-Which desire was/is stronger?: Ted Thompson to get Brett Favre out of Green Bay, or Theo Epstein to get Manny Ramirez out of Boston?
-Brett Favre refused to talk to the Buccaneers and the Jets, and recently it has been reported that the Packers have at least internally entertained the idea of trading Favre to an NFC North rival like Chicago or Minnesota. Maybe I will still be right. Maybe Favre will be wearing Vikings purple on the Monday Night Football stage on Monday September 8th.
-With Manny Ramirez now in Los Angeles, what do the Dodgers do with their other 750 outfielders? Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones, I guess, no problem, they are now overpaid part-timers. But Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp are young, developing players who need to be playing everyday. With Ramirez needing to be in the lineup most days, it'll be hard for both Ethier and Kemp to join him everyday. Florida would have made more sense, but they wanted money from the Red Sox on top of the 7 million to cover Manny's salary.
-The Detroit Tigers are 6 GB in their division, and 5.5 back in the Wild Card chase. Once interleague play ended on June 29th, the Tigers were surging at 41-40. Today they are only 55-53. They have strung together plenty of 6-4 stretches lately, but it has not been enough to help them gain significantly on either the White Sox or the Twins. They have shown no signs picking up the pace, and though Minnesota and Chicago have their flaws, they haven't really allowed Detroit back into it. The best thing Detroit has going for them is that neither Minnesota nor Chicago made any moves at the deadline to improve their team. Though, Minnesota could soon add Francisco Liriano into the mix, which could be a crucial in-house acquisition.
-The Tampa Bay Rays stood pat at the deadline. They were willing to part with Jeff Niemann to acquire Jason Bay, but they believed that the Pirates' counter-offer, demanding Wade Davis, way too high a price to pay. So, Pittsburgh trades Bay to Tampa's divisional rival. Tampa Bay had a serious chance to win the tough AL East, and there really is no telling when they are going to get another chance. They'll be competitive next year, because their core is young, but Boston and New York could spend big bucks to gain on Tampa, maybe or probably even pass them.
-Just as I head out: Some continued Favre-watch. Amidst all of the trade-deadline talk, ESPN still managed to squeeze in plenty of Favre talk. ESPN flies Mark Schlereth and Sal Paolantonio to San Diego Chargers' training camp all for a three-minute bit on the prime-time Sportscenter. Chris Mortensen, waiting with flowers for Favre in Wisconsin got a ton more air time with today's Favre bottom-line crawl of the day: "Favre charters a private plan to Green Bay." Apparently the Jets are very interested in Favre. It's not Minnesota, I'll give up my prediction, God, just kill this story.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Daily Grind
-I am looking for more writers. I would like to update this blog AT LEAST daily. And I simply do not have the time. And we might not have the time between Carty, myself and Pratt. If you are interested email me at samuel.leroy1985@gmail.com.
-The Los Angeles Angels of Disneyland added some thump to their lineup, acquiring Braves first baseman Mark Texiera for minor league pitcher Stephen Marek and Casey Kotchman. Its win-win for both sides. Atlanta was going nowhere this year, so they traded an impending free agent for a solid first baseman they control for three years and a potential future closer in Marek. The Angels, one of the stronger money-making franchises in the league and maybe the best team in baseball (who else has come into Fenway and won two series this season?) acquire some serious power, and a player owner Arte Moreno has the means to resign, even if he is a Boras client.
-Both the Angels and the Diamondbacks are the strongest teams in their weak Western divisions. The Angels may be running away with it more so than the Diamondbacks, but Arizona is probably still the class in their division. They were also the top contenders for Teixera's services. Arizona was willing to part with Chad Tracy, but were either partially or completely against the idea of trading Conor Jackson, Max Scherzer or Jarrod Parker to go with Tracy. Arizona's farm system was raided in their acquisition of Dan Haren, and they obviously didn't feel that as a small market team, they were able to purge it anymore for a rental player in Teixera. And that is fair from their perspective, but Arizona cannot be taken seriously as a playoff contender in October with their shoddy +20 run differential, the worst among MLB divisional leaders by 20 runs (Tampa is second worst at +40).
-I leave the sports media blogging to Boston Sports Media Watch, Neil Best's Watchdog Blog, and Awful Announcing. But, Best recently reported that Chris "Mad Dog" Russo may soon be leaving WFAN in New York for a plush gig with Sirius satellite radio. Russo has a shrill voice, and can be quite goofy, but he should be great covering sports on a national level. He has never been much of a New York homer, so in a way, New York City was never a perfect fit. I'll be excited to see Russo on Sirius. He'll need a partner though. May I suggest Tony Kornheiser?
-I was not the least bit surprised to find "Brett Favre signs reinstatement papers" on the ESPNews bottom crawl in front of the Teixera trade. Of course that is bigger news. I am sure its currently in front of both the Teixera trade and the Artest trade. This follows previous crawls like "Brett Favre has not signed reinstatement papers," "Brett Favre does not report to camp," "Brett Favre says he wants to get traded," "NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will not act to day on Favre's reinstatement papers," "Brett Favre fumbled his car keys," you get the idea.
-The Houston Rockets are apparently going to trade for disgruntled Sacramento King Ron Artest. The Kings are netting a pretty solid package in Bobby Jackson, a 2009 first rounder, and a third player, rumored to be 2008 draftee Donte Green out of Syracuse. So I guess the Rockets' starting five is going to be Rafer Alston, Tracy McGrady, Artest, Scola and Yao Ming. Shane Battier is relegated to the bench after showing over the last two years that he was not the sole piece missing to get Houston and McGrady out of the first round of the playoffs.
-The Los Angeles Angels of Disneyland added some thump to their lineup, acquiring Braves first baseman Mark Texiera for minor league pitcher Stephen Marek and Casey Kotchman. Its win-win for both sides. Atlanta was going nowhere this year, so they traded an impending free agent for a solid first baseman they control for three years and a potential future closer in Marek. The Angels, one of the stronger money-making franchises in the league and maybe the best team in baseball (who else has come into Fenway and won two series this season?) acquire some serious power, and a player owner Arte Moreno has the means to resign, even if he is a Boras client.
-Both the Angels and the Diamondbacks are the strongest teams in their weak Western divisions. The Angels may be running away with it more so than the Diamondbacks, but Arizona is probably still the class in their division. They were also the top contenders for Teixera's services. Arizona was willing to part with Chad Tracy, but were either partially or completely against the idea of trading Conor Jackson, Max Scherzer or Jarrod Parker to go with Tracy. Arizona's farm system was raided in their acquisition of Dan Haren, and they obviously didn't feel that as a small market team, they were able to purge it anymore for a rental player in Teixera. And that is fair from their perspective, but Arizona cannot be taken seriously as a playoff contender in October with their shoddy +20 run differential, the worst among MLB divisional leaders by 20 runs (Tampa is second worst at +40).
-I leave the sports media blogging to Boston Sports Media Watch, Neil Best's Watchdog Blog, and Awful Announcing. But, Best recently reported that Chris "Mad Dog" Russo may soon be leaving WFAN in New York for a plush gig with Sirius satellite radio. Russo has a shrill voice, and can be quite goofy, but he should be great covering sports on a national level. He has never been much of a New York homer, so in a way, New York City was never a perfect fit. I'll be excited to see Russo on Sirius. He'll need a partner though. May I suggest Tony Kornheiser?
-I was not the least bit surprised to find "Brett Favre signs reinstatement papers" on the ESPNews bottom crawl in front of the Teixera trade. Of course that is bigger news. I am sure its currently in front of both the Teixera trade and the Artest trade. This follows previous crawls like "Brett Favre has not signed reinstatement papers," "Brett Favre does not report to camp," "Brett Favre says he wants to get traded," "NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will not act to day on Favre's reinstatement papers," "Brett Favre fumbled his car keys," you get the idea.
