Jeremy Affeldt returned $500,000 to Giants after noticing contract error
When Will Jeremy Affeldt Appreciation Day Be
If you found out your employer had accidentally given you an extra $500,000, and that it was well within your rights to keep the money, would you give it back? Well that’s exactly what San Francisco Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt did.
Affeldt was set to earn $4 million in 2010 under an existing contract with the Giants when they negotiated a two-year, $10 million extension. When the 2010 amount was rewritten into the new contract, someone made a clerical error and typed $4.5 million instead. The Giants and Affeldt signed it without recognizing the mistake.
Affeldt got three opinions saying the contract was ironclad and he could keep the extra $500,000, from the Players Association, agent Michael Moye and even Giants assistant general manager Bobby Evans….
“I talked to Bobby the next day and said, ‘I can’t take that money,’ ” Affeldt said. ” ‘I won’t sleep well at night knowing I took that money because every time I open my paycheck I’ll know it’s not right.’”
Affeldt thinks his honesty helped make negotiations smoother last winter when he and the team agreed to a 3-year, $18 million contract.
Plaque honoring Barry Bonds stolen from AT&T Park
Have You Seen Me
A plaque commemorating the record-setting 756th home run hit by Barry Bonds has disappeared from AT&T Park.
The 6-foot-high artifact was previously bolted and glued to the bricks located beyond the right center field wall. Now, team and stadium officials are launching an investigation to find out where it went. This includes reviewing surveillance video from the past week.
More from the San Francisco Chronicle: “Bonds was one of the franchise’s greatest players. The team and its marketing were built around him for more than a decade. On the other hand, Bonds is a felon appealing his federal obstruction-of-justice conviction related to the BALCO drug case.Despite speculation to the contrary, the Giants say they had no reason or desire to remove the sign. In fact, the Giants are planning to replace it, perhaps with a painted sign that cannot be swiped. “We’re in the process of having a new and improved version made,” said Staci Slaughter, the Giants’ senior vice president of communications.Another memorial plaque honoring Bonds for hitting 500 home runs still remains intact.
MLB Predictions
Est. 1869
What’s lies ahead in the 2013 Major League Baseball season, well no one knows for sure but Opening Day is upon us and it’s time to roll out a few predictions. If you happened to listen to our live show this past week then you already heard those predictions.
Enjoy opening day, enjoy the season. I know I will.
American League East winner: Tampa Bay Rays
American League Central winner: Detroit Tigers
American League West winner: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
American League Wild-Card winner: Oakland Athletics
American League Wild-Card winner: Kansas City Royals
American League Pennant winner: Tampa Bay Rays
National League East winner: Washington Nationals
National League Central winner: Cincinnati Reds
National League West winner: San Francisco Giants
National League Wild-Card winner: Milwaukee Brewers
National League Wild-Card winner: Philadelphia Phillies
National League Pennant winner: Washington Nationals
American League Rookie of the Year: Wil Myers, Tampa Bay Rays
National League Rookie of the Year: Jedd Gyorko, San Diego Padres
American League Manger of the Year: John Farrell, Boston Red Sox
National League Manager of the Year: Bo Porter, Houston Astros
American League MVP: Yoenis Cespedas, Oakland Athletics
National League MVP: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
American League Cy Young Award: Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers
National League Cy Young Award: Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
WTF: Marco Scutaro
Well Done
The reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants held their team photo day on Wednesday. And second basemen Marco Scutaro definitely took the prize for best pose.
Tim Lincecum & Hunter Pence imitate each other
Everyone knows that the San Francisco Giants like to have a real good time. They’re a funny group of guys who clown around with each other this much was clear at the Giants Fan Fest as Tim Lincecum and Hunter Pence mock one another with some pretty impressive impressions.
MLB pays $1.2 million for Rockies.com
Where's Todd Helton
How important is it to Major League Baseball to own team name domain rights? Apparently $1.2 million in importance as that’s how much they shelled out to secure the rights to rockies.com. The website was previously owned by Tourism Canadian Rockies and was used to promote the Rocky Mountains (since they stretch all the way up to Canada).
It’s reported to be the largest price ever paid for a sports-related website and a significantly higher price than the domain name was expected to generate via auction. Apparently the MLB, doesn’t want what the Knicks did to the Nets to happen for the Colorado Rockies. The MLB now owns 26 of the 30 “dot-com” domain names for its teams, with the Rays, Rangers, Twins, and Giants as the teams who are not under MLB ownership. The New York football Giants own Giants.com and is clearly not looking to sell. As for the other teams, one has to think that the company that owns Twins.com for example, could use a million bucks. I doubt their brand is worth more than that.
