Torre Changes Coasts: Heads To L.A.

Two weeks after rejecting a one year contract from the Yankees, Joe Torre agrees to a three year, $13 million deal to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers. The announcement came Thursday and will be officially introduced in a press conference Monday. Torre, the winningest manager in postseason history, agrees to take over a Dodger team that finished 4th in the NL West this season.

Torre should have plenty of talent in a weak National League to compete for a division title. The return of Jason Schmidt from injury and Brad Penny in the starting rotation should be very solid. Talent is evident on offense too with players like Russell Martin, Nomar Garciaparra, and Jeff Kent.

If Torre in anyway matches the success he had in the Bronx, L.A. should be very happy with this move for years to come.

Breaking News: Joe Girardi New Yankees Skipper

The Yankees have officially offered their managerial job to Joe Girardi. He is expected to take the deal that is reportedly worth $6 million over three years.

Girardi caught for the Yankees from 1996-99, served as a bench coach in 2005, then managed the Marlins the following year and was NL Manager of the Year. He was then promptly fired apparently for clashing with owner Jeffrey Loria and other management.

The 43-year-old Girardi turned down the Baltimore Orioles' managerial job last summer, choosing to spend time with his father, who had health problems. Girardi, working as a broadcaster Sunday night for Fox Sports from the World Series in Denver, said he had nothing to announce regarding his status as a manager.

Mattingly Favorite For Yankees Job

After four seasons as bench coach, Mattingly was interviewed Tuesday to replace former manager Joe Torre. Yankees broadcaster, and former Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi interviewed a day earlier. First base coach Tony Pena is due to speak with team officials on Wednesday.

Ever since Torre's departure Mattingly has benen considered the leading candidate for the job. Hank Steinbrenner said Monday four or five people will be interviewed, but it is possible the candidates will be limited to Girardi, Pena, and Mattingly. According to ESPN the Magazine's Buster Olney it "is a good bet" that the Yankees will name the team's next manager on Friday.

Drafted in the 19th round in 1979, he batted .307 with 2,153 hits and 1,099 RBIs during a 14-year career diminished by back injuries. He won nine Gold Gloves at first base and the 1985 AL MVP, serving as team captain before his No. 23 was retired by the Yankees in '97.

Breaking News: Joe Torre Turns Down Yankees Offer, Era Over

Joe Torre turned down the New York Yankees' offer to return as manager on Thursday.
The Yankees offered Torre a one-year deal with a base salary of $5 million and incentives that would have increased his salary to $8 million based on postseason performance.

- $1 million dollar bonus for reaching ALDS

- $1 million dollar bonus for reaching ALCS

- $1 million dollar bonus for reaching World Series

ALCS Preview

Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Indians

The Red Sox are coming off a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels in which they outscored them 22-4 in 3 games. The Cleveland Indians come into the ALCS after defeating the New York Yankees in 4 games. Both teams have solid pitching but I think this series will come down to how well the lineups produce for their starters.

The Pitching - Both teams have great 1-2 punches in their rotation with the likes of Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling for the Sox, and C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona for the Indians. The Indians bullpen was sixth in ERA during the season (3.75). Rafael Perez, who could be the next K-Rod, and Rafael Betancourt are both solid coming out of the pen for the Indians. The Red Sox bullpen consists of Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima, who both helped the Red Sox to a bullpen ERA of 3.10 during the regular season.

Edge - I have to go with the Red Sox. While the bullpen doesn't have a lot of post season experience minus Papelbon, the starting pitching for the Sox includes a World Series MVP (Beckett) and Curt Schilling, who has been to 3 World Series. Experience in the starting rotation wins out.

The Lineups - The Red Sox lineup includes the likes of David Ortiz (.715 BA and two HRs in the postseason) and Manny Ramirez (.375BA and two HRs). And good news for the Red Sox, Ramirez has a career batting average of .571 (12-for-21) with four HRs and seven RBIs against C.C. Sabathia, the Indians game 1 starter. The Indians lineup consists of the triple threat Grady Sizemore, the big bat of Travis Hafner, and the sweet hitting Victor Martinez. The key to the Indians success though will be their superior speed on the basepaths. If they can move runners around they'll have a big advantage in the series if the games are tight.

Edge - The Red Sox take it again but only because of the recent resurgence of Manny Ramirez's bat. Big Pappi already has his sweet stroke going this post season so if Manny keeps hitting like this, the Indians could be in for a short series.