-The Houston Rockets are apparently going to trade for disgruntled Sacramento King Ron Artest. The Kings are netting a pretty solid package in Bobby Jackson, a 2009 first rounder, and a third player, rumored to be 2008 draftee Donte Green out of Syracuse. So I guess the Rockets' starting five is going to be Rafer Alston, Tracy McGrady, Artest, Scola and Yao Ming. Shane Battier is relegated to the bench after showing over the last two years that he was not the sole piece missing to get Houston and McGrady out of the first round of the playoffs.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
The Final Act?
Dan Shaughnessy, Steve Buckley, and Sean McAdam all wrote about "it" today. "It" is the latest sports-talk fodder and, for the first time for many card-carrying Nation-ers, "it" has become a topic of discussion - a formerly unmentionable, unwhisperable proposition for the better part of two or three years.
The "it" is Manny Ramirez being shipped out of town and, while this "it" has been brought up in the past, the Mannymoon has continued in Boston.
All milestones, championships, and high-fives aside, it may be the right time to discuss "it". By many accounts, the whole "Manny being Manny" thing has jumped the shark. Aloof, studious, devastating, frustrating, and funny all rolled into one, lately it's been the negative images attached to the future HOFer. Words like "push" and "64-year-old man" have popped up. Words like "fined" and "disciplined" are inserted into headlines where words of heroics once stood.
One of the last and most prominent remnants of a Dan Duquette era gone, but never forgotten, the $160 million act is getting old and so is Ramirez. If Boston chose to pick up his two option seasons, Ramirez would be swinging the stick at Fenway until he was 38-years-old.
Are we to expect Manny-esque numbers as his youth (at least in a physical capacity) leaves him? Looking at the rest of the 500 home run club, there are very mixed results for post age 36 play.
So the results, as I interpret them, are inconclusive. You can remove older players or more recent players from consideration for various reasons (steroids, medical advances, etc), but the facts are there. What happens from here is impossible to predict, but there are two superstar players being dangled on the market - Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday - and the Red Sox, for the first time ever, could get a good return for Ramirez. Mike Cameron, Lastings Milledge, and cash were rumored to be Boston-bound at the trade deadline in 2005, but the deal was nixed when the Sox asked for another prospect. None of that.
The only obstacle - and a fairly major one at that - would be Manny's 10/5 no-trade clause. He would have to approve a deal to any team. Would you approve a trade to Atlanta or Colorado? It would have to be a sign and trade, most likely, which isn't likely.
Manny being Manny anywhere besides Boston just doesn't seem like a likely proposition. The double-armed home run salutes, brisk jogs down the first base line, and knee-slapping/infuiating fielding plays (or lack thereof) in left field appear as if they'll be played under the shadow of the Green Monster.
Just like Happy Days was destined for more irrelevant episodes after jumping it's shark (I'm still trying to find out what happened to Chuck Cunningham...), it doesn't seem like Ramirez will be moved. The difference is the Sox' ability to cuts ties with him after this season. It leaves a big hole - one that can't even be filled by a Big Papi.
Holliday becomes a free agent after 2009, but do you wait a season to try and sign him or fork over a couple prospects? Do you find a one-season stopgap til Holliday hits the market? Is it a smart idea to put all your eggs in one Coors Field-enhanced basket?
Teixeira is a free agent after this season, but he can't play left field. Do you sign the best hitter available and try to "work it out"? Do you trade Gold Glover Kevin Youkilis, who Manny sparred with, to get a player who statistically doesn't give you much more at first base? And, then, if you pay to keep Teixeira, do you pay Manny his $20 mil per year to patrol left field?
"It" is not a simple issue, but one day, whether now, next season, or the season after that, "it" will happen and it's up to the Sox to decide when the Manny Ramirez era will end.
The "it" is Manny Ramirez being shipped out of town and, while this "it" has been brought up in the past, the Mannymoon has continued in Boston.
All milestones, championships, and high-fives aside, it may be the right time to discuss "it". By many accounts, the whole "Manny being Manny" thing has jumped the shark. Aloof, studious, devastating, frustrating, and funny all rolled into one, lately it's been the negative images attached to the future HOFer. Words like "push" and "64-year-old man" have popped up. Words like "fined" and "disciplined" are inserted into headlines where words of heroics once stood.
One of the last and most prominent remnants of a Dan Duquette era gone, but never forgotten, the $160 million act is getting old and so is Ramirez. If Boston chose to pick up his two option seasons, Ramirez would be swinging the stick at Fenway until he was 38-years-old.
Are we to expect Manny-esque numbers as his youth (at least in a physical capacity) leaves him? Looking at the rest of the 500 home run club, there are very mixed results for post age 36 play.
- Aged to perfection: Barry Bonds "blew up" for 73 home runs at 36, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth were productive until age 39. Raffy Palmiero, Willie McCovey, Ted Williams, Ernie Banks, and Eddie Murray also enjoyed late success in their careers. 8/24, 33%
- The in-betweens: Ken Griffey Jr. started to fall apart in his early 30's, but has found some of his magic, maintaining a slugging percentage just shy of .500 the last two seasons. Mike Schmidt was a stud at 37 (35/113/.293/.548) and done at 38 (12/62/.249/.405) and Frank Thomas had one good season with Oakland at 38 (39/114/.270/.545) to report. Frank Robinson and Reggie Jackson also fall somewhere in the middle. 5/24, 21%
- Where's my teef?: Willie Mays started to fall off at 36, never besting 28 home runs or .291/.506 averages through his last seven uneventful seasons - trust me, it was quite the drop-off for him. McGwire's .187, 29 home run season was an embarrassment and Sammy Sosa's two stints at or after age 36 came in Baltimore and Texas to .221/.376 and .252/.456 clips. Mickey Mantle's sad final season came at age 36. Harmon Kilebrew, Jimmie Foxx, Eddie Matthews, and Mel Ott also tailed off. 8/24, 33%
- The null set: Ramirez, Jim Thome, and Alex Rodriguez. 3/24, 12%
So the results, as I interpret them, are inconclusive. You can remove older players or more recent players from consideration for various reasons (steroids, medical advances, etc), but the facts are there. What happens from here is impossible to predict, but there are two superstar players being dangled on the market - Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday - and the Red Sox, for the first time ever, could get a good return for Ramirez. Mike Cameron, Lastings Milledge, and cash were rumored to be Boston-bound at the trade deadline in 2005, but the deal was nixed when the Sox asked for another prospect. None of that.
The only obstacle - and a fairly major one at that - would be Manny's 10/5 no-trade clause. He would have to approve a deal to any team. Would you approve a trade to Atlanta or Colorado? It would have to be a sign and trade, most likely, which isn't likely.
Manny being Manny anywhere besides Boston just doesn't seem like a likely proposition. The double-armed home run salutes, brisk jogs down the first base line, and knee-slapping/infuiating fielding plays (or lack thereof) in left field appear as if they'll be played under the shadow of the Green Monster.
Just like Happy Days was destined for more irrelevant episodes after jumping it's shark (I'm still trying to find out what happened to Chuck Cunningham...), it doesn't seem like Ramirez will be moved. The difference is the Sox' ability to cuts ties with him after this season. It leaves a big hole - one that can't even be filled by a Big Papi.
Holliday becomes a free agent after 2009, but do you wait a season to try and sign him or fork over a couple prospects? Do you find a one-season stopgap til Holliday hits the market? Is it a smart idea to put all your eggs in one Coors Field-enhanced basket?