WTF: Sergio Romo
He Said, Not Me
Yesterday during the San Francisco Giants World Series parade closer Sergio Romo sported this shirt.
World Series Parade Carrying Trophy Runs Out Of Gas
Have You Seen Gas Prices
The San Francisco Giants celebrated their second World Series parade in three years yesterday, so they’ve been down this road before, suffered a major gaffe. The car carrying Giants manager Bruce Bochy , his wife and the World Series trophy ran out of gas along the route. The Giants never ran out of gas in the MLB playoffs and neither did there fans as three onlookers helped push the car. Talk about a true honor.
Jim Leyland Near Tears After World Series Loss
Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland handled an emotional loss of the World Series, in which he witnessed his team get outplayed and swept by the San Francisco Giants, with class and respect. Leyland was almost in tears during his postgame interview with FOX’s Ken Rosenthal.
Bryan Stow Was In Attendance At World Series
Touching
Of all the luminaries and special guests the San Francisco Giants welcomed to AT&T Park for the first two games of this World Series, perhaps no one’s attendance was as moving as Bryan Stow’s.
Stow, the San Francisco Giants fan critically beaten in the Dodger Stadium parking lot in March 2011, attended Thursday night’s Game 2 as a guest of the club.
“He is a guest of ours tonight but the family had asked that we not do anything ceremonial,” Giants public relations official Jim Moorehead said. “He’s here to enjoy the game.”
Stow, a 43-year-old father of two, spent six months in critical and long-term care after the March 31, 2011 beating on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. In the beating’s aftermath, he was placed in a medically-induced coma to ease pressure on his brain after the attack by two assailants in the stadium parking lot.
Stow’s family became close with the Giants organization, particularly pitcher Jeremy Affeldt, and all-time home run leader Barry Bonds visited Stow in the hospital after the beating and later pledged to pay his children’s college expenses.
Stow’s two alleged assailants, Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood, are to stand trial on three felony charges each of mayhem and assault and battery. Stow’s family also filed a $50 million civil suit against the Dodgers that is set to go to trial Feb. 5.
Free Tacos For Everyone In America
Every Fat Persons Hero
Angel Pagan has become a fan favorite in San Francisco. But with one clean swipe of second base, he may have won over America. At the very least, those in the country who love Taco Bell are now among his fans.
In eighth inning of the San Francisco Giants 2-0 win in Game 2 of the World Series, Pagan got a great jump on Detroit Tigers reliever Drew Smyly’s first pitch to Pablo Sandoval. Catcher Gerald Laird fired a strike to second baseman Omar Infante but Pagan slid in ahead of the tag. By stealing second, he not only got himself into scoring postion but he triggered a World Series promotion by the fast food chain.
The “Steal A Base, Steal A Taco” promotion promised that we’d all be treated to something called a Doritos Loco Taco if any player stole a base in the World Series. According to MLB.com, you just need to turn up at participating Taco Bell on Tuesday Oct. 30 between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to get your free taco.
MLB Playoff Pumpkin Carving
The good folks at The NOC have somehow found a professional pumpkin carver, and in the spirit of the MLB postseason he has carved logos of New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants into pumpkins.
Tim Lincecum Sprayed With Champagne Says Now I Know What Chicks Feel Like
The San Francisco Giants defeated the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday to win their first round playoff series, and after it was time to celebrate. Emotions were running high and champagne was being sprayed everywhere, and some people forgot that the cameras were still rolling. One of those was Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum who was sprayed in the face with champagne and said “Now I know what chicks feel like.”
Fan Runs On Field To Delay Start Of Reds-Giants Game
Idiot
Cincinnati Reds starter Homer Bailey, in his interview session Monday, says he would have no problem getting distracted by the frenzied home crowd while taking the mound in the biggest game of his life.
“I will probably be somewhat oblivious to it,” he said, “….unless there’s a streaker running across.”
Well, 10 seconds before he threw his first pitch, guess what happened?
Yep, a middle-aged man, albeit wearing clothes, ran across the outfield carrying a Mitt Romney sign while trying to rouse the fans.
It didn’t quite work. The fans booed loudly when he ran around for two minutes before being tackled, and subdued, by four officers.
It didn’t affect Bailey, either. He pitched a 1-2-3 first inning.
