Indians Add Vinny To Ever-Growing List Of Vinny(ies)

The Cleveland Indians may be going through a tough stretch-they were swept by the Yankees and have lost five consecutive games-but that's not going to stop the second place team in the AL Central from making history.

Cleveland claimed former Mets' utility infielder Vinny Rottino off waivers, and with relief pitcher Vinnie Pestano already on the roster, the Tribe lead the majors in total Vinnies/Vinnys.

Let's see how Indians' fans are handling the news:

"It's almost too much Vinnie for one man to handle," said longtime Indians season ticket holder Mort Lyons. "I feel like if I don't sit down and have a cool drink of water, read a little bit from The Book of Vinnie, I may Vinnie all over the place."

"Talk to me when they get a Vito," said Vito Migliaccio.

"I told you I did not want to be interviewed," said Jenn Sanderson.


The staff at Offbase looks out for its readers; we know where our Vinnie is buttered. Here's a breakdown of active Vinnies/Vinnys:

1. Rottino. Had a .182/.308/.394 slash line with New York before being designated for assignment. The Racine, Wisconsin native's full name is Vincent Antonio Rottino, but if he had been born in Yonkers, New York, he would've been No. 93 on the depth chart amongst Vincent Antonio Rottinos.

2. Pestano. In 2011 led all Vinnies in strike outs with 84.

3. Vin Mazzaro, Kansas City RHP. May 16, 2011: appeared in same game as Pestano (tying the single-game record for Vins/Vinnies appearances) and allowed 14 earned runs in 2 1/3 innings pitched.

4. Vicente Padilla, Boston RHP. 'Vicente' is Nicaraguan for 'Vinnie'.


Active until recently:

Vinnie Chulk, Milwaukee RHP. After not pitching in the majors in 2010 or 2011, appeared in seven games for the Brewers in April and May (10.00 ERA) before a demotion to the minors May 21. Recently appeared in the hit play Too Many Vinnies.

HoJo Coming Out Of Retirement, Finally

In 1995, Howard Johnson posted a .195/.330/.355 line for the Chicago Cubs during his final season in the majors. But HoJo, ever the career baseball man/hotel chain, remained in the game in some capacity until earlier this year when the Mets dumped him as their hitting coach. Instead of trying to further his coaching career, the former Met star will man first base for the Rockland Boulders of the Independent Can-Am League.

Before you think Johnson, a ripe 50-years-old, is just another delusional former big leaguer clinging to his past *cough*JoseCanseco*cough*and*cough*youtooTonyPhillips*cough*, HoJo has a good excuse for signing an independent league contract. He will be suiting up to play along side his son, Glen...

"The most exciting thing is I get a chance to do something most dads never get a chance to do," Johnson said Tuesday night in a phone interview. "But I really just hope that I make contact."

Ah see, that's a nice story and I'm rooting for the father-son teammates. The closest my dad and I ever came to participating in a sporting event together was when I pitched in $20 for a box trifecta in the Kentucky Derby. It would have taken longer to just burn that money.

HoJo spent 14 years in the majors, most notably with the Mets from 1985-1993. He won a World Series with the Tigers in 1984 logging one pinch hit at bat and then again in 1986 with Mets also without providing much help. In 1989, he hit 36 home runs and a .287/.369/.559 line good for a career peak 7.3 fWAR.

Jason Isringhausen Is Alive, And Pitching?

With just a few weeks left before the Mets are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, they turned to a familiar arm to pump some life (Ensure?) into their bullpen. Jason Isringhausen was called upon to help the group of struggling relievers who have the fourth worst ERA in baseball to go with the matching fourth worst WAR. So Terry Collins was obviously pretty excited about his new weapon...

"I'd like to get him in the fire," Collins said.

He did just that. Isringhausen entered with two runners on in the seventh and retired both batters he faced, getting pinch-hitter Todd Helton on a soft fly to center to end the inning.

After keeping the score tied at 4, Isringhausen pumped his fist as he walked off the mound. He flashed a smile and was greeted warmly by teammates in the dugout.

The 38-year-old pitcher brings his 84-year-old right arm, featuring three Tommy Johns, to a pen featuring household names Pedro Beato, Tim Byrdak and Ryota Igarashi. This could be a good opportunity for Isringhausen since the Mets need somebody to keep K-Rod from finishing enough games to vest his option. Unfortunately, I'm guessing Izzy only has about 4.2 innings left in that arm before another injury.

The Sky Is Falling: Luis Castillo

The Mets finally cut ties with one of Omar Minaya's ill fated contract extension recipients in Luis Castillo and it appears that he is being snatched up by the Phillies. The Mets will pay Castillo the final $6 million they still owe him to go play for a division rival. Hardball Talk breaks it down...

He’s a shell of the player Omar Minaya traded for and then signed to a four-year, $25 million deal and the deterioration of Castillo’s once-excellent speed has magnified his career-long lack of power, but last season he drew more walks (39) than strikeouts (25) while posting a .337 on-base percentage that was solidly above the NL average of .328 and got on base at a .366 clip during his entire four-year run with the Mets.

Castillo's value is entirely based on his ability to get on base at a decent clip but his days of OBP-ing over .400 are over a decade old now.

The signing makes sense for the Phillies since it won't cost them much and fills a now glaring need for depth in the infield. My initial thought, of course, is "OH MY GOD Chase Utley IS DEAD!" The speculation about Utley missing the entire season already had me pretty anxious but now I'm in full blown "refilling my xanax prescription" panic attack mode.

I'm not a Phillies fan so the fear of having to replace a projected 4.8 WAR player with a basic replacement level player doesn't bother me so much. But as one of Utley's better known stalkers, I'm quite worried. Apparently my get well basket of HGH infused muffins didn't do the trick.

Ollie Perez Future LOOGY?

Oh, what to do with Oliver Perez? The Mets are still on the hook for $12 million for Ollie thanks to some epic prognostic failure on the part of Omar Minaya. Perez is still likely to be released although the Mets are rooting for spontaneous combustion. But in the meantime, the Mets are giving Perez the chance to win a bullpen job as the most expensive LOOGY (Lefty One-Out GuY) in the history of baseball. And it includes dropping his arm slot...

"All my career I've been throwing to lefties sidearm," Perez said. "This year I'm going to use it more."

snip

"He threw strikes," Terry Collins said. "That's what we wanted him to do. He threw strikes, gave them a different look. I thought the 1-2 pitch, he made a real, real good pitch on the outside corner."

But before Mets fans get too excited about paying Perez roughly, according to PECOTA, $87,000 an inning, I should probably temper some expectations. That's some pretty bland praise for a seven pitch pop out of Cardinals middling prospect Daniel Descalso.

Somebody owes me $5. I told you I could write an entire post about one Spring Training at bat.

Would You Rather Own The Mets Or Rays?

Unless your mysterious uncle recently passed away and you inherited all of his Nazi gold, you probably can't afford to buy an MLB franchise or even a stake in one. But the Mets have some shares available and investors are lining up. The most recent rumor is about a group that includes a minority owner of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Starker’s consortium includes Kenny Dichter, a co-founder of Marquis Jet, a company that pioneered the fractional private jet card concept; and Doug Ellin, the creator of “Entourage,” the HBO series; and Randy Frankel, a minority owner of the Rays.

The group’s interest in the Mets was first reported by The New York Post, but the Rays connection was not known until now.

Frankel would sell his share in the Rays should his group’s bid for the Mets be successful, people with knowledge of the investment group said.

Which leads us to the title of this post. Would you rather own, even partially, the Mets or the Rays? I guess it depends on which camp you fall into.

1. Straight Cash Homey
Despite the Wilpons affection for Ponzi schemes, the Mets are the third most valuable MLB team at $858 million according to Forbes. But the Mets aren't exactly on stable ground right now, hence the opportunity to buy in, and they even took a $25 million loan from MLB last season. When the ship is righted though, a stake in the Mets would likely help line your designer pockets.

