So, a 4-man bench. Does this mean that the Maiers will be sending Little Mitchy back to the same summer camp? Let's hope poor Mitch has a better experience than last summer. I suppose it's better than not knowing whether he'll be going to any camp this year at all.

And finally, the Royals announced a new fan section, the Frenchy Quarter, in right field. Every Thursday home game, fans will be able to purchase a $21 ticket that includes a Frenchy Quarter T-Shirt, a drink coupon and a seat in Jeff Francoeur’s cheering section in the right outfield box.

I don't know about the rest of you, but it sounds like half my Thursday nights just got booked for this summer. The Francoeur contract is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

The Nats were able to sign him to a 5-year, $42 million extension, with a couple club option years in 2017 and 2018. Gonzalez has posted fWARs of 3.2 and 3.5 the past two years. His new contract seems like it could be an absolute steal if he can keep that up. Or were his numbers just an Oakland-aided mirage? Maybe there is something special about DC for Gio (cherry blossoms?), but you would think he would have accepted the same sort of deal from the Royals.

Can someone who frequents Taco Bell more than I do give me an official ruling on whether this order would generally meet or exceed the $11 challenge (at least for standard Midwestern prices)?

They know the new CBA does away with Type B picks for NEXT offseason, right? Right?? Chen isn't a bad #5 option...but on a (likely) 2-year deal AND giving up your last chance at a comp pick? No thanks.

I'm just glad to know that Kenny has whole lobsters sitting in his freezer, ready to celebrate with whenever he pulls off his next masterstroke transaction. Sounds like he needs to take some of his lobster money and invest in a better security system, though.

Apparently, you can actually pay money to watch this debacle.

Douche.

The only thing I wonder about is whether there are rules/territories for particular vendors and particular types of beer. Loyal2sdad, any input you might have would be appreciated.

in the same article??? Look out for Chris Getz this year, folks.

Is it just me, or does it seem REALLY early for this kind of story? It might be some kind of record--I don't ever remember seeing something like this until at least late January/early February.

They had been talking to Martin for quite a while. Curious that they pull the trigger right after Lee signs elsewhere. This gives them Martin, Cervelli, and Posada at C; although Posada is apparently destined for nearly full-time DH duty in 2011. Still, could this be an anticipatory move for shipping Montero to KC as part of a Greinke deal?

Well, probably not...but if you ever wanted to learn more about the high-level baseball analysis underlying Lee Judge's "Judging the Royals" feature from last year, this looks like a great opportunity.

"Really, we’re not worried about that at all," Picollo says. "He needs to get there when he’s ready — whether he’s 24, 25 or 26. How often do you mention a guy’s age unless he’s 38?"

So, as far as player development is concerned, the window for a prospect is from 24 to 38? No wonder they play Kendall so much...he's still just a kid.

I might head up there for Festivus Night. I really wish the big club would host one in KC, but The Airing of Grievances might take 3-4 weeks if Dayton's in the house.

Reds had scored 8 in the 2nd. The Fangraphs win probability chart is as awesome as you'd expect. And Laynce Nix's glove is even awesomer than you can imagine.

"I like my closers to get every save that they can get," Yost said. "Common sense rules on that, too, but my experience has always been, as a closer, it’s either raining or it’s a drought. You’re either getting a lot of save opportunities or you’re not getting any."

Well, see, in order to get a "save" Ned, your team necessarily has to go into the 9th with a lead. And if you don't bring your best reliever in during the highest leverage situation (such as with the bases loaded in the 7th tonight), then many times NOBODY is going to get a "save."

GM Dayton Moore is taking his share of criticism, and justifiably so. The team is currently burdened by the third year of José Guillen’s contract, the second of Kyle Farnsworth’s and the decline of Gil Meche.

But Moore has other successes, and besides, he was brought in to fix the minor-league system. He deserves the opportunity to see that through, and there are positive signs now.

So many terrible statements here. An article on how Trey Hillman is failing would seem to be the perfect place to argue that HE was responsible, at least in large part, for Meche's decline. But it's good to know that Moore's only responsibility has been to fix the minor league system. The guy who has been in charge of acquiring MLB players should definitely be canned, though. Anyone know who that is?

Looks like the author may have been frequenting RR a couple months ago and come across this comment.

A question to ponder: If Moore were a performance artist, what exactly would he have done differently over the past several years? Another: If Moore were a performance artist, how many prizes would such works as "The Acquisition of Yuniesky Betancourt" and "Here, Jose Guillen, Take This Money" win?

Nothing earth shattering, and in fact, 90% of it is exactly what you'd expect to hear from him. But there were a few things I noticed:
1. Trey seems to go out of his way to give Aviles a vote of confidence, both in coming back (early?) from the injury he concealed and in his ability to replicate his 2008 performance. He's still a dirty liar, but apparently some level of trust has been restored.
2. Butler will be the primary 1B next year, NOT the primary DH.
3. This is the first time I remember hearing about a DDJ shift...nah, not to center (stop being silly)...to RIGHT. Which then means either Fields or Callaspo in LF.

Well, at least during the pre- and post-game shows. Guesstimate's on Ozzie's Bleeps-Per-Show Average (BPSA)?

The Worldwide Leader could singlehandedly provide me with a thriving practice. Would Steve Phillips be better at offering advice on how to run a baseball team, or how to sexually harrass employees? Discuss.

The standard nomenclature in baseball deems a "blowout" to be a game decided by five runs or more. By that standard, the Royals have been blown out in five consecutive games.

The Royals are just the ninth team in the Retrosheet era – since 1954 – to lose five consecutive blowouts.

Now is the time when we're supposed to remember that saying about the night being darkest before the dawn, or some such... Screw it. Let's all have a drink. I wish one of these damn vampire-creature things would come get me already.