Testing

don't worry, just a test.

First Week

This is harder then I thought.

What CAN we learn from the first week of the season?
Well, we KNOW (some always knew) that BOTH Carlos Gomez AND Lastings Milledge will be electrifying, perennial all-stars.
Having a lot of Tigers could possibly be a mistake.
Forman is allowed to look at the camera when he's being interviewed.
The chat room in live scoring is popular.
Seriously, could someone call Polanco? I think he hit the snooze button.
Over/Under on Tom Gordon add/drops this year? 18
Hampton? Garbage.
Mike and the MadDog? Mega-Ultra Garbage. Three days of "Fist-Pumping Joba"? An HOUR on a Nicklaus/Palmer book?

Battlestar Galactica is the best show on TV. All who reject it are wrong. It's just that simple.

This is live scoring from 1911.

Yesterday Ruled

Yesterday.......

Rose resigned.
Jerry had an idea who to replace him with. (My guess? Buck Showalter.)
Willie answered the Heilman-Starter question. "Not with us... He's going to be a free agent some day."
J.J. Putz looked good.
Robert Andino looked better.
Pedro is fine.....just fine. Who doesn't hear a pop from time to time?
The angels pounded the Twins.
The Yankees won their Final Opening Game in Yankee Stadium. A nation wept as one.
"Suspension-Dodger" Melky Cabrera flashed leather, and grace.
There were three stolen bases in Sunny Day.
Rose was joking. Who would have thought it?

The Pause that Refreshes

Well.... That was interesting.

The tenth season of Sunny Day Baseball commenced on Saturday, with decidedly mixed results.
A quick thanks to Mr. Forman for opening with apartment for the semi-annual pre-draft festivities. Nice place. A lot of stairs. Brooklyn.

Jim Brady's? Well, it was nice enough, we were treated all right. Our waitress smiled alot, which was part of her trickiness, because the food was atrocious. Really bad. No biggie, we aren't there for the food, but a strike against, nonetheless. Plus, NO WINGS?
On to it then. After "Where's Digi" was asked for the fifteenth time, the owner of the Parrotheads showed up and we were ready to begin.

But something was wrong. And, to be honest, it was obvious.
Remember, This was our Tenth Anniversary.
Now I want to choose my words carefully, as to not offend, but there was an apathetic, negative vibe coming from Commissioner Rose. And, again, no big deal, we all have bad days, maybe something at home, or some other thing on Rose's mind, or even maybe I'm imagining it, (I doubt it). But it seemed to me that Rose did not want to be there, let alone celebrate anything. That's all I'm saying.

So, no any formalities, with the exception of Forman, literally standing on the edge of sobriety giving Rose his well-earned credit, or reminiscing, at all. And no rule changes. (That means we have a soft-cap, no tiered trading, no trade committee, etc..).

Then we auctioned. Shame on me, I did not keep a list of the players in the order thaey were auctioned off, just by team. So I do not remember who went first, but If you'll indulge me, a little later I'll post highlights, team, by team, and a recap of day one.

Christmas in March♦

Maybe you've heard me say it, maybe you haven't.

Tomorrow is my favorite day of the year. By a lot.

I'm so excited I can't sleep. That's really it.

See you tomorrow.

I, In turn, pledge my support for Dr. Pepper

Dr Pepper officially declares support for Chinese Democracy



DR PEPPER WILL GIVE EVERYONE* IN AMERICA A FREE SODA IF AXL ROSE RELEASES NEW GUNS N’ ROSES ALBUM, CHINESE DEMOCRACY, IN 2008

*Guitarists Slash and Buckethead Will Not Be Eligible For Free Soda

PLANO, Texas (March 26, 2008) – Tired of a world in which Americans idolize wannabe singers and musicals about high schoolers pass as rock ‘n roll music, Dr Pepper is encouraging (ok, begging) Axl Rose to finally release his 17-year-in-the-making belabored masterpiece, Chinese Democracy, in 2008.

In an unprecedented show of solidarity with Axl, everyone in America, except estranged GNR guitarists Slash and Buckethead, will receive a free can of Dr Pepper if the album ships some time -- anytime! -- in 2008. Dr Pepper supports Axl, and fully understands that sometimes you have to make it through the jungle before you get it right.