Teixeira is a free agent after this season, but he can't play left field. Do you sign the best hitter available and try to "work it out"? Do you trade Gold Glover Kevin Youkilis, who Manny sparred with, to get a player who statistically doesn't give you much more at first base? And, then, if you pay to keep Teixeira, do you pay Manny his $20 mil per year to patrol left field?
"It" is not a simple issue, but one day, whether now, next season, or the season after that, "it" will happen and it's up to the Sox to decide when the Manny Ramirez era will end.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The Daily Grind
Well, hopefully the lackluster updates have come to pass. The MLB pennant race is alive and well. NFL training camp has opened. Okay, I am not that excited about NFL training camp, not at least until a starting QB tears his ACL and a team calls on Brett Favre.
-The New York Mets are back in first place in the NL East after taking 2 of 3 from the Phillies. The Mets, by the way, were under .500 at 41-42 on July 1st. They are now 8-4 against the Phillies this season. Their mastery of their strongest divisional opponent is obviously a big reason why they are back on top. Of course, the Mets' and their abysmal 2-7 record against the Braves, who just are not a very good team.
The team is now 21-12 under interim manager Jerry Manuel. He might not have done enough yet to secure an extension, but it is clear the team is responding better to him, whether they will admit it or not, or whether it is something they truly believe they can control or if its subconscious.
Chase Utley and Carlos Delgado are big reasons why their teams are going in opposite directions. Chase Utley's 2008 NL MVP campaign got off to a blistering start with a .352 BA in April, but he has cooled off since .259, .266 and .257 batting averages in the months following. Meanwhile, Carlos Delgado spent the first two months of the season as the biggest punching bag Mets' fans have had since Bobby Bonilla, but that rhetoric has cooled off. In the first two months of the season Delgado had 12 HRs and a meager 25 RBI, in the two months since (July is still going, I know) he has 11 HRs and 34 RBI so far. Maybe its the weather too, Delgado hit .204 in April, and he's hitting .406 with a majestic .500 OBP in July.
-Two weeks ago, the Department of Defense revised its interpretation to require its cadets to serve to years of active duty. Lions head coach Rod Marinelli and recent draftee/West Point graduate Caleb Campbell were not informed of this until yesterday, on the eve of training camp starting. Campbell had already been issued a helmet, and now he is on his way to Iraq or Afghanistan. It's a bad move by the Department of Defense. Campbell had a commitment to the Army which he had fully intended to honor, and then they made a concession for him so he could play in the NFL, and serve the Army as a recruiter. Their decision to pull the rug out from under him this late, right before training camp opens was just a classless move by them. Plus, Campbell won't be able to do nearly as much for the Army in active duty, as he could as a high-profile recruiter. All you have to do is remember what David Robinson did for the Navy.
-Starting tomorrow, the Yankees and the Red Sox meet at Fenway Park with only 3 games separating the two in the standings. The Red Sox have performed supremely at home with a 36-11 record, they have been abysmal on the road, 8 games under .500 at 24-32 after a three-game sweep of the moribund Seattle Mariners. The Yankees have been much more balanced, 23-23 on the road and 33-22 at home. That strong home record for the Yankees is a result of an active ten-game home winning streak. Lets assume that both teams are strong at home, and middling on the road. Why is this? Let's look at some of both of the teams' more notable offensive players.
J.D. Drew, the All-Star game MVP has a .430 OBP at home, and a still-impressive, albeit much less successful .386 OBP on the road. Ditto for Manny Ramirez (who is iffy for this weekend) with a .418/.388 split. Ellsbury (.382/.284) and Crisp (.345/.281) seem to be the most egregious offenders. For the record, I know Ellsbury has batted .232 in July, and his average has fallen to .259 on the season, I have not given up on him. It's a sophomore slump. The kid is a very special player and will be for many years to come. Ellsbury had an OBP of .394 in his 33 regular season games last year. He had a .402 OBP in April this season. Pitchers may have figured him out a little bit, but not so much for fully account for his atrocious June OBP at .265 his July OBP of .275.
The Yankees have been playing well on the road so far this year with a 23-23 record. But they have a whole lot of road games coming up. 101 games into the season, and they have played 55 games at home, and 46 on the road. The Red Sox have the situation virtually reversed with 56 road games in the bank, compared to 47 at Fenway. It probably helps both teams that the Rays have already played 56 home games (at an incredible 40-16 clip), and will have to play 36 more road games (where they are 19-25).
Can the Yankees keep up this pace on the road? They average 4.33 runs per game on the road, and 5 runs per game at home. The Red Sox have an even greater gulf, averaging 4.34 runs on the road, and 5.83 runs at home. But, the Red Sox are going to be home. The Yankees need Giambi and Rodriguez to heat up on the road, where their splits have been too large for players as important to their teams as they are. Rodriguez has a .363 BA and a 1.144 OPS at Yankee Stadium, and underwhelming figures on the road in a .270 BA and a .825 OPS. Giambi who has been a god-send for the pinstripes this year has a .276 BA at home coupled with a 1.006 OPS, match that with comparitively abysmal road numbers at .235/.854.
-Mark Cuban is apparently in the final five being considered by the Tribune Co. to buy the Cubs. None of the remaining bids are supposed to be below a billion dollars. Pretty good for a group that bought the team in 1981 for 20 million dollars. The Tribune Co does not have the final word on who buys the Cubs, the approval of three-fourths of the other MLB owners is also required. Bud Selig and some of the more lethargic owners might not want to see Cuban in their fraternity. It's unfortunate, he has done so well to invigorate the Dallas Mavericks' franchise, and he could do the same in baseball. The Cubs do not need him as much as some other teams, like the Pittsburgh Pirates, who could have really used him. The Cubs situation is a long way from resolved, because supposedly the Tribune is trying to sell Wrigley Field separately from the Cubs themselves. Seems sketchy to me.
-It's not College Football season yet. But I am ready to dive in. Look at the USC schedule. Most teams that are contending for a BCS title choose to stack their non-conference schedule with cupcake home games. It's great for both sides. The BCS team rack up huge wins, which the BCS computers love, and the cupcake schools pick up a healthy check for rolling and taking the beating like the good sports they are. But, USC chooses to play Virginia and Ohio State to start the season. Certainly not easy games, and two of the better games in September. Meanwhile, another exciting Michigan non-conference schedule: Miami (OH), Utah, Toledo, and Notre Dame. Oh Boy!
I know the schools set up the easy schedule to give themselves the best chance to play in the big-money BCS bowls. It's still boring, and ultimately bad for a game that has a lot more opportunities and potential to produce exciting match-ups than the NFL.
-Auston English and James Laurinaitis (2007 Butkus Award Winner) will be the heavy favorites to rack up defensive player of the year awards after the regular season whether they deserve it or not. All too often college football individual awards are awarded on reputation, as opposed to merit. It is hard for the writers for follow 130+ teams, and all of their players, and this is just the result of that. Year in and year out.
Some small-school (smaller, at least) players who could be in the mix with English and Laurinatis: Wake Forest's Alphonso Smith (8 INT, 3 returned for TDs) and USF's George Selvie (14.5 sacks).
-On ESPN.com, under their search dialog, they advertise what they want us to believe are their "Hottest Searches." They listed "TitleTown," a supposed reference to inane Sportscenter special. Yeah, I just don't think the masses are clamoring for more information on "TitleTown" on ESPN.com. Please.
-The New York Mets are back in first place in the NL East after taking 2 of 3 from the Phillies. The Mets, by the way, were under .500 at 41-42 on July 1st. They are now 8-4 against the Phillies this season. Their mastery of their strongest divisional opponent is obviously a big reason why they are back on top. Of course, the Mets' and their abysmal 2-7 record against the Braves, who just are not a very good team.
The team is now 21-12 under interim manager Jerry Manuel. He might not have done enough yet to secure an extension, but it is clear the team is responding better to him, whether they will admit it or not, or whether it is something they truly believe they can control or if its subconscious.
