Seems like it's been awhile since one of these have been posted, and the others are nearly dead and buried. Seems a lot is going on today, so another thread might as well go up.

1. Halladay to take physical with Phillies, trade close?

Two baseball sources told CSNPhilly.com Monday that the team is actively talking about a contract extension with representatives for the 32-year-old righthander. It is likely that the Phillies would want to sign Halladay to an extension before they traded for him. Without an extension, Halladay would be eligible for free agency after the 2010 season. One of the sources said that Halladay is likely to have a physical exam with Phillies' medical personal this week. LINK

Cliff Lee would likely be moved in that deal too. I'd be fine with this happening, if it meant the Angels didn't get him.

2. Hideki Matsui to Angels?

The Los Angeles Angels are in serious discussions with Hideki Matsui about supplanting Vladimir Guerrero as their designated hitter, a source familiar with the team's thinking told ESPN.com. A league source told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that the Angels and Matsui were closing in on a one-year deal for about $6.5 million. LINK

I'd have liked Matsui, but he wouldn't have come here anyway. Probably not a good fit for the club anyway. Seems like a good pickup for Anaheim.

3. Lackey to Red Sox...maybe

Former Los Angeles Angels ace John Lackey(notes) submitted to a physical examination by Boston Red Sox doctors Monday, according to reports, leading to speculation the free-agent right-hander was close to a contract agreement with the club. However, a source with the Angels said they are still in the running for Lackey and believe he hasn’t accepted an offer. LINK

This is the first piece I've seen that has the Angels saying they're still in it. I bet he still goes to the Red Sox. I wonder if the Mets and Angels step up bidding for Bay, or if the Angels try to beat the Phillies' offer for Halladay after this news...

So I've already got my Mariners tattoo on my left forearm, and it's come time for me to get the Seahawks tattoo on the other forearm. The problem is, I can't find the picture I want to help guide the artist through the colors I want. I remember a long time ago, someone posted the new Seahawks logo, but with the old green as the bottom color instead of the light blue they actually use. That's what I want my tattoo to be, but I can't find that picture for the life of me. Can anyone help a brotha out?

We are starting on Friday. I am going to unpause simulations around midnight Thursday night/Friday morning, so that's when we will start.

Up until Firday, we will be making pre-season trades, and free-agent bids in the sub forums of this Main Forum

Available teams are FLA, NYM(?), and CHC (it's a non LL member in control of CHC and I think NYM right now, and LL members take precedence.)

I'm going to post who is with what team on here to make sure we are filled with LL members instead of random BMO players I didn't notice.

Arizona: Goose
Atlanta: Matthew
Baltimore: aestivalis
Boston: CoachOwens
Chicago N:
Chicago A:
Cincinnati: ejo
Cleveland: Sec 108
Colorado: ConorGlassey
Detroit: seattlebruin
Florida: Slurvey
Houston: Mbad
Kansas City: rlintott
Los Angeles A: Nuss
Los Angeles N: thewyrm
Milwaukee: Fin
Minnesota: tootthekazoo
New York N:
New York A: gborish
Oakland:
Philadelphia: Gomez
Pittsburgh: ness
San Diego: Garces
San Francisco: Robert
Seattle: BrettJMiller
St Louis: acblue
Tampa Bay: Taylor H
Texas: jhmoore
Toronto: kharbaugh
Washington: fuzz

So basically, if I didn't list your name, I didn't recogonize the name you were using for BMO, and what corresponding LL name it was. Let me know and I'll update the list. If we've really just got this many non-LL players in the league, we may have to delay start time until Saturday? Give me feedback and claim some teams, fuckers.

Hey all,

I'm writing an article for my campus paper about Dustin Ackley. The problem is, I have no photos for it. It's a long shot, I know, but does anybody have a picture of Ackley I can use that is not copyrighted? The sooner the better on this, really. Can anyone help a brotha out? :o

It can be of anything, though I would prefer if it was him in action. Maybe a swing, a dive, or a rare shot of him playing OF. But I'd settle for a face shot if that's all that anyone can do.

Is it a little bit annoying to anyone else that MLB Network has pre-empted not only Randy Johnson's 19 strikeout games, but Clemens', Wood's, and RJ's 20 K's in Arizona to show 36 continuous hours of coverage about Alex Rodriguez taking steroids six years ago. So what to do? I'm not sure our voice will really be heard, but there's a few contact options on the MLB Network page.

raquel.ramos@mlb.com is the e-mail address given. It's the only one listed on the contact information of MLB Network's page. Snail Mail and Telephone options can be found HERE.

Maybe it's just me who's so bent out of shape about this, I don't know. I suggested MLB put up a poll about what the fans want to see--since supposedly the goal of MLB Network is to entertain the fans--so why don't we get something going that we can show to them here? It probably won't help too much, but it's possible, and I'll waste my time for even the slight possibility of getting to see RJ pitch in a Mariner Uniform tonight at 9PM...though it'll probably be just be the same A-Rod segments over and over again...

