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Trade rumor: Celtics take Rajon Rondo off market 02.20.13 at 12:32 pm ET
By
Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo

Despite ESPN.com senior writer Chris Broussard‘s insistence that Celtics president Danny Ainge has made injured point guard Rajon Rondo available on the trade market, Rondo’s agent Bill Duffy told USA Today’s Sam Amick that Ainge “assured him” on Wednesday that the four-time All-Star will not be dealt.

Meanwhile, CBSSports.com columnist Ken Berger reports Rondo would only be dealt for Dwight Howard, Chris Paul “or a massive haul of assets” similar to what the Nuggets received for Carmelo Anthony. As you might remember, Melo, Chauncey Billups and three low-level NBA talents returned Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, a first-round draft pick, two second-round picks and $3 million in cash from the Knicks in 2011.

Those scenarios are a pipe dream for Ainge, considering Rondo’s season-ending ACL surgery that leaves him rehabbing for training camp next season.

Read More: 2013 NBA Trade Deadline, Boston Celtics, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard Print  |  Email  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • Manuel Vigil

    I have not exactly been fond of Valentine , now I am even less inclined . The umpires do the best job they can , if he doesn’t understand that maybe the game has past him by . Retire Bobby , for the good of the game .

    • Jonaweeks

      He said multiple times that they do the best they can, but is promoting a new idea to imbetter the game. There is nothing wrong with that.

    • http://www.facebook.com/Jahuel Rob Close

       He very clearly agreed with your concern there. He said that they do a good job, that they’re nice people, etc.  He said very, very nice things about the umpires here – I don’t see what you’re upset about. All Bobby is saying is – let a machine call balls & strikes. Let’s get that right from now, because humans have proven that we aren’t very good at it.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nepa-Runner/100002036428379 Nepa Runner

      Yes, they do and I think Bobby said so too. But what about all these bad calle, something should be done, especially when we have all this technology, If anything have the plays reviewed. Before closing about the umps, I am sure some make bad calls intentionally.

      • Mike Chandler1

        If we do this, how bout instant replay in football to verify a holding call or a pass interfence call.  That pitcher is paid to throw strikes but he doesn’t everytime.  So lets get a pitching machine to throw strikes.  Lets get a machine to do what the pitcher can’t.  Where does it stop??????????

    • Catch’n Release

       OK, let’s TRY to get it right.  Not all umpires are as good as they should be.  Inconsistency is the culprit overall … too many really lousy ‘blues’ out there … if you can’t develop and call consistently a rule-compliant strike zone, don’t get behind the dish !!!  Valentine is not “wrong”, “a loser”, etc.   He’s actually right – but the better answer should be better umpires.  Little League World Series seems to be getting worse – perhaps the criteria for selecting the umpires needs grave improvement – the bad-call strikes are more and more prevalent.  College Softball suffers from the same damn problem – inconsistent calls and umpires who have no business being behind the plate.  MLB is the worst of all because they have the resources to make it better and they just seem to fail if they are really trying to accomplish just that!  Focus on the problem (gotta recognize it first – way to many posters just miss the ‘zone’) and improve the service !!!

      • JJPAVAO

        I really don’t think that you are going to be able to teach umpires to see the pitches any better than they are now.  The pitches are coming in at over 90 mph and the umpire has to call it in a split second, while the rest of us get to watch instant reply and slow motion.  I really think if we all want to improve the game, then it’s time to use the technology that exist.

    • laura

      He shoukd retire and I am not happy with him.

  • Nate

    The umpires aren’t the problem.  The problem is this team.  Start pitching better, and start hitting the ball.  Also start playing better defense.

    • I still belive

      Clearly you’ve never played an inning of organized baseball. It’s always easy for outsiders to make these types of remarks. But when you’re playing against the best in the game the adjustments don’t come over night as you may suggest. Go take an at bat against even a college prospect or try pitching to some batter and then let us know what you think. Until then GTFO

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Shapiro/100001727264988 Michael Shapiro

        Right.  I was doing the plate in a “rec” league game, a couple of years ago.  Most of these were players who had either played minor league ball or D1 within the past 5 years, so that they were pretty good.  My partner came to me about the fifth inning and informed me that the guy warming in the bullpen was hitting about 90mph and I needed to be prepared.  

        I saw the pitches at 90, and had no problems calling them correctly.  Unfortunately for the pitcher, they were easy to call, as they were absolutely straight.  Most left the park faster than 90.  If you get used to it, Major League pitchers should be just as easy a call.

