Larry Brown Sports

Wrigley Field may be one of the most historic ballparks in North America, but Texas Rangers designated hitter Lance Berkman hardly cares for the nostalgia. The Rangers are beginning a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, and Berkman has made it clear that he is not looking forward to the visit.

“If they’re looking for a guy to push the button when they blow the place up, I’ll do it,” Berkman said, via Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Tell us how you really feel, Lance. Actually, he did. It’s not just Wrigley Field, which was built in 1914, that Berkman hates. He also talked about the weather in Chicago and the challenge it creates when trying to prepare for a ballgame.

“Chicago’s one of the worst places in baseball … really for anything,” he added.

On Sunday night, the Cubs announced that they have reached an agreement with the city of Chicago to put Wrigley Field through a $500 million renovation. Berkman was likely happy to hear that, but no renovation can fix the weather in Chicago. Berkman’s teammate Derek Lowe, who has also played at Fenway Park, said he understands why players dislike Wrigley Field but that he appreciates the history.

“Current players are really going to hate it,” Lowe said. “Everything is new and state-of-the-art today, and you have everything you could possibly need within walking distance of the clubhouse.

“But you don’t have to be a baseball historian to appreciate atmospheres. I’ve played at Fenway, Wrigley and the old Yankee Stadium. I always thought of those atmospheres as the best, and it didn’t disappoint.”

Berkman is not a current player, but he clearly despises the place. Rangers catcher Geovany Soto, who used to play in Chicago, said Wrigley Field is a “landmark” and that the tradition makes dealing with fewer amenities more worthwhile. Clearly there are players who appreciate the brick wall and the ivy, but it sounds like Berkman should get together with Luke Scott and have a conversation about it. Something tells me they would agree about playing at Wrigley.

Fist pound to Hardball Talk

The Texas Rangers signed Lance Berkman to a $10 million deal because of his offensive abilities. Berkman is expected to DH for the team, and if he plays any defense for them, it will just be a bonus.

Berkman is so focused on his designated hitter role that he didn’t even bother to bring a glove to spring training.

“For 12 years I never had to worry about it because the equipment guy in Houston just packed up my locker and it showed up in spring training,” Berkman said Friday, via FOXSports Southwest’s Anthony Andro. “I forget, this is an oversight on my part because I’m fairly new at this switching team’s thing, but I forgot to have them have a glove here. It wasn’t on purpose. I have plenty at the house.”

OK, so forgetting to bring a glove was just an oversight as Berkman said (did he not need a glove the last two years in St. Louis?). Still, we all know what he is there for.

Berkman only played 32 games last season because of a knee injury, but he posted a stellar .959 OPS in 145 games with the St. Louis Cardinals the year before. Though he’s 37, Berkman should be good for at least an .800 OPS this season, especially playing in Arlington and being surrounded in the lineup by other sluggers. The question is whether Berkman’s knee will allow him to be at full strength.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Berkman said Sunday he is 80 percent healthy. He has less than six weeks to get to 100 percent. I doubt he reaches the 550 plate appearances that would make his 2014 option vest at $13 million.

When you think about David Freese, you might think about a guy who put together arguably the most clutch World Series performance in history and led his team to a title. There is no questioning that Freese is a hero in St. Louis, but does the soon-to-be 29-year-old infielder have the tools needed to become one of the game’s best players? If you ask teammate Lance Berkman, it is a definite possibility.

According to MLB writer Anthony Castrovince, Berkman had this to say on Tuesday when asked about Freese: “If you’re looking for your next $200 million contract, he’s got a chance. He’s that kind of player.”

Freese still has a long way to go if he is hoping to earn that kind of money, but he could be poised for a breakout season in 2012. In only six games, Freese has already belted three home runs and driven in 10. Last season, he hit .297 with 10 homers and 55 RBI in 97 games for the Cardinals. Now that he is entering what are considered the prime years of a baseball player’s career and is going to be an everyday starter, Freese will have a chance to put up big numbers.

If Joey Votto and Prince Fielder have taught us anything over the past several months, it’s that $200 million contracts are becoming more and more attainable. Prior to his MVP season in 2010, many people had never even heard of Votto. If they still hadn’t heard of him before he signed a $225 million extension with the Reds last week, they have now. With a monster season in 2012, Freese could soon become a very rich man.

