Read the rest of the excerpt @ Rolling Stone –

When Baron Cohen first heard that the Kazakh government was thinking of suing him and placing a full-page ad promoting the country in The New York Times, he was editing his movie in Los Angeles. His reaction: “I was surprised, because I always had faith in the audience that they would realize that this was a fictitious country and the mere purpose of it was to allow people to bring out their own prejudices. And the reason we chose Kazakhstan was because it was a country that no one had heard anything about, so we could essentially play on stereotypes they might have about this ex-Soviet backwater. The joke is not on Kazakhstan. I think the joke is on people who can believe that the Kazakhstan that I describe can exist — who believe that there’s a country where homosexuals wear blue hats and the women live in cages and they drink fermented horse urine and the age of consent has been raised to nine years old.”

Second excerpt after the jump….

More after the jump »

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sports Machine, the syndicated sports highlight show that rose to popularity before ESPN dominated the airwaves, will go off the air after 23 years when host George Michael steps down in March.

Michael, who began the show in 1980 as a late-night local feature on WRC TV channel 4 in Washington, also is retiring as the station’s sports director and weeknight sports anchor.

Michael said he made the decision after NBC, which owns WRC, announced significant layoffs and staff cuts.

The rest

Rosenthal suggests that the longer that Glavine is unsigned, the higher the chances he’ll head home to ATL…

NAPLES, Fla. - The longer Tom Glavine delays his decision about returning to the Mets, one National League general manager speculated Thursday, the better the chances that he will rejoin the Braves.

Glavine, 40, will become a free agent at midnight Monday, the deadline for the Mets to exercise his $14 million option, the value of which would increase to $16 million if he made the All-Star team.

The Mets aren’t going to trigger such a budget-busting contract, but for weeks it has been assumed that they would re-sign Glavine to a two-year deal worth between $22 million and $24 million.

Other notes include how the Jays may’ve hamstrung their efforts for a starter by committing money to DH Frank Thomas, J.D. Drew’s possible signing with Boston and Cubs quest to make Neil Cotts a starter…

Looks like St. Billy hired a new puppet and his name is Bob Geren, the A’s current coach…

Updated: Nov. 16, 2006, 11:23 PM ET
A’s set to name bench coach Geren new manager
Associated Press

Bob Geren will be promoted from bench coach to manager of the Oakland Athletics, ending a monthlong search for Ken Macha’s replacement.

Two A’s players told The Associated Press that Geren called them Thursday after he was hired. The team scheduled a news conference for Friday afternoon to formally introduce Geren as their new manager. He fills the final managerial vacancy in the major leagues this offseason, one month after the A’s fired Macha.

General manager Billy Beane went with the most experience and the familiar face, his longtime friend and former high school baseball opponent in San Diego.

Read all aboot’it�

Prospect Q&A: Amaury Cazana-Marti
By Chris Kline
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November 16, 2006 Print this article

PHOENIX, Ariz.–Cuban defector Amaury Cazana-Marti has attracted a lot of attention in his first year as a pro.

There is his circuitous route–first to get out of Cuba and then to finally land with the Cardinals organization as an 18th-round pick in June, with a brief stop in independent ball along the way.

Then there are the tools. Cazana-Marti showed above-average power in his debut, slugging .494 in 85 at-bats at high Class A Palm Beach. Though he tapered off after a promotion to Double-A Springfield, in part due to an ankle injury, he still wound up hitting 10 homers in his first exposure to affiliated ball in the U.S.

“He’s got some pop, but I don’t know how much–he’s tough to get a read on,” an executive from a National League club said. “Solid-average runner, nice compact approach at the plate, pretty polished hitter, average defender.” More after the jump »

ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Scott Spiezio and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a $4.5 million, two-year contract on Thursday, keeping one of the team’s top reserves with the World Series champions.

The deal includes a club option for 2009.

ESPN.com news services

The Astros have made multi-year offers to free-agent sluggers Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano, according to media reports out of Houston.

