LouisvilleSlugger

I don't like the shortened nickname "D-Backs" on their actual uniform. If they didn't want a long name, they shouldn't have chosen the name "diamondbacks" in the first place. And, they could have easily found a creative way to put the entire name on the front of the home jerseys. At first I agreed with you, but at the same time, is having the shortened "DBacks" really any different than the Chicago White Sox only having "Sox" on their jerseys and caps, which they've done for pretty much their entire history?

In similar news, Benito Santiago is returning from retirement and will be playing in Puerto Rico's Winter League with the Leones de Ponce (Ponce Lions)....THAT is bizarre...don't know if this had been posted before. somehow, it will probably be the Giants who sign him Hey, he was basically out of baseball the last time the Giants signed him, and it revived his career...no way it would happen again, considering he's now a 41 year old catcher 41? Isn't that too young for someone to sign with the Giants?

To what end? Look at his minor league batting stats (because he's a position player now) and tell me he'd be an asset. He hit .243 in AA ball last season with an OBP below .300. Sheesh. The St Louis Post Dispatch ran an article on him yesterday, attributing much of his troubles to injuries that he suffered as he tried to change a body that used to go every fifth day, to one used day in and day out. How much of a future Ankiel has as an everyday outfielder could crystallize in the coming weeks. At two levels last summer, he hit 21 home runs with 75 RBIs in 85 games. He caught eyes. He evolved from experiment to curiosity to, although 26, prospect. When a club official was asked to ascertain what Ankiel's status would be if he saw the numbers produced, his age, his position, but not the name, he said: "Prospect. Definitely a prospect." Ankiel went one for 20 to open his outfield career. A back injury sidelined him and led to a demotion to Class A. Over 51 games there he drove in 45 runs and earned a return to Springfield. Of the final 26 games he started in Class AA, he had hits in 20. He batted .281 with 30 RBIs and 10 home runs in those 26 games. In his final game, he hit two home runs. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/st...AB?OpenDocument

I love how you all bring up the fact of his numbers on the road. He still has a better OBP than most players. And the fact is, he's playing on the Reds for the next 2-3 years and I don't think the Reds are moving from Great American Ballpark! You people can be so ridiculous. I'd love to have him on the Marlins. The guy can hit the hell out of a ball. No, obviously, the Reds aren't moving fom GABP. But the point is, his stats are based upon the padding he receives from playing there. If the Reds are going to let inflated numbers influence their contract negotiations, then they are going to overvalue every player. That's not exactly a good strategy for a "small market club." Furthermore, because of his service time (three years), this contract doesn't make any sense. He was not even close to becoming a free agent. They've essentially agreed to pay him the high end of what he might have made in arbitration, and they don't even get the guarantee of having him for any longer than they would have already. This deal doesn't make the Reds any better in the present (since Dunn would still have been under their control), and doesn't make them any better for the future (because it doesn't lock him up for the future). All it succeeds in accomplishing is spending more money than a small market team can justify.

a 248/384/518 career line is bad? LOL.. that's above a .900 OPS for his career.. and he's only 26/27, entering his prime. GREAT move by the Reds.... remember, those K's and low BA are more than offset by lots of HR's and lots of walks.. he has a career SLG > .500 and OBP > .380.. jeez. Like guys like Brian Giles, Dunn is MASSIVELY underrated. Dunn is not massively underrated. The only reason his power numbers are so good are because he plays in the Great American Smallpark. Last season, he hit only 14 homeruns on the road. Not bad, but not good for the number of Ks. On the road, he's also a .221 hitter, with a .359 OBP, and a .446 SLG (193 points lower than his home SLG!!!). If this guy were in the NL East, and had to play in more fair parks like Atlanta, Florida, Wahsington and New York, he would be on the bench.

Sammy would be perfect....for the Kansas City Royals.

Honestly, he came as advertised, the Red Sox (and their fans) probably just built him up to be something that he wasn't (2003 was a career year, not a career norm). He came as advertised offensively, but I think most Red Sox fans were more disappointed with how horrible his defense was. He was a repeat gold glover in the NL, then had a horrendous year his one season in Boston. Honestly, a lot of St Louisans predicted that he would be bad in Boston. Maybe part of it was because they wanted him to stay with the Cardinals, and they were bitter when he left, but at the same time, Renteria has always been a shy person, it doesn't take a lot for him to be uncomfortable, and if he's uncomfortable, he's not going to play well. The media and fan pressure in Boston is a lot greater than it was in St Louis, and that probably unnerved him. On the same note, I would expect him to at least somewhat bounce back this season, since he's again going to a place where the media pressure is light, and the fan pressure is non-existent.

I dont think our team will be any good until at least 2006 Um....it is 2006 right now. Welcome. They forgot to mention that the Mets are the Mets and the Braves are the Braves. Wow, thank you for sharing that in-depth insight and wisdom.

Van Slyke >> Bonds Van Slyke=Detroit Tigers First Base Coach Bonds=Still Playing But, Van Slyke does have both his sons going to spring training camps, so maybe if you combine all three Van Slyke's, you'll equal one Bonds....still no.

I don't see why teams need to be constantly changing uniforms. It's all money I guess. The Cardinals have kept their uniforms very stable. They changed to the button down jerseys in the early 1990s, and since then, the only changes have been temporarily taking the number off of the front of the jersey, and adding their alternate Sunday hat. But the jersey, color scheme, and logo have remained untouched.

No vests. Exactly. Also, I wouldn't mind seeing them use the black bat from the 1940s jerseys. And I also like the fact that right now, the Cardinals are one of the few teams to have their team name rather than the city name on the front of the away jersy, so I don't think they should change that. Also, right now (and throughout their history) the Cardinals always had really cool navy and white stripes at the tops of their socks, even though very few players still show them. I don't think they should go to a solid sock.

Tough break for Dawson, especially with Gwynn, Ripken and yes, even McGuire eligible next year. Going to make it an uphill climb.

The overall value isn't the surprising thing....he'll make $3.5 million in 2006, $5 million in 2007 and $6.5 in 2008. At the rate free agents are getting overpaid, $3.5 isn't too bad this year, and those other figures probably won't seem as bad when they come up, based upon the growing market. I'm most surprised that it was three guaranteed years. I would have thought two guaranteed with either a team or vested option for a third year. Just surfed through the Harball Times' numbers to see what was there. JE was 26th in the NL, 13th among OFs, in Gross Production Average, .284. (.265 is considered average; .300 a 'star'). JE was 24th in the NL in runs created.... 20th in runs created per game. JE was 16th in the NL in batting average on balls put in play (.334). JE was 6th in the NL in RISP, .331. JE was 19th in the NL among OFs with 19 win shares. On the negative side.... Hardball Times has Jones' projected OPS for 2006 at .701, which would be a danged shame.... with an upside projected OPS of .749. It's possible he'll hit 6th for the Cardinals, with a lineup of 1)Eckstein 2)2B (Spivey/Luna/Miles/Cruz/?) 3)Pujols 4)Rolen (if healthy) 5)Edmonds 6)Encarnacion 7)Bigbie/ LF 8)Molina 9) SP (maybe switch molina up to 7 if he does well). In 2005, when Enc hit in the 6 hole, he hit .373 with a .400 OBP

If he's honest, that's great, and I hope another team gives him a chance. But at the same time, I do find it a little hard to believe the "Oh, I only did it once" excuse, like Sammy Sosa's corked bat. Maybe it's just me.

Just something about Ponson going to a stadium/team owned by a beer company just doesn't seem right. Either way, it's a one year deal, so you have to love the signing, especially as the #5 starter. I guess this means Reyes doesn't have a rotation spot? A beer company doesn't own the team or the stadium. Both are owned by a private investment group. Anheuser-Busch holds the naming rights to the stadium. As far as Reyes....it could mean a few things. Option 1) The team moves Reyes to the bullpen, because Tony LaRussa doesn't really like to put rookie pitchers into the rotation (he felt that way before Ankiel, but after Ankiel's meltdown, it really reinforced it for him). Option 2) The Cardinals continue to try to sign anothe rbullpen arm, put Reyes in the rotation, and try to shop Jason Marquis for a corner outfielder. Option 3) Same as option 2, but keep Marquis and try to shop Reyes. Reyes may be more attractive to more teams because he's younger, cheaper, and projected to be better. But the Cardinals would probably have to get more in return for him.