We also discuss:

• Billy Beane being extended until 2019
• Elvis Andrus and Nelson Cruz resigning in Texas
• The Jeremy Guthrie trade to Colorado
• AJ Burnett possibly being traded to the Pirates
• We spotlight the Detroit Tigers
• Ryan Rayburn (well the whole Tigers infield) is horrible on defense (as this video shows)
• Andy Dirks’ Dominican dominance
• Corey and I each give our 3 best and 3 worst off-season deals

Click play on the player below to listen:

—–

How to subscribe to and follow the MSF Podcast so you never miss an episode:

• Subscribe to the MSF Podcast on iTunes
• Join the MSF Podcast Email Digest and get an email whenever a new episode is posted.
• Follow @PodcastMSF on Twitter or via RSS to get random funny tweets and updates as soon as new episodes are posted.
• Download this episode in mp3 format for later: Right-click this link, then hit “save link as”
• To learn about and subscribe to individual podcasts, click here.

We talk about:

• the Prince Fielder and Edwin Jackson signings
• Argue over whether the Patriots and Giants will combine for more points Sunday than the Astros will win games in 2012.
• We share our feelings about the unnecessary amount of coverage of Josh Hamilton’s “relapse”
• Corey learns a valuable lesson about Casey Kotchman’s defensive abilities
• Pat yells about Marc Rzepczynski being a viable deity
• We give our pre-spring training picks for playoff teams and cellar dwellers.

Man, the Astros stink.

Click play on the player below to listen:

—–

How to subscribe to and follow the MSF Podcast so you never miss an episode:

• Subscribe to the MSF Podcast on iTunes
• Join the MSF Podcast Email Digest and get an email whenever a new episode is posted.
• Follow @PodcastMSF on Twitter or via RSS to get random funny tweets and updates as soon as new episodes are posted.
• Download this episode in mp3 format for later: Right-click this link, then hit “save link as”
• To learn about and subscribe to individual podcasts, click here.

Josh Hamilton

I listened to the entire press conference and came away impressed with Hamilton’s honesty and willingness to take accountability, and also a nagging feeling that he needs to take the next step and go away from baseball for a bit and focus on nothing but his sobriety.

I wrote about this earlier today (read here) before the press conference as well, touching on a number of different angles of the story. After listening to Hamilton, I feel even stronger about the words I closed that post with:

The report about Hamilton’s relapse, if true, reminds us of the humanity that made him such a compelling figure in the first place.

To err is human; to err so egregiously, to allegedly relapse with so much on the line, is also human, as anyone who can empathize with the plight of the addict knows.

As a baseball fan, I sure hope what happened Monday doesn’t interfere with my ability to watch Josh Hamilton play baseball.

But as a human, I don’t care really about the baseball. I just want to see this husband, father, and beloved inspiration to so many who need it, lift himself up and away from the abyss through the sheer force of his will and faith – which is ultimately what it takes.

Get well Josh Hamilton. But get help, again.

Even if this is a recently isolated incident, nip it in the bud. Take nothing for granted. Respect the destructive power you know your demos have.

No one needs to or should stop rooting for Josh Hamilton; but none of us should enable him either, even from far.

Hamilton certainly seems to understand the gravity of the situation, and he spoke numerous times about having hurt his wife and alluded to some potential issues there. Who knows. Only the Hamiltons know, and only they know how those kind of extenuating circumstances might affect a more drastic move by Hamilton to step away from it all and get serious help again.

Whatever the reality, I just hope Josh can minimize the relapses in the future. And I give him major kudos for speaking up today and continuing to be accountable publicly for his recovery effort.

Quick note: The initial draft of this post that was published was done so under the assumption that Hamilton drinking Monday night was fact, as it was reported here by the Dallas Morning News. A report this morning (see bottom of article) casts at least some doubt on the veracity of the claims that Hamilton was drinking. I’ve updated the post in certain areas to reflect this ambiguity, though the tone and ultimate message remains the same regardless.

You have probably heard by now that Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton was spotted at a Dallas bar on Monday night, reportedly drinking alcohol.

I thought about it a lot last night and this morning, so here are a few scattered thoughts on the biggest non-Super Bowl story of the day.

Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton’s Disappointing (Alleged) Relapse

So far, few details about the night have been made public, and I hope it stays that way (though it won’t). The news is that Josh Hamilton, a superstar athlete approaching a contract year, as well as a drug and alcohol addict, was allegedly again using one of the substances to which he has admitted to being powerlessly addicted.

My move to Dallas four years coincided with Hamilton’s move to the Metroplex, so I have been able to watch his resurgence from junkie to MVP up close. It has been thrilling, inspiring, and an altogether incredible story about the triumph of the human spirit in Hamilton, as well as and especially those close to him who have helped him get his life back on track.

And that’s part of what made the 2009 Deadspin story about Hamilton drunk at a bar, and last night’s story about Hamilton allegedly drinking at Sherlock’s, so disappointing.

This story that we’ve all come to root for, and appreciate, and perhaps even take for granted, now has another black mark on it. This tale of recovery is not complete, as some perhaps thought or at least wished it was.

But that’s the thing: it never is for an addict.

And in terms of disappointing angles to this story, the way that we feel about it as observers, as consumers of sports content, is irrelevant.

The true disappointment is that Hamilton, a man with a wife (who has stood by him indefatigably by all accounts) and three daughters, and so much seemingly to stay clean for, could not.

Katie and Josh Hamilton, via their joint Twitter account @kandjhamilton

What Does The Future Hold For Josh Hamilton?

I don’t want to get into any undue speculation, so I won’t. I’ll just say what I think is a reasonable assumption for anyone to make based on the reported facts: this latest alleged relapse story, if true, hints at a much larger ongoing problem than many of us may have realized.

Anyone who has been afflicted by addiction or had family members afflicted by addiction, as I have, understands the unyielding presence of this evil demon. You never really “beat” it. You never really “conquer” it. You can simply subdue it one day at a time.

Hamilton has been able to do this, ostensibly, for a major part of the last half decade, but not without falling victim to the inevitable relapses that so many addicts cannot avoid.

You have probably heard that Hamilton recently lost his accountability partner Johnny Narron, who took a hitting coach job with the Brewers. His father-in-law reportedly was going to step in, but then backed out. What does that mean? What is the impact of these two recent, related stories? I have no idea. Again, all I can say is what I think is a reasonable assumption given the reports, if true, and the backstory: it hints at a larger ongoing problem than many may have wanted to believe.

On a side note: kudos to Hamilton’s teammate Ian Kinsler for rushing to Sherlock’s to persuade Hamilton to go home. Actually, scratch teammate. Kudos to Hamilton’s friend Kinsler for doing so. I don’t know how successful he was – again, details from the night are sketchy, as I hope they stay – but at least he went when called upon for a friend in need who apparently reached out to him. (Update: Some reports now indicate that Kinsler’s role may have been misreported in the original accounts of this story. See here.)

Who knows what is next for Josh Hamilton.

If this is true and an isolated incident, at least recently speaking, then perhaps it’s just an every-other-year relapse wakeup call to Hamilton that reminds him he is powerless against his demons in the long-run.

If this is true and not an isolated incident, as some completely unsubstantiated but nonetheless present grumblings of other incidents suggest, then maybe Hamilton does, in fact, have a much flimsier grasp on his recovery than everyone, including he, thought. And if that’s the case, talk of contracts and baseball need to pushed as far into the background as possible.

If the worst case scenario about this incident proves true, and I really hope it’s not, then Hamilton needs to focus on nothing but his recovery and health.

Forget the Rangers. Forget baseball. Forget fans. Forget all of that. Katie, Sierra, Michaela Grace, and Stella Faith need their husband and father to look his demons in the eye again and hit them head on again, with humility and unwavering focus.

Then hopefully a byproduct of that down the road is a return to great baseball.

Should Hamilton’s Relapse Have Been Reported?

As for the debate over whether this should have been reported, I’m torn.

If the reports are accurate, and I were in Hamilton’s inner circle or the Rangers, I’d have wanted it to stay private, of course. But once news organizations get wind of it, I think it’s fair game for them to report it (assuming they got the facts right).

Hamilton’s recovery has been such a big part of the Hamilton Narrative, and fighting relapses is part of almost every addict’s narrative. So if the good stories are going to be reported, aren’t the less good ones fair game?

Furthermore, Hamilton’s contract status (he’s a free agent after this season), has been a major topic down here in Dallas. Every time it comes up, so too do the questions about Hamilton’s physical and mental health, and whether the Rangers or any team should feel comfortable giving him anything more than a short-term deal. What happened Monday night, if true, ends that speculation.

If he was in fact drinking on Monday night, Hamilton will never get a long-term deal, if he ever would have anyway. His max contract from here on out will be two years, if that. What happened at Sherlock’s is the reason. That makes it news. That makes it worth reporting.

I will say that I think the media has struck the right chord with this story: reporting the facts as known but imbuing every article I’ve read with a sense of empathy for his problem and an underlying hope that Hamilton can get back on the path of recovery.

Concluding Thoughts

I’ve loved watching the Josh Hamilton story. Seeing him subdue his demons long enough to let his prodigious baseball talents shine through has been amazing to watch.

It is the humanity of Josh Hamilton that has made him such a three-dimensional sports figure that everyone can grasp onto, relate with in some way, and root for out of both the goodness of our hearts and the selfishness of insatiable desire for compelling sport entertainment. Josh Hamilton is nothing if not compelling.

The report about Hamilton’s relapse, if true, reminds us of the humanity that made him such a compelling figure in the first place.

To err is human; to err so egregiously, to allegedly relapse with so much on the line, is also human, as anyone who can empathize with the plight of the addict knows.

As a baseball fan, I sure hope what happened Monday doesn’t interfere with my ability to watch Josh Hamilton play baseball.

But as a human, I don’t care really about the baseball. I just want to see this husband, father, and beloved inspiration to so many who need it, lift himself up and away from the abyss through the sheer force of his will and faith – which is ultimately what it takes.

Get well Josh Hamilton. But get help, again.

Even if this is a recently isolated incident, nip it in the bud. Take nothing for granted. Respect the destructive power you know your demos have.

No one needs to or should stop rooting for Josh Hamilton; but none of us should enable him either, even from far.

Update: For what it’s worth, the following link was just passed along by Brian Cuban on Facebook. The title is “Josh Hamilton, Inside Scoop From 8 People” by Mike Dyce. I cannot at all vouch for the source, because I am not familiar with Mike Dyce, but I do tend to trust Cuban’s thoughts on matters such as these, so if it’s good enough for him to pass along, I will too.

Midwest Sports Fans has done a couple pieces in the past few days regarding the end of the Fielder sweepstakes. If you are a Milwaukee Brewers fan, you have had plenty of time to face the inevitable.

Fielder did not turn this into a LeBron James-like spectacle. He said flat out at the end of last season that he would most likely not be returning to Milwaukee. Meanwhile GM Doug Melvin moved on and addressed other needs regarding the team in free agency. It was as amicable as any so-called divorce could be.

The $24 million per year that would had been needed to keep Fielder now simply gets used to acquire other assets. For instance, Zack Greinke, Francisco Rodriguez, and Aramis Ramirez carry a tab of $27.5 million for the coming season.

It’s a business, and these days it often pays not to shell out the big bucks for one player. Not being the team that got stuck with Carlos Lee (6 years/$100 million) or even Joe Mauer (8 years/$184 million) sounds pretty good now.

All of that said, I like that Fielder landed in Detroit, as I thought Scott Boras’s “mystery team” would end up being (as usual) the Yankees. And I had an even bigger fear on Prince winding up with a rival such as the Cubs or Cardinals (especially with Albert Pujols gone).

As it turns out, Fielder goes to the American League, in a city with a lot of parallels to Milwaukee, and where he grew up. It sounds like there’s even possible reconciliation between Prince and Cecil Fielder. And Prince is with a team that should dominate in the AL Central for the foreseeable future. As an extra bonus he will no longer have to worry about facing Justin Verlander and his team being no-hit by him.

Maybe Mike Ilitch is as nuts as anyone throwing $215 million on a player, but then again Ilitch is 82 and more than likely won’t even be around when Prince’s contract expires in 2020. Not like Ilitch can take his considerable wealth to the other side. Aging owners can be good for a franchise, in the short term that is…

But I thought this would be a good time to compile Prince Fielder’s top 10 moments as a member of the Brewers organization, just to whet the appetite of what Detroit baseball fans can look forward to.

10. ‘HE GOT ALL OF THAT ONE’ – July, 2011

It was a MLB promotional spot during the 2011 season, but Fielder really did nearly put one into orbit during this late July game v. the Houston Astros, landing high up on a support beam above the right field stands at Miller Park. As now-former Brewers PBP man Cory Provus said, ‘That ball…landed in Wauwatosa.” He had his Milwaukee area coordinates off a bit, but his point was well taken.

9. CATCHER IN THE WAY – May, 2006

San Francisco Giants fans don’t like seeing opposing baserunners run over their catchers, especially after seeing a Florida Marlins player just up from the minors that no one had ever heard of (or will hear from again) ending Buster Posey’s season last year.

That said, Prince Fielder lighting up Giants backup catcher Todd Greene during this weekday matinee in the ’06 season immediately went down as one of Prince’s most iconic moments as a Brewer. This camera angle from the Miller Park roof caught the intensity of that moment of impact perfectly.  A second picture shows the aftermath after a second runner tried to score on the play and was tagged out by the opposing pitcher while Greene was sprawled out in Never Never Land.

8. NUMBER 50 – September, 2007

Two home runs in this late September game v. the St. Louis Cardinals made Fielder the youngest player in history (23 at the time) to reach 50 home runs in a single season. After the game, Fielder said that his goal was to hit two more home runs to surpass his dad’s 51 home run season, saying that surpassing Cecil would “shut him up.” As it turned out, Prince had to settle for 50 and has not duplicated that mark since.

7. THE PIRATES ARE HIS BITCHES – May, 2007

Think the Pittsburgh franchise is not elated to see Fielder switch leagues? Coming up to bat after teammate J.J. Hardy had hit a three-run homer, Fielder is drilled by reliever Matt Capps, a pitch that was deemed intentional by MLB disciplinary czar Bob Watson and resulted in a four-game suspension for Capps.

The next day Fielder hit two home runs, scored the eventual winning run, and then made some emotional gestures towards Capps and the Pirates bench before being shown the way towards his own dugout. Since this early-2007 series, Pittsburgh is 4-38 in Milwaukee, including a late September game in 2011 that saw Prince hit three home runs.

6. CLUBHOUSE ACCESS DENIED – July, 2009

In apparent retaliation to a couple of LA Dodgers hitters being plunked earlier in the game, Fielder is hit in the leg by a Guillermo Mota pitch in the ninth inning of a game the Brewers lost 17-4. After the final out Fielder sprints off the field, then attempts to enter the opposing clubhouse to find Mota, but is rebuffed by Dodger Stadium security and eventually Brewers teammates. Surprisingly Fielder was not disciplined by Major League Baseball.

5. INSIDE-THE-PARK HR I – June, 2009

A high pop fly gets lost in the Metrodome’s white roof in the ninth inning of a Sunday afternoon game, and by the time any of the Twins was able to retrieve it Fielder had himself an inside-the-park home run. As college basketball analyst Bill Rafferty might say, “GET A RESUSCITATOR, FOR THE BIG FELLA!!!!!”

The play put the Brewers ahead 9-8 in a game they were losing 8-2, but ultimately lost the game in the bottom of the ninth. Still a memorable moment though – and leave it to The Onion to put a great satire on the event!!

4. INSIDE-THE-PARK HR II – June, 2010

Incredibly, he’s done it twice – amazing considering how much trouble Ryan Braun had trying to score an inside-the-park HR even once. In this game v. the Blue Jays, the ball gets stuck below the padding as the Toronto outfielders threw their arms up in the air expecting the play to be ruled a ground rule double.

It is exactly how I also got Prince to hit a ITPHR in MLB 11, have ball get stuck in the fence while the fielders keep running in place. Once again electronic art imitates real life perfectly.

3. THE CELEBRATION – September, 2009

I’m pretty much retired from uploading videos toYoutube, but I’m now at 182,000 views and counting on this one. As the producer on Network said while Harold Beale went on his famous rant, “SON OF A B*TCH, WE HIT THE MOTHER LODE!!!”

The San Francisco Giants obviously took this as some sort of breach of baseball etiquette, and Barry Zito proceeded to plunk Fielder in an exhibition game the following spring as retaliation. My question remains this, why was everyone pissed at Prince, it was the other 30 guys in uniform THAT ALL FELL DOWN!!!!! And if that was over-the-top, then so is virtually every other walk-off home run celebration in baseball.

2. HOME RUN DERBY – July, 2009

In another opportunity to one-up his dad on the career bucket list (Cecil Fielder had participated in HR Derby three times), Prince hits 23 home runs, including one measured at 503 feet, to win the annual pre-All-Star game event at St. Louis’s Busch Stadium.

1. ALL-STAR MVP – July, 2011

After two days of booing from Arizona Diamondbacks fans (upset that he selected teammate Rickie Weeks and not Justin Upton for Home Run Derby), Prince hits a three-run homer to lead the National League to a 5-1 victory in the 2011 All-Star Game. The win gave the NL what turned out to be the crucial home field advantage for this past fall’s World Series. St. Louis, you are welcome.

Yet, although I knew it was coming and have had a long time to prepare for it, a part of me is still very sad that it’s official that Prince won’t being wearing a Milwaukee uniform in 2012.

Since his first major league hit on June 15, 2005, Prince Fielder has done some simply amazing things for the Milwaukee Brewers.

In his 7 season with the Brew Crew, he managed to put up some numbers that are stunning. He hit 230 home runs, drove in 656 runs, compiled just under 1,000 hits, and had an on-base percentage of .390.

In addition the stats, he has a very lengthy list of accomplishments that he built up with the Crew. He’s a 3-time All-Star (and was the 2011 All-Star Game MVP), won the 2009 Home Run Derby, won 2 Silver Slugger awards, won the 2007 NL Hank Aaron Award, set a franchise record with 50 home runs during the 2007 season, and trailed only Hall of Famer Robin Yount for most home runs in franchise history.

Prince always clobbered towering home runs, and he never failed to excite the Milwaukee faithful. He may have been a big liability defensively, but his offense and clubhouse leadership did more than enough to make up for it. Fielder was a spectacular teammate, and there was very little drama between players during his time in Milwaukee.

He and Ryan Braun were the best 3-4 punch in baseball, and they will go down in Brewers lore for being the ultimate sluggers that helped lead Milwaukee to the playoffs twice in a span of 4 years. For fans of the Red Sox and Yankees, making the playoffs twice in 4 years is mediocre, but to Brewer fans, it was nothing short of absolutely amazing. We’re talking about a team that didn’t make the postseason for 26 years, a drought that was broken in 2008.

Without Prince Fielder, I’m fairly certain that the Milwaukee playoff drought would be at 29 years and counting.

Now as far as Prince’s contract with the Detroit Tigers goes, I think that it is pretty risky. Sure Prince is a very good player, but 9 years and $214 million seems a little steep to me. While the money he’s getting is excessive, it’s the length of the contract that bothers me the most.

Prince isn’t exactly the lightest guy around (he was listed VERY generously at 270 pounds with the Brewers), and if he ends up being a full-time DH, his weight could balloon up to if not over 350 pounds by the end of even next season. Remember, Fielder is this fat at age 27, what do you think he’s going be like when he’s in his mid-30s?

In addition to the health issues for Fielder, his new contract could create a big payroll problem for the Tigers. His huge contract may make it next to impossible for Detroit to re-sign both Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander, whose contracts run through 2015 and 2014 respectively. There’s no question in my mind that Prince will help the Tigers immensely in the short-term, but it’s problems in the long run that should have Tiger fans a little bit uneasy with this contract.

But despite all of that, I think that the signing of Prince Fielder will have more positive effects on the Tigers than there will be negatives. He gives them a great chance to win a World Series in the next several years, and I would be shocked if Detroit doesn’t win the AL Central by a wide margin.

As much as Fielder will help the Tigers, I care much more about how much his departure will hurt the Brewers.

The Brew Crew will, in all likelihood, be without Ryan Braun for the first 50 games of the 2012 season, and the rest of the team has a lot of slack to pick up on offense. Even once Braun is back, he no longer has Prince backing him up, so pitchers will be able to pitch around him, which they couldn’t do in the past.

But worst of all, this ball club is without its leader.

Prince Fielder’s love for his teammates and the city where he played for seven seasons can’t be matched, and he will be missed dearly. Fielder gave us Brewers fans a ton of great memories, and these past few seasons were the ideal time to be a Milwaukee fan.

Braun and Fielder, beast mode, 2 playoff appearances, Racing Sausages, Tony Plush, the icon Bob Uecker, and much more made these past few years (especially 2011), amazing, and that’s why I don’t think any true Milwaukee fan will hold a grudge against Prince. When he steps to the plate during interleague play at Miller Park, the Milwaukee faithful will give Prince Fielder the standing ovation that he deserves.

Prince, I wish you the best of luck going forward with your new team, and I just want to say thanks.

For everything.

I’ll leave all of the nitty-gritty details to the pros like Rosenthal. For my commentary on this deal, I am going to put on my White Sox hat and do whatever I can to rain on the Tigers’ parade. Why? Because I’m still bitter about last season and not all that optimistic about this season (yet) and because ADAM DUNN WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SUCK SO MUCH DEAR GOD WHY?

Anyway, I just want to present a few of facts that Tigers fans may be familiar with.

Fact #1: Prince Fielder is the son of Cecil Fielder. This makes it highly probably that they share genetic code and hereditary predispositions.

Fact #2: Cecil Fielder played for the Detroit Tigers from age 26-31, becoming a lovable star because of his girth and behemoth home runs.

Fact #3: At age 26, his first full season in the majors, Cecil Fielder hit 51 home runs and slugged .592; at age 26, Prince Fielder, in his fifth full season in the majors, hit 32 home runs and slugged .471.

Fact #4: At age 27, Cecil Fielder hit 44 home runs and slugged .514; at age 27, Prince Fielder hit 38 home runs and slugged .566.

Fact #5: Cecil Fielder never slugged higher than .504 or hit 40 home runs again despite his salary increasing to nearly $10 million by his age 33 season. He retired at age 34.

Fact #6: Prince Fielder will still be under contract for two full seasons at a massive salary after turning 34.

Fact #7: From ages 23-25, Prince Fielder averaged 43.3 home runs, 121 RBIs, and had OPS’ of 1.013, .879, and 1.104; from ages 26-27, prime years for most players, Fielder averaged 35 home runs, 101.5 RBIs, and had OPS’ of .871 and .981.

A few observations about these facts:

• Cecil Fielder was never better than during his first two full seasons before declining sharply after that; he was still a useful player, but nowhere near the presence he had been.
• Prince Fielder was never better than during his first three full seasons (two great years with just a good year sandwiched in between) and is already declining statistically at the age his papa was putting up his best numbers.

The elder Fielder was paid $9.237 million each of his final two seasons in Detroit, an exorbitant sum at the time. He hit 59 home runs and drove in 172 runs total over those two seasons. Prince Fielder will be paid $20+ million dollars during every season of his deal with the Tigers. For their sake, let’s hope they get a better return than they got on the money they paid his father.

Otherwise, if Prince declines and becomes injury-prone, as many extremely heavyset power hitters have (Cecil, Mo Vaughn, even Frank Thomas, just to name a few), this deal could quickly become an albatross for the Tigers.

With Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera and a decent roster around them, the Tigers have a window to win over the next couple of years. If Fielder replacing the injured Victor Martinez helps power them to a World Series over the next few years, I suppose this deal will probably be worth it.

But I can’t help but think that at some point – probably when Fielder is hitting 25-30 home runs per season and making semi-regular DL stints, which will probably happen not too long after he turns 30, if not before  – the Tigers and their fans will be looking back on this deal with regret.

Of course, I’m just an angry, disillusioned, pessimistic White Sox fan still burdened mentally and emotionally by the Dunn Fiasco (and the Peavy Problem and the Rios Mess and blah blah blah)…so what the hell do I know?

Among the topics discussed:

• The Texas Rangers signing Yu Darvish and about the possibility of them signing Prince Fielder.
• The Michael Pineda-Jesus Montero trade and how it works for both teams.
• The Reds doing more to make a run at the NL Central this year.
• Most importantly, we make too many jokes about Fausto Carmona’s name and Jamie Moyer’s age.
• We wrap things up talking about the cases that went to arbitration this past week.

Click play on the player below to listen:

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How to subscribe to and follow the MSF Podcast so you never miss an episode:

• Subscribe to the MSF Podcast on iTunes
• Join the MSF Podcast Email Digest and get an email whenever a new episode is posted.
• Follow @PodcastMSF on Twitter or via RSS to get random funny tweets and updates as soon as new episodes are posted.
• Download this episode in mp3 format for later: Right-click this link, then hit “save link as”
• To learn about and subscribe to individual podcasts, click here.

The photo below is of Yu preparing to board his plane from Narita, Japan. He is wearing an…interesting…shirt.

Image credit: AP Photo/Koji Sasahara via DallasNews.com

Can anyone offer an explanation for what that might be on Yu’s shirt…other than what most folks are probably going to think immediately?

Update: Thanks to a commenter, it appears that Yu’s shirt is not a sign that he wants to be the next Tim Lincecum. It is likely a Japanese maple leaf.

Well there we go. See? Thanks to Yu, we’re bridging cultural divides already.

The 25-year old pitcher has been pegged as the best pitcher in Japanese baseball, and he has the stats to prove this claim.

Image source: Mop-up Duty

In the NPS (Japan’s version of the MLB) he went 18-6, with an ERA of 1.44 this past season. He also recorded 276 strikeouts in 232 innings of work, which were both league highs.