Chase Utley and Carlos Delgado are big reasons why their teams are going in opposite directions. Chase Utley's 2008 NL MVP campaign got off to a blistering start with a .352 BA in April, but he has cooled off since .259, .266 and .257 batting averages in the months following. Meanwhile, Carlos Delgado spent the first two months of the season as the biggest punching bag Mets' fans have had since Bobby Bonilla, but that rhetoric has cooled off. In the first two months of the season Delgado had 12 HRs and a meager 25 RBI, in the two months since (July is still going, I know) he has 11 HRs and 34 RBI so far. Maybe its the weather too, Delgado hit .204 in April, and he's hitting .406 with a majestic .500 OBP in July.
-Two weeks ago, the Department of Defense revised its interpretation to require its cadets to serve to years of active duty. Lions head coach Rod Marinelli and recent draftee/West Point graduate Caleb Campbell were not informed of this until yesterday, on the eve of training camp starting. Campbell had already been issued a helmet, and now he is on his way to Iraq or Afghanistan. It's a bad move by the Department of Defense. Campbell had a commitment to the Army which he had fully intended to honor, and then they made a concession for him so he could play in the NFL, and serve the Army as a recruiter. Their decision to pull the rug out from under him this late, right before training camp opens was just a classless move by them. Plus, Campbell won't be able to do nearly as much for the Army in active duty, as he could as a high-profile recruiter. All you have to do is remember what David Robinson did for the Navy.
-Starting tomorrow, the Yankees and the Red Sox meet at Fenway Park with only 3 games separating the two in the standings. The Red Sox have performed supremely at home with a 36-11 record, they have been abysmal on the road, 8 games under .500 at 24-32 after a three-game sweep of the moribund Seattle Mariners. The Yankees have been much more balanced, 23-23 on the road and 33-22 at home. That strong home record for the Yankees is a result of an active ten-game home winning streak. Lets assume that both teams are strong at home, and middling on the road. Why is this? Let's look at some of both of the teams' more notable offensive players.
J.D. Drew, the All-Star game MVP has a .430 OBP at home, and a still-impressive, albeit much less successful .386 OBP on the road. Ditto for Manny Ramirez (who is iffy for this weekend) with a .418/.388 split. Ellsbury (.382/.284) and Crisp (.345/.281) seem to be the most egregious offenders. For the record, I know Ellsbury has batted .232 in July, and his average has fallen to .259 on the season, I have not given up on him. It's a sophomore slump. The kid is a very special player and will be for many years to come. Ellsbury had an OBP of .394 in his 33 regular season games last year. He had a .402 OBP in April this season. Pitchers may have figured him out a little bit, but not so much for fully account for his atrocious June OBP at .265 his July OBP of .275.
The Yankees have been playing well on the road so far this year with a 23-23 record. But they have a whole lot of road games coming up. 101 games into the season, and they have played 55 games at home, and 46 on the road. The Red Sox have the situation virtually reversed with 56 road games in the bank, compared to 47 at Fenway. It probably helps both teams that the Rays have already played 56 home games (at an incredible 40-16 clip), and will have to play 36 more road games (where they are 19-25).
Can the Yankees keep up this pace on the road? They average 4.33 runs per game on the road, and 5 runs per game at home. The Red Sox have an even greater gulf, averaging 4.34 runs on the road, and 5.83 runs at home. But, the Red Sox are going to be home. The Yankees need Giambi and Rodriguez to heat up on the road, where their splits have been too large for players as important to their teams as they are. Rodriguez has a .363 BA and a 1.144 OPS at Yankee Stadium, and underwhelming figures on the road in a .270 BA and a .825 OPS. Giambi who has been a god-send for the pinstripes this year has a .276 BA at home coupled with a 1.006 OPS, match that with comparitively abysmal road numbers at .235/.854.
-Mark Cuban is apparently in the final five being considered by the Tribune Co. to buy the Cubs. None of the remaining bids are supposed to be below a billion dollars. Pretty good for a group that bought the team in 1981 for 20 million dollars. The Tribune Co does not have the final word on who buys the Cubs, the approval of three-fourths of the other MLB owners is also required. Bud Selig and some of the more lethargic owners might not want to see Cuban in their fraternity. It's unfortunate, he has done so well to invigorate the Dallas Mavericks' franchise, and he could do the same in baseball. The Cubs do not need him as much as some other teams, like the Pittsburgh Pirates, who could have really used him. The Cubs situation is a long way from resolved, because supposedly the Tribune is trying to sell Wrigley Field separately from the Cubs themselves. Seems sketchy to me.
-It's not College Football season yet. But I am ready to dive in. Look at the USC schedule. Most teams that are contending for a BCS title choose to stack their non-conference schedule with cupcake home games. It's great for both sides. The BCS team rack up huge wins, which the BCS computers love, and the cupcake schools pick up a healthy check for rolling and taking the beating like the good sports they are. But, USC chooses to play Virginia and Ohio State to start the season. Certainly not easy games, and two of the better games in September. Meanwhile, another exciting Michigan non-conference schedule: Miami (OH), Utah, Toledo, and Notre Dame. Oh Boy!
I know the schools set up the easy schedule to give themselves the best chance to play in the big-money BCS bowls. It's still boring, and ultimately bad for a game that has a lot more opportunities and potential to produce exciting match-ups than the NFL.
-Auston English and James Laurinaitis (2007 Butkus Award Winner) will be the heavy favorites to rack up defensive player of the year awards after the regular season whether they deserve it or not. All too often college football individual awards are awarded on reputation, as opposed to merit. It is hard for the writers for follow 130+ teams, and all of their players, and this is just the result of that. Year in and year out.
Some small-school (smaller, at least) players who could be in the mix with English and Laurinatis: Wake Forest's Alphonso Smith (8 INT, 3 returned for TDs) and USF's George Selvie (14.5 sacks).
-On ESPN.com, under their search dialog, they advertise what they want us to believe are their "Hottest Searches." They listed "TitleTown," a supposed reference to inane Sportscenter special. Yeah, I just don't think the masses are clamoring for more information on "TitleTown" on ESPN.com. Please.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Daily Grind
-Joe Posnanski has a great new article up about Stan Musial. Stan Musial never hit 40 home runs in a season, but he is probably one of the top 15-20 players ever to play baseball. He loses a lot of deserved credit as a great player because he played in an era where Boston and New York dominated the baseball landscape, while the St. Louis Cardinals toiled in relative obscurity.
-Be sure to check out Dave Carty piece on the Oakland A's, Billy Beane, and pieces they have acquired in recent trades. Scroll down below this post, or click here. Easily the finest piece of writing featured in this blog.
-In the aforementioned Joe "Poz" article about Stan Musial, Joe mentions that Musial played in 3, 026 games, never once being issued an ejection. In the comments section of the same article, someone mentioned that Walt Frazier was never ejected in his 13-year NBA career. Frazier once held Knicks' franchise records for most games (759), minutes played (28,995), field goals attempted (11,669), field goals made (5,736), free throws attempted (4,017), free throws made (3,145), assists (4,791) and points (14,617). Patrick Ewing has since taken over most of those records, save for the assists record. Frazier is probably still the most beloved player in Knicks franchise history having been the best player on both of their championship teams. A class act, and a constant presence still to this day at Knicks games, doing color commentary on MSG with Mike Breen. And I am sure Knicks fans, and general NBA fans alike are aware of Bill Simmons' "Ewing Theory."
-Kudos to Mike Reiss, in his Football Notes in the Boston Globe today, reduced Brett Favre to a small blurb on the right side of the page. It was refreshing to get a nice, healthy dose of NFL chatter without Brett Favre dominating the conversation.
