{"id":4332,"date":"2011-07-21T12:30:42","date_gmt":"2011-07-21T17:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/?p=4332"},"modified":"2011-07-24T20:26:35","modified_gmt":"2011-07-25T01:26:35","slug":"around-the-league-colby-rasmus-jim-thome-adam-dunn-and-aramis-ramirez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/archives\/4332","title":{"rendered":"Around the League: Colby Rasmus, Jim Thome, Adam Dunn and Aramis Ramirez"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/colby_MLB_FEB_21_b938.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4333\" title=\"colby_MLB_FEB_21_b938\" src=\"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/colby_MLB_FEB_21_b938.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"326\" height=\"226\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mevs over at <a href=\"http:\/\/diamondhoggers.com\/2011\/07\/12\/a-home-run-derby-for-pitchers-yes-please\/\">Diamond Hoggers<\/a> offers a suggestion on how to spice up the All-Star Game and its other side-stage events: The Pitcher Home Run Derby.\u00a0 So, who would win? I also applaud Mevs on the inclusion of <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hamptmi01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Mike  Hampton<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s 1992 Bowman rookie card. That may be the most awkward card series of all time. See for yourself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>One of my favorite baseball bloggers, <a href=\"http:\/\/passion4baseball.blogspot.com\/2011\/07\/please-cardinals-trade-colby-rasmus.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Flagrant Fan<\/a> urges the Cardinals to trade <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rasmuco01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Colby  Rasmus<\/a><\/strong>, and believes that a change of scenery would do the 24-year-old some good.\u00a0 Over at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fangraphs.com\/blogs\/index.php\/why-the-cardinals-cant-trade-colby-rasmus\/\">FanGraphs<\/a>, though, Steve Slowinski explains why the Cardinals will not be able to trade him. It\u2019s important to note that both articles were written before Colby\u2019s dad burst back on the scene.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomeji01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Jim  Thome<\/a><\/strong> is four home runs shy of becoming the eighth player in baseball history to reach the 600 home run milestone\u2026and nobody seems to be talking about it.\u00a0 Considering that Thome has NEVER been linked to any sort of PED use, and is perennially regarded as one of the best dudes in all of baseball, why aren\u2019t people talking about this? Perhaps it\u2019s because three of its current members were known steroid users (and flagrant liars). <a href=\"http:\/\/www.babeslovebaseball.com\/2011\/07\/jim-thome-is-about-to-go-yard-and-no.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BabesLoveBaseball+%28Babes+Love+Baseball%29\">Babes Love Baseball<\/a> is dead on when they argue that Thome\u2019s 600<sup>th<\/sup> longball is both imminent and a huge deal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>With <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dunnad01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Adam  Dunn<\/a><\/strong> as well as the majority of the White Sox offense still struggling mightily, Jim Margalus (my favorite White Sox blogger) of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.southsidesox.com\/2011\/7\/20\/2284356\/dunn-not-on-notice-but-hes-on-deck\">South Side Sox<\/a> lays out several potential trades that Kenny Williams could swing as the trade deadline rapidly approaches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Speaking of the ever-frustrating Dunn, our friend <a href=\"http:\/\/www.offbasepercentage.com\/2011\/07\/ozzie-guillen-wont-protect-adam-dunn.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OffBasePercentage+%28Off+Base+Percentage%29\">MTD from Off-Base Percentage airs his frustrations<\/a> over Ozzie Guillen\u2019s reluctance to bench the big man.\u00a0 Apparently Ozzie will only sit Dunn if he\u2019s not helping the ball club, which seems pretty ridiculous if you ask me.\u00a0 There\u2019s no way he is helping the team by turning in an 0-for performance every night which includes at least two strikeouts and three or four runners left on base.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>One of the most frequently mentioned names in trade discussions has been Chicago Cubs third baseman <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/ramirar01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Aramis  Ramirez<\/a><\/strong>, who, in the face of a deal that would send him to the Angels, recently stated that he would veto any trade.\u00a0 With 10-to-5 rights, Ramirez can only be traded if he gives it a thumbs up.\u00a0 If he\u2019s traded, his potential suitor will be forced to pick up his massive $16 million option for 2012, which seems like nothing given how much the Halos spent on <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wellsve01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Vernon  Wells<\/a><\/strong> this offseason.\u00a0 It comes down to this: Is <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/ramirar01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Aramis  Ramirez<\/a><\/strong> content with losing, or does he want to play for a contender? <a href=\"http:\/\/www.foulballs.net\/2011\/07\/aramis-ramirez-is-totally-cool-with.html\">Foul Balls<\/a> weighs in on the issue\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mlbtraderumors.com\/2011\/07\/tigers-designate-brandon-inge-for-assignment.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MlbTradeRumors+%28MLB+Trade+Rumors%29\">MLB Trade Rumors reported<\/a> that the Tigers designated third baseman\/super utility man <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/i\/ingebr01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Brandon  Inge<\/a><\/strong> for assignment on Wednesday after acquiring <strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/betemwi01.shtml?utm_source=direct&#038;utm_medium=linker&#038;utm_campaign=Linker\">Wilson  Betemit<\/a><\/strong> from the Royals.\u00a0 Even though he was never a star player, I\u2019ve always had a soft spot for Inge.\u00a0 No, it\u2019s definitely not because he loaded up with a bunch of lame tattoos over the last few seasons. Rather, it\u2019s because he\u2019s an absolutely freak across the athletic board.\u00a0 At 5-foot-11, 190-pounds, here is a summary of Inge\u2019s sheer athleticism: can drive a golf ball 400+ yards; can dunk a basketball; MLB All-Star (that\u2019s the obvious one); and he can kick (at least) a 50-yard field goal. Don\u2019t believe me? Here\u2019s a link to <a href=\"http:\/\/sports.espn.go.com\/espnmag\/story?id=3288075\" target=\"_blank\">Laura Downhour\u2019s original article<\/a> which highlights the team-less infielders abilities. Oh yeah, dude also told a terminally ill kid that he\u2019d hit a home run for him in a game\u2026.and did.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><center> <object width=\"480\" height=\"390\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/nwkh_lMmuow?version=3&amp;hl=en_US\"><\/param><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\"><\/param><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\"><\/param><embed src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/nwkh_lMmuow?version=3&amp;hl=en_US\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"480\" height=\"390\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/embed><\/object><\/center><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mevs over at Diamond Hoggers offers a suggestion on how to spice up the All-Star Game and its other side-stage events: The Pitcher Home Run Derby.\u00a0 So, who would win? I also applaud Mevs on the inclusion of Mike Hampton\u2019s 1992 Bowman rookie card. That may be the most awkward card series of all time. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1780,1300,6,16,11,13,10,14,775],"tags":[2460,155,592,493,2461,260,264,572,638,349,702,653,1468,265,510,279,2462],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4332"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4332"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4350,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4332\/revisions\/4350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}