Mark Trumbo Cleared For Al l Baseball Activities

post from 6-4-2 ? an Angels/Dodgers double play blog on 08 February 2012 11:02:56 PM. © 6-4-2 ? an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

Bullet dodged.

The crack in his foot is still there, but doctors told Trumbo it's very small and stable enough to resume activity. So recently, the Anaheim native has been getting some field work in with the help of bench coach Rob Picciolo and bullpen coach Steve Soliz, in preparation for a season in which the Angels hope he can at least be a part-time option at third base.

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I Will Never Write Again

post from LADodgerTalk.com - Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers on 08 February 2012 11:01:18 PM. © LADodgerTalk.com - Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers

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TCB Fantasy Baseball Almost Open For Business

post from The Crawfish Boxes on 08 February 2012 11:01:08 PM. © The Crawfish Boxes

Several weeks ago, I approached David and Tim about managing Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball Leagues for the readers of The Crawfish Boxes. I say approached only in the metaphorical sense, as the conversation was facilitated by the wondrous technology of electronic mail, but the end result was the same. I was aware that TCB had operated fantasy baseball leagues in the past, and thought to myself, "I just gotta get in on that."

So after I dutifully volunteered, they gave me the go-ahead.

So imagine how smug I felt upon logging into the virtual writers desk provided by SB Nation and saw at the top that there was an ongoing campaign between Yahoo and SB Nation to initiate just such Fantasy Leagues! Clicking the "Edit" button, I was greeted with the following:

---------THIS IS THE POST SCRIPT----------
Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball supports SBNation for its commitment to furthering America’s hardball obsession. As the #1 Fantasy Baseball game, players can count on Yahoo! to provide all the research, stats, live scoring, video highlights, and mobile apps to make this season the best yet. Game opens 2/9/12 – Sign up!!!

Because I'm contrarian, I decided to not make the blurb a post script, but rather an integral part of my unnecessarily long lead-in to this post.

Cutting to the chase, we would like to invite you join the TCB Fantasy Baseball League when it opens.

I will follow up with more information once the league is set up.

Ed. note: Now for the nitty gritty of this post. The gist is, we like Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball. I use it almost exclusively and recommend it to any of you trying to start a new league, for a lot of the reasons listed below.

Yahoo! Sports is the leading fantasy provider and home to the #1 Fantasy Baseball game available – all for free! It brings fans closer to the game and players they love with free live scoring, mock drafts, mobile apps, over 80 scoring categories, live and offline draft apps, and tools to manage your keeper league.
Yahoo! Sports now offers the fantasy fanatic an even more competitive way to play, Pro Leagues are here! Join a Pro League for $20 or $100 and compete to win cash prizes. For those who dare to put some skin in the game.
Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Baseball '12 is easy and fun to play for the rookie or veteran fantasy user.
Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Baseball provides fans with top-notch information, resources, and expert advice.
Yahoo! Sports provides pre-draft advice clips to help you draft the best team possible. Fantasy advice is also available throughout the season with bi-weekly video clips and weekly radio coverage on the Fantasy Freaks (every Friday 8pm-10pm ET).
Fantasy baseball is the original social network, it is the way friends stayed connected over America’s pastime no matter where they were, Yahoo! Sports continues the tradition by letting fans talk smack talk, check'in, and chat on newly launched message boards.
Game opens 2/7/12 – get ready to play ball!

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Baltimore Orioles Announce Creation of
CamdenYards20.com

post from Oriole Post - Baltimore Orioles Analysis & News; The World of Baseball and Beyond on 08 February 2012 11:01:04 PM. © Oriole Post - Baltimore Orioles Analysis & News; The World of Baseball and Beyond

With the 20th anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards coming up, the Baltimore Orioles today in a press release announced a creation of a new website, CamdenYards20.com

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Pirates 7th Annual Recipe For Hope

post from Love My Team on 08 February 2012 10:00:09 PM. © Love My Team

Pirates broadcaster Greg Brown will be a celebrity chef at the 7th Annual Recipe for Hope[...]

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SS Lowrie, Astros agree to 1-year deal (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 08 February 2012 08:07:26 PM. © MLB News Blog

Jed Lowrie and the Houston Astros have avoided an arbitration hearing, agreeing to a $1.15 million, one-year contract. The team announced the deal Wednesday. Lowrie asked for $1.5 million in arbitration, while the Astros offered $900,000. His hearing had been scheduled for Friday. The 27-year-old shortstop was acquired from Boston on Dec.