        I’ve said this before and I still believe it.  Some umpires are capable of handling the plate.  Others simply aren’t.  Frankly, I was quite a good plate umpire, but was only fair on the bases.  Just my makeup and the way that my brain works.  That would be a much easier transition for MLB.  Only have the good ball/strike umpires work the plate.

        BTW, for those who keep insisting that machines could do the job better, again, read the rules.  It’s not as easy as you think.  The zone isn’t shoulders to knees.  It’s not letters to knees.  

        Those pitchtrack machines generally get the inside/outside calls right.  It’s the high low calls that are difficult.

        • Dmrsports

           You’re so full of crap!!

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nepa-Runner/100002036428379 Nepa Runner

      A ball six inches out of the strike zone, a foul ball that hits the line, a runner safe at first called out, is not an umpire calling problem, but a teams!

      • Buddy

        When an umpire is struggling calling balls and strikes, the reason is because they are distorting time. They are OVER anticipating and the pre frontal cortex intercepts the information about the pitch. They are not taking in all the information that is forthcoming. The key, and its what we teach, is to not have information get caught up in the pre frontal cortex. When this happens, there is an increase in theta waves in the brain which allows the umpire to be right in the moment and take in all the information (last split second movement) before making the call. The same is true for an athlete.

        Buddy Biancalana

        http://www.zonetraining.net

      • Dick Swearingen

        There should be no such thing as “Human Error” in baseball.  We have the technology available, utilize the technology and get it right every single pitch, every single hit down the line and every long ball that gets called a double when it should have been a home run.
        I agree with Bobby V.  Let’s “GET IT RIGHT”!   Time to move on.  We are no longer going to the all park and paying nickles and dimes for the entertainment.  

    • Rob

      @Nate:  no one, (including Valentine) is saying that this years Sox aren’t to blame, however, especially in close ballgames, there can be alot hinging on a pitch or two late in a game or even early in a game.   From what I understand (I didn’t see the games this weekend),  Valentine’s “eruption” was the end result of having several to many close calls go against the Sox.

  • Itsgordon

    Very simple to have balls and strikes determined by cameras/computers.  However, at the Little League and other age divisions, such equipment would be cost-prohibitive. 

  • Teddyted

    truth be told we have the technology to eliminate the need for umps….I know they add “charm” to our pastime….but what the heck. Human error sux

    • Raider3

      Still need the umpires regardless. 

  • AndyP

    Valentine is right. The pitches are faster and more varied and deceptive than ever. Close pitches are just too hard to call. Also, by the time an umpire makes it to the majors, his eyesight is starting to decline. Give each team a limited number of challenges to be resolved with cameras or other technology.

  • sev

    I agree with him, except for the fact that with or without umpires making those calls, kids would still be “scarred” or go home crying simply because they weren’t able to make the play.

  • Oren

    Normally, I would agree with those who say pitch better and hit better and this stops being a problem. But the inconsistent zone in the Sox-Nationals series — highlighted in the Aceves strike called a ball and the Pedroia ball called a strike in the 9th inning — add up to a very unsavory situation. How can we be expected to invest so much if the the game isn’t fair.

  • I’m Back

    Blaming the umps is the refuge of losers.  You may drop a game here and there over 162 due to umpires in Baseball…but so do other teams.  Its not all stacked against the Sox.  They are in last place due to the roster…constructed by Theo and now Charrington….and of course with a budget now limited by owners more interested in their other latest Sports ventures.  They figure the team can go through Bridge year after Bridge year and still make a good profit.

    • JJPAVAO

      It’s not a matter of it’s stacked against the Red Sox, it’s trying to make the game better, for all teams, not just the Red Sox.  And this goes on every game, not just a game here or there.  Watch the games and see for yourself.  Pitches outside the strike zone are called strikes.  Pitches in the strike zone are called balls.  I know we have the advantage of looking at instant reply and slow motion.  So why can’t we use that to improve the game?

  • ellipticalcrank

    OK, so the home plate umpire (standing directly behind the catcher) can’t see the last 5 (or 6) feet of the ball’s travel well enough to accurately call balls and strikes.  But Bobby Valentine, standing (vacantly) 40 feet from home plate at a 30 degree angle to the pitch is the perfect arbiter of pitch location?  Explain that to me…

    Boy – Adrian Gonzalez is completely checked-out.  Not running on that passed-ball in the 9th was revealing.  He’s so ready to be 85-77 and on the beach in Cabo.

    • http://www.facebook.com/Jahuel Rob Close

       Umpires have slightly obstructed views; but more importantly, they don’t have the strike zone replay. Bobby gets to see over the course of a game how right or wrong the ump is, and where.

