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Josh Hamilton on public relapse: ‘It was just wrong. That’s all it comes down to.’ [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 12:59 pm] When news of Josh Hamilton's relapse first broke on Thursday night, we wrote with certainty that the Texas Rangers star would soon be forthcoming and honest about his public moment of weakness. As expected, Hamilton did just that on Friday afternoon, explaining the circumstances of his Monday night outing for more than 10 minutes at a press conference he held at Rangers Ballpark. Hamilton did not take questions from the press, but he did speak without notes and what he said was obviously from the heart. As Ken Rosenthal later said on MLB Network, it almost appeared as if he viewed the press conference as party of his recovery process â and not to calm a press and public that, for better or worse, will always play a role in his battle with addiction. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a transcript of the full statement, but here are a few of the key information points:⢠Hamilton said he went out to dinner on Monday night and ordered "three or four" drinks. He then called teammate Ian Kinsler and invited him to hang out, but did not drink in front of him at either of the two restaurants they visited. The two later parted ways when Kinsler dropped Hamilton off at his car, but Hamilton returned to one of the restaurants and resumed drinking. ⢠No drugs were involved. Hamilton said he has taken and passed two drug test since Monday night. ⢠"Things happen to me personally that I'm not proud of," Hamilton said. "It was just wrong. That's all it comes down to. I needed to be responsible, period. And I was not responsible. Those actions hurt a lot of people who are very close to me." ⢠Hamilton apologized to his family and his fans. He cited great support from his wife Katie, but noted that it's time for him to be "the strong one" in the relationship. ⢠"It's OK to be vulnerable, it's OK to show weakness," Hamilton said. "People are here for that reason, and they've done nothing but support me. It's a blessing for me to have them in my life." ⢠Hamilton closed h Photo: The Marlins’ ridiculous-looking home run sculpture is almost complete [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 10:56 am] With the start of the 2012 season fast approaching, workers are busy putting the final touches on the Miami Marlins' new ballpark in Little Havana. No joke, they've got owner Jeffrey Loria laying sod and first baseman Gaby Sanchez testing the strength of the aquarium glass behind home plate by throwing baseballs at it. The most notable progress this week, however, has come in left-center field where the Red Grooms-designed home run monstrosity is finally becoming a reality. From swaying palm trees to jumping marlins to flamingos who are straight chillin', we're getting closer and closer to the animation of something that must have been in the Mayan prophecy. After seeing this acid trip come to life, I can't say that my feelings have changed on it much. It still looks crazy, but it is a direct reflection of the culture they're running down there in south Florida. If you look at it objectively, New York's giant rising apple and Chicago's exploding scoreboard were pretty absurd at the times they were introduced. Maybe Mike Stanton will help us to get over the shock of seeing this light up every time he pounds a ball high over the Marlins Ballpark fence. Or not. Yankees GM Brian Cashman lures alleged stalker into police dragnet [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 3, 2012, 2:51 am] No other executive in Major League Baseball can match the resources, and few have the acumen, of New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. And almost no one can claim to live as adventurous a personal life. Cashman scales buildings for Christmas dressed as one of Santa's elves. He sleeps in Central Park to raise awareness for child homelessness. He ... becomes a police informant to help catch a woman accused of harassing and extorting money from him after they had a 10-month alleged affair. That's right: Cashman lured her into a police dragnet. That is the fantastically strange story told by the New York Daily News and Deadspin. Now, if you add up all of the sordid details, Cashman doesn't come out looking like Snow White in this tale. But there's no question he's running away with "The Most Interesting GM in the World" award for this century so far. From the NYDN: Prosecutors portrayed Louise Neathway, 36 â who said in an interview published Thursday that she was Cashman's mistress â as a con artist who pestered him for cash. "The defendant extorted approximately $6,000 from the victim and attempted to extort over $15,000," prosecutor Eric Iverson said at Neathway's Manhattan Criminal Court arraignment Thursday. But here's the best part: Neathway, a British citizen who also goes by the name Louise Meanwell, was arrested Wednesday afternoon in front of her Tribeca apartment building on Leonard St. A source said Cashman helped lure Neathway into a police dragnet. They practically deputized him! Cashman always had a little bit of a Columbo look to him. An attorney for Neathway/Meanwell says the prosecutors have her all wrong, and that Cashman is "a married man who has an inappropriate relationship with a single mom â it ended badly." Perhaps, but she also seems kind of troubled. Cashman has not been quoted, but spokesman Chris Giglio said: "Brian is very grateful that this matter is being handled by law enforcement." The Yankees have declined comment, b Report: Josh Hamilton had a relapse with alcohol [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 7:53 pm] Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton has experienced a relapse in his ongoing battle against substance abuse, the Dallas Morning News reported on Thursday night. Reporter Gerry Fraley credits sources for relaying that Hamilton was spotted drinking in an Dallas-area bar. Fraley also acquired a statement from the team that acknowledged the story, but did not confirm it. Hamilton made headlines in the summer of 2009 after pictures of him drinking and partying in an Arizona bar made their way onto Deadspin. From the DMN: According to individuals familiar with the episode, Hamilton drank alcohol on Monday night in an area bar. The circumstances that led to Hamilton's use of alcohol could not be determined. In a statement, the Rangers said they were "aware of a situation, but we don't have further comment at this time." Given his stature as an athlete and the outspoken nature of his faith, I'd venture to guess that Hamilton might be the most scrutinized addict on the planet. It's one thing for a rock star or actress to relapse, it's quite another for a star center fielder because you can't delay a 162-game season as easily as an album or movie. Hamilton's approaching free agency also plays a role in the attention as well as he'll be asking for big dollars after the 2012 season. Addiction may be a disease, but the Rangers committing eight or nine figures toward his future isn't a mandatory requirement for showing sympathy. Hamilton was very forthcoming about his last publicized relapse and I'm guessing he'll approach this story the same way, no matter what the circumstances were. Those are some pretty strong demons he's fighting and he'll likely be very upfront for the strength and support he's seeking as he continues to battle them. Want more Big League Stew all winter long? Follow @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk and the BLS Facebook page! Happy Birthday Boy! Wes Ferrell, the best-hitting pitcher of all-time, would be 104 [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 3:13 pm] On occasion, Big League Stew honors a birthday boy per week by taking a longer look at his career. Please join us in lighting the candles. Every so often, a sweet-swinging hurler will come along â Dontrelle Willis or Carlos Zambrano or Mike Hampton or Micah Owings â and someone will break out a comparison to Babe Ruth, drawing comparisons to the most famous hitting pitcher of all time. But Ruth was only a full-time pitcher for five years or so. The best-hitting pitcher who actually remained a pitcher was today's birthday boy, Wes Ferrell. (Ferrell's career OPS of .797 is the highest for any pitcher with at least 300 at-bats. Micah Owings currently has an OPS of .820, but only 203 at-bats in his career, and since his conversion to the bullpen, his batting chances have seriously decreased. For now, it's looking like Wes Ferrell will remain the greatest hitting pitcher of all time for a while longer.) Wes never made it to the Hall of Fame, but his brother did. Rick Ferrell was a hard-nosed catcher who played 18 seasons from 1929 to 1947 (he didn't appear in 1946). However, Wes was the best hitter in the family. In 6,028 at-bats, Rick Ferrell hit .281/.378/.363/ with 28 homers and 734 RBIs. In 1,176 at-bats, Wes Ferrell hit .280/.351/.446, with 38 homers and 208 RBIs. He was also a darned good pitcher, pitching from 1927 to 1941 and putting together a 193-128 record with a 4.04 ERA that was actually significantly better than the league average â his career ERA+ was 117, the same as Mark Buehrle last year â especially considering that he did most of his pitching in the 1930's, the greatest offensive explosion in baseball history until the Steroid Era. Best Year: 1935 Boston Red Sox: 25-14, 3.52 ERA, 322 1/3 IP, 4.05 FIP, 1.38 WHIP, 1.02 K/BB .347/.427/.533, 7 HRs, 32 RBIs, 21/16 BB/K, 9.1 rWAR (pitching plus hitting) Seriously: Wes Ferrell hit .347 while leading the league in wins and innings pitched. He finished second in the MVP voting that year, and didn't e Madonna cannot confirm A-Rod’s centaur painting [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 1:18 pm] More than three years after its possible existence first came to light, America remains enamored with the idea of A-Rod owning an oil painting portraying himself as a centaur. So much so that one Boston-area reporter actually asked Madonna about it on Thursday as she held a press conference in Indianapolis for her upcoming Super Bowl halftime show. And while A-Rod's ex-gal pal would not confirm or deny anything about the awkward question, Madge's dodging of the question was a lot more entertaining than the time someone showed Kate Hudson the famous Big League Stew photoshop that's at the top of this post. Here's the video: Rich Shirtenlieb, Toucher and Rich Show: "I know that you've spent time with athletes before, Alex Rodriguez being one of them. Is it true that he has an oil painting of himself depicting himself as a centaur â half-man, half-horse â in his home? Madonna: "Wow. If he does, I haven't seen it. But I'm pretty sure he has a very large photograph of me lying on a horse. I hope that answers your question." Well, it looks like we know which question A-Rod will be asked first when he reports to Tampa and Yankees spring training in a few weeks. It really is amazing, though, that A-Rod has found his way into a silly Super Bowl storyline for the second straight year. Last year, it was ex-girlfriend Cameron Diaz handfeeding him popcorn during the big game, this year it's his first post-divorce celebrity girlfriend being asked about the white whale of the art-collecting world. Given that A-Rod was just spotted by Deadspin buying gossip magazines at an airport, we're guessing he doesn't mind this type of reportage in the slightest. Want more Big League Stew all winter long? Follow @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk and the BLS Facebook page! #ejaxtobucs: Fans use Twitter to unsuccessfully ask Edwin Jackson to sign with the Pirates [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 11:34 am] Despite the amount of riches falling on other players, the free agent market has yet to shower anything on Edwin Jackson. Being a reliable 28-year-old workhorse with occasional "really good stuff" apparently doesn't go as far as it used to. While Jackson has reportedly received a few three-year deals, the current belief is that none of them were very exciting and that he'll take a one-year deal with a contender in order to boost his value in the free agent class of 2013. Seizing on the first part of that belief ("one-year deal") and completely ignoring the second ("a contender") , Pittsburgh Pirates fans took to Twitter on Wednesday night in an attempt to convince Jackson that a one-year stint at PNC Park is an ideal place to showcase his talent. Centered around the hashtag #ejaxtobucs, Edwin received exhortations from anyone and everyone: From random Pirates fans coveting an ace for the top of their rotation, all the way on up to closer Joel Hanrahan who offered to get Jackson some custom black-and-gold cleats if he ends up in the 'Burgh. A few of our favorite Tweets: ⢠"In Pittsburgh, nobody will recognize you at a restaurant and bug you for an autograph." @rutkap75 ⢠"(You) pitched in the world series last year, time to let someone else have a turn I'd say. Come to Pittsburgh!" @McEffect ⢠"I think we need to stop asking @EJ36 to come to Pittsburgh. We need to tell him to. Assume the close #sales101" @DamicoMark "And no Braun for 50 games. RT @McEffect No Fielder, no Pujols. I could look good pitching in this division." @vipe29 Edwin Jackson himself finally acknowledge the torrent of Tweets on Thursday morning, thanking "#BucsNation for the support" and remarking that it is "appreciated." Will anything actually come of this impressive movement? Doubtful. It takes a lot more than 140 characters to convince someone to slog through one season in Pittsburgh or cajole ownership into opening their wallets for a longer-term contract. The Pirates aren't going t Ask Alex: Can Michael Pineda keep his ERA under 4.00 in the AL East? [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 9:23 am] We all have questions about the 2012 season and Alex Remington luckily has some answers. The Stew's resident stats guru will address some of the big ones as the year progresses. The Situation: The New York Yankees entered the offseason with a lot of question marks in their rotation following ace C.C. Sabathia. But in one of the biggest blockbusters of the offseason, they turned the question mark into an exclamation point, swapping their top prospect, Jesus Montero, for the Mariners' top rookie pitcher, 23-year-old Michael Pineda. A 6-foot-7 behemoth with a 98-mile MPH fastball and killer slider, Pineda was near the top of the league ERA leaderboards  in 2011 until flagging in the second half of the season. The Yankees clearly want him at the top of their rotation for years, but pitching in Yankee Stadium and the hyperpowered AL East will clearly be a different proposition than roomy Safeco Field and the AL West. The Question: Can Michael Pineda keep his ERA under 4.00 in the AL East? The Analysis: There are a few areas of concern for Pineda. First of all, while he has a fine fastball and slider, his changeup is pretty bad. Second, he's leaving pitcher-friendly Safeco for Yankee Stadium, one of the most homer-happy parks in the majors. Third, he's entering the AL East, the toughest division in baseball. Even though Pineda won't have to face the Yankees, the Yanks play a third of their games against the Rays, Red Sox, and Blue Jays, three of the best teams in the league. On the basis of ERA, it looked like a tale of two seasons for Michael Pineda, who had a 2.33 ERA through his first 12 starts but a 4.90 ERA through his final 16, and he finished with a 3.74 ERA. The Mariners took care to limit his innings at the end of the season, allowing him to make just seven starts in August and September. At first blush it might seem likely that his struggles were simply a matter of normal fatigue for a young pitcher: Pineda threw 171 innings last year after never having thrown Angels GM Jerry Dipoto handwrites a response to fan’s trade suggestion [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 7:43 am] Every sports fan had has something they would like to personally express to a person in power representing their favorite team(s). Whether it be a trade suggestion, concern over player salaries, frustrations over loyalty to the manager or coach, ticket prices, or any number of on and off the field issues, they would simply relish the opportunity to be heard, and maybe even acknowledged. Truth is, most of those thoughts end up being yelled at the television and/or vented to disinterested beat writers on Twitter. But there's one Los Angeles Angels fan out there â a man named Aaron, who also writes under the moniker of Of Macier of Men on the Angels blog Halos Heaven â who took the time and put forth the effort to write his well thought out trade suggestion on a piece of paper, placed it in an envelope, licked a stamp, and mailed it to their new general manager Jerry Dipoto. Like I said, it's something we've all considered at least once or twice in our sports loving lives, but I don't think any of us would anticipate what Aaron would receive: An actual direct response from Dipoto, handwritten on a postcard. Sam Miller of the Orange County Register transcribes Dipoto's response for us: "Aaron, A quick note to thank you for your recent letter. I enjoyed reading your thoughts and the creative idea you shared. Clearly you have a solid knowledge of the league and potential "players" on the horizon. Unfortunately, trades are always very complex, as you alluded to in your letter. Salaries and finance tend to become an overriding factor. Know that I do appreciate the suggestion and creativity you've shown. All my best, Jerry Dipoto" Writing direct responses to individual fans is not something Dipoto is expected to do, obviously. I don't think we'll be hearing many stories about other GMs sacrificing their valuable time to do so any time soon, and that's not a mark against them at all. But it's no secret Dipoto established a reputation during his front office stints with th St. Louis restaurant named for Albert Pujols gets new name [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 2, 2012, 2:36 am] It was a culinary paradox: How could a Missouri sports bar and grill named for slugger Albert Pujols continue to exist after he departed the beloved St. Louis Cardinals for the dreaded West Coast via free agency? Answer: It couldn't. The Pujols 5 Westport Grill is being renamed. John Marecek, a sports-talk radio host on KTRS in St. Louis, had the scoop on Twitter on Wednesday night: Pujols 5 Restaurant to be re-branded the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Bar and Grill. Expect an announcement tomorrow #stlcards The hambre (hungry) Hombre himself soon issued a statement on the matter, which Marecek also passed along: Pujols: "I want to wish Pat Sr., Dave, Pat Jr., and the rest of the Hanon family nothing but success and happiness with their new restaurant" And just like that (along with $254 million) he was gone. Because he works in Albert's new domain covering the Los Angeles Angels, blogger Sam Miller of the Orange County Register quickly spotted the Pujols-related tweets. Miller addressed the two obvious issues: ⢠What are they really going to call the restaurant now? The "St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Bar and Grill"? Sheesh, your dinner is cold by the time you're done pronouncing it all. ⢠What are they going to do with the huge statue of Albert out in front of the joint? Sam had some great ideas for a reboot, especially "Appreciate What You Had!" â but I got it. I have solved the problem. Just call me the problem-solving wizard, if you will. Unless you're from St. Louis or just a