Do Or Die For MLB Teams

The Cubs, the Phillies, the Yankees, and the Angels are all now trying to stave off elimination. All of these teams are currently in 0-2 holes and beginning tonight, the Phillies and Cubs begin their attempt to win 3 in a row.

Saturday Games

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Chicago Cubs

A 3 run home run by Chris Young sparked the Diamondbacks to a 8-4 win and a step closer to challenging for the NL Pennant. Doug Davis won his first career postseason game while allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings and striking out eight. Chicago's Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee have combined to go 4-for-27 through two games in the series. The young and upstart Babybacks could shut the door again on the Cubs who are still looking for their first World Series title since 1908.

Diamondbacks lead 2-0


Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies

A decision to take Kyle Kendrick out of the game after loading the bases proved to a be a costly mistake by Charlie Manuel. Reliever Kyle Lohse came in and served up a grand slam to Kaz Matsui putting the Rockies up for good. The Rockies won the game 10-5 thanks to a great performance from the bullpen (gave up only 1 earned run in 6IP). With the series shifting to Colorado, the Phillies have quite a task ahead of them. The Rockies batted .298 at home, including a staggering .376 BA by Matt Holliday.

Rockies lead 2-0

Sunday Games

Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels

A healthy Manny is a clutch Manny. Thanks to a 3 run walk off home run Manny Ramirez propelled the Red Sox to a 2 game lead in the 5 game series. After a rocky start from Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox bullpen came in and shut the door going 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Angels pitchers gave up 9 walks including 5 by Cy Young hopeful Kelvim Escobar. Manny Ramirez has 21 post season homers, one shy of Bernie Williams for most all-time.

Red Sox lead 2-0


New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians

The Yankees held a 1-0 lead heading into the 8th inning, then it got all buggy. A swarm of bugs began attacking Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain in the 8th inning and while he didn't want to blame the bugs, they certainly contributed to his 2 wild pitches in the inning. One of those wild pitches led to a Indians run by Grady Sizemore. Indians fans were treated to a win in wild fashion when in the 11th inning Travis Hafner singled in the winning run. The Indians Fausto Carmona pitched 9 solid innings in his post season start. Yankees stadium will be host to the next two games, assuming they last another game.

Indians lead 2-0

Hindsight Is 20/20: MLB Free Agent Flops and Gems

The Three Biggest Free Agent Flops

• Barry Zito – San Francisco Giants

Oh how the mighty have fallen. It's hard to imagine that this kid won the Cy Young in 2002. Not since his Cy Young year has Barry Zito won more than 16 games. He has posted double digit losses now for 5 consecutive seasons and posted an ERA over 3.80 four of the last five years. Enough about his past, let's get into more of “What have you done for me lately?” Well.......not much. After signing a 7 year contract worth a ridiculous $126 million dollars, Zito has accumulated a record of 9-12 with a 4.46 ERA. I'm pretty sure San Francisco management was expecting a bit more than what Zito has been giving them. I stressed this in an article I wrote before about Zito, he isn't a #1 starter. He relished the role of pitching behind [[Tim Hudson]] and [[Mark Mulder]]. He just doesn't have enough confidence in himself or his stuff to be an effective #1 starter.

• Adam Eaton– Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies traded him away in 1999 after spending their 11th overall pick on him in 1996. The most wins he ever had in a season? 11 (twice) He has never posted an ERA lower than 4.08 and never pitched more than 200 innings. The Philadelphia Phillies, in their infinite wisdom, handed him a 3 year deal worth $24 million dollars. You know, because that makes sense. He is only making $2 million less than Barry Zito this year and has managed to be a fantastic disappointment. He is 9-9, sporting a 6.31 ERA, and has more earned runs than strikeouts. What a great investment. The last thing I read on a Phillies message board about Adam Eaton? “Can that a**hole please run into a knife?” I think that pretty much sums up whatever everyone thinks about him who's a Phillies fan.

• Jason Schmidt – Los Angeles Dodgers‎

Holy crap. The last two guys I mentioned have at least appeared in more than 6 games this season. Jason Schmidt is making $15.7 million dollars this season and has won one game...one. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed this guy in hopes that he would be their number one starter and instead has become best friends with the Dodgers trainer. Jason is 1-4 with a 6.31 ERA and has pitched a whopping 25 innings. In his six starts he got out of the 5 th inning once. This is the second time in his career that Schmidt has undergone season-ending shoulder surgery. BREAKING NEWS: [[Mike Schmidt]] is not related to Jason Schmidt and has pitched the same amount of innings Jason has since June 16th.


Honorable Mention

• J.D. Drew - .264 BA / 8 HR / 51 RBI / Salary $14.4 million

• Julio Lugo - .241 BA / 6 HR / 69 RBI / Salary $8.25 million

• Mike Mussina - 5.28 ERA / 9-10 Record / .314 BAA / Salary $11 million

The Three Biggest Free Agent Gems

• Dmitri Young – Washington Nationals

Signed a minor league contract with Nationals, is making $500,000, and sports the 6 th best batting average in the National League. A cast off from the Tigers after he assaulted his wife and went through substance abuse problems, Young has become one of the good stories in baseball. Dmitri has accumulated 38 doubles, 13 home runs, and 73 runs batted in this season. Selected to the all-star team for 2 nd time in his career, Young is batting .314 with runners in scoring position and leads his team in BA, OPS, and OBP. The Nationals have rewarded the soon to be Comeback Player of the Year with a 2 year extension worth $10 million dollars. A deserving reward for a player who was on the brink of ruining his baseball career.

• Carlos Pena- Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Pena hadn't played more than 100 games since 2004 and had only 33 at-bats last year when shared time with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. No one was really interested in Carlos when he hit the free agent market but the Tampa Bay Devil Rays gave him a shot, and boy has it paid off. Pena is currently earning $800,000 dollars and in the top 5 in the American League in HR (39), BB (86), SLG% (.613), RBI (111), and finally in OPS (1.013). Consider that [[Jason Giambi]] has been on the DL and is currently making $23 million dollars while batting .243 with 14 home runs, maybe the [[New York Yankees]] should have kept Pena around? Realistically though, no one saw this coming. Before this season Pena never had more than 116 hits in a season, an average over .253, or an on base percentage over .338. (based on seasons with >100AB) I can guarantee you though that the Devil Rays aren't complaining.

• Ted Lilly - Chicago Cubs

Unlike the last two guys I mentioned Lilly is being paid big bucks ($10 million over 4 years) but unlike the three pitchers I mentioned in my free agent flops, Lilly has been solid. He showed promise during just one season in Toronto in which he was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA and has only gotten better with the Cubs. He is currently rocking a 15-7 record to go along with a 3.85 ERA. Lilly is on pace to set career highs in innings pitched, wins, strikeouts, and games started. Lilly is leading the Cubs in quality starts (18), WHIP (1.15), and ERA (3.85). The 31-year old has always been a solid 3 rd or 4 th starter but this year is really becoming a rock as the Cubs 2nd starter behind fire baller [[Carlos Zambrano]]. Without this guy the Chicago Cubs would certainly not be fighting for a playoff spot.


Honorable Mention

• Matt Stairs - .307 BA / 19 HR / 59 RBI / Salary $850,000

• Mark DeRosa - .288 BA / 9 HR / 69 RBI / Salary $2.75 million

• Sammy Sosa - .255 BA / 20 HR / 88 RBI / Salary $500,000

East Coast Bias - August 13, 2007

Today's Headlines

- Tiger Gets Lucky 13th Major

- Yankees Playoff Chances

- Breakout Players in the NFL in 07'

The Weekly Phil

- Phillies Win Braves Series : Eagles First Preseason Game


On today's show we discuss the PGA Championship and Tiger's victory at Southern Hills. We move to the diamond to talk about the Yankees playoff hopes. Brendan and I pick some breakout players to watch for in the upcoming NFL season. And finally, we wrap the show up with The Weekly Phil.

Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez Reach Milestones

In the 2nd inning versus the San Diego Padres Barry Bonds tied Hank Aaron's all-time home run record with a blast to left field of pitcher Clay Hensley. His homer was his 72nd after age 40, tying Carlton Fisk for the most all-time. He has 21 homers this season, putting him five shy of last season. It took Bonds six games between his 754th and 755th home run while it took him five games to go from 714 to 715. Bonds said in his postgame news conference that he won't play in Sunday's series finale in San Diego. He's said he's opting to celebrate his historic home run with his family.

Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player in MLB history to hit 500 career homers, as the Yankees blasted the Royals 16-8. Rodriguez joins Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle as the third player to hit No. 500 with the Bronx Bombers. A-Rod is the fifth active player with 500 career homers, joining Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr. and Thomas. This marks just the second time in MLB history there are five active players with atleast 500 home runs. Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew and Ernie Banks did it in 1971.