A Major League Baseball official said the Astros also are in serious discussions with right-handed pitcher Woody Williams, the Houston Chronicle reported Thursday night. Astros general manager Tim Purpura told the Fox television affiliate in Houston that he plans to make an offer to Williams in the next day or so.

Purpura told the Chronicle late Wednesday he had made some offers, but wouldn’t confirm to which players.

Meanwhile, Lee’s agent, Adam Katz, told the Fox station the two sides have talked and that the discussions have been productive.

Lee hit .286 with 37 homers and 116 RBI last season with the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers. Soriano hit .277 with 46 homers, 41 steals and 95 RBI for the Washington Nationals.

Williams was 12-5 with a 3.65 earned-run average for the San Diego Padres.

�ESPN has the scoop�

From the AP –

Cardinals split record $20 million World Series payout
Associated Press

NAPLES, Fla. — The St. Louis Cardinals cashed in at the World Series, earning more money than any other team in history.

St. Louis split $20.02 million for beating the Detroit Tigers. A full share of that was worth $362,173, the commissioner’s office said Thursday. That was nearly $40,000 more than what White Sox players received last year.

Teams are allowed to divide the shares as they see fit. The Cardinals gave 48 full shares, 7.133 partial shares and 16 cash awards.

When the Cardinals won their previous title, in 1982, a full share was worth $43,280.

A full share for the Tigers was worth $291,668, more than $50,000 higher than the previous mark for a losing team. The 2000 New York Mets held that mark.

Major League Baseball increased the top price of regular box seats for the World Series from $185 last year to $250 this season. The players’ pool increased from $40.8 million last year to a record $55.6 million.

The pool includes 60 percent of ticket money from the first four scheduled games of the World Series, the first four scheduled games of each league championship series and the first three contests of each division series.

Full shares for the league championship series losers came to $140,625 for the Oakland Athletics and $124,430 for the Mets.

Among first-round losers, full shares were worth $37,539 for Minnesota, $28,598 for the New York Yankees, $27,340 for San Diego and $27,035 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. For second-place teams that didn’t make the playoffs, full shares were worth $11,830 for Toronto, $10,910 for Philadelphia, $10,286 for Houston and $10,155 for the Los Angeles Angels.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

Joe Strauss was on 1380 ESPN in St. Louis in the four o’clock hour and here’s a short summary –

• Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty will be staying in Florida after the GM Meetings to continue working
• Cardinals had interest in FA IF Mark DeRosa, but DeRosa signed with the Chicago Cubs (3 years/$13MM); stated it was too much for Cardinals budget
• They don’t plan on spending in the high dollar neighborhood for the 2B position (the outlier would be Alfonso Soriano)
• Cardinals are intrigued with Soriano; he doesn’t look like he’s going to sign with anyone soon
• FA IF Julio Lugo was on the Cardinals radar, but has slipped off due to Lugo’s desire to play SS
• Jocketty talked to the agents for Kip Wells, Adam Eaton
• Cardinals will not be investing in high-dollar starters @ this time and will instead focus on second tier arms
• Strauss mentioned “strong” possibility that team needs will be addressed by trading rather than FA signings
• It would be a “stretch” to sign 3 FA pitchers in this marketplace
• Best chance of their own FA pitchers to stick with the club is RHP Jeff Weaver
• Eaton, Wells and possibly Vicente Padilla fit the Cards’ second tier mold of arms available
• Los Angeles Dodgers are targeting FA OF Luis Gonzalez; LAD and STL are the two best chances and if it comes down to money, STL will be out of the picture
• Strauss finished with that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Cardinals got their biggest piece of the offseason puzzle prior to the Winter Meetings in early December

-SC

Three rumors he’s compiled from various sources (he mentioned Jerry Crasnick of ESPN as a potential source)

1. Jake Peavy to ATL for Marcus Giles, Horacio Ramirez and Jarrod Saltamacchia….
2. J.D. Drew to the Cubs
3. Adam Kennedy is seeking 3 years/$20MM

And Peter Gammons believes this will be the all-time highest winter for salaries (mentioned that Soriano could get $17MM/year and Carlos Lee could get $15MM/year)

From the obvious department…

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Johan Santana won the AL Cy Young Award on Thursday for the second time in three years, and the Minnesota Twins’ ace was a unanimous choice once again.

Scoring: 5 points for 1st-place vote, 3 points for 2nd, 1 point for 3rd.

I may go a bit more indepth on it later, but to be honest, there really isn’t much to say…

ESPN.com news services

The Detroit Tigers announced Thursday they have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with first baseman Sean Casey.

Casey, acquired by the Tigers at the trading deadline, batted .432 (16-for-37) with five doubles, two homers and nine RBI in 10 games during the postseason, as the Tigers won the AL pennant and reached their first World Series since 1984. He hit .529 (9-for-17) in five games against the St. Louis Cardinals in the Series, with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI.

Read the rest�

Just win you think Scott Boras couldn’t get any smarter, he’s got an out should he can’t strike a deal with the Red Sox.

From Jon Heyman of SI:

Say D-Day comes and Boras and Boston don’t have a deal. Boras could try offering Seibu some portion of the $51.1 million for Matsuzaka’s free agency, then shop him to all 30 teams. And considering the feeding frenzy for Matsuzaka (the Mets also made a bold bid, submitting $39 million and change, according to a person in the know), it wouldn’t be a surprise if he could swing a $100 million-plus deal as a free agent.

Whatever happens, as it stands the system isn’t fair to the player. The Lions paid Matsuzaka only $2.6 million last season and now stand to make 25 times that figure should Boston and Boras work it out. In eight years pitching for Seibu, Matsuzaka hasn’t even been paid half the winning bid.

The rules that produced this stunning windfall for Seibu need to be overhauled. Japanese League baseball players need Don Fehr, Gene Orza and Michael Weiner working on their behalf.

Olney describes how the current market may end up suiting Manny Ramirez’s umpteenth request to be moved.

An excerpt from today’s blog –

Imagine if you are the Cubs, or the Mets, or the Astros, and you are looking for offensive help. You will bid heavily on Alfonso Soriano or Carlos Lee, and either may cost you somewhere in the range of $80 million to $120 million.

Say that price scares you. Say that six- or seven-year commitment scares you. And say that you are desperate to add an impact-type bat.

Do you go with Soriano at seven years, at $120 million?

Or do you look at an alternative who is much cheaper and yet somehow more accomplished: Ramirez, who might cost you a couple of prospects and $42 million over three years. Ramirez, who has driven in 100 or more runs in 11 of the last 12 seasons.

“A no-brainer,” an American League executive said yesterday. “Manny looks much better in this market.”

We say three years and $42 million because in the end, Ramirez, who has a full no-trade clause in his contract, will probably want a year added to the end of his current deal to make this happen. And the Red Sox will probably eat some of his salary — but not nearly so much as they might have to make this happen even two months ago.

More notes after the jump (and to read more, become an Insider and click here)

More after the jump »

Play it again, Bud…

Associated Press
Posted: 4 hours ago

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - When it comes to instant replay, baseball general managers want to look it over.

GMs plan to talk about the topic some more, and perhaps make recommendations in the future, even they know commissioner Bud Selig is against the having replays aid umpires’ decisions.

“There is sufficient interest in it that it really warrants further discussion,” baseball senior vice president Joe Garagiola Jr. said Wednesday at the GMs’ annual meetings. “There’s no specific action item at the moment. We just want to keep talking about the different ways it could come into play and just keep kind of refining our thinking on the topic.”

GMs have repeatedly discussed the topic but know replays aren’t likely to be used while Selig is in charge. Two years ago, GMs split 15-15 on a vote to further consider the use of instant replay.

“The commissioner’s views on instant replay are well known but I also know he respects the body here,” Garagiola said. “So it’s an important topic to continue to discuss.”

Can’t wait for the purists to cry foul…