-Reiss discussed the Jets and the Chad Pennington/Kellen Clemens situation at great length. What really struck me was his mentioning of the Jets' big free agent signings, and their ages: Alan Faneca (31), Damien Woody (30) and Kris Jenkins (29). The Jets finished last season at 4-12 after going 10-6 the year before. I know things can turn around in a hurry in the NFL, but I wonder if signing older players to lengthy deals is a reasonable fix. Especially when you consider the recent injury history of Woody (13 games started in the last two seasons) and Jenkins (two season-ending injuries before his 27th birthday). In a frenzied media market like New York, GM Mike Tannenbaum and Head Coach Eric Mangini know that it would be hard to survive two poor seasons in a row. Meanwhile, neither Kellen Clemens or Chad Pennington have done much so far this offseason to distinguish either of themselves as sure-fire NFL starters.
-I took issue with The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo defending Twins' GM Bill Smith's decision to keep Francisco Liriano in the minors and fight Liriano's agent Greg Genske's call to the Players' Association to investigate why Liriano has not been called up. Here's the blurb, as usual, I do not want to use my poor grammar to articulate something someone else explained perfectly:
So, because the Twins are surprising people, and Hernandez is veteran and the "glue," Smith wants to ignore the fact that Hernandez just isn't a very good pitcher. Of the five starters currently in Minnesota's rotation (Hernandez, Blackburn, Slowey, Baker and Perkins), Hernandez has the worst ERA (5.29), WHIP (1.58), K/9 (3.31), and hits allowed (178 hits in 127.2 IP). But, it's all fine, he's the glue of the rotation because he won 10 games. Francisco Liriano, meanwhile, this season in Rochester (AAA) is 8-2 with a 3.34 ERA in 17 starts. I know its a far cry from his 2006 campaign when he was 12-3 with 2.16 ERA 16 starts and 12 relief appearances, but still he should be able to give Minny a better shot at winning every fifth day than Hernandez does. The biggest disparity between 2006 Liriano and 2008 Liriano? And probably the strongest arguement Smith has against promoting him? In 2006 Liriano walked 32, and struck out 144 (A 4.5 K/BB ratio). In AAA this season Liriano has 94 punchouts to 28 walks (A 3.36 K/BB ratio). He is obviously not the same pitcher he was in 2006, and may never be again, but still... If Smith and the Twins do not reinstate him, they should at least somehow credit him with some MLB service time, so that his arbitration situation is improved.
-The Oklahoma City Thunder. That might be the new name of the NBA team formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics. It sounds like an Arena Football Team. I am not sure, though, that a team from Oklahoma City cannot sound like a minor league baseball team, or an "AFL" team.
-Just in: The Redskins acquired DE Jason Taylor from the Dolphins for a 2009 2nd round pick, and 2010 sixth-round pick. Pretty typical Redskins move: Trade out of the draft, upgrade a position with a 34-year old. Taylor should be pretty good for them, he is only a year and a half removed from being the NFL's defensive player of the year. But, if you a Redskins fan, aren't you a little frustrated that your team is constantly upgrading via free agency/trades when most recent Super Bowl champions can point to the draft as the dominant reason they won.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Outkast ft. Slick Rick- Da Art of Storytelling
-Be sure to check out Dave Carty piece on the Oakland A's, Billy Beane, and pieces they have acquired in recent trades. Scroll down below this post, or click here. Easily the finest piece of writing featured in this blog.
-In the aforementioned Joe "Poz" article about Stan Musial, Joe mentions that Musial played in 3, 026 games, never once being issued an ejection. In the comments section of the same article, someone mentioned that Walt Frazier was never ejected in his 13-year NBA career. Frazier once held Knicks' franchise records for most games (759), minutes played (28,995), field goals attempted (11,669), field goals made (5,736), free throws attempted (4,017), free throws made (3,145), assists (4,791) and points (14,617). Patrick Ewing has since taken over most of those records, save for the assists record. Frazier is probably still the most beloved player in Knicks franchise history having been the best player on both of their championship teams. A class act, and a constant presence still to this day at Knicks games, doing color commentary on MSG with Mike Breen. And I am sure Knicks fans, and general NBA fans alike are aware of Bill Simmons' "Ewing Theory."
-Kudos to Mike Reiss, in his Football Notes in the Boston Globe today, reduced Brett Favre to a small blurb on the right side of the page. It was refreshing to get a nice, healthy dose of NFL chatter without Brett Favre dominating the conversation.
-Reiss discussed the Jets and the Chad Pennington/Kellen Clemens situation at great length. What really struck me was his mentioning of the Jets' big free agent signings, and their ages: Alan Faneca (31), Damien Woody (30) and Kris Jenkins (29). The Jets finished last season at 4-12 after going 10-6 the year before. I know things can turn around in a hurry in the NFL, but I wonder if signing older players to lengthy deals is a reasonable fix. Especially when you consider the recent injury history of Woody (13 games started in the last two seasons) and Jenkins (two season-ending injuries before his 27th birthday). In a frenzied media market like New York, GM Mike Tannenbaum and Head Coach Eric Mangini know that it would be hard to survive two poor seasons in a row. Meanwhile, neither Kellen Clemens or Chad Pennington have done much so far this offseason to distinguish either of themselves as sure-fire NFL starters.
-I took issue with The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo defending Twins' GM Bill Smith's decision to keep Francisco Liriano in the minors and fight Liriano's agent Greg Genske's call to the Players' Association to investigate why Liriano has not been called up. Here's the blurb, as usual, I do not want to use my poor grammar to articulate something someone else explained perfectly:
Twins GM Bill Smith has shown great restraint in not reacting to agent Greg Genske, who's asking the Players Association to "investigate" why Francisco Liriano hasn't been brought up after winning seven straight games for Triple A Rochester. The team's strength has been its five starters, four young pitchers and one veteran, Livan Hernandez, who is the staff's glue. "I don't want to say too much about it," said Smith. "I think the agent is probably just doing his job. We love the success Liriano is having in Rochester, but our kids up here are pitching great and we've been on a roll and our team has played very well." Asked whether the Twins will try to upgrade with a deal, Smith said, "We have to be very careful because we love the chemistry on this team and the job our manager and coaches have done with a lot of new players. The last thing we want to do is disrupt that. We're always looking to upgrade, but it has to make sense."
So, because the Twins are surprising people, and Hernandez is veteran and the "glue," Smith wants to ignore the fact that Hernandez just isn't a very good pitcher. Of the five starters currently in Minnesota's rotation (Hernandez, Blackburn, Slowey, Baker and Perkins), Hernandez has the worst ERA (5.29), WHIP (1.58), K/9 (3.31), and hits allowed (178 hits in 127.2 IP). But, it's all fine, he's the glue of the rotation because he won 10 games. Francisco Liriano, meanwhile, this season in Rochester (AAA) is 8-2 with a 3.34 ERA in 17 starts. I know its a far cry from his 2006 campaign when he was 12-3 with 2.16 ERA 16 starts and 12 relief appearances, but still he should be able to give Minny a better shot at winning every fifth day than Hernandez does. The biggest disparity between 2006 Liriano and 2008 Liriano? And probably the strongest arguement Smith has against promoting him? In 2006 Liriano walked 32, and struck out 144 (A 4.5 K/BB ratio). In AAA this season Liriano has 94 punchouts to 28 walks (A 3.36 K/BB ratio). He is obviously not the same pitcher he was in 2006, and may never be again, but still... If Smith and the Twins do not reinstate him, they should at least somehow credit him with some MLB service time, so that his arbitration situation is improved.
-The Oklahoma City Thunder. That might be the new name of the NBA team formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics. It sounds like an Arena Football Team. I am not sure, though, that a team from Oklahoma City cannot sound like a minor league baseball team, or an "AFL" team.