I can see why MLB teams would want to have a pitcher like Darvish on their team, but the price seems excessive. For a team to even negotiate a deal for Darvish, they had to bid against other MLB teams. The Rangers won the bidding process and now have to pay $51.7 million to Darvish’s former team. (Had they not come to an agreement before the deadline, the fee would have been waived.)

Darvish has the physical tools, as he stands at 6 feet 5 inches tall, but this is a large sum of money for one player. Japan has many talented players, but they often do not compare to even average players in the MLB. It is tough to tell how good Darvish truly is until he consistently faces MLB hitters.

Darvish should be able to fare well early on, but that can be due to a lack of knowledge for the opposing teams. His situation is similar to that of Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Red Sox, who came over from Japan in 2007. Both pitchers dominated the NPS and were highly scouted by MLB teams. Like Darvish, Matsuzaka was given a large contract (6 years, $52 million) and was hyped coming into the season.

Matsuzaka came out in his first year as a member of the Red Sox and was a major part of the rotation, as the team won the World Series in ’07. In his first two seasons he went a combined 33-15, but he has gone 16-15 since. 2009 and 2011 were both impacted by injuries, but in 2010 he went 9-6 in 25 starts.

I am not trying to say that Darvish’s results will mirror that of Matsuzaka, but their situations are comparable. Darvish will face immense pressure to be the guy in the Rangers’ rotation. Now that C.J. Wilson is gone, the Rangers are going to heavily rely on Darvish. The pressure will not be relieved by the fact that the team is paying over $111 million dollars for the services of Darvish.

It is my hope that Darvish has success in the MLB. Consistent success by Japanese players will help continue to bring their better players to the MLB and make the league that much more competitive. But first, Darvish must prove that he is worth the money.

But there is one aspect of living in Dallas that absolutely tops the Midwest by leaps and bounds: I get to listen to The Ticket, aka America’s Favorite Radio Station, every day on the way to work and on the way home. I never knew what I was missing before I moved down here, and now that I know, I’ll be a loyal listener wherever I live even if I don’t particularly care about the teams they discuss most.

The reason for this Ticket loyalty despite the apparent disconnect in topic interest is because the station is just so funny (and because, admittedly, they spend a lot less time talking about Dallas sports than you might think). They have a number of clever bits, including impersonations of high profile sports personalities, that are consistently terrific.

Few of these impersonations are as good as Fake Nolan Ryan, and they are made even better when put into the proper context…which is that the real Nolan Ryan and the outlandish caricature of Nolan Ryan that often gets portrayed (both on The Ticket and elsewhere) are not all that dissimilar.

This morning while I drove in to work, The Musers played one of the most well-known and beloved pieces of audio in the station’s history. I’ve heard it a few times before, but I’ve never posted about it. Since it’s a slow sports day, that oversight ends right now.

I agree with Junior Miller, one of The Musers, that the audio clip below – in which the real Nolan Ryan recounts his work to help control the snow monkey population in Texas – is the single funniest moment I’ve ever heard on this station, or any radio station for that matter.

It’s less than five minutes, and it is well worth your time. I promise.

Remember: this is really Nolan Ryan, and this is a true story.

As you can imagine, the Nolan Ryan-snow monkeys bit surfaces regularly in the Fake Nolan Ryan segments. When I first heard these regular bits during baseball season, I’d never heard the original snow monkey story and didn’t understand the context. I didn’t even realize snow monkeys were real; I thought it was just something they made up for the bit. Now that I’ve heard it a few times, it make the Fake Nolan bits that much better.

Even if you couldn’t care less about the Texas Rangers, they have earned a high enough profile over the last two years – and Ryan has always had a high profile – that the jokes won’t be “too inside” for you to get. Here are a number of the Fake Nolan bits from the last several years, which you should definitely either listen to or download for later. They’re hilarious.

• Snow Monkeys Follow Fake Nolan to Surprise, AZ
• Ranger Promotion Talk (including “Whore Night” and “Snow Monkey Night”)
• Fake Nolan Talks About the Rangers’ Woes

Click here to view all of the Fake Nolan segments The Unticket has up.

We also talk Matt Garza possibly being traded, the Yankees looking at Edwin Jackson, an update on where Prince Fielder may wind up with the options dwindling, and we focus special attention on the Oakland A’s as their firesale and potential move to San Jose pick up some steam.

Click play on the player below to listen:

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But now to the more important issue.

With some players, the question of what hat to wear in the Hall is a big one. It’s not with Larkin. He played his entire 19-year career with the Cincinnati Reds. However, based on new evidence uncovered today by Reddit (here), I think the Hall of Fame should eschew a baseball cap for Larkin and instead induct him with a full body bronze statue complete with the sublime turtleneck-sweater-overall outfit he is pictured in below.

Image source: Imgur via Reddit

Pretty spectacular right? Also spectacular is that at first glance it looks like the lifetime Red is wearing a Cubs sweatshirt. Sorry to disappoint you Cubs fans, but he’s not. As this Reddit commenter pointed out, it’s a sweatshirt commemorating the 1990 All Star Game that was played at Wrigley.

It’s just a terrific ensemble. Based on the relaxed clothing of Joe White Guy standing next to Larkin, it doesn’t appear to be overly chilly where they are, yet Larkin is three layers deep in quintessential early 90s garb, including and especially the single unstrapped overall.

In conclusion, there may be worthy debate over Barry Larkin’s Baseball Hall of Fame credentials, but just based on this picture alone Larkin is a first ballot 1990s Hall of Famer. Congratulations Barry. Welcome to the club.

(Now excuse me while I go search for an old picture of myself in Jubaz pants to post…)

As a catcher, he didn’t win any Golden Gloves awards, but he was the backbone to the pitching staff and took control when necessary. He played defense with abandon, throwing plenty of runners out and standing up to the biggest of blows at the plate.

Joe Torre once said, “In a clubhouse with a lot of prominent people, Jorge Posada takes a backseat to no one.”

He was the Captain after the Captain, Derek Jeter. Posada will be most remembered for winning 5 championships during his playing time. He was a key element in most of them with timely hitting during the regular season and the playoffs.

Posada was a productive switch-hitter, with more than 1,000 RBI’s and 275 home runs.

But, his numbers at first glance, may not seem to be enough for the Hall Of Fame.

For example, his numbers fall short of other HOF catchers. Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Gary Carter and Yogi Berra are all 50 to 70 or so home runs and 200 to 250 or so RBI’s ahead of Posada.

Posada has other things going for him, though. Number one, he played his ball in the most prime part of the steroids bulging times.

He would likely be a top-tier candidate for baseball’s Hall Of Fame no matter what. But, in 5 years when he is eligible, he could be a first ballot Hall Of Famer. It’s unlikely, but there’s a chance for it.

First ballot Hall Of Famers don’t come around as often. And, in coming years, it’s going to be exceptionally tough to find them.

Baseball has already spent a couple of years giving Hall Of Fame recognition to older ballot guys. Most recently, the honor has been bestowed on Bert Blyleven, Andre Dawson, Rich (Goose) Gossage and Jim Rice.

There’s nothing wrong with older ballot ballplayers going in, but for baseball’s sake, the fanbase doesn’t get to connect quickly. They are made to wait and the game suffers for it. Fans pass away or in Ron Santo’s sake, the player passes away.

Arguments can be made that these players should have been first ballot guys anyways or at least shouldn’t have been made to wait for so many years to pass before making it.

Then, there’s the distinct possibility they’re only making it because the steroids era will be leaving a void in the HOF.

Ken Griffey Jr. will make it for sure on his first try, so will others from the 5-time Yankee World Series Champs and the sterling pitchers of the Atlanta Braves from the 90′s, but there aren’t too many others out there. Mike Piazza and Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez come to mind, but there are many others with inflated numbers who could have made it but ruined it with allegations of steroid use.

One of Posada’s greatest strengths and considerations for the HOF will be his integrity he showed towards the game. He didn’t succumb to the pressure of steroids. He was around guys who have admitted to it, Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte, but he apparently never took part in it.

Posada has other advantages, too. He had the privilege of playing for baseball’s most storied franchise and for sticking with them all of his 17 seasons.

Few players can say they spent their entire careers with one team. Many Hall Of Famers have had difficulty figuring which ballcap they will be enshrined wearing. This won’t be a problem for #20.

So let me get this straight:

• The Washington Nationals are going after Prince Fielder, the highest profile remaining free agent, and money is “no object”.
• The New York Yankees, desperate for veteran pitchers to solidify their leaky rotation, have apparently been priced out of the…wait for it…Edwin Jackson market.

Yes ladies and gents, we are living in a baseball world where this seeming fantasy is a reality.

Also:

• Albert Pujols is no longer a Cardinal.
• Mark Buehrle is no longer a White Sox.
• Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez are on the same team.

What a strange, strange offseason so far. I can’t wait to see what weird and extraordinary turn it takes next.