"It took a little patience to perfect Dr Pepper’s special mix of 23 ingredients, which our fans have come to know and love,” said Jaxie Alt, director of marketing for Dr Pepper. “So we completely understand and empathize with Axl's quest for perfection – for something more than the average album. We know once it's released, people will refer to it as "Dr Pepper for the ears" because it will be such a refreshing blend of rich, bold sounds - an instant classic.”

Show your support for Axl and get on the nightrain of encouragement at http://www.chinesedemocracywhen.blogspot.com/

NY Mets Old-Timers Day 1977

enjoy, and don't forget to make your predictions in the post below.

Predictions

We can only do these pre-auction, so why not have some fun and play the game of

"How much will he cost????"

Of course no one wants to give away who they are going after, so I will (semi)-randomly choose a list of names and anyone who wants can predict their auction price. Feel free to try to influence the auction today!

And there is a prize!!! Whoever guesses closest in total wins a can of Dr. Browns Cream Soda.

So here we go.

A.J. Burnett
Kosuke Fukudome
David Ortiz
Ryan Howard
Mike Remlinger
Barry Bonds

Have fun, post below.

Do you think he likes him?

Starting 3B for Francesca's fantasy Team (The Muddy Fillies?)
I give you Brandon Inge

And now, Brodsky After Dark

NSFW I think.

It's like the "From Dusk til Dawn" of sketch comedy.



Favorite line in the comments

How about baseball?

Yeah to opening day!!! I'm so glad we got all the whining, and crap out of the way early this year. We are in for some smooth sailing the rest of the way.

So anyway... with all the recent talk about rookies, and keepers, I got to thinking about two of the most hyped rookies from the early days of Sunny Day.

Specifically Pat Burrell, and Eric Chavez.
Both were pegged as future MVP's, if not future Hall-of-Famers before they ever had an at-bat in the Bigs. Peter Gammons was rumored to have a poster of Chavez above his bed. "In the three decades I've been in baseball, I've seen George Brett, Barry Bonds and Robin Yount, but when I see a kid like Eric Chavez — he's the best left-handed opposite-field power hitter I've ever seen," said A's hitting coach Thad Bosley, a 14-year major-leaguer in 2001. Burrell was the MVP of the 96 College World Series, and won the 1998 Golden Spikes Award. Burrell was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies with the first overall draft choice in the 1998 MLB draft.

Both seem like disappointments don't they?



Well, courtesy of Baseball-Reference, , here are the average stats over a 162 game season for the two highly rated-rookies .

Name Runs Hits HR RBI AVG OBP SLG OPS

Burrell 82 146 31 104 .268 .367 .482 .849

Chavez 92 158 29 98 .269 .347 .486 .833

Crazy similar, huh? Get this: For their careers, Chavez has made $39,691,000. Burrell has made $39,560,000. Almost exactly the same.

But I'm getting distracted with Jayson Stark-like crap.

The questions I pose is this:

Are these men disappointments? Who else since the dawn of Sunny Day has come on the scene with great hype, only to be really good?

Comment below.

How about this?

Maybe the mood needs to change.
Human Giant is a great show.

This is not safe for work.




Feel free to let me know if you like this.

Why We Fight

Controversy.

Some would say this is the life-blood of Sunny Day.
Others would suggest it is the sole reason I get up in the morning.

I question why there cannot be a solid calender year without some kind of crazy, out-of-nowhere, scandal that divides the league.
Top of my head:

Ichiro
Mid week replacements
Absentee owners (Hand, Sting)
Accusations (unnameable)
Keeper list redo
Wiffle ball
Demaio poses as Rose during e-mail conversation
Innumerable sanctions.

Why do we go through it all?
The current issue is obviously, Keeper Lists. I count approximately 20 e-mails (that I am privy to) back and forth crying about my guy was sent down, or to "Man Up" and deal with it, even one e-mail suggesting that, indeed, Josh Fields might just be the single worst "keeper" of all time. This includes keeper lists from guys in Minnesota who kept Dan Gladden one year. Or that time that Mustache Man wanted to keep a shiny rock.

What do we do every time this happens? We fight, and bitch, and try to prove how right we are, and how wrongly we are being treated.
Then, a week later, we vote, and a rule is put into place NEXT year.

So.... how's about we vote to make the keeper lists due ONE week before the auction NEXT year.
It is the Sunny Day way. I'm pretty sure it's in the Constitution, and it's the fair thing for everyone.

Second in a series of great, great keepers

Eric Byrnes is also a terrific baseball player. While I was pissing myself with laughter at his inclusion on a keeper list, I neglected to consider Byrnes' feelings.

I am so sorry Eric Byrnes, that I called you the worst keeper since Homer Bush. My bad.

More from my friend, Wikipedia.

"Eric James Byrnes (born February 16, 1976 in Redwood City, California) is an outfielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Byrnes is known for making athletic catches on fly balls in the outfield and for his energetic personality, both on and off the field."

During the off-season, Byrnes often fills in on KNBR, a San Francisco radio station. He currently resides with his bulldog, Bruin. During the 2007 MLB All Star Game at AT&T Park, he was in a kayak in McCovey Cove with Bruin during the pre-game and game itself for the FOX Sports broadcast.

Byrnes also has his own TV show, called "The Eric Byrnes Show," which airs on FSN Arizona during the Diamondbacks' regular season. The half-hour show gives fans behind-the-scenes looks at the Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as Byrnes' personal life. During the 2007 off-season, Byrnes began a weekly radio show on XM Satellite Radio, called "Hustle with Eric Byrnes"

He seems busy. I hope all this mass-communicatin' doesn't get in the way of him stealing another 50 bases this year.

My Bad, Part 867 (and counting)

I just want to point out that Josh Fields is super.

Fields was a two-sport athlete at Oklahoma State University, playing both baseball and football. He was selected as a Big 12 Conference All-Star at third base in 2003, and had a career batting average of .364 over three years. Fields also earned three letters as a quarterback for the Cowboys. He owns the school record for most touchdown passes (55), and led the team to two bowl games, including setting the Cotton Bowl record with 307 passing yards against the University of Mississippi.

Some more information, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Entering 2005, Fields was ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the White Sox organization and the 95th-best prospect in Major League Baseball by Baseball America.

Prior to the 2006 season, Fields was once again ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the White Sox organization by Baseball America.

Fields entered the 2007 season ranked as the second-best prospect in the White Sox organization and the 45th-best prospect in Major League Baseball by Baseball America.

Fields ended his first season as a Major Leaguer by hitting .244, with 23 HR, 67 RBI, and an OPS of 788 in 100 games. His 23 HR ties him with Bill Melton for 3rd most HR by a White Sox player in their rookie season, Melton did that in 157 games.

Fields received one third-place vote for AL Rookie of the Year.

Yes, THE Bill Melton.

A couple of things

I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone for the warm response to the site. To see over 120 hits (yeah, 45 of them are mine) is really exciting to me, and I can't wait for more owners to get involved.

OK. There are questions being raised about what new rules or agendas will be brought up pre-auction. I've heard talk of a "tiered" system for trading, and perhaps for keeper inflation. Especially with one, if not more owners not being available for early talks/votes, maybe we should start discussing whats on the agenda. After all, we are only a week away.

Completely off subject, over the winter, I found online a TON of ancient baseball photos from The Bain News Service dated about 1910 to the early 1930's. They were like the AP 100 years ago. Every once in awhile I will post a pic. These are all images I've never seen.




Red Sox at spring training, Hot Springs, AR 1912

A total of three posts

I certainly did not want this to be my third post, but c'mon. You had to see this coming.




Season 4 premieres Friday, April 4th at 10PM on Sci-Fi.