On the other hand, the Rays only top the A's and Pirates in cash value. Hopefully, a new stadium is on the way and fans won't have to cross that dreaded bridge. The Rays get good ratings for televised games so the fan base is there. Money can be made just not at the New York market level.

2. Championship Bling
The Rays play in the toughest division in all the land but they're being run by an incredible braintrust. Aside from passing on Buster Posey, they draft, trade and sign at a brilliant level. With a deep farm system and franchise corner stones already in place, the Rays figure to contend for the foreseeable future.

The Mets also play in a tough division with the Phillies and Braves at the top and the Marlins and Nats on the upswing. The Mets don't have loads of talent to count on in the minors and haven't exactly lit the world on fire with their free agent acumen. Johan Santana isn't the pitcher he used to be, David Wright lost his power, Jose Reyes is about to be a free agent, and they still employ Ollie Perez and Luis Castillo.

So which team would you choose? The big market, potential cash cow or the team with the potential to bring home some rings in the next few years? Personally, I'd stick with the Rays because if I was in that situation, I'd already be plenty rich and winning is fun. Just ask Charlie Sheen.

Long Island Liquor King Wants Part Of Mets

The Wilpons are having some financial problems and this time it has nothing to do with Omar Minaya or Ollie Perez. With big losses potentially looming from the Madoff litigation, the Wilpons are looking to sell a 20-25% stake in the Mets. Or more accurately, they're looking for someone to give them 20-25% of the Mets value which was estimated at $858M by Forbes last April.

Of course, people are coming out of the woodwork with an interest in snatching up part of New York's other baseball team including Martin Luther King III and, my favorite, the Long Island Liquor King...

Silver, a liquor distributor and owner of the Georgi Vodka brand, said he is only willing to invest if he has some say in day-to-day operations of the team.

"Anybody who is going to the bank to borrow money and invest in the team isn't going to be okay with having no say in operations," said Silver.

Silver said the $858 million that Forbes estimates the team is worth is high and wants the Wilpons be "more realistic" about the price.

I'd like to pledge my support for Martin Silver even though I've never heard of Georgi Vodka (I am happy to write a review if he sends me a case though). It's a match made in heaven. Mets fans will finally be able to get their reason to drink and booze from the same place. That's synergy.

Possible Mets Drinking Games

*Take a shot for every day Jose Reyes spends on the DL

*Drink until you find a plausible reason for the Luis Castillo contract

*Blackout when the Mets are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs in July

*Buy Four Loko from the Internet when they reacquire Jeff Francoeur from Kansas City

*Something about Johan Santana being injured or K-Rod punching a father figure.

I kind of ran out of steam there at the end.

The Mets, A Lawsuit And A Drunk Fat Man

Sometimes it's nice to take a break from pouring over FIP and SIERA during award season to take a look at some of the lighter stories in baseball. Perhaps "lighter" wasn't the best choice of adjectives there. Way back in 2007 (pre-Bieber!), a 300-pound drunkard rolled his way down a few rows and landed on, presumably crushing, Ellen Massey. Well, it's 2010 and time to get litigious...

Timothy Cassidy was so blasted before his drunken tumble onto lawyer Ellen Massey on Opening Day in 2007 that he could barely walk, was picking fights with random fans and dropping the "L" from the "Let's Go Mets" chants, Massey's lawyer, Joshua Kelner, said in Manhattan Supreme Court yesterday.

The lawyer leveled the allegations to bolster his client's contention that the Mets and their concessionaire, Aramark, should be held responsible for his client's injuries for serving the obvious drunk more beer and for failing to have security remove him from the game.

Fat, drunk and obnoxious? That doesn't sound like Mets fans, amirite? I'm not a total monster so, sure, I feel bad for the lady. But come on, people are going to get hammered at ballgames. I'm fairly sure it's in the Bill of Rights. Let's face it, between tailgating and ballpark security being lackluster (I routinely wear my camel pack full of moonshine into games), it's easy to be plastered well before the game even starts. And when did beer vendors become bartenders who should know when to cut people off?