Pablo Sandoval & Brandon Crawford Make Craziest Play Of Season
San Francisco Giants Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Crawford combined to make the craziest play of the season last night against the Houston Astros. Houston’s catcher Jason Castro in the bottom of the first inning hit what still has MLB talking all-time bizarre.
Rick Sutcliffe Says Melky Cabrera Should Have Visa Taken Away
Gingers Are The Devils Child
Former All-Star pitcher and current ESPN analyst Rick Sutcliffe doesn’t think that a 50-game suspension is harsh enough for San Francisco Giants Melky Cabrera.
Just days after Major League Baseball hit the Giants outfielder with a 50-game ban for testing positive for synthetic testosterone, Sutcliffe suggested a far more aggressive punishment during an appearance on Dave Rothenberg’s ESPN radio show.
Sutcliffe believes Cabrera, a 28-year-old from the Dominican Republic, should have his visa revoked.
“First of all, this guy is over here in the United States on a working visa. He broke the law. What’s he doing still here? I mean, forget the 50-game suspension from baseball and whether he can come back if they make the players [sic] or not. Why’s he still here? That visa should be taken away, and he should not be allowed to play over here again, or work over here again, in my opinion.”
While there may be no action taken by MLB that satisfies Sutcliffe, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that Cabrera could still be subject to additional punishment due to his attempt to avoid the suspension, including a fake website.
The Department of Justice and MLB are undertaking a joint investigation into the source of the testosterone used by Cabrera.
Jeff Kent Joins Survivor
KentSports
Back on June 25, we posted the report that former 2000 National League MVP Jeff Kent was rumored to be a member of his favorite TV show as one of 15 contestants on the latest installment of Survivor, set in the Philippines.
Kent, 44, will match wits with the likes of 1980s sitcom star Lisa Whelchel, of Facts of Life fame, and two beauty pageant winners for the $1 million prize.
Kent, who left the game in 2008 after seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers, says he’s long been a fan of the show where contestants are pitted against each other in tribes on remote locations and must work together on team challenges while all the while conspiring against each other to avoid the dreaded flame dousing that will get you on a boat home.
“I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. I hate to lose. You know, there are not many tall white guys with mustaches walking around still these days. I’m hoping my reputation’s not big enough that these people know who I am.”
Melky Cabrera Created Fake Website In Hopes Of Avoiding Drug Suspension
Steroid Cop Coming
After San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone in July, he knew he was facing a 50-game suspension. So to avoid that punishment, he became embroiled in a complicated scheme that involved creating a fake website for a nonexistent supplement, the New York Daily News reports.
The idea apparently was to create a digital record showing Cabrera had ordered a supplement that caused the positive test, the newspaper reports. MLB’s drug program allows players who have tested positive to present evidence they ingested banned substances through no fault of their own.
“There was a product they said caused this positive,” a source told the Daily News. “Baseball figured out the ruse pretty quickly.”
Once MLB’s department of investigations started asking questions about the website, it quickly discovered it was an existing website that had been altered by adding an ad for a nonexistent topical cream.
At the center of the scheme is Cabrera associate Juan Nunez, who is a paid consultant for the player’s agents, Seth and Sam Levinson. The Daily News says he is alleged to have paid $10,000 to acquire the fake website.
Nunez told the newspaper he was “accepting responsibility for what everyone else already knows,” regarding the fake website. He said the Levinsons knew nothing about the scheme. “I was the only one who had dealings with the website. Neither Seth nor Sam had any dealings with the website, nor did anyone else in the firm.”
Seth Levinson said the agents used the Spanish-speaking Nunez as a liaison with their Dominican clients, including Cabrera.
“Juan Nunez is NOT a salaried employee of ACES and does NOT receive the benefits that all ACES employees receive,” Levinson said. “Most importantly, any and all calls, texts and emails that he sends come from his own PERSONAL devices (BlackBerry).”
The use of the fake website has brought attention to the case from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and MLB’s Department of Investigations, which are probing Cabrera’s associates, including trainers, handlers and agents, as they search for the source of the synthetic testosterone for which he tested positive.
MLB & Justice Department Team Up In Testosterone Investigation
Thanks For Getting Steroid Cop Involved
The Department of Justice and Major League Baseball have begun a joint investigation seeking the source of San Francisco Giants All-Star outfielder Melky Cabrera’s synthetic testosterone, according to an official with direct knowledge of the case.
