IRABU FOUND DEAD

BREAKING: Former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu was found dead at his California home yesterday. Suicide is suspected.

Irabu, 42, has had a troubled post-baseball career. He was arrested in Gardena, California last year for drunk driving.

Back in 2008 he was arrested for assaulting a bar manager in Japan after allegedly consuming 20 glasses of beer.

He was also arrested for a DWI-related offense in May of 2010 in California.

The San Diego Padres purchased his contract from Japan in 1997, but he refused to sign, saying he'd only play for the Yankees. Eventually he was traded to New York and signed a four-year deal worth $12.8 million.

Spring training 1999, an overweight Irabu failed to cover first base on a ground ball. It was the second outing in a row that Irabu had showed a lack of effort. This prompted George Steinbrenner to call Irabu a "fat pu**y toad." Two days later, Steinbrenner apologized.

From Pete Caldera, Bergen Record via Twitter:

Joe Girardi caught Hideki Irabu's 1st game in the majors, a 10-3 win vs. Detroit at the Stadium, 7/10/97. Derek Jeter had 4 hits.

He played in six seasons in the big leagues (NYY, MON, TEX) and went 34-35 with a 5.15 ERA.

FROM BASEBALL REFERENCE:

January 13, 1997: Purchased by the San Diego Padres from Chiba Lotte Marines (Japan Pacific).

April 22, 1997: The San Diego Padres sent players to be named later, Gordon Amerson (minors) and Homer Bush to the New York Yankees for Rafael Medina, Ruben Rivera and $3,000,000.

May 29, 1997: the San Diego Padres sent Hideki Irabu to the New York Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on April 22, 1997.

December 22, 1999: Traded by the New York Yankees to the Montreal Expos for players to be named later and Jake Westbrook. The Montreal Expos sent Ted Lilly (March 17, 2000) and Christian Parker (March 22, 2000) to the New York Yankees to complete the trade.

September 6, 2001: Released by the Montreal Expos.

December 27, 2001: Signed as a Free Agent with the Texas Rangers.

Irabu was released by the Rangers in 2002

MONDAY TIDBITS

To match the weather on the east coast this week, I took a lot of heat over my Kemp to Yanks story. Mostly from one person in particular. That's fine with me, I can take it. I made my points to him in rebuttal and as of now, I still stand by that post and my source.

Funny thing is a man by the name of Pat Dean at Bleacherreport.com reported the same thing that I did 3 days later. I must say that I was very excited to see that, however, a few hours after it was posted, either BR or Mr. Dean pulled it. A message sent to Mr. Dean asking why he pulled it was not answered. A cached copy of the page can be found here.

Unlike others, I did not ask his source. I would not do that, however you will notice that his story is very similar to mine. So this leaves 2 questions for Mr. Dean: 1. Did he get this information through his own sources or 2. Did he use me as his source?

I took the time to read some of Mr. Deans other postings and they are quality articles, I was impressed. I doubt Mr. Dean used this blog as his source.

Home experiment: Between now and the deadline, take note of the rumored trades spewed out by the "credible" sources. Remember, it's perfectly fine if they are wrong because they went to "J-School" and I did not.

On to other things.....

Seems to me that Mark Teixeira is transforming into Jason Giambi (with a better glove). Tex came to the Yankees with a reputation of being a "hitter" not a "slugger". With his talent as a hitter, he should be able to go the other way on occasion to neutralize "the shift". Instead he insists on trying to slug his way through it and his batting average shows it. I can see Giambi and Big Poopie trying to slug their way through the shift but not Tex, being the "hitter" we were told he was.

It is absolutely absurd that Sergio Mitre (DL) is on this team and Adam Warren is not.

I am "old school." Back in my youth, pitchers that were brought up from the minors always went to the pen. Ron Guidry was a starter in the minors, got a call up and went to the pen. Al Leiter and Andy Pettitte started out in the Yankees bullpen. That was the way it was, today it is different. When Mitre went on the DL, Warren, Dellin Betances or Manny Banuelos should have been called up for pen duty to see what they can do. I don't believe in this "stretched out as a starter" stuff. They get a taste of the big league and the Yankees get to see what they can do against big league hitters. Its a win-win. But, that's the old school theory.

