Yardbarker: Alex Rodriguez

A-Rod Needs More Publicity, Joins William Morris Agency

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:29:14 -0500

In the past month, Yankees 3rd basemen Alex Rodriguez has had an up and down experience. On the field, A-Rod has enjoyed success, hitting .290, with 7 HR's, 18 RBI, and even 6 SB's. However, off the field, A-Rod has been at the apex of a love triangle between him, his ex-wife Cynthia, and pop sensation Madonna. Struggling with divorce proceedings, and being labeled by the media as a cheater and a neglectful parent and husband, A-Rod has signed on with the William Morris agency. The William Morris agency is a talent and public relations company that deals with singers, actors, directors, and much more. Celebrities such as Mel Gibson, Kanye West, and Britney Spears have confided in the WIlliam Morris family to help them in their time of need. A-Rod is the first baseball player to make this sort of giant leap and it doesn't come as a surprise to me. A-Rod's manager, Guy Oseary, has been working with the agency for a while and has been a business mogul for quite some time. Oseary, as stated by Foxsports.com, said "Surrounding Alex with the right team is imperative to reaching our goals." What are those goals exactly Mr. Oseary? Are we going to be seeing A-Rod make a cameo next to Russell Crowe in the next Ridley Scott film? Maybe he'll spit a couple of rhymes with Snoop Dogg on his next album? While Rodriguez may very well become the best baseball player of all-time, in no way has he become bigger than the game. This signing by A-Rod is a step in that direction, or at least showing that this is what Rodriguez wants to do, become more than just a baseball player. Normally, I would really bash A-Rod for a move like this but I can see why he would do it at this point in the year. He has gotten a lot of bad press over the divorce and stands to lose a lot in settlements. No matter who you are it is hard to go deal with this sort of situation and i hope everything goes smoothly for A-Rod. The only thing I fear is a year from now, seeing A-Rod everywhere, on my TV, all over the subway, even on my cups of coffee. Rodriguez refused to comment on his signing with the William Morris agency before Tuesday's game with the Minnesota Twins. A-Rod said, "I just want to win baseball games." There you go Alex, that's the way you can get away from all this scrutiny that has been following you since the day you stepped off the private jet at JFK. Help the Yankees win games in September and October and the hardcore fans, and the casual fans will get off of your back. You don't need a team of men in suits telling you how to live your life. Just do what you do best from April to August and the rest will take care of itself.

Rounding The Bases: Mike Tirico Disses Josh Hamilton

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:50:28 -0500

ESPN's Mike Tirico: Josh Hamilton is a coward and "kind of an asshole." (kind of?) [TIRICOsuave] "One of the worst defeats in [New York Mets] regular season history." (slight overreaction?) [METSlifers] Devil Ray All-Star Dioner "The Fat Catcher" Navarro is immortalized with his very own Rayshead shirt. (I still want a Shitske #32.) [RAYSindex] A-Rod's friends ain't [...]

Fantasy Baseball Players of the Day - 7/21/08

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:06:08 -0500

Monday, July 21st Miguel Cabrera went 5 for 6 with 2 Runs, 2 Doubles, and 6 RBI. Matt Joyce went 4 for 6 with 3 Runs, a Triple, a HR, and 5 RBI. James Loney went 3 for 6 with 2 Runs, a Triple, and 5 RBI. Troy Tulowitzki went 5 for 5. J.J. Hardy and Jason Bay each had 4 Hits. Curtis Granderson went 3 for 5 with 4 Runs. Carlos Guillen went 3 for 4 with 5 Runs, 2 RBI, and 2 Walks. Freddy Sanchez went 3 for 6 with 2 Runs, a HR, and 4 RBI. Bill Hall, Jason Kendall, Alexi Casilla, Denard Span, Jose Molina, Edgar Gonzalez, Nate McLouth, Xavier Nady, Kazuo Matsui, Russell Martin (3 Runs), Jeff Kent (3 Runs), Matt Holliday (3 RBI), Brad Hawpe (3 RBI), Ian Stewart, Manny Ramirez, and Howie Kendrick each had 3 Hits. Richie Weeks, A-Rod, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Josh Hamilton, and Gary Sheffield each had 3 RBI. Scott Kazmir gave up 2 Hits in 7 scoreless Innings with 9 Ks to improve to 8-5 with a 2.80 ERA. Jorge Campillo gave up 2 Hits in 7 scoreless Inningswith 6 Ks to improve to 5-4 with a 2.83 ERA. Randy Johnson also gave up 2 Hits in 7 scoreless Innings to improve to 7-7. Rich Harden gave up 1 Run on 1 Hits in 7 Innings with 10 Ks, but took the Loss. Jon Lester struck out 6 in 7-1/3 scoreless Innings to improve to 8-3 with a 3.20 ERA. Scott Feldman gave up 1 Run on 4 Hits in 6 Innings to improve to 4-3. Javier Vazquez gave up 3 Runs on 4 Hits in 7 Innings with 10 Ks, but took the Loss. Zach Miner gave up 3 Hits in 6 scoreless Innings to improve to 4-3 with a 3.73 ERA.

A-Rod Jumps to William Morris Agency to Boost Image

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:35:54 -0500

Alex Rodriguez is the highest paid player in Major League Baseball, but when it comes to endorsements, A-Rod is in the minor league compared to what he could be making, pulling in approx. $6 million annually compared to his $275 million contract signed during the off-season. With the negative PR over his wife Cynthia filing for divorce, and the lack of sponsorship income, Rodriguez has picked up William Morris Agency LLC to help improve his image and increase his income outside of his baseball salary. As reported by Bloomberg News (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079 sid=a9nCZZu4aL0I refer=amsports): “Partnering with William Morris will enable me to broaden the scope of my career in creative and innovative ways,'' Rodriguez said yesterday in a statement after becoming a client of the agency.[…]Rodriquez endorses PepsiCo Inc., Nike Inc., Oasys Mobile Inc., a closely held software maker for mobile phones, Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. and the Topps Company Inc., which makes baseball cards, according to his Web site. While A-Rod ranks at #7 of the highest paid American athletes, he only 20th in terms of endorsements.Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29).

There Are Worse Names Than Yankee Skank

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:14:25 -0500

By way of The Soup comes this clip of former A-Rod two night stand Candice Houlihan discussing one of her nicknames. It’s Yankee Skank and it was given to her by adoring Boston Red Sox fans as they watched her climb in a car with Alex Rodriguez. This woman is in her 14th minute so [...]

There Are Worse Names Than Yankee Skank

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:14:25 -0500

MLB Weekly Report

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:33:48 -0500

Take it Deep: www.letsgodeep.com & www.passitdeep.com What a week for baseball as the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game kicked off early in the week and gave fans plenty to cheer about. There are 2 robberies to report from Monday Night as Josh Hamilton stole the stage in the first round and then Justin Morneau stole the trophy from Hamilton despite hitting 13 less homeruns on the night. Josh Hamilton wrote another chapter in his amazing comeback story as he won over the fans in New York by stepping to the plate against his 71-year-old pitcher and crushing pitch after pitch deep into the New York night. When the first round had come to a close, Hamilton had set a new record with 28 homeruns in one round including 3 shots over 500 feet. The fatigue of 38 swings in the first round was too much for Hamilton as Justin Morneau defeated him in the Finals, 5-3. It was a proud moment for Canada and the Minnesota Twins as Morneau won his first Home Run Derby title. The All-Star Game proved to be just as exciting on Tuesday as the teams battled for 15 innings before Justin Morneau found himself in the spotlight again as he was able to slide in just ahead of the throw on a Michael Young sacrifice fly and the America League continued their run of dominance with a 4-3 win. We were all left to wonder what would have happened if Morneau were called out and the game went to a 16th inning. Every position and pitcher was used during the marathon and it's possible that Bud Selig would have faced another nightmare. Business was back on schedule on Thursday when the 2nd half of the MLB season officially kicked off. The Mets were able to run their win streak to 10 games before losing a pair, but they remain baseball's hottest team with a record of 8-2 over the last 10 games. They find themselves in a deadlock with the Philadelphia Philles for the division lead. The Florida Marlins are right on their heels, but also face a tough start to the 2nd half and could find themselves fading out of contention. As we turn out attention to the NL West, we find an embarrassment to baseball. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers are tied for the lead with 48-50 records. Each team is 5-5 over the last 10. The Rockies are playing well as of late, but also sport a 5-5 mark over the last 10. They have won 4 in a row after a 1-5 stretch. The 2 worst teams in baseball are holding down the bottom of the division. The San Francisco Giants have lost 9 of the last 10 and the San Diego Padres have come up short in 8 of the last 10, including 6 straight. Speaking of teams that have lost 8 of the last 10, Tampa Bay leads the American League East. The Rays are lucky to be in that position after Boston was swept by the Angels. Don't look now, but the Yankees appear to be getting hot and should be adding their annual big name via trade any day now. This division should be fun to watch down the stretch. In the AL Central, the White Sox and Twins are tied with 55 wins, but Minnesota is one back in the loss column. The Twins came out of the break on fire as they racked up 20 runs on Texas in 2 games, before suffering a 1-0 loss despite Scott Baker having a perfect game through 5.2 innings. Minnesota pitching has been hot and things could get better if Francisco Liriano has anything to say about it. Liriano is 8-0 with an ERA of just over 2 in his last 10 starts at the Triple-A level. He would provide a huge boost to an already solid rotation if he could maintain those pre-injury numbers with the big club. Plenty to watch for this week as there will be quite a few clubs making the decision to make a move because they are out of contention or stay put because the guys are starting to catch fire.

