Rumors for PRO Rumors
Curt Flood and the history of free agency
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With huge free agency contracts being awarded to players, such as the landmark off season agreement between Albert Pujols and the Angels, do you ever wonder how free agency came about in baseball?
Curt Flood was a successful MLB player who earned seven Gold Glove Awards, played in three All-Star Games, and won two World Series. In 1970, after being traded to the Phillies against his wishes, Flood challenged baseball’s reserve clause, fighting it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Although Flood lost the court case, his step of suing MLB ultimately paved the way for reforms like the 1975 Seitz Decision, which granted baseball with free agency, a great benefit to everyone affiliated with the game.
Flood is considered by many to be the pioneer of free agency, but he paid a significant price for his contributions by sacrificing a flourishing MLB career for what he believed was right not only for him, but for all who played.
One of our readers, Blayke Tatman, a 7th grader from Orange County, California, conducted a research project on Curt Flood for his National History Day Project. To learn more about Flood and the history of free agency in baseball, stop by his website. You can also stop by his website and see what current players such as Gerald Laird and past players think about Flood, and what his decision to stand up against Baseball did for the game.
PRO Rumors Android app version 1.0 is available
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Hello PRO Rumors fans,
We are proud to announce that our PRO Rumors Android app version 1.0 is available on the Android Market. We spent a lot of time on the app’s design and functionality, and we are sure that you’ll love it. To download the app for an introductory price of $2.99 you can click here.
Here are a few features:
– Push Notifications to get the latest news and rumors for your favorite MLB team
– Pulse-like view of articles – it’s beautiful
– Real-time scoreboard
– Real-time box scores of in-game action
We’re working hard to add more features, so if you have any questions or feature requests, please send an email to support@prorumors.com. We promise to write you back.
Allan
Happy Holidays from the PRO Rumors team
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From all of us at PRO Rumors, we’d like to wish you all a Happy Holidays! We hope that all of your holiday wishes (and your baseball wishes) have come true!
Mail Time with PRO Rumors
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Here is our first addition of “Mail Time with PRO Rumors” where we answer your questions. Here are just a few questions that we received from our readers. Thanks to those who participated and keep the questions coming! You can send your questions to Mailbag@prorumors.com
1. What are the chances Manny Ramirez plays baseball next season?
As time goes on, the chances of Manny returning to any field decreases. He recently had a tryout with a Japanese team in Miami, that did not go well. With Manny, teams have to look and see if his productivity is worth the headaches that also come with Manny. Manny also still has a 100 game suspension that he has to serve prior to being eligible to play. In the end, I think Manny will take his talents to his neighborhood softball league.
2. Who are the oldest active MLB players and are they still producing?
The oldest player that set foot on a diamond this year was Tim Wakefield, at 45 years old. Though he won the award this year, Jamie Moyer is looking to return after sitting out 2011 due to injuries and would have won the award this year as he is 48 years old (49 on Nov 18th). Wakefield who is known for his knuckle ball, posted a 7-8 record with a 5.12 era while earning $3.5mm in the second year of his two-year deal $7mm deal.
The oldest player to ever play in a game goes to Satchel Paige who was 59. In 1965, he signed a one-day contract with the Kansas City Athletics. On September 25, he took the mound against the Boston Red Sox allowing only one hit in three innings (info obtained from wikipedia).
3. Where will Albert Pujols sign?
Because of the limited market as far as only a handful of teams being able to afford a $200mm contract, I think Pujols will end up returning to St. Louis. Stay up to date with all signings with our Free Agent Tracker.
4. What was the worst free agent signing last offseason?
Purely on the past season statistics, Jayson Werth and Adam Dunn immediately pop into mind. If you are looking at only performances, Dunn wins the award. Dunn posted a .159 avg,while hitting 11 home runs while striking out 177 times. Sure some critics will say it was in part because he switched leagues but he just flat out sunk. In 2010 with the Nationals, he hit .260 with 38 home runs. This past season while putting up dismal numbers, he went on to make $12mm, or about $1.1mm per home run he hit as the full time DH for the White Sox.
But if you take into consideration total years and money I would say Jayson Werth at seven years $126mm was the worst signing (Dunn was four-years, $56mm). Werth had a career year in 2009 when he hit .268 with 36 home runs and 99 rbi’s. But that was on a different team where he was not the big stick on the team. He had plenty of protection infront of him and behind him. This past season as the main threat for the Nationals, he hit .232 with only 20 home runs.
