Matt Diaz latest Pirate addition

The latest in the Pirates underwhelming winter meeting additions is outfielder Matt Diaz,who signed a two year deal with Pittsburgh today.
The contract will pay the 32 year old Diaz 4.25 million over the course of the contract and puts the Pirate lineup into question as of now.

Diaz suffered a down year in 2010 after a pretty good 2009 and is looked at as an righthanded platoon option in right field with either Garrett Jones or John Bowker.
If the platoon is with Jones then the Pirates might be looking at Steve Pearce at first and a lefty first baseman still to come,but a possible scenario that makes sense to me would be a Diaz/Bowker platoon in right with a Jones/Pearce pairing on the first base side.

One issue that I would like to address as food for thought is this-What about Matt Diaz makes the Pirates better than Lastings Milledge?
Diaz has a little more power ( 34 HR's over the last four seasons to Milledge's 29) and a small advantage in OPS with Milledge being younger and faster.
Looking at both players,I just don't see where Diaz is worth two to three million more over the next two years than Milledge,that is projecting Milledge as making 1 to 1,5 million.
I am not saying Milledge is the superior player,just that I think the Pirates will be paying more money for similar production and that is something that the Pirates cannot afford to do.

Matt Diaz is a hustling player from what I have seen and is likely to be a Pittsburgh fan favorite,but in the end I think for the second time in two days that the Pirates have paid too much either dollars or years for a player that doesn't really improve the club.

I will be back later or tomorrow with some goodbyes to Don Meredith and Elizabeth Edwards.

Photo Credit-Unknown

Barberton Chicken-The Food Feuds rematch!

Our trip to Ohio was fun as always,but a larger than usual vehicle offered more space,but a larger gas tank as well.
With gas prices fluctuating from day to day and in some cases hours,we stayed within an hour (Columbus) and the rest of the time closer than that to home base with consideration of the dollar.
My personal favorite gas story was a 10 AM fill up with gas prices at 2.64 per gallon and returning from Columbus a whopping 2.89!
One would have thought that a major event had occurred,but talking to my friend James that evening,it seems this stuff happens all the time and without any reason at all.
I give this area this much-gas is a little higher,but it stays reasonably consistent,no 25 cents per day price movements...

In any event,despite finally having a chance to stop and try Quaker State and Lube,which I have wanted to try for quite a long time,the highlight of the trip was the rematch of the Food Network's Food Feuds with the top two Barberton Chicken houses going Pollo an Pollo,but with us as the judge and jury on this battle.
It's a bird battle between Belgrade Gardens and White House Chicken!

The initial idea was for us to try one this year (Rachel chose Belgrade Gardens) and the other in next years visit,but driving through the area on our way home,I asked if anyone wanted to have lunch at White House assuming that I could find it.
When Rachel almost leaped over the seat with her approval,I knew that I was onto a decent idea.

Belgrade Gardens is the oldest chicken server in the area having started in 1933 to White House's 1950,but both subscribe to the basics of the "rulebook".
The chicken comes in fresh (usually daily) and will never hit a freezer.
Chicken is seasoned only with salt and are deep fried in lard.
Now,one can see that as delicious as this is,you might buy that this might not be the healthiest meal that you can ever eat,so keep that in mind.
Barberton chicken also cut the meat a bit differently as they sell small pieces off the leg as "drumettes" and sell the back,which in most places is just not cut off the breast.

I ordered the same meal at both with two chicken breasts,fries and cole slaw.
The big difference between the two chickens to me was the crust of the chicken.
White House has a more of a "Golden Brown" type,while Belgrade goes with a thicker crust that seals in the juices of the chicken even more than White House,which does an excellent job of doing just that.
According to the Food Feuds show,this is because Belgrade runs its chicken through the breading machine twice to White House's once and it does show when you look at the chicken.
Both places had great fries and cole slaw,but there was a difference as one had the best slaw that I have ever had.
A mix between a traditional cole slaw and a pepper slaw made Belgrade Gardens slaw the best that I have ever had.

