space.

Ecko said he believed the vote to brand the ball showed people thought "this was shrouded in a chapter of baseball history that wasn't necessarily the clearest it could be."

Ecko, whom Bonds called "an idiot'' last week, had the winning bid Sept. 15 in the online auction for the ball that Bonds hit Aug. 7 to break Hank Aaron's record of 755 home runs. The final selling price was $752,467, well above most predictions that assumed Bonds' status as a lightning rod for the steroids debate in baseball would depress the value.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I never checked back to see if they put it on display. I know it was on hold for a while but what better ending could there be for Bond's record ball?

I can think of a better fate for the ball-
Shove the baseball up Bud Selig's ass!!!

UtahRatt wrote:

killeverything wrote:I quit in '94 also. The roid race didn't fascinate me because I knew Mcgwire was juiced. That whioe A's team was. I watched Pedro put together the two most dominate pitched seasons in baseball history ( in the roid era too ), I didn't tune back in until the 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 2001 WS. Which became ( game 7 ) the most badass WS I ever saw.

Funny what drew me back is the same thing that killed baseball for good.

After the sosa and mcguire battle the reality of it all got under my skin. After 98 things became increasingly worse and I simply got sick of the whole thing. Then enter Bonds......I was disgusted before but when Bonds took over it was like having a Kidney Stone that got worse. Whatever I had left for baseball Bonds destroyed.

So I left again, this time for good up til the last few years I've slowly crept back in and like football...Last year I was totally back.

Then, just when you think things are better again you pull up ESPN or MLB today and see Bonds back on the field in a uniform. Like full circle. Sure Mcguire and others came out but Bonds is not only the worst of the era, he's the worst of people. Bonds is the reflection of a turd in a toilet no one flushed.

Bonds is back and A-Roid is still around.....The two worst faces of baseball...Are still around.

I'm not sure what to think about Bonds' mini-return. I reconciled with baseball in 2001 and being from SF and ( at the time a lifelong Giants fan ), I rooted against them when they had Barry...even when they played LAD, even in the 2002 WS.

That said, even if the guy is a piece of shit, even if he is a black eye on the game. He wasn't banned ( MLBPA and Selig needed him ) so I'm not sure if the argument against has any ground.

I'm not defending him in any way. I'm just saying the guy ( even when clean ) was a lot like his godfather ( Mays ) and if there is one person I would ask for advice on hitting, it's him. When Mcgwire is LA's hitting coach too it just seems inevitable.

Fortunately the truth is out on all these guys now. Barry, Sosa, Manny, Mac, Clemens, Bonds, Arod and the suspected that I have a lot of confidence they won't make the Hall. For someone who tried as hard as they could to cement their legacy that's the ultimate "fuck you."

*edit*

Braves to sign Aaron "The Harangatuan" Harang
Wow, never in my life did I think a team would value Harang the horrible over Freddie Garcia ( King's idol and reason for signing with Seattle ). Freddie must be fucked up. Harang hasn't been good since like 2003 and even then he wasn't good. Did Atlanta not see how much he sucked last year?

Good news for MLB Extra Innings subscribers
Watch your favorite teams on any device.
New for 2014, MLB.TV, the #1 live streaming sports service, is now included with your MLB EXTRA INNINGS subscription. For the first time ever, you can now watch LIVE out-of-market baseball on every device.
Additional details on access and activation coming soon.

Curious how much more the subscription price will be. Never had MLB.TV before. Strictly Extra Innings. Now that I have a new Iphone 5, this deal might be a welcome addition.

Here's a gif of Willie Randolph photobombing Joe Girardi just because.



Duh dunt

Detroit and Miguel Cabrera agree to 7 year deal worth 30m annually.

*edit*
It's 10/292, can reach 352 if two options vest.

That's a lot of scratch.

Looks like that extension the Angels are trying to do with Trout just got about $30 million more expensive.

killeverything wrote:Detroit and Miguel Cabrera agree to 7 year deal worth 30m annually.

*edit*
It's 10/292, can reach 352 if two options vest.

I heard 8/248.

Facedown wrote:

killeverything wrote:Detroit and Miguel Cabrera agree to 7 year deal worth 30m annually.

*edit*
It's 10/292, can reach 352 if two options vest.

I heard 8/248.

It buys out the two years left on his contract and two years are option years I think. I've heard a lot of different figures though.

The contract was unnecessary IMO. He still had two more years so it's not like he was about to leave. The league isn't happy about it either. Trout's going to get a billion when he signs with NY now.

killeverything wrote:Braves to sign Aaron "The Harangatuan" Harang
Wow, never in my life did I think a team would value Harang the horrible over Freddie Garcia ( King's idol and reason for signing with Seattle ). Freddie must be fucked up. Harang hasn't been good since like 2003 and even then he wasn't good. Did Atlanta not see how much he sucked last year?

