This is a new installment for the BaseballTalkPro Blog. We’re adding a special guest blogger, Mr. Ralph Smith, who will be adding his opinion regarding the happenings around the baseball community. Here’s his musings for this week.

A-Rod On The Market for A New Team

I’m glad A-Rod decided to opt-out of his contract with the Yankees. My only hope is that he does not sign with the Mets. A player of his caliber does not deserve the shabby treatment he received from the media and the fans. There are other places that will show him the respect he deserves. Barring injury, he will become one of the greatest players in the game. He will set records that other players will strive to break for many years. Good luck to a very talented player. I made a forum thread to discuss where A-Rod’s headed : Where will A-Rod wind up ?

Braves Reportedly Interested in Tom Glavine

Being a Braves fan, I would like to see Tom Glavine back in a Braves uniform. Hopefully the Braves organization will have enough insight and common sense to sign Glavine. They had it when they refused Andruw Jones and his ludicrous demands through Agent Scott Boras who wanted $20 million a year for center fielder Andruw Jones last season. He can probably get $16 million, and that’s after a season in which Jones found himself hitting .199 a week before the All-Star break.. My fellow Braves fans can discuss Tom Glavine’s possible return with me here : Could Tom Glavine return in a Braves uniform ?

Joe Torre Hopes to Bring Winning Ways to LA Dodgers

Back in the 40’s and 50’s I was a staunch Dodgers fan. I was devestated when they moved to Los Angeles.Being so far away I lost interest because it was hard to follow them. Hopefully Joe Torre will be able to help them change their fortunes when they are not playing the Braves. Joe had great success when he coached the Yankees but apparently wasn’t appreciated by George Steinbrenner. It disturbs me that the coach is always blamed when the team isn’t doing well. The players who are not playing up to their potential need to share some of the blame. As far as I am concerned, the Yankees have had great success in the past. George Steinbrenner needs to learn that you can’t buy a World Series. I wish Joe Torre much success in Los Angles.

Baseball GM’s Considering Instant Replay

Instant replay in baseball. What a fantastic idea. It’s about time baseball caught up with modern technology. This is not a slight at umpires. For the most part they do a fantastic job, but they are only human and they make mistakes or are not in a position to see the play properly. Instant replay for the bases or for for questionable home runs would be great. I’m looking forward to the day we have we have limited replay in baseball. You can discuss this on the forum poll here : Should Baseball use Instant Replay

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Ralph’s Bio:
Ralph Smith is a retired teacher from Littiz, PA. He’s been a baseball fanatic for over 60 years and his first memories were listening to Dodgers games on a radio. Ralph’s a hardcore Atlanta Braves fan and he proves it by attending Braves games in Philadelphia at Citizen’s Bank Park dressed in full Braves gear. When he’s not following baseball he’s playing “doggy daddy” to a wire-haired Dachshund named Sgt. Schultz or in the off season he bides his time working on his two websites:
RecipeBits - Home Cooking Recipes
The Pewter Mug - Gift Ideas and Collectibles

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