Between the slaw and a slight edge to the chicken,both Rachel and I gave a slight edge to Belgrade Gardens although I would highly recommend both to anyone in the area!
Why wasn't Cherie involved in the voting? Well,she isn't that big of a fried chicken fan......
One other issue-Parking.
Belgrade has a huge parking area,while White House is on the corner of a busy Barberton road.
Best parking for White House is the shopping center across the street,but the road across might take a while..

For more on Barberton chicken try the reviews of Exploring My Way,which is an excellent blog by a writer that travels Northeast Ohio trying interesting places.
Tom Noe's look at Belgrade Gardens and White House can be found by clicking each eatery's name.
I have also added his blog to the links to the right....

Photo Credits-Cherie Heimberger

Pirates add pitchers...

Don't get too excited yet as neither of these new Pirates are Tim Lincecum or Roy Halladay,but veteran arms are just that.

Kevin Correia signed a two year deal at four million per year to leave San Diego and join the Bucs.
The thirty year old Correia was 10-10 last year on the contending Padres with a 5.40 ERA.
Doesn't sound great,does it?
Well,the 2009 numbers were better with 12-11 and 3.91 ERA and looking at his stats,he tends to have a better year following a lesser season,so that could mean a decent 2011 and then a not as strong 2012.
In the big picture,mediocre groundball pitching lefty out (Zach Duke),mediocre groundball pitching righty in (Kevin Correia).
Advantage Push as Nick Bakay used to proclaim....

Pittsburgh earlier in the day added lefty Scott Olsen to a one year deal for a million dollars and incentives.
Olsen once looked like one of the up and comers in the game after a 12 win 4.04 ERA season in 2006 at just 22.
Olsen has been awful in his two seasons in Washington and looking at the Nationals pitching,if Olsen had much to offer and considering the price,the Nats likely would have tried harder to keep him.
Combine that with Olsen's off the field issues with alcohol and this seems like a low investment,but one that doesn't seem likely to pay off at the casino....

The Post-Gazette is reporting that the Pirates are actively shopping Ryan Doumit,talking trade with Atlanta for Kenshin Kawakami and might be close to signing Jeremy Accardo for the bullpen.
Neal Huntington says that Doumit would be the right fielder with occasional spelling of Chris Snyder behind the plate if he stays.
I think Doumit's value plunges with an outfield move and would like to see a deal,but who plays right everyday with no Doumit and no Lastings Milledge?
I would love to see John Bowker have a full season shot or at least a Bowker/Steve Pearce platoon,but that doesn't strike me as a likely scenario knowing the Pirates.
I do think a Bowker/Pearce platoon could surprise some people and be pretty productive,if they would only give it a chance...

Accardo is a flyer that I might chance on a minor league deal,but not a big league one considering his past injury issues.

Kawakami is somewhat interesting though as the Braves seem eager to dump his contract of 6.6 million and have been reported to be willing to pay most of it to move him on.
If the cost of trading for him is just cash and no substantial prospects,I'd be willing to gamble on Kawakami...

Not excited yet,but lets stay tuned....

Photo Credits
Correia-Doug Pensinger-Getty Images
Olsen-Unknown

Just another victim?

The scoring woes continued for the New Jersey Devils as they allowed an excellent performance by Johan Hedberg to go to waste in a 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the new Igloo in the Steel City.
The only Devil goal was scored by Brian Rolston (2 Power Play).
The Devils have until a Friday visit to Ottawa before their next game.

Hell Raisers

1) The NHL Board of Governors meeting conclude today in Florida.
Fire and Ice is looking at that as a chance for Lou Lamiorello to be talking trade and if that cannot happen,could John MacLean be in trouble this week?
Should that happen?
Well,something needs to and although I would prefer a trade and more of a chance for MacLean,something will happen soon in one form or another....

2) Jamie Langenbrunner "takes losing hard and takes responsibility for it".
Well,his effort has been less than strong and he should take some of the blame as should most of the team.
Langenbrunner has been mentioned high on the list of likely Devils to be moved due to his contract being easier to move than that of others such as Brian Rolston or Dainius Zubrus...

3) Johan Hedberg has been excellent in goal in the absence of Martin Brodeur.
Marty is expected to return Friday in Ottawa,but Hedberg has been solid for the most part and the loss last night should in no way go on him.
I blame none of the losing on the injury to Brodeur because Hedberg generally has been strong as the replacement.

