Miracle in Minnesota. Oldest living man hits a triple

Jim Thome is about 115 years old. He hadn’t hit a triple since 2004; that is until June 28th of this year when he hit one against the Detroit Tigers. One would think the chances of him hitting a second triple in one season had to be about as likely as Reggie Willits hitting his first homerun. We’re talking long odds and slim chances.

It was darn near impossible to consider such a feat; unless of course, Juan Rivera happened to be playing left field and Thome decided to hit one… say in the direction of the man I’ve come to call a Tub of Goo.

I didn’t see it happen, but I had a very vivid picture in my head as Terry Smith of AM830 made the call. The ball went skipping off Rivera’s glove and if it had lips it would have been laughing all the way to the wall as Jim Thome, the 115 year old DH (okay he’s really a week away from his 40th birthday) went chugging into third for his second triple of the year. It wasn’t just his second triple this year; it was his second triple in nearly six years. SIX YEARS!!

It’s a good thing I wasn’t watching this on T.V. because there’s a chance I would have picked up the nearest object and flung it at the tube. Instead, I was listening to the call on the radio while driving, which was probably a heck of a lot more dangerous. A lesser man would have driven their car off the road or into a tree. How I managed to stay cool is beyond me. It could have been ugly.

Imagine having to explain what happened to a Highway Patrolman. I’m sure all I would have to do is utter the name Juan… and before I could even say his last name, the officer would say “never mind sir, I totally understand.” Heck, he’d probably give me a police escort all the way to the funny farm.

I can hear him now. “Lock him up boys, another victim of listening to the call of a fly ball hit to Juan Rivera while driving.” Friends shouldn’t let friends drive while Rivera is in a ball game.

Juan, Juan, Juan. Oh how you test me. You’ve made me come up with new ways of saying the word “stink.” Words like putrid and horrific fly off my tongue like they can’t wait to leave my mouth. Luckily I don’t swear, but I swear you make me want to in the worst way.

Rivera has some sort of super hero like powers. He can single handedly destroy the euphoria of a victory that came less than 24 hours ago.

I wish the Juan Rivera story ended here, but there was more (of course). Rivera, major league outfielder that he is, also lost a ball in the grey sky that ended up landng a good 30 feet behind him. That one left me speechless.

I know... I know I’m being too harsh, right? Wrong. Juan Rivera may not have lost the game, but he sure made the defeat all the more painful. He’s good that way.

Speaking of good; what good is Dan Haren? Haren is sporting a 4.55 ERA. And the man the Angels traded for Haren? Well, good ol’ Joe Saunders has a 4.24 ERA since going to Arizona. Neither is lighting it up, but let's not forget that Joe was Cheryl and my favorite.

I’m not a math guy, but even I can see that Haren is kind of picking up where he left off in Arizona and that’s not a good thing. Here’s some more math for you. Dan Haren is making $8.25 million this year. Compare that to Saunders’ $3.7 million. Wait, it gets better – Haren will make $12.75 million next year and that same amount again in 2012. Saunders will most likely have to go to arbitration to get a slight increase in his salary.

And to think some people actually wonder why I’m cranky this year. It’s one thing to take Cheryl and my favorite pitcher away from us, but it’s another to replace him with someone who doesn’t appear to be any better and costs the team a boat load more money.

I know the experts all loved this trade and because they love it so much, I even tried to justify it in my head; all the while hating to see Saundo leave. Well now, I'm getting grumpy.

Danny Boy; it’s time you started to show me something. The honeymoon is over and it’s time for you to live up to the hype. Cheryl and I even bought shirts with your name on it. Don’t make us regret that decision more than we already do. We wanted to show our support. Don't make us want to show you the door.

These are not good times. I’m just saying.

Gag me

Some guys don’t know when to quit. I guess when playing baseball is basically all you’ve ever known, it’s hard to walk away. Diamond Leung says in his column Diamond Notes that Eric Gagne is going to try and make a comeback, possibly with the Dodgers. I wonder; can Kevin Brown be far behind? What’s Gagne’s theme song going to be when he comes out of the bull pen? How about Steve Miller Band’s "Take the money and run?"

I can hear it now...

This here’s is a story about Eric Gagne and Dodger Blue
A dirty old pitcher with nothing left in the tank
He wants to come back and prove us all fools
Problem is last time he pitched, he really, really stank

He’s headed to Glendale for Spring Training
Where he’ll try to make his way back
With a little luck it’ll be raining
And some team can be suckered into a big fat contract

Go on take the money and run
Go on take the money and run
Go on take the money and run
Go on take the money and run

Speaking of comebacks, Edgardo Alfonzo wants to come back as well. So says, Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.

Alfonzo is basically quoted as wanting to still follow his dream. Truth is he was a nightmare in his last big league season of 2006, part of which he spent with the Angels. He hit a whopping .126 with an on-base percentage of .200. Dreamy numbers, don’t you think?

Alfonzo is 36 years old. He wants to retire as a Met. Perhaps the Mets can do him a favor, sign him to a one day contract and let him go out wearing blue and orange. As long as he doesn’t come back to Anaheim, I’m good.

You have to forgive me. I’m still bitter about the time Steve Finley spent in Anaheim in 2005, where he hit .222 and had an OPS of .645. So when I hear about a guy who wants another shot after a miserable season in the twilight of the careers, I get a little testy.

It’s just that the Angels give too many old warriors one too many chances and then ask me to buy tickets and sit in the stands and watch. Remember the Andres Galarraga experiment in 2004? Thankfully, he only got ten at-bats in his final go around. Even Cecil Fielder spent part of his last season in 1998 with the Angels.

This next year’s list of candidates for guys over the hill looking for a job include Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye. Please, please, please… just say no to both of these guys. The Angels already have 36 year old Bobby Abreu. He’s the exception to the rule. Let’s not apply the Abreu model to any other acquisitions this off season.

And don’t think I didn’t notice the Angels giving a minor league contract this past season to Rudy Seanez (albeit, it was during a stretch when it looked like no one in the bull pen could get an out). Thankfully, the forty year old never made it out of Salt Lake City; otherwise, my head might have exploded.

Trust me; this fan isn’t asleep at the wheel. I notice things...

Lackey not lacking for suitors

I know it’s only talk, but I’m not liking what I’m hearing in the Hot Stove round ups taking place around the internet and within the media as a whole. I have read a few too many instances of pundits and the like predicting that John Lackey will end up in New York wearing pinstripes. According to SI’s John Heyman he is definitely on their radar.

It was one thing to have rent-a-player and current mercenary Mark Teixeira go from the Angels to the Yankees, it’s a completely different animal to think that Lackey could be following in his footsteps. The mere thought of such an event is enough to make me crazier than Al Hrabosky. If Lackey follows the money (and he’s entitled to do exactly that), I will be more than a little disappointed and I will enjoy baseball a little less in 2010.

The odd thing about the Angels Hot Stove season so far is that they haven’t come out publicly about what they might do. Last year we heard over and over again that their number one priority was Mark Teixeira. Maybe they learned a lesson from that? That being said, Tony Reagins has been quoted on Sirius XM radio as saying that there was a "likeliness" that Lackey would return. That kind of statement gives me a little bit of hope, but I’m not ready to relax just yet.

One thing is clear, the Angels aren’t going to sign Lackey during their exclusive window. Perhaps they’ll go the route that White Sox and Paul Konerko went a few years back and have Lackey go out and get the best offer and bring it back to the Angels to match. Seems like the Angels have been used plenty of times to drive up the price for free agents in the past. Maybe it’s their turn to use the same tactic with the rest of major league baseball. I would rather it didn’t come to that, but it’s not like I have any choice in the matter.

This got me to thinking; is a player’s loyalty to a team in baseball gone? Cheryl and I went to the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation’s (OCYF)Sportsman of the Year dinner in 2006 which honored Tim Salmon. One of the things I will never forget about that night was how Salmon’s brother – Mike told us about Tim’s first contract opportunity after putting in his initial service time. Tim instructed his agent to “take the first offer.” I’m sure he got a reaction or two from his agent, but I’m betting he doesn’t regret that decision one single bit. I now think about that every time the hot Stove Season rolls around and I can’t help but wonder if that kind of attitude is dead now.