It's unfortunate that a 300-pound man fell on poor Miss Massey but I'm getting tired of all of these lawsuits. Maybe I'm just bitter after I lost my case against Miracle Whip. I ate three pounds of that stuff and still couldn't turn water into wine.

Props to the Post for another ridiculous headline Amazin'ly 'drunk' fan. People are getting paid for that work.

Shot Of The Night: Mets Fail Edition

Shot Of The Night is Off Base Percentage's toast to a player who had an exceptionally good or bad night. There's always a reason to drink.

Frankly, I'm surprised Omar Minaya didn't find a way to mortgage the future of the franchise to help the Mets finish 6 games out of first in the NL East at the trade deadline. Maybe trade Ike Davis for David Aardsma or some such nonsense? The shot of the night is late because I pick places without the Internet to do my evening drinking. The shot of last night was a New York Sour: 2 oz blended whiskey, juice of 1/2 lemons, 1 tsp sugar, red wine and it's in honor of the Mets' pitching staff.

Jonathon Niese got the ball rolling for the Mets going a deep 4.1 innings and giving up 6 earned scattering 7 hits, 3 walks and 2 homers. Niese is still young (23) and nowhere near this bad. So I'm surprised Omar didn't trade him for Jake Westbrook. Elmer Dessens would take over for Niese and pitch an effective 2.2 innings only giving up 2 earned on 4 hits, 1 walk and 2 home runs. Ollie Perez would finish off the night by imploding over 2 innings allowing 4 earned on 5 hits.

Honorable Mention: Adam LaRoche
LaRoche did most of the Met slaying yesterday. He went 3-6 with 2 home runs (both of Niese) and 6 RBI. He just missed a third home run as well. I'm surprised LaRoche wasn't moved at the trade deadline but if the Angels weren't a bizzilion games back, he probably would have been. He's still a good bet to be dealt during the waiver period.

Shot Of The Night

Shot Of The Night is Off Base Percentage's toast to a player who had an exceptionally good or bad night. There's always a reason to drink.

Shot of the night is back after a quick stint in rehab. It totally thinks it can quit whenever it wants now. Sorry for the shaky week gang, we should be back to normal by Monday. Tonight's shot of the night is a Big Apple: 2 oz vodka, fill with apple juice, 1 tsp green creme de menthe and it's in honor of David Wright.

David Wright had a down season last year but has already passed his WAR from last season (3.7-3.4) and seems to be back on his young Hall of Fame path. Wright went 3-4 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI, albeit in a losing effort against the D-Backs. If he needs to do some finger pointing, it should be directed at Raul Valdes who managed to go 0 innings while serving up 4 runs on 4 hits. That's right Raul, your ERA for the evening was 7∞. *sigh, 7 infinity looked so much better in my head than in HTML*

Dishonorable Mention: Andrew Cashner
Cashner was unimpressed by Raul Valdes' stat line. Cashner tossed his own 0 inning gem giving up 6 runs on 6 hits. He was then thoroughly mocked by his fellow Cub reliever Sean Marshall who gave up 5 runs on 5 hits but at least recorded 2 outs. When reached for comment/awoken from his nap, Lou Piniella said, "No, I really can't tell the difference between Dr. Pepper and Diet Dr. Pepper."

Shot Of The Night

Shot Of The Night is Off Base Percentage's toast to a player who had an exceptionally good or bad night. There's always a reason to drink.

Tonight's shot of the night is a Grand Slam: 1 1/2 oz Swedish punsch, 3/4 oz dry vermouth, 3/4 oz sweet vermouth. Swedish punsch, from what I gather, is some type of rum thing. Shot of the Night got delayed until this morning because I ended up playing drinking games until 3 am. I don't know why I think I'm still in my early 20's but, hey, when in New Orleans... Anyway, the shot is in honor of Alex Rodriguez.

A-Rod went 2-3 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI. One of the homers was a grand slam. That was A-Rod's third slam of the year and the 21st of his career. That ties him for second all time and 2 behind Lou Gehrig for first. Derwood and I had an hour long conversation the other night about Gehrig and I had to finally move him into my top 5. But that's a post for another time. I've always been an unabashed A-Rod supporter so I'd like to see him stay healthy and assault some records. I do hate the Yankees though, wanted to make that clear.

