NOTES FROM THE NAT: Vancouver Canadians news

I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while, but the urge really ramped up when Bobby from The Future of A’s Baseball blog announced he was shutting his site down - we need more minor league blogs out there.

More than that, we need more minor league club-specific blogs out there. All over North America there are people who are diehard fans of minor league teams, but nobody ever blogs specifically about their local team (at least not that I can find).

That has to change. Just imagine how cool it would be if there was a Notes From The Nat about Kane County’s team, or Stockton, or Midland! Or how about if there were some blogs for other Northwest League teams - a Spokane blog or an Everett blog or a Tri-City site? Imagine the rivalries we could enjoy!

At various times I’ve asked the SportsBlog Nation folks if they’d allow minor league-specific blogs into the fold, but they’re not having any of that - at least not for a long time. Too many NBA teams to find blogs for, and NFL teams, and NHL teams, and… cycling.

I can kind of understand their reluctance - after all, NFTN ain’t bringing in the 100,000 or so daily that their network caters to, but it’s a healthy total nonetheless, and if we built a network of minor league blogs, that traffic would only rise considerably over time.

When I first started thinking about this situation last year, I figured it might change sometime through the season just by virtue of the popularity of blogs. After all, it really isn’t that hard to run a blog to a moderate level of professionalism, and it doesn’t hurt that you sometimes end up getting press box access to see games involving your team… The perks can be great.

So what’s stopping people from doing what I’m doing? Well, as best as I can tell, it’s likely a lack of knowledge as to HOW to create a blog. Oh sure, you can start one for free at blogger.com, but they really do suck. To do a blog right, you need to take it to the next level.

So I hereby make an offer to any and all minor league baseball fans: if you want to start a club-specific minor league blog, anywhere at all in North America, for any team - I’ll set you up.

Yes, you heard right. I’ll buy you a domain name, I’ll install the software, I’ll host it on my server, I’ll set up all the fancy stuff like newsfeeds and image galleries and security. I’ll find you advertisers, and I’ll teach you how to use it all. The only catch? The blog will remain technically my property, which means you have to keep it updated, alive, and professional, and if you don’t, or if you should disappear after three months, you’ll end up losing it - kinda like the set-up at SB Nation, only with a focus on the little guys.

On the other hand, if you maintain your blog to a reasonable standard, you can run the site for as long as you want, earn a little money from advertising and, oh yes, get my help in getting yourself some press accreditation. And if you have an existing blog that you’d like to upgrade, I’ll offer you the same deal.

No domain fees. No hosting fees. No editorial interference. It’s your blog for as long as you keep it going. 

So how about it, Boise Hawks fans? What say you, Kane County Cougarites? Does anyone from Eugene have the desire to follow the NFTN lead? Are there any Sacramento Rivercat geeks looking for a blogging home?

Post a comment with your contact info and let’s talk. United we rule.

Tonight, Saddam Hussein was executed for crimes against humanity. Of course, no tears should be shed for this high level scumbag, tyrant, and war criminal, but while we spit on his still-warm corpse, it’s imperative that we don’t forget how he got into power.

See that picture on the left? That’s recently-fired Bush Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, shaking hands with Saddam Hussein. One of Rumsfeld’s jobs at that time was to open the door for American companies to sell chemical weapons to Saddam; chemical weapons that were used on the Iranians during the 7 Year War, and eventually on the Kurds when they got mouthy.

When Saddam used those illegal weapons to gas ten thousand of his own people, the US congress passed a censure motion. The Senate okayed it, but Reagan vetoed that motion, because while Saddam was unquestionably a ruthless murderer, he was America’s ruthless murderer, and he was ruthlessly murdering people America disliked more than he.

I don’t normally do politics on this blog, but I just thought that, at this moment in history, as we celebrate the end of one tyrant’s career, we should take a moment and remember that he wasn’t created in a vaccuum.

Ask any Haitian, Liberian, Cuban or Honduran.

When the Oakland Athletics take the field in Arizona in April, they’ll be bringing the usual band of major leaguers and AAAA invitees snagged off the free agent wire, but every season they also invite a handful of their minor league prospects to camp. This usually indicates that the invitee is considered a bona fide prospect - either with a major league debut likely in their immediate future, or at the very least, sometime in the next few seasons.

