Power Pros Forum

pm me bby

Yeah, me too please

If it's not too much trouble, I wouldn't mind seeing my guy too.

Me three (if it's not too much of a pain)

EDIT: Me four I guess

Red Sox To Sign Chase Nixon
by Steve Adams, MLB Trade Rumors
Thursday, February 20, 2014

The Boston Red Sox have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with outfielder Chase Nixon.

Nixon, 20, is the son of former Red Sox fan favorite Trot Nixon. He entered the 2013 draft but went undrafted, largely due to the fact that he said he would only sign with the Red Sox and nobody else. The Red Sox thought of Nixon as their own 41st round pick as a result. While it took much longer than expected for the two sides to agree on a deal, they're both happy that they could make it happen.

Nixon's playing style compares nicely to his father's. He has a good eye as well as some pop in his bat, but in the field, he has an average throwing arm with below-average range. There is a good possibility that he hits for a higher average than his dad as well. He has been assigned to Double-A Pawtucket, but he is reported to be on a fast track to the Majors, and will likely take over right field after Shane Victorino's contract expires. He could be a thorn in the AL East's side for many years to come.

Lemme throw my hat into the show me my pictures ring.

Jay of the Day: Danny Hopkins
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Friday, February 21, 2014


DUNEDIN - Pitcher Danny Hopkins delivers a pitch in a simulated game.

With the inaugural post in the "Jay of the Day" series, the Star caught up with English starting pitcher Danny Hopkins. Hopkins is the only player on the 40-man roster from Europe. Hopkins is projected as the Jays' #4 starter at the moment, but some feel he has the potential to be much more than that. Star Columnist Richard Griffin had a Q & A session with Hopkins.

Richard Griffin: You were born in England, correct?

Danny Hopkins: Yes, that's correct.

RG: So, considering baseball isn't very popular over there, what led you to follow the sport and pursue a career in it?

DH: It's kind of a long story, really. I first started out playing cricket as a bowler, and I was being called one of the top young talents in England. I was all set to have a career in cricket until I believe 2007, when the NFL first started playing in England. My mates got tickets to the match, and while I really wasn't interested at all at the time, I couldn't say no to free tickets.

RG: Alright, so what happened there?

DH: So I went to the match, and what I saw, I loved. I was a teenager at the time, so all the violence of American football really appealed to me. It made me want to learn more about American sport, which is when I started really getting into baseball.

Playing cricket, I had obviously heard comparisons to baseball, and I also knew that baseball originated in England, but I never really cared about it before. I was finally able to watch my first game in 2009 on a trip to Boston. I got tickets to Opening Day to see the Red Sox face the Rays. I remember the pitcher that day was a guy named Beckett-

RG: Josh Beckett, yes. Very good pitcher

DH: Oh, yes! He was masterful that day, and seeing him work out there made me want to do that same thing. I knew I could throw hard like he did, I just needed some time to practice pitching instead of bowling, which was rather difficult since there were understandably no baseball fields near me. I had to order all the equipment online.

RG: Interesting. What did your parents think of all this?

DH: Well, they were worried about me starting to move away from being a sure thing in cricket to being an enigma in baseball, but they knew that this is what I wanted and they supported me through it.

RG: So how did you end up getting discovered by the Blue Jays?

DH: When I read the news that they were releasing all their players and were looking for new ones, I immediately called up the Blue Jays' offices and told them I wanted to show them what I was able do. Long story short, they flew me out to Canada, I pitched in front of their scouts, they liked what they saw, and signed me to this contract.

RG: What do you think led them to sign you?

DH: A couple of things. They said I was hitting around 98 miles per hour on the radar gun. I didn't know whether that was a good thing at first since they use a different system where I'm from. I looked it up later and I saw that it was around 158 kilos! I also developed a nice breaking ball and that really helped advance my case.

RG: Alright. So we know how you got here. Now let's get to know more about you.

DH: Sure, what do you need to know?

RG: You're making less than league minimum. How are you managing to make a living here?

DH: I've been making lots of money in endorsements since signing. MLB wants to expand in Europe, so I'll be in ads for them. I also signed an endorsement deal with Slazenger, a sporting goods manufacturer back home. As a result, I recently rented a nice studio apartment here in Toronto.

How are you liking living here so far?

DH: It's nice. The apartment allows dogs, so I'm able to bring my pet corgi Gunner (I'm an Arsenal supporter) along with me. I don't know what I'd do without him. As for Canada itself, I haven't really explored it yet. The lads on the team will have to show me around here sometime.

RG: Alright, well, I'll let you get back to what you were doing. Thank you for your time.

DH: Don't mention it!

Great job with that! Very interesting way to try and explain the move from cricket to bowling.

Jay of the Day: Mackenzie Matthews
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Saturday, February 22, 2014


DUNEDIN - Center fielder Mackenzie Matthews tracks down a fly ball during outfield drills.

The "Jay of the Day" series is underway! Yesterday we interviewed pitcher Danny Hopkins. Today, the Star got 28-year-old center fielder Mackenzie Matthews for an interview with columnist Richard Griffin. We put a lot of emphasis on the 28-year-old part of that sentence. You'll see why. Anyways, Matthews is competing with top prospect Anthony Gose for the starting center field job, but he will likely be the Opening Day starter barring an injury. Here is the transcript of Griffin's interview with Matthews.

Richard Griffin: I'm here with center fielder Mackenzie Matthews. Mackenzie, how are you today?

Mackenzie Matthews: I...I'm fine...g-glad to be here.

RG: So let's get right to it. How big of an impact do you feel you can make on this team?

MM: W-well... my mom says I'm a very good player, so..... a l-lot, I guess?

RG: Um, okay... Let me rephrase that question. What are your biggest strengths as a player?

MM: I...I'm not that great a hitter, to be honest... B-but, much like my hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, I gotta go fast.

RG: Your hero is Sonic the Hedgehog?

MM: (nods) I have a bunch of drawings of him on my deviantArt page. Why do you ask, i...is there something wrong w-with that?

RG: Well, I...no, nothing at all. I think that's all I need to know for now. You're quite the character, Mr. Matthews.

MM: Uh...thanks?

dawg

lovin this

Me too, this log is awesome!!

Fun fact: I broke my ankle the day that MacKenzie interview was published. :}

Am I too late?
Name: Jose Alvarez
Age:21
Jersey number: 00
Primary:utility
Nationality: Italian
B/T: S/R
Height: 6'3
Weight: 215

Appearance (body) strong arm and legs
Appearance (face) mustache and beard, brown eyes
Equipment: Glasses
Glove: Blue
Bat: Black
Batting Gloves: Yes, Style 2
Cleat Style: 1
Stance: Bernie Williams
Strengths: can hit for average power and great contact has great glove and speed
Weaknesses: Learning a new way to hit or play
Backstory:
When he was five he went to his first Yankee game and had an amazing time and Bernie Williams came over and talked to him. Williams, went 3-5 with 2HRs and 6 rbis in a 12-2 win over the Red Sox. Now 16 years later he wants to be just like Bernie.

yeah, sorry, you're too late. I might make something work when the draft rolls around if I get that far.

that interview was 100% accurate

I'm loving the interviews.