    • Rob

      I saw that at-bat with Pedroia in the 9th inning of game 3,  the Amica pitch zone showed that the ball was outside clearly.  This made the count 1-2 and in the pitchers’ favor.

    • Raider3

      You can see the pitch better when you are further away from it. The batter and the catcher lose site of it because it is coming at them, hence the reason an umpire loses sight as well.

    • JJPAVAO

      Bobby is not asking to call the game from 40 feet away.  He’s asking to use technology that is available to the television viewer, instant reply, slow motion, to call strikes and balls.  This would be good for players of all teams, good for fans, of all teams and good for MLB.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZVFM2HRNC5CTO2OUXD4XTX65O4 Dennis

     The league should institute those “pitch zone” overlays for every game and umpires with high error rates should be fired. 

    • Ptindc

      Dennis- This happens already.  The league measures umpire performance and all ballparks are set up for a pitch-track type of analysis.

      • joe pavao

        Did you even read his statement.  This is for all teams not just the Red Sox.  A strike is a strike and a ball is a ball for any team.  It ruins the game to be getting these calls wrong, no matter what team you root for.

      • JJPAVAO

        So now let the MLB use it during the games.

  • josh reddick

    This guy wouldn’t be saying this stuff if they were winning. He is blaming the umpires for his horrible pitching staff, the game has passed him by. This is the guy who pinch hits with a guy batting .185. this guy couldn’t get out of his own way. Last place all year

  • Drummond_1018

    Where is the power or clutch hitting on this team????? Youk must go

  • Mike D

    The problem we have is not the umpires, it’s people spending thousands of dollars for their kid to play baseball and thinking that a kid striking out is scarring them for life.  Guess what Bobby, every game has a winner and a loser.  So what about the pitcher who walked in the winning run? He’s now scarred for life right? UNBELIEVEABLE!

  • wisensale

    Bobby V. is a big cry baby. I loved how he hopped like the energizer bunny in front of umpire Gary Darling over a call at first base. How contrived and embarrassing! On another note, the audience at the Fairfield Historical Museum in Connecticut is still waiting for him to show up to talk about baseball in Japan – a gig he never showed up for a little over a year ago- just blew us off. And he’s concerned about justice?. There were little leaguers in that audience waiting for him to show up and give his talk..Are they now scarred for life? His arrogance will do him in and rightly so. I just love these “know-it-alls” like Bobby V. and Curt Schilling! Phonies, the two of them.

    • Rob

      Curt Schilling is not a phony.   Please justify that comment.

    • JJPAVAO

      So you were embarrassed?  You were at the game?  Or in your mothers living room?
      And did you know why he did not show up to the Fairfield Historical Museun in Connecticut?
      He’s concerned about improving the game of baseball for everyone.  He was talking about the bad calling of strikes and balls and how it could be improved.  As a “know-it-all” you must of missed that. 
      It’s quite obvious, that you are not a Bobby Valentine fan or a Curt Schilling fan.  But what about baseball?  Wouldn’t you like to see it improved?

  • Mav4un

    Not a Bobby V fan at all and I agree most of his frustrations stem from his team in the cellar.  That said, I think he is on target here.  What is a narrow or wide strike zone.  We have the technology now for a computer to call balls and strikes.  MLB players have a tough time picking up a good curve or cutter.  Do you think the umps have a better view?

  • Dmrsports

    3 words. Electronic Strike Zone!

  • Diane

    I’ve been saying for a long time that the “ball tracker” that appears in the bottom corner of the TV screen should be put up on the jumbotrons instead of the umpires calling balls and strikes.

  • Genie60

    i agree there should be something done to help the umps call correctly. one case in point is; in the beginning of the season, cody ross was up at bat, we had 2 on base and 2 outs. he was thrown about 9 or 10 pitches and was struck out. however when ya looked at the amica pitch zone, EVERY one of those pitches were outside. and i dont mean on the border of outside, but WAY outside. he should have been walked but he was struck out. also hasnt there been an ump that was suspended a few games for such bad calling?? heard it on radio but not sure what ump it was.

    • Rob

      I remember that game.  It was sickening.   Ross was going good at that point also.  I remember him slamming his bat down and yelling “that was NOT a strike!!!”   and he was absolutely right.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1625461443 facebook-1625461443

    Bobby V is dooming the Red Sox as long as he is Manager, The umps will always rule against the R-Sox as long as he is there.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Patrick-DeBoard/100000443778325 Patrick DeBoard

    I love this guy Bobby V!  He makes good sense, and he’s right.  Pitchers love to throw a pitch that will barely nick a corner of the plate as it goes through the hitting zone.  When it’s a curve ball, it might nick just one corner but not both corners on the same side of the plate.  If it breaks hard, it could catch the front corner and be six inches outside the back corner, for example.

