MLB notes

- David Ortiz ended up on the list of players who tested positive for PEDs in 2003. That fact was made public recently. Ortiz said he would be upfront with any information he had, then announced midweek that he would discuss this positive test on Saturday.

His explanation? Tainted supplements. Seriously?

I'm not calling Papi a liar, but if you're going to announce a press conference ahead of time, it indicates you have either a) a unique explanation or b) a lot of information you want to publicize (like the then-legal supplements you took that you believe triggered the positive test). Instead of either of these, Ortiz went with, if not the most cited reason for one's name appearing on a banned substances list, it's certianly top-3. Again, simply because this sounds almost exactly like, "the dog ate my homework" doesn't mean it isn't true. However, if you're going to go out of your way to call a press conference, you could come up with a significantly less tired excuse or give actual details.

- I hope you're proud of yourself (umpire) Ed Rapuano. Rapuano called Philly's Ryan Howard out on strikes in the bottom of the 6th. Howard didn't agree with the call, and said a couple of things to Rapuano. In the top of the 7th, Rapuano called the 0-2 pitch to the 1st batter of the inning a ball, which prompted Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino to throw up his hands in the air. Rapuano somehow saw this act from about 300 feet away, and immediately ejected Victorino. Victorino was not involved in the Howard call in any way. He wasn't at the plate and he wasn't on base. And there is no way Rapuano can justify throwing someone out for a gesture made 300 feet away. What the heck was Rapuano doing noticing a gesture in centerfield, anyway? It would be one thing if Victorino made the gesture in the batter's box, as that's right in front of the ump's face. Shouldn't the ump be focusing on about 300 other things before what the centerfielder is doing? You shamed yourself Ed, and if MLB suspends Victorino, they will be shaming themselves too.

- Apparently, several MLB teams don't have scouts. From espn.com:

Some National League teams, as well as the Texas Rangers, have interest in acquiring John Smoltz, major league sources say, which is an early indication that he will have another opportunity to pitch this year -- if he chooses to take it.

Smotlz worked hard to get himself back from surgery, and made 8 starts for Boston this season. In those starts, he put up the following line:



It all came to a head in Thursday night's game against the Yankees, where Smoltz couldn't get out of the 4th inning after surrendering 8 runs on 9 hits and 4 walks. Smoltz clearly had no out-pitch despite having a fastball clocked in the low-90s. He got to 0-2 or 1-2 counts on many New York hitters, and had no way to put them away. The Sox designated Smoltz for assignment after the game, hoping he will take a demotion to Pawtucket to transition to a reliever's role. But the Smoltz we've seen so far would be terrible as a reliever as well. With no out pitch, he's simply hoping the hitters hit the ball at someone. That is not a recipe for success. That several teams (even if they are predominantly NL teams) would be interested in Smoltz boggles the mind.

- We're about to have a referendum on the economy as it relates to Major League Baseball. Alex Rios is a Toronto Blue Jays outfielder, and circa 2006-2007, he looked like a rising star. He looked so good in fact, Toronto signed him to a 7-year, $69.35 million extension that kicked in this year. Rios responded by seeing his numbers drop across the board last season, and continue their fall this year (for example, his OBP is .315 this year). Rios was one of many players placed on waivers in the past week. Surprisingly (more like shockingly), at least one team claimed him.

Now, Toronto's front office has been told by ownership that they must cut payroll, and the team is scuffling (hence the Halladay derby before the non-waiver trade deadline). Since Rios was claimed, Toronto has a golden opportunity to get out of 6+ of the 7 years of his contract, all they have to do is let him go. True, Rios was considered a cornerstone of the franchise less than 2 years ago, but his baseball numbers do not measure up to his contract numbers, and the Blue Jays have been offered a get out of financial jail free card. If the Blue Jays do not take this opportunity to shed Rios and his onerous contract, every agent is going to throw it in the face of MLB's owners this offseason when arguing for contracts for their clients. If a team like Toronto can turn down freeing up almost $10 million a year, then the owners aren't in nearly as bad a position as they'd like us all to believe.