Phoenix.BloggersPub

Craig is heading back to Milwaukee for the second time in his career - this time, of his own free will, rather than as part of a trade. The Brewers have agreed to pay him $2.8m for 2007 and 2008, with a $3.4m team option or $400K buyout for 2009. I also note that if he’s traded, he also gets a $2.8m player option for 2009. That’s a bit of a poison pill hidden inside that deal, mostly for the Brewers, who may find him hard to trade as a result - though given he turns 39 in the middle of that year, there probably won’t be many teams queueing up for CC.

But Milwaukee seem to love Craig. That contract will take Counsell’s career to ten years, and the three best-paid ones have all been in Beer City: his 2007 salary there represents almost a 60% increase over what he was paid by the Diamondbacks this year. And much as we talked about Easley’s output the other day, among the 114 NL players with 400+ PA’s, by OPS, Counsell ranked in the bottom ten, coming in 105th. [As an aside, I see former D-back, Royce Clayton - #109 on the same list - just got signed by Toronto] Of course, it’s true to say that Counsell’s value is in part his fielding prowess, and few people would argue against the theory that he is also one of those players who are a positive influence on those around him. That’s especially important for a young team like Milwaukee - okay, we’ll likely be just as young here, the difference in Phoenix is, our youngsters have already proven themselves superior to their elders.

This is really a win for everyone: as well as the pay-rise, Counsell likely gets to play every day, which he certainly would not have done here. He also grew up and went to high school in the area. The Brewers get a mentor, one of baseball’s undeniable good guys, and a known commodity who has already proven himself in Milwaukee. And, hey, as compensation for losing a Type B free agent, the Diamondbacks get a nice sandwich pick in the 2007 draft, between the first and second rounds. All the best to Craig, whose picture can be found in the dictionary, next to “consumate professional.” Maybe he’ll come back and sign for Arizona in 2009 again. Just for giggles, y’know?

Actually, it was a strange kind of deal, in the end. At first, it looked like Counsell was heading to the Padres, on a two-year, $5m contract. But the Brewers apparently got fed up waiting for Tony Graffanino to respond to their offer, and decided to go after Counsell instead. The Padres pulled their offer after Counsell’s agent advised them there were other offers - the Cubs and Cardinals were also interested - and they may end up pursuing Graffanino instead. Kinda amusing to be a spectator on this infield whirlwind, while we sit here, comfortably in the knowledge that Stephen Drew will be our starting SS. It’s like watching the mad mating dance in a Scottsdale nightclub at last call, when you know Keira Knightley is waiting in your limo outside.

Meanwhile, looks like our other much-beloved example of veteran presence, Luis Gonzalez, has reports that we’re talking to Mark Mulder. With Davis now added to the rotation, the dynamics of the search for a pitcher now take a slightly-different tack. Having locked in a top three, Mulder now becomes a more-interesting throw of the die. Relying on him as a top of the rotation starter would have been a gamble, but does it now seem like a risk worth taking? Even though I still have a “Mulder” A’s shirt in my wardrobe, I’d pass. I’m not sure I like the “two guaranteed years” mention in the article: the piece doesn’t mention it at all, but let’s remember that he just had rotator cuff surgery, a procedure from which recovery is arduous and far from guaranteed. Let someone else spin the chamber on that one.

To, likely, nobody’s great shock, we lost out on rights to the “other” Japanese pitcher up for auction this year, the Yankees bidding about two-and-a-half times what we offered for Kei Igawa. After losing out to the Red Sox for Matsuzaka, the Yankees were clearly taking no chances on failing to get their helping of sloppy seconds from the sushi-bar… Really, it somewhat surprises me that the Diamondbacks ever thought they even had a chance of competing with the big-market behemoths. They should have asked me, and I’d have swiped a few Yu-gi-oh cards from my nephew, to sweeten our bid. I guess we’ll keep quietly pursuing Tomo Ohka instead.

There were several good things about this week:
Justin’s mother, Julie, putting together an incredible Thanksgiving dinner, and it was good to spend time up in crisp mountain air under a blanket of stars with the one I love.
Justin and I bumming around the endless highways of Tonto Basin in Julie’s Toyato Yaris, listening to whatever strains of […]

In my neglect of the local Phoenix/Tempe scene, a lot of great music has come or is coming out that requires my catching up.
First up is the Lymbyc Systym, a duo comprised of brothers Mike (drums/electronics) and Jared Bell (keyboards). I actually …

I don’t have much good to say about our lunch at El Charro Cafe.

As you might remember[^] my wife has been researching her ancestors for some time. Lately she’s discovered that some great grandfather or other once ran a pie shop in an English town by the name of Nuneaton[^]. Me being me it was, of course, impossible to resist remarking that they couldn’t have been very good pies. ‘Why do you say that?’ she asked. ‘Well they were Nuneaton of course!’ was my reply.

*boom boom*

A little later in the conversation Sonya dropped the fact that the pie shop was next door to the residence of one Mary Anne Evans. I shrugged. ‘Who, pray tell, is Mary Anne Evans when she’s at home?’ I asked. I do sometimes talk pretentiously like that! ‘Aha’ she said, going for the jugular. ‘So you don’t know that Mary Anne Evans was George Eliot?’

Uh huh. A gotcha indeed! It was indeed feeble of me to riposte by asking if she knew who Ellen Price[^] was. But geeze, am I supposed to remember the real name of every 19th century English novelist? Don’t answer that!

It’s that time of year again, time to figure out where Lynn and I are going to eat New Year’s Eve dinner.

What better way to extend the life of an album than to release a remix album (or, in this instance, an EP). Come on, everyone’s doing it (Bloc Party, Architecture in Helsinki, Of Montreal and so on).Editors, on the heels of the U.S. release of The Bac…

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest for Calexico tickets/autographed CDs. In our most scientifically controlled selection process yet, my wife randomly drew names from a hat for the winners. First prize is tickets for two to a show in either Te…

There’s some golf tournament or another about to take place down in Tucson. Personally I’ve always thought that if you really really wanted so badly to get that ball into the little hole surely bashing it with a funny shaped stick is going about it the hard way. Why not just pick the ball up and put it in the hole?  But that’s me. *shrug*

As I was driving home tonight an ad came on for the golf tournament aforementioned. The usual extolling of virtues followed by the breathless announcement that they were restricting ticket sales to a (and I quote) relatively intimate 15,000 per day.

Yikes! Relatively intimate? Imagine being invited to the copy writers for a dinner party!

I’d been meaning to return to Tomaso’s for years, but every time we went they were too busy until we went last night.