-Just in: The Redskins acquired DE Jason Taylor from the Dolphins for a 2009 2nd round pick, and 2010 sixth-round pick. Pretty typical Redskins move: Trade out of the draft, upgrade a position with a 34-year old. Taylor should be pretty good for them, he is only a year and a half removed from being the NFL's defensive player of the year. But, if you a Redskins fan, aren't you a little frustrated that your team is constantly upgrading via free agency/trades when most recent Super Bowl champions can point to the draft as the dominant reason they won.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Outkast ft. Slick Rick- Da Art of Storytelling
Friday, July 18, 2008
Those Thirfty A's
Oakland's at it again. Actually, they have been since the end of the 2007 season, when the Athletics finished third in the AL West with an underwhelming 76-86 record - their first sub-.500 season since 1998. Last year, the A's opened up their wallets like not previously seen, spending over $79 million on the opening-day roster, their highest team payroll of the decade and probably ever (Cot's only goes back to 2000 and I don't have the Elias Sport Bureau to help).
Somewhere after the dust settled, Billy Beane, baseball's prince of price-crunching, decided a change was necessary. That's when the first bomb dropped. First Dan Haren was sent packing. Then Marco Scutaro, Mark Kotsay, and Nick Swisher changed addresses. Since the end of last season, eight players have been traded from the bay yielding - brace yourself - twenty players. Of the twenty, eleven were pitchers - five southpaws - and only six had thrown or faced a pitch in the bigs. The two most "experienced" - heavy quotation fingers flying - players acquired by Beane were outfielder 26 year old Matt Murton (870 major league at-bats) and 22 year old Sean Gallagher (73.1 IPs). Five of the players were among Baseball America's top 100 prospects to go with the other two Oakland already had (Daric Barton, #22 and Trevor Cahill, #98).
Among the departing Oakland players, only Swisher was signed beyond 2009 (Haren had an option). Some of Oakland's starters came at a bargain, but the green and gold never stood a chance to re-sign Harden. Thrifty? Why wait?
__________
Here's a breakdown of each trade...
__________
As it was, Oakland's 2008 opening day payroll was trimmed by $32 million and several salaries are off the books in 2009. Harden's $7, Swisher's $5.3, and Haren's $5.5 million contracts have all been outsourced. Alan Embree and Mark Ellis both have club options that are likely to be turned down for '09, freeing up another $5-$7 million. Emil Brown, Frank Thomas, Mike Sweeney, and Keith Foulke, all low-cost additions, all come off the books, which further purges the A's system.
All told, it's a fresh start for Oakland. It hasn't received quite as much attention as dismantling the Big Three, but the unloading is there. You can believe if Sweeney, Thomas, or Foulke were productive and healthy, Beane would shop them too. He can't get out from underneath Eric Chavez's albatross of a contract (they're stuck with him at $11 million until at least 2010), but he's done everything in his power to free up space and bring in prospects.
His 2008 incarnation is nothing to sneeze at. The Athletics are first in the league with a 3.38 team ERA, despite trading away three star pitchers. If Huston Street stays, the bullpen has a solid foundation. The offense leaves something to be desired, but that's what happens when Mike Sweeney, Frank Thomas, and Eric Chavez all go down with injuries.
So, what's next? The Athletics' payroll in 2009 projects to be even lower than this season's. The cash is there for a high level free agent or two to build up the offense. It's not the A's mantra, but it would put them right back in competition for next season. Next year's starting pitching will consist of surprise ace Justin Duchscherer and remnants of A's players past. The arrival date for many of these prospects is 2009 or 2010 at the latest, so a multi-year deal for, say, an Adam Dunn makes a lot of sense. It's addition-by-subtraction-and-more-addition.
For all that Oakland has jettisoned, it has gained very capable major leaguers. How long they stay with the Athletics remains to be seen. There are 'if's, as there always are. But if all goes according to Beane's plan, he can hold em and won't have to fold em.
Somewhere after the dust settled, Billy Beane, baseball's prince of price-crunching, decided a change was necessary. That's when the first bomb dropped. First Dan Haren was sent packing. Then Marco Scutaro, Mark Kotsay, and Nick Swisher changed addresses. Since the end of last season, eight players have been traded from the bay yielding - brace yourself - twenty players. Of the twenty, eleven were pitchers - five southpaws - and only six had thrown or faced a pitch in the bigs. The two most "experienced" - heavy quotation fingers flying - players acquired by Beane were outfielder 26 year old Matt Murton (870 major league at-bats) and 22 year old Sean Gallagher (73.1 IPs). Five of the players were among Baseball America's top 100 prospects to go with the other two Oakland already had (Daric Barton, #22 and Trevor Cahill, #98).
Among the departing Oakland players, only Swisher was signed beyond 2009 (Haren had an option). Some of Oakland's starters came at a bargain, but the green and gold never stood a chance to re-sign Harden. Thrifty? Why wait?
__________
Here's a breakdown of each trade...
- 11/18/07 - Traded INF Marco Scutaro to Toronto for Minor League RHP Kristian Bell and RHP Graham Godfrey.
Ok, so trading Marco Scutaro and his lifetime .259 average wasn't exactly earth-shattering news - if you even noticed in the first place. Scutaro brought his mediocrity to baseball's Mediocrity Heaven at the Rogers Centre (.261/.347/.333, 31 RBIs in 83 games) and Oakland began to build anew. Unfortunately, neither 24 year-old Bell (9.45 ERA at AA) or 23 year-old Godfrey (5.59 also at AA) have shown much in the way of progression. - 12/14/07 - Traded RHPs Dan Haren and Connor Robertson to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for LHPs Brett Anderson, Dana Eveland and Greg Smith, INF Chris Carter and OFs Aaron Cunningham and Carlos Gonzalez.
Merry Christmas, Arizona! Dan Haren, originally brought over to Oakland during Beane's Mark Mulder sale, has solidified Arizona's rotation (2.72 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 8.02 K/9 - all career bests). Too bad Arizona still hasn't learned to hit. Robertson has also sipped from the big cup this season.
Meanwhile, two-fifths of Oakland's rotation is comprised of players acquired in the deal. Eveland, 24, is a horse (6'1", 215 or 240, depending on who you believe) who has quietly put together one of the American League's best seasons. Smith, in his first big league stint, has joined the fun. He's drawn comparisons to Mark Mulder and Ted Lilly (must be the hat) as a soft-throwing lefty. He's been getting plenty of outs, though. In addition, three of Baseball America's top 100 prospects came over in this deal - Carlos Gonzalez, #26; Brett Anderson, #50; Chris Carter, #99. Gonzalez, 22, has shown positive early returns (.276 batting average) but needs to develop some plate discipline (4 BB in 146 ABs, yikes). Anderson was promoted to AA with Cahill and both have been named to the USA Olympic team. If he keeps up his numbers (5.14 K/BB, career minor league), the 20 year old could make the 2009 rotation out of Spring Training. Carter (.576 slg, 27 HRs, 20 2Bs in 340 ABs) has shown tremendous power but needs to hit for more contact and refine his play in the field (he's currently DHing for high-A Stockton) and Cunningham is a good all-around player.
Needless to say, Oakland got a fine return for Haren. Whether or not Haren would have pushed Oakland to the top of the AL West is a topic to be debated, but he couldn't do it last year. Every one of the six players acquired in this deal could see major league time and three of the members could comprise most of Oakland's rotation next season. Not too shabby. - 1/3/08 - Traded OF Nick Swisher to the Chicago White Sox for LHP Gio Gonzalez, RHP Fautino De Los Santos and OF Ryan Sweeney.
The rock star Swisher may never match his power totals of 2005 (35 HRs, 95 RBIs, .493 slg%) and will never be known as a contact hitter (.249 career BA), but this year's numbers (.236, 12 HRs) combined with those of Paul Konerko, are ugly enough to frighten children all over the south side and may ultimately doom the ChiSox championship hopes.
Gio Gonzalez, 22, has straightened the ship as of late (0.95 ERA in his last four starts) and figures to take Joe Blanton's spot in the rotation. He led the minor leagues in strikeout with 185 last season, showing the tiny southpaw has big-time ability. Ryan Sweeney is hitting .301 in 206 at-bats with Oakland. He's never been much of a power hitter, but a .300 average at 23 years old out of the third best prospect in the trade sounds like a success to me. This season he's played at least 10 games at each outfield position and still has not committed an error at the major league level. De los Santos will be out for up to a year after undergoing elbow-ligament-replacement surgery, but was considered a top prospect with Chicago. - 1/14/08 - Acquired RHP Joey Devine, nonroster RHP Jamie Richmond and cash from the Braves for OF Mark Kotsay and cash (about $5 mil).
Oakland had to cough up some cash to unload Kotsay (similar to Edgar Renteria going to the Braves...or to the Tigers for that matter). Kotsay's 2008 average is right on par with his career - .279, .282 respectively - but whatever power and speed he had is long gone.
Joey Devine allowed only three runs in 22 innings and striking out 28 before hitting the infirmary with elbow inflammation. Richmond, a non-roster invitee, has started 18 games for Kane County with a 4.26 ERA.
Beane was able to dump some salary and free a spot for Sweeney in centerfield and get some prospects in return. That's multi-tasking the Billy Beane Way! - 7/8/08 - Sent RHPs Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin to the Chicago Cubs for RHP Sean Gallagher, C Josh Donaldson, INF Eric Patterson and OF Matt Murton.
Beane cast off the oft-injured Harden (only 32 starts from 2005-2007) and spot-starter Gaudin for a mix of talent and potential.Gallagher filled Rich Hill's spot in the Cubs' rotation after he struggled out of the gate. Since then he has proven an effective starter and, at 22, he has plenty of time to meet and exceed expectations as a permanent member of Oakland's rotation. Murton may never be a star, but he never got the chance to show his ability under Lou Piniella. If 20 HR potential isn't in his future, a career as a role player in the bigs is likely. Patterson is just a spare piece and Donaldson, a 2007 sandwich pick, has turned around a rough season a bit since arriving in Stockton.
- 7/17/08 - Acquired INF Adrian Cardenas, LHP Josh Outman and OF Matt Spencer from the Philadelphia Phillies for RHP Joe Blanton.
Blanton finished second last season in innings pitched and has started at least 31 games each season since 2005. His ability to eat innings - not always effectively - and activity by National League competitors are what enticed the Phillies, but it came at a steep price.
Cardenas (#2) and Outman (#4) were two of the Phillies' top 5 prospects according to Baseball America. Cardenas, who turns 21 in October, is hitting .303 in his minor league career (.309 this season at high-A) and has some wheels stealing 48 out of 58 bases. Outman, 23, has a killer slider and could advance to AAA this year and A's bullpen in 2009. Spencer is a throw-in with power potential and not much else at the moment.
__________
As it was, Oakland's 2008 opening day payroll was trimmed by $32 million and several salaries are off the books in 2009. Harden's $7, Swisher's $5.3, and Haren's $5.5 million contracts have all been outsourced. Alan Embree and Mark Ellis both have club options that are likely to be turned down for '09, freeing up another $5-$7 million. Emil Brown, Frank Thomas, Mike Sweeney, and Keith Foulke, all low-cost additions, all come off the books, which further purges the A's system.
All told, it's a fresh start for Oakland. It hasn't received quite as much attention as dismantling the Big Three, but the unloading is there. You can believe if Sweeney, Thomas, or Foulke were productive and healthy, Beane would shop them too. He can't get out from underneath Eric Chavez's albatross of a contract (they're stuck with him at $11 million until at least 2010), but he's done everything in his power to free up space and bring in prospects.
His 2008 incarnation is nothing to sneeze at. The Athletics are first in the league with a 3.38 team ERA, despite trading away three star pitchers. If Huston Street stays, the bullpen has a solid foundation. The offense leaves something to be desired, but that's what happens when Mike Sweeney, Frank Thomas, and Eric Chavez all go down with injuries.
So, what's next? The Athletics' payroll in 2009 projects to be even lower than this season's. The cash is there for a high level free agent or two to build up the offense. It's not the A's mantra, but it would put them right back in competition for next season. Next year's starting pitching will consist of surprise ace Justin Duchscherer and remnants of A's players past. The arrival date for many of these prospects is 2009 or 2010 at the latest, so a multi-year deal for, say, an Adam Dunn makes a lot of sense. It's addition-by-subtraction-and-more-addition.
For all that Oakland has jettisoned, it has gained very capable major leaguers. How long they stay with the Athletics remains to be seen. There are 'if's, as there always are. But if all goes according to Beane's plan, he can hold em and won't have to fold em.
The Daily Grind
In his column today, Bob Ryan thanked Brett Favre for giving himself and other pundits something to talk about this week, the slowest week of the year in sports. I will not thank Brett Favre, though I could. I did talk about it. Not really, though, because I want to, but because I had to. But, man, this is a slow, slow sports week. It's over now. "Real" baseball is back in full swing, and I couldn't be happier.
-I avoided discussing the Ramirez/traveling secretary saga in this space. Because, I really don't care. The people that spend time discussing incidents like that do so, in my opinion, because they don't like the actually sports enough. They in turn need to discuss the external factors, and embellish them.
But, today Bob Lobel, formerly the sports director of WBZ-Boston (CBS) suggested that Ramirez intentionally stood in the batter's box and took three called strikes from Mariano Riviera on July 6th as a form of protest against the Red Sox management. This is the stuff that really matters. If Ramirez really carried his grievances against the team management onto the field, then in my mind, his legacy is permanently scarred.
Since July 6th, Ramirez and team owner John Henry famously sparred in the papers. I will just print Manny's remarks, because they don't often make 100% sense to me: "no more [expletive] where they tell you one thing and behind your back they do another thing." Henry shot back saying that he "find(s) remarks that we have been anything other than completely straightforward to be personally offensive." If this is Ramirez's last year with Boston, and I do not believe it is, but if it is, he is going out in Pedro-like fashion.
-James Posey signed a 4 year, 25 million dollar deal with the New Orleans Hornets. The Celtics will probably resign Tony Allen, and give him a greater role this coming season. Another example of years being more important than money. In addition to the Celtics being in luxury tax hell as it is, they are an incredibly old team as it is. Paul Pierce will be 31 in October. Ray Allen is 33 in two days. And Garnett is 32. With Posey at age 31, the team simply could not lock up another 30+ player in a lengthy contract.
Posey is a special player, maybe the most special 7ppg player on the planet. He cannot be fully replaced. But with Tony Allen back, and Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens on board, the Celtics have players that if they play up to their potential can give the team the energy, defense, toughness, athleticism and tenacity that Posey gave them in time. The Celtics are now more likely to give Eddie House a second year in a deal to resign him.
-Four series to check out this weekend in the MLB: NYM@CIN, BOS@ANA, PHI@FLA, and LAD@ARI.
The Mets have been rolling, winning their tenth straight game last night. They have been showing a ton of resilience lately. They have been playing with heart. This sounds cliche, and it is. But, I feel compelled to put it in writing because it is the Mets, the most lethargic, underwhelming, pathetic, under-performing team in league for the first 85 games of the season. Suddenly, they have come to life, I guess I have to give Jerry Manuel a lot of credit. He has changed the culture in the Mets' clubhouse, it might not even be anything he has done, it might just be that he is not Willie Randolph.
