Heh.

ＷＢＣ日本代表候補のマリナーズ・イチロー外野手（３５）が１１日、神戸スカイマークスタジアムで４日ぶりとなる自主トレを行った。姿を見せなかった理由に７日、ブルペンで行った５６球の投球練習を挙げた。「肩がパンパンになって動けなくなった。調子こいてピッチングしたらエライことになった」と苦笑い。ただ外野ノックでは本塁にダイレクトストライク返球と、元気なところを見せていた。

　［2009年2月11日17時10分］

http://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/wbc/2009/news/f-bb-tp0-20090211-459602.html

Apparently Ichiro didn't show up to practice for 4 days after pitching off a mound. He explains that his shoulder swelled up and he couldn't move.

"My shoulder swelled up and I couldn't move. I pitched a little hard and I paid for, " Ichiro said.

For the relief of like two of you out there, other articles say he'll stick to being an outfielder.

Joking? No.

ブルペンに入り力強い投球を披露するマリナーズ・イチロー＝スカイマーク

ＷＢＣ日本代表候補のマリナーズ・イチロー外野手（３５）が７日、神戸市内のスカイマークスタジアムでブルペン入りし、５６球の投球練習を行った。「今日はそれが目的で来ました。遊びじゃない」。その言葉通りに１４０キロ超えの速球を連発。延長タイブレーク制があるＷＢＣでの緊急登板を見据えて、「備え」にも余念がないイチローだ。

Translation: Ichiro throws 56 pitches in the bullpen. Busts out his fastball to the tune of around 90 MPH. "I ain't shittin' you today. This is fuckin' serious," Ichiro said. Reports say he also busted out a forkball.

"I expect to be closer for the Mariners," continued Ichiro. "Roy Corcoran? Tyler Walker? They traded J.J. for a 4th outfielder and a pair of socks. WTF. I'm just making sure we're better than that."

With extra non-translation translations...

Daily Sports

Baseball star Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003, sources tell Sports Illustrated.11 minutes ago from CNN Alert cnnbrk CNN Breaking News

In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, four sources have independently toldSports Illustrated.

Rodriguez's name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's '03 survey testing, SI's sources say. As part of a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association, the testing was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004.

When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. "You'll have to talk to the union," said Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything."

http://twitter.com/cnnbrk/statuses/1186482707

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/02/07/alex-rodriguez-steroids/index.html?eref=T1

Oh my. Can't wait to see this after the whole Madonna thing too.

Via Jayson Stark...

 

The Phillies have agreed to a three-year contract with free-agent outfielder Raul Ibanez, pending a physical. The deal is believed to be worth $30 million over three years.

Raul Ibanez

The 36-year-old Ibanez will become the Phillies' new every-day leftfielder, and his signing means the Phillies no longer will pursue their long-time leftfielder,Pat Burrell, who is also a free agent.

 

Ibanez had drawn significant interest from a number of teams, including the Cubs, Mets, Angels and Braves. But he had been sending signals through friends that the Phillies were his first choice. And the Phillies stepped up their efforts to sign him Thursday after it became known that the Angels were also negotiating the parameters of a deal with Ibanez as their No. 1 alternative if they lost out in efforts to sign Mark Teixeira.

Draft Picks!

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3764268

Not a big surprise, but this article by Olney (which is actually about the Yankees sucking at developing youth talent) has an interesting set of numbers for us to munch on...

Hitters and ABs from Homegrown Talent

T-28th out of 30 MLB Teams

Pitchers and IPs from Homegrown Talent

T-27th out of 30 MLB Teams

Now, the numbers aren't really absolute. The numbers lack International FAs and other non-June Draft picks. And in both categories, the M's are sandwiched by other competitive teams, such as the Twins, Indians, Phillies, Tigers and Dodgers.

But it's interesting, to say the least.

I think.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=3589629

BEIJING (AP)—A marquee pitcher such as Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka wearing Japan’s colors come 2016: That’s the image international baseball organizers are conjuring in their efforts to get the sport back on the Olympic program.

Okay, so the idea is that they're trying to get MLB to lend their players during the pennant run to play in the Olympics, much like the NPB now does.

(Have I mentioned recently that Team Japan under Hoshino totally sucks?)

Anyways, I'm not a big fan of the idea. Disrupting league play for an international event like a better designed WBC makes sense, but the IBAF simply doesn't know how to pull it off. I'm not even a fan of tournament baseball for MLB-level baseball. 

The Olympics simply isn't the highest level of the sport/

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Erik Bedard’s grace period ended Wednesday afternoon, amid the light desert air and beneath a high sky, a soft breeze angling toward right field, in a place where fat fastballs and imprecise curveballs hold no true significance.

EDIT: It's 4 AM JST. I can't read worth shit.

Basically, writer decides to write bloated article on how Bedard has been shittacular this spring, making it sound like our trade was a hunk of crap. At least, it sounds like that when it's 4 AM and you're inexplicably awake at that time.

Huh?!

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http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3193556

Yeah, boring day. Basically, Braves send a pitcher, A's eat cash and send back oft injured player.

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Video of Bavasi Talkin' Poo

What you thinks? Jones as the ONLY offensive change? Horacio Ramirez a worthy cause? Willing to only trade relievers?

Huh?

(I didn't actually watch the whole thing. Stole some notes from DOV. Thanks M-Pops)

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Via the Late Show with David Letterman...

http://rawstory.com//news/2007/Letterman_Show_George_W._Bush_vs_0928.html

According to Dave, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad briefly played shortstop for our Seattle Mariners...!

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