Scott Miller's Bull Pennings : CBSSports.com Blogs

Bull Pennings and I are moving

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 3:00:58 EDT

But don't worry, not far. There's not even any packing involved.

We've got a new blog "platform" here at CBSSports.com, and my blog, complete with everything from the baseball takes to the Rock 'n' Roll Lyrics of the Day, can be found here:

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/scott-miller

Bookmark it. Remember it. Because this is the last item here at this present URL. Going forward, it all will be at the new place, right alongside Danny Knobler, Jon Heyman and our crack Eye on Baseball team.

Driving Florida's back roads with Maybin & Alonso

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:59:33 EST

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Small world, baseball. So it's not a shocker that Yonder Alonso knew a few Padres when he was traded from Cincinnati.

He was teammates with three current Padres at the University of Miami -- catcher Yasmani Grandal, outfielder Blake Tekotte and catcher Jason Hagerty -- on a Hurricanes team that was the No. 1 seed entering the 2008 College World Series.

But the best story is his acquaintance with center fielder Cameron Maybin.

"My first impression was, 'Geez, who is this guy?'" said Maybin, who first encountered Alonso when they were playing Florida travel ball as high schoolers.

A glove story for Angels' Trumbo

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:21:00 EST

TEMPE, Ariz. -- He's just a glove machine.

Which isn't exactly what you would expect for a guy whose bat did all the talking last summer.

But once the Angels signed Albert Pujols, Mark Trumbo went from AL Rookie of the Year runner-up to Man Without a Position.

The plan is to employ Trumbo at third base, but that's contingent on him learning the position this spring. There's always left field if that doesn't work out.

Yu the man in Rangers debut

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 22:27:20 EST

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Quick glimpse, small sample. Two innings, first impression:

Yu Darvish's Japanese legacy and World Baseball Classic dominance looked for one day Wednesday like they will translate beautifully into the major leagues.

Or, if you prefer, you could take it beyond one spring outing.

"They're going back to the postseason," Padres second baseman Orlando Hudson said of a Rangers team with Darvish in their rotation. "That's a no-brainer."

Cubs' Soriano stokes the what-could-be embers

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:48:26 EST

MESA, Ariz. -- Ears perked up, perhaps, by new manager Dale Sveum discussing him as a potential cleanup man the other day, beleaguered Cubs veteran Alfonso Soriano sure looked the part Tuesday.

Granted, it was March 6. Yes, the Colorado Rockies essentially are holding tryouts for their rotation and Guillermo Moscoso and Zach Putnam won't remind anyone of Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson anytime soon. And true, making hasty spring training judgments is more dangerous than crossing the desert with no water.

On the flip side, when you've had your ears pinned back with boos while disappointing as much as Soriano has over the past couple of seasons ... maybe a little confidence boost can go a long way.

Batting fourth against the Rockies on Tuesday, Soriano absolutely crushed a Moscoso pitch in the second inning, drilling it off of the scoreboard behind the left-field seats. Then, after doubling against Alex White -- another Rockies' starting pitcher wannabe -- he ripped another homer, this one in the fifth against Putnam. He finished with three RBIs.

Posey runs bases, moves closer to game action

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:28:19 EST

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The San Francisco Giants' 2012 season inched forward 90 feet at a time Tuesday. On a back field away from the crowds, Buster Posey ran the bases.

It was another step in the comeback from his devastating ankle injury suffered last May, and count it in the "two steps forward" department, which beats the heck out of the "one step back" slot.

"That's kind of how my rehab has gone," a pleased Posey said. "When I challenge it to do something new, things seem to go better."

The Giants still do not Posey scheduled to make his Cactus League debut on a particular date (not publicly, at least). But running and sliding are the last things on his rehab list. He's getting closer. Manager Bruce Bochy insinuated the other day that he could make his first game appearance by this weekend, though likely as a DH.

Pujols: "That was fun"

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:40:16 EST

PHOENIX -- Maybe Albert Pujols knew there was a designated hitter in the American League. But did anyone tell him you get to bat every inning in the Junior Circuit?

Forgive him if he begins to think that's the case after his first Cactus League game. He christened the Angels' portion of his career with a 2 for 3 afternoon against the beleaguered Athletics, including saying hello with an RBI double in the first.

"That was fun," Pujols said after being removed from the game in the fourth with the Angels leading 9-0. "Hopefully, we get to do a lot of that this year."

The Angels' two high-priced free agents each debuted on an overcast Monday afternoon. C.J. Wilson, who signed a five-year, $77.5 million deal during the offseason, worked two scoreless innings, facing eight batters.

The catcher and the groundhog

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:37:29 EST

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Dirt.

As a catcher, you wallow in it.

As a catcher who hails from Punxsutawney, Pa., home of the esteemed groundhog ... well, how perfect is that?

Rookie Devin Mesoraco, on deck to become the Reds' backstop this season, is just the seventh major-leaguer to emerge from Punxsutawney, where the country turns its eyes each Feb. 2 to see how much longer winter will last. (Well, perhaps not the entire country. ...).

Padres lock up Maybin through 2017

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 16:10:12 EST

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Because he seized the opportunity they gave him last year at this time with grace, flair and production, the Padres have hitched their long-term plans to center fielder Cameron Maybin with a five-year, $25 million deal that takes him through 2016, according to sources with knowledge of the talks.

The deal also includes a club option for 2017 that could push its total value to $33 million.

"It's a great thing," Padres manager Bud Black said Saturday. "It gives Cameron some security and stability, and it gives us a player under contract that we're excited to have."

Maybin flourished with the Padres last summer in the opportunity of a lifetime following two rough seasons with the Marlins in which he shuttled up and down between the majors and minors. The Padres made it clear to him last spring that they would give him every chance to win the center field job. But, carrying scars from the way the Marlins pulled the plug on him multiple times, it took awhile for him to relax and push away the paranoia.

Don't tell Homer Bailey pitchers shouldn't hit

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:34:43 EST

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Let the debate begin anew over whether it's time for the National League to adopt the designated hitter.

Pittsburgh's A.J. Burnett is out two to three months with a broken orbital bone suffered while bunting in the batting cage. And while he waits for the healing to begin, plenty of folks are chiming in, using him as Exhibit A for those who think it's time pitchers stopped batting altogether.

That's all well and good. But don't tell that to Reds pitcher Homer Bailey. The Cincinnati right-hander batted .282 with a .300 on-base percentage in 45 plate appearances last summer. He knocked home two runners.

"I think pitchers should hit in both leagues," Bailey says.

Arizona's Drew comes back one grounder at a time

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:19:44 EST

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- He works slowly, methodically. One ground ball at a time.

The Diamondbacks remain steadfastly non-committal about whether shortstop Stephen Drew, returning from a devastating ankle injury, will be ready in time for their April 6 opener against the Giants. Odds are against it.

They are insistent that no timetable is set because, well, once a timetable is there, then the player can start to rush, maybe push things a little too hard and that's the last thing anybody wants.

"He's probably ahead of where we thought he'd be," Arizona general manager Kevin Towers said Wednesday. "His range looks good. His arm looks good.

Indians off to rough start with Sizemore, Perez

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:33:25 EST

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Indians and their fans remember the vintage days of Grady Sizemore: All-Star, Gold Glover, Silver Slugger, game-changer, face of the franchise.

Now, they just hope there's room left for Grady Sizemore, major-leaguer.

Though the Indians said he was around Tuesday, he was nowhere in sight. He was off getting his back checked out after another injury in a string that makes you wonder whether there are many days left in his career.

"He was one of the reasons I came here to manage," skipper Manny Acta said Tuesday. "I was like, 'Man, that guy is going to win some games all by himself. The excitement, when you have a guy like that."

Albert Belle tolls again in Indians' visit

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:27:08 EST

Albert Belle, center, shares a laugh with former Indians teammates Carlos Baerga, left, and Kenny Lofton. (AP)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Spring training is one big reunion after everybody scatters for vacation. And the best part is, you never know who you'll run into.

Sometimes, it even draws recluses out of hiding.

"I wanted to see the guys," Albert Belle, 45, said as he surveyed Indians camp Tuesday morning. "We're rehashing old memories."

Angels, Pujols take first steps toward 2012

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:50:54 EST

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Was it the Angels, or were their halos actually glowing a little brighter in the Arizona sun as they convened for their first full-squad workout with Albert Pujols on Monday?

"Absolutely, you can feel his presence," ace Jered Weaver said.

"There's a sense of excitement, with all the big names," second baseman Howard Kendrick said.

There wasn't any real drama to Monday's workout, unless you count the crush of fans down the right-field line near the team's clubhouse entrance that surged forward so intensely when Pujols stopped to sign that a couple of those in the front row were pinned dangerously against the fence. One cried out in pain.

Abreu meets with Scioscia, discusses playing time

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 22:30:23 EST

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The new season for the Angels' Bobby Abreu started with a meeting in the manager's office.

Abreu, Mike Scioscia and general manager Jerry Dipoto met early Monday before the Angels' first full-squad workout to discuss Abreu's concern that there will not be enough playing time for him on a loaded team that includes Albert Pujols, Kendrys Morales, Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells and Mark Trumbo.

Scioscia assured Abreu that there will be a way to get him 400 plate appearances. Abreu has gotten fewer than 600 plate appearances only once in the past 13 years and told reporters after the meeting that he still would like to be in the 600-700 range.

"The situation right now, how it's going to be handled, we'll see," Abreu said.

Athletics hope to start season with Oscar win

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:35:42 EST

PHOENIX -- If they don't all gather around their television sets Sunday evening, the Oakland A's will nonetheless be keeping one eye toward Los Angeles as they root for Moneyball to win Best Picture and Billy Beane, er, Brad Pitt to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards.

"I think we need to pull for it," A's second baseman Jemile Weeks said Saturday morning. "The movie got some good feedback. There's some credit due, I guess."

"If [Pitt] brings Angelina Jolie up on stage, that would be cool," quipped Jonny Gomes. "If not, I think it's all for the birds."

On a serious note, Gomes said that "Billy and Brad are both way ahead of the curve in what they do."

Manny to Oakland pitcher: "Get me some video?"

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:58:44 EST

PHOENIX -- Athletics left-hander Brett Anderson was not joking when he fired off this tweet Friday evening: "Manny just asked if I was the video coordinator ... our relationship can only go up from here."

Anderson was dead serious ... and the result was gut-bustingly funny.

Starter Dallas Braden, between belly laughs, confirmed the exchange between Anderson and Manny Ramirez on Saturday morning.

"I was in the room when Manny asked Brett if he could get him some video," Braden said. "I died laughing."

K-Rod digs Milwaukee: "I want to make that clear"

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:50:57 EST

PHOENIX -- Meanwhile, over in the non-Ryan Braun corner of the clubhouse Friday, former closer Francisco Rodriguez took time out from contemplating a lawsuit against his former agents to report for duty as the 2012 Brewers' set-up man.

In what could be termed as a mild surprise, Rodriguez was smiling and appeared happy. Once intending to declare free agency over the winter and find a job as a closer, K-Rod wound up discovering a tepid market and wound up accepting a one-year, $8 million deal from the Brewers.

Unhappy a year ago because he did not pitch in one save opportunity after being traded to Milwaukee on July 12, Rodriguez again is slated to pitch the eighth innings while Milwaukee closer John Axford works the ninth innings.

'Bet my life the substance never entered my body'

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:06:12 EST

PHOENIX -- Ryan Braun was forceful, emotional and relieved during a 23-minute session with reporters here Friday in his first public comments since his positive performance-enhancing drug test was leaked in December and since he was exonerated and had a potential 50-game suspension overturned by an arbiter on Friday.

Some highlights from his 13-minute opening statement:

• "This was the biggest challenge I've ever faced in my life."

• "I've tried to respect the process even though the confidentiality of the process was breeched early on> I've tgried to handle the situation with honor, with integrity, with class, with dignity and with professionalism because that's who I am and that's how I've always lived my life. If I had done this intentionally or unintentionally, I'd be the first one to step up and say, 'I did it.' By no means am I perfect. But if I've ever made mistakes in my life, I've taken responsibility for my actions. I truly believe in my heart and would bet my life that the substance never entered my body at any point."

Thrilled Brewers back Braun, angry over leak

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 20:12:53 EST

PHOENIX -- A happy bunch of Brewers had two overwhelming reactions while reporting to work and awaiting newly cleared slugger Ryan Braun's arrival Friday morning.

"I'm thrilled," outfielder Nyjer Morgan said. "It's like another Christmas."

"He's the best player in the league," outfielder Corey Hart said. "That's a pretty good pickup we got."

But they were far less pleased that Braun's ordeal became public in the first place, and that Major League Baseball essentially declared him guilty of steroid use in a statement saying the league "vehemently disagrees" with the arbiter's decision overturning his 50-game suspension.

Brewers player rep: Testing problems in Milwaukee

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:30:58 EST

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- As Ryan Braun reported to camp on Friday, Brewers player representative Chris Narveson said there have been issues with drug testing before in Milwaukee.

Specifically, with one of his own tests shortly after last summer's All-Star Game.

"Mine was more of a failure to communicate that I was getting tested," Narveson said Friday morning. "You're walking out the door in your street clothes an hour-and-a-half after the game and they come up to you and say, 'We forgot to tell you, you're getting tested.

"Errors like that can't happen."

What Braun says could save his reputation

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:03:24 EST

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Ryan Braun beat the rap. But how bad of a hit did his reputation take in the process? And will a murky guilt-by-association tag hover over the rest of his career?

Well, that all depends. And it depends enormously on what he says when he arrives in Milwaukee's spring training camp on Friday.

In a perfect world, Braun being exonerated by the ruling Arbitration Panel would be enough. And maybe that should be enough. We live by the justice system in this country, and shouldn't it be enough to believe that justice prevailed here?

Of course, in a perfect world, Braun's failed performance-enhancing drug test never would have leaked in the first place. Privacy is part of the joint agreement between owners and players, and the PED stuff is all supposed to remain behind closed doors until the very end of the process, if a player winds up being suspended.

Mariners shuffle lineup, Ichiro out at leadoff

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 8:02:24 EST

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The game's worst-kept secret finally was uttered publicly -- and definitively -- by the Mariners here on Tuesday: Ichiro Suzuki, leadoff man extraordinaire for most of the past decade, will be bumped down in the lineup in 2012.

Suzuki, at 38, is coming off of his worst season in the majors. That, combined with the Mariners' persistent failure to score runs over the past two seasons, made it impossible for Seattle to justify keeping Ichiro atop the lineup.

Eric Wedge will begin the season with Ichiro hitting third. The manager envisions Chone Figgins, who was an All-Star as the Angels' leadoff man in 2009, returning to the top of the lineup in what likely will be a last-ditch grab at past glories for Figgins. Though it is not cast in stone, Wedge said second baseman Dustin Ackley likely will hit second.

When Pujols met Yu Darvish

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:33:08 EST

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Truth be told, the biggest news on Albert Pujols' first day as an Angel on Monday probably was something that actually occurred last Thursday, when he went mano y mano with Japanese sensation Yu Darvish.

Texas signed the Japanese sensation not long after the Angels signed Pujols, escalating the AL West arms race.

Pujols said the two met last Thursday while he was working out in Los Angeles.

"He walked in and introduced himself," Pujols said. "He's a really nice guy, really humble.

