AGRI Biz

"What kind of baseball do you play?" That question was addressed to George Castle by Cub manager Lou Piniella yesterday when Castle questioned his strategy in the eighth inning of a Cubs loss to the Washington Nationals. The question asked was why with a man on second and nobody out and Mike Fontenot at the plate and the Cubs trailing by a run that Piniella didn't have him bunt him over to third. Castle ...

On Aug. 16, 1969, New York's most beloved team, the New York Mets, beat the victory-challenged expansion San Diego Padres in the first game of a 10-game home stand. At the time, the third-place Mets trailed the division-leading Chicago Cubs by nine games. On Aug. 24, the Mets completed the home stand by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was New York's ninth victory in the 10 games. They now ...

Earlier this week, the Phillies gave first baseman Ryan Howard a contract extension through the year 2016. This contract makes him the second highest-paid player in baseball and seems to ensure that he will be a member of the Philadelphia Phillies for the foreseeable future. They locked up one of the franchise’s greatest players for years to come. This should be a good thing, right? Not if you believe the statheads. Who are the ...

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was hit in the knee with a pitch from Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie in the second inning yesterday and had to come out of the game after he felt numbness while running the bases. There is no long-term damage done to Posada, but he will probably have to sit at least a day according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “I’ll just take it day by day and ...

Here’s a look at some unheralded players who played well yesterday.   David Eckstein, San Diego Padres Eckstein went 1-for-5 with a run and three RBI. He’s hitting .274 but isn’t much of a fantasy factor.   Chris Young, Arizona Diamondbacks (pictured) Young continued his impressive 2010 campaign by going 2-for-4 with a HR (five) and five RBI. He’s hitting .298 with 21 RBI.   Dexter Fowler, Colorado Rockies Fowler went 3-for-6 with two runs, a HR, and ...

One of the easiest mistakes a fantasy baseball player can make is to overreact to a small sample size. When an established star has a slow April or a no-name waiver pickup gets off to a fast start, it's tempting to sacrifice long-term talent to play the hot hand now. In addition to the fact that even the best players go through cold spells, small sample sizes are extremely susceptible to the ...

This is my most recent endeavor. I am compiling All-Franchise Teams based on African Americans. The idea came to me as a result of the recent hiring of Joe Morgan by the Cincinnati Reds. Morgan brought to light the decline in African-American players in MLB. I have decided to start with the Yankees. It is part of my master plan to complete the American and National Leagues if I live long ...

Like George Costanza, “I’m back, baby!!!” After six days in Las Vegas I am back home in New York. I apologize for the lack o’ posts this week, but it was almost impossible for me to write while I was away. Now that I am back, let’s take a look at what has been going on around the great game of baseball the last couple of days.   Ryan Howard gets paid The Philadelphia ...

Just some thoughts after the Mets finished up their series with the LA Dodgers. 1. Home Sweet Home. The New York Mets finished a tremendous homestand at 9-1. That is quite the accomplishment no matter who you are playing. This is only the third time in the teams history that they have finished a ten game home stand with a 9-1 record. 2. 1st Place Yes, thats right, the New York Mets are in ...

Three closers continued to put their jobs in serious jeopardy.  Jon Lester finally pitched up to expectations.  Tim Lincecum did what he always does.  Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games: Pitchers: Octavio Dotel (2.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K) - That makes six straight appearances where he’s given up a run, blowing yet another save.  How can the Pirates continue to ...