East Coast Bias - August 3, 2007

Today's Headlines

- MLB Rundown:

Yankees, AL Central Race, Braves

- NFL Training Camp News:

Strahan, Moss, and Culpepper

The Weekly Phil

- Eagles Training Camp

- Phillies Wild Card Chances


On the podcast today, we start with news from Major League Baseball. We discuss the Yankees wild card hopes, the Indians-Tigers race, and the trade deadlines moves of the Braves. We then switch to the gridiron and get into some of the big stories from the NFL for our next topic. Strahan's possible retirement, Moss's fit with the Patriots, and Culpepper signing with the Raiders are the topics we debate. And finally, Brendan and I talk Eagles/Phillies news in a segment we like to call The Weekly Phil.

East Coast Bias - July 20, 2007

We're Backkkkkk!


Today's Headlines

- Bonds Approaches The 755 Milestone

- Vick Indicted By Federal Government

- 2007 British Open - Tiger Or The Field?

The ECB Mailbag

- Answering Questions on Beckham, Bonds, Yi, Culpepper, and the Yankees


On the Friday, July 20th episode of ECB, we start with Barry Bonds and his inevitable breaking of Hank Aaron's 755. We then talk about the Mike Vick situation and discuss the impact of the indictment. The British Open is our last piece of news and we ponder the Tiger vs. the field question. We end the show with the debut of The ECB Mailbag, where we respond to your emails and give you our hard hitting answers to your questions.

Bud Selig Lays Down The Law....

In another effort by Bud Selig to appear as a strong MLB Commissioner he has made an ultimatum to Yankees slugger Jason Giambi. Either he cooperates with Senator George Mitchell's bogus, costly, and ultimately useless investigation into steroids or face a suspension. According to current MLB rules testing positive for steroids or other performance enhancing drugs warrants a 50-game suspension. There is a problem however in Giambi's case. Jason Giambi has never tested positive for steroids or performance enhancing drugs since the plan was implemented. When the New York Daily News asked an attorney to give his opinion on the legitimacy of the suspension he said, "It's just a dead argument, legally." So if this is a dead argument legally what kind of repercussions does the MLB front office face if Giambi decides not to talk and take the disciplinary action? You would expect Giambi to appeal whatever action is taken against him and more than likely win. These threats made by Bud Selig not only make him look like a bully but a bully who can't back it up. If he keeps making these idle threats he will continue to only weaken his authority. Most of that is purely hypothetical but could become reality quite quickly if Giambi decides not to cooperate when the Tuesday deadline Selig made comes. Also, according to sources in the MLB front office the Mitchell investigation wouldn't be asking Giambi to name names, only to corroborate what was leaked from the BALCO investigation. Fans and journalists want names of players who have cheated the game and cheated their clean counterparts.

Roger Clemens Takes The Mound....Again

The "Rocket" blasts off today. The 44 years young Roger Clemens is slated to make his first major league start today against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clemens signed a one year contract with the New York Yankees on May 6th worth a whopping $28,000,022 million. Many people in the media have been speculating how much a 44 year old pitcher is going to help the Yankees who are 10.5 games out of first place. Many people point to how well he pitched with the Houston Astros last year (7-6 2.30 ERA). But what people aren't getting is that Houston had a pretty good bullpen. You can't say the same about the Yankees bullpen this year. I mean, it's not as if Clemens is going to provide any rest for the already tired and overworked bullpen. Because of his age his endurance takes him into the 5th and 6th inning. He is no longer able to throw complete games anymore, the man is just too old. I will predict that the Yankees don't even take the wild card and Clemens ends up on another team who will actually make the playoffs.

Bud Selig Asks Giambi To Talk

According to sources close to ESPN Insider Buster Olney, Jason Giambi would be used as a bargaining chip to try to give credibility to the Mitchell Investigation. The Mitchell Investigation was set up by Bud Selig and Major League Baseball to investigate the use of steroids in baseball. The Mitchell Investigation is headed by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell. Jason Giambi is the most well known player who has come out and admitted to using steroids. Giambi's testimony could prove very useful in confirming details leaked from the BALCO investigation. Since Giambi is on the Yankees disabled list he has time to kill. Giambi has the option to say yes or no, and both answer bring consequences. If he says no Selig could possibly suspend Giambi and cause some drama with the players association. If he says yes he could give the Yankees incentive to terminate his contract which has already been something Brian Cashman has entertained. Baseball sources also told Buster Olney that each month the Mitchell Investigation is costing the league 2 million dollars.