Hensley hopes to make different SF history

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:13:12 EST

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Hang around long enough, you never know where the wind will blow you next. And so it is for right-hander Clay Hensley, who is in camp attempting to win a job in the San Francisco bullpen.

The six-year veteran already has a place in Giants lore: He was the pitcher who served up Barry Bonds' record-tying 755th home run on Aug. 4, 2007.

"It's not something I want to be defined by," Hensley said Sunday morning. "I wasn't the first guy to give up a homer to him, and I wasn't the last guy.

"It's not that big a deal to me."

Giants' Wilson hopes to be ready by March

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 5:17:34 EST

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Brian Wilson, the 24/7 personality who helped the Giants win the World Series and became a cult hero in the process, said Sunday that he hopes to be game-ready by the second week of Cactus League games.

The proclamation was notable for a couple of reasons. One, Wilson appeared in only six games after last Aug. 1 while battling a strained elbow. And two, he clammed up about the time his elbow went south, and he hadn't spoken publically in about seven months.

"I wasn't frustrated," Wilson said in a brief interview before San Francisco's first workout for pitchers and catchers. "It was nothing I could have controlled. I was never frustrated."

Wilson said he hopes to pitch in the second week of spring games, which would be the week of March 11. After leading the NL with 48 saves during the Giants' dream season of 2010, Wilson managed 36 last summer before succumbing to the elbow, just one more thing gone wrong in a season of bad news for the Giants.

Burnett needs to be more steely in Steel City

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:14:54 EST

The Pirates, spurned by free agents Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt this winter, need pitching. The Yankees, bastion for tabloid headlines run amok, need less chaos and fewer knuckleheads.

Call the deal sending A.J. Burnett to Pittsburgh a win-win for both clubs.

Talks for this trade have been so interminable that they've made Best Picture Oscar nominee Tree of Life seem rapid-fire. But the deal finally is moving from the on-deck circle to completion: Colleague Jon Heyman reports that the Pirates have agreed to pay $13 million of the remaining $33 million on Burnett's deal, and that two low-level minor-leaguers will move from Pittsburgh to New York: right-hander Diego Moreno, 25, and outfielder Exicardo Cayones, 20.

Only losers in this trade are the New York tabloids ("After Yankees ace flops, here comes joker" read one classic headline as Burnett followed CC Sabathia in the playoffs against the Tigers last October).

Farewell to 'The Kid' at 57

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:03:19 EDT

We've known this was coming now for nearly a year. But when the end finally arrived for Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter on a day when the baseball world was readying for the start of another spring training, it still seemed unreal.

The Kid? Gone?

He was only 57, with the smile and heart of a much younger man. His death Thursday came just two weeks after his last public appearance, a poignant visit with a Palm Beach Atlantic University baseball team he helped coach before their season opener near his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

In grave shape with a body ravaged by a malignant brain tumor, it was touching -- and certainly not a surprise -- that Carter would haul himself out to the baseball field one final time. Nobody loved the game and the people who play it more than Carter.

Pena, Scott smart moves for Tampa Bay Rays

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:56:20 EST

Carlos Pena to Tampa Bay is cute in a homecoming sort of way, sure. But could it be more than that? You bet.

Ever so quietly -- as usual -- the Rays are working smart and putting together another team down there by the water that will give the Yankees, Red Sox and everyone else fits this summer.

Maybe Pena, at 33, struggles to stay above the Mendoza Line anymore. But he did whack 28 homers for the Cubs last summer while collecting 80 RBI, which was exactly ... 28 more homers and 79 more RBI than the Rays got from Manny Ramirez in 2011.

Nobody, surely starting with the Rays, is expecting Pena to replicate his 2009 All-Star season (39 homers, 100 RBIs).

Yu Darvish, Texas Ranger

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 2:43:30 EST

That the Rangers got the Yu Darvish deal done is no surprise.

Neither is it a surprise that the talks pretty much extended all the way to Tuesday's 5 p.m. EDT deadline.

Now ... will it be a surprise if Darvish immediately becomes the Rangers' ace?

Hmmm. ...