rabid Cardinals fan (what is the bird equivalent of rabies?), you probably don't know that Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith also operated a sports bar and grill in the same plaza. It was open for something like 25 years (an eternity in the restaurant business) before it closed in 2009. All the Hanon family needs to do is make a phone call to Ozzie Smith, and I'll bet the Hall of Famer would get back in the restaurant game. Wouldn't it be nice for him, especially with arch nemesis Tony L Insufferable White Sox plight could push Paul Konerko to retire [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 1, 2012, 6:17 pm] The end is near, as far as a playing career goes, for Chicago White Sox slugger Paul Konerko. He said as much over the weekend at his team's fan fest. Konerko, who turns 36 in March, has amassed 396 career home runs, an .858 OPS, five All-Star appearances and one World Series ring in parts of 15 seasons. He is signed through 2013 and told reporter Chuck Garfein of CSN Chicago that two more seasons might be enough: "No doubt it could be," Konerko said in an interview with Comcast SportsNet. "Yeah, in all reality I would see it ending after next year or maybe another year. I mean, at some point you got to go home and be around your kids and have other things to do." Unless you know Konerko a little, it's a strange thing to hear from a guy coming off the best two individual seasons of his career. But there are only so many home runs you can hit, and only so much money you can make, before enough becomes enough. Of course, some play baseball for additional reasons. Guys like Konerko, who derive something from playing for championship contenders. Ever since the White Sox won the Series in 2005 with Konerko's help, they've been drifting away from winning it again. The 2011 season â from the awful play in the field to the destructive relationship between manager Ozzie Guillen and GM Ken Williams â was particularly brutal. "I don't think there was a moment last year from the word go where at anytime did we feel like, 'This is kind of special' or 'This is inspiring baseball.' " The franchise's lack of progress is noticeable in the stands at U.S. Cellular Field. Konerko knows the fans are frustrated. He probably feels worse: ''Truth be told, there was that little glimmer at the end of '08 where we got hot, the Twins got kind of cold and .ââ.ââ. we found ourselves in the playoffs. But the honest truth is since '05, we've kind of slowly but surely just kind of given back everything we earned steadily. We're kind of at this spot now where it's like, 'Here w The time Tom Brady almost played catcher for the Montreal Expos [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 1, 2012, 1:54 pm] If not for football, Tom Brady might have been Joe Mauer before Joe Mauer came along. Or at least a platoon partner for A.J. Pierzynski. Because it's Super Bowl week, writers will exhaust every possible angle on the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. But it's not that much of a stretch to imagine Brady â perhaps the best quarterback in NFL history â strapping on the tools of ignorance and playing Major League Baseball as an All-Star catcher instead. Back in June 1995, Brady was a 17-year-old who had just graduated high school in San Mateo, Calif. He was a couple of months away from heading to the University of Michigan to play football (and, presumably, to go to class) when the Montreal Expos picked him in the 18th round of baseball's draft (a full round ahead of David Ross and Aaron Miles!) A catcher with a tall, left-handed power stroke and a rocket arm, there was a lot to like. Reporter Rachel Brady (interesting coincidence) of the Globe and Mail examines what might have been: "Whenever he would take an infield before a game, that's when they really took notice," said Brady's high school baseball coach Pete Jensen, who was also a scout for the Seattle Mariners at the time. "Scouts would see him throw from behind the plate and say, 'Wow,' because he really had an outstanding arm." Of course, Jensen's recollection includes a tall tale of Brady's considerable power. Jensen recalls one game when Brady blistered two homers, one of them crushed so far it rapped off Serra's team bus and woke a sleeping bus driver who figured he had parked a safe distance from the fence. Jensen also took his young player to a pre-draft workout for the Mariners, where he rocked a few balls out of the old Kingdome. The Expos kept courting Brady after he left for Ann Arbor; they invited him to take batting practice at Candlestick Park and even suited him up in an Expos uniform. They also exchanged emails. But, long story short, Montreal never offered him money to sign Jose Reyes haircut: Coming soon to a TV near you [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 1, 2012, 9:48 am] From the "TV ran out of things to broadcast years ago" dept., the MLB