Yanks need moe than luck to reach October

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:28:49 -0500

With the 2008 All-Star game behind us, the second half of the season is upon us. This is where the contenders show their worth and the pretenders fade away. The Yankees have been known as a good second half team over the past few seasons but this might very well be the toughest second half of recent memory. The Yankees are 51-45 and 5.5 games out of first place. 66 games to go. Now granted this is no reason to be alarmed, BUT do you really think Sidney Ponson is going to continue to pitch effectively throughout the second half? Do you think Richie Sexson will be that much of a help in the lineup? Those two are replacing ace Chien-Ming Wang and slugger Hideki Matsui. Mighty big shoes to fill. How much longer is Mike Mussina going to pitch like its 1999? All of these are BIG questions going into the second half. How about Melky Cabrera in CF? When the heck is he going to hit? Robinson Cano, when does he show us that talent that makes him so untouchable? My friends, I think these Yanks are in serious trouble. The Yankees were 49-46 after 95 games last season. They ended up winning 94 games. I am a fan and sometimes that alters my thinking of the team and what's realistic but this time, this year I don't see the fight in this team. I don't sense it. I want to believe the Yankees will be playing October baseball but I just don't believe they have it in them. I will admit despite all the injuries (Wang-September, Matsui-Out for the year?, Phil Hughes- September?, Ian Kennedy- ?, A-Rod- 3 weeks, Jorge Posada- 6 weeks, Johnny Damon- a few weeks) the Yanks have done a good job in staying in the race. The Tampa Bay Rays will give the Yanks and Red Sox a run for their money this summer but will eventually fade out. It's the Yanks job to gain ground as the end of the season approaches. The reason for concern is the .254 hitting with runners in scoring position (heading into last night's game). They hit .293 in similar situations last season. "It's something that's hard to make sense of," general manager Brian Cashman said. "I have to have belief that these guys will hit because that is what they have done in the past. I have to go on what their track records have been." But again, these are not Joe Torre's Yankees, it's Joe Girardi's team now. We will now see how much of the last few season was Torre's doing or was it the players? The Bombers have 35 games left on the road, 43 games against teams with a record over .500. Things have to get going now. I've said it all season that I will wait until at least the All-Star break to look at where the Yanks are and what their situation is and what lies ahead of them. Well, at this time, things don't look good in the Bronx. I don't want to count them out just yet, but they're not showing me anything worth believing October baseball is in the future. In order to reach 94 wins the Yankees will have to go 44-23. It's possible and I hope they do make it. But I predict a 39-27 second half. The result of injuries, inconsistent play and lack of clutch hitting. This will leave them with a 90-72 record. I honestly think even that is a stretch for this team but I'm trying to be as realistic as possibe. The Yanks don't take the divison, the wild card is certainly a possiblity because how many AL teams are going to finish with 90 wins? "I think we can get it done with the players we have," Derek Jeter said. "There's enough talent on this team to get it done." Is the captain speaking out of confidence or is he speaking like someone who just happens to always say the right thing? "It's time for us to get going" Girardi said. I couldn't agree more. I hope the Yanks prove me wrong.

Cynth-Rod accuses Madonna of tampering

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:33:46 -0500

MIAMI, FL — In a bold and unorthodox move, Cynthia Rodriguez has accused Madonna of tampering with her soon-to-be-ex-husband Alex Rodriguez, and has asked NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to make a swift ruling and mete out an appropriate penalty. “Normally, I focus on issues between the various teams in the National Football League,” Goodell told SSNN. [...]

Cynth-Rod accuses Madonna of tampering

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:33:46 -0500

Quite Frankly: Yanks Need More Than Luck to Reach October

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:08:40 -0500

With the 2008 All-Star game behind us, the second half of the season is upon us. This is where the contenders show their worth and the pretenders fade away. The Yankees have been known as a good second half team over the past few seasons but this might very well be the toughest second half of recent memory. The Yankees are 51-45 and 5.5 games out of first place. 66 games to go. Now granted this is no reason to be alarmed, BUT do you really think Sidney Ponson is going to continue to pitch effectively throughout the second half? Do you think Richie Sexson will be that much of a help in the lineup? Those two are replacing ace Chien-Ming Wang and slugger Hideki Matsui. Mighty big shoes to fill. How much longer is Mike Mussina going to pitch like its 1999? All of these are BIG questions going into the second half. How about Melky Cabrera in CF? When the heck is he going to hit? Robinson Cano, when does he show us that talent that makes him so untouchable? My friends, I think these Yanks are in serious trouble. The Yankees were 49-46 after 95 games last season. They ended up winning 94 games. I am a fan and sometimes that alters my thinking of the team and what's realistic but this time, this year I don't see the fight in this team. I don't sense it. I want to believe the Yankees will be playing October baseball but I just don't believe they have it in them. I will admit despite all the injuries (Wang-September, Matsui-Out for the year?, Phil Hughes- September?,Ian Kennedy- ?, A-Rod- 3 weeks, Jorge Posada- 6 weeks, Johnny Damon- a few weeks) the Yanks have done a good job in staying in the race. The Tampa Bay Rays will give the Yanks and Red Sox a run for their money this summer but will eventually fade out. It's the Yanks job to gain ground as the end of the season approaches. The reason for concern is the .254 hitting with runners in scoring position (heading into last night's game). They hit .293 in similar situations last season. "It's something that's hard to make sense of," general manager Brian Cashman said. "I have to have belief that these guys will hit because that is what they have done in the past. I have to go on what their track records have been." But again, these are not Joe Torre's Yankees, it's Joe Girardi's team now. We will now see how much of the last few season was Torre's doing or was it the players? The Bombers have 35 games left on the road, 43 games against teams with a record over .500. Things have to get going now. I've said it all season that I will wait until at least the All-Star break to look at where the Yanks are and what their situation is and what lies ahead of them. Well, at this time, things don't look good in the Bronx. I don't want to count them out just yet, but they're not showing me anything worth believing October baseball is in the future. In order to reach 94 wins the Yankees will have to go 44-23. It's possible and I hope they do make it. But I predict a 39-27 second half. The result of injuries, inconsistent play and lack of clutch hitting. This will leave them with a 90-72 record. I honestly think even that is a stretch for this team but I'm trying to be as realistic as possibe. The Yanks don't take the divison, the wild card is certainly a possiblity because how many AL teams are going to finish with 90 wins? "I think we can get it done with the players we have," Derek Jeter said. "There's enough talent on this team to get it done." Is the captain speaking out of confidence or is he speaking like someone who just happens to always say the right thing? "It's time for us to get going" Girardi said. I couldn't agree more. I hope the Yanks prove me wrong.

Cub Dumpster

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:03:58 -0500

Joel McHale pokes fun at the Inside Edition interview with alleged A-Rod "Yankee Skank" Candice Houlihan, and in the process coins my new favorite term for promiscuous Chicago women.

MLB Top 50 fantasy players - July 18

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:50:15 -0500

Foxsports.com fantasy writer Gerritt Ritt's list of the Top 50 fantasy players in MLB. Josh Hamilton leads in RBI and is hitting more than .300 makes him the first half's top fantasy player. These rankings are updated weekly during the MLB season.

Top 7 Fantasy to Real Life Baseball Discrepancies

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:12:42 -0500

With the best players in baseball like Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez and other established stars, it usually translates into them ranked nearly as high as far as fantasy baseball is concerned in almost every single case. But due to fantasy baseball being?fantasy, some discrepancies arise as you start looking at who the most valuable players are in your 4x4 or 5x5 league.

Sometimes, the guy that ends up winning your league for you is the same guy whose fans curse the team every time that he is in the lineup, or a guy whose numbers look decent at the end of the year, but whose streakiness makes him beyond frustrating to root for in real life.

This week's Top 7 pays tribute to the players whose fantasy value and real value are the furthest from each other.

7. Dan Uggla

OK, fine, this is based upon his performance in the All-Star Game, but three errors and 27 men left on base in ten innings wouldn't mean much of anything fantasy-wise, but sure didn't help the NL. Here's the most depressing thing about the All-Star Game?with JD Drew getting his second huge home run in less than a year and being healthy all season so far, is it even fair to rip on him being the biggest pansy in baseball anymore? How depressing.

6. Alfonso Soriano

Streakier than Jim Edmonds, injured nearly as much as Drew, and as frustrating in the outfield as Adam Dunn, Soriano may put up huge numbers year after year, but you can't find too many Cub fans without several negative things to say about him.

5. Michael Bourn

He is the new Juan Pierre. He is on someone's roster in any fantasy league because of his steals, but on the Astros he is a leadoff guy with a .218 average and a .273 OB%, good for 84th out of 86 qualified players.

4. Willy Taveras

Another ungodly light-hitting outfielder who inexplicably keeps playing despite horrifically low power numbers and OB%, but fantasy owners hope the Rockies continue playing he and his 39 steals.

3. Carlos Marmol

Unless you are in one of those progressive leagues that have the holds-plus-saves category, middle relievers are the most under appreciated players in fantasy baseball. Marmol was the posterboy for that in the first half with 22 of them despite slowing down the last few weeks. He is still owned in some leagues because of his massive amount of strikeouts, but he sure won't be on major league waivers any time soon.

2. Jason Isringhausen

Ah yes, fantasy saves. There are people who, especially in NL-only leagues, have Izzy sitting on their roster hoping that he gets another chance to close so he picks up some more saves. In real life, Cardinal fans across the country scream and throw things at the TV if he even begins warming up.

1. Juan Pierre

He helps neither real nor fantasy in power, with no homers since 2006. The only thing keeping him on fantasy rosters are his stolen bases, and the only thing keeping him on the Dodgers is one of the worst contracts in baseball.

Minor League Promotion of the Week

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:33:05 -0500

You have to hand it to minor league baseballs - those teams can dream really up some creative promotions. The recent promotion held by the Grand Prairie AirHogs (don't you just love the name) , was perhaps inevitable given recent publicity concerning a certain baseball star's love life. The AirHogs are an independent team, playing in the American Association and located about 20 miles west of Dallas. This is their first year of operation. The team held A-Rod and Madonna Night. Anyone wearing an A-Rod jersey (presumably from the Mariners, Rangers or Yankees) or dressed like Madonna could buy a ticket to Wednesday's game for only a dollar. A-Rod and Madonna couples were then treated to a phony wedding ceremony between innings and had opportunities to win a house, car and other luxury items. Last month, the AirHogs packed the stand with another great promotion. The team gave away a funeral, complete with headstone, casket and plot. There were pallbearer races between innings and fans were encouraged to wear black. The spirit of Bill Veeck is alive and well in Grand Prairie.