  • beisbol fan

    Life is not always fair, and baseball is perfect.  I look forward to Valentine getting fired and sent back to Japan where we dont have to hear from him anymore.

    • Lawrence Mancini

      Yes, lets take the human element out of the game by getting rid of Booby V.

      • DDahlin

        Lawrence:

        You’re spot on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • JJPAVAO

      Another Bobby Valentine hater.  Instead of talking about the strike zone you pick on Bobby.  Really missed the whole point of Bobby’s complaint.  Trying to improve the game for everyone, every team.

  • confused

    If the umpires can’t see the ball for the last 5 or 6 feet to call a ball or strike how the heck do the batters see it well enough to hit it? 

    • Joe pavao

      Because the hitters swing at pitches that are close to but not neccesarily in the strike zone.  And remember that a good hitter only gets about a third of the balls he hits for a base hit.

    • JJPAVAO

      There is a big difference between calling a pitch a ball or a strike and placing the bat on it.

  • drtompitt

    Some of the adverse comments here are difficult to understand.  How would the commenters appreciate it if policemen fined them for speeding, even even if they were driving a few miles underneath the speed limit?  Or if their bosses told them they could not use calculators on the job errors, and they would be fired if they made too many mathematical errors. Or that your job rating was good, but s/he had decided to change what he personally now feels are more important factors in your retention and was firing you?  I could go on but (perhaps) you get the point.  I umpired for years.  And there would be nothing wrong with having an electronic assist to insure the correctness of one’s call. (Except for some of the major umpire egoes involved!)  It’s the twenty-first century…change or be left behind. THE JOB OF THE UMPIRES IS TO INSURE THE OUTCOME OF THE GAME IS THE RESULT OF THE RULES BEING FOLLOWED, NOT TO “ADD A ‘HUMAN ELEMENT’/MISTAKES TO THE GAME! 

  • Katnpop

    I suppose he wants robots

    • JJPAVAO

      No, he just wants to improve the game for all of us.

  • Katnpop

    A lot of things today probably could be replaced with technology. When they come around to replace your job to eliminate human error what song will you be singing then

    • JJPAVAO

      So, lets not improve anything, so that we can give people jobs?  Stop all technology and make everything by hand.  Get rid of the computers and medical miracles that save lifes.  WOW.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Shapiro/100001727264988 Michael Shapiro

    To all of those who wrote that is “easy” to have a machine make the ball/strike calls.  You are wrong and have probably not read the rules of baseball.  

    First, the low point of the strike zone is just below the hollow beneath the kneecap. The high point is a line midway between the top of the shoulders and the top of the batter’s pants.  All of which is calculated when the batter takes his normal stance preparing to bat.  Besides varying from batter to batter, how would you adjust a machine to account for the variations?  Also, the other dimension is at any point over the plate.  That means that with a five sided plate, a ball could, easily, curve across the plate just at the “roof” and not actually cross the plate.  It ain’t so easy!

    OTOH, umpires can see the last 5-6 feet of travel.  

    Baseball should actually recognize that some umpires are better at doing the plate and others better on the bases.  Make that leap.  

    • JJPAVAO

      So you say that a camera and computer can not align itself to the knee and shoulders of a batter?  That the amica strike zone if no good?  That there is technology in the world that can perform operations on the brain of a human, but no technology that can measure the strike zone because batters are of different heights?

      I believe that the technology exist and could be implemented if wanted.  It would require getting the approval of the umpire union, players union and owners.

      • Michael Shapiro

        Sorry, your response didn’t make sense and you have shown that you don’t know the rules of Baseball.  Double check them.

      • Rob

        You make a great point.  I think it is achievable also, even with batters’ varying heights.   definitely “doable” with the stunning technology of today, which will even be better tomorrow.    The main block to going to something like this would be the overwhelming numbers of “diehard oldschoolers” who will poo poo it just for old time’s sake.

    • Dmrsports

       I have to respectfully say, you don’t know what your talking about. The Pitchfx computer system analyzes in 3D imagery. Therefore, corners 4, and 5 (the roof, as you call it) are analyzed as well, for those roundhouse curves that cross the backside.  Also, the strike zone is adjusted for each batter. FYI, I know the rules of baseball very well!

  • Dvzee1

    Here’s a guy in baseball for many years and losing big time. All the sudden he sees a way to divert the heat. If he was winning he would be strutting around bragging about the game. The difference is the TV showing and reshowing, and different angles show different results. 