4) Ilya Kovalchuk wants to talk about putting the puck on net,but often he passes to a lesser scoring threat.
In the second period on a 2 on 1,Kovalchuk passed to Andy Greene,who missed and the puck was quickly sent up ice where Sidney Crosby scored the eventual game winner.
Who do you want shooting the puck there? Kovalchuk or Greene?

5) Even the goal was a bit of luck as a heavy Jason Arnott shot hit Brian Rolston in the foot and died in front of him.Rolston then shoveled the puck past a shocked Marc-Andrew Fleury.
Lucky,yes,but the kind of luck that winning teams have more of than others.....

6) Former Devil (among others) Bill Guerin retired before the game.
Guerin was a tough and solid hockey player and the game will miss him.

7) Note to the Penguins-The Powder Blue jerseys are awesome!
Why you don't use them more often (or always) is a riddle to me.

Photo Credit-Justin Aller_Getty Images

Is Jayson "Werth" it?

One word-No.

Jayson Werth's staggering seven year and 126 million dollar deal with the Washington Nationals sure makes my argument from yesterday look bad.
Washington showed a willingness to spend and I commend them for it,but the argument in the comments by our friend Wooden makes some sense that spending equally (Under this system) with the New Yorks and Bostons is usually a sucker bet.

Here is my take,Washington just lost Adam Dunn to the White Sox,Stephen Strasburg will miss the season and Bryce Harper is two years away at minimum.
That leaves Washington with one marketable player in Ryan Zimmerman and that has a little of the "been there,done that" syndrome to it despite Zimmerman being an excellent player.
The Nationals panicked and threw a number out there that was beyond the New York (Cliff Lee priority one right now) and Boston ( hammering out the Adrian Gonzalez deal) capabilities at the current time with negotiations with other players,caught them off guard and landed their guy.

Washington needed someone to market and show their fans that they are committed to winning even without the longball hitting Dunn.
I applaud them for that,but at seven years and 126 million?
Keep those numbers in mind and look at the deal Dunn signed with the Pale Hose at four years and 56 million.
The average for Werth's deal is 18 million,Dunn 14 million.
Both players are the same age.
Werth has been great over the last three years,but otherwise non-descript and even then Dunn's numbers are comparable in OPS (the most important hitting statistic) and he hits with even more power.
Werth can steal a base,while Dunn is a base clogger and Werth is the hands down better defender.
So what would make you after looking at those numbers see that Jayson Werth is three years longer and seventy million dollars better than keeping Adam Dunn?
Is the edge in speed and defense that large?

I know there are more to these things than just dollars,Dunn might have wanted to play for a winning team and Washington is still a few years away from contending,so Dunn possibly wasn't interested in returning in any case.
However,this seems like a franchise choking deal in a few years after Werth's decline begins.
Ask the Giants about Barry Zito and how contracts of this size constrict what you can do when you cannot move the oversized deal of a greatly declining player.

Give Washington credit for trying to be a player and give them kudos for replacing a star with one.
I just question the long term value of the deal to the Nationals down the road.
Look at this scenario in 2015,Stephen Strasburg and (possibly Bryce Harper) will be eligible for arbitration and the Nationals will still have 2 years of paying a 36 year old Jayson Werth 18 million bucks a year.
See how that can make any maneuverings difficult to pull off?

Just for the record though-the happiest man in baseball isn't Jayson Werth right now.
It just might be Carl Crawford.

Photo Credit-Unknown

Browns stumble,fumble and fall into a win

In a game that brought back memories of last year's awful visit to Buffalo,the Cleveland Browns used a late interception by Mike Adams to set Phil Dawson's game winner from 23 yards out and give a 13-10 win to Cleveland over the homestanding Miami Dolphins.
Just a tedious game to watch,but they count all the same as the Browns improved to 5-7 with their second straight mind numbing win in a row.
Cleveland visits the aforementioned Bills next week in Buffalo...

Brownie Bits

1) The Dolphins put so many players up front to control Peyton Hillis and they did that as they held Hillis to under 60 yards,but the Browns had to counter that somehow and the answer was...

