My Grown Up X-Mas List

This is the most wonderful time of the year. Besides being lyrics from a song, it is also how I feel. I love Halloween, I gussie the place all up with scary sounds, figures, even had a fog machine cranking this year, but I still love the Christmas season the most. I even enjoy, and don’t share this with anyone, hot chocolate and those sappy holiday movies that they play on Lifetime (did I just lose my street cred?).

Before I head out to spend the next couple of days with my extended family, I thought I would list a few things that I hope people in the sports world will either find in their stocking or under their tree come Christmas morning (for those of you who don’t celebrate Christmas, Happy Holidays).

To the San Jose Sharks: Playoff success to avoid a mutiny amongst the fans.

To the 49ers and the Raiders: A winning season. Heck, even an 8-8 mark would be terrific.

To Grady Sizemore, Jose Reyes, Coco Crisp, Erik Bedard, Troy Glaus and Josh Hamilton: A full season of health. If you missed my review of the Glaus to Atlanta signing, click on Glaus Signs With Braves.

To Matt Holliday: I hope your agent, the reviled Scott Boras, can deliver the goods on what he surely promised would be a deal approaching $150 million. Right now it doesn’t seem like anyone has any interest in ponying up dollars that even remotely approach that total.

To Johnny Damon: Another Boras client, I wish him. Heck, I don’t wish him much of anything as he already has a beautiful wife to come home to.

To Brandon Morrow: I hope Santa brings you a heaping helping of control for the holiday. I’m still shocked that the Mariners gave up you so easily. You can read my analysis of the trade in The Other Deal.

To the New York Yankees: I wish you — well my mother told me if I didn’t have something nice to say then I shouldn’t say it, and in the spirit of the season I’m gonna stick to that. I will list a few of my “Tweets” from the Baseball Guys’ Twitter Page that should make what I think pretty obvious.

“Yankees payroll last season was $220 mil, $77.8 mil MORE than any other club. In fact, MORE than 11 other teams payrolls!”

“Yankees only team to pay luxury tax in 2009 – $25.7 mil. They have paid all seven years of existence, $174 of $190 raised overall.”

To the San Francisco Giants: I wish you a heart like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz. Hell, I wish that you also had courage like the Cowardly Lion and a brain like the Scarecrow. Are you really going to just sit there knowing full well that your offense is putrid and do nothing to improve it? Newsflash, 2-years and $12 million for Mark DeRosa likely won’t be enough for a guy who thinks he is worth 3/$30 (even if he isn’t worth that). Do something big will ya Giants? Wait, wasn’t I supposed to keep this positive? Sorry for slipping.

To Garrett Atkins: I wish a return to prominence from the one-time borderline star. I’m not talking a return to his previously phat totals (.329-29-130-117 in 2006), but a nice .285-25-85 season would be great.

To Justin Duchscherer: I wish him peace. I hope he returns to prominence on the field, be it as a reliever or a starter, and I hope he got the help he needed to deal with his clinical depression. In fact, I wish the same for Joey Votto who also dealt with some tough times after losing his father.

At this time of year it’s good to remember what is truly important in life. Homers and shutouts are great, but it’s people that truly matter. So give thanks, wish someone a happy holiday season, and don’t be afraid to extend a helping hand to someone who might need it. Tis’ the season to be jolly remember?

BREAKING DOWN MATT CAPPS TO NATS

By Ray Flowers

What an Interesting Ride

Today I’ll delve into the mystery of where the human race came from. Alright, I’m just blowing smoke as I have no desire to put half of my readers to sleep in the first paragraph (according to a recent survey, they usually don’t start snoring until the third paragraph). Instead, I’ll just touch on a few of the interesting stories that caught my fancy in the last 24 hours in the world of baseball. Hey, we don’t all have to be astrophysicists.

Coco Crisp is likely done for the year as his troublesome shoulder injury will require surgery. Apparently his labrum is torn. You have to respect a guy for trying to play through injury, but sometimes you just have to do what’s best for the team, and that isn’t continuing to go out there if you are hitting .228. Who will take over in center? Apparently the answer to that trivia question is Mitch Maier. The Royals first round draft pick in 2003, shouldn’t Maier have a better line than .253/.312/.313 in his career with that pedigree? Always amazes me when guys have a higher OBP than SLG, and Maier is awfully close in his 198 career at-bats.

Josh Hamilton, I got a lot of respect for that man. Not only has he beaten back his addictions, he continues to be a great role model for those people out there that need someone to turn to when the going gets tough. I also have to say, that since turning his life around, has he done anything wrong? Continuing to do the right thing, he said on Tuesday that he would likely turn down an invitation to the All-Star game even if he was voted into the mid-summer’s classic by the fans (he is currently third in the outfield in fan voting). “The best thing would be to decline going and let somebody else take that spot. Obviously if I stayed up there in the voting, I appreciate the fans doing what they’ve done.” Now it is debatable if Hamilton will be able to play by the time of the game or not as he is still working his way back from a torn abdominal muscle, but I’d like to think that he is letting everyone know his intentions so that the fans will end up choosing someone more deserving of being named to the team. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Do you ever wonder to yourself just how pathetic some people’s lives are? I mean really, who sets up those spamming programs to fill your email box up with this crap? I especially like the ones that come from “your own address” with a title like “sexy ladies in your town want you.” What, did I somehow forget that I sent myself a note about sexy women who want to get down when I was at that brothel last weekend? Come up with a better scam than that people.

Did you catch the continuing antics of Manny Ramirez last night? Manny told the media he would not be doing any interviews until his return to the Dodgers on July 3rd. “I ain’t talking today, baby,” he declared. “Write what you want.” That lasted all of what, an hour? After warming up for the game Manny sat down with the press and talked, well, sort of. “I’m not talking about [performance enhancing drugs] anymore,” he said. “I already said what I’m going to say. I’m here to do my rehab…” Uh Manny, no one wants to talk to you for any reason other than to get your take on your suspension, so if you aren’t going to discuss it just do us all a favor and keep your mouth shut. The man is Picasso with a bat in his hands but an utter buffoon everywhere else.

Another nail in the coffin of Sammy Sosa perhaps? On Tuesday all-time Cub great Ryne Sandberg told ESPN radio that Sosa does not belong in the Hall of Fame. “Part of being in the Hall of Fame, they use the word integrity in describing a Hall of Famer, in the logo of the Hall of Fame, and I think there are going to be quite a few players that are not going to get in.” I’m getting a bit sick of all of this. I won’t launch into a diatribe at this time, but before we all get on that high horse to judge people, why don’t we look back into the past and consider some of the men already in the Hall of Fame. It doesn’t take any digging at all to find spousal abusers, alcoholics, drug users, racists, bigots – you name the vice and there are probably a handful of men already enshrined in the Hall that gave into it. It’s so nice to know that in the 21st century we have evolved so completely that we are now in position to be morally superior and pass judgment on everyone else.

By Ray Flowers