AGRI Biz

Yesterday I wrote that New York Yankees hurler Javier Vazquez could turn around the fans that weren’t on his side with a pair of strong performances this week. He needed a win Sunday to soften the home fans leading up to his next home start this Saturday, but instead he’s only given the boo-birds more ammunition and probably even recruited more fans to their side. So get ready, because his next start ...

Two of the best first base prospects in baseball, Justin Smoak and Ike Davis, have already gotten the call and are seeing everyday Major League at-bats.  Which is the better option for 2010?  How about beyond?  Let’s take a look: Justin Smoak - Texas Rangers The 2008 first round draft pick has proven that he can hit, though his minor league success has been mixed, at best.  Just look at ...

If only the Cubs could play the Milwaukee Brewers every day. The Cubs (9-10) exceeded my expectations with an impressive sweep of Milwaukee over the weekend and flip-flopped places with the Brew Crew in the NL Central. They move to 5-1 against the Brewers and second in the Division. Optimism is back on the North Side, and the Washington Nationals (10-9) come into town to kickoff a ...

It’s April 26, and the Yankees have dropped their first series of the season—not bad. The problem is that for the second time in a week the team’s manager, Joe Girardi, has made a couple of questionable moves that may have cost the Yankees the game.   First Questionable Move The first one may be his insistence on using Marcus Thames as the starting left fielder when the Yankees face lefties. Thames has actually ...

Last Week: 3-4 This Week: at Tex (4/26); MIN (4/27-29); LAA (4/30-5/2)   So What Happened? Here’s what DIDN’T happen: significant innings from the Tigers’ starting pitchers. The bullpen was busier than Ben Roethlisberger’s PR team last week, having to pitch at least three innings and sometimes more in every game. It didn’t help that Dontrelle Willis had to skip his start on Saturday due to illness, pressing lefty Brad Thomas into ...

Gil Meche is ailing. He began the year on the disabled list and hasn't come close to a quality start since being activated. As a matter of fact, he's had a pretty rough go of it since manager Trey Hillman's infamous overuse of him last June. In a span of three starts that month he threw 357 pitches, culminating in a 132-pitch complete game effort against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In his next start against ...

Although it wasn’t the ideal win, the Orioles will take anything they can get. On Sunday they left Fenway Park with a 7-6 victory in the 10th inning. Miguel Tejada and Rhyne Hughes were responsible for the extra-inning heroics that put the O’s ahead in the 10th and ultimately led them to just their third victory. The Orioles received quality contributions from struggling marquee players Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and a returning Tejada, ...

So I'm in the market for a new baseball jersey. An Orioles one of course. And I'm having a hard time deciding. Ergo, I've decided to air my deliberations publicly and hopefully elicit some advice on who to purchase and why. There's a lot that goes into decision making like this. For instance, I can lecture you for days on the purchasing of a recent draft pick's threads. You see, when I ...

According to Josh Norris, Yankees prospect right handed pitcher Christian Garcia has undergone Tommy John surgery for the second time in the past four years. Garcia is actually one of the most talented pitchers the Yankees have in the minor leagues. He’s even been compared to Phil Hughes favorably. The problem is that he has suffered multiple injuries over the past couple of years in addition to the pair of Tommy ...

Kendry Morales was 3-for-3 with three RBI, and Brandon Wood delivered a clutch two-run double to lead Los Angeles to an 8-4 triumph over New York on Sunday at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. New York dropped their first series of the season after winning their first five. Los Angeles improved to 19-8 at home against the Yankees dating back to the 2006 season. For the second time in the ...