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A Review of Popular Baseball Gloves
When shopping for a new baseball glove, one has many brands, styles and fits to choose from. Companies make many gloves from various materials that can cost as little as $10 or as much as $250 for a custom made glove. The following is a brief review...
Golf Exercise Benefits
Golf exercise benefits are many. Golfers have struggled for years with their games and have become very frustrated. I can't tell you how many times I play with golfers who are about to quit the game.
To explain golf exercise benefits to a golfer...
I Can't Wait ! We Are Going to Cooperstown.
I Can't Wait ! We Are Going to Cooperstown. My heart soared. We were going to take another trip to The Baseball Hall of Fame. One of my favorite places on earth. Just like the first trip to Upstate New York. I wanted to see the likes of Babe Ruth,...
What Do Gladiators and the Weekend Warrior Have In Common?
Strip off the tie and grab your running shoes, golf clubs or baseball mitt! The weekend has arrived. You look forward to extra time on Saturday and Sunday to enjoy your favorite sport. And you probably cram in as much activity as possible before...
Youth Sports Goal Settings
New Year's day means different things to different people. Certainly, spending time with family and friends and watching some great college bowl games. In our house, a new year also means making resolutions.
It started about 15 years ago when my...
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Baseball Trade Review: Carlos Beltran Deal
The Carlos Beltran sweepstakes are over and the Houston Astros are the winners. After spending the offseason recruiting Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, the Astros have found themselves mired back in the pack of a tough NL Central division race.
Beltran brings a flashy glove to center field and some excitement and run production to the top of the lineup. Of course, players like him don't come without a cost. Houston sent away closer Octavio Dotel and catcher-of-the-future John Buck.
The added wild-card is that Beltran's contract expires at the end of this season. Should the Astros fail to reach the playoffs and also lose their new star center fielder to free agency, this deal could haunt them in the future.
Kansas City, Beltran's former team, sent Dotel on to Oakland in exchange for two prospects, third baseman Mark Teahan and pitcher Mike Wood. The Royals had decided they wouldn't be able to match Beltran's asking price this offseason and picked up the best value they thought they could get. Oftentimes these deals turn out very favorable for the team willing to trade current talent for high-potential minor leaguers.
The Oakland Athletics jumped in to make this a 3-way deal and filled a big need by picking
up a consistent closer. Arthur Rhodes had excelled with other teams in a setup role but hasn't fared well closing out games for the A's. Nothing is more frustrating to a starter than to pitch hard through seven or eight innings in a close game only to see a win slip away in the ninth. Oakland boasts one of the best rotations in baseball and a solidified bullpen should help them overtake Texas and maybe even make a run in the playoffs.
This trade will be seen as a success or failure for both Houston and Oakland by the end of the 2004 season. For Kansas City, however, it could be a few years before anyone knows how their 3 new players will pan out. All three teams did well in accomplishing something that made sense for their situation.
About The Author
Dustin Smiley, Owner of The Baseball Corner http://www.thebaseballcorner.com, your online site for everything baseball. (**You may reprint this column onto your site only if the following information is attached at the bottom and the link to The Baseball Corner is active**)
admin@thebaseballcorner.com
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