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That is a good one...
Very well done
Manfred Mann - Runner
Manfred Mann - Runner
U2 - Beautiful Day
Breaking Benjamin - Sooner Or Later
Velvet Revolver - Slither
Tesla - Changes
Tesla - Changes
Thank you sir
GNR - Patience
Stone Sour - Bother
Stone Sour - Bother
Days Of The New - Touch, Peel & Stand
Ozzy - See You On The Other Side
Sure fooled me then
LOL
Whitesnake - Still Of The Night
Classic
Whitesnake - Still Of The Night
Right Said Fred
LOL
Aerosmith - Back In The Saddle
Noooooo - Not you, Tree! LOL
Ted Nugent - Fred Bear
I would too - I was never one for large crowds...
I'm very shy LOLOL
Alot easier that way...
LOL
Royal Bliss - Save Me
Kick azz tune right here
Royal Bliss - Save Me
You might like this one, Mark...
Possibly - Find out tomorrow exactly what's happenin'
You?
Yo Tree
Whaaaaaat?
Isn't this the pic of you & your bike? LOL
HOTT!!
Gooooooood Morning Everyone......
Burnett set to receive offer from Yanks
NEW YORK -- While the Yankees wait for an answer from CC Sabathia, the organization will move forward on at least one more free-agent pitching front, reportedly preparing an offer for right-hander A.J. Burnett.
The New York Post reported on Tuesday that the Yankees are building an offer -- perhaps a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $80 million -- to present to Burnett, who became a free agent when he opted out of his contract with the Blue Jays on Thursday.
A report in Newsday, though, said the offer was a four-year deal and much less than the $80 million alluded to in the Post. Also, the Red Sox have increased their interest and are "fully engaged" in the pursuit of Burnett, according to Newsday.
The Yankees promised to aggressively target starting pitching this offseason, smarting from their first dark postseason since 1993. New York opened the free-agent period by promising to make Sabathia baseball's best-compensated pitcher, offering a six-year contract worth approximately $140 million on Friday; co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner said that the Yankees would also tender offers to Burnett and Derek Lowe.
Burnett also has potential suitors in the Braves and Orioles, and he will likely command a four- or five-year deal worth between $15-18 million annually. The Blue Jays have interest in retaining Burnett, and they are believed to be preparing a four-year offer worth an estimated $54 million, though general manager J.P. Ricciardi maintains that Toronto has yet to present an offer to the pitcher.
Burnett will turn 32 in January, having gone 18-10 with a 4.07 ERA for the Blue Jays this past season. He led the American League with 34 starts and 231 strikeouts, fanning 9.39 batters per nine innings.
The Post also reported that the Yankees remain interested in re-signing left-hander Andy Pettitte, but not at the $16 million price tag he earned in each of the past two seasons, and they continue to believe that Mike Mussina will retire. New York is reportedly also not considered a player in a potential trade for Padres ace Jake Peavy at this time.
Hot Stove Round-up
The offseason arms race continued Tuesday, and the Cubs exercised first-strike capability by re-signing one of their own.
Chicago used its hometown influence and re-upped right-handed starter Ryan Dempster for another four years at the relative discount of $52 million, including a $4 million signing bonus and a $14 million option for 2012.
CC Sabathia's name did not make the rounds on the front burner of the Hot Stove, but another highly sought-after free-agent pitcher's name did, as the Yankees reportedly prepared an offer sheet for A.J. Burnett.
Among sluggers, the Nationals reaffirmed their interest in first baseman Mark Teixeira, while second baseman Orlando Hudson expressed his interest in playing in the nation's capital.
On the trade front, the Padres continued to dangle Jake Peavy, but the narrow race between the Cubs and Braves for the 2007 National League Cy Young Award winner has dwindled further. The Cubs no longer are feeling a sense of urgency, with Dempster in hand, while the Braves are prepared to move on.
"There's other guys that we like, and there are other trade opportunities," Braves general manager Frank Wren told MLB.com. "The list isn't long, but there are other options out there."
Another big name surfaced Tuesday, though his status isn't as lofty as it once was. Free-agent right-hander Pedro Martinez restated his desire to pitch in 2009, and specifically with the Mets, but it's not clear if the feeling is mutual.
While on the managerial side, the Mariners appeared poised to place Don Wakamatsu at the helm of the club, with an official announcement expected Wednesday. Wakamatsu tops the list of seven finalists for the Mariners, who were managed last season by John McLaren and Jim Riggleman.
A Major League source confirmed Wakamatsu's appointment to MLB.com's Doug Miller.