2) Ben Watson.
Watson grabbed 10 passes for 100 yards and the Browns only touchdown.
As long as Jake Delhomme is playing,Watson looks to be his favorite receiver.

3) Huge game by Joe Haden with another interception and some tackles in the running game as well.
Haden might not have great speed but he catches up downfield with the best of them.
Brian Hartline had Haden beaten deep,but Haden's acceleration enabled him to get downfield and knock Chad Henne's pass away...

4) Battlin' Bob was here for the game and I commented that this game would come down to which bad QB made the last big mistake.
That turned out to be the case as Chad Henne was intercepted by Mike Adams off a deflection by David Bowens late to set the game winning field goal.A tip of the cap to Rob Ryan's defense that intercepted Henne three times on the day.

5) Now to the issue that bugs me the most (and not because I could have used Peyton Hillis points for a fantasy touchdown) after the Adams pick.
With the ball first and goal on the two,the Browns fell on the ball three times before the Dawson attempt.
I think this shows a lack of faith in the Browns by Eric Mangini,Brian Daboll or both.
I understand the fear of a turnover and I would not have thrown it under any conditions when you consider Jake Delhomme is the quarterback,but three kneeldowns?
I could have seen this scenario-Hillis on first down,a fall down to center Dawson's try on second and then Dawson on third in case of a bad snap,but three??
Despite the win,that is not one to feel good about.

6) Jake Delhomme didn't make the big mistake,although Miami dropped one that would have been a pick six,but almosts don't go into the box score and one must give him credit for that.
My concern is this-Eric Mangini didn't want to play Colt McCoy to begin with and with two of the ugliest wins that you will ever see,Mangini might stick with Delhomme even when McCoy is healthy.
Even though he hasn't said as much,one gets the feeling that Mangini thinks Delhomme gives the Browns a better chance to win even at the cost of finding out more about McCoy and that is not good news.

7) Shaun Rogers first period block on Dan Carpenter's field goal try turned out to be huge.
Rogers has battled injuries all season,but his kick blocking ability for a big man is amazing.


8) Abram Elam played well with seven tackles and an interception.
I have been critical of Elam in the past,but his play over the last month has been excellent.

9) Give some credit to Reggie Hodges for the punting game being strong.Hodges averaged over 48 yards a boot and put two punts inside the twenty.

10) Tons of empty seats in Miami.I expected what I saw in Jacksonville,but I was shocked by the Dolphins.Maybe the NFL should be very cautious on their game ability to take a possible lockout next season-something to think about....

Photo Credits-John Kuntz-Cleveland Plain Dealer

Why the Boston Red Sox prove baseball needs an overhaul

Allow me to preface my comments with a few notes before I begin.
I never hated the Boston Red Sox (or New York lite as they have become).

I usually pulled for them as a quid pro quo with my brother,once the Indians were eliminated and enjoyed doing so.
Another good friend of mine along with my nephew are Red Sox fans and this article will not deal with the general obnoxiousness (sp?) of the average Red Sox rooter.

What it will deal with is this-The Boston Red Sox are just as much to blame as the New York Yankees for the current state of baseball.
Now,I know that the Red Sox just traded for the fabulous Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego and gave away three excellent prospects (and another to be added after the Rule 5 draft on Thursday) to get him.
I know these three players are solid as I have seen all three play and I am sure the other player will be solid as well.
I will even concede that at least Boston had to trade some players of value for Gonzalez and San Diego was able to get a return for Gonzalez instead of the Sox writing a check next winter and the Friars receiving nothing in return other than two low first round draft picks.

