SBN Manager of the Year
by DanUpBaby on Nov 9, 2009 6:00 AM EST
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PrintThe cloud of white smoke your computer emitted last night might have tipped you off, but this year's SBN blogger awards are going to be revealed this week. They're just like the BBWAA awards, except that tomorrow's post isn't set aside for ragging on the choices. Yet. Stop the drumroll:
| Rk | Manager | Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Tracy | Colorado Rockies | 24 | 1 | 2 | 125 |
| 2 | Tony La Russa | St. Louis Cardinals | 3 | 7 | 10 | 46 |
| 3 | Fredi Gonzalez | Florida Marlins | 2 | 6 | 5 | 33 |
| 4 | Joe Torre | Los Angeles Dodgers | - | 9 | 2 | 29 |
| 5 | Charlie Manuel | Philadelphia Phillies | - | 3 | 5 | 14 |
| 6 | Bruce Bochy | San Francisco Giants | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Bobby Cox | Atlanta Braves | - | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| 8 | Bud Black | San Diego Padres | - | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 | John Russell | Pittsburgh Pirates | - | 1 | - | 3 |
I think manager of the year is the one award for which the Manny Ramirez Postulate—"He came in halfway through the season, so obviously he was more valuable than the guy who was there the whole time"—might not be totally preposterous. Coming in at midseason is its own managerial tactic, as time-honored as the sacrifice bunt and getting yourself ejected from a listless blowout. The replacement, even if he's as establishment as Jim Tracy, must be the thrower-over of the money changers, out to—depending on his predecessor's style—either loosen or fire things up in the clubhouse.
As for our own Tony La Russa, it's his customary good showing, and it surprises me; I thought he'd had a fine season, but storyline-wise—and that's most of what we have to judge managers by, to be honest—he was less interesting than Tracy, the midseason replacement, Gonzalez, the exciting young manager, or Torre, who went to all the trouble of going from one gigantic media market to another.
In other news, you heard it here first: the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates is named John Russell.
During SBN Award week we are offering two threads for the price of one; expect the second piece around noon.
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FIST (bump)
/terrorism.
I can only imagine that the Pirate’s blog was the one that went for John Russell. Erm, you successfully managed your AAA lineup to, erm, last place in the division. Good work.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
So what's the explanation for the Padres?
(Insert Your Own Joke)
by AWolfAtTheDoor on Nov 9, 2009 8:04 AM EST up reply actions
Dunno.
Bobby Cox is a wierd one too, the Braves (late season push aside) never really looked like making the post-season, despite having one of the best rotations in baseball (yes, I know, everything else they had going for them kinda sucked, but still, it’s the NATIONAL LEAGUE… You can qualify for the playoffs despite giving over 1000 plate appearances to Joe Thurston, Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel…)
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:16 AM EST up reply actions
Hey yo Felonius, I'm really happy for you and I'm a let you finish
But the CSI Miami one-liner meme was the greatest meme that should probably be retired on VEB of all time…
[reaches for sunglasses]
Of all…
[puts them on]
time.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
by mattybobo on Nov 9, 2009 10:02 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
For the love of God, Matty....
DON’T CROSS THE MEMES!!!!!
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:18 AM EST up reply actions 4 recs
Ray, when someone asks you if you're in a blog
you say YES!
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Rec (almost flag, still not used to that), as promised.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Depends alot on the defensive value at 3B
Adrian is 27 to Rasmus’s 23
Adrian is already in his arbitration years while Rasmus is still cost controled for a few more years.
All that said though Adrian is already putting up 30+HRs while Colby may be a few years (if ever) away from that. If Adrian was able to make up for the defensive loss of a “gold glove caliber” CF while maintaining his current offensive prowless I might consider it. The problem comes down to CF being a premium defensive position and Rasmus being a 20/20 (HR/2B) guy (he had 16/22 this year so not a stretch to assume he hits 20/20 next year) and if he ever figures out the base stealing part of his game at he could put up a 20/20/20 season someday.
In the end though I doubt I could be swayed to make that trade.
"Come test me every day if you want," says Pujols, "Everything I ever made in this game I would give back to the Cardinals if I got caught."
I'm not sure I find 20 doubles...
all that impressive. Especially for a guy with Colby’s speed. How ’bout 20/30/20 at least.
If you see a guy open the car door for his girlfriend, either the car is new or the girlfriend is.
If Gonzalez was a +5 defender at 3B
and it was Rasmus for him straight up, I would make that trade.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
hmm...
Gonzo is only signed for another two years, while Rasmus is ours for five more – possibly 6-7 more if we lock him up.
If he were a +5 3rd sacker, he’d be almost an 8 win player. The question is whether he could keep that up for the next two years. His hr/fb has been very high – over 20% two years in a row…. It’s close. I’d go with Rasmus just because we’re not a “win now” team.
MB for LF in 2010!
Huh?
His hr/fb has been very high – over 20% two years in a row…. It’s close.
If he was playing in Philly, I’d agree, but he’s had a 20% HR/FB playing his home games at PetCo, so that’s pretty impressive. He might hit 45-50 homers playing in Busch III, even though it suppresses homers, it doesn’t do it at near the rate the PetCo does.
I’d go with Rasmus just because we’re not a "win now" team.
How are we not a “win now” team? We have one of the best RH hitters of all time in the middle of his prime, Carpenter is healthy, Wainwright is coming into his own, Molina entering his prime years as a catcher. If they re-sign Holliday and add one SP, those have to be considered “win-now” moves.
Why is it that some people always want to play for next year? Seriously? There’s no better time than the present to make a run at some titles.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
We are a win now team...
but we’re also a win later team. What I meant was that we’re not the Marlins or the Rays, where you have a nucleus of talent that has no shot of staying together.
Rasmus will provide many years of low cost 3-5 win seasons. I would trade that for a 7 win guy if we had no shot of resigning Pujols and were facing a bottom third payroll, but that’s not our reality.
MB for LF in 2010!
I agree
but we’re in a position where we have to think about putting together a Pennant contending team for the next 3 seasons, because we have a good window of time to make some title runs.