Poll

What do you, as a baseball fan, want to see aired on MLB Network:

4%

Cycled coverage of Alex Rodriguez's positive steroid tests

5 votes

95%

The regularly scheduled strikeout games marathon

102 votes

107 votes | Poll has closed

Facebook Link

Well, I'd say last week's football was a resounding success, and my aches and pains from that and the concert that night are finally (mostly) gone. It's clear we need to play more often so the aches don't linger as long. So how about we play again this weekend and get back in the swing of things?

I'd prefer anything but Sunday, since I'm going to the Hawks-Pats game, but Friday or Saturday would work for me. I'd have to show up late on Friday (about 2PM, meeting for work) but I can do that. My vote would be for Saturday at 12 PM...who's in? I plan on catching more than 4 of the like 12 targets I get this week, so hopefully that works out...I'll put up a roll call after some people commit.

Roll Call:

Starting:

Brett
johbai
wwbaker3 (+ 3 and kid, maybe 4 and kid)

Questionable:

Robert (after 3PM)
Two Rs and Two Ls (?)


Come on people, let's get some more players!!

Via Geoff Baker

"UPDATE: 2:37 p.m.: Eric O'Flaherty was just claimed off waivers by the Atlanata Braves. Quite the dramatic fall for O'Flaherty within the organization the past eight months. He opened last season as the team's situational lefty, then didn't make it past the second week of the season in the majors. He was claimed when the Mariners took him off their 40-man roster to make room for incoming names. Pitchers Stephen Kahn, Gabby Hernandez, Marwin Vega and outfielder Greg Halman have been added. O'Flaherty is out, while pitchers Luis Munoz and Tracy Thorpe have been outrighted to the minors."

Interesting choices, but sweet god why would anyone put Tracy Thorpe on their 40-man?

Through the dismal 2-7 start, we've learned that even good teams are fallible. Well constructed teams. Teams that are assembled by smart football people who can recognize talent. But this year, poor execution and a ridiculous slew of improbable injuries shot the Seahawks down before they could get airborne. But in the spirit of John Morgan's attempts to keep an optimistic outlook on this team, I want to take a look at a 2009 that can't possibly see us suffering this much bad luck.

First off, there's the receiving corps. Right now we're running a Robinson-Colbert-Engram split end, flanker, and slot rotation. It's not terrible, but it could be better. And in 2009, it will be. Assuming we keep Robinson (and why not, he's cheap and has been very good) we could potentially run sets of Branch-Robinson-Burleson-Taylor. It will be a position of depth with Kent, Bumpus, and potentially a draftee taking a bigger role. The receiving corps next year shapes up to be sure-handed and athletically gifted.

Secondly, the quarterback position. We've seen three quarterbacks line up under center for our beloved Seahawks this year, all due to a hit that should have been considered illegal on Matt Hasselbeck. Admittedly, he was hurting before then, but the prognosis of his injury seems to be better than we expected. Can we count on Hasselbeck in 2009? The man is a warrior, it's hard to say no, but we'll have the second half of the Season to see if his back injury hinders him from being an elite, championship-level quarterback in 2009. With a guy like Hasselbeck, my money is on him returning to form.

Next, Red Bryant has turned into quite the monster at defensive tackle. Paired with Brandon Mebane, it's possible we won't even look to re-sign Rocky Bernard. And if we do, great, we have incredible depth. Patrick Kerney being out isn't as terrible as we may think, because it gives Lawrence Jackson some time to learn on the job is a lower-pressure situation. It's not impossible that we draft another end this offseason, but a mature Tapp and Jackson will look good. Anything Kerney can give you in 2009 is just gravy.

Additionally, Locklear missed the start of this season, so our line took some time to get up to full strength. Not to mention Rob Sims missing the entire year is a little bit of a drawback. However, we may learn that Willis can be an even better right guard than Sims. It's a positional battle that leaves the Hawks well-served either way, as we have a good right guard and good depth behind him.

Add all this together with a new, modernized coaching staff (hey, we may even get a shotgun formation!) and most likely (hopefully) a new Safety to replace Brian Russell as well as any standouts from the draft (long-term replacements for Walter Jones, and/or Hasselbeck), the outlook on 2009 can't be anything but bright. Lofa's injury wasn't serious, and the biggest thing we may have to deal with is losing Leroy Hill. Worse comes to worse, the Seahawks can compete with D.D. Lewis taking Hill's spot. Injuries happen; they're a part of the game. But it's safe to assume the Seahawks won't be this injured in 2009. The thought of this team being healthy in 2009 should strike fear into the hearts of teams all around the NFL.

Here's to health in 2009.

(Tagged players are those with injury issues, those who may depart in free agency, or horrible horrible players. Kind of crazy to realize just how many Hawks got injured this year, huh?)

It's starting to get embarrassing:



We all know this isn't the first time poor umpiring has decided a game. Pitch F/X has a margin of error of 2.2 inches. 2.2 inches!! This umpire, apparently, has a margin of error of the strike zone. Obviously Pitch F/X won't be perfect, but you want to know something that is less perfect? Human umpiring. I can't wait till all the old traditionalist fucks in baseball die and things like Pitch F/X called balls and strikes could happen. It is clear that after Percival threw his last pitch to Rolen today, the count should've been 1-3.

Fuck you Umpiring, and fuck you MLB.