The Angels and the Red Sox are probably the two best teams in the American League, and they are going head-to-head this weekend. What else do I have to write? Do I have to hype it? Three serious statement games for both teams. In the first game of the series Clay Buchholz returns to the rotations, looking to bounce back from a disastrous first stint, where he garnered a 5.40 ERA.
The Phillies and the Marlins duel this weekend in Miami. Both teams are deeply flawed in terms of their starting rotations. The Phillies are 11th in the NL in starters' ERA at 4.48, and the Marlins are 14th with a 5.18 ERA. The Phillies' crappy old starting pitching versus the Marlins' youthful, inconsistent starting pitching. The two teams are #1 (Florida, 135) and #2 (Philadelphia, 132) in the National League in home runs. If you like offense and middling starting pitching, it should be an exciting series to check out this weekend.
I love the Marlins' closer Kevin Gregg. He is not a perfect, he has 20 saves, and 6 blown saves. What continues to impress me about Gregg is his ability to pitch out of trouble. He is not a great pitcher by any stretch of the imagination. He does not have the best stuff, but he has ice water in his veins. A lot of this, I think can be attributed to his previous job as a setup pitcher with Anaheim from 2003-2006. I love the inherited runners-to-inherited runners scored ratio, and Gregg has been consistently impressive in that regard. An 11/0 ration this season. A great 20/3 ratio last season, his first season as a full time closer. I'll also throw out a tidy 29/11 ratio from 2004.
I dedicated a healthy paragraph to fawning over Kevin Gregg. I have to at least acknowledge the amazing season Brad Lidge is having. He has not blown a save this season after blowing eight last season. His ERA has shrunk from 3.36 last season to 1.13 this season. Is he a rare closer who warrants consideration as a Cy Young candidate? I love Gregg, but advantage Phillies in the closer column.
Oh yeah, and the Dodgers and Arizona do battle this weekend. Who will the NL West? Who sucks the least? I feel like the NL West has sucked nine out of the last ten years. Pratt, wanna help me on this one?
-My mind has been scattered all day. I was up until 4am last night. I saw The Dark Knight at a midnight showing. It is a pretty special film. Probably the most impressive superhero film ever made. Heath Ledger was probably the most layered, interesting, maniacal, funny, enduring, genuine villain I have ever seen on film. Ledger will probably receive a posthumous Oscar nomination, if not an outright win. Ledger is now atop my all-time Joker rankings. Here's the list:
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Public Enemy- 911 Is A Joke
I have phased out the miscellaneous video of the day. I think and hope we can all agree that this feature is much more fun.
-I avoided discussing the Ramirez/traveling secretary saga in this space. Because, I really don't care. The people that spend time discussing incidents like that do so, in my opinion, because they don't like the actually sports enough. They in turn need to discuss the external factors, and embellish them.
But, today Bob Lobel, formerly the sports director of WBZ-Boston (CBS) suggested that Ramirez intentionally stood in the batter's box and took three called strikes from Mariano Riviera on July 6th as a form of protest against the Red Sox management. This is the stuff that really matters. If Ramirez really carried his grievances against the team management onto the field, then in my mind, his legacy is permanently scarred.
Since July 6th, Ramirez and team owner John Henry famously sparred in the papers. I will just print Manny's remarks, because they don't often make 100% sense to me: "no more [expletive] where they tell you one thing and behind your back they do another thing." Henry shot back saying that he "find(s) remarks that we have been anything other than completely straightforward to be personally offensive." If this is Ramirez's last year with Boston, and I do not believe it is, but if it is, he is going out in Pedro-like fashion.
-James Posey signed a 4 year, 25 million dollar deal with the New Orleans Hornets. The Celtics will probably resign Tony Allen, and give him a greater role this coming season. Another example of years being more important than money. In addition to the Celtics being in luxury tax hell as it is, they are an incredibly old team as it is. Paul Pierce will be 31 in October. Ray Allen is 33 in two days. And Garnett is 32. With Posey at age 31, the team simply could not lock up another 30+ player in a lengthy contract.
Posey is a special player, maybe the most special 7ppg player on the planet. He cannot be fully replaced. But with Tony Allen back, and Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens on board, the Celtics have players that if they play up to their potential can give the team the energy, defense, toughness, athleticism and tenacity that Posey gave them in time. The Celtics are now more likely to give Eddie House a second year in a deal to resign him.
-Four series to check out this weekend in the MLB: NYM@CIN, BOS@ANA, PHI@FLA, and LAD@ARI.
The Mets have been rolling, winning their tenth straight game last night. They have been showing a ton of resilience lately. They have been playing with heart. This sounds cliche, and it is. But, I feel compelled to put it in writing because it is the Mets, the most lethargic, underwhelming, pathetic, under-performing team in league for the first 85 games of the season. Suddenly, they have come to life, I guess I have to give Jerry Manuel a lot of credit. He has changed the culture in the Mets' clubhouse, it might not even be anything he has done, it might just be that he is not Willie Randolph.
The Angels and the Red Sox are probably the two best teams in the American League, and they are going head-to-head this weekend. What else do I have to write? Do I have to hype it? Three serious statement games for both teams. In the first game of the series Clay Buchholz returns to the rotations, looking to bounce back from a disastrous first stint, where he garnered a 5.40 ERA.
The Phillies and the Marlins duel this weekend in Miami. Both teams are deeply flawed in terms of their starting rotations. The Phillies are 11th in the NL in starters' ERA at 4.48, and the Marlins are 14th with a 5.18 ERA. The Phillies' crappy old starting pitching versus the Marlins' youthful, inconsistent starting pitching. The two teams are #1 (Florida, 135) and #2 (Philadelphia, 132) in the National League in home runs. If you like offense and middling starting pitching, it should be an exciting series to check out this weekend.
I love the Marlins' closer Kevin Gregg. He is not a perfect, he has 20 saves, and 6 blown saves. What continues to impress me about Gregg is his ability to pitch out of trouble. He is not a great pitcher by any stretch of the imagination. He does not have the best stuff, but he has ice water in his veins. A lot of this, I think can be attributed to his previous job as a setup pitcher with Anaheim from 2003-2006. I love the inherited runners-to-inherited runners scored ratio, and Gregg has been consistently impressive in that regard. An 11/0 ration this season. A great 20/3 ratio last season, his first season as a full time closer. I'll also throw out a tidy 29/11 ratio from 2004.
I dedicated a healthy paragraph to fawning over Kevin Gregg. I have to at least acknowledge the amazing season Brad Lidge is having. He has not blown a save this season after blowing eight last season. His ERA has shrunk from 3.36 last season to 1.13 this season. Is he a rare closer who warrants consideration as a Cy Young candidate? I love Gregg, but advantage Phillies in the closer column.
Oh yeah, and the Dodgers and Arizona do battle this weekend. Who will the NL West? Who sucks the least? I feel like the NL West has sucked nine out of the last ten years. Pratt, wanna help me on this one?
-My mind has been scattered all day. I was up until 4am last night. I saw The Dark Knight at a midnight showing. It is a pretty special film. Probably the most impressive superhero film ever made. Heath Ledger was probably the most layered, interesting, maniacal, funny, enduring, genuine villain I have ever seen on film. Ledger will probably receive a posthumous Oscar nomination, if not an outright win. Ledger is now atop my all-time Joker rankings. Here's the list:
1. Heath LedgerApparently the film grossed over 18 million from midnight showings alone. Wow. Go see it, it's a bit long, at over 2.5 hours.
2. Cesar Romero
3. Jack Nicholson
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Public Enemy- 911 Is A Joke
I have phased out the miscellaneous video of the day. I think and hope we can all agree that this feature is much more fun.
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