Complete list

Just a nice easy list of all the keepers

Carnivores: Total $59
Brandon Phillips - $14, Matt Holliday - $29, Nick Markakis - $9, Chipper Jones - $7

Lebowski: Total $73

Hanley Ramirez - $33, Joe Mauer - $22, Mike Lowell - $6, Chad Billingsley $6, Joba Chamberlain $6

Parrotheads: Total $74
Arod- $42, Cole Hamels -$14, Ryan Braun, $6, Tim Lincecum $6, Yovanni Gallardo $6

Blitz is On: Total $73
Ryan Howard $41, J.J. Putz $10, Eric Byrnes $9, Evan Longoria $6, Phil Hughes $7

The Evil Dead: Total $6
Carlos Pena $6

Pappas Fritas, Inc.: Total $14
Pedro-$7, John Maine $7

Reservoir Dogs: Total $67
Johan Santana $49, Cameron Maybin $6, Clay Bucholz $6, Jeff Francis $6

Jabronis: Total $26
Curtis Granderson $6, Hunter Pence $6, Troy Tulowitzki $6, Adrian Gozalez $8

East Coast Swing: Total $69
Prince Fielder $23, Josh Beckett $16, Aaron Harang $13, Justin Verlander $17

Meadow Ghetto: Total $74
Russell Martin $13, James Loney $6, Jimmy Rollins $34, Eric Bedard $15, Fausto Carmona $6

Long Beach Cobra Kai: Total $20
Corey Hart $6, Dan Haren $14

Sharky's Machine: Total $39
Chris B. Young $14, B.J. Upton $7, Matt Kemp $6, Josh Fields $6, Fransisco Liriano $6

Some wild names on those lists, huh? I guess we will see the value of keeping a rookie at $6?
I'd like to point out that there are only 46 total players being kept. This is a steep drop-off from our former standard of 84 keepers.
19 Pitchers, 2 Catchers, 5 First Basemen, 1 Second Baseman, 3 SS(But not Reyes?), 5 Third Basemen, and 12 Outfielders.
Half of the lists total out in the high $60's to upper $70's. I'm looking either really smart, or really stupid.
We'll find out in about 10 days. (Site Unknown)

Feel free to mock any of our keepers in the comments section below.

Early

Well.

This will, (of course) probably end terribly, but this is my attempt at giving a little something back to Sunny Day Baseball.

With this website, I will try to do the following:

1) Talk about the day to day events in our league.
Who went 5-for-5 the night before? Why did Marmo drop Stephen Drew? Why did he pick up Stephen Drew two hours later? Is Damon injured? Did you see Lebowski had 7 SB last night? etc...
This should be the bulk of my posts. While shit-talk is fun, a state-of-the-league forum should be cool. I'm pretty sure that there will be enough to talk about all season long.

2)Get back to writing.
The first few years of Sunny Day were marked with some of the funniest articles I have ever read. Laugh out loud stuff.
Weiss' face in the Twin Towers; "I am Turkish"; Erik Karabell declaring Rose a tyrant; and entirely too many wrestling and Star Wars posts.
Recently, these articles have trickled down to almost nothing. Every few weeks we get a "F-Rose" kind of story (Inevitable response: "I'm tired, so very tired"), a Yankee/Met thing by Bruzzo or Marms, or the worst: "You are a stupid, cock-sucker, faggot, cheater, Jew, trash, fat-fattie" article.
This, of course leads me to number three.

3)Penance.
I would like to take this opportunity to FORMALLY APOLOGIZE to Daniel Digiovanna, Anthony Ciuffo, and Jerry O'Brien. Specifically for the comments made by me in August of last season FALSELY, and WITHOUT MERIT accusing them of collusion, and cheating. I realize now (and probably knew it at the time) that these were hurtful, and untrue statements. I cannot imagine how I would feel if one of my fellow owners questioned my honesty, or my integrity.
As has been noted in the past, I have a (self-destructive) tendency to speak without thinking. While I don't expect to be invited to Thanksgiving dinner, I hope that the four of us will be able to work through this, and eventually get to a point where we can be civil with each other.
We'll see.

I would like to credit former owner/current auctioneer Gary Henderson for pioneering this concept back in 2002. Please be assured that there will be NO tie-in with any ska music on this website.
This is not an official Sunny Day Mach II website. Articles posted have not been approved by Daniel Rose, or Jonathan Marmo.
Also, feel free to post comments. This will be an uncensored site, and I will NOT edit any replies.

So, anyway, I've got plenty on my mind but I will leave this up for a little while then get to posting.

Thanks for reading,
Brodsky