Slimmed-down Sandoval ready for 2011

post from 22gigantes on 17 January 2011 12:03:17 PM. © 22gigantes

San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval released a new photo of himself via his Twitter profile picture Sunday and he says he's in the best shape of his life. By the looks of the picture, he's definitely slimmed down since he started working out in Arizona shortly after the season ended.

Sandoval wouldn't say exactly how much weight he's lost, but -- according to his tweets -- he's been training six days a week and has limited his diet to five small low-carb high-protein meals a day.

Looking at his current picture, it's clear he hasn't visited Bucca di Beppo in awhile.

Can a motivated and mature Sandoval return to his 2009 form?
Sandoval was one of the best offensive players in the National League two seasons ago, finishing second in the NL with a .330 batting average to go along with 44 doubles (third-best in the NL), 189 hits (fourth-best in the NL), and a .556 slugging percentage (sixth-best in the NL).

But in 2010, the infielder's batting average dropped to .268 as he grounded into a NL-leading 26 double plays. Giants fans let him hear it and so did the national media, criticizing Sandoval for his obvious weight gain.

Now, Sandoval looks better than ever and says he's ready to get back on the field and show his teammates and fans what he's capable of.

"This year, I will concentrate on my work," Sandoval tweeted this past week. "I'm motivated, I've matured and I want to show my potential."

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/22gigantes/ySKM/~3/AjGpx1ndYYU/slim-downed-sandova
l-ready-for-2011.html

Digg this

OF Willie Harris, Mets agree to contract (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 17 January 2011 11:57:17 AM. © MLB News Blog

Former Washington Nationals outfielder Willie Harris and the New York Mets have agreed to a minor league contract. The 32-year-old hit .183 with 10 homers and 32 RBIs in 132 games for Washington last season. He played all three outfield positions, plus third base. Harris has a .239 batting average in parts of 10 seasons [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/01/17/of-willie-harris-mets-agree-to-contract-ap/

Digg this

Oakland As Sign Brian Fuentes

post from The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on 17 January 2011 11:09:31 AM. © The Ghost of Moonlight Graham

It’s game on in Oakland. Very, very quietly, the Oakland A’s have had a very solid offseason. They have improved their offense with the additions of Hideki Matsui, David DeJesus, and Josh Willingham (loved that move by them) and now they are really improving their already existing solid bullpen. To go along with Brad Ziegler, [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://theghostofmoonlightgraham.com/2011/01/17/oakland-as-sign-brian-fuentes/

Digg this

Dave Winfield All-Star

post from My First Cards on 17 January 2011 11:04:20 AM. © My First Cards

When George Steinbrenner labeled Dave Winfield “Mr. May”, I guess he didn’t[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://cards.devonyoung.com/yankees/dave-winfield-all-star/

Digg this

Golden Globe winners: Yankees edition

post from lenNY's Yankees - A Bronx Bombers Blog on 17 January 2011 11:04:13 AM. © lenNY's Yankees - A Bronx Bombers Blog

The Yankees made a splash at last night?s Gold Globe Awards, leaving award-deserving movies like ?The Social Network? empty-handed. Without further ado, I present the major award winners from last night. Best Actor in Motion Picture - Drama: [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.lennysyankees.com/2011/01/golden-globe-winners-yankees-edition.html

Digg this

The Pittsburgh Pirates sign Jose Veras

post from Pittsburgh Pirates MLB News - Pirates Baseball Blog on 17 January 2011 10:20:51 AM. © Pittsburgh Pirates MLB News - Pirates Baseball Blog

The Pirates have signed 30-year old righty reliever Jose Veras to a minor league deal. Veras pitched in 48 games (0 starts) for the Marlins last season and he was 3-3 with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He only gave up 32 hits in 48 innings last season while whiffing 54 [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.bucslocker.com/2011/01/17/the-pittsburgh-pirates-sign-jose-veras/

Digg this

Poll Results: Rays wont contend in 2011

post from lenNY's Yankees - A Bronx Bombers Blog on 17 January 2011 10:03:38 AM. © lenNY's Yankees - A Bronx Bombers Blog

I guess losing an MVP-caliber player, a big bopper, a no-hitter throwing starter and four crucial components to the bullpen will leave fans with some doubt. That?s what happened with the Rays this offseason, and 75 percent of fans voted they were[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.lennysyankees.com/2011/01/poll-results-rays-wont-contend-in-2011.html

Digg this

Jackie Robinson

post from The Baseball Opinion on 17 January 2011 10:02:51 AM. © The Baseball Opinion

Since this is Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, I thought it would be an appropriate to highlight Jackie Robinson, another hero who did more than break the color barrier in baseball.[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thebaseballopinion/dfeI/~3/1CUHgJXpiAQ/

Digg this

Quick Thoughts on Astros Winter Caravan

More photos » Bob Levey - Getty Images

Bud Norris was one of the stars of the Astros Winter Caravan last weekend.

Browse more photos »

I got a chance to cover the Astros Winter Caravan last Saturday. It was my first time at that kind of event and have some quick thoughts on this MLK Day.

The stars of the show were undoubtedly Michael Bourn and Bud Norris. Plenty of people also took pictures with Shane Reynolds. One kid even wrote a letter for Bourn and gave it to him.

Saw plenty of people getting gloves, bobble heads and balls signed, but the most popular thing were these glossy pictures of different players. My cynical side wondered if they were for the fans getting them signed or if they'd be on eBay within a few days.

Talking to Michael Bourn, it's easy to see why he's a fan favorite. Bourn was really engaging with all the kids who came through and talked with the fans. Bourn really came alive when I asked him about the upcoming season. Seemed like he was ready for spring training to start. Nothing to report on if he's in the "best shape of his life."

Bud Norris after a fan congratulated Bourn on his second Gold Glove, "I appreciated him winning that too. He helps me out a ton out there."

I'll have a short interview with Brett Dolan up tomorrow. One thing I learned? Don't necessarily joke around with someone you don't know right off the bat. I asked Dolan when I started the interview if he was in the best shape of his life heading into spring training (as a joke). He laughed and then asked me, "You do know I'm not a player, right?" He was pretty serious too, so I can only imagine what kind of idiot he thought I was at that point. Oh, well.

Dolan was pretty gracious about the site and acted like he recognized it when I mentioned I write for TCB. I'm not sure if he's familiar with the site or was just being nice, but I was appreciative of the gesture either way.

Anyone else gone to these events? What do you think of them? I was surprised by the number of fans who had traveled from afar to get to the Caravan. Have you ever driven an hour or more to get to a fan event?

Read The Full Article:
http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2011/1/17/1939756/quick-thoughts-on-astros-winter-ca
ravan

Digg this

Jim Hendry and the Cubs

The Cubs have had one of the highest payrolls in baseball for the last four years, yet[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://blog.lovemyteam.com/2011/01/17/jim-hendry-and-the-cubs/

Digg this