Eating away the innings in baseball's cheap seats

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2008-03-06-Concessions_N.htm

Would you choose an unlimited food section at the ballpark?

... the Pirates are not going to be great in 2008. "I said I think it's pretty obvious that this group of guys is not going to get it done," said Mr. Bay, who, after winning the Rookie of the Year in 2004 and being an All-Star in 2005 and 2006, hit all of .247/.327/.418 last year (worse than the strangely maligned Matt Murton).

Cubnut at The Cub Reporter is worried about the Milwaukee Brewers' signing of Mike Cameron:

This is bad news for the Cubs in a couple respects. First, Cameron is a talented player. Second, his signing will allow the Brewers to move the big hitting but defensively inferior Bill Hall back to the infield, where he will take over for Ryan Braun at third. Braun, a defensively inferior third baseman–25 errors and a fielding percentage of .895(!!!) in ‘07–will then be able to move to left.

Baseball Musings makes the same point about the Brewers' improved defense. While true enough, Cameron is also now 35 and is coming off a year in which he hit .242 / .328 / .431, while playing average defense in centerfield, according to Baseball Prospectus. Plus, Cameron must serve a 25 game suspension to start the year under baseball's drug-testing program.

Based on a quick review, there are no current Chicago Cubs players linked to performance enhancing substances in the Mitchell Report. There are, however, a number of former Cubs discussed, along with rumored acquisition target Brian Roberts. Sammy Sosa's name is absent, other than a brief mention that he declined to answer Mitchell's questions.

Larry Bigbie told Mitchell that "Roberts admitted to him that he had injected himself once or twice with steroids in 2003." Roberts declined to meet with Mitchell.

The Cubs are intent on acquiring a left-handed hitting outfielder this offseason. Here's one available: Corey Patterson. Patterson, now 28, hit just .269/.304/.386 for the Baltimore Orioles in 2007.

Shawon Dunston is eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time this year. With a career adjusted OPS 5.5% below league average, he is not going to make it, or even come close. But he will be remembered. Writes Baseball Prospectus's Jim Baker (sub. req'd): "When somebody does something better than the very best people in his field, it's pretty jarring. Remember the first time you saw Dunston make a throw from shortstop? Didn't your eyes just about unhinge from their sockets? Dunston is already in the Arm Hall of Fame. It's one of the many satellite Halls of Fame located near but not in Cooperstown, New York."

According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, Ron Mahay is the "the most coveted free-agent middle reliever." Who would have thought that when the Cubs released him after the 2002 season, after Mahay allowed 6 home runs in 14.2 innings for the big league club that year? Especially since Mahay was 31-years-old when the Cubs released him.

"The Reds have hired Dusty Baker as manager," reports SI.com's Jon Heyman. The Cubs are going to see plenty more of their former manager for at least the next three years.

. . . at least tonight. After he defeated the Milwaukee Brewers by throwing 5.2 innings of 1-run ball in his first career start and first big league action since he pitched out of Milwaukee's bullpen in 2004. Bennett's performance did not come out of left field: He had a 1.04 ERA in the three postseason starts he made for triple-A Richmond. The Brewers move to a game-and-a-half behind the Cubs.

"That outfield is dangerous. I'm surprised more people don't get injured out there. It's worse than playing in a parking lot." -- Adam Dunn on Wrigley Field

I knew we could count on Wrigleyville23 for a good comment on this.

Derrek Lee and the Cubs aren't the only ones going through a loss of powe this season. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick runs through some of the possible reasons MLB teams are on pace to hit 578 fewer home runs this season than they did in 2006.

35 rows up in the lower box at AT&T Park, for one night, I became a Giants fan, high-fiving everyone around me.

Perhaps more later . . .

As most of you know, Rod Beck passed away at the age of 38 today. He left behind many good baseball memories. His 51 save, 144 ERA+ performance in the fun 1998 season stands out, of course. Though his 1999 season was a disappointment, Beck made a memorable comeback attempt in 2003 following Tommy John surgery the year before. He pitched lights out at Iowa for two months. Last year, I called Jim Hendry's failure to find a bullpen spot for Beck that season one of his worst moves as a GM. Beck ultimately caught on with the Padres and pitched very well.

Other Rod Beck coverage:
Rod Beck and His Trailer (5/16/2003)
"Looking at the Iowa pitching stats, Rod Beck appears to have been the best option if the Cubs wanted an extra reliever . . ." (5/11/2003)
"Adding further intrigue to the bullpen story, Rod Beck’s line at Iowa looks mighty impressive . . ." (5/5/2003)

"The Orioles have agreed in principle with former Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins executive Andy MacPhail to be the club's next chief operating officer, a baseball official confirmed today," reports the Baltimore Sun. The position appears to be similar to the president's position MacPhail held with the Cubs for twelve years. MacPhail was not able to build a consistent winner on the north side of Chicago. Now, it appears, he will have the opportunity in Baltimore. The Orioles are working on their tenth straight sub-.500 season. Joe Girardi could be the new Orioles' manager. Camden Chat has more.

Interesting, it is, that the St. Louis Cardinals -- 13th in the NL in ERA coming into Sunday -- are to the point of using failed a Chicago Cubs relief pitcher as a starting pitcher. They have sent down the 0-8 Anthony Reyes to AAA and are inserting Todd Wellemeyer, whom even the Kansas City Royals released earlier this season, into the starting rotation. Wellemeyer had a memorable debut with the Cubs, but it was all down hill from there. He has a career ERA 19% below league average in 185 innings, all out of the bullpen.