Network will televise the upcoming haircut of Miami Marlins star Jose Reyes. Talk about a hair razing story. You might recall that Marlins president David Samson said back in December that Reyes would have to abide by team rules like every other player, and one of those rules is: no longhairs allowed. Yes, that's right: A guy named Samson is making another guy get a haircut. Anyway, Reyes has dreadlocks. Stylish, functional dreadlocks. Or at least he will until Friday, when the clippers come out and the lights come on, one of his representatives said on Twitter. Chop, chop, Jose. I might or might not watch, but I surely would tune in if Reyes went to the barber shop from "Coming to America," where the barbers argue over who was the greatest boxer of all time. We could update it to "Who is the greatest Marlin of all time?" Obviously, the answer is Chuck Carr. Pound for pound, Chuck Carr was the greatest Marlin baller who ever lived. Plus, Chuckie was always hacking on dreadlocks. It's been a good week for the Fish, who also announced they sold out the first exhibition game at their new ballpark. And now, Jose Reyes becomes the first major leaguer to get his own TV special based on a haircut. Locks of luck to him. Big BLS h/t: Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post Follow Dave on Twitter â @AnswerDave â and engage the Stew on Facebook Vintage photo: Phillies rookies Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell play dress up [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 1, 2012, 8:38 am] Jimmy Rollins apparently was doing some spring cleaning when he came across an old photo of himself, Pat Burrell and other Philadelphia Phillies rookies wearing the latest summer of 2000 fashions. Rollins didn't expressly say it, but it seems an homage to Burrell, who recently announced his retirement at age 35. And check out Burrell: Even as a rookie, he was built like a brick ... oven pizzeria. There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who think men wearing dresses is funny, and those who don't. I go with "funny." Rollins said on Twitter: Old new discovery....my and Pat's rookie dress up day Ah, yes. The rookie hazing of choice in Major League Baseball: Making the youngsters look foolish by stealing their regular clothes and replacing them with women's garments, or mascot outfits, or whatnot. Two other things of note: The photo was taken in front of Wrigley Field, probably on Sept. 28. Rollins would not identify the photographer, but said "the source" of the picture was Wayne Gomes. I'm not sure who the other Phillies in the photo are, but one looks like Reggie Taylor. Not that it matters. The stars are Rollins and Burrell, who both might be wearing Liz Claiborne. But will his rookie hazing outfit become an exhibit in Burrell's personal hall of fame? Follow Dave on Twitter â @AnswerDave â and engage the Stew on Facebook Stolen! Matt Garza’s $30,000 Rays’ 2008 AL championship ring [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 1, 2012, 5:55 am] Did someone put up a sign saying it's OK to steal Tampa Bay Rays stuff? The Fresno Bee put the word out Tuesday that the 2008 AL championship ring belonging to Matt Garza was stolen from his home in Fresno County, Calif. This breaking-and-entering news comes less than a year after criminals burglarized the spring training Florida residence of Evan Longoria, David Price and Reid Brignac, stealing (among other items) Longoria's AK-47. Stealing. From Joe Maddon's ballplayers. The nerve of some people. Garza's 14k white gold ring, encrusted with 47 white and one yellow diamond, is valued at $30,000. So it's not the typical piece of jewelry a high-school junior might order through Jostens. It's also personalized, engraved with Garza's name on the inside. I don't know how easy it is for someone to remove engraving from a ring, but unless Garza's name is taken off, the ring will be pretty tough to fence. An especially neat detail of the ring: It includes Maddon's 9=8 formula on one side. Garza was the MVP of the ALCS in '08, when the Rays advanced to their first World Series. Give him his ring back, dang it. Hopefully, the sheriff in Fresno will have similar luck to the authorities in Florida, who made several arrests in the Longoria-Price-Brignac case. Big BLS h/t: Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times Follow Dave on Twitter â @AnswerDave â and engage the Stew on Facebook Old foes Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein catch up in Connecticut [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: February 1, 2012, 5:50 am] Editors note: The following post is a midwinter dispatch from Dylan Stableford of Yahoo! News FAIRFIELD, Conn. â "I never wanted to be the general manager of the New York Yankees," Brian Cashman said. "I still don't." You would think he was joking, but he said it twice. Cashman and Theo Epstein, his former Red Sox rival-cum-Cubs president, took part in a wide-ranging, surprisingly candid discussion with ESPN's Steve Berthiaume on the campus of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut on Tuesday. Theo and Cash, as they call each other now, have not seen Moneyball. "We live it," Epstein said. But they have enough stories for a sequel. Cashman recounted his contentious relationship with George Steinbrenner. "We had some legendary fights," Cashman recalled, calling the late Yankees owner "intense" and "the boss of all bosses." "Forget the game, every inning was Armageddon," Cashman said. "It was very tough to operate like that in a game of chance like baseball." The Yankees GMs that had preceded himâ including Bob Watson and Bob Quinn â were worried about their health. And he understood why: "The jubilation from the winning was, 'Thank God we didn't lose.'" The most striking example of that dynamic came during the 2000 Subway Series against the Mets, when Steinbrenner was concerned that the Yankees' television contract with MSG hinged on the outcome. "It felt like if we lost, we'd lose the city," Cashman said. "The entire corporate business plan was on the line." At one point during a Q+A with the audience, a brash youngster asked Cashman bluntly, "Do you feel comfortable with A.J. Burnett in the starting rotation?" "You sound like George," Cashman quipped. Losing was not tolerated off the field, either â especially when it came to free agents coveted by Epstein, like, say, Jose Contreras. In 2002,  Boston's Latin American scout was the first to arrive at a Nicaraguan hotel where Contreras â who had defected from the Cuban national Bravo! Dirk Hayhurst is taking his game to Italy [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: January 31, 2012, 2:49 pm] The Garfoose has apparently developed a hankering for some Italian food. In a relatively surprising announcement on Tuesday afternoon, pitcher/author Dirk Hayhurst tweeted the news that he'll be heading to Italy to pitch in 2012 instead of trying to catch on with another big league team through a minor-league contract. The 30-year-old righthander hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 15 appearances with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009. He hurt his right shoulder before the 2010 season and missed the entire year. He struggled with his comeback in 2011 and was released by the Tampa Bay Rays in August. While Stew readers unfamiliar with Hayhurst might ask why he'd waste valuable time pitching in Italy â instead of, say, trying to reach the big leagues again â  those of us who do know him know exactly why he would make this decision. Hayhurst, author of The Bullpen Gospels and the upcoming Out of My League, is not a conventional ballplayer. He thinks about life a little differently from others chasing the same dream. With his stateside chances dwindling, he's seeing a great opportunity to share a life experience in Europe with his wife, Bonnie. As someone who has spent a majority of his career in minor league ball, he was ready for something new. Hayhurst said as much on Twitter while breaking the news to his fans. From TheGarfoose: I'm doing the Italy thing because I want a new experience, really. I've played in, written about, & trained for Pro US ball my whole life I was like: another year filling in a rotation in triple A, or a star, all expenses paid position in Italy wt only 48 games... easy choice. I know most wouldn't do this, but my life isn't all about making it back to the Bigs. I want to enjoy the many options bb grants me. Hayhurst says he'd like to play in a few different countries to see as much of the world as possible. As a big fan of his writing, that's a plan I can wholeheartedly endorse. Indeed, I had grown a little sad after reading the final Cubs reunion! Jim Hendry joins Lou Piniella and Larry Rothschild on Yankees payroll [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: January 31, 2012, 2:09 pm] By hiring Jim Hendry to work in their front office on Tuesday, the New York Yankees are continuing to cherry pick the brain trust of that unmistakable National League powerhouse, the Chicago Cubs. Reporter Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago says that Hendry, who was Cubs general manager from 2002 through 2011, will serve as a special assistant to Yankees' GM Brian Cashman. Hendry joins Larry Rothschild â New York's pitching coach â and Lou Piniella â who is joining the YES Network as a broadcaster and will work as a spring training instructor. Rothschild was pitching coach for the Cubs from 2002-2010, while Piniella was manager from '06-'10. The Cubs should have a word with the Yankees about this. And that word is "poachers!" All kidding aside, it's a bit surprising that the Hendry-Piniella-Rothschild triumvirate would end up in the same organization after leaving the Cubs. And no matter how easy it seems to make fun of the Cubs, the Hendry-Piniella-Rothschild combo was on watch during a very successful â we use that term relatively â period in team history. Hendry and Rothschild were in charge for three division titles, while Piniella was at the helm for two NL Central flags (but no playoff victories). Hey, it compares quite favorably to nearly any other era in the long, often painful history of the Cubs. No wonder the most successful team in the majors would want to siphon the executive/coaches who helped create that success. It's just too bad the Cubs couldn't get any Theo Epstein-esque compensation in return. Follow Dave on Twitter â @AnswerDave â and engage the Stew on Facebook Ask Alex: Can Adam Dunn return to 30-homer territory? [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: January 31, 2012, 11:44 am] We all have questions about the 2012 season and Alex Remington luckily has some answers. The Stew's resident stats guru will address some of the big ones as the year progresses. The Situation: Adam Dunn was one of baseball's premier sluggers for an entire decade, hitting 354 home runs from 2001 to 2010. That's the fourth-most of all-time for a hitter's first 10 seasons, ranking just behind Albert Pujols, Eddie Mathews, and Ralph Kiner. In fifth place, with 350 homers in his first 10 seasons, is Ken Griffey, Jr. Suffice to say that Dunn was in rarefied company. But then he signed a four-year $56 million contract with the Chicago White Sox before the 2011 season  and it all went to pot. He was the worst player in baseball last year, batting .159 in 415 at-bats, with just 11 homers. Thanks in large part to that stinkbomb, the White Sox axed their hitting coach of eight years, Greg Walker, who was a holdover from the 2005 world championship team. The Question: Can Adam Dunn return to 30-homer territory in 2012? The Analysis: Before 2011, Adam Dunn was one of the most consistent power hitters in baseball. He'd put up a .250 batting average, 100 walks, and 40 homers just about every year, like clockwork. He slugged exactly 40 homers for four straight years, 2005-2008, then exactly 38 home runs in both 2009 and 2010. But 2010 contained several red flags. In particular, his sensational walk rate dropped by a third and his already high strikeout rate rose by nearly a fifth. His .356 OBP was his lowest since 2003, 42 points lower than the .398 mark he posted in 2009. Then, his OBP fell by another 64 points to a horrifying .292 last year, and it was possible to view 2010 as the beginning of a trend. Adam Dunn is sometimes referred to as a "Three True Outcomes" player. The Three True Outcomes are home runs, walks, and strikeouts, and they are the three batting events that do not engage the defense in any way. (HBPs would fall into this category as well, but they generally aren Jose Bautista: ‘If I get [drug] tested a million times, that’s fine with me’ [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: January 31, 2012, 10:43 am] Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is aware that some suspect him of using performance-enhancing drugs. In fact, "Jose Bautista steroids" is the third suggestion if you Google his name. The suspicion seems to be based on him hitting 59 home runs in his first 2,038 career plate appearances through age 28, then walloping a league-leading 97 homers over the past two seasons. But the whispers don't drive Joey Bats the least bit batty, and it doesn't seem bother him one ounce (milliliter?) of urine sample that Major League Baseball tests him over and over again for drugs. He'll pee in Bud Selig's cup whenever he's asked, Bautista recently told TSN Radio in his adopted home country of Canada. Bautista says he has been tested about 16 times over the past two seasons: "I don't mind it; it's something that is not going to affect my focus and I'm not going to allow it to affect how I play my game," Bautista said. "They are entitled to do whatever they want and test you as many times as they want. If I get picked to be tested a million times, that's fine with me." A million times! Only after many pots of coffee and/or six packs of beers. All jokes aside, that's what Bautista says â to bring on the lab coats â and to paraphrase a commenter on Baseball Think Factory, one usually urinates at least once a day anyhow, so big whoop. But methinks it bothers him that some assume his prowess to be illegitimate, and that he uses it as motivation. Bautista says he doesn't do performance enhancers. I believe him. He has never tested positive that we know of. So I believe him even more confidently. More importantly, though: Whatever gets him to be one of the best sluggers in the game should be a considered a good thing. And if whispers about PEDs continue to stick in his craw, and he turns that disrespect into more home runs for the Blue Jays, good for them. There aren't many players who make you stop what you're doing when they come to bat. Bautista is one. As fans, we should |