Can you auction off a blog entry?
Mar 21st, 2007 by Rob Bradford
So, Manny Ramirez is selling his (or his neighbor’s) grill on eBay. So much for breaking down Julian Tavarez’s two-seam fastball.
The last mention I make of the auction item will be referencing a paragraph from the Web site AuctionBytes.com: “It was just last year that Yankees baseball player Johnny Damon cried foul when a Red Sox fan sold baby bibs on eBay printed with the words ‘Damon Sucks.’ (Damon previously played for the Red Sox.) The baseball player’s agents blocked the seller’s sales, invoking the intellectual property rights to Damon’s name.”
Scott Boras never sleeps.
For those who are semi-new to my notes columns, you should know that I’m a big fan of the Web site Uniwatchblog.com , which is devoted to “the obsessive study of athletic aesthetics.” For example, this is from a recent entry: “The Red Sox, who wore green jerseys for St. Patrickâ??s Day, plan to wear them again on April 12th as a tribute to Red Auerbach. Whatever you think of the symbolism (hmmm, Red Auerbach, Red Sox), I believe this is the first time a team has uni-memorialized someone from another sport since 2000, when the Expos wore that black â??9â?? for Rocket Richard.”
IMPORTANT: Just talked to Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore and he has been kind enough to answer some questions leading into the season opener against the Red Sox. So start posting questions you would like to ask the GM of Boston’s first opponent, we’ll compile them and then put up a post at some point next week. (I will offer a few more reminders for questions in the coming days.)
Moore reports that Gil Meche and Zack Greinke have been the Royals’ best starters this spring. He also sung the praises of new KC closer Octavio Dotel, who struck out five in two innings last night. The 33-year-old reliever, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2005 and pitched 10 innings for the Yankees last season, chose to sign a one-year, $5 million deal with a player option in ‘08 with KC instead of joining up with the Red Sox.
- Somebody asked about Jon Lester. The initial thought was that he would start in extended spring training, but it looks as though it is more likely the lefty will begin the season with Pawtucket (as is currently being reported in other media outlets).
- I will find out if any of the other youngsters have jumped out and impressed this spring besides Bryce Cox. In case you missed it, scouting director Jason McLeod did report that Daniel Bard broke a handful of bats in his first batting practice session this spring.
- Dave Magadan? Hot seat? Not exactly. I think we have to wait until all Fort Myers chain restaurants are exhausted before analyzing the effectiveness of the new hitting coach.
10 reader comments to “Can you auction off a blog entry?”
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1Tim Daloisio said:
The Clubhouse Insider in the Herald mentions this along with Timlin’s DL news:
“With less than two weeks remaining before the start of the regular season, it appears that Julian Tavarez will open the season as closer.”
How well founded is this statement in your opinion? It looks to me like it is still very much a three horse race between Pineiro, Tavarez, and Donnelly with the first two neck and neck down the stretch.
With Timlin due back not too far into the season, do you think that he will slot into the 9th when he returns? Or if someone has early success in that role before his return will they stick with that and ease Timlin into the set up role he has been used to?
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2griffin said:
Encouraging news on Zack Greinke. I was just wondering how he’s doing and what he did to get himself back on track. Whatever it was, it’s apparently worked.
I know this is going to sound cheesy, but could you tell Moore to tell Greinke that at least one Red Sox fan is rooting for him? Thanks.
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3Anonymous said:
Hey Rob,
Here’s a question for Mr. Moore:How does a big league club try and prepare their batters for Dice-K? Are they collecting film from Japan? Scouting him in Spring Training? And how are they communicating this to hitters? Just curios . . .
Thanks for the great info, as usual.
Andy in AL -
4Anonymous said:
Ask him why he paid such a ridiculous amount of money for Gil Meche? He is clearly not worth it looking at all his stats. God Bless the Royals fans, how they can stand it there is beyond me.
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5deversm said:
Spring training, small sample size, or even swinging at a wiffle ball with a wet towel - .080 is an ugly number.
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6Anonymous said:
Rob,
has anyone framed the closer question this way to the Boston Front office guys (esp with them backing off “the Pappelbon as starter is a medical issue” a bit lately): “Right now Pappelbon is your 4th starter. Isn’t it easier to find a decent 4th starter (i.e. Gabbard or Lester) than a lights out closer?”
Thanks, you rule.
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7Anonymous said:
I wonder how Moore feels from going from a perennial contendor in Atlanta to a perennial laughingstock like Kansas City? Attracting free agents or retaining young players is much harder in KC, and they don’t seem to have the resources to overpay for premium talent. How does Moore, as the GM, overcome that? Heavier emphasis on scouting and player development maybe?
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8educatedcheese said:
…and Bradford scores a shout-out on Schill’s blog… Feel the bloggerdome love!
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9Anonymous said:
Rob,
Can you ask Mr. Moore if Alex Gordon is the real deal? A bunch of hype surronds this kid - will he live up to everyone’s predictions?
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10Anonymous said:
It’s my dream job to be the GM or AGM for a team like the Royals. Can you ask DM how one should go about getting into baseball? What are the most important skills needed; managing and communicating with people (”people skills”), talent evaluation, math/finance? I honestly have no idea what is really necessary.
How do I become the Dayton Moore to his John Schuerholz?Thanks, Rob!
