December 16, 2005 [LINK]

Robinson stays with Nationals

Manager Frank Robinson just signed a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals, which is great news. Several of the coaches are leaving Washington, however, and Robinson's displeasure at that decision by GM Jim Bowden made him think twice before agreeing to stay. There was a clear lack of leadership on the team after mid-season, and someone has to be held accountable. See MLB.com.

Caleb Hannan thinks the Alfonso Soriano trade was a bad deal for the Nationals. (link via David Pinto) I was very disappointed at losing Brad Wilkerson, one of the few promising players who had been a Montreal Expo, but I have to admit that he seemed to lack competitive zeal, so perhaps his commitment to the team wasn't that strong.

Will Cuba play in WBC?

The nasty world of politics has intruded upon the (inter-) national pastime, as the U.S. Treasury Department ruled that participation by Cuba in the World Baseball Championship would violate U.S. laws that prohibit any commercial exchange with the Communist island state. MLB officials say they have not given up on bringing Cuba in, however. See MLB.com. Maybe "El Duque" can broker a compromise agreement!

Wrigley knothole

For some construction updates on Wrigley Field, including the controversial "knothole" for street pedestrians, see Bleed Cubbie Blue (via David Pinto) and chicagotribune.com. (via Mike Zurawski)

Sponsor for Fenway

Thanks to Sean Holland for sponsoring the Fenway Park page, which will be next in line for diagram revision. He is the guy who let me know about the (bizarre?) suggestion to move the diamond to the right field corner while the upper deck was expanded. Based on the Red Sox current plans, that option appears very unlikely. There is just no alternative venue for major league baseball in the Boston area, so they have no choice but to stay in Fenway while any renovations are carried out.