Most Costly Baseball Signing Ever

Keep me happy and tell me someone from the past can compare with Barry Zito. 0-7, 7 or 8 ERA.
Third lousy year in a row, and all for just $126 million dollars.
And I mean a waste, not just big money.
I'm begging you all. Please.

This may be barely sports related, but not only is Heath Schuler a superdelegate, he just declared for Obama.

I'm not sure how much money was involved, but it clearly qualifies as a waste in a general sense.

Hold On George, The day they signed Zito, I looked his stats up because seemed he'd been mediocre for quite a while.

I was right. For the previous three years before even signing with the Giants, he was just OK. Or do you consider an almost 4 ERA Great ?

If you want to see the next few years, look at the last few.
Bonds would be much better for this dreary club, at least something usually happens when he comes up.
I remember last year, he was in a funk and he hits an infield pop up.
A run scored and everyone was safe. That could happen anywhere but just seemed to happen more with him.

While I'm waiting for someone to make me feel better and since someone brought up the NFL, How about Alex Smith for $50 million ? This will also be his 4th year and he's a total bust. At least Barry Zito gives the girls and gays something to look at. Heck Alex Smith makes Jeff Garcia look like a hottie, not to mention a hall of famer.

We have another one across the bay, JaMarcus Russell who could not even show up. I certainly hope he's better but how can he be ? Al Davis is cancer. Even Jerry Rice, the most humble and hardest working man in sports has spoken unfavorably about the Raiders.

And the Warriors. they have had every hall of famer in history on the team and traded them.

Don't you people have any home town team heartbreaks to share ?

That's it. You've pushed me too far, I'm posting my very first smiley.

Mr Happy wrote:
Don't you people have any home town team heartbreaks to share ?

I'm a Redskin's fan.

The internet isn't big enough for my heartbreak.

Another thing that's rarely discussed is a team's farm system.

I don't know that the Giants ever had one.

The Oakland Athletics, on the other hand, call guys up every single year that produce right away and every year they let another super star go they never had to pay and don't want to give up the big bucks to.

That's a well deserved self made luxury.

Do you I-G, know what other teams are at the high and low end of the farm system ladder.

The more tragic a team becomes, the more entertaining the sportwriters are. When you win they are boring but when you lose they really shine.

If you like humor and history but don't care for sports, you should enjoy this anyway.

From the San Jose Mercury News about tonight's SF Giants loss to Chicago.

And Barry Zito fell to 0-8 in nine starts, becoming the first Giants pitcher to lose his first eight decisions since Jesse "Crab" Burkett in 1890.

It was a busy year, you know. In 1890, Vincent Van Gogh committed suicide, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany removed Chancellor Otto von Bismarck from office, and Idaho and Wyoming entered into statehood.

Burkett had other career highlights. He actually won three batting titles and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1946.

Zito hardly can expect to earn his $126 million at the plate, though.

it's not baseball, but I have 2 words for you all:


Matt Millen.

Minor leaguer traded for 10 baseball bats
By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer
May 23, 7:51 pm EDT

Buzz Up PrintMcALLEN, Texas (AP)—During three years in the low minors, John Odom never really made a name for himself.

That sure changed this week—he’s the guy who was traded for a bunch of bats.

“I don’t really care,” he said Friday. “It’ll make a better story if I make it to the big leagues.”

For now, Odom is headed to the Laredo Broncos of the United League. They got him Tuesday from the Calgary Vipers of the Golden Baseball League for a most unlikely price: 10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats, double-dipped black, 34-inch, C243 style.

“They just wanted some bats, good bats—maple bats,” Broncos general manager Jose Melendez said.

According to the Prairie Sticks Web site, their maple bats retail for $69 each, discounted to $65.50 for purchases of six to 11 bats.

“It will be interesting to see what 10 bats gets us,” Melendez said.

The Canadian team signed Odom about a month ago, but couldn’t get the 26-year-old righty into the country. It seems Odom had a “minor” but unspecified criminal record that wasn’t revealed to immigration officials before they scanned his passport, Vipers president Peter Young said.

Odom said the charge stemmed from a fight he was in at age 17. Although he thought it had been expunged from his record, it popped up during immigration.

Odom spent hundreds of dollars driving to the Canadian border and staying at a Montana hotel while the matter was sorted out. He then drove to Laredo after the trade.

Originally from Atlanta, Odom was drafted late by the San Francisco Giants in 2003. He pitched 38 games, all in Class A, from 2004-06, and was released by the organization this spring.

Laredo intends to activate Odom on Monday and have him make his first start Wednesday.

Odom said he was supposed to be traded for Laredo’s best hitter. But when that player balked at moving to Calgary, the bats entered the deal.

Laredo offered cash for Odom, but Young said that was “an insult.”

The bat trade wasn’t the first time Calgary came up with some creative dealmaking. The Vipers once tried to acquire a pitcher for 1,500 blue seats when they were renovating their stadium, Young said.

Dontrelle Willis finally won a game!

He went 6 1/3 against the Rangers, 1 hit, 2 walks.

that's about 3 million a win, I think.

There is nothing and I mean nothing worse than the Glen Davis trade to the orioles. It wrecked the once proud franchise.