But it was Dempster who headed the list of Tuesday's developments, with his multiyear, eight-figure package to remain in Chicago and maintain his Wrigleyville residence.
"I've become attached, not just to the guys on the team, but also to the city of Chicago," Dempster told MLB.com. "Ultimately, it comes down to what our chances are to win a world championship. Getting to the postseason the last two years, I thought this is where I wanted to be."
After three years as the team's closer, Dempster returned to the rotation in 2008 and posted a 17-6 mark that included a 14-3 record at Wrigley Field. That was the most victories by a Cubs pitcher at home since Ferguson Jenkins established the franchise high with 15 wins there in 1967.
With a 2009 rotation now including Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis, in addition to Dempster, barring any additional moves, the Cubs looked toward improving their offense.
A report in the Kansas City Star identified Royals outfielders Mark Teahen and David DeJesus as possible targets to satisfy the portion of their wish list that includes a left-handed bat.
The Cubs are looking to move Kosuke Fukudome, who is owed $38 million over the next three years. The right fielder hit .279 with a .383 on-base percentage before the All-Star break, but he posted marks of .217 and .314, respectively, thereafter.
Kansas City GM Dayton Moore refused to comment about possible player moves, but Teahen told MLB.com he hadn't heard of any possible deal from his agent, Jeff Barry.
"I actually talked to Jeff a couple of times today, and he hadn't heard anything like that," Teahen said. "I don't know if it's just left-over stuff from last year, when there was a rumor that there was some interest from the Cubs for Matt Murton or some other hitter."
While Dempster's finances improved Tuesday, Burnett's may be in line for an even bigger windfall, as the Yankees worked up a deal that could go as high as $80 million, according to a report in the New York Post. A report in Newsday, though, pegged the deal at four years and significantly less than $80 million.
The potential deal comes on the heels of the $140-145 million, six-year contract the Yankees have floated to Sabathia as the club takes an aggressive approach to rebuilding its pitching staff.
Burnett opted out of the remaining two years of his contract with the Blue Jays to become a free agent, a move that cost him $24 million. But Toronto is expected to make another run at Burnett, possibly at the rate of $54 million over four years.
If Burnett chases the bigger bucks, though, with the Red Sox, Braves, Phillies and Orioles also believed to have interest, the Blue Jays are not expected to stay in the market for pitching.
"I don't see us going that way," Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi told MLB.com. "I don't think there's anybody else out there that, for what you'd probably have to get involved with from a money standpoint, that we would feel comfortable getting involved with. I think we'd probably stay in house."
As for Sabathia, the Brewers also have an offer on the table, believed to be $100 million over five years, but Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin told MLB.com on Tuesday that he hasn't heard from agents Greg Genske or Brian Peters for a week.
With the top-flight free-agent pitchers apparently getting closer to deals, the market seemingly has moved away from Peavy and the Padres.
A deal was all but done for Peavy to go somewhere, with the Braves the leaders in the clubhouse and the Cubs looking to close the gap, as the GMs left their four-day meeting two weeks ago in Dana Point, Calif.
But the Padres could not liberate the quality of Major League-ready pitching out of Atlanta they wanted, and the Cubs simply didn't present the right matchup of prospects, which raised the degree of difficulty by likely adding a third or fourth team.
The Padres still are looking to move Peavy as they attempt to shed payroll and go from their $73 million operating player budget for 2008 to about $40 million next season. Jettisoning Peavy's guaranteed $63 million over the next four years certainly would give them a head-start.
Peavy also has a full no-trade clause, which is anathema to the Braves, but Padres GM Kevin Towers said it's possible he might be able to revisit negotiations with Atlanta.
"You never know," Towers said. "We certainly made more progress with them. We were able to ID and agree upon a large part of the package."
But that might not be the Braves, who need more than just Peavy to fill out their rotation next season. Wren is waiting to see where the market goes for Burnett, but he also will target Derek Lowe and possibly the next tier of free-agent pitchers, which includes Jon Garland, Randy Wolf and Oliver Perez.
The Nationals would like to plug Teixeira into the middle of their lineup, while Hudson likes what he sees in Washington.
"The Nationals are a good young club. They have a lot of energy," Hudson told MLB.com. "I would definitely be comfortable if I was over there."
Cubs, Dempster agree to four-year deal
CHICAGO -- Ryan Dempster can ride his bike to work for the next four years.
The All-Star right-hander agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal on Tuesday to remain with the Cubs, including a $14 million player option for the 2012 season. He gets a $4 million signing bonus.
"I've become attached not just to the guys on the team but also to the city of Chicago," said Dempster, who resides in Wrigleyville. "Ultimately, it comes down to what our chances are to win a world championship. Getting to the postseason the last two years, I thought this is where I wanted to be."
Dempster, 31, went 17-6 with a 2.96 ERA for the Cubs last season after returning to the rotation on a full-time basis for the first time since 2002, and after saving 85 games for the club from 2005-07. He finished in the top seven in the National League in wins, ERA and strikeouts and made the All-Star team for the first time since 2000.
Dempster filed for free agency and spent four days on the market for anybody to pitch offers, but it was always thought that he would likely re-sign with the Cubs. He also received interest from several teams, including the Yankees, Mets, Braves, Dodgers and Blue Jays, but no firm offers.
"I just thought this is where I wanted to be," Dempster said. "Was more money out in the open market? I'm sure there probably was. Who knows, maybe there were five-year [offers potentially], you never know. That's a question that I will never be able to answer. Truthfully, I don't really even care to know. I'm happy with what I have, more money than I can ever dream of getting."
Barring any more moves, the Cubs go into 2009 with the same strong rotation they finished 2008 with: Carlos Zambrano, Dempster, Rich Harden, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. The Cubs received a discount to keep that staff intact.
"It was imperative that we kept [Dempster] in house," general manager Jim Hendry said. "He made no secret that he really wanted to be here. There was no doubt in any of our minds that Ryan would have exceeded this deal on the streets three or four weeks from now given the market with starting pitching."
Skeptics can argue that Dempster earned a long-term deal by performing well for just one season as a starter, and a contract year at that. Don't forget, some called for his removal from the closer's role before his successful conversion back to the rotation. Is it worth the gamble?
"He's still got five or six good years in him, no doubt in our mind," Hendry said. "You win a lot of baseball games with this guy on your ballclub. He's had a tremendous influence on a lot of guys in that clubhouse."
The pain of recent playoff losses also played a role in Dempster's decision. Like several of his teammates, he finished the 2008 season with a disappointing performance in the National League Division Series against Los Angeles.
"Maybe we underestimated how prepared you have to be," he said. "In a way we were so good at home, I was so good at home (10-0 to start the year), it almost felt like it was going to be a given that we would win Games 1 and 2."
Getting the nod in the opener, Dempster tied a career high by issuing seven walks in 4 2/3 innings. He gave up a crowd-silencing grand slam to James Loney, which propelled the Dodgers to a 7-2 victory, the first step to a series sweep. Despite winning a league-best 97 games, the Cubs went three and out of the playoffs for the second straight year.
"We've got unfinished business," said Dempster, who memorably predicted on the first day of Spring Training that the club would win the World Series for the first time since 1908. "I want to go back out there and have a better year than I had this past season."
Dempster is 76-81 with 87 saves and a 4.55 ERA in parts of 11 Major League seasons. Since joining Chicago prior to the 2004 season, he is 26-26 with 87 saves and a 3.59 ERA. He was an NL All-Star while with the Marlins in 2000.
The Cubs have addressed their two biggest offseason needs -- re-signing Dempster and solidifying the back end of the bullpen by trading for Kevin Gregg. Offensively, the club is still looking for a left-handed bat, perhaps a right fielder.
What does this mean for the interest in Jake Peavy and Randy Johnson? Well, Hendry isn't ruling anything out. He and other Cubs brass will meet Wednesday to map out their interests.
"We're not opposed to continuing to get better," Hendry said. "If it does mean more pitching, then at the right time, if we have a chance to do that, we will."
My thoughts exactly....
Crisp headed to KC
The Red Sox have sent outfielder Coco Crisp to the Royals for reliever Ramon Ramirez, a Kansas City radio station reported Wednesday morning.
A Red Sox spokesperson said the club had no comment on the report.
Sports Radio 810 said the Royals had acquired the 29-year-old Crisp, who hit .283 with seven homers, 41 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 361 at-bats in 2008. Crisp, who will earn $5.7 million in 2009 with a 2010 club option worth $8 million or a $500,000 buyout, started 98 games in center field for Boston but had to share playing time because of the emergence of Jacoby Ellsbury.
Crisp's arrival would give the Royals more speed and defense in center field as well as another top-of-the-order possibility.
In Ramirez, 27, the Red Sox would get a quality late-inning reliever who is not yet arbitration eligible.
Ramirez went 3-2 with a save and a 2.64 ERA in 71 games for Kansas City this year, including 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA after the All-Star break.
A Perfect Circle - Weak & Powerless
Disturbed - Indestructible
'Sup Sauceman.....
Welcome to our 'jukebox'
Scorpions - Media Overkill
LOL - I thought so too...