That all duly noted,why should they have had to?
Adrian Gonzalez is from San Diego,a hometown player!
Gonzalez is popular locally and with his Mexican heritage adds to the interest in the Padres from Mexico,which is a huge bonus with the proximity to the San Diego market.
Why shouldn't Gonzalez spend the remainder of his career with the Brown and Yellow?
Well,they cannot afford him and signing him would likely send the team into circus mode as signing him cripples the teams ability to place parts around him to contend -"Come see the fabulous Adrian Gonzalez hammer the ball at Petco even though your Padres are going 72-90!".
And even signing him isn't a guarantee under those conditions.
Look at Zach Greinke,who signed a long term deal with the Royals,who now are buckling under the weight even though his contract is fairly reasonable with a pitcher of his caliber along with Greinke wanting to play for a winner and will possibly be traded this winter.
It really is a zero win situation for the Padres of the world.
Joe Mauer signed a long term deal in his home city,but the Twins manage to stay in contention for the most part with juggling parts along with being in a division with some other smaller cities (Cleveland,Kansas City),if the Twins ever slack off slightly for a year or two,Mauer could join the group of wanting to play for a winner.
 San Diego had no choice in the matter.Move him now and hopefully add four cheaper pieces to the eventual puzzle or wait and get next to nothing.

Boston isn't cheating at all.Theo Epstein is brilliant and I think the world of his skills,they are playing the game,however it is an unfair game.
Imagine playing poker and as soon as you draw a good hand,you have to cash in a key card for three unknown cards-that is the state of baseball today.
New York and Boston also reap a quiet benefit of players in the draft as players fall beyond their skills because of contract demands.
Those teams scoop them up because they can afford them and then use them for trading chips down the road in a vicious cycle that never stops.
Believe me-this doesn't stop until New York and Boston realize that a league is only as strong as its perception and as fans continue to tune out this great game because their team has little to no chance to compete and watch their favorites move to those cities,the game will continue to weaken.

Now if your idea of fun and (this is fun for ESPN) and you want to watch all Yankee-Red Sox all the time then lets allow them to do just that.
Granted,in its own way,the rest would be technically minor league baseball,but at least the playing field would be level while those players played for Seattle until the "Big two" snatched them up.

Want to be sickened more?
As the Gonzalez deal was announced,most articles then talked about the Red Sox inevitable signing of either Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth to add to their All-Star team as the Yankees close in on Cliff Lee (I don't buy him staying in Texas for a minute,although it would be great if it happened).
That is what fans are dealing with and I know these teams don't win every year,but they are able to do things that others cannot.
Oh,No,Boston only won 89 games and missed the playoffs once-lets plunder the Padres and throw money at a big name outfielder and I don't want to hear about losing Adrian Beltre either.He was a rental and if Boston wanted to keep him,they would have found a way.
I personally think letting him walk was smart as Beltre's history is big contract years and lesser numbers otherwise,but you would not be able to convince me if they truly wanted him,the dollars are there.

The Yankees aren't innocents either with their 51 million for three years of the declining and overrated Derek Jeter.
Anyone think that Baltimore,Pittsburgh,Tampa or Houston could afford 17 million for that production?
When it is all said and done,Boston will have Gonzalez and either Crawford or Werth,New York will have the other outfielder and an elite arm from somewhere even if not Cliff Lee.

My Red Sox friends always justify their reckless and unfair spending with a variation of this "We have to-New York makes us do it to compete".
Fair enough,but you made my argument-Boston has to in order to compete,but they can afford it,too many others cannot.
The system is broken and needs to be fixed.
Baseball will always have good and bad teams,nature of the beast,but it shouldn't come down to who has the most money-it should come to who evaluates talent the best and the organization that manages the total picture in the top manner.
Look at the NFL,every team has an equal chance-can any of you honestly say that the Steelers,Packers,Colts and Ravens would be near the top every season under baseball's guidelines?
Nope,but they can with the cap and by being among the smarter organizations,they can thrive for a long period of time.
Can you say the Pirates,Brewers and Orioles could do that in baseball?
No way.

I understand why the players don't want a cap,but why not the owners?
Level playing fields mean more chances to contend and contention means money usually and if it doesn't than that market might not deserve a big league team.

You want the game repaired?
The beginning is a hard cap.
Pick your numbers,whatever they are with a ceiling that you cannot exceed and a floor that you must meet.
Add a slotted system for the amateur draft like the NBA (gag) uses.
No more of this, I need five million more to play in Houston because I would rather play in New York.
No system is perfect and other items can be added and tweaked,but it is a start to straightening out a mess that everyone can see other than baseball itself...