The team can continue to build the farm system while the big club is winning. It’s not one or the other like so many of us like to believe. The more talent you have at the major league level, the less talent you have to trade out of the farm system to pick up mid-season acquisitions (or “pulling a Jocketty”). I think the Mozeliak/Luhnow front office has shown the ability to find good talent in the draft while drafting out of the “protected” slots in the first round for all but one draft. So it’s a fallacy to say that we can’t build for the future while contending for pennants at the big league level at that same time. The Red Sox have done it. So have the Angels.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
I understand what you're saying...
I just think a cost-controlled, 3-5 win CFer is so valuable… There really isn’t any rent-a-player who is worth Rasmus.
MB for LF in 2010!
I woudn't consider him to be a rent-a-player
He would just now be going to arbitration, is signed to a really cheap deal through the end of 2011. It’s a moot point anyway, since he can’t play LF or 3B, but he would be an interesting candidate because of his talent and contract situation.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Holliday is a rental to me
Cliff Lee is not a rental
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 12:34 PM EST up reply actions
Lee was acquired...
with the same contract as Mulder. Mulder was a rental wasn’t he?
For me, two years or less is a rental.
MB for LF in 2010!
Mulder, unfortunately, was not a rental.
he was a bad lease.
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
Note to self
Stay away from condos and time-shares. Just stay away.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
I dunno
if 2 years is a rental then nearly every trade made these days is such. It’s pretty rare to see a player on a longer term deal traded, because if he’s sucking he won’t be worth the contract (or will be a salary dump) and if he’s playing well then he’s generally in the peak years of his performance during the contract, and the team won’t want to trade him (or their circumstances won’t have changed so much in the course of the deal that they’ve turned from buyers to sellers).
I haven’t looked into it but I bet if you looked at every trade made in MLB in the last few years you’d find only a tiny minority that weren’t for a player with <2yrs on either team.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 1:06 PM EST up reply actions
This likely true...
The only players locked up for longer than two years are relatively big name FAs and young guys. Garza for Young is a rarity and the big names have no-trade clauses or salaries that act as NTCs.
The rental tag applies if someone like Rasmus or Daric Barton is used in the acquisition. If it’s Ludwick for Papelbon… then you’re not losing cost controlled years.
MB for LF in 2010!
Busch is worse on righties
Busch Stadium is similar to Safeco in that it kills righty power, although not to the same extent as that silly place in Seattle. It’d be interesting to see a true lefty power threat like Adrian Gonzalez hit in our park; I really do think 45-50 HR would be a realistic expectation.
That said, Rasmus should be a much improved hitter next year, as well, and his defense is also invaluable.
Adrian Gonzalez is a freaking monster, though. I think you’d have to consider this, although… can Gonzalez throw? Where does this thought that his arm can work there come from? I know this is more of a thought exercise in dreamland than an actual proposal, but it’s still fun to wonder.
Yes
But as he can’t play 3B or LF, that’s a little moot, don’t you think?
If we’re going to trade Rasmus for someone to play 3rd or LF why don’t we, ummmm, trade him for a third baseman or an outfielder???
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:20 AM EST up reply actions
It was moot, but
it was a better conversation than the Twlight convos, plus it was baseball related!
Now ladies can finally say a vampire is sucking up their blood
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 2:11 PM EST up reply actions
Thanks for spelling it out Flim.
Because I was SO confused until you wrote that.
Now with extra feisty!
Reusable too
Machine wash cold… like the night.
I wonder if it comes in a little coffin-shaped box.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
my post was not sarcasm
It really was no problem
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 2:24 PM EST up reply actions
this subthread = icky win.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 4:01 PM EST up reply actions
I really didn't want to believe that was what I thought it was
But when spants and ClemsonGirl had the exact same reaction I couldn’t deny it any longer.
Why would a just God allow things like this to happen?
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
holy fucking shit
®
pretzels pretzels pretzels pretzels
by gdm426 on Nov 11, 2009 5:08 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Twilight Movie alternate, less sucky ending
by mojowo11 on Nov 9, 2009 3:15 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
I can't escape Twilight.
Just mentioned in class.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
that and hopefully Cronenberg directing that *one* sequel
awesome.
"It was like two ankles." AVENGE BOOG
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Nov 10, 2009 12:28 PM EST up reply actions
Are there any LF or 3B of the same age who can hit like Adrian Gonzalez?
It’s an interesting hypothetical question though.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
The quick answer is "Yes", although a lot more LF than 3B.
LF and 3B under the age of 30 with similar wOBA to Gonzalez in 2009 include:
Ryan Braun (unavailable)
Joey Votto (unavailable)
Ben Zobrist (unavailable)
Miguel Cabrera (unavailable, arguably not a 3B option anymore due to terrible glove)
Pablo Sandoval (unavailable, probably)
Adam Lind (possibly available, pretty awful LFer)
The only LF with a Gonzo-esque wOBA who is available at the moment (maybe not much longer?) – Jason Bay. Although Holliday isn’t far behind.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:38 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, as much as I like those guys
Rasmus has so much potential. Younger, cheap, better defensive value, possibility to even hit at that level, or at least close enough considering he’s a studly CF as well.
How old is Ryan Zimmerman? I just can’t remember, I think of him as still being pretty young.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
His hitting doesn't really compare to Gonzo
most of his value comes from his Rolen-esque glove.
He’s only 25, wOBA of .377 last year (to Gonzalez’s .402), .353 career. I’d probably not consider Rasmus straight-up for him as the contract he’s been given by Washington is a decent deal for them, but not an amazing one. Also, he’s not available, I think.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:43 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I guess I thought of him as being a better overall hitter than he truly is
That stretch at the beginning of the year was probably responsible for that.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Votto
isn’t really a 3B either.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
I had him as a LF
but now I check I see he’s only play 50 innings there (badly). The year I had him in my fantasy league he was OF qualified. So yeah, scratch him.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:47 AM EST up reply actions
Yonder Alonso
Probably isn’t pushing hard enough after this past season, but the Reds prospect might have a say regarding a position or team switch for Mr. Votto.
I was reading about how countless species are being pushed toward extinction by man's destruction of forests. Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. - Calvin, Scientific Progress Goes "Boink", Watterson
Gotta love those fantasy listings
My league had two catcher slots and I managed to have both Brian McCann and Pablo Sandoval cathing for me all year.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
No.