By the end of the 2012 season, the jocking for the worst contract during the 2010-2011 offseason should be over and we will be able to crown Dunn or Werth the winner.
Mail Time with PRO Rumors
Posted by: | CommentsAs the off season quickly gets underway, we here at PRO Rumors are gearing up and getting ready to bring you the latest and greatest breaking news from around the League. You can always stay up-to-date with our web page, www.prorumors.com, or with one of our award winning apps for either the iPhone or Android phone.
One of the new features we are proud to debut is our “Mail Time with PRO Rumors.” Twice a month (or maybe more), we will answer emails from our readers about any baseball related topic. We will also take questions in both English and Spanish. If you have a question about Winter Ball in Venezuela make sure you drop us a line, as PRO Rumors’ writer Juan has been scouting most of the games.
Send us your questions to Mailbag@prorumors.com
PRO Rumors is hiring writers for a paid position
Posted by: | CommentsHello,
PRO Rumors is growing, and we’re looking to add two new writers to the PRO Rumors’ team. This is a paid position. Because you will become a core member of a small team, we’re going to be very selective as to who we want since you’re going to be steering the direction of the PRO Rumors product.
Here are some of the requirements that we are looking for:
- You live and breath Major League Baseball. You have to have a good understanding of what’s going on with the 30 teams. Basic knowledge of how contracts, free-agency, arbitration eligibility, waivers, signings and firings work in the world of baseball is a plus.
- You can write an intelligent and thought provoking article regarding current events in the PRO Rumors’ style and tone.
- Attention to detail and the integrity of the story – spelling and grammar are very important. This also means you’ll have to deal with criticism from other writers on the PRO Rumors staff.
- The ability to adapt to new technology – we have automated many of our tools using our really cool programming skills here. We want your job as a writer to be as easy as possible to find new information. We also want you to suggest innovative ways for PRO Rumors to share information whether it’s through an iPhone app or other technological methods. You’re not just a writer, you’ll be a sports information pioneer.
- Flexibility – you’ll be scheduled to cover certain hours on the weekdays AND weekends.
- Depending on your performance, there will be room for advancement within PRO Rumors.
PRO Rumors is a sports utility that helps fans get the latest rumors, news and relevant statistics for professional baseball. It’s made with love by baseball fans for baseball fans. If you are interested in joining the PRO Rumors’ team and want to be on the cutting edge of sports information technology then please send a resume to jobs@prorumors.com. Thanks!
Allan
jobs@prorumors.com
Will the real Jonathan Broxton please stand up
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The Dodgers are fresh off a 3-1 series win over the World Champs. But everything isn’t perfect in Dodger land. Dodgers’ closer Jonathan Broxton appears to be continuing his post all-star form as he has allowed 2 home runs in three games (3 innings) to start the season. Yes, I understand that he did in fact get the save in all three victories and didn’t blow any of the games, but it is the way he closed the first and fourth games that raises questions.
Dodger fans have become spoiled over the years (and especially as of late) as they are used to seeing dominant closers take the ball. From Eric Gagne and his 84 consecutive saves to Takashi Saito and his 1.95 ERA, the ninth inning became almost automatic.
Yes, Dodger fans have come to expect a dominant closer performance night in and night out. Broxton though has been just as dominant as Gagne and Saito. In 2009, Broxton threw 76 innings while saving 36 games with a 2.61 ERA. Not too shabby for someone who is entering his seventh season. But then the tale of two Broxtons hit in 2010. In his first 33 appearances the first Broxton struck out 48 and walked just five in 32 2/3 innings, leading to a 0.48 ERA.
But then June 27th and the Yankees came to town. Broxton blew the save that night and threw a career high 48 pitches and the other Broxton settled in and he pitched to a 7.58 ERA the rest of the season. Yes his velocity dipped a bit but he was still hitting mid 90’s on the radar gun.
So what is going on with Jonathan Broxton? He has yet to crack 100 MPH this season but he has still tipped the radar guns in the high 90’s so I don’t think his velocity is the issue. Is it a mental issue or is he trying to blow the ball past everyone? Whatever the issue is, Broxton allowed just 2 home runs in 2008, 4 home runs in 2009 and 2010. He’s already given up 2 this season to the “I’m way over my prime” Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell duo. His career K/9 is 11.7 but he has only 1 strikeout this season (3 innings).
Though I don’t think it’s time for the Dodgers to push the panic button as it is way to early, I do think there is some cause for concern. In 2010, Broxton in his first 3 appearances allowed zero runs while striking out 4 and allowing only one hit. This season, in his first 3 appearances he allowed 1 single, two solo-home runs with only 1 strike out. Broxton also is throwing around 5 pitches per batter which could create issues down the line with the Dodgers using him on back-to-back nights.
Luckily for the Dodgers and Broxton, the season is just under way with plenty of time to fix the problem at hand. Don’t panic too hard, just take notice and hope Rick Honeycutt can help get the big guy back on track to being the once dominant pitcher we all remember him as.
Winners of the PRO Rumors Opening Day contest
Posted by: | CommentsFirst of all, we’d like to thank everybody who has participated in PRO Rumors past, present and future. The response for the contest has been overwhelming and we plan to run more fun and exciting contests throughout the season. Originally, we only had 12 prizes, but because of the overwhelming response Allan has decided to add ten $5 Amazon gift cards to the prize pool and we’re giving away 25 copies of the PRO Rumors paid app so that more people leave with the warm and fuzzy feeling.
We will contact the winners by Facebook or email if you have won in the next hour.
Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2011 PRO Rumors Opening Day contest:
iPad 2 Wi-Fi 16GB: Javier F.
PS3 MLB 2K 11: Matt D.
$5 Amazon gift cards (10): Chris S., Brian R., Joe M., Aaron C., Friarhood Steve, Blake C., John R., Kenny B., Rob C., Sean B.
PRO Rumors iPhone app (25): The easiest way is to head to our Facebook Fan page and respond to Allan’s request (it should be the latest post on top of the fan page): http://www.facebook.com/prorumors1
Just because the contest is over doesn’t mean you have to stop leaving comments and participating in PRO Rumors. Please keep visiting us everyday, support our sponsors (so we can give out more prizes) and leave more comments. Thanks!
Win an iPad and MLB 2K11 from PRO Rumors
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In celebration of the 2011 baseball season, PRO Rumors is giving away a few prizes to our loyal readers.
What prizes will be given away?
– We’ll give away 10 copies of our award winning iPhone app.
– A brand new PS3 copy of MLB 2K11 courtesy of our friends at 2K Sports (we had a copy for XBox 360, but Ryan took it).
– A brand new 16GB Wi-Fi iPad 2nd generation (yes, the one that’s sold out everywhere)
How do I win? (Hint: The more you do, the better chance you’ll have to win.)
– Sign up for PRO Rumors to get free Instant Action Email and Text Alerts to your inbox and mobile – Click here to sign up.
– Download the PRO Rumors FREE iPhone app.
– Follow us on Twitter & retweet us A LOT!
– Follow us on Facebook & leave a comment.
– Leave intelligent comments at the bottom of our posts and create discussions.
– Visit us everyday at http://www.prorumors.com and tell your friends.
Any rules?
– Contest ends at 12:00 noon Pacific Standard Time on Friday, April 1 (No this is not an April Fools joke).
– Winners will be chosen at random from those that sign up with PRO Rumors, but we’ll heavily favor those that participate in discussions/Facebook/Twitter.
– Anybody is eligible to win except for employees of PRO Rumors. You must be 13 years of age or older. Sports writers, players, general managers are all welcomed to participate.
– We’ll ship pretty much anywhere on planet Earth.
– We’ll send the iPhone codes for redemption immediately. We’ll ship the PS3 game by April 10, 2011. We’ll order the iPad upon confirmation of the winner, and it will take about 3-4 weeks to receive it.
PRO Rumors: Postseason Predictions
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Here are the PRO Rumors take it to the bank playoff predictions.
If you missed our American League standings and award predictions or our National League standings and award predictions make sure you check them out!
| Writer | AL Pennant Predictions |
| Allan | Red Sox |
| Ryan | Red Sox |
| Juan | Yankees |
| Writer | NL Pennant Predictions |
| Allan | Phillies |
| Ryan | Phillies |
| Juan | Brewers |
| Writer | World Series Champs |
| Allan | Phillies |
| Ryan | Red Sox |
| Juan | Yankess |
Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment and we will pull out the predictions come November and see who was right!
