WTF: Topps Baseball

Impressive

Damn it looks as Topps baseball is back at it again as you right remember from their Cliff Lee Seattle Mariners card we posted on March 6 and how they cut cost corners. Now they are trying to jump on the Washington Nationals Stephen Strasburg train before it gets to far away and have already released his baseball card decked out in a Nationals uniform throwing his first pitch ever in the big leagues from last night.

In an effort to capture this special moment in a timely fashion and give sports fans around the world an opportunity to collect this treasured card, during Strasburg’s very first MLB game on June 8, collectors visiting www.toppsmillion.com with a code card found in Topps Series 1 or Topps Series 2 baseball will have a chance to unlock this special card. Strasburg’s Topps rookie card contains the photo of his very first pitch in the Major Leagues and will be issued in very limited quantities.

It may have been just one start but don’t act like the stuff he threw wasn’t impressive. I know if your a New York Mets fan you’ve never seen Oliver Perez throw anything quite like what was witnessed in Washington D.C. last night.

Jun 09, 2010 | MLB, WTF | Comments Off

WTF: Topps Baseball

RIP Harry Kalas

Talk about cutting corners. If your not a baseball fan then the baseball card of Seattle Mariners newest pitcher Cliff Lee might not seem all that bad. But if you are and look a little closer and notice that card company Topps has airbrushed the Mariners jersey onto Lee.

Actually it might have gone over except for the HK patch he wore on his left shoulder with the Philadelphia Phillies of the late broadcaster Harry Kalas. Topps already creating an error card for card collector sets.

Mar 06, 2010 | MLB, WTF | Comments Off

Phillies, Blue Jays, Mariners, Athletics Finally Complete Blockbuster Trade

All For You

We’ve all heard about the trade for the last couple of days now but today all the teams and players involved where finally finalized and that’s how come your finally seeing the first post regarding the blockbuster trade here on Sports Grind Entertainment.

A four-club, nine-player mega trade, with the Toronto Blue Jays sending 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies, who in turn dealt 2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners while a total of seven prospects changing hands and Oakland also part of the mix.

The 32-year-old right-hander Halladay, who also signed a three-year contract extension worth $60 million with a fourth year option worth $20 million based on innings pitched and not being on the disabled list at the end of 2013, was sent to the Phillies for three minor leaguers: catcher Travis d’Arnaud, right-hander Kyle Drabek and outfielder Michael Taylor.

Philadelphia dealt Lee to Seattle for three prospects: right-hander Phillippe Aumont, outfielder Tyson Gillies and right-hander Juan Ramirez.

Toronto flipped Taylor to the Athletics for minor league third baseman Brett Wallace.

The Phillies have wanted Halladay for some time as they tried hard to get him in July, but found working with Toronto’s former general manager J. P. Ricciardi a difficult task, instead, they sent prospects Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald and Lou Marson to Cleveland for Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco.

But the opportunity arose again to acquire Halladay with new Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos, and Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. moved in after believing Lee would be difficult to lure into a contract extension. The Phillies made the trade for a couple of reasons as they needed salary relief and get that with the Blue Jays sending the Phillies $6 million. Lee makes $9 million next season and subtract his salary and add the $6 million from Toronto, and the Phillies are paying just $750,000 more for Halladay, who makes $15.75 million next season. The Phillies also traded Lee because they felt they needed to restock a farm system that has seen Amaro trade seven top prospects since July. Whether Aumont, Ramirez and Gillies develop in talents comparable to what the Phillies gave up to get Halladay and Lee remains to be seen, but the Phillies clearly believed they needed to take the opportunity to replenish and keeping the organization competitive beyond next year.

Lee went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in his 12 regular season starts for the Phillies, but he came through when they needed him most. In five postseason starts, Lee went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA, striking out 33 batters in 40 1/3 innings and allowing less than one baserunner per inning. Halladay posted a 2.79 ERA in 239 innings and completed nine games and tossed four shutouts.

Lets take a look at the rest of the players involved who do not have a Cy Young award in their trophy case.

• Tyson Gillies, CF (Going to Phillies): 21, the left-hander hit .341 last season and led the California League with 44 stolen bases at Single-A High Desert. He scored 104 runs and had a .430 on-base percentage. Watching him at this year’s Futures Game, I was not only moved by his inspiring story but by his phenomenal raw tools and athleticism.

