ROBERTS TRADED!

by zknower on Apr 1, 2008 9:53 AM EDT in News Comment 44 comments

OMG, it finally happened. I guess that's what a day of DeRosa and Theriot going 0-for 6 does for you.

A news conference has been called this afternoon at 2pm at Wrigley. I'll let you read the article (link below) for the juicy bits, but here are the highlights:

... It appears that MacPhail got his man after all, as the Cubs are parting with highly regarded outfielder Felix Pie. Other players in the deal are all names we've heard before: Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, Sean Marshall and Donny Veal.

Roberts heard the news from teammate Millar this morning. Reached for comment via Blackberry, he responded, "It's bittersweet. [Baltimore] is the organization that I came into baseball with, the only organization I've ever known. But Chicago is a great town and I'm looking forward to giving my best for a historic franchise."

"...I'm glad to have it finally done with because the rumors were getting old. I mean, who keeps a player for opening day and then trades them on April 1st?"

You can read the rest in the Chicago Sentinel.

3 recs | Comment 44 comments

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holy shit

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Apr 1, 2008 9:54 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

god I almost crapped my pants

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Apr 1, 2008 9:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

got you did I?

I'll take any suggestions for making it look more legit without going over the top. I should probably add a picture.

by zknower on Apr 1, 2008 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

ahahahahhhahahah

oh my god.

I managed to figure it out before clicking the link, but I seriously almost had a heart attack.

BRAVO!!!

Formerly known as Javylicious.

by Stacey on Apr 1, 2008 10:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

As soon

as I saw that player package, I knew this was bullshit.

by Jonny Pops on Apr 1, 2008 10:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You made me for AT LEAST 6 seconds

My internal conversation.....

"What? They did it?"

"Holy Shit!"

"Wait, today's April 1..."

"Chicago SENTINEL? What the hell is that?"

"Damn it, Z!"

Ya did good, Z.

"I'd just like to point out that every newspaper in the country has picked us to finish last. The local press seems to think that we'd save everyone the time and trouble if we just went out and shot ourselves." - Major Leauge

by duck on Apr 1, 2008 10:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Pwned

I def just texted a couple buddies about this, completely realistic, the Millar touch is nice, well done Sir

by J-DUB on Apr 1, 2008 10:13 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

My jaw dropped

for a split second and then I was like, "Oh it's April 1."

I'm usually a total sucker for this trash but for some reason today I'm acutely aware of the date.

Jamie Walker T-shirts: http://www.cafepress.com/beltwaysports

by CStoneNo37 on Apr 1, 2008 10:21 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well done

Just walked around the office discussing the implications. Within 5 minutes had come up with Scott DHing, Huff and Millar swapping 1B duty and Pie, Jones and Markakis roaming the outfield.

Not too mention some decent pitching additions.

Gotta say, well done.

"Every time I fail to smoke a cigarette between innings, the opposition will score." ~Earl Weaver~

by dmouthhog on Apr 1, 2008 10:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

good one.

This morning, my daughter and I were discussing how we need to be on the lookout for tricksters. So I was skeptical when I saw that headline.

by drj on Apr 1, 2008 10:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

you sonufabitch.

"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again."

by 2632 on Apr 1, 2008 11:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I fell for it

I was looking up Felix Pie's minor league stats and looking on the Sun and SI websites for more coverage.

Well played.

by yurizanow on Apr 1, 2008 11:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

thanks all :)

I went over to bleed cubbie blue to post a link to it, but some guy had done the same thing (albeit less convincingly IMHO) over there.

Now when he does get traded, someone will have to say, "Not an April Fool's joke!"

Does anyone remember the SI article in the late 80s about a guy who had been scouted (in PR, I think) who consistently threw 100mph, topping out at 102? It was a good 2-3 pages long (you know, SI was just a magazine in those dark days), and VERY well researched. About the only clue that it was a prank was the very last sentence.

by zknower on Apr 1, 2008 11:48 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Ah, Sidd Finch....

A few details wrong (he actually threw 168 mph, wasn't Dominican, etc.) but an excellent reference from 20+ years ago.

Here's the link

On March 17, the gun was handled by Stottlemyre. He heard the pop of the ball in Reynolds's mitt and the little squeak of pain from the catcher. Then the astonishing figure 168 appeared on the glass plate. Stottlemyre remembers whistling in amazement, and then he heard Reynolds say, "Don't tell me, Mel, I don't want to know. . . "

by duck on Apr 1, 2008 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Got me good

Too tired to remember the date.

by Pack Man on Apr 1, 2008 12:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nice Details

I particularly liked the idea of Roberts typing out a response that long on his Blackberry.

by Joltin Joe Orsulak on Apr 1, 2008 1:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Argh

You bastard. All of my co-workers think I'm the world's biggest dunce!

by punkrawka on Apr 1, 2008 1:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

that's what April Fools Day is all about!

