Compiled from Cot's Contracts (an invaluable resource):
$99,171,833 -- Chicago
$95,180,369 -- Detroit
$71,439,500 -- Minnesota
$61,673,267 -- Cleveland
$61,671,500 -- Kansas City*
* I adjusted these numbers to reflect what the club is actually paying out this year (which seems like the relevant number) rather than what the players on their roster this year are earning.
A lot of national coverage [...]

Will Carroll suggests that agent Scott Boras might make a good commissioner. I have to believe that he's making far more money representing players than he would as commissioner. Nevertheless, he'd be a strong commissioner (consider how good he is at being an agent for players). Whether he'd be good for the [...]

The new ban extends a previous policy, which prohibited alcohol in the lockerroom.

A-Rod distracts Blue Jay infielder by yelling "Ha!" at him. Golfers everywhere are enraged.

You know what they say... a walk's as good as a hit.

[contributed by: Rhubarb_Runner]

Hi Everybody!

I tuned in to the evening rebroadcast of yesterday's game to watch Scott Baker's innings with pen & paper handy. Some notes on the outcome of each matchup he faced:
1st inning
Erstad, 1-1 pitch, fastball, up-outside corner, sharp but routine groundout to Bartlett
Iguchi, 4-0 walk
Thome, 1-0, fastball, thigh-high inside, groundball single under the diving Morneau's glove
Dye, [...]

The Greatest Actor of His Generation, with Ben Folds and Joe Jackson.

thanks to bjhess
Something you want to see? Call the request line.

The proposed league would play on Friday nights and would go after players drafted lower than the second round of the NFL draft. Mark, the NFL doesn't Bert around. Don't throw your money away.

From today's espn.com game recap:
This was the final game as Minnesota's official scorer for Tom Mee, the first employee hired by the organization when the franchise moved from Washington before the 1961 season. Mee worked in public relations and became official scorer in 1991.
By all accounts that I've heard, Tom Mee is a great guy, [...]

Kobe demands trade . Shaq backs Kobe's version of events leading up to Shaq's trade. Buss arrested on DUI charge with 23 year old woman in car.

Jon Garland vs. Not Sidney Ponson
A Wednesday day (morning) game.
It's too early to be saying much about how Baker's pitched so far, but his GB% of 47.6% is somewhat encouraging. I really highly doubt he can keep it there, but if he can even be close to GB neutral or a tad below (40-42%), [...]

Link. The spectre of Bud Selig suspending players for not cooperating while he himself has been, at the very least, disingenuous on this topic would be the height of hypocrisy.

This article talks about security and the potential for someone to hurt (or kill) Bonds. I dunno, doesn't writing articles like this appeal to the crazies?

I woke up this morning with the kind of headache that makes you wish that you'd have been drinking the night before. That way, at least you would have had some enjoyment for the pain. As it is, I've got a little sore throat, tired eyes, and a pounding head.
Other than that, I'm [...]

Hey, that Boof kid can pitch.

SBG Note: Rhubarb_Runner continues his SBG Library entries with a look at an SI Cover.
[contributed by: Rhubarb_Runner]

Sports Illustrated cover - July 21, 1969
"The Torch of the Twins"  "Fiery Manager Billy Martin"

Live on German television, 1973.
Thanks to E-6.

Something you want to see? Call the request line.

The Twins will make a roster move after tomorrow's game, but they announced that Slowey coming up.

Here is Baby SBG. She's looking like a right hander. No, be a lefty like your your Dad!

Okay, that's better.

Either hand, as long as you're a Twins fan.

John Danks vs. Boof Bonser
Just because Baseball Reference makes it so freakin' easy for me to check this, Boof's last seven starts:
40 IP, 2.70 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 10.2 K/G, 4.1 BB/G, 0.87 HR/G -- Boof (last 7 GS)
(where per game is per 38 batters faced)
He's averaging under six per start, but he's had some awfully [...]

Dick Pound asserts that the PGA Tour needs to implement a performance enhancing drug testing policy. I'm not buying what he's selling.

Torii's been having a great year so far, but I was thinking, how does his plate production compare to other elite players this year?
To begin with, Torii's got the highest VORP on the Twins, and he has the 20th highest in all of baseball. On average, then, most teams have an offensive player having [...]

I didn't think it was worth it to argue about AJ's foot placement, but I can see why the umpire's slit the throat gesture pissed Gardy off.

SBG: This is the first entry into the SBG Library. I have a copy of this book and have read it. I strongly recommend it for Twins fans to learn about the colorful and controversial history of the Twins' first owner.
[contributed by: Rhubarb_Runner]

Calvin - Baseball's Last Dinosaur, An Authorized Biography

In this episode, Dick hints at a couple of startling admissions about the dark side of Bunto-Ball, and Bert makes a puzzling statement, begging the question which his partner leaves unasked.
Scene: Metrodome, Monday afternoon, bottom of the 6th inning, 1 out, runners on 2nd & 3rd; White Sox 4, Twins 3. Nick Punto hits [...]

It's the S anniversary! What could be more appropriate than this rousing rendition of the Sonny & Cher classic.

