The Yankees picked up Cincinnati closer Aroldis Chapman from the Reds, only giving up four of their lesser minor leaguers. There are several inherent problems with what looks on paper like a brilliant deal. One is Chapman himself. From the time Albertin Aroldis Chapman left Cuba, he had both a high-speed fastball 105 MPH and ...
Baseball on Boxing Day
You wouldn't think we'd need a special edition of this column on Boxing Day. You might think I'd write a piece for my boxing site, unless you knew that Boxing Day is nothing whatever to do with boxing matches. Rather, the name comes from the days when men went fox hunting. There are enough baseball men ...
Merry Christmas-Plus Some Baseball News
Here is today's special edition. As our correspondent Dan Cummo said in our Facebook group last night, the Mets bid adieu to Daniel Murphy as Washington gave him a deal for less money but over a longer term. He gets about 12.5 million a year for 3 years, rather than taking the Mets' qualifying offer of ...
With the End of the Winter Meetings, The Moving Vans are Rolling
There is one fewer starting pitcher around for teams to covet. Johnny Cueto has signed a 6-year deal worth some $130 million with the Giants. This doesn't seem to make sense, considering the kind of year he had last year split between the Reds and Royals. You'd think, going from a biblically bad team in ...
Goodbye to Another New York Legend
Not too long ago, I was awakened and told of the death of Yogi Berra. This morning, I was told Phil Pepe had passed away, at age 80. The name Phil Pepe is known to readers of his books the world over, and it is especially known in New York and its environs. The name Phil ...
Early Christmas on the North Side of Chicago
You would have a tough time convincing Cubs fans that Christmas hasn't already come. People who don't like the Cubs know it's still 13 days until TBS starts running "A Christmas Story," the funniest Christmas movie ever made if not the best one. They know Santa is still at the North Pole making sure the ...
In Pittsburgh, It’s Time to Say Goodbye
For decades the winter meetings have been a hotbed of baseball activity. They are a massive job fair with young men and women dressed to the nines trying to find jobs from general manager to groundskeeper to broadcaster. In other quarters, back room deals are done that leave some fans rejoicing and some sad, angry ...
Join Me In L.A.—OOPS!
Yesterday morning I thought I had a nice easy column to write for today. The Dodgers, who already have one combustible Cuban character in Yasiel Puig had dealt for another defector Aroldis Chapman, he of the 105 MPH pitch which is almost as fast as Puig drives. The Reds were going to get two prospects, which ...
More Birthdays than Usual
Today is a rare day when enough baseball birthdays happen to warrant a special edition of this column. First, I'll start with a fellow blind man-well, at least the managers told him he was a blind man and even tried to lend him their glasses from time to time. John Bertrand "Jocko" Conlan was born today ...
Slip Out the Back, Zack; Make a New Plan, Stan
A columnist prays to the God of Headlines to drop a good one in his lap for every column. Those prayers are seldom answered. but last night when it was announced Zack Greinke was leaving the Dodgers for the Diamondbacks, putting Dodger president and part-owner Stan Casten behind the 8-ball, the infallible headline deity threw ...