Cleveland Sports Forum

Here's one player I'd die to have on this team. It was possible at one time and it would have happened if this management team were around when we placed our token bid in back when.

Yoenis Cespedes with a pair of homers tonight, three two nights ago, and six on the year.

9 games in and we're beating dead horses, glad to see we're in mid season form!

Saw this in Transactions

Traded LHP Paul Fry to Baltimore for 2016-17 international signing bonus slot 105.


Anybody know what international signing bonus slot 105 is?

Bartolo (1-1) a winner today. 7 innings, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 W, 6 K. At 43, Bartolo still keeps on ticking.

Bartolo still at it at age 43, would be the same as Danny Salazar anchoring a rotation in 2034. Pretty wild.

Better living through chemistry?

Pirates OF Starling Marte gets 80-game ban after positive PED test
play
9:20 PM ET



ST. LOUIS -- Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte has been suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, the league announced Tuesday.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said Andrew McCutchen will move back to center field with Marte suspended. McCutchen had been moved to right field during the offseason, a move with which he had voiced his displeasure. He was the subject of copious offseason trade rumors.

Asked his reaction to a return to center field, where advanced analytics rated him poorly last season, McCutchen shrugged and said, "It was addressed and I'll be in center, so all right, and next man up and I'm ready to go."


Marte addressed his teammates in a closed-door meeting Tuesday afternoon, but did not meet with the news media. Though he is eligible to return shortly after the All-Star break, Marte would not be available to the Pirates should they qualify for the postseason.

"It's an unfortunate circumstance, but we have a lot of season left and we have a lot of games we have to win, so unfortunately the next 80 are going to be without Starling, but we're going to have to figure out how to get through it and we will. That's what this team is built on and what this organization is built on, so I expect nothing less," Pittsburgh ace Gerrit Cole said. "It's always going to be difficult, I think, when you lose that kind of production in the field. He's an unbelievable player."

Marte tested positive for nandrolone, which violated MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension is effective immediately, and Marte is eligible to return in mid-July.

"I have been informed that I have tested positive in one of the tests that are regularly done in my job," Marte said in a statement released by the Major League Baseball Players Association. "In this very difficult moment, I apologize to my family, the Pittsburgh Pirates, my teammates, my fans, and baseball in general.

"Neglect and lack of knowledge have led me to this mistake with the high price to pay of being away from the field that I enjoy and love so much. With much embarrassment and helplessness, I ask for forgiveness for unintentionally disrespecting so many people who have trusted in my work and have supported me so much. I promise to learn the lesson that this ordeal has left me. God bless you."


The blow to the Pirates' defense could be as significant as the blow to their offense. McCutchen, 30, was the worst-fielding center fielder in MLB last season, per some measures, with a -28 DRS and -18.3 UZR.

"We're going to put people out there. We're going to man every position. Time will tell," Hurdle said. "There have been situations where, on paper, things look a certain way. The beautiful thing about this is the people that analyze the game and the people who write about the game and the people who work the game, things happen. You don't have answers for them until you put men out there and give them the opportunity to play and that's what I'm looking forward to."

Marte also apologized to his teammates, Hurdle and general manager Neal Huntington. The Pirates already are playing without third baseman Jung Ho Kang, who is in South Korea after being denied a work visa due to a third DUI conviction.

Huntington said the team will open up its Dominican academy so Marte can continue to work out. He can go on a minor league rehabilitation assignment for the final 15 games of his suspension. Huntington said he expects any solutions to be in-house replacements as there are no trade or free-agent fixes out there. Marte and Kang were the Pirates' first- and third-most valuable players according to Baseball Reference WAR last season.


Notable Players Suspended for PEDs - Since 2016Year Pos Player Games
2017 OF Starling Marte 80
2016 P Jenrry Mejia Permanent
2016 OF Marlon Byrd 162
2016 C Taylor Teagarden 80
2016 2B Dee Gordon 80
2016 1B Chris Colabello 80
2016 OF Abraham Almonte 80
2016 SS Raúl Mondesi 50
-- ESPN Stats & Information

"We'll miss him for 80 games. There are challenges that face every team every season, big and small markets. Injuries are a part of them," Huntington said. "We've got two next-man-up opportunities with off-field activities impacting what we're trying to do on the field, but we're going to come back to that organizational depth."

First baseman Anthony Rizzo, whose Chicago Cubs were just swept by the Pirates in a weekend series, says that while 80 games is a lot of time missed, it may not be that big a deterrent for any player interested in using PEDs.

"Is it a big risk if you're suspended 80 games, you have a guaranteed contract," Rizzo asked. "You take that risk to get the reward. It's the question you ask. For some guys it is a big risk; for others you get away with it and get a big deal."

