Web Wednesday: The Diamond Report

Back on December 10, in conjunction of Baseball Bloggers Alliance Day, the announcement was made that "hump day" would now, officially, be "Web Wednesday" here at The Hall of Very Good.

So...what is "Web Wednesday"?

Basically, every Wednesday, The Hall will introduce you to a baseball blog or blogger that you might not know much about.  This week, it seems appropriate to kick off "Web Wednesday" with one of the co-founders of The Diamond Report and good friend of The Hall...John Saban.

HOVG: Alright, every site has a story behind it. Right out of the gate...what is the story behind The Diamond Report? How did it come about?

SABAN: The Diamond Report is a website created by a couple friends who have both loved baseball our entire lives and enjoy sports journalism.  The whole point of the site is to report accurate information to our viewers. We also occasionally give our opinion on the news around the baseball world.

HOVG: You've had a little bit of success since launching the site a couple of months ago. Have you had an "I've made it" moment yet or not? And if so...what was it?

SABAN: The site started as a blog, but was turned into a website after the first month, and the third day after converting to a website we had one article get over 2000 views just on Thanksgiving Day. That was encouraging to us, and we still joke about how fast everything has happened.

HOVG: In your experience as a blogger, what contacts have you made or what stories have you uncovered that you never thought that you would have been able to pull off?

SABAN: Well, we haven't broken any news on TDR yet, but maybe one day we will. As far as contacts go, we were very excited and appreciative that, through Twitter, we were able to get in touch with Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Craig Breslow and he was kind enough to do a TDR Exclusive for the site.

HOVG: Is there a particular piece that you're especially fond of?

SABAN: I was born and raised around the Philadelphia area, so lately it has been a baseball fan's dream to see the Phillies over the last couple seasons. My favorite piece that I have personally done would probably be the "Cliff Lee signing" article, not only because I am a Phillies fan, but I have never seen a free agent signing happen quite like that one.

HOVG: Now the fun stuff (to me)...we're counting down the days to the announcement of the HOF class of 2011. Do you have any favorites on this year's ballot?

SABAN: I think there are many worthy people of the honor up for election this year, but as far as I'm concerned I definitely think that Tim Raines and Bert Blyleven should get in.

HOVG: Are there any players you feel that should be in the Hall but aren't? Why?

SABAN: Well, to be honest, yes. I feel very strongly that Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. He gave 100% every time he was on the field, and was one of the best hitters in the game. I understand what he did was wrong, but we are coming up to the time where players who played in the "Steroid Era" will be on the ballotI am sure that some players who have even taken steroids once will find a way into the HOF.

HOVG: What's on the horizon for TDR?

SABAN: We are definitely still making improvements to the site. TDR is still fairly new so we are making adjustments and hope to one day be a place that people want to 'bookmark' on their computer, and check us daily for baseball news.

HOVG: Where can people find you online?

SABAN: People can find us on facebook (The Diamond Report) and on Twitter (@TDReport). We also encourage our fans to email us or tweet us we want to hear what you have to say.

It's Official...Zack Greinke is Now a Brewer

The Kansas City Royals made official Sunday what The Hall reported late Saturday night...their ace Zack Greinke had been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.

According to reports, the Brewers beat out both the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals for the services of the 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner.

Last season, Greinke had a off year...going 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA.

"Zack brings great physical skills and athleticism to the team and is an outstanding competitor," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said.  "This trade is a credit to our scouting and player development staff as their hard work and judgment provided us the talented prospects that Kansas City will be receiving. I also appreciate the support of ownership in making this deal."

Also heading to Milwaukee...shortstop Yunieksy Betancourt. In exchange, the Royals will receive shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and pitching prospects Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress.

For breaking baseball news...be sure to follow The Diamond Report on Twitter.

Bobby Jenks Signs with the Red Sox

And just in case the internet was in need of another "Bobby Jenks Changes His Sox" story...here comes another.

Bobby Jenks changes his Sox!

Just when the baseball world thought the Boston Red Sox had already had a successful offseason...they sign flamethrowing closer Bobby Jenks to (according to ESPN's Buster Olney) two-year, $12 million deal.

The 29-year-old had an off year in 2010, going 1-3 with a 4.44 ERA.  The righty converted on 27 of 32 save opportunities  and struck out 61 in 52 2/3 innings pitched.  He was non-tendered by the Chicago White Sox on December 3.

This move gives the Red Sox three potential closers in Jenks, Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard.

For breaking baseball news...be sure to follow The Diamond Report on Twitter.

Carl Crawford Signs With Boston

Friday, it was made official, the Boston Red Sox signed Carl Crawford...and on Saturday, he was introduced to the press.  And yeah...Crawford t-shirts are already available in Beantown.

"We made a connection with him," Boston General Manager Theo Epstein said. "He was really intrigued with being part of our lineup. We felt like we were well-positioned to under the radar grind it out a little bit, and in the end he would want to come here."

"They made me feel like they really wanted me," Crawford said. "That was big."

A seven-year, $142 million contract (plus $6 million dollar signing bonus) will help do that.  And before you ask, yes, you're looking at the biggest contract ever signed by an outfielder.

Last season the 29-year-old hit .307 with career highs in home runs (19) and RBI (90).  He also swiped 47 bases en route to his fourth All-Star Game and first Gold Glove award.

On July 31st, Crawford reached 400 stolen bases...becoming only the seventh player in history to reach that mark before his 29th birthday.  And less than three weeks later, he hit the 100th triple of his career. That feat would tie Crawford with Ty Cobb as being the only Major Leaguers to hit 100 triples and have 400 stolen bases before the age of 30.

For breaking baseball news...be sure to follow The Diamond Report on Twitter.

Jayson Werth Signs With Washington

The Washington Nationals have made their first big splash in the free agency market Sunday signing Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million deal.

This is a hefty contract for the 31-year-old who missed the 2006 season with a wrist injury and has battled injuries in the past.  It was expected that he would likely go to Boston, the Los Angeles Angels, or even back to Philadelphia.

Not only is this bad news for the Phillies because he will be able to hurt them staying within the division, but his replacement, young phenom outfielder Domonic Brown, just left winter ball after a terrible performance in the Dominican.

In 2010, Werth hit .296 with 27 home runs and 85 RBI.  He led the National League with 46 doubles and finished fourth with 106 runs scored.

Werth will fill the void in the Nationals lineup left from Adam Dunn who signed with the White Sox earlier this week and could be a powerful three-four hitter combination with Ryan Zimmerman.

With the young nucleus in Washington, they could be a very dangerous team in the NL East for years to come.

For breaking baseball news...be sure to follow The Diamond Report on Twitter.

The Diamond Report Joins The Hall

With Baseball's Winter Meetings officially getting underway the beautiful (yes, I have stayed there) Walt Disney Swan hotel in Lake Buena Vista, Florida...it's only fitting that The Hall of Very Good announces another new partnership.

Last Monday, Tony Arnoldine from tonyblogs.net made his debut with his weekly "Dropping Links" feature.

This Monday, The Hall is proud to add the gang over at The Diamond Report into the mix. 

The Diamond Report hit the interwebs this past October and quickly made it their business to blanket MLB  news, rumors, and transactions.  Most recently, they've been pretty focused on this off season's hot stove action...and that is precisely what John Saban and Kyle Phillippi will bring to this site.

Contributions from The Diamond Report will be appropriately tagged "The Diamond Report".  You can follow them over on Twitter and Facebook.  And like The Hall, they are also a proud member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance.