Around the NL East: More LOLMarlins, More BJ Upton speculation

Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving? Yeah me too. And, I didn't have to wake up at 4:30 a.m. this year to do my Black Friday shopping, because greedy merchants all let loose the day before, and online no less. WIN.

Welcome back to the basement.

Boycotting the Miami Marlins? - Fish Stripes
When it comes to reading about the Marlins, there really isn't anyone I enjoy more than Michael Jong's stuff. Typically, whenever a fanbase cries boycott, I'm ready to roll my eyes and prepare for the inevitable impossibility of actually getting everyone to hop aboard the campaign but the stuff over at Fish Stripes has all been quality, maintaining a good bit of level-headedness and objectivity in what is otherwise a tumultuous disaster in Fishland. Now I don't ever disagree with boycotts, but I do think it would be interesting to see what could happen if fans made a conceited effort to actually affect Jeffrey Loria's wallet directly, by not going to games, in the brand-new ballpark.

Bud Selig approves trade, United States continues to use dollar as primary currency - Marlins Diehards
lol, did anyone actually think Bud Selig was going to block this trade? That would have meant he would have had to have done some actual work, and work during the holidays. F that!

Well, Marlins probably won't ever get free agents without no-trade clauses ever again - Sun Sentinel
Both Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle were repeatedly told during the courting process that they would not be traded and that the Marlins were committed to winning. Funny how things turn out.

How badly the jettisoned Marlins will get burned in taxes - Wall Street Journal
Jose Reyes eats it the worst, but Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson will also be taking some notable hits. David Wells often said the term "just another reason," referring to "why is sucks to play ball in Canada" when he was playing for the Blue Jays.

To rub salt into the wounds, Mark Buehrle's dog isn't allowed in Ontario - Deadspin
When Buehrle came to the Marlins, he fought with Miami-Dade County about their ban on pitbulls. Ultimately, he ended living in a different county that allowed him to keep his dogs, but upon getting traded to the Blue Jays in Toronto, it turns out that there's a ban on pitbulls in all of Ontario. I mean, he could get around this by living in Buffalo and commuting two hours a day... but really, it really sucks for Mark Buehrle.

But it's okay, Juan Pierre is returning to the Marlins - Palm Beach Post
Because clearly ten years since the 2003 World Series year, he'll snap back into form, just like Vinny Castilla did for the Rockies.

Because nobody is allowed to be happy, Yunel Escobar already on the block - Fish Stripes
If there was anyone who would've been happy with the trade, it had to have been Yunel Escobar, the Cuban defector who has a lot of family and connections in Miami. But before he can get cozy and proclaim himself having returned home, the Marlins are already reportedly shopping him around. lolz.

Phillies declared favorites to land BJ Upton - TGP
I don't really buy into speculation like this, because it all ultimately feels like nothing more than gamesmanship to dupe other possible suitors into overpaying for a guy's services, or artificial demand or belittling to toy around with a player's value. Just because BJ Upton is thought to be favoring the Phillies, it has zero impact on whether he ends up anywhere else.

Why Koji Uehara makes sense for the Phillies - High Cheese
If you were told that an extreme fly ball pitcher made sense for the Phillies, you might scratch your head, considering the popular belief that Citizens Bank Park is an extreme hitters park. But in this day and age, pretty much nothing has to do with that common sense, but the dollars and cents game, and with the Phillies on the cusp of being anchored down for the next few years, guys who might not cost a lot for short periods, like Uehara make a whole lot more sense.

Should the Phillies take a chance at Chone Figgins? - Phillies Nation
lol. I hope so.

Phillies prospect Darin Ruf is garnering fandom in Venezuela too - Phillies Zone
After breaking Ryan Howard's minor league HR record in the regular season, down in Venezuela, in just 120 at-bats, launched 10 home runs, and even got the attention of the typically ambivalent locals, who think he might have a chance at breaking the Venezuelan winter league's single-season HR mark of 20, coincidentally held by another guy that once played for the Phillies, Baudilio Diaz. But Thanksgiving marked the end of Ruf's season, to where he will now rest until Spring Training.

Jamie Moyer turns 50 years old - Crashburn Alley
In honor of the crafty one, and their former teammate who still swears he will be back in the Major leagues, a bunch of Phillies give a video tribute to Jamie Moyer, who turned 50 years old this week.