Some of these guys are nigh ready, some are coming off injury-plagued seasons and need a little pre-season tune-up, some will get there eventually, maybe, but are coming to spring training now so they can experience life among the big kids for a while, in the hope that some of that MLB talent will rub off on them.

In short, if you’re a minor leaguer, getting invited to the big club’s spring training camp is a majorly big deal.

So who made this year’s selection?

In alphabetical order (with year played in Vancouver in brackets):

John Baker - C (2002, pictured left) - This Moneyballer has been in AAA so long, and just missed promotion so many times, that it almost seems like tradition to keep him down. A 4th rounder from the 2002 draft, he hit for a fairly weak .235 in Vancouver in his debut season, but has kicked on nicely since, moving up a level every year until he hit AAA ball, and having a breakout season in AA Midland where he hit 15 dingers and knocked around for a .280 average. He’s only 25, and he was taken off waivers by Florida before the A’s brought him back, but he’ll struggle to secure a place in the big team ahead of Jeremy Brown, Adam Melhuse, and even AA prospect Kurt Suzuki. His attitude doesn’t help.

Daric Barton - DH/1B - There’s barely any point in even talking about whether this kid will make it - he just plain will. A pure hitter with questionable power and no defensive skill whatsoever, he’s about a half season of decent AAA ball away from a major league spot.

‘Diamond’ Dallas Braden - SP (2002) - The king of the screwball had some injury problems last year when his arm went tired towards season’s end, which could see him finally turned into a reliever (where he’d likely be more effective anyway in the MLB). Braden came out of nowhere, drafted in the 24th round in 2004, unleashed his trick pitch (which he hadn’t used for a few seasons of school), and blew through lineups like they were made of brown paper. He’s essentially been stalled since he hit AA ball, but if he’s made a full recovery and can hit the ground running, he could move up quickly, a la Jason Windsor.

Travis ‘Wonder’ Buck - RF (2005) - Another case of ‘not it, but when’, WonderBuck is just a straight up polished college superstar in the Huston Street mold. The A’s have taken him slowly through the system, but he’s ready for The Show and will get his chance, if all goes well, sometime this season.

Kevin Mellilo - 2B (2004) - I maintain that Mellilo’s breakout season in 2005 (where he hit homeruns off everyone, at every level) has put him a lot higher up the prospect ladder than he really should be. Granted, in ‘05 he was filthy, but in ‘06 he was very much looking like a Kiger or Scutaro, rather than an A-Rod. Mellilo has reportedly been working on his defense, but his sudden drop-off in offense could see him dangled as tradebait if he has a burst of success in the spring.

Mike ‘M&M’ Mitchell - RP (2005) - First drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 14th round in 2002, Billy Beane managed one of his famous bargain deals when he picked Mitchell up in the 35th round of the ‘03 draft after the kid had told the Injuns to beat it. When he showed up in Vancouver in the beginning of the ‘05 short season after a year working in Arizona, it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t going to be making long term plans in the city, being as he didn’t concede an earned run in 7 appearances for the C’s. He was a solid, polished, strong starting pitcher who clearly outmatched hitters at that level, and he did well in Kane County subsequently, then well in Stockton, and then Sacramento. Why is he such a prospect all of a sudden? Because he’s leaped TWO levels of minor league ball in each of his last two seasons, and he kicked much ass in the Fall League. One to watch.

Connor Robertson - RP (2004) - Robertson’s worst ERA at any level of pro ball was the 3.60 he racked up in 3 outings for Vancouver in 2004. Since then (and before then) he has never once finished a season with a team with an ERA higher than 2.93. His 7-2, 2.80 season in Midland last season was typical of his career to date, and quite frankly, he’s shown no problem adapting to any promotion so far, so who’s to say he couldn’t light up spring training and get himself a spot in the Oakland bullpen by season’s end?

Kurt Suzuki - C (2004) - It was only recently that Landon Powell was considered the A’s best catching prospect, but Zook has, as he has at every level of ball, played above expectation, worked double hard, given 150% in every outing, and earned the right to take this spot ahead of the 2004 1st rounder. Wears his heart on his sleeve, wants to win like nobody’s business, and makes up for what he lacks in raw talent with focused, hard training and a desire to learn. He won’t play for the A’s in 2007, but look out in 2008 - he’s destined.

Kaz Tadano - RP - Continues to be more famous for the controversial gay porno that saw him chased out of Japanese baseball, and continues to demonstrate that he just doesn’t have it to pitch at the major league level. Short of winning five games in the pre-season, Tadano isn’t going to be around at the end of 2007.

Note: Some pictures provided by Scout.com

Yes folks, that’s what baseball has become. A guy who can’t throw a first pitch strike, and who walks as many batters as he gets out, just signed with the Giants for the sort of numbers you usually find mentioned as Powerball payouts.

Random thoughts on the matter:

* This brings the average age of the San Francisco roster down to about 126, which is nice. I guess in Giants terms, that’s considered a ‘youth movement’.

* Zito, as much as I enjoyed his work while he was an A, is a liar. He said last week that he was looking to play for a team that would win "multiple" championships. Then he goes and signs a fat contract with a team that was in the 15 worst in pro baseball last season, and looks to be even worse this time around. The Giants aren’t going to challenge for ONE World Series in the next 7 years, let alone multiple World Series. Welcome to Tejadaville, Zito.

* Oh the cruel twist of fate - Zito gets the richest deal for a pitcher in baseball history, while Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder look barely able to earn a buck twenty between them nowadays.

* Zito signed a deal that has a ‘vesting option’ for an 8th season at $18m, as long as Zito hits 200 innings pitched in the 7th season, or 400 over his last two seasons, or 600 over his last three. You’d think Barry would look good for that, having not missed a game in his pro career to date, but consider this - Zito walks a lot of guys, and throws a lot of pitches to get to the 6th inning. And now, in the NL, he doesn’t have a DH to hit for him, meaning he’s a lot more likely to get taken out for a pinch-hitter, even if he’s throwing good stuff. That vesting option may well be wishful thinking, but hey, he’s got a lot of years to think about that in the meantime.

* Zito’s stats should improve some, because he’ll be facing NL hitters (who generally suck as compared to AL hitters), he’ll face no big scary DHs, and he’ll get to pitch to opposing pitchers every 9 ABs. That said, he’ll also have to face pitchers with a bat in hand, and if you’ve ever seen Barry Zito trying to lay down a bunt, you know the comedy just keeps coming.

All in all, I can’t fault Zito for taking $126m, even if it’ll mean he has to share a clubhouse with Barroid Bonds, and will likely be pitching for a sub-.500 team for the most part of the next decade. $126m is a lot of cash, and if you’re going to sell out, you might as well break a world record in doing so.

Just a shame he’ll never see a World Series, is all.
 

Every year, as teams head into spring training, they begin a process whereby they use the temporary boost in roster size to see if they can catch lightning in a bottle with untested, unsigned, unheralded free agents. Usually these guys are veterans who are looking for one last chance at an MLB season, or former prospects who have been injured and cut elsewhere, and even guys who have obvious talent but for whatever reason, have just flat out failed with other teams.

The A’s are short on veterans - as is their norm, but they’ve picked up some interesting guys for this year’s spring training last shot extravaganza:

Erubiel Durazo - 1B/DH - A former Athletics first baseman who was cut after his recovery from injury was, to say the least, slow. Durazo was at one time the franchise player of the team, so the fact that he’s back, even if only with a spring training invite, is no small deal. Here’s hoping he’s learned how to field during his time away, because his form with the bat in the Mexican winter leagues has been filthy - and i’m talking three-home run game filthy.

Derek Thompson - RP - A 26-year-old pitcher, Thompson was a 1999 1st rounder for the Indians who the Dodgers picked up (via the Cubs) in the 2002 Rule 5 draft. When he missed the following season through injury, the Dodgers cut him, then picked him up again for spring training a few months later, with DT debuting for LA a year later after a somewhat meteoric rise from AA ball. Coming off Tommy John surgery, so there’s a chance he could bounce back strongly… and also a chance he’ll just be filling a space. Comes from the same town as A’s prospect Jeff Baisley.

Erasmo Ramirez - RP - 1998 11th round draftee for the Giants who looked a hot prospect but has bounced around between AAA and the majors for several seasons with Texas, allocating him the dubious distinction of being a AAAA player. If anyone tells you this scrub is the next big thing, you might want to point out to them that getting the ball past the bat is helpful in winning ballgames, because this guy won’t get you more than a K every two innings. Will surprise if he sticks.

JJ Furmaniak - IF - 2000 22nd rounder for the Padres, Furmaniak hit .343 in his first year of pro ball, then .220 the year following. That’s been his story ever since, lighting it up with 31 homers in a season and a half of AAA, leading to a trade to the Pirates, where he promptly fell off the table, hitting only 8 dingers over the subsequent 18 months, and ending the 2006 AAA season with an average of just .213 - could this be another bounce back year? He plays infield. Kinda like Mark Kiger, the kid the A’s cut just weeks after his MLB debut in the ALCS series.

Vince Faison - OF - Wasn’t this guy on The Sopranos? 1999 Padres 1st round draftee who hit for .300+ in his debut season in Arizona rookie league, but never hit better than .253 over the four following seasons (and more often than not barely stayed above the Mendoza Line). Padres sent him to the Mariners where he began to find his stroke, hitting .267 in a short AAA run before the M’s cut their losses. Faison then dove into the indie leagues, hitting .303 with 15 dingers in a season with the Jackson Senators of the Central League, leading the Yankees to pick him up and send him down to AA ball, where he began to show power (14 homers) and contact (.260 avg). The Yankees didn’t see enough to keep him, so will the A’s be his last shot?

I’LL GIVE $50 TO THE FIRST GUY THAT PLUNKS HIM 

News has come to hand that Sammy Sosa, one-time Vancouver Canadian, steroid user and baseball history abuser, wants someone to give him a shot at the 2007 season. 

"I feel like I did when I was a rookie," Sosa told The Associated
Press. "I have a lot of spirit and a desire to return. I think I can
play three or four more years in the form I am now."

Which, of course, means Sammy just learned there’s no viable testing procedure to detect HGH.

Hey, here’s some advice for you, Mr Sosa - we saw you up here in Vancouver when you were a rookie, and that Sammy Sosa and the behemoth Sammy Sosa of today are two very different people. You USED to steal bases. You USED to know how to field. You USED to hit for contact. Now you just soak up chemicals, load your bat up with cork, and strike out.

Begone you foul, pockmarked little man. Go count back-acne breakouts with McGwire and leave the baseball peopple to recover from the disappointments you’ve put them through.

Sosa says he’s had calls from plenty of teams looking to sign him, but only the Washington Nationals are gullible enough to admit that they’re in the hunt. They offered the Sosaroid a non-guaranteed half a million dollar contract to come back next year - and the big mook turned them down!

Now, of course, despite all those teams who supposedly want him, Sammy has decided he’ll take on a deal like that offered by Nationals GM Jim "Worst Exec Ever" Bowden after all.

"I want the chance and I believe one is going to appear. This time I will accept an offer like the one with the Nationals because I want to get back to the Majors," he said. 

If anyone offers this guy more than a non-guaranteed league minimum, they ought to be sacked. Especially after you hear guff like the following:

A year away from the game wouldn’t shake him, he said. "Ted Williams went to war and lost a couple years. More recently, Barry Bonds stayed away for more than a year and came back, and the same happened with Frank Thomas because of injuries," he said.

 Oh yeah, you read that right - Sammy Sosa is comparing himself favorably with Ted Williams, Frank Thomas and Barry Bonds.

Newsflash, Corky - Ted Williams knew how to hit a ball without having to stick a needle in his ass beforehand. Frank Thomas is one of the most genetically freakish ballhitters of all time. And Barry Bonds is the biggest asshole and greatest steroid abuser the world has ever kn… Well heck, I guess one out of three ain’t bad.

(more…)

SHAWN CALLAHAN - 2005 Vancouver Canadians Catcher/3B

During
the 2005 season, nobody showed more versatility than catcher Shawn
Callahan. Realizing that, with Ty Bubalo and Anthony Recker clamoring
for a spot as catcher, his face time would be limited, Cally went out
and turned his arm at third base a few times when the team needed
infield help, doing a pretty decent job at that.

He also did a
good job with the bat, hitting only .216 but managing some clutch plays
at valuable times. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to keep him with the A’s, so
where did he show up when the Oakland honchos cut him at the end of the
2005 season? OnlyFallon, Missouri, where he played for the River City Rascals in the Frontier League… But what’s notable is that he was doing so as a PITCHER.

Cally ended the season with a 0-0, 4.07 record over 18 games pitched and 24.1 innings registered. He struck out 13 and walked 7.

The big guy was cut at the end of the year,
as tends to happen in the indies, where a new class of eager kids will
be trying out about now, so it will be interesting to see if Dirty
Harry comes out for another season.

EDDIE KIM - 2003 Vancouver Canadians Catcher

When the big 6′4" lefty, Eddie Kim, was picked in the 4th round of the 2003 draft by Oakland, there were high hopes that he’d take a short ride to the majors. The big first baseman had mashed at James Madison University, hitting for a .421 average as a 21 yr old, then .412 with 17 home runs at the age of 22.

A .305 debut season with Vancouver showed some early promise for the bonus baby, but from there the professional game caught up with Kim in a hurry. Two seasons in Kane County followed, the last of which was delayed a month due to an off-season knee injury. Kim struggled with his swing, trying five different stances after the A’s told him to lose the ‘toe-tap’ that had seen him through college. He hit for a .252 combined average over his two seasons in Kane County, leading the A’s to eventually ask him to go back to the toe-tap in an effort to refind his old form. Though he beat his 2004 homerun total of 10 with just half as many at bats in his shortened 2005, a .305 OBP and strong competition from 1st baseman teammate Tommy Everidge saw Oakland cut their losses after 2006 spring training, sending Kim home.

So where is he now? Well, still trying to find a way to The Big Show is his most recent stats indicate anything. Kim signed with the Florence Freedom of the independent Frontier League, and was quickly traded before opening day to the River City Rascals where he promptly hit .316 over 178 at bats (7th in the league). What was most surprising about his spell in Missouri was, Kim had taken his K:BB rate down from a 2:1 mark to better than 1:1 rate, which saw the Florence Freedom trade two players to River City to get him back.

Sadly, Kim’s time in Florence, Kentucky hasn’t been great for his future. Over 121 at bats, he hit just .190 with a single home run registered. Will Eddie Kim devote another year to his baseball dream?

BOB BURRIS - 2003 Vancouver Canadians reliever

I wasn’t going to write about Bob Burris, but in researching the Eddie Kim situation, I came across a short piece written by Fremont Freedom play-by-play commentator, Roger Redmon, that told the sad tale of what Mr Burris has been through. Rather than retell it, here it is in his words:

We have a right-handed pitcher named Bob Burris who was a shining star in the Frontier League a few seasons back when he pitched for Jamie Keefe in Chillicothe. In fact, Bob was so impressive in his stint in our league that he was signed by the Oakland Athletics organization. His numbers (there’s that word again) were sparkling for Vancouver in the Northwest League where he had an earned run average of 1.91.

His future looked to be limitless until an off-season car accident tore muscles in his neck and shoulder, severely affecting his ability to throw a baseball the way he had become accustomed.

That was three years ago. Bob was attempting a comeback with the Freedom, until reality (there’s another word that isn’t pleasant) reared its ugly head again. Not enough velocity. Not enough movement on his pitches. Not enough command of the strike zone. Luckily, Bob had planned for the future. He would need to return to his job in Florida working for the Department of Homeland Security. But not until this road trip was over. He would stay on as a batting practice pitcher and first base coach until further notice. One of the good guys would be leaving us. I’ve learned not to become too attached to players. They may not be here that long.

Ain’t that the truth? Bob Burris threw in 15 games for the C’s in 2003, going 1-3 with a 1.91 ERA. He was on his way to good things when a moment of tragedy took it all away.

Sorry Bob, I couldn’t find your picture anywhere. But hey, at least you got a taste.