Pirate Galaxy » AJC, So what is it? Is it really about

A look at whats happening today at the baseball winter meetings in Oxon Hill, Maryland:---WASHINGTON DAY SALEChicago White Sox ace Chris Sale could have a new place to pitch real soon, and it might be the ballpark right across the Potomac River. The NL East champion Washington Nationals are trying hard to close a deal for the 27-year-old lefty.THE SCHWARBER SITUATIONKyle Schwarber was a huge hit in the World Series, returning from a severe knee injury that cost him nearly the entire regular season and then batting .412 as the Chicago Cubs beat Cleveland.Now, will the converted catcher hurt in an outfield collision ever catch again?There is no question that he will want to do it and can do it, general manager Jed Hoyer told reporters Monday. We just havent had any discussions on how heavy a workload we put on him in that regard.Known way more for his bat than glove, the 23-year-old Schwarber projects to be the Cubs left fielder next season. He wont play winter ball, it was decided, so he can rehab his left knee.Cubs manager Joe Maddon might provide some insight on the sluggers future when he meets with the media in the afternoon.BIG BUCKS BULLPENSAfter Mark Melancon reached a $62 million, four-year deal with San Francisco that was the richest contract ever for a reliever, its worth wondering whether free-agent closers Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen could command even more.The Yankees, with a history of high spending, are interested in both of them.Thats where the market seems to be headed, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said.What it reinforces is the notion that by and large you need to build a bullpen from within, he added.THE NEXT BAMBINO?Get ready to start hearing more about Shohei Otani, the 22-year-old Japanese pitcher who also swings a mean bat.Otani signed Monday to play next year for the Nippon Ham Fighters. He also says he could move to the major leagues after 2017.The right-hander went 10-4 last season while hitting .322 with 22 home runs.We have reports on him, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. Do I think a player could be a two-way player? Yeah, it could happen. Is it very difficult? Yes. But Im not saying that theres not a player out there that cant do that because some of them are rare, rare guys. Babe Ruth could do it. He was pretty good.Wholesale Nike Shoes . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. Fake Shoes 2020 . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. http://www.wholesaleshoesusa.com/ . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Cheap Shoes Free Shipping . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Wholesale Shoes Authentic . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2.Many have wondered why Alabama allowed one player to transfer to another SEC school recently but wont let Maurice Smith do it.The school says the situations are different, but a report muddies the waters.The mother of Smith, a reserve defensive back, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week that Alabama coach Nick Saban is blocking her son from transferring to Georgia.After last season ended, Alabama did not block the transfer of wideout Chris Black to Missouri, also an SEC school.While it is understandable that questions are being asked about similarities regarding a situation involving another former football student-athlete transferring to an SEC institution, that instance occurred only because of unique circumstances, Alabama said in a statement Thursday.The student-athlete [Black] elected to have surgery in the middle of the season and left the program. Because of the timing of his departure, his scholarship was not renewed, and he requested to use the graduate transfer exception through the SEC. Our decision in this situation to support the SEC waiver was the exception and not the rule.We adhere to the SEC and institutional policies regarding issues of this manner. Waivers are not provided without compelling circumstances that present clear non-athletics reasons for the transfer. We remain happy to assist Maurice to enable a transfer to any non-SEC school, and have been doing everything requested regarding that throughout this process.Saban addressed the situation after practice and said Smith had opportunities to go to schools outside the SEC.I know theres a lot of talk out there and interest in the Maurice Smith deal, Saban said. Nothing has changed. We support the SEC rule of not granting guys release to go to other SEC schools. It has been our policy here not to do that unless there was a special circumstance.Saban declined to comment when asked if he felt there was a chance that Smith could wind up at Georgia.Blacks season ended at midseason by an ankle injury that required surgery. However, AL.com cited sources Thursday as saying that Black was actually granted his release because off a technicality.dddddddddddd A school has seven days to respond to a players request to transfer. If it misses the deadline, the player is granted a full release and can play at any school. Black requested his release during Alabamas busy run-up to the LSU game in November, and the request was lost in the shuffle, AL.com reported.In mid-June, AL.com reported that Smith was seeking to leave as a graduate transfer, which would make him eligible to play immediately at another school.He wants to go to Georgia. Period, Samyra Smith told the AJC. Thats where he wants to go.She added: The university is continuing to be resistant to any request to release my son. Thats where we are. In [Sabans] mind, the best decision is for him to stay here. And he doesnt think anything other than that is best for the kid.At media days, Saban said he and the staff had told Smith that he would be a significant contributor this season if he stayed. Alabama opened camp Wednesday.We have told him, Because we support the SEC rule, it would not be in your best interest to have to sit out. If you want to go someplace else [outside the SEC], wed be glad to help you do that, Saban said.Samyra Smith asked the AJC, So what is it? Is it really about my son, or is it about Kirby Smart and Nick Saban?Smart, who is in his first year as head coach at Georgia, served as Sabans defensive coordinator at Alabama from 2008 to 2015.I dont know what it is, she said. You just had a player leave, Chris Black, and hes at an SEC school, Mizzou. So dont tell me its about a violation of rules. I can read you the rules. I understand them well. Its not a violation of rules, or else the SEC wouldve stopped it, the commissioner wouldve stopped it. But its allowed.Georgia adheres to the same conference transfer rule. The Bulldogs wouldnt allow?running back A.J. Turman to transfer to Miami, where former Georgia coach Mark Richt has taken over.Information from ESPNs Alex Scarborough and The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '