I would like to wish all the readers of WasWatching.com a very happy and healthy new year. And, may all your resolutions for 2012 come true!

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Of all the players with 400+ career homeruns, which ones have 4+ seasons in their career where they failed to reach 350 PA?  Here’s the list -

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Jim Thome, Andruw Jones and Jason Giambi could add to their numbers here in 2012.

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Here’s one way to slice it -

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I wonder if MLB and/or the Yankees will do anything next year to celebrate the 50th anny of that game back in 1962?

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This is very sad news.

I didn’t really know Greg.  But, from what others are saying, seems like he was a really nice guy and a great baseball fan.  And, whenever we lose someone with those qualities, too soon, it’s very, very, sad news…indeed.

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Can they be as bad as any of these teams?

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Perhaps…

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Via the Post –

Kobe Bryant can be credited with an assist to Alex Rodriguez.

According to multiple sources, the Yankees third baseman recently followed a recommendation from Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers star, and traveled to Germany for an experimental therapy called Orthokine on his bothersome right knee.

The innovative procedure was performed on Rodriguez — with the Yankees’ blessing — within the last month, according to one source. The Yankees first cleared the procedure with the commissioner’s office to avoid the appearance that Rodriguez might be receiving impermissible treatment.

Rodriguez, the source said, would not have had the procedure without the Yankees’ permission. Last season, the team was blindsided by a report that pitcher Bartolo Colon had undergone controversial stem-cell treatment.

Orthokine involves taking blood from the patient’s arm and spinning it in a centrifuge, a machine used in laboratories to spin objects around a fixed axis. The serum is then injected into the affected area — in this case, Rodriguez’s knee.

Bryant underwent the same treatment last summer to try to strengthen his right knee. He also reportedly had the procedure done in October to treat a chronic left ankle ailment.

It remains unclear if the procedure actually works long-term.

“A lot of athletes I’ve talked to really think this stuff works, but we really don’t have a lot of scientific knowledge behind it of exactly what’s happening,” said Dr. Jonathan Glashow, the co-chief of sports medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital.

“It’s a great way to reduce inflammation and therefore pain, and that’s the essence of it. I think a lot of the athletes who have wear-and-tear on their knees benefit from this. You do it for a while and if it doesn’t stay good you do it again in a few years.”

Rodriguez underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee in July, but returned to the Yankees’ lineup for the stretch run.

Now playing third base for the Yankees, number twenty-six, Eduardo Nunez, number twenty-six…

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Since 1901, which pitchers put up the best numbers after age 35?  Here’s one way to slice it -

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Was the Big Unit just a freak, or, was he using something?

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Minimum 150 PA, here’s the list -

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Great trivia question. Only eight to do it.  Give yourself a gold star if you knew all of them without looking.

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Barring any breaking and hot baseball-related news, I do not expect to be posting many entries to WasWatching.com over the next four days. Therefore, I wanted to take this time now to wish all the readers of this blog a safe and happy holiday season.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday observance.

Look for more stuff here starting next week!

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Here’s one way to group them -

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Special, young, lefties.

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Here’s two guys who should:

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Cooperstown, take note.

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I never realized how alike these two are:

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If one gets into the Hall of Fame, the other has to ask “Why not me too?”

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Here is the list -

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At least Tommy John had the excuse of being old…

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Via Deadspin -

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s top investigative reporter, Nancy Phillips, has written a story containing what we’re told are allegations of child molestation against sportswriter Bill Conlin, a longtime columnist at the rival Daily News. Conlin resigned just moments ago, according to a source at the Daily News.

Conlin, who turns 78 this May, won the J.G. Taylor Spink Award last May. The story supposedly will drop soon (the newspapers are published by the same company, sharing some resources and a website but otherwise competing for a number of the same readers). Conlin has hired an attorney to defend himself against the piece. We’ll have more details on this. For now, we can tell you that Conlin is at his condo in Largo, Fla.

Pop singers, sports coaches, and now sports writers…the world is a scary place.

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Not many have played 3,000+ career games in the majors:

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Willie Mays just missed the cut.

Omar Vizquel is an extreme long shot to join the club. 

Maybe A-Rod can make it?  Other than that, who else has a shot?

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Here are his stats in Japan -

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Reportedly, the Texas Rangers have won the rights to try and sign Darvish.

I cannot imagine anyone pitching better in Japan.  How will he do in the major leagues here?

Well, let’s put it this way:  If he doesn’t do well, I doubt anyone will ever lay out big bucks to bring over a pitcher from Japan again.

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Here’s one way to look at it -

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Disclaimer:  This is not an end-all/be-all list.  Just some really good glove seasons for consideration/debate.

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Here is the list -

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I never realized how young Roger Maris was in 1961.  And, to think, he was on his third different team by the time he was 25.

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Since 1919, how many teams had 10+ BB in a game of 9 innings or less and still didn’t score any runs? Here is the list -

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Check out the 8th inning of that Expos game.  That was the ballgame, right there.

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I guess you don’t have to keep your eye on the sparrow after all?

Via the Times –

Barry Bonds, baseball’s home run champion, avoided a prison term Friday when Judge Susan Illston sentenced him to 30 days of house arrest, 2 years of probation, 250 hours of community service with youth groups and a $4,000 fine for providing evasive testimony to a federal grand jury eight years ago.

Bonds’s lawyers stated their intention to appeal, and Illston agreed to stay the sentence through the appeal process.

The sentence is in line with those Illston, who presided over Bonds’s perjury trial in April, has handed down to other similarly convicted athletes. Bonds, wearing a dark suit, a white shirt and a silver tie, did not react to the sentence, which was substantially more lenient than the 15 months of incarceration recommended by the prosecution. His mother, Patricia, sat in the front row of the packed courtroom.

Afterward, Bonds hugged several people in the hallway outside the courtroom, then departed the courthouse without commenting. He had likewise declined to speak when Illston asked him if he wanted to address the court before she issued her sentence.

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Here’s the list of those batters to reach base 250+ times in a season, excluding reaching on an error, ten or more times in their career:

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Albert Pujols has a shot at owning this list by the time he is done.

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Via Folio -

In a move to expand its traditional sports portfolio, GrindMedia (a division of enthusiast publisher Source Interlink Media) acquires Baseball America magazine and accompanying properties. Baseball America’s original staff will remain in the magazine’s Durham, North Carolina-based offices.

Norb Garrett, SVP group publisher with GrindMedia, says Baseball America is a strategic fit for its “sticks-and-balls” portfolio. SLAM, a basketball-focused title, is under this umbrella as well. “Our target audience is 18- to 45-year-old males. The opportunity presented itself for us to add a brand with great capability,” says Garrett.

Baseball America produces 26 issues yearly (in print and digital), and has an average circulation of 32,300. The acquisition includes Baseball America’s book series, with titles like Prospect Handbook (which serves young amateur ball players looking to turn pro). “These properties in the printed form, and the opportunities in the digital form, will not only continue; we hope to expand them. We are also looking to deepen and expand their digital footprint, through video and other offerings,” says Garrett.

Baseball America’s revenue and terms of the deal were not made available.

“It’s our intent to carry on the business and not simply add depth from a strategic standpoint, but also a capability standpoint,” says Garrett. “We want to help expand what Baseball America means to the baseball audience, and to build their media properties by layering our capabilities on their team.”

I’ve been reading Baseball America for over 20 years. (I have all their Almanacs going back to 1992.) I love their paper and I hope this news doesn’t lead to any undesirable changes in their product. That would be a shame…

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Here’s a list of righty RP since 1988 to have one or more seasons with 20+ saves, an ERA+ of 130 or better and a K/BB ratio of 2.5+ while they were age 26 or younger:

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It is amazing that Mo didn’t get cranking in the save department until he was 27.

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Fittingly, it’s a small list -

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Connie Marrero never would have made it these days.

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Trivia question:  What do Carl Yastrzemski, Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield, Rickey Henderson and Cap Anson have in common?

Hint: They’re the only ones in baseball history to do “this.”

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And, he’s giving them out, too.

Personally, I’d rather pay a fortune to Steiner Sports to get one rather than playing hide the Jeterian Salami with the Captain. But, to each their own…

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Since 2004, how many players have qualified for the batting title in 2+ seasons while posting an Isolated Power mark of .260 or better?  Here is the list -

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Any common theme here?

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Via ESPN -

National League MVP Ryan Braun, who last season led the Milwaukee Brewers to their first division title in nearly three decades, has tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug and faces a 50-game suspension if the initial finding is upheld, two sources familiar with the case told “Outside the Lines.”

Major League Baseball has not announced the positive test because Braun is disputing the result through arbitration.

A spokesman for Braun confirmed the positive test Saturday and issued a statement: “There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan’s complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident he will ultimately be exonerated.”

USA TODAY reported Saturday night that Braun said of the test result: “It’s B.S.”

The 28-year-old Braun had to provide a urine sample for testing during the playoffs, and he was notified of the positive test sometime in late October — about a month before he was named the National League’s most valuable player.

The positive result was triggered by elevated levels of testosterone in Braun’s system, the sources also told “Outside the Lines.” A subsequent, more comprehensive test revealed the testosterone was synthetic — not produced by Braun’s body.

Every individual naturally produces testosterone and a substance called epitestosterone, typically at a ratio of 1-to-1. In Major League Baseball, if the ratio comes in at 4-to-1 or higher during testing, a player is deemed to have tested positive. The sources did not indicate how high above the threshold Braun’s sample tested.

To affirm the results and strengthen its case, MLB asked the World Anti-Doping Agency lab in Montreal, which conducts its testing, to perform a secondary test to determine whether the testosterone spike resulted from natural variations within Braun’s body or from an artificial source. The test indicated the testosterone was exogenous, meaning it came from outside his body.

Matt Kemp wants a recount.

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Via Jerry Crasnick –

The Tampa Bay Rays have reached agreement with rookie pitcher Matt Moore on a guaranteed five-year, $14 million contract, according to a baseball source.

The deal includes multiple club options and could extend to eight years for $37.5 million and buy out two years of Moore’s free agency, the source said. It includes escalator clauses based on innings pitched and games started that could raise the overall value to $40 million.

The Rays plan to announce the contract at a news conference Friday afternoon, sources said.

Moore, a 23-year-old left-hander, has emerged as one of the elite young prospects in baseball. He went 12-3 with a 1.92 ERA in 27 starts for Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham this season, striking out 210 batters and walking only 46 in 155 innings. Late in the minor league season, ESPN Baseball Insider Keith Law ranked Moore as the No. 2 prospect in the game, behind Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper.

Moore was dazzling in a September call-up to Tampa. He struck out 11 New York Yankees in a five-inning start, and allowed only one run in 10 innings in two appearances against Texas in the American League Division Series.

Moore’s deal continues a long-term pattern for the Tampa Bay organization, which has long taken an aggressive posture in trying to lock up players with little or no service time. The Rays have worked similar contracts with outfielders Rocco Baldelli and Carl Crawford, pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis and third baseman Evan Longoria since 2005.

Interesting move. The guaranteed money over five years is not that much. So, there’s not a ton of risk for the Rays. And, if it all works out, they get to keep him off the Free Agent market for a couple of years.

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These are the only players in baseball history to have both 120+ WAR Fielding Runs and 120+ WAR Batting runs in their career:

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Interesting group of names, eh?

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