I don’t know what makes me more nervous, the uncertainty of the Hot Stove season or Brian Fuentes coming in to close a game. At least there are plenty of other players and scenarios to think about.

Which brings me to Chone Figgins. I see Figgins as the key cog in the Angels entire off season plans for their non-pitching needs. If Figgins resigns, I believe the Angels would be done (for the most part) with that part of their plans. It would most likely mean that Figgins would be going to the outfield and Brandon Wood would be playing third base. I can see Figgins moving to RF, with Bobby Abreu getting the majority of the DH duties and an occasional start in the outfield. If Figgins doesn’t resign, I believe the Angels will land Jason Bay or possibly (although less likely in my opinion) Matt Holliday. So the question begs – who would you rather have Figgins, Bay or Holliday? I don’t see a scenario where they have two of the three because I strongly believe Wood is going to get his shot. I don’t believe any of the talk that has the Angels trading Wood. If he was going to be gone, he’d already be somewhere else. Wood is the kind of player who can become the face of a franchise. His ceiling is that high. He’s only 25 – even though it seems like we’ve been hearing about him for as long as he is old.

Now for some other predictions... I guess I’m feeling my oats since Tim Dierkes of mlbtraderumors.com predicted Vlad Guerrero will sign with the White Sox, just like I did in my Let’s get cooking in Anaheim post, where I also predicted the Angels signing Bobby Abreu to an extension. What's that saying about a blind squirrel?

First up: Rich Harden. Rich Harden will turn 28 later this month. When I realized how young Harden was, I was actually kind of surprised. Here’s a guy who made his major league debut (albeit with the hated A’s) in 2003. Despite his injuries over the years, he looks like a player with tremendous up side. The Red Sox have taken on a few of these kinds of guys (see John Smoltz and Brad Penny); however, I think he’ll be headed to the Mets. In a word the Mets starting pitching is simply awful. When your team ends the year with your #2 guy being the likes of either Nelson Figueroa or Mike Pelfrey, Harden becomes the kind of risk, you need to take.

Randy Wolf has been a nice innings eater for the Dodgers, but with all that’s going on in divorce court these days, one has to wonder if the Dodgers will be players in the free agent market. Even if they are, it’s doubtful they’ll be able to afford the likes of Wolf. There is that remote possibility that he’ll give them a home town discount, but I have a feeling he’ll be another piece of the Mets pitching puzzle in 2010. Wolf is going to get a nice pay day after a solid season where he posted a 3.23 ERA. He’s the kind of guy (a lefty) the Mets need to throw against a left handed hitting dominant Philadelphia Phillies team.

If you’re wondering who might DH for the Yankees next year (assuming they don’t resign Hideki Matsui), you might consider Jim Thome. Let’s do the math. Thome is a big left handed bat and the ball flies out of Yankee Stadium to right field. It’s a match made in… well, some place. Thome is a big post season performer and would most likely shine in the Yankee spot light.

Jermaine Dye finally gets to go home. Born in Oakland and a graduate of Will C. Wood High School in Vacaville, Dye will become Billy Bean’s latest attempt to find an aging veteran with a little something left in the tank. He struck gold with Frank Thomas in 2006 and has been looking for that kind of magic ever since. It didn’t work out so well for Mike Piazza in 2007 or Jason Giambi in 2009, but that won’t stop Beane from trying again.

Joe Crede has two strikes against him. First of all, he’s had chronic back problems and secondly, his agent is Scott Boras. That means he’s not going back to Minnesota in 2010. Instead the Twins will look at a guy who could come at a reasonable price, as he is coming off some injury problems of his own. I’m talking Troy Glaus, who is one year removed from a 27 homerun season. The Twins will be breaking in a new outdoor stadium and Glaus could regain his power stroke playing there. At 32 years of age, he’s not ancient and just might have solid season in 2010. He also could be the kind of post-season performer the Twins need.