Honorable Mention: Trevor Cahill
The A's All Star surrendered A-Rod's benchmark slam.

Better Honorable Mention: Johan Santana
While Santana had nothing to do with a grand slam, he did hit a solo shot. Oh yeah, he also threw a 3-hit shutout.

Strasburg Returns To No Walk Zone Washington

After getting roughed up on the road in Atlanta, Hall of Fame rookie phenom, Stephen Strasburg, takes the mania back to home sweet Washington to face the Mets. Strasburg gave up 3 runs against the Braves and continued his road walking woes by giving 2 hitters a free pass. That raises Strasburg's walk total to 7, all on the road. I really hope Washington finds a way to only pitch him at home from now on because I put a lot of money on under 10 career walks for Strasburg. Don't worry, I hedged my bet by taking over of 8,000 career strikeouts. Vegas is such a sucker.

The Mets are right in the middle of the league in strikeouts which is surprising for a lineup that includes Jeff Francoeur. Also, who is Josh Thole and why is Alex Cora still in the majors? The Mets are in the bottom third of the league in walks which makes sense for a lineup that includes Jeff Francoeur.

The Mets will start R.A. Dickey against Strasburg. This should be fun. Strasburg might actually throw twice as hard as the knuckleballer. Strasburg has big strikeout numbers but has yet to hang a Golden Sombrero on anyone. I think that changes today. Francoeur seems almost too obvious so I'm putting Ruben Tejada on watch. As always, you can join me on Twitter for the event and you can watch it live on Fox. See, Fox isn't that stupid. They made Strasburg the Saturday game. They gave Gordon Ramsey like 9 shows but at least they got this game right.

Bobby Bonilla's Fantastic New Contract

Some of you might remember Bobby Bonilla as part of the "Killer B's" with Barry Bonds in the early 1990's. When did we all stop loving alliteration? Others might remember Bonilla from one of his two separate stints with the Mets. Bonilla played last for the Mets in 1999 and then they bought out the remainder of his $5.9 million contract in January of 2000. But get this, they agreed to defer the payment at eight percent interest.

So now the Mets will pay Bonilla $1.2 million every year until 2035. To recap, the $5.9 million buyout will pay Bonilla a little under $30 million from 2011 to 2035. Wow, that Steve Phillips just continues to molest the Mets after all these years.

I don't know what Bobby Bonilla is doing in his post playing days. Motivational speaker, charity worker, broadcaster, Doritos eater? I don't know. But I'm sure he could use part of that free $1.2 million per year to invest a little in Off Base Percentage. Our sombrero/donkey expenses ended up being a little higher than what we budgeted.

Not Gary Matthews Jr!

The Mets have designated Gary Matthews Jr for assignment. Noooo! Wait, that's not right. Hahahahaha! GMJR is making $11 million this year and $12 million next year and I cry a little every time I see that. The Angels are still on the hook for $10.5 million this year and $11 million next year but still clearly ripped the Mets off in that trade. The Angels received relief pitcher Brian Stokes who has a 7.36 ERA. Still, the Angels robbed them.

Gary Matthews Jr hit 19 homeruns and .313/.371/.495 while making highlight reel catches in center field for the Texas Rangers in 2006. He registered a 121 OPS+ which was by far the best of his career. The Angels rewarded one pretty good season with a 5-year, $50 million deal. As an Angels fan, a little part of my soul died that day. Over the next three season, GMJR would hit 30 hrs and average .248/.325/.383 for the Angels. *Sigh*

Just when I thought all hope was lost, the Mets mastermind that is Omar Minaya traded for Little Sarge (more like Little Surcharge, amirite). This happens to be my favorite memory of his tenure as an Angel. In his limited time this season, Matthews Jr hit a paltry .190/.266/.241 while playing below average defense. That makes GMJR worth around -$300,000. Actually up from last year, when he cost the Angels around $5 million.

I suggest you use some of that cash on the most expensive couch you can find, you're going to be sitting on it for a while.

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