Rogers SportsNet Buck Martinez joins Weekend Warm Up by Mr Sparky

Rogers SportsNet Blue Jays Play by Play Voice Buck Martinez joined Matty and Jeff on The Weekend Warm Up Presented By Mr Sparky
 

Monday Links

Dice-K deals against NH (CMSB/Pierre's of Exchange ST)

• The Red Sox completed a sweep of the hapless Blue Jays 7-0. Paul Byrd looked very sharp against Roy Halladay, who is struggling. Sox have Monday off before traveling to Tampa.
  
• Dice-K had a rehab start in New Hampshire, and it wasn't pretty. You can see the photos and hear the post-game audio right here.
• Patriots LB Tedy Bruschi will be announcing his retirement today at a 10:45 AM news conference. Glad to see him leaving on his own and not being cut. Apparently he made the decision without any prompting from the team.
  
• Ian Rapaport has 5 things we learned from Friday night's game against the Redskins (including the end of the Kevin O'Connell era).
• UMaine women's soccer fell to Weber St.
  

MONDAY MORNING QUICK HITTERS

The TD Banknorth 250 Sunday in Oxford (CMSB/Pierre’s of Exchange St)

• Eddie MacDonald wins the TD Banknorth 250.
• Maine Men’s Hockey held its annual Blue/White Alumni game Sunday.
• The Portland Sea Dogs drop another game to the Trenton Thunder 2 – 1.
• The show of the day was in Toronto as Roy Halliday took on Jon Lester in a great pitchers matchup, it did not disappoint. Halliday pitched a complete game gem as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 3 –1 Sunday.
  

4 MLB GM's Who Should be Former GM's

With spring training under way, it might be a little earlier than usual on a column like this, but I do not remember seeing so many organizations in MLB that are in desperate need of a change at the top. Here is the list of MLB GM's who should be given the Dan Duquette treatment (not the Steve Phillips treatment, because then they would be shoved down our throats like processed peas were when we were children).

1. JP Ricciardi, Toronto

Playoff appearances? 0

Good trades made? None. Rack your brain for a second. He had a chance to trade Vernon Wells at the height of his effectiveness, instead signed him to a long term deal that no one in their right mind would take on now. His managerial selections were awful.

Farm system? Brutal. Alex Rios was the last homegrown talent to come up and do something, and even he is inconsistent at best.

Ricciardi has proven one thing in his tenure as the Jays GM, he is good enough to put together a team that is not going to do anything. Really couldn't anyone do that?

2. Jim Bowden, Washington

Who would have thought the Montreal Expos would have been a better run franchise then the Nationals thus far? Central American scouting issues, round pegs for square holes (Dmitri Young and Ronnie Belliard), and an outfield fetish (Austin Kearns, Elijah Dukes just to name a couple) have completely tarnished a beautiful new stadium and a chance to rekindle the love of baseball in the Nation's capital. Jim Bowden has done absolutely nothing to draw fans to a park that people should be falling all over themselves to get to. It is time that Jim Bowden, and perhaps even Stan Kasten, who has seen much of this occur under his watch, step aside for someone different before this franchise becomes the MLB's version of the Detroit Lions.

3. Dan O'Dowd, Colorado

Yes, the Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle contracts come to mind here. Is there any doubt that the Rockies improbable run as the National League's sacrificial lamb in 2007 might have prolonged O'Dowd's time in Colorado? Is it possible that the season that was so magical may have set this franchise back another 5 or 10 years? Many have complained of the difficulties in making trades with O'Dowd (remember the Red Sox trying to trade for Todd Helton or the Julian Tavarez attempted trade?), and it is similar to the same complaints you hear about Jim Bowden. Is this the type of person needed to run a franchise in this day and age? With respect to Dick Van Patten, in this case 10 is enough, 10 being the number of years O'Dowd has been on the job.

4. Brian Cashman, New York Yankees

Has any GM ever been as overrated as Cashman? Has there been one with as many misses in recent history? Kyle Farnsworth, Jason Giambi, Kevin Brown, Javier Vazquez, Carl Pavano, Jose Contreras, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and the latest Jorge Posada deal are a part of an era in which Cashman has done nothing short of underwhelming the baseball world. Is he a product of the Yankees money? Did he get players like Sabathia and Teixeira into town, or were they blinded by the seemingly green colored pin stripes? Could anyone legitimately be the GM of the Yankees? The appropriately named Cashman is expendable, and perhaps one could argue that Cashman should have left before Joe Torre. Oh and it's been 8 years since a Yankee parade down Broadway, which is an eternity for many Yankee fans, especially since the hated Red Sox have won two World Series Titles since then, have paid much less under the luxury tax while they have developed more good players out of their farm system. Quick, name the last Yankee homegrown talent to win an MVP, Cy Young award, or Rookie of the Year.

Wait for it...


Wait for it...


The answers are...


MVP-Don Mattingly 1985
Cy Young- Ron Guidry 1978
Rookie Of the Year- Derek Jeter 1996

For a team with "unlimited resources", shouldn't they have a dominant farm system? It may be unfair to give Cashman all the blame here, but if this season fails to bring the ticker tape, I would be willing to bet he might be the one who takes the fall.

Wednesday Morning Quick Hitters

The Red Sox went from elation in the Bottom of the 8th inning with Jason Bay's HR to go ahead to deflation when Jonathan Paplebon coughed up the win, allowing Tampa to score 2 runs in the Top of the 9th. The Rays win 5 - 4. The Rays go back up in the AL East by 1 1/2 games.

The Minnesota Twins moved a game closer in the AL Central and the Wild Card standings as they beat the KC Royals 7 - 2.

The Chicago White Sox drop a pair to Toronto as the Blue Jays extend their winning streak to 9 games..can you say 2008 version of the 2007 Colorado Rockies?

The Florida Marlins played HR Derby beating the Philadelphia Phillies 10 - 8.

Carlos Delgado continues his 2nd half power surge, slamming the New York Mets to 10 - 8 win over the Washington Nationals. The Mets are 2 1/2 games ahead of the Phillies in the AL East.

The NL Central stays the same again as both the Cubs and Brewers lose again. The Chicago Cubs lose to the St Louis 4 - 3. The Milwaukee Brewers lose to the Reds in extra innings again 5 - 4. The Brewers stay 4 1/2 games back of the Cubbies.

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to roll now that they are in 1st place, beating the San Diego Padres 6 - 2.

Arizona loses late to the hapless San Francisco Giants 5 - 4. The Diamondbacks have lost 5 straight and are now 2 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.


Shawne Merriman decides to do the right thing and opts for surgery.

The NFL Network is reporting that Chris Simms has signed with the Titans.




Doc Rivers signs extension with the Boston Celtics.

Mo Cheeks and the 76ers agree to terms.

Monta Ellis admits to lying about his injury.

Kobe Bryant will not have surgery on his finger. So many jokes so...so little space..


Jim Tressel says that Wells will play for The Ohio State in their contest with USC.

Former Patriots Offensive Coordinator and current Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis finally explains his comments about Michigan at a ND Booster conference last spring.