Sunday, December 8, 2013

Baseball Winter Meetings: Trades, Free Agents and the Rule 5 Draft



The Winter Meetings serve as a great analytical time of year for all hardcore baseball fans. 

Emotional game

Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. knows that he needs to change the trajectory of his diamond contingent. 

My hunch (which is purely based on emotion, verses logical probability) is that he's trying to move more than one name player. Domonic Brown, or Ben Revere, could be packaged with Jonathan Papelbon in order to change the starting lineup/outfield and back-end bullpen dynamics. 

Kyle Kendrick and John Mayberry, Jr were offered arbitration, but can still be moved as part of any deal. 

With two free agents signed (Marlon Byrd and Carlos Ruiz), a left-hander for the bullpen and a supplemental outfielder could still be found on the open market. 

Of course, the Rule 5 draft is always offers the potential for a 25th man (or better) to be found...and for a questionable prospect to be lost as well.

Personal survival

Whatever the Phils top front office boss attempts to do will be in the pure interest of making the playoffs next fall. 

Amaro must feel that his corporate shelf life is about to expire if his team (and it is his team five years after Pat Gillick stepped aside) falters for a third straight season.

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Here are 3 smart social media strategies that I've learned from friends:

3. Say what you mean with class 
Be honest in everything that you produce through social media. But, do it with class. Off-color language, self-centered promotion, and other low-level tactics rightly turn people off.

2. Promote interesting content 
Try writing about (and promoting) issues that are relevant, but aren't currently oversold. In other words, distinguish yourself through unique resolutions to common problems, new views of old subjects, or bold stances on the issues of the day.

1. Be a real friend 
Use the same level of respect with any social media friend that you would use with a real-life friend. That approach will generally help you to expand your social media connections. Regardless of your original connection (family, school, work, church, civic group, sports team, social media link, etc.) with people, they'll know if you are genuinely interested in helping them and others, or not.

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Links to our illustrated children's book ...

Use this link --->>Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile to see a free preview of the Amazon eBook edition. 

50% of all proceeds from the sale of our book (in both print and eBook forms) are being donated to the Children's Alopecia Project (CAP).

Feel free to use, or share, this link--->>Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile to purchase the printed book directly from CAP.

I look forward to becoming friends on Facebook
Let's connect on LinkedIn and on Twitter @SeanyOB.

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Here's a link to this great (print and online) article that the Reading Eagle recently published about our story Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile: Book chronicles Wyomissing teen's journey since being diagnosed with alopecia

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Thank you to Stacey Stauffer (Fox 29 Philadelphia). She interviewed Madison Woytovich, her parents (Jeff and Betsy Woytovich) and me about the latest chapter in this inspiring story. Here's a video link to Stacey's wonderful feature. 

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Amazon.com is the number 1 online publishing platform in the world. That's why I used it to publish my first ebook: 

This mini-tome is a collection of stories and poems for readers who don't take themselves too seriously. I hope that you enjoy it and am always interested in your feedback. 

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Feel free to click on a selection of my interviews with broadcasters, actors, models and more...

Martin Brodeur: Discusses His Record-Setting Shutout Total and Key Rivalries 
Jaromir Jagr: Current NHL Forward and Future Hall of Famer
Philadelphia Flyers' Bernie Parent: Postgame reflections 
Bobby Clarke: Philadelphia Flyers' Legend Talks Hockey
Ron Hextall Recalls His Greatest Season
Kerry Fraser: NHL Referee is Still Making the Right Calls
Visit my Examiner Contributor Page
or my Yahoo Contributor Page.

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