FOXSPORTS.com's Rosenthal & Morosi noted Mariners Exec VP & GM of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik mostly has "exasperated trade partners with his negotiating style while trying to guide" the club to the postseason for the first time since '01. Execs from other teams have singled out Zduriencik as "one of the most difficult GMs in the sport with whom to do business." Zdurincik’s peers "express frustration with his methods -- and their complaints are not new." But Zduriencik in an e-mail wrote, "I have not had an offer on the table and pulled it back. I have been clear in my discussions and often express my intentions" (FOXSPORTS.com, 7/28).
HIGHER GROUND: The WALL STREET JOURNAL noted the loss of Yankees P Masahiro Tanaka to injury until at least September also "comes as a blow to fans trying to unload their tickets on the secondary market." Data provided by StubHub showed for the nine home games started by Tanaka this season, the number of Yankees tickets sold on the site was "73% higher than for all other Yankees home games." That is the "largest sales bump for any pitcher's home starts this season" (WSJ.com, 7/28).
POSITIVE THINKING: Red Sox Owner John Henry said of fans' disappointment in the club's performance this season, “I don’t have a message because the way you play and results are what count. Fans continue to sell out Fenway. They’ve suffered through some really bad games this year, but they continue to show up and the mood at the park among the fans is very positive when I walk through the stands. Before [Chair Tom Lerner, President Larry Lucchino] and I arrived I believe fans had less patience. ... This team accomplished something very special last year therefore the fans aren’t about to not give them the benefit of the doubt” (BOSTON HERALD, 7/27).
NOTES: In Tucson, Greg Hansen writes, “I haven’t watched an inning of a D-backs broadcast for years. If a D-backs game is on the car radio, I switch before the next pitch.” Hansen: “Too much exposure to lousy baseball smothered my baseball addiction” (ARIZONA DAILY STAR, 7/29). ... In St. Louis, Derrick Goold noted last weekend’s Cardinals-Cubs series “drew the two largest crowds of the year” to Wrigley Field, as 41,534 attended Friday’s game and 41,927 attended Saturday (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 7/28).