Formerly known as Javylicious.

by Stacey on Apr 1, 2008 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This grabbed a bunch of hits from The Hardball Times. I love a good spreading joke.

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Apr 1, 2008 1:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's coming through their feed now.

You got me for a few seconds. Thankfully there are no O's fans in the office for me to blab with!

by silverstadium on Apr 1, 2008 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

awesome job.. i got owned.

by Y Not on Apr 1, 2008 2:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

don't you mean...

pwed?

Improving the ballclub: Not one of Peter Angelos' concerns.-SC Wed Jan 30, 2008

by dayzd toe on Apr 1, 2008 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

very nice

You got me. Though I'm going to blame my gullibility on the fact that after I went to opening day yesterday I drove through the night to make it back to Kentucky for work.

But you totally got me.

"We're so bad right now that for us back-to-back home runs means one today and another one tomorrow." - - Earl Weaver

by Gorilla Bird on Apr 1, 2008 2:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

wow

Well done, this had me going big time

Also, that Hardball Times link has the views of this going through the roof.

by Reddrummer9187 on Apr 1, 2008 2:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

oh man

This combined with THT spreading the joke has really gotten a TON of people.

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Apr 1, 2008 3:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

???Pwed???

Why would it be pwed? pwned came from the word owned...google that ish B4 gribbsing

by J-DUB on Apr 1, 2008 4:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

because

owned is pwned on this interweb thingy.

I was just picking.

Improving the ballclub: Not one of Peter Angelos' concerns.-SC Wed Jan 30, 2008

by dayzd toe on Apr 1, 2008 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Shit Fuck

I just a horrendous day and I come on here and I see that and I think Pie, Gallagher, Cedeno, and Marshall and I am brightened up a bit. Then I realize that that deal would never happen. Thanks a lot, Z.

by Baltimo on Apr 1, 2008 4:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

heart skips a beat

At least I didn't call home to send my dad into cardiac arrest! Thanks for the giggle.

by AmyMichelle68 on Apr 1, 2008 8:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Welcome aboard

Think that's funny, just wait until Game Threads during May or June...

by duck on Apr 1, 2008 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks...

(my other O's forum shut down) and to think I took my only personal day to sit at my 30th Home Opener AND have my birds lose. I supposed there's honor in supporting the underdog.

by AmyMichelle68 on Apr 1, 2008 8:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

CC has up to 700+ users

before the switch. We'll see how many we have this season. Although, without user ID numbers, I'm not sure how we will know...

As for me, hey, it's still hockey season! Go Caps!

by duck on Apr 1, 2008 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or September

When all 5 of us are talking.

by Baltimo on Apr 1, 2008 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

YA GOT ME

Hook line & sinker-P.S. What a tease,

by hagers on Apr 1, 2008 11:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

April Fools

The picture was a good touch-thats what made me fall.

by hagers on Apr 1, 2008 11:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Z, you bustard, you got me good.

The header ran on the MyYahoo personalized layout thing (which I have set to carry CC) ,and seeing in that venue somehow overrode my brainpan's calendar circuits and legitimized it. The Millar and blackberry touches were inspired.

Forget it, Jake. It's Birdland.

by Titov on Apr 2, 2008 5:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

snort

OH closed their thread that started with the same April Fool's joke. God. This is exactly why I don't really use their site, as great a bunch of fans as they are. It's like a fuckin' cancer hospital over there.

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Apr 2, 2008 8:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

For me it's the tacky sparklies in their banner.

Oh, and their weirdly wrong-proportioned pictures.

Oh, and their ugly, blocky fonts.

Oh, and the fact that you have to click 5 times to get to anything worthwhile

Oh and... never mind.

by zknower on Apr 2, 2008 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL

I knew it was too big a coincidence to happen on April 1, but you had me believing. Nice work on the fake player quotes!

(Now please don't tell me that releasing Jay Gibbons was also just a 4/1 joke)

by BrianS on Apr 2, 2008 10:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yankee brOchure

weird, huh?

by thewaywardO on Apr 2, 2008 11:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Beautiful

I recall an incident in the 90s when some jerk of a Yankee pitcher was scuffing the ball. His pitches were all over the place and he ended up hitting Chris Hoiles (in the hand I think) and sending him on the DL for a couple months at least. When whoever was our manager at the time told the umps to inspect him, the TV cameras spotted the pitcher ripping sandpaper out of his glove and putting it in his mouth or his jock or something. The umps didn't catch it, the pitcher denied everything, and the AL bigwigs took no action.

I bring it up here because it deserves to be listed among the above Yankee shames, yet I don't recall anyone bringing it up for some time. Anyone else remember this and want to fill in more details?

by silverstadium on Apr 2, 2008 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs