Rest of baseball thread 2006

[PhillyPhreak54]

Lonnie Smith wanted to kill John Schuerholtz

The bad memories, such as the stigma of addiction, stay with him. He carries the most visible reminder on his right hand, where a deep scar near his thumb reminds him that he had both a gun and a plan to kill John Schuerholz, the general manager Smith blamed for sabotaging his career while he played for the Kansas City Royals.

Smith blamed Schuerholz, now the Braves general manager, for blackballing him among other major league teams' officials. Smith says Schuerholz never believed he had given up drugs in 1983, when he spent 30 days in a rehab clinic, and told other general managers Smith was a troublemaker with a dangerous history. Smith, who left Kansas City on bad terms after the '87 season, spent much of the next year begging teams to give him a chance. When it did not happen, Smith bought a dime bag of marijuana and decided Schuerholz's crime was a capital offense.

"If I couldn't get back to baseball," Smith says, "I was going to take him with me. I was going to fly out there, wait for him in the parking lot of the stadium and pop him. If I got caught, I got caught. If not, I'd come on back home."

Smith pauses and extends his right hand to emphasize his point; his thumb and forefinger are extended to symbolize a gun.

"If I did, you know, the thing, at least I took somebody out who was at blame," he says.

For Smith, "the thing" is a pet name for murder. And home was Spartanburg, where he lived during the offseason for 10 years, and the place where Smith endured his most difficult times. It also was the place where he walked into a pawnshop on North Church Street and bought a Taurus 9-millimeter handgun, the weapon he intended to point at Schuerholz's head and, at six feet away, pull the trigger.

[MDS]

Even if he ended up doing that, the Phillies wouldn't have ever passed the Braves.

[BigEd76]

Early rumor:  Texas put up a $25M bid for Matsuzaka

[PhillyPhreak54]

Wow...it would be funny to see them outbid NYY.

Bud Black is the Padres manager.

Josh Barfield was traded to CLE for Kevin Kouzmanoff and another prospect.

Weird trade. Why would SD get rid of him?

[BigEd76]

Because they needed a 3B and got a decent prospect in return.  This opens up 2B for a trade with Atlanta to reunite the Giles brothers out west...

[BigEd76]

-- Curt Schilling will be on Celebrity Jeopardy on Thursday

-- Here's the new Diamondbacks gear:

Gallery

[PhillyPhreak54]

Those are better than those purple things....

I wouldn't trade Barfield. Would Barfield and a FA 3B be better than Kouzmanoff and Giles? I'd go with the first option. But then again, SD is starting to get stupid. Alderson is a fool.

[MURP]

new gear looks good.

[Rome]

-- Curt Schilling will be on Celebrity Jeopardy on Thursday

Insufferable iceholes for $1,000, Alex!

[mpmcgraw]

Those are better than those purple things....

I wouldn't trade Barfield. Would Barfield and a FA 3B be better than Kouzmanoff and Giles? I'd go with the first option. But then again, SD is starting to get stupid. Alderson is a fool.

Everyone is now saying that the Padres are going to sign Soraino.

I have to say that move looks a little better now.  Just a little though.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder J.D. Drew opted out of the final three years of his contract Thursday, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Drew, who turns 31 on Saturday, hit .283 with 20 homers and 100 RBIs last season — his second with the Dodgers. He signed a five-year, $55 million contract on Dec. 23, 2004, and had been guaranteed $33 million over the next three years with Los Angeles.
Drew was limited to 72 games in his first year with Los Angeles by injuries, hitting .286 with 15 homers and 36 RBIs. Previously, he played with St. Louis from 1998-03 and with Atlanta in 2004, where he batted a career-best .305 with 31 homers and 93 RBIs.

Dumbass. Who the hell opts out of $33m GUARANTEED? I hope he doesn't get close to that money when he signs with whatever team next.

Where's my d-cell...

[MDS]

Possibly a good thing. Bad if the Mets get him. Good that it's another body some team may want as opposed to Soriano.

Word is Glavine wants out, too. Glavine > Wolf. But Glavine wants more. So....yea.

[SD_Eagle5]

Those are better than those purple things....

I wouldn't trade Barfield. Would Barfield and a FA 3B be better than Kouzmanoff and Giles? I'd go with the first option. But then again, SD is starting to get stupid. Alderson is a fool.

Everyone is now saying that the Padres are going to sign Soraino.

I have to say that move looks a little better now.  Just a little though.

One thing I know from living in SD is they never make a big splash in free agency. So signing Soriano would be a huge shock to their fans.

[BigEd76]

Nobody would be dumb enough to give a 2B $100M.  Other than A-Rod, that kind of money is reserved for OFs and star pitchers...

[hbionic]

Boooooooo to J.D. Drew. What a corksucker.

[pg] I told you so (to all Dodgers fans and hbionic[/pg]