All Things Bubba

Couple of random articles about contracts I came across today. Looks like Joe Savery got a split contract. $78,250 a year in the minors, $480,000 if he makes the big league roster.

Paul Janish got a big league contract ($850,000 a year), and it has performance incentives: $15,000 for 100 games, $15,000 for 120 games.

He played in 114 games last year, which is good enough for the first bonus. He's never played 100 games a year in the big leagues before that. Probably not likely he'll get either bonus this year, when he won't be starting and may not even make the roster.

Labels: Joe Savery, Paul Janish

There's a nice article today at MLB.com about Phil Humber.

Looks like he's finally sticking to a big league roster. Bet a lot of teams are wishing they'd grabbed him when they could have.

Labels: Phil Humber

The Reds have traded pitcher Jeremy Horst to the Phillies for backup shortstop Wilson Valdez. The good folks at Redleg Nation are underwhelmed.

Seems like a good deal for the Reds. They DFA'd Horst in December; he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Louisville. So, the Reds got Valdez for a guy that any team could have gotten for free last month.

This is not good news for Paul Janish, though it's not unexpected, either. There's just no room on 25-man roster for Janish. He's likely to start the season in Louisville. I don't think Valdez is a better shortstop than Janish, but Janish has options and I'm pretty sure Valdez doesn't.

And Walt Jocketty might not be done yet. I still think he might sign Ryan Theriot or someone like him.

Labels: Paul Janish

Came across this article, about Joba Chamberlain participating in the Center for Disability Services Telethon. It mentions that Bubba Crosby was a past guest. I remember that. They really liked him.

Bubba Crosby at the Center for Disability Services Telethon (photo by "Ponine")

Labels: Bubba Crosby

According to AP, Paul Janish got a one-year deal for $850,000. That's $50,000 more than MLB Trade Rumors predicted.

Labels: Paul Janish

The Reds announced tonight that they avoided arbitration with Paul Janish. No word yet on what the terms were.

John Erardi spoke with Reds GM Walt Jocketty today.

Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said Tuesday the club is ‘‘pretty well done’’ retooling going into spring training, but would add an experienced shortstop to provide depth for starter Zack Cozart and backup Paul Janish if they can find one.

“If not, we like what we have,” Jocketty said.

I think Walt's going to sign a veteran SS. Kind of a bummer for Janish. He's had no trouble sticking on the big league roster until they tried to make him a starter.

This guy at Bleacher Report is apparently a Janish fan. (I know, I know, I should know better than to read Bleacher Report.) He thinks John Fay is love with Cozart but has written off Janish. But that Dusty hasn't given up on Janish yet. Weird. To me, it looked like Dusty was the first one to give up on Janish. He forced Jocketty to call up Cozart by benching Janish in favor of Renteria. Sure, he said all the right things about Janish having what it takes to be a starting SS, but that's his job as a manager.

Ah, well. I do think it's looking very likely that Janish will start the year in Louisville. But I also think it's likely he'll be called up sometime during the year, for one reason or another. He'll get another chance.

Labels: Paul Janish

John Sickels has released his 2012 Reds prospect report. He ranked Tony Cingrani the 6th best prospect in the Reds system.

6) Tony Cingrani, LHP, Grade B-: Borderline C+. Relieved in college for Rice but a starter now, developing slider and changeup with good results in Pioneer League. Throws strikes, has a shot at becoming a number three starter. Grade is aggressive but I like him.

Cingrani's turning a lot of heads in the Reds organization. Looks like they really think he can be a starter.

Labels: Tony Cingrani

Paul Janish at the 2010 Rice Alumni Game

There's a web page up now for the 2012 Rice Alumni Game. It's February 4, at Reckling Park in Houston. In addition to the game, there's a lecture on the history of Rice athletics the night before. Both are free and open to the public, though they are asking people to RSVP for the lecture.

Reds beat writer John Fay thinks the Reds might stick with Janish as their backup shortstop. GM Walt Jocketty has said he wants a veteran backup.

It’s down on the list after closer and outfield bat. In other words, there’s a chance they never get to it. What made me think about it is Jack Wilson is still out there. Could be a fit, right? Then I looked at his numbers from last year: .243/.274/.285.

The Reds can probably get that from Paul Janish for considerably less money. Janish hit .214/.259/.262 last year.

Fay thinks Janish is too skinny to play every day, and will hit better with more time off:

Janish is lean and tends to get worn down. That may have been why he was so bad last year.

I'd never heard that skinny guys wear down. If anything, you'd think it would be the big guys who'd suffer more from wear and tear. I'd guess Fay's getting that theory from the Reds, though.

I think Walt would be fine with Janish as the backup if the Reds had an established starting SS. But presumed starter Zack Cozart has played only 11 games in the big leagues, and didn't exactly light up the minors. With the Reds trying to win during the "Votto window," I'd guess Walt's going to sign a veteran backup who can take over for Cozart if needed.

Labels: Paul Janish

So, the Cowboys and the Giants are playing tonight. Winner take all. I had a bad feeling about this game, and so far, it's even worse than I feared.

The Cowboys are killing me this year. So many games going down to the last second. The last-minute wins are exhilarating, but I'm not sure they make up for the heartbreaking losses.

Tonight, the Cowboys just look completely out of their depth. Dumb mistakes, bad luck, and just being outplayed. I am really tempted to just turn it off and not watch the carnage. Of course, I'll kick myself if the Cowboys somehow manage a win.

I find it a lot easier to watch a baseball game in which my team is being killed than a football game. I guess because baseball is such an individual sport. Even if the team is losing 20-0, some individual players will be playing well. A nice at-bat, a good play on defense. Football is so much more a team sport. When the team is not doing well, the individual players aren't, either. Or at least it's hard to pick out good performances.

Ugh, sports. Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through this.

Labels: NFL