VOLUME:LI ... December 2024
LATEST NEWS
COMMISSIONER NOTES:
What did you do this past Thanksgiving? I know what I did. Played some video games, watch about 10 minutes of football game, helped a bit with turkey and ate some dinner. All about me.
I know what a couple of our managers did. Bob Fenili (on left) donned his Santa outfit while still celebrating his recent RCMBA title and decided to travel around Europe. "Como esta el Yoda".
Mark Gaudiano (right) made the front page of the Herald Standard in Uniontown, Pa helping distribute free turkey dinners.
Trading seems slow to some but is it really? On this date in 2023 we had a whopping 63 deals but 2022 it was 34 while in 2021 it was 25. Maybe 2023 was a big outlier and trading this off season is actually about normal... APBA GO release comes in early December. Last year the extra $20 to see the cards early was the first week of December. That'll end guesswork about pitcher grades and hitter cards... Early this month I'll be checking with HIE in Lancaster to see what kind of discount they'll offer us and let everyone know.
This is the time of year that makes us appreciate what we have not only in material goods but in our families and friendships. I very much feel each one of you is a friend and I hope that feeling is mutual. I want to wish you, your family and your friends, a very merry Christmas and a terrific new year in 2025. Stay safe.
- Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves. ~Eric Sevareid
- The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect! ~ Charles Barnard
I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS (Greg Lake & Peter Sinfield)- .. They said there'll be snow at Christmas. They said there'll be peace on earth
- .. But instead it just kept on raining a veil of tears for the virgin's birth
- .. I remember one Christmas morning. A winters light and a distant choir
- .. The peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell. And their eyes full of tinsel and fire
- .. They sold me a dream of Christmas. They sold me a silent night
- .. And they told me a fairy story, till I believed in the Israelite
- .. And I believed in Father Christmas and I looked at the sky with excited eyes
- .. Till I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn and saw him through his disguise
- .. I wish you a hopeful Christmas. I wish you a brave new year
- .. All anguish pain and sadness to leave your heart and let your road be clear
- .. They said there'll be snow at Christmas. They said there'll be peace on earth
- .. Hallelujah noel be it heaven or hell. The Christmas you get, you deserve
... IMPORTANT DATES ...
- Jan 31-Feb 2: Lancaster weekend
- January 28 (Tue): Cut down to 30
- February 1 (Sat): Free Agent Draft - 12 noon EST (Rolz.org)
- March 11 (Tue): Cut down to 36
- March 15 (Sat): Opening day
THE SHOW
The 2024 HOF Ballot:
If I had a vote, I could select 10 but no way that many deserve a vote. If I did have a vote, just two for me:
√ C.C. Sabathia - 251-161 WL and 3.74 ERA on 3577ip/3093k.. CY 2007.. 21 wins 2010
√ Ichiro Suzuki - 311/355/402 with 117HR+3089h+509sb.. MVP 2001, 262 hits in 2004 & 10 seasons with 200+ hits
Billy Wagner almost got my vote. Manny Ramirez, the Hall of Stupid Fame. Alex Rodriguez the Hall of Stupid Arrogance Fame. Lots of Hall of Very Good Fame like Abreu, Beltran, Buehrle, Jones, Pettitte, Rollins, Utley.
It seems the Dodgers would like to be the first team in sports history to have a payroll of $500M. Snell makes it $350 and they are after Soto which probably gets it to $400M. Having the Guggenheim Baseball Management as owners puts a few hundred billion dollars available, so a mere half a million is no big deal to them. In case you wondered the Oakland A's total payroll is around $65M. Speaking of the Oakland A's, they will be playing in the AAA park of the Sacramento River Cats next couple of years and now Tampa Bay is forced into the same situation. They will be playing in the A ballpark of the Tampa Tarpons which is probably nicer than Tropicana Field when it had a roof. A new ballpark for the Rays was finally approved last year with an opening date in a couple years. Question now is will they spend millions to fix the "Dim Dome" or not and just wait for the new park to open but even that option is now up in the air. The makeup of their city council changed this past election which tilted the outlook towards defunding a new stadium and doing nothing. Nashville or Puerto Rico anyone?