Atlanta's pitching unit is a MASH unit right now. I mean, if you plan on trotting out Julio Tehran as your "ace", then you've definitely got issues. Right now, they just need arms. I'm puzzled over the Garcia thing, too, but something has got to be amiss there. With half of the Upton duo not hitting, Dan ".150" Uggla still at 2nd, and Gattis not picking up any speed since letting McCann go, it's gonna be a long season for Braves fans.

Alabama Slammer wrote:

killeverything wrote:Braves to sign Aaron "The Harangatuan" Harang
Wow, never in my life did I think a team would value Harang the horrible over Freddie Garcia ( King's idol and reason for signing with Seattle ). Freddie must be fucked up. Harang hasn't been good since like 2003 and even then he wasn't good. Did Atlanta not see how much he sucked last year?

Atlanta's pitching unit is a MASH unit right now. I mean, if you plan on trotting out Julio Tehran as your "ace", then you've definitely got issues. Right now, they just need arms. I'm puzzled over the Garcia thing, too, but something has got to be amiss there. With half of the Upton duo not hitting, Dan ".150" Uggla still at 2nd, and Gattis not picking up any speed since letting McCann go, it's gonna be a long season for Braves fans.

Hold up, I'm still savoring how great the Braves playoffs was for a few more weeks.


Ohhhhhhh, AAAAAHHHHHHHHH OHHHHHH AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH HAHA. AHHH HA HA!

UtahRatt wrote:

Alabama Slammer wrote:

killeverything wrote:Braves to sign Aaron "The Harangatuan" Harang
Wow, never in my life did I think a team would value Harang the horrible over Freddie Garcia ( King's idol and reason for signing with Seattle ). Freddie must be fucked up. Harang hasn't been good since like 2003 and even then he wasn't good. Did Atlanta not see how much he sucked last year?

Atlanta's pitching unit is a MASH unit right now. I mean, if you plan on trotting out Julio Tehran as your "ace", then you've definitely got issues. Right now, they just need arms. I'm puzzled over the Garcia thing, too, but something has got to be amiss there. With half of the Upton duo not hitting, Dan ".150" Uggla still at 2nd, and Gattis not picking up any speed since letting McCann go, it's gonna be a long season for Braves fans.

Hold up, I'm still savoring how great the Braves playoffs was for a few more weeks.


Ohhhhhhh, AAAAAHHHHHHHHH OHHHHHH AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH HAHA. AHHH HA HA!

It would be like going 27 years without a pennant right?

No.
Fucking.
Way.

It's breaking that Mike Trout agreed to a 6/144.5 extension.

If he signed for less than 160 he either really, really loves playing in Anaheim or he hasn't paid any attention to what players are making now.

killeverything wrote:No.
Fucking.
Way.

It's breaking that Mike Trout agreed to a 6/144.5 extension.

If he signed for less than 160 he either really, really loves playing in Anaheim or he hasn't paid any attention to what players are making now.

True story. Last August my brother got me a Mike Trout jersey for my birthday. I finally decided to wear it for the first time tonight, to meet him and my dad for dinner. First time I ever wear it, Trout signs an extension at way below market value.

I'm ejaculating all over the place.

tin00can wrote:

killeverything wrote:No.
Fucking.
Way.

It's breaking that Mike Trout agreed to a 6/144.5 extension.

If he signed for less than 160 he either really, really loves playing in Anaheim or he hasn't paid any attention to what players are making now.

True story. Last August my brother got me a Mike Trout jersey for my birthday. I finally decided to wear it for the first time tonight, to meet him and my dad for dinner. First time I ever wear it, Trout signs an extension at way below market value.

I'm ejaculating all over the place.

The Angels had his arbitration years and they were certain to pick them up. That said the best player in baseball for that cheap? Unreal.

Especially with Miggy signing for $30 million.

Kershaw to 15 day DL ( back ). Mattingly: "We're gonna protect him from himself."

Grady Sizemore opening day CF. Hasn't played since 2011.

Hisashi Iwakuma to 15 Day DL. Finger strain fine, on throwing program should return mid month.

Taijuan Walker to 15 day DL. Bursitis cleared, throwing program, should return mid month.

95,000 attend the two Jays/Mets exhibition games in Montreal!

http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/b ... story.html

Yesterday Gary Carter's family was here, as he was memorialized.

Today most of the 1994 team was here to be celebrated.

Beautiful!

The Angels got lucky.

http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2014/ ... m+Today%29


Yes, I'm pimping an article I wrote.