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Yankees announce 27 non-roster invitees for
spring training

post from Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog on 08 February 2012 07:55:56 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog

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McCanns September, Anomaly or the Norm

One of the biggest reasons for the Braves’ collapse was the offense nearly completely shutting down. The team scored just 87 runs in the season’s final month, only more than the Mariners and Padres. The team’s best offensive player throughout the year producing a line of .200/.320/.306 certainly contributed to the poor results. While Brian [...]

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Marlins meet with Cuban OF Cespedes (AP)

Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes toured the Miami Marlins’ new downtown ballpark Wednesday, the first leg of what’s expected to be his tour of interested clubs. Cespedes played for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and is projected to be ready for the majors. Cespedes says six teams are interested in signing him, including the [...]

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Polishing a Turd with Raul, Johnny, and Hideki

The following post is being syndicated from The Yankee Analysts.
There has been much ado about the Yankees designated hitter situation yesterday, with Buster Olney tweeting that the team was "in position to add" one of Raul Ibanez, Johnny Damon, or Hideki Matsui within a week. Ken Rosenthal stoked the coals a bit (or, perhaps, took a book of matches from 7-Eleven), adding that the team was in "serious discussions" with Ibanez. Rosenthal further added that Ibanez was willing to take a discount to play in the Bronx, though I am unsure that he is in a position to be terribly picky regardless. Many would argue that far too much ink and effort has been expended on behalf of Messrs Ibanez, Damon, and Matsui, and that may be true ... but if a move is truly forthcoming, it makes sense to look for a silver lining and preempt at least a bit of the inevitable gruff.

Ibanez managed a slightly above-average 101 wRC+ against righties last season, batting .256/.307/.440 with 16 HR in 437 PA. While that may be below even the marginal standard set by Posada in 2011 (.269/.348/.466 with 14 HR in 316 PA), it is worth noting that Ibanez's numbers in lefty-friendly Citizens Bank Park were solid - a .278/.316/.516 slash line with 15 HR in only 273 AB is quite easy on the eyes. While Yankee Stadium's right-center isn't quite as appetizing as Citizens Bank's, it does seem like Ibanez would make fine use of the short porch without sacrificing too much elsewhere. This is all guesswork, to be sure, but Ibanez's power hasn't slipped all that much. And, if optimism is to rule the day, might I suggest that a rebound from his career-low BB% is well within the realm of possibility?

At face value, Johnny Damon appears to be the best option for the Yankees. He was able to eke out a reasonable 109 wRC+ while playing half of his games in an extreme pitcher's park, on the strength of a .261/.326/.418 line with nineteen steals (in twenty-five attempts). Damon's 99 wRC+ against righties may not instill a great deal of confidence, though, and the former Yankee has not displayed much of a platoon split in recent years. While that may normally be a positive, it doesn't really help the Yankees at this juncture. However, a bit of polishing reveals that Damon did quite well away from the Trop, batting .280/.345/.463 with 10 HR in 296 AB. An optimist should also note that Damon has raked to the tune of .270/.370/.524 and 19 HR in 311 AB in New Yankee Stadium. He also survived 84 innings in LF last year ... so, there's that.

Matsui, sadly, featured a curious reverse platoon split in 2011, with a solid 118 wRC+ against southpaws and a decidedly ugly 82 wRC+ figure against righties. He did manage a 137 wRC+ and 14 round-trippers against righties in 2010, which is more in-line with expectations, and, like Damon, he enjoys hitting in NYS (.268/.353/.485 with 17 HR in 299 AB). Additionally, on the heels of a late-July Godzilla sighting in the Bronx (including a 5-for-5 game on 24 July), Matsui managed a respectable .289/.345/.414 over the last third of the season. Could the short porch entice an awe-inspiring swan song? Even a pragmatist would say ... maybe.

While none of these players met the Posadian baseline set in 2011, it does stand to reason that all could enjoy a bit of a rebound in Yankee Stadium - particularly if platooned properly. Ibanez's righty killing (flicking? pinching?) may be a bit more appealing, particularly with Jones likely to do the heavy-lifting against lefties, but Damon and Matsui (and most any lefty) would benefit from the ubiquitously mentioned short porch. This may not be an ideal set of candidates by even the most flexible stretch of the imagination, but it would be somewhat inane to ignore the potential for a reasonable bit of success here.

Besides, with Spring Training right around the corner, shouldn't optimism be fostered?
Follow me on Twitter - @DomenicLanza

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-raul-johnny-and.html