• Phillippe Aumont, RHP (Going to Phillies): 20, went a combined 2-6 with 16 saves and a 3.88 ERA for High Desert and Double-A West Tennessee last season. A first-round draft pick in 2007, he pitched for Canada in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Baseball America list his pitches as a 92-95 mph heavy sinking fastball, a four-seamer at 94-98 mph and a breaking ball at 79-83 mph.

• J.C. Ramirez, RHP (Going to Phillies): 21, was 8-10 with a 5.12 ERA for High Desert.Baseball America list his pitches as a 92-94 mph fastball but not much else possibly seeing his future as a late inning pitcher.

• Kyle Drabek, RHP (Going to Blue Jays): 22, was a combined 12-3 with a 3.19 ERA at Single-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. He was the Phillies’ first-round draft pick in 2006 and his father is former NL Cy Young winner Doug Drabek. Baseball America list his pitches as a 91-94 mph fastball, a downer curveball, and a changeup that is still progressing.

• Travis d’Arnaud, C (Going to Blue Jays): 20, hit .255 with 13 home runs and 71 RBIs at Single-A Lakewood.

• Brett Wallace, 3B (Going to Blue Jays): 23, was acquired by Oakland last season as part of the trade for Matt Holliday. He figures to be a perennial .300 hitter with 25-homer power due to his short, compact stroke and solid plate discipline. The left-handed Wallace hit a combined .293 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs for three teams.

• Michael Taylor, OF (Going to Athletics): 23, hit a combined .320 with 20 home runs, 84 RBIs and 21 stolen bases at Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He joined a relatively small group of players who have been traded twice in one day. He appears ready to start in the majors coming out of spring training in 2010.

Phillies: Winners/Blue Jays: Losers/Mariners: Winners/Athletics: Winners

Dec 16, 2009 | MLB | Comments Off

120 MLB Players Opt For 2010 Free Agency

On the third day of Major League Baseball free agency a 120 players have elected to pursue Article XX B (2) of the Basic Agreement out of the 183 eligible. Bobby Abreu, Tim Hudson, Cliff Lee, Manny Ramirez, Brandon Webb, have had their 2010 options picked up bringing a total of 58 players still eligible but have yet to file. November 19 marks the last date in which players may give notice of their election of free agency. If that punk ass Matt Holliday decides to leave my St. Louis Cardinals, I do see suitable replacements…cough Jermaine Dye.

Est. 1869

Nov 08, 2009 | MLB | Comments Off

The New York Yankees Are Your 2009 MLB Champions

#27

The New York Yankees are Major League Baseball’s World Champions after winning Game 6 of the 105th World Series 7-3 over the Philadelphia Phillies, who I wrongly predicted to win in 5 and keep the championship in the National League.

I admit my MLB postseason predictions where my worst ever and about as foul as that after taste from vomiting, utterly nasty, Ryan Howard, and I will go sit somewhere till pitchers and catches report in February.

I am glad to see the core four back on top especially Derek Jeter and the best closer of all time Mariano Rivera. Captain Cheeseburger Sabathia welcome to the champion stage, you deserve it. If the Yankees didn’t win it all, then Mark Teixeira you would be enjoying an ass ripping for not producing at all during the postseason with your bat. You didn’t bring the bat but you did bring the five fingers covered in gold, credit for shining in another area of your game when the bat went ice cold.

Brain Cashman your a champion once again but your off season surely doesn’t get any easier with some tough decisions lingering on free agents Johnny Damon, Andy Pettitte, and World Series MVP Hideki Matsui, who didn’t make those decisions any easier.

A big congratulations to Alex Rodriguez, the 2009 season really was all about you, now your a World Series champion, and no one can take that off your resume.

Hey lets not forget Chien-Ming Wang is a champion too.

As for the Phillies, great job, I do wish you could have given me one more night of baseball but you didn’t. That club option on Cliff Lee is without a doubt gonna be picked up. It’s a shame that Cole Hamels pretty much checked out on the season back on June 14 and that Jamie Moyer got hurt right as the season pretty much ended, he would have been a nice option.

You know it’s coming so lets just say Brad Lidge you blow in every way known to mankind, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.

Congratulations to George Steinbrenner and his New York Yankees on their MLB record 27th World Series title. Get well Boss.

Nov 05, 2009 | MLB | Comments Off