"It's part of the game and in my opinion we need to drug test a lot more," Rizzo added.

Marte, a first-time All-Star selection last season, was hitting .241 this season with two home runs and seven RBIs through 13 games. He moved from left field to center field in the offseason after winning his second Gold Glove. The 28-year-old has a .288 career batting average with 60 homers and 242 RBIs in his five-plus seasons with the Pirates. He has stolen at least 30 bases in each of his first four full seasons.

"We are disappointed that Starling put himself, his teammates and the organization in this position," Pirates president Frank Coonelly said in a statement. "We will continue to fight for the division title with the men who are here and will look forward to getting Starling back after the All-Star break."

Under a provision added in 2013, a suspended player is not allowed to participate in that year's postseason even if his suspension ends before then -- unless a suspension is reduced on appeal. Huntington said the appeal process already ran its course with no reductions.

"If we're able to do what we believe we can do and we're able to get through these 80 games and then we can finish in a postseason run, we'll be in a good spot with or without him come postseason time," Huntington said. "This group is going to show up, they're going to compete their tails off each and every day and if we're postseason eligible, we're going to be OK."

All suspensions are without pay. In addition, a suspended player can be replaced on the active roster by another player. The Pirates recalled outfielder Jose Osuna from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Several of the Pirates players expressed appreciation that Marte spoke with his teammates before leaving the team. Many players who are suspended simply go away until their suspension is over.

"Like I said, it's tougher on him than it is on us and it's tough on us," infielder Josh Harrison said.

50 games wasn't enough

80 games isn't enough.

When the reward is greater than the risk, why not hit the juice?

Need a full year minimum along with a fine and cancelation of any remaining contract.

The other option is legalize everything.

Chicks dig the long ball.

Me too.

Remember Kellen Winslow?

Giants’ Bumgarner hurt in dirt bike accident
Updated 2:01 pm, Friday, April 21, 2017


DENVER — Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is on the disabled list after sustaining injuries to his ribs and pitching shoulder in a dirt bike accident Thursday, the team just announced.

Bumgarner was hurt in Denver, on an off day for the Giants, and has bruised ribs and a Grade 1 or 2 strain of the AC joint in his left shoulder.

A team release said that Bumgarner is resting at the team hotel after his release from a hospital and he will be re-evaluated next week. He is not expected to address the accident until the Giants return home Monday.

Bumgarner started Wednesday night’s game at Kansas City. He pitched six innings in a 2-0 loss.

This is his first career trip to the disabled list.

The team did not immediately say how long he will be out and also did not immediately announce a corresponding roster move.

The two likeliest options are left-hander Ty Blach joining the rotation with the Giants recalling another player from Triple-A, or leaving Blach in the bullpen and calling up starter Tyler Beede, who pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed no earned runs against Salt Lake City on Wednesday, the same night Bumgarner pitched.

Dumb and Dumber! Bauer and Bumbarner!

Hawk approaching eighth decade in baseball
White Sox broadcaster hoping to stay in booth until 2020

NEW YORK -- White Sox broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson is not sure if he will call it a career after this season. He has already cut down his schedule to 81 games in order to spend more time with his family.

The guy known for such phrases as "He gone!" and "You can put it on the board, yes!" has one more goal he would like to reach before it's all said and done. Hawk would like to be in baseball in some capacity until 2020. If he reaches that goal, it would mean he was in the game in parts of eight decades.

Harrelson, 75, would also like to win the Ford C. Frick Award, which is given to a broadcaster by the Baseball Hall of Fame for major contributions in baseball. Harrelson started his broadcasting career in 1975 with the Red Sox. He is now in his 32nd year in the White Sox booth.

"That would put me in a very exclusive club, being in professional baseball for eight decades," Harrelson told the Newsmakers podcast. "It's not for me, it's for my grandchildren, to leave them something. They can tell their children. 'Your granddad was in professional baseball for parts of eight decades.'

"It would be nice to win the [the Frick Award]. But I don't think about it. I know there were a lot of people pulling for me every time . It probably won't happen until I'm dead. But the only reason I want it is for the grand kids. It would be an honor, certainly."

Harrelson loves the direction the White Sox are going, after general manager Rick Hahn replenished the farm system this offseason by trading veterans like Chris Sale and Adam Eaton.

Harrelson also likes what he sees from manager Rick Renteria. The team, according to Hawk, is focused, and it has many young players eager to play and "bust their [rears] for him."

"It's the most prospects we have ever had since I've been here, by far," Harrelson said. "They have done the redo, which I did not think they were going to do. … Rick Hahn did a real good job in maximizing the chips he had to play with.

"Chris Sale, I love him. He is the ultimate competitor, and he is likely to put Boston over the top, especially with David Price being iffy right now. But the thing about Sale is, as good as he is, he wasn't going to help us get in contention. To maximize what they got for him and Adam Eaton, I think it was one of the best jobs I've seen a general manager do in a long time."
After his career in the booth comes to an end, Harrelson plans to stay busy. He still loves to play golf, and he plans to watch his grandchildren play sports. He also intends to travel with his wife, Aris, around the United States and to Greece, her home country. Hawk credits Aris for turning his live around for the better.

"My wife saved my life, because when I met her, I had retired from baseball," Harrelson said. "I was going out every night, drinking and getting in fights. If you did that long enough, you are going to [be] dead. I realize if I didn't stop all that, I was going to lose her, so I stopped it. We have been together 44 years. She raised those children."

Sensational Thames slugs MLB-best 8th HR
Brewers first baseman leads MLB in dingers after slugging No. 8 vs. Cardinals

MILWAUKEE -- Eric Thames left Miller Park as a question mark and returned as one of the most talked-about players in Major League Baseball. Then he showed the home fans what all the fuss was about.

Thames hit a go-ahead, two-run home run -- his Major League-leading eighth this season -- in the Brewers' 7-5 win over the Cardinals. It came fresh off a nine-game road trip so magical that Thames called his boyhood hitting coach in California and said, "I have no idea what's going on."

"That's what happens when you're on a streak," Thames said after helping the Brewers beat the Cards' Carlos Martinez. "It's like your mind is on autopilot."

With Thursday's two hits, Thames is on a 10-game run during which he is 16-for-33 with seven of his home runs, including a five-game streak on the road in which he homered six times. In those 10 games, Thames has scored 16 runs, drove in 11, hit four doubles and collected five walks while striking out just four times.

In his second life in the Major Leagues following three seasons in South Korea, Thames is the MLB leader in OPS (1.481), slugging percentage (.981), total bases (52), extra-base hits (14) and weighted runs created plus (287).

"I think the big thing for Eric is he's making a statement early in the season," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "It's big for our lineup. It's big for Ryan [Braun] having a guy ahead of him that they're going to have to be really careful with. He's just proving to be very dangerous."

Opponents are taking note: "His ability in a perverse way to walk away and go to another country and see baseball in a different light has benefited him," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "My God -- this is [Daniel] Murphy-esque, this is [Barry] Bonds-esque. ... It's real interesting to see this."

"We've watched him pretty closely," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "He's obviously hot. He's on a pretty impressive run."

In other words, Thames has earned that beer he's been talking about.

"I have to go out and explore a little bit," he said early Thursday afternoon, talking about getting to know his new neighborhood in Milwaukee's Third Ward. "I do love a micro/craft IPA. A beer with a little weight to it."

His affinity for the stuff that made Milwaukee famous went viral after it came up in one of the myriad television, radio and print interviews Thames agreed to over the past week. Hitting a home run in five consecutive games, a streak that tied the Brewers' franchise record, made Thames a popular get.

That streak, which began during a four-game series against the Reds and ended in the opener of a series against the Cubs, surprised even Thames.

"I don't know what happened in Cincinnati. I have no idea," he said. "Like, even the last home run in Chicago, the camera showed me standing there like, 'What?' I have no idea what's going on right now."

He is used to this kind of attention. In South Korea, where Thames averaged 41 home runs over three seasons, fans nicknamed him "God." He still has a pile of T-shirts somewhere with that word written on them in Korean, a gift Thames sheepishly accepted. He went on a date one night and was out on the street kissing a girl when a fan tapped him on the shoulder and asked for an autograph.

Thames said he has yet to be recognized in public since returning to MLB on a three-year deal with the Brewers. If he keeps hitting at anything like his current rate, that is sure to change.

"There was one day I had to turn off my phone because it was getting blown up," Thames said. "But I'm not getting too carried away. You can revel in that during the offseason. During the season, every day, there is a game. You can't get caught up in past results. You just have to keep doing your routine and take it all in stride.

"I'm going to enjoy [the relative anonymity], going to a restaurant and having a beer and a burger and being able to kind of chill out. We'll see what happens. Fame is not too bad; I'm not going to complain about it, because they could hate me. I'd rather be liked."

[ Obvious to see why Jesus Aguilar's playing time has dropped off to non-existent. After following Thames career in Korea, it's not surprising that he is doing so well. It's not like he didn't have any major league experience. Quite honestly, I was surprised not teams were interested after his second season in Korea. ]

Cubs on the mend. They won their third consecutive come-from-behind game. Indians and Cubs with identical 9-7 records.

HA HA HA!

https://www.facebook.com/SportsIllustra ... 348416367/

http://www.12up.com/posts/4906473-video ... _aid=36534

Warning NSFWorKids Language