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10/24/11

Baseball: - Theo Epstein, 9-9-9 Plan, Scott Cousins, The Ringer, Gary Sanchez


The media churn has been sitting on the front pages of the Boston and Chicago papers and crated a major distraction for the league during the Fall Classic. Normally, such announcements would be held off until after the season ended, but with all the interest, and the need for Selig to help negotiate a compromise deal, word began to leak out on Tuesday that a deal to allow Epstein to move to the Cubs would be announced Friday. Out of respect for the World Series, both clubs have agreed to forego further comment until Tuesday, the next scheduled non-game day with further information on each club’s media availability for Tuesday will be distributed on Monday. - http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5474:theo-epstein-officially-leaves-red-sox-to-become-president-of-baseball-operations-for-the-cubs&catid=30:mlb-news&Itemid=42

Toggling between politics and baseball the other night, we heard a lot about candidate Herman Cain's signature tax proposal, which includes a 9% individual flat tax, a 9% business flat tax and a 9% national sales tax. So we had a thought: Doesn't Major League Baseball need its own 9-9-9 plan?  During the first two games of the World Series, the Journal's baseball staff reached out to players, managers, broadcasters, executives and a pair of economists to ask them what sorts of reforms they'd suggest. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204485304576645521305549678.html

Wearing a green University of San Francisco baseball hoodie, shades and sporting a beard, he has no trouble blending in with the college kids around him.  Within the green fences of the baseball complex at this Jesuit school, Scott Cousins has found the home he never had growing up—among the men he considers family, the coach he cherishes as a second father. The Hilltop, as it's known, provides the perfect place for Cousins to rehabilitate lower back and hip injuries in relative anonymity. It's also just a couple of miles from AT&T Park. That's where the Florida Marlins' rookie outfielder gained notoriety five months ago for a frightening collision at home plate that ended the season of Giants catcher Buster Posey, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year.  "That's why I'm growing out the beard," Cousins joked. "As a disguise."  http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_19168892

The crack of a baseball ringing off a bat and the crack of a bullet leaving a gun intersect in Jenny Shank's debut novel The Ringer, one of the best overlooked books of 2011.  Released in March by The Permanent Press, The Ringer is like that talented rookie who jogged onto the field during spring training but, despite impressive batting and fielding skills, never caught fire with readers who were distracted by bigger, flashier new releases. http://davidabramsbooks.blogspot.com/2011/10/baseball-bullets-ringer-by-jenny-shank.html

Gary Sanchez was signed by the Yankees as an international free agent in 2009 for the top bonus of the signing period. After inking the $3m deal he was sent straight to the Yankees GCL affiliate in 2010, bypassing the DSL, even though he was only 17 at the time. He handled the aggressive assignment well, hitting .353 with 11 doubles and 6 HR in just 119 ABs. The performance prompted an even more aggressive promotion to Staten Island, the Yankees NY-Penn League affiliate, where Sanchez actually held his own as the youngest player in the entire league. He hit .278 with a couple of home runs in 54 ABs. Not a stellar line, but impressive for a 17 year old. The performances had him in our Top 100 at the end of 2010 and checked in at #58 for our 2011 Top Prospect List:  http://baseballinstinct.com/2011/10/22/prospect-instinct-gary-sanchez-c-new-york-yankees

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