"Reading Fightin Phils" supposedly the new name and identity of AA Phillies - TGP
This was suspected a few weeks ago, when a bunch of obsessive nerds scoured domain registries to get hints at this, but supposedly it's been confirmed this week. Slightly different, but still the same. I was hoping it would have been like the "Reading Pretzels" or something that referred to something more local and regional.

Mike Rizzo named Executive of the Year by BBWAA - MASN
I can't really say that this was much of a surprise, considering the Nationals' turnaround over the last two years have coincided with Mike Rizzo being the general manager of the team, full time.

So the question to Rizzo is, is 2013 the year to go for broke? - Nats Insider
2012 was a season in which the Nationals could easily have competed for the World Series if not for some questionable things like outfield fly rules, and uncharacteristic bullpen implosions. Should the Nats re-sign Adam LaRoche and attempt to reload and try again, or will Mike Rizzo shrewdly let Roachy walk like he did with the wildly popular Adam Dunn?

Nats among several teams to have spoken with B.J. Upton - Nationals Journal
The Braves were clearly not the only team interested in possibly acquiring the services of B.J. Upton, with the Nationals also getting in touch with Upton, to gauge the temperature. A friend of mine made an interesting observation that the three notable CFs on the market could realistically end up in the NL East, if Bourn goes to the Nats, Upton signs with the Braves, and the Phillies bring back Shane Victorino. But like in many cases, it almost seems like the Nats are trying to create artificial value to drive up the market for Upton to those who are really interested.

Bryce Harper wants to steal more bases next year - MASN
The reigning NL ROY wants to steal more bases, and improve his foot speed which he feels will make him a better outfielder as well.

And is fascinated with Robert Griffin III, despite being a proclaimed Cowboys fan - The Bog
To the point where he actually has and has been wearing around a pair of RGIII socks. And where he was cheering for RGIII as he simply exploded all over the Cowboys in the second quarter of the Thanksgiving Day drubbing the Redskins put on the Cowboys.

Mets COO Jeff Wilpon uses the word "trade," taken out of proportions - NY Daily News
Ahh, the New York media. Wilpon stated that TRAIDing David Wright or R.A. Dickey was the third option, between managing to extend them, or simply letting them play out their final years. But naturally, they heard the word TRAID, and then articles like this spring like mushrooms.

So you're telling me there's a chance? - NY Post
If they had used the phrase "David Wright will say yes or no to signing extension with the Mets," it somehow sounds more promising than the equivalent of "David Wright says 50-50 chance in signing extension with Mets." But then again, I guess it is naive to think that the existing team will always have some sort of advantage over everyone else who is willing to pay the same kind of currency and possibly better any proposed deals from the native team.

How long can R.A. Dickey keep this up? - Beyond the Box Score
An interesting read surrounding the fact that R.A. Dickey is at the age where pitchers are all falling off cliffs, but instead, has been on a pattern of improvement throughout the last years, and theorizing how much longer this could last.

Spending Jason Bay's money - AA
Yes, the Mets do have to pay it back with interest by 2015, but going into 2013, the Mets have a bonus $15M to play around with. Regardless of what close-to-the-heart PC vernacular that Sandy Alderson uses, this extra money does create a little bit more intrigue with this off-season's budget.

Ike Davis awarded Thurman Munson Award - MetsBlog
The Thurman Munson Award is honored to those who display excellent humanitarian work within the community, and is given out during the annual New York AHRC awards dinner, which raises money for children with mental retardation, autism, and other developmental disabilities. Also being awarded with Davis is the Yankees' CC Sabathia.

Mets charging $63 for nosebleeds at Citi Field, and peoples' reactions - The Apple
And I thought it was bad when the Braves gauged upper deck seats to $38 when the Yankees were in town. But then I went to San Francisco and had to pay $54 for seats, second row from the very top out in left field, and thought I was getting reamed. But $63 for an upper deck in New York? No wonder I haven't made it to a New York stadium in my journeys yet.

Double-A Mets to be purchased by Nolan Ryan-led group, moved to Ottawa, Canada - MetsBlog
Personally as someone who doesn't care about the Mets' fortunes, I'd be all about this. Ottawa is a beautiful place, and I'd love to be able to catch some minor league baseball action while out there, so I'd love it if this happened, despite how logistically horrible it will be for the Mets to have their AA in Canada, and their AAA in Las Vegas.