Something you want to see? Call the request line.

After going 1-3 with two walks in today's game, we have:
.284/.400/.500 -- Cuddyer, his last 20 games
That one definitely snuck up on me. Good to see Cuddyer working those walks (all unintentional walks, BTW.)
And after his 3-5 day today, Torii is up to:
.288/.321/.520 -- Hunter, his last 20 games
It's interesting to me that Hunter [...]

Ric Bucher is reporting that if the Lakers don't hire Jerry West, he may ask for a trade. Maybe he can find a team with someone to carry him.

Jose Contreras vs. Johan Santana
I encourage everyone to throw something On The Grill, remember why we've got a day game today, then sit back and watch Santana deal.

Well, the Chisox are coming to town, so that means that it's time to check in with our friend Jim Magalus from the Sox Machine. If you recall, Jim and I shared interviews a while back talking about the Twins and White Sox and he's stopped by for a few game logs. I [...]

I wonder if the Atlanta Falcons ever think, man, we could have had LaDanian Tomlinson and Drew Brees instead of this prick?

...with Ramon "Sunk Cost" Ortiz shifting to the bullpen, according to LEN3.
Overall, there's probably not much difference between Ortiz and DePaula as the groundskeeper, in terms of runs and wins. So if this makes everyone feel better about the situation, whatever. Just don't magically expect Ortiz to be anything other than a replacement [...]

been drivin' all night, my hands wet on the wheel....
Not a one-hit wonder. These guys had two hits
At one time, they were big enough to have KISS and Aerosmith (respectively, not at the same time) as opening acts.

A.J. Burnett vs. Carlos Silva
Ortiz and Silva back-to-back? Not too encouraging after last night's tough loss.
Burnett's a groundball guy who has injury troubles. He's also been homer-prone with control issues so far this year. I'll take whatever we can get, because with Silva on the mound, I think the boys will need [...]

Lucy, BabySBG, and I are on the road to South Dakota (hello, JeffA and SDfan!). It is baptism day for my brother Putzer's daughter. Lucy and I are the godparents, so we are cruising over there for the day.

Yngwie Malmsteen -- this one speaks for itself. --Moss
[Moss goes BIG -- brianS]

Something you want to see? Call the request line.

34.3 IP, 16 K, 9 BB, 7 HR, 31 ER, 8.13 ERA — Ramon Ortiz (last 7 GS)
37.7 IP, 23 K, 17 BB, 7 HR, 29 ER, 6.93 ERA — Sidney Ponson (7 GS)
Overall:
56.3 IP, 3.8 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 1.44 HR/9, 5.75 ERA -- Ortiz (10 GS)
37.7 IP, 5.5 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 1.67 HR/9, 6.93 [...]

Tomo Ohka vs. Ramon Ortiz
Ohka is proof that you don't need to pay $3M to find a craptastic veteran pitcher.
4.6 K/G, 3.2 BB/G, 1.11 HR/G, 5.43 xFIP -- Ohka, 2006
4.6 K/G, 2.9 BB/G, 1.38 HR/G, 5.39 xFIP -- Ortiz, 2006
Truth be told, I wouldn't really want to pay even $1.5M for Ohka or Ortiz, but [...]

Part of what I used to do more of was post on life in SBGville, where I grew up and where my parents and brother still live. I thought I'd give a little rundown on things out there for the masses (because I knew you were wondering).
Lucy and I went to SBGville over Mother's [...]

Good morning and welcome to the ongoing feature "What are You Hearing," where members of SBG Nation set the agenda of discussion by submitting stories and commentary. If you have a story that you'd like to submit, e-mail me at the address listed on the right. Now, let's get to it.
Moss digs up [...]

Griffey, Jr., that was a heckuva guy you just passed.

Apparently, the Boss knows how to swing an Axe.

Thanks to E-6 for the link.
Something you want to see? Call the request line.
Check our archives for a complete collection of previously featured clips.

At some point during the eighth inning tonight, I noticed Juan Rincon warming in the bullpen. This got me to wondering about Rincon's role in the bullpen right now.
In the old days, things were simple. Rincon got the ball in the 8th, dominated, then handed the ball to Nathan so that he could [...]

Jesse Litsch vs. Not Sidney Ponson
I swear that the Twins have run into more extreme groundball pitchers so far than you could ever expect them to run into in 50-game period. At 48% GB%, the Twins have the most extreme groundball hitting lineup in the league. Opposing pitchers might have a little to [...]

Randy Wittman (74-132 as head coach) just got a new three year contract and is now more optimistic about the team. "It's not a situation that calls for a total rebuilding project to get back into the playoffs." Yeah, whatever.

The Twins take on the Blue Jays and Banjo grills the Toronto club and some other bird.

Jayson Stark: As great as Bobby Abreu can be, he lacks that all-important Derek Jeter gene. There is no voice in his head, screaming: "This ball has to be caught." Or: "That runner on third has to be driven in."

I'm posting from the road, as we're spending a week at the in-laws for my brother-in-law's graduation. Therefore, this will probably be pretty quick, and I don't think I'm going to get to the White Sox preview for next week's series. So you'll be Big Mak free for a week, enjoy it while [...]