Officials says the investigation would include Jeff Novitzky, a criminal investigative agent for the Food and Drug Administration who was the lead investigator in the BALCO scandal that brought to light the performance-enhancing drug use of star athletes.”
All of a sudden, it’s a whole new ballgame,” Victor Conte, the co-founder of BALCO said. “You’re going to see a whole lot of players roll. My prediction is you’re going to see a whole lot more players cooperate with Novitzky than they would MLB’s investigators.
“It’s just the difference in power. Law enforcement officials can subpoena. What will be interesting now is to see whether they will go after people at the top of the food chain [drug dealers], or become trophy hunters, and go after the biggest names to get the biggest headlines.”
Novitzky’s involvement in the case was first reported by the New York Daily News. Cabrera, who received a 50-game suspension last week for testing positive for testosterone use, also could be subjected to further discipline from a bizarre plot to create a phony website as an alibi for his positive test, which was revealed by the Daily News.
MLB officials declined to comment because of the ongoing investigation, which includes Cabrera’s agents, Sam and Seth Levinson, and Juan Nunez, a paid assistant for the Levinsons who told the Daily News he was accepting responsibility for the ruse.The Giants said they were unaware of Cabrera’s plot to concoct a website to sell a non-existent product designed to prove he inadvertently took the testosterone.
“We do everything we can not to have anything like this happen,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy told news reporters Sunday. “We don’t allow anybody in the clubhouse without credentials. We don’t allow supplements in the clubhouse. … What else can we do?We can’t have bodyguards on these guys 24/7. It comes down to choices. Unfortunately, I do think they get bad advice from other sources.”
Brian Wilson Gets Own Reality TV Show
Injured Giants San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson has been keeping himself busy while on the disabled list. Two weeks after appearing at the ESPY Awards with a seven-foot sasquatch as his guest, Wilson premiered his mini web series “Uncaged with Sasquatch” on Break Media. It’s the first of five episodes, which will roll out every Monday.
Dog Attacks San Francisco Giants Fan At Oakland A’s Game
Thursday was Dog Day before the Oakland A’s took on the New York Yankees at O.co Coliseum. AP reporter Jane McCauley reported that the A’s counted 718 dogs in attendance and are submitting it to Guinness World Records for most dogs at a sporting event.
But for one unlucky fan who was silly enough to wear a San Francisco Giants jacket to an A’s game, the evening took a turn for the worse when he tried to make friends with a St. Bernard.
Exonerated Dodger Fan Sues LAPD For Defamation
Don't Wanna Be Sued
Giovanni Ramirez who was initially arrested in the beating of a San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow outside of Dodger Stadium but was later cleared sued the Los Angeles Police Department and Chief Charlie Beck for defamation.
Ramirez seeks unspecified damages in the lawsuit, saying Beck called him the “primary aggressor” with “reckless disregard for the truth.” Ramirez was arrested but never charged in the brutal beating of Bryan Stow.
At the time of his arrest, Ramirez’s lawyer insisted his client had never been to Dodger Stadium, but police said for months they had arrested the right suspect.
Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood were later arrested and have pleaded not guilty to Stow’s beating, which took place after last year’s opening day game in Los Angeles.
Stow, a paramedic from Northern California, was severely beaten, suffered brain damage and is permanently disabled. Ramirez said pressure for an arrest from the media and the public pushed the Police Department into capturing the wrong man.
Though he was never charged, Ramirez was held on a parole violation as a result of being searched, for possession of a gun by a felon. He was sent to prison for 10 months.
WTF: Brian Wilson
Dennis Rodman Of Baseball
Last year San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson showed up to the ESPY’s wearing a spandex tuxedo and this year he brought Sasquatch along as his date and we’re not talking about Khloe Kardashian.
Jeff Kent To Be On Survivor
Stache
Former all-star second baseman Jeff Kent was a San Francisco Giants star back in 2000 when he won the National League MVP award. And now, he may be a star of primetime television on the 25th season of “Survivor.”
According to SurvivorFever.net, a fan site dedicated to the show, Kent is rumored to compete on the upcoming season set in the Philippines, alongside former Miss Teen Utah Angelia Layton, actress Lisa Welchel and several new and returning cast members.
The 44-year-old is no stranger to the small screen: he appeared as a contestant on “Superstars” in 2009. Kent was paired with former Miss USA Ali Landry in a series of sports-related competitions.
However, since his baseball career, Kent is perhaps best known in California as one of Proposition 8’s strong supporters and in Selma, Texas for owning Kent Sports Automotive.