  • Raider3

    Here’s the thing, here in the States a manager and player always say that they don’t care what the zone is as long as the zone stays consistent throughout the game. Problem with this philosophy is that it’s going to take at least 4 pitches to know where each corner of the zone is and then it’s going to take a few for breaking balls and maybe a few more every time a new pitcher that pitches from the other side enters the game. With those 6 pitches, (and we know every pitcher doesn’t come into the game and throw all 4 corners to start the game) the game could already be lost with how the umpire calls those 1st few pitches. The zone should not be different day to day or even umpire to umpire, it should be as the book states that it is in the rule book. I have been to a ton of games in Japan and every zone and every umpire calls the zone just as the book says it is and every pitcher, catcher and hitter knows it’s going to be the same every game no matter what. It doesn’t matter who’s hitting, who’s pitching or if a rookie is at bat or pitching, it is always the same. I honestly think Valentine is saying this because of his time in Japan and doesn’t want to bring up Japanese baseball because that will cause a little riff in itself. But I do agree that it should be done in a different manner. 

  • Rstover754

    the umpires are terrible. Each one has there own strike zone, American League Strike zone, National league strike zone, that all bull. having played in the 60′s, it was arm pits to knees, over the plate, never heard of the black. Watch and you will see that there all different. Learn to pitch and hit by the rules, not the way an umpire calls it, different every night.

  • Peter D’Ambra

    I’m 62 years old and I’ve watched umpires blow calls for 55 of those years.. Bobby is absolutely right, the time has come to get it right.. Maybe Bobby can’t come right out and say it but I can, the technology is here, AUTOMATE the strike zone.. It absolutely can be done. Forget this Human Element BS. Enough is enough. It’s been done in Pro Tennis and it’s made it a better game. What’s a player to do, argue with a machine, no it is what it is.. Pitcher’s would pitch with more confidence and so would the batters feel they aren’t getting hosed. Bobby is right went he says it’s an impossible for a human to be 100% consistent. A machine would be CONSISTENT. But as long as we have this moron Commissioner Automation of the strike zone will never come to be. We live in miraculous times, technology has come a long way over the past decade. Time to get it right…       

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/6GMEORL3IMTFB4PH6Y3IH4H33I Booda

    I agree. Find a way to call balls and strikes electronically and accurately. It’s unbelievable that some umpires are allowed to call a strike when the pitch is 3 or 4 inches or more off the plate to a right-handed batter, but then call the same pitch a ball when it’s inside to a lefty. “As long as it’s consistent,” runs the argument. It’s a weak, BS argument. This is the 21st century, and I have to agree: MLB could get it right if they wanted to.

  • Dkern2561

    I agree with Bobby.  

  • http://www.facebook.com/jack.charm.52 Jack Charm

    The Amica Strike zone could be made to call thew ball or strike to the umpire electronically, but the umpire still would have to call strikes when the ball makes contact with the bat, foul balls and balls dropped by a catcher on strike 3. That would tak a lot of mistakes out of the most important part of the game.

  • Larry33

    Josh Smith will come here as a free agent. Rondo is his closest friend, they grew up together and he has said more then once that he wants to come here. Danny has to make it happen.

    • Marshallshouse74

      I would like to see the C’s hold on to Green to get this done though. They would be a dangerous team in  transition.

  • Marshallshouse74

    Glad Rondo is off the market. He is a game changer. All those who don’t see it, don’t WANT to see it.

    • sjangers

      He is a game changer.  Sometimes it’s in a good way and sometimes it’s in a bad way.  The whole Jekyll and Hyde thing- the lack of emotional maturity- is what makes Rondo so frustrating.  If the Celtics could bring in a point guard with eight-five or ninety percent of Rondo’s ability but who gives everything he has every time he steps on the floor, the team would be better off with that player.

      • http://www.facebook.com/derek.lee.82 Derek Lee

        No

    • Stephen in Newton

      I agree with you but people turned on him after Celtics struggled and then went 9 -2 without him.They apparently have forgotten his stellar play the previous four seasons and hey Holly and Pete want KG and Pierce gone as of tonight.They say toss the two stars away get younger NOW and forget the current team.With that type of logic I say entertain the thought to part with Brady just to make a point.Celtics can win around or two and the Patriots have been bounced 3 of four years and no talk of dumping Brady even though he is same age as KG and plays a tougher sport.KG is playing well and last May and June almost at the top of his game a mere 9 months ago.Rondo and Pierce as well as KG might all be gone but hey enjoy Bledsoe.

  • H Bouley

    Rondo is off the market because the only teams that would be interested are team looking to win NOW and  who wants a point guard tha cant play till next year.

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