My professional development will begin taking a lot more of my time starting right now (Actuarial Exams). Due to this, I won't be looking for many player's old mugshots, only a few that look like they deserve the research. Thankfully, the new file uploading pluging allows me to throw up a bunch of [...]

When does the future legend David Eckstein come to town? That should fill the stadium.

Andrew Bird w/ Martin Dosh - "A Nervous Tic Motion of The Head To The Left"
Live at Bonnaroo - June 16, 2006 - Manchester, TN.
Thanks to E-6.

Something you want to see? Call the request line.

Eric Neel writes an article entitled Larger than life: Today's future legends. He listed players that included David Eckstein but did not include Joe Mauer or Johan Santana.

Hello SBG Nation and welcome to the SBG Library. The shelves are empty right now, but soon they will be filling up with books for you to read.
Loyal SBG Nation Citizen Rhubarb_Runner approached me a while back with an idea. How about creating a library for the SBG Nation filled with information about baseball books? [...]

Per LEN3, Jason Miller has been called up to replace Dennys Reyes, who (predictably) was put on the DL.
Baseball Prospectus did 28 PECOTA projections for Twins pitchers this year. This is the third pitcher the Twins have called up that did not get a PECOTA projection. I'm not really complaining, this just seems [...]

JH breaks it down (sub. req.) and concludes that passing to Donyell Marshall was the right play. I agree and the biggest factor is that Cleveland needed to go for the win on the road.

Link. $40 million for 19 mostly ineffective starts.

Good morning and welcome to the ongoing feature "What are You Hearing," where members of SBG Nation set the agenda of discussion by submitting stories and commentary. If you have a story that you'd like to submit, e-mail me at the address listed on the right. Now, let's get to it.
Man that red [...]

If the site looks terrible, by that I mean all jumbled up, bear with me. I have a unique problem that I can fix temporarily but it recurs until I have time to figure out what to do long term.

You probably have heard that Bat-Girl has decided to call it quits.
I can understand her decision. Blogging is tough when you have a baby, and I'm sure the challenges of dealing with a pre-mature baby were very difficult. I've been surprised at how this baby has absolutely changed my priorities. [...]

BabySBG is one month old today.

Her signature song. Her label, Columbia, wouldn't let her record it, so she went to Commodore; it became her biggest selling song.

Something you want to see? Call the request line.

I'm working on the site, so if you see something funky, well, it'll be all right.
The music clip of the day will always be right where you see it right now.
I realize that the single posts have some problems and that it's blue, but I won't finish everything tonight.

Bill Simmons with the biggest whine in the history of sports writing.

As I was cruising YouTube last week in an effort to distract myself from final exams, I came across the FSN story below.

I hadn't heard of this story at all last summer when the reunion was held at the Dome for Armed Forces Appreciation Day, and I'm wondering if any WGOM readers will be able [...]

Bonser v. Tejeda.
A rare day game in Arlington.

Giambi reportedly failed amphetamines test last year. As an aside, first failures are supposed to be kept private, but privacy is no longer very important in this country.

A couple of notes.
I have a fix to the problems of the new upgrade. When I get a moment (tonight?), I'll incorporate them.
You'll note that there are now SBG Shorts. This is a spot for me to post little stories that I find interesting. Like having de.lic.ious, except you can comment on [...]

The Wolves not only didn't win the lottery, but the two winners are in their own division.

Don't worry, Sports Guy, I'm sure Durant will still be there at the fifth pick.

Gila Monster Jamboree 4, live in the Mojave Desert. January 5, 1985.
Thanks to AMR.

Something you want to see? Call the request line.

Johan Santana vs. Kameron Loe
We need Santana a little more than usual today, because whatever Silva was eating yesterday, it wasn't innings. Perkins or Reyes probably hits the DL before the game today, but who knows if they can fly in a replacement on time. Carmen Cali was selected from Rochester to replace [...]

Kubel in left tonight. Well playing Edsel Ford (.185/.241/.259) is on the bench.

The Dallas Cowboys' new stadium will hold more than 100,000 people.

Guess who Bill Simmons thinks *deserves* to win the NBA lottery (and by winning I mean there are two teams).

With all the DFAing and DLing and Contract Purchasing going on, I thought I'd memorialize it in an MP.
5/13/07 DFA'd: Sidney Ponson.

(Ponson '06a, '06b, '07)
5/13/07 Sold for $1: Mike Venafro.

(Venafro '06, '07)
5/15/07 Recalled, Cup-of-Coffee'd, 5/18/07 Optioned: Garrett Jones.

(Jones '06, '07)

As pointed out in the comments on the game thread and today's cup of coffee, Perkins looks headed for the DL after doing something to his arm. We'll find out what exactly he did later on, I suppose.
I figured I would take this opportunity to discuss Perkins' performance so far--it hasn't been that great.
6.3 [...]

Clinton Portis is okay with Ron Mexico's dog fighting ring.

You might need more than one cup after that game last night.

Andrew Bird w/ Martin Dosh, live in Mpls.

Something you want to see? Call the request line.

It's official. Everybody has a blog.