First we had "Joba Rules" and he got hurt, twice. Then we had "Hughes Rules" and he got hurt. Ian Kennedy escaped "rules" and is 11-3, 3.22 with Arizona. Keep in mind that last season Hughes was 10-1 when his "rules" required him to skip a start to save innings. That makes him 9-10 since the skip. The Yankees need to reevaluate their "rules" before they ruin Betances, Banuelos and Warren too.

Word is that Rafael Soriano and Eric Chavez will be back with the big club too. Here is a flash: Soripavano is a bum. If Girardi takes David Robinson out of the 8th inning slot, he's a fool.

As for Chavez, it will be nice to have him back but how long until Nick Johnson's replacement pulls another Nick Johnson?

That is all....

FINALIST FRANCESA ON THE FAN

The National Association of Broadcasting has selected WFAN afternoon host Mike Francesa as a Marconi Award finalist for Major Market Personality of the Year. Also in the running: Funkmaster Flex from WQHT/Hot 97 NY, Kevin and Bean from KROQ in Los Angeles, Dennis and Callahan at WEEI-AM in Boston, and Patrick Ellis at WHUR in Washington.

The award will be announced on September 15 at the NAB Marconi Radio Awards Dinner in Chicago.

I'm sure this is a kick in the pants to Francesa critics like Phil Mushnick and Bob Raissman.

Another radio note, good guy Len Berman has decided to give up his update gig with radio legend John Gambling on WOR, he will be replaced by another good guy, WNBC's Bruce Beck.

Beck will also be taking over the WNBC Sunday night sports wrap up that is currently being hosted by Francesa. Francesa announced yesterday that he is giving up "Mike'd Up; The Francesa Sports Final" after 7 seasons to spend more time with his kids.

UBALD-NO!

Here is my take on the rumored Jesus Montero, Manny Banuelos and Ivan Nova for Ubaldo Jimenez request from the Rockettes:

FAH-Q!

That is way too much to give up for the next Javy Vazquez and I don't want to see anymore National League pitchers.

That is all....

KEMP TO YANKS IN THE WORKS

Rumor mill has the Yankees and Dodgers discussing Matt Kemp. Kemp is getting $7.10m this season and can be a free agent after 2012. The Yankees would like to sign Kemp to an extension of his current deal to cover 2012 or longer. The Yankees will not want to arbitrate with Kemp.

On the other side, the Dodgers are looking for inexpensive major leaguers. One name mentioned was Brett Gardner. The dodgers also want a pitcher.

In the Ubaldo Jimenez talks, the Yankees made it clear that Batances, Banuelos and Nova are not available which leaves the likes of Hector Noesi or Adam Warren.

LOOKS TO GOOD TO USE!

Last week my Mother-in-Law bought my son a bottle of New York Yankees Body Wash. It came in a bottle shaped like a bat with a simulated woodgrain wrapper. MLB & Yankees logos, "Berry Blast", tear free and guaranteed to make you "Clubhouse Clean."

A very cool item.

My son, very excited over this promptly put the bottle on a shelf in his bedroom with his other treasured baseball items.

So in my stern fatherly manner I said "Nick, that belongs in the shower, not in your bedroom." The reply was "but Dad, I'm not going to use it."

Why?

"If I use it I will have to tear up the wrapper and ruin it. It looks to cool to rip up."

Is this the mindset of a 13 year old?

The Yankees have some new items in the minor leagues in cool looking wrappers too. They are humans in a wrapper that looks like pitchers. That wrapper also has MLB and Yankees logos and they too are too cool to use.

This is why the Yankees chose an old bar of soap like Sergio Mitre instead of a Clubhouse Clean, Berry Blast pitcher from the minors.

Mitre is known to bring stinging tears to the eye.

Are the Yankees developing players or collectors items for a shelf?