Photo credit: Pool Photo-US PRESSWIRE

April Fool’s day has officially come and gone, and as far as we know everyone survived without any serious lasting damage. Adam Wainwright just barely escaped the day with his own truck, however. After the second inning of the Cardinals spring training game against the Nationals, St. Louis’ public address announcer announced over the stadium speakers that a lucky fan had just won a 2009 Chevy Silverado. It just so happens that Wainwright also drives a 2009 Silverado, so you can see where this is heading.

The truck, which was driven by Lance Berkman, rolled out onto the field and the winning fan — David Freese’s cousin — ran onto the field with his son and joyfully hopped in the back. Berkman then drove away.

“Hilarious,” Wainwright said when he was finally sure it was just a joke. “Those are the kinds of things that keep baseball pretty fun — besides the fact that baseball is already pretty fun.”

Several teammates including Skip Schumaker helped Berkman execute the prank. Imagine how much funnier a prank like that would be on a day other than April Fool’s when your teammate doesn’t expect it.

H/T Hardball Talk
Photo credit: Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

Lance Berkman delivered a big hit for the Cardinals in Game 1 of the World Series. The right fielder doubled in two runs in the fourth, putting St. Louis up 2-0. They beat the Rangers 3-2.

After the game, the 35-year-old veteran was asked about his status as one of the team’s leaders. He gave a pretty humorous response.

“I think just because you see all this gray in my beard, that kind of makes you a de facto leader,” Berkman joked. “Whether you want to be or not, guys are going to kind of look to you because you’ve been around for a while. But I do enjoy the interaction with my teammates. I think that’s one thing that’s special to me about this particular team. It’s just a great group of guys.”

Berkman has enjoyed his finest season since 2008, though he didn’t have a major impact in the NLCS. Wednesday’s double was his first extra base hit since Game 4 of the NLDS. As long as he keeps hitting, and the Cardinals keep winning, I’m sure he’ll be happy to continue joking about his old age and gray beard. And if they continue to win, Berkman will hold bragging rights over C.J. Wilson.

Photo Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

When players talk trash to one another we have a tendency to make a big deal out of it, then forget about it and move on. This all happens fairly quickly. Trash talk is only news when it’s news. Otherwise it becomes old, irrelevant information. However, the trash talk exchanged by C.J. Wilson and Lance Berkman seven months ago has never been more relevant.

This past offseason, Berkman contemplated retirement but decided he would return if he received an offer from a handful of teams. The two teams who showed the most interest in Berkman were the Rangers and Cardinals. As we know, St. Louis and Texas are set to face one another in the World Series. That makes Berkman and Wilson’s preseason smack talk that much more intriguing.

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It almost feels like Christmas in December. It’s baseball’s annual right of passage, winter free agent signings that net sums of money so ghastly even hedge fund managers are blushing. At this rate, the good folks at Major League Baseball may have to change the name to World $eries. The holidays are upon us, but don’t be confused. That slightly rotund fellow wearing red ain’t Santy Claus, it’s Lance Berkman, who last season ho-ho-hummed his way to a .248 batting average yet still Madoff with eight million dollars from the Cardinals. Nope, there’s no jolly old Saint Nick Punto or Johnson (they haven’t been signed yet).

What’s a Jayson worth you ask? Well, aside from the gross misspelling (someone should let him know already), how about a tidy $126 million over seven years. Forget a spruce, the Nats’ new addition may now hang his ornaments on a sequoia. I thought the folks in Washington DC were trying to rein in wasteful spending. He’d better do well in the nation’s capital or else someone in the Nationals’ front office made a huge Boehner. Ostensibly, there were no three wise men behind that deal.

Each year, baseball’s general managers descend on Florida like so many aging retirees who sport various shades of vibrantly-colored plaid pants. Both come in search of early bird specials. The only difference is that Dave Dombrowski is more likely to splurge on an overcooked piece of meat than, say, Uncle Mort. One can only imagine the reaction of Joaquin Benoit, a 33-year-old right-hander signed by the Tigers for $16.5 million despite the fact he has a career ERA approaching the Michigan state sales tax and a less-than-stellar 31-28 career record. He may be dashing through the snow in the Motor City, but can probably now afford more than one horse to pull that open sleigh (though convertibles are not really trendy in the D in the middle of winter).

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