For purely personal reasons. And in this case I can’t separate baseball from emotions. Sorry.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
larussa
Am I the only one who thinks that he is just a terrible manager and completely overrated? I mean he seems to hate OBP and loves bunting and hit and runs, and those are stupid. He also hates young kids and prefers giving people like Joe Thurston 270 AB(ish)
I agree that he's frustrating
but the team usually tends to be around the playoffs at the end of the season. So based on results I don’t know if terrible and overrated fits. In my opinion if a good percentage of the time your team is 1/4 of the league’s playoffs the manager is probably responsible for that in some way shape or form.
"The Cards lead this game tied 1-1." -Mike Shannon
TLR's success
not because of his managerial ability. He has consistently had great players on his teams. Managers do very little to affect the performance of their team. Anyone could win as many games as TLR with the players he has had over the years
by Notorious PSC on Nov 9, 2009 11:10 AM EST up reply actions
Prove that LaRussa’s teams won specifically because of him. Is Pujols great because of TLR? No. Eckersley? No. Edmonds, Rolen, Carpenter, Wainwright, and all those great players from the A’s? Did he inspire them to do all that? LaRussa just makes pitching changes and picks lineups. (Often very, very poorly) Anyone can do that.
by Notorious PSC on Nov 9, 2009 11:46 AM EST up reply actions
No one said that they won specifically because of him.
It’s just that there is no way to quantify how much of an effect a manager has on a team. Besides, I’m not the one spouting absolutes. The impetus of proof is on you since you made the claim.
Now with extra feisty!
Pretty short-sighted
LaRussa just makes pitching changes and picks lineups.
No, he does a lot more than that, it’s just stuff you can’t bitch about because you don’t see any of it.
He was the first manager to embrace weight training for both pitchers and hitters. The first manager to make exclusive use of video as part of player preparation. The first guy to realize that having a good slugger in the second spot in the lineup was a good idea.
You can lambaste him for a lot of things, but the guy has the 3rd most wins all time, and its not because he’s always had the most talented teams either. He’s a very, very good manager of talent and personalities within the clubhouse and on the field.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
by fourstick on Nov 9, 2009 11:55 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I was typing another response, so here it is
The Manager’s jobs are to pick lineups and pitchers, and to keep the players happy. He does very little that makes them successful over what some other manager would do. There is no way to empirically prove either way, but my point is that good players win games. Not good managers. Just like I can’t prove my point, you can’t prove yours, there is no data that can prove either way. Put LaRussa on the Pirates the last 15 years and they are still terrible.
Managers get too much credit for victories and too much blame for losses. Girardi did a terrible job with the bullpen this year(especiialy the playoffs), and yet he won the World Series.
If you want to give credit to some one, give credit to the GM and owner for putting together good teams, and to the minor league system for developing them well.
by Notorious PSC on Nov 9, 2009 12:02 PM EST up reply actions
ok then
If you want to give credit to some one, give credit to the GM and owner for putting together good teams, and to the minor league system for developing them well.
I suppose we just knew something that everyone else didn’t when we picked Pujols in the 13th round of the draft, right? That Dave Duncan had little to do with helping turn Chris Carpenter into an ace after he’d shown next to nothing the first few years of his career in Toronto?
I think you GROSSLY underestimate the value of “keeping players happy”. Did you know that Jim Tracy won almost 70% of his games this year as the Rockies manager? After Clint Hurdle won 33% of his games over the first two months? Part of the reason the switch was made was because there were a number of Rockies players who simply didn’t get along with Hurdle.
TLR has rarely had this problem with an entire team of players. He’s able to balance personalities in the clubhouse and keep players focussed on playing the game, acting professionally, and working to get better on a daily basis.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
he does balance egos fairly well, to his credit
He’s only had a few problems that I can think of (Ozzie Smith, Rolen) and I don’t remember the Smith thing that well, as I was pretty young then, and Rolen has problems with everyone it seems.
Pujols’ selection seems to be a lot of luck, but maybe they saw something we didn’t. I also don’t want to give credit to Jocketty, since he screwed us (and now the Reds) over quite a few times. I’m still mad about Mulder and Haren, Calero.
But my main point is that managers get too much credit and too much blame, and LaRussa’s success mostly is based on the good players he has consistently had. His continued insistence in the bunt and the hit and run are stupid and frustrating, as is playing crappy veterans. He also doesn’t seem to accept new ways of thinking, but that seems to mainly be a generational thing
by Notorious PSC on Nov 9, 2009 12:20 PM EST up reply actions
also, Tracy
They may have hated Hurdle, but that team was grossly underperforming with him there, and its hard to prove that it was Tracy specifically, even though it is easy to.
It may have been though, I’m just saying its hard to prove it. They were underperforming and had some bad luck, they were bound to pick it up enough if Hurdle stayed.
by Notorious PSC on Nov 9, 2009 12:22 PM EST up reply actions
I'm also not saying that it was all Tracy
but look at the difference in performance that came directly after the switch. They just started playing baseball and stopped worrying about the manager and good results came about because of it.
Hell, they might have played better for Davey Lopes, who was the worst manager in the league for the Brewers a few seasons ago, but the change of faces definitely played a part.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
sometimes teams need changes
Like the Willie Randolph thing in 08.
I’m not saying either Hurdle or Tracy is a better manager, or that the change brought up the improvements, but sometimes teams need changes. It definitely plays a part, but the media vastly overemphasizes it.
by Notorious PSC on Nov 9, 2009 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
IIRC, Tulo and Hurdle
were butting heads. who knows whose “fault” it was, but Tulo certainly picked it up after the change, and tracy also reallocated playing time to a few players
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
i know, I don't mean to offend
but ESPN frustrates me and sometimes I take it out on others that don’t deserve it. Anyway I didn’t pay much attention to managing differences after the switch for the Rockies, but that team was underperforming and the role of the manager is overemphasized, he keeps people going, the team deserves the success, the people who actually play on the field
by Notorious PSC on Nov 9, 2009 7:07 PM EST up reply actions
not offending
just a discussion
basketball and football coaches are often credited with their motivational abilities; baseball coaches less so or never, but is likely more difficult due to length of season and nature of game. TLR can motivate, imo, whether we like mind games or not.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
the GM and owner whom you (rightly) credit
want TLR to manage the team – that’s an insider perspective.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
good post.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:06 PM EST up reply actions
That's not consistently true
There have been some really great TLR teams with superstar players (e.g. 2004) but I don’t think all of his teams have been that way, at least not with the Cardinals. This year’s team is a pretty good example. Before we traded for DeRosa and Holliday, it was a team of Pujols and a bunch of scrubs. Carp was injured for awhile, and Waino had a rough start to the season. The team managed to stay in the race long enough to convince Mo that it was worth making the trades he did. I have to think that has at least something to do with LaRussa.
"I knew they were up to shenanigans." --TLR
by that do you mean....
That the team was mediocre before getting good hitters, and was still a bad hitting team after that?
by Notorious PSC on Nov 9, 2009 12:14 PM EST up reply actions
We were.
If I’m not mistaken, we averaged fewer runs per game after the DeRosa (who didn’t hit any better than Thursty) and Holliday trades.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
pertinent
http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2009/7/21/956216/over-the-same-time-period-joel
"It was like two ankles." AVENGE BOOG
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT
TLR is the worst manager out there. . .
except for all the others.
That’s perhaps a slight exaggeration, but seriously, with whom would you replace him?
Generally speaking, players like to play for him, his teams play hard, and Dave Duncan is an asset, all things considered.
Yes, he has some holes:
1) he tends to make some very odd in-game decisions, and you get the feeling that sometimes its just to prove he’s the smartest guy in the room
2) he tends to be loyal to a fault to veterans who have “made it” (i.e. Duncan, Ankiel, before that Mike Gallego)
3) he likes veterany goodness, sometimes to a fault
I don’t know that I am willing to lay a lot of the blame for Joe Thurston at his feet. Who was a better option? Brian Barden? Wishcasting for a better performance for David Freese or Allen Craig while jump-starting their service clock?
And also, Cody Ramos was given a lot of confidence at the end of the season by a guy that hates young kids, and that with a subpar stat line.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Nov 9, 2009 9:51 AM EST up reply actions
I would say Barden was a better option...
if for no other reason than he is an EXCELLENT defender while Thursty is below average. He also could have helped with our ineptitude vs. lefties. It also gives the team a chance to see if Barden could be a reliable fill in/reserve infielder…he can play 2B,SS and 3B from average to excellent.
If you see a guy open the car door for his girlfriend, either the car is new or the girlfriend is.
Death is not an option. . .
if you are trying to decide between Brian Barden and Joe Thurston to see who your starting 3B should be, you;ve already lost the war.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Nov 9, 2009 10:54 AM EST up reply actions
No disagreement there...
but Barden has more potential value to the team as a backup MIF than Thurston ever had. Probably the end of May would have been a good time to let Thursty go and give Barden some time.
If you see a guy open the car door for his girlfriend, either the car is new or the girlfriend is.
Yeah I feel Barden and Hoffpauir have both been a bit unlucky
I think they’re both probably potentially as good as, say, Skip, but we’re just a team that’s carried too many “so-so but flawed” AAAA middle infielders – probably 5 or 6 of them with the ability to potentially sniff league average production, but realistically not all these guys are going to find playing time (indeed, there’s probably a lot of these AAAA guys across the league who’ll never get the playing time that, say, Yuniesky Betancourt has had, which is a shame for them).
Still, I’d have personally given Barden a shot at the SS gig (before Boog became awesome) at the start of last year as I think his bat has a bit of upside and, unlike Hoff, he’s at least got some positional versatility.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 4:05 PM EST up reply actions
I am still very sad that we lost Hoffpauir
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
The Hoff. sniff.
and he’ll be stuck with the Blue Jays! damn that fanpost for rubbing it in
"It was like two ankles." AVENGE BOOG
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Nov 10, 2009 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe we'll get him back...?
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
i posted a new fanshot
with Jarrett’s dad.
he’s got a pretty terse analysis of the Cardinals’ situation. bet if he had it his way, VEB would be condensed into a page a month, except with a cooler accent.
"It was like two ankles." AVENGE BOOG
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT
I love that his dad's name is Johnny Lee
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
He's an awful manager
and a brilliant manager at the same time. There are so many different things a manager has to be in control of for a baseball game. He is great at finding interesting ways to try to get a run across but he is AWFUL at his loyalty to floundering players.
by Hardcore Legend on Nov 9, 2009 11:47 AM EST up reply actions
Gonzalez
I hate to burst your bubbles, but Gonzo has no chance of coming to the Cards to play 3B. In fact, he would have no chance of being a +5 3rd sacker, nor is any team going to make him a 3rd sacker.
Have you ever watched a left-handed guy play 3rd base?
How about handin' me another helpin' of those mashed taters...thank you very much!
I hate to be this guy
but perhaps you should read the comment before you reply to it (and you didn’t even “reply” to it):
If Adrian Gonzalez could play 3B or LF
would you be willing to trade Rasmus to get him?
See the word “IF” there? It means “hypothetically”. The question isn’t about whether he can play 3B or LF, it’s about whether his value to our team at those positions would outweigh Rasmus’ value as a CF for a longer number of years.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Hmmmm
Perhaps you should read the several comments below it that keep talking about him as a +5 3B before you “be that guy”. I didn’t reply to “it” for precisely that reason of the hypothetical nature of the original comment. The comments made after it do make it a question of whether he can play 3B. It is important to point out that sometimes we need to take our heads out of the stats and make sure that it makes sense on the field. Gonzalez is a 1B, and that should be in play for any discussion comparing his value to Rasmus in CF.
How about handin' me another helpin' of those mashed taters...thank you very much!
Ummmmmmm
You still apparently are having trouble reading. That being the case, I’m not going to argue with you since you just seem to enjoy attacking other people that post here instead of offering good analysis of your own.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Let's sum up.
Who is doing the attacking here? You tell me that I don’t know what “if” means…then you tell me I am “having trouble reading”. All of this for pointing out that Adrian Gonzalez is not a 3B option, which is very simple analysis. You are one of the more intelligent participants on this blog, and I don’t wish to argue further on something of this little importance, but to attack me and then accuse me of the attacking??? I have read your stuff a long time, and you are better than that.
How about handin' me another helpin' of those mashed taters...thank you very much!
Dude, it was just a hypothetical.
Kind of a “wouldn’t it be cool if…” situation. It was a fantasy, essentially.
Now with extra feisty!
Dude
it’s a hypothetical situation.
“What if Adrian Gonzalez could play 3B or LF? Would he be worth trading Rasmus?”
It’s not meant to be serious, it’s meant to conjure opinions on the value of Rasmus and what it would take to trade him. There currently aren’t any LF or 3B options worth trading Rasmus for that don’t have the last name Longoria, which would be a no-brainer.
Similarly, if you were Philly, would you trade Ryan Howard for Adrian Gonzalez, straight up? Would you ask for a player or be willing to throw in a player?
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
I'd trade Rasmus for Braun in a heartbeat
I’d probably do it for Votto too.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:39 AM EST up reply actions
Interesting
I don’t know if his defense is ever going to allow him to be better than a 5 WAR player. He is awfully cheap with the contract he has through 2015, so I’d probably do the deal straight up, but I think his contractual situation is the reason that I’d do this deal.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Braun is signed to a joke of a deal
Rasmus isn’t going to be free forever. In fact he’s going to be a Super Two after this year. I’d bet Rasmus makes more than Braun over the course of his first 8 years than Braun does.
Not afraid to nitpick
Agreed
I also happen to think that Colby’s upside is probably a 5-6 WAR player because he’s going to be worth 1-2 wins on defense nearly every single year and his bat will catch up with his glove at some point.
It would make sense to lock Rasmus up at the end of next season through his arb years with an option for a couple of years after that.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
It'd make sense to lock him up as soon as possible really
Even if he goes all Chris Young on it with the bat, he’s a +10 defender so he’s a 2 Win player walking out of bed.
Not afraid to nitpick
NO super two
Super Two means the player ranks in the top 17% in terms of service time in the group of players who have more than two years but less than three years of service time. Colby won’t be in that group until the 2011 off season.
2009 = 1.000 years of service time,
2010 + 2009 = 2.000 years of service time,
2011 + 2010 + 2009 = 3.00 of service time and eligible for arbitration for the first time after the 2011 season.
Yeah I think 5 years of a cheap 5-WAR player would be nice.
I think Colby could approach that, going forward, but I think with Braun it’s more or less guaranteed, and most of his value (as you said) is in his bat, which I think is relevant when he’ll likely be hitting after Pujols (i.e. with a runner on far more often than he would be in any other situation in baseball).
He’s a pretty good athlete so I wonder if he can’t maybe improve his defence in years to come – possibly not but I don’t think it will get any worse, certainly. Most of the guys who totally suck in LF (Bay excluded) are often because they’re too fat/slow to have any range. Braun’s pretty quick from what I’ve seen of him on the basepaths, so I’m guessing it’s bad routes and bad handling that hurts him – those are things that can be worked on.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:00 PM EST up reply actions
I hate that Braun is so good
Because, for a preponderance of reasons, I don’t want to like him. But the more I learn about how good a player really is, especially if it’s unexpected for whatever reason, I start to like him. I even have developed a level of respect for A-Rod and The-Derek-Jeter.
And if he were a Cardinal I would end up with a man-crush on the guy, cause that’s just how I am. At least his contract has a Douche Discount.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Lets get this straight.
Its The Captain Derek Jeter. “The” must be emphasized.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
Ack. I knew I left something out.
Oh Captain!, my Captain!, the World Series is won
The team has weather’d huge payrolls, the 8-year drought is done
A trophy year, the parade is here, the Yanks fans are exulting
And now I see some talking heads hint at MVP voting
But O hype! hype! hype!
I cannot go so far
For Fangraphs shows, I can’t explain
Thy flukish UZR
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
by mattybobo on Nov 9, 2009 12:28 PM EST up reply actions 7 recs
I was actually thinking of Whitman when I typed that.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
this site is awesome.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 1:00 PM EST up reply actions
It's turning me into a rec whore
But I like to think of myself as one of those high-quality rec courtesans who charge huge rates and expect to be taken to fine restaurants and on island getaways and what have you.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
morena baccarin approves.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
Ha! Exactly what I was thinking
I just couldn’t be bothered trawling google for a pic. In fact, is that from her wikipedia?
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 1:21 PM EST up reply actions
Funny
I recently saw this dumb Yahoo article about her that came up when I logged out of my e-mail. The article was about how she was seeing huge spikes in internet searches because everybody was trying to figure out who the hell that pretty girl in the “V” premier was. It had this “she came out of nowhere!” vibe that just wasn’t the least bit ironic. I wanted to scream at the author, “Firefly you idiot, Firefly! One of the greatest shows ever and it was killed by stupid bastards like you! Arrrrrrghhh!!!”
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Troubling
Alan Tudyk is an evil alien assassin? How can this be? The last I saw these two, they were traveling through an alien-less outer space.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
by bgh on Nov 9, 2009 1:29 PM EST up reply actions
I'll be in my bunk
I was reading about how countless species are being pushed toward extinction by man's destruction of forests. Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. - Calvin, Scientific Progress Goes "Boink", Watterson
by Solanus on Nov 9, 2009 5:02 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
she looks a lot better with hair
i 6ly didn’t even recognize her till now
pretzels pretzels pretzels pretzels
I agree she looks better with hair.
But I don’t think I could ever not recognize a Firefly cast member.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
i never got that deep into firefly
but i do remember most of the cast
pretzels pretzels pretzels pretzels
I think a moment of silence. . .
for Mike Squires is in order.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Nov 9, 2009 10:19 AM EST reply actions
Very nice LH 3B reference.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
this wee left-handed HOF-er
played the occasional 2b, SS and 3b.
[link]
strangely, his wikipedia photo shows him throwing RH
He's listed as 140 pounds
How many 140 pounders ever put up an OPS over a thousand? I should have been a late 19th/eary 20th century baseball player…
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Non-Tender Candidates
Here’s the list that MLBTR put together of possible non-tender candidates. This list is a month old, so guys who’ve been traded (like Teahen) are probably not going to be non-tendered now.
I don’t agree with them on some of the guys here (like Delmon Young, for example), but a couple of them do pop out as possible targets for the Cardinals if they are indeed non-tendered:
Boof Bonser — Could be an interesting bounce back candidate as a 4th or 5th starter. The shoulder problems would scare me a little bit, but his tRA and FIP consistently are better than his ERA, has a career 2.54 K/BB, and has had a problem with gopher balls, which Busch III would surely help considering he’s played his whole career in the Homer Dome in Minnesota. If anything, could help shore up the back end of the pen or be the long man.
Ryan Church – He’s an above average corner outfielder, possibly a good 4th OF type on the cheap. I don’t know if he can hit enough to start though
Chad Gaudin – This is one of VEP’s favorite guys. I’m not quite sure why the Yankees would non-tender him, but if they do he’d be a very good swing guy (bullpen/emergency starter/5th starter) for the Cardinals.
Bobby Jenks – By far the most intriguing guy on this list. The White Sox probably find him expendable because of guys like Matt Thornton and because of all the struggles he had last season. It appears he’s lost some steam on his fastball, which means he’s either been hurt, or he’s the second coming of Ryan Franklin with a better track record. He did strike out 8 hitters per 9 even in his horrible 2009 season, so he could make a very attractive pickup for the back of the bullpen.
Chien-Ming Wang – tRA absolutely hates this guy. Hates him! Which makes me think that he was a lot of smoke and mirrors even back when he was good in ‘06 and ’07. Still, he does throw the sinker and get a lot of ground balls, which makes him an attractive pickup for a team that employs Dave Duncan as it’s pitching coach. Could be an extremely good buy-low candidate as I’m not sure he’ll cost much at all — possibly could be offered a minor league contract to come and work with Duncan and turn his career around? The first word’s out of Mo’s mouth when talking to his agent should be: “Hey, look what we did for Joel Piniero!”
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Bonser is very, very interesting, IMO.
Obviously, someone coming off of surgery to repair a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff probably shouldn’t be “interesting,” let alone “very, very interesting.” But, if his velocity is there, why not roll the dice? What’s the worst that could happen?
I also like Gaudin. Depending on the price, he’d be a nice acquisition.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I heard Conor Jackson might get non-tendered
He would be an amazing fit for us. He had some weird sickness in 09. He is in the Winter League right now. In the end though he will most likely be tendered a contract.
I like Wang as a buy low candidate. He would fit well into our teams pitching philosophy.
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 11:10 AM EST up reply actions
Eh? Conor Jackson is a first baseman
last time we checked, I thought we had someone there. Can’t be sure though….
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:27 AM EST up reply actions
last 2 years he has split his time between 1B and OF
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 11:33 AM EST up reply actions
He'd be a good back-up plan for LF I guess?
If he ends up being available. UZR seems to think his defense steadily improved at 1B, and liked him in his only meaningful time at LF, since 2009 was such a weird year. Possible .360ish wOBA guy who could play decent defense in left field and possible spell another position or two (give Albert an occasional break and hey, he played third base for a couple innings once!)
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
And he'd be cheap right?
Anybody know what it was that made him so sick? All I can tell so far is that it was some sort of infection maybe.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
he saw that picture of Sammy Sosa.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:40 AM EST up reply actions
Thanks for the info guys.
You people are fast.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Gag me with a spoon!
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:07 PM EST up reply actions
I guess no-one got that one....
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 4:08 PM EST up reply actions
I don't think he's a LF
he’s basically a 1B they throw there to make up the numbers. His UZR isn’t actually that awful (-6) but I’d say he’s pretty much Chris Duncan Mk2.
I guess if he’s dirt cheap he’s a decent back-up plan but surely somebody, somewhere needs an adequate full-time 1B, which is what he is…
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:40 AM EST up reply actions
his net UZR at LF is -0.5/150 over 850 innings.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
my mistake.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 1:02 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, he had a good UZR in 2008
and had the infection in 2009 which messes things up. So he might actually be a decent full-time LF.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
AND he's super-sexy.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 1:07 PM EST up reply actions
I doubt it
He made 3M last year in Arb-1 so at most after a completely lost season he gets 5M. If the Valley Fever is gone—-and his Winter League stats are pretty good—-the D-Backs would be clueless to non-tender him. Even if Jackson gets non-tendered it would be to sign him cheaper as I’d think it’d be terrible PR to cut a guy because he got sick.
Not afraid to nitpick
Didn't know about the arbitration
Fangraphs had a blank spot for his 2009 salary.
All in all it won’t happen, and I’d only really be excited about him as a possible (relatively cheap) back up plan if we don’t get Holliday, and only if they decide to heavily upgrade somewhere else instead.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
yeah they don't seem to have updated their 2009 contracts yet
bit of a pain.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:56 AM EST up reply actions
Heh
It’s a nice problem to have, though—Fangraphs has so much information readily available that it becomes a “one stop site” for baseball info. And I’ve become a little lazier because of it.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Cot's
You can just go to Cot’s Baseball Contracts for a spreadsheet on Cardinals’ payroll obligations (or, any club’s, for that matter). Awesome feature.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
Yeah, I check Cot's whenever I want detailed info (in fact I was just looking at Ryan Braun's contract)
I’ve just become spoiled because Fangraphs usually has the salary for the most recent year.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Any time I want a laugh
I look up Braun’s, Longoria’s, Zito’s or most importantly Soriano’s contracts.
Not afraid to nitpick
Carlos Lee.
Aaaaaalways Carlos Lee.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:20 PM EST up reply actions
In 3 years, you can do that with Matt Holliday
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
If he gets $20m/year, as I think he will
you can ALMOST do that now. I think he’s Yankee-bound anyhow. I can’t see how he’s not a better player than Teixeira, they’re in the market for a corner outfielder, and so 120-150m is surely attainable. I can’t see him staying here for all the pie in Missourri….
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:26 PM EST up reply actions
He's pretty easily worth 20M right now
Hell, he’s probably worth like ~25M on a one year deal, the issue is we have no idea how good he’s going to be in years 5-6+ from now.
Not afraid to nitpick
Yep he's a 5-win player quite comfortably
= $25m, but a smart GM should easily be able to make 5 wins with that sort of money, and players generally are expected to take a pay cut (~25% or so) over a long-term deal in exchange for the guaranteed money. So I’d say $20m/yr is about what he’s worth NOW. He ain’t going to be worth that, as you say, going forward. But I admit there are different ways of working it out.
I just hope we don’t go beyond $100m in our negotiations, and, frankly, I don’t think that’ll be enough with the Sox AND Yanks both needing a LF. We should just give up on him, if it comes to that, and accept that the trade was probably a bad one.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:32 PM EST up reply actions
I don't see the Red Sox
giving him more than a 5 year deal. They hate long term contracts like Adam Dunn hates America, so I think they’re probably out of the running.
The Yankees are the interesting case. They are very RH heavy in their lineup right now, they don’t seem interested in bringing back Matsui (at all) or Damon (at his current pricetag). I’m just not sure if they’ll offer him $20M+ per year for the next 6 years. Even with their seemingly bottomless cash stash, I do think there has to be limit to how much they’ll spend at some point.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Hell plus Nady that's 32M in outfielders they can upgrade
20M seems like it’d be easy for the Yanks to cover and they’d be getting much better.
Not afraid to nitpick
If I'm Cashman,
I sign Holliday and Lackey. Why not?
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
needs moar nuts
"It was like two ankles." AVENGE BOOG
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT
In my opinion,
the Yankees’ problem was that they spent a ton of money, no matter what. Last offseason, they spent it wisely. They got three excellent players. This offseason, Holliday and Lackey fit that bill. They aren’t giving Tony Womack a two-year deal or Carl Pavano a 27-year, $358MM deal. It would be the new Murderers’ Row and an unstoppable rotation. It would be the roster equivalent to the Death Star.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
by bgh on Nov 9, 2009 1:33 PM EST up reply actions
A scrappy line-drive hitter with speed should be penetrate their outfield defense
The Empire doesn’t consider run-manufacturers to be a threat, or else they’d have a better team UZR.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
I guess it's time the BoSox pony up for David Eckstein...
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 4:09 PM EST up reply actions
Aren't you a little short for a Red Sawk?
What? OH, the mask!
I’m David Eckstein, I’m here to rescue you!
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
by mattybobo on Nov 9, 2009 4:14 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Death Star Rescue
Lois/Leia: Aren’t you a little fat to be a Storm Trooper?
Chris/Luke: Well, stay here and rot, you stuck up bitch!
I was reading about how countless species are being pushed toward extinction by man's destruction of forests. Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. - Calvin, Scientific Progress Goes "Boink", Watterson
Maybe now they've won the WS
but as others have said there’s a bunch of cash off the books. They have one big hole (LF) and no-one internally who looks like they can fill it. I don’t think they have much interest in Godzilla or Damn. Holliday is the best LF out there, and the vibes I get suggest he wants to play for a big team, on a long-term contract, for a lot of money. I just think it makes sense.
Probably more sense than any other possible FA deal this winter (with the possible exception of Beltre to Philly).
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:40 PM EST up reply actions
I wonder
If they re-sign Damon and let go of Matsui, would they just put Damon him at DH and go after Holliday for LF?
I mean, they probably could, they’re the Yankees.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
The rumor I heard
is that they don’t want a full time DH because they want to use that spot to give guys like Posada days off from behind the plate and to rotate in other position players there during the year.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Interesting
Does anybody else handle the DH spot like that?
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
I was gonna look it up
Then I realized I don’t give a fuck about the DH.
Not afraid to nitpick
by joker24 on Nov 9, 2009 12:48 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
Which is why I'm not going to look it up either!
I’m just seeing if I can leech information from somebody… it’s kind of my VEB M.O.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Now that I think of it
I vaguely remember a Baseball Analysts or Hardball Times article mentioning this use of the DH, and that people tend to ignore that when factoring in what an advantage it is for AL teams over NL teams.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Thing is
they could still sign Damon AND Holliday and have plenty of room for Posada now and again to DH.
Their infield is set. Their OF is presumably Melky/Gardner at CF, Holliday full-time LF and then there’s a question mark in RF – Damon and Swisher can split time there, with the odd man out spending time at DH.
Need to give Posada a day off catching? No probs – he goes to DH, you either bench Swisher or Damon, or you put Swisher at 1B and give Tex a day off too.
You’ve really only got a maximum of one “good” player who’ll be on the bench at any time, and, with the frequency of injuries in MLB, the likelihood is that both Damon and Swisher will still get the best part of 500-600 PAs anyway.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:59 PM EST up reply actions
I'd like to see the Yankees play the NL Allstar team in a 5 game series
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
NL Team?
I’d go:
McCann
Pujols
Utley
H Ramirez
Zimmerman
Holliday
Beltran
Upton
SPs:
Lincecum
Carpenter
Vazquez
-————-
Wainwright
RPs:
Broxton
Bell
K-Rod
Gonzalez (LOOGY)
Wilson
Santana (long man!)
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 1:13 PM EST up reply actions
We just hope the Yankees
Become more focused on starting pitching than LF. Lackey is going to be a Yankee.
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
I think he'll stay with the Angels
and they’ll make it more than worth his while. If they still had Adenhart, maybe that’s not the case, but I don’t think Lackey is going anywhere.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Angels got some cash too
It will be interesting. I hope the Yankees sign him so they don’t go for Holliday.
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 12:40 PM EST up reply actions
I thought you weren't in favour of us dropping a lot of coin on Holliday?
or was that someone else?
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:55 PM EST up reply actions
Eh I dunno if that's a good comparison
He’s not fat #1, he’s a better hitter than Lee ever was anyway and he’s not worthless on defense.
Not afraid to nitpick
I didn't mean that Holliday equals Lee in ability,
just that, I anticipate Holliday’s contract being as albatross-like after Year 3 as Lee’s is now.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I dunno
I just don’t see Holliday’s defence being as bad aged 32 as Lee’s is now aged whatever he is (like, 37?). I think years 5 and 6 he’ll probably only be a 3-ish win player, but if you’ve had 3 years of 5-6 WAR play (as he is now) you’ll just about come out even.
But I agree that there’s better ways to spend $120m….
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:41 PM EST up reply actions
how about spending 20 mil
on cameron, uribe, smoltz, chan ho park?
this:
molina
pujols
shu
boog
freeze
lugo
URIBE
Larue
Luddy
Razzy
CAMERON
craig/mather
13 pitchers (for now):
carp
waino
lohse
SMOLTZ
garcia/boggs
hawk
mcclellan
miller
reyes
motte
CHAN HO PARK
franklin
OK. our opening day roster vs. 09 is minus k-bot, thursty, barden (probably the best of these three), ank, dunc, welley, thompson + no stav = PROFIT.
don’t let lohse bunt, and when he does and goes on minor rehab, don’t let him repeat that bunt.
cameron = discussed
uribe = younger, less expensive than dero, can play 2B, 3B, and SS equally, probalby as good as dero as super-sub, only negative is doesn’t play OF but shu could in a pinch and his presence allows for lugo’s availability at trade deadline
smoltz = discussed
park = walks guys, but keeps ball in park (even in philly), was impressive to my eye throughout playoffs, would solidify 6-7 inning of bullpen, and in event of catastrophe could start a couple games – no idea of cost, but thinking 2 up to 3 mil
wthout dicking around with glaus, replacing dero with cheaper version, cameron in lieu of lego, SMOLTZIE and healthy lohse picking up joel’s production, and garcia/boggs/chair surpassing welley’s output, we begin 2010 much better off than 09, and have room (and money) to make moves – crawford at trade deadline, and/or a starting pitcher if needed…if not, then crawford in 2011.
the key to this is uribe, of course, so i am interested in input on him. in my mind, he’s about where dero was at same age, and i’m thinking 2/8 – is that feasible? tony would have a very versatile team.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Uribe kinda sucks
despite his decent year with the bat last year, he’s a terrible hitter. We really couldn’t afford Uribe and Boog in the same lineup IMO. He’s not really a cheaper version of DeRo because he doesn’t have the bat to play LF or 3B, whereas DeRo just about does.
Presumably Park stays with the Phillies. He’d be OK as a swing man, but I think there are better options both for the bullpen (Calero, Pena) and the rotation (Pavano) who could be had for a similar price.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 10, 2009 5:44 AM EST up reply actions
To expand on Uribe -
he just had a lucky year. .330 BABIP when his career average has been around .290. He doesn’t walk and is really hacktastic – swings at a LOT of pitches, occasionally makes contact for a home run (hence his OK SLG most years) but generally painfully low averages and OBPs. He’s really a guy you probably want hitting 8th or 9th on a contending team, and his terrible OBP means he should probably never hit higher than 7th for the Cardinals.
Who leads off/ hits 2nd in this scenario? We’ve improved our defence but made our already sucktastic offence even worse….
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 10, 2009 5:47 AM EST up reply actions
i know all of this
but as a bench player, as dero should be/is most valuable, he fits that role for signigicantly less money. Now, if you want dero pencilled in, that is different, myself, freeze is my 3B, and at his price, dero is a luxury.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
I don't want DeRo or Uribe
Freese is 3B, FA in LF, and Craig covers the corners as our utility guy. Additionally, we’ve got Lugo to backup 3B/2B/SS, and (if Ryan gets hurt and we’re worried about Lugo’s poor glove getting exposed) Tyler greene as another backup SS option. I don’t really know if we need to spend our valuable $ on backup players when we have plenty of them internally. I’d rather just spend 3 or $4m on a quality bullpen arm, or put it towards signing Cameron or Lackey or whatever.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 10, 2009 11:17 AM EST up reply actions
oh i want lackey
lackey + cameron is my dream, but lackey first and foremost.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
We could probably afford that.
nothing else, though.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 12, 2009 9:16 AM EST up reply actions
i'd take nothing else
but i really thought lackey would be in the 4/60 range when contingency plans started coming up, and all i hear now is that he’ll get a burnett deal so i guess that’d involve the yanks. we probably have a better shot at holliday than plan B.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Wang's the only one who really interests me
I liked Gaudin as a buy-low shot this year but I think I’d just rather roll with Garcia as our 4th starter this year (assuming Smoltz is back to be #4 and we don’t pick up any injuries). Gaudin’d certainly be a decent common-sense pickup for the league minimum (or near that), though.
I just don’t see Jenks getting non-tendered and going for a song. Obviously you’d want him if that happens, but I don’t really see why one poor year would make them want to cut bait.
Bonser and Church are both decent buy-low candidates too, although you’ve got to wonder whether we’ve already (hypothetically) got enough of these type of guys. I prefer Gaudin to Bonser, and Church would only be blocking someone like Allen Craig.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:26 AM EST up reply actions
Fourstick
I don’t get what you mean about tRA hating Wang. Yeah, he was below-average in 2009, but then all the other stats hated him as much (if not more – 5.38 FIP!). In 05-07 he was solidly above average by tRA, and in 08 he was about average. I’m not getting where tRA and the other stats wildly disagree about Wang, except perhaps in 2008 where he was average-ish by tRA and a bit above average by FIP (although in only 95 IP).
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:31 AM EST up reply actions
His career tRA is a half run higher than his career FIP
and it’s a quarter run higher than his career ERA.
My point was that, considering that he’s a sinkerball pitcher, his tRA should be closer to 4.00 or better in any of those years if he was truly the #2 starter he was made out to be. He doesn’t strike out guys like Brandon Webb does, so he’s really got to induce soft contact in order to be effective — which makes me think that he’s not been as good as his other peripheral stats indicate.
Now, some of that could be influenced by Yankee defense that was absolutely atrocious in ’06 and ’07 as well, which would drop tRA more that it would, say, FIP.
Regardless, I think he’s a good candidate as a buy-low pitcher if the Yankees choose to let him go.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
That's where it should be
tRA is on the ‘Runs Allowed’ scale, not the ‘Earned Runs Allowed’ scale therefore it should be .4-.5 runs higher than his ERA/FIP. God knows why Graham scaled it to the RA scale, probably just to be obtuse, but he did.
Not afraid to nitpick
as in "special school"?
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 4:11 PM EST up reply actions
Yup
My bad, I thought it would be scaled to earned runs, you know, like EVERY OTHER similar statistic.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
tRA isn't scaled to ERA
so you can’t compare it to his FIP or ERA.
League average ERA/FIP (same thing) will usually be in the 4.30s, 4.40s. League average tRA is generally about 4.90. So league average tRA is usually a half run (or so) higher than FIP or ERA.
If you take a look at some other pitchers, you’ll see this generally holds true for most of them. I’m slightly surprised Wang’s tRA isn’t a bit better (compared to his FIP) than usual because he creates a lot of GB, but it’s basically pretty much what you’d expect for an average pitcher (about .5 higher than his FIP).
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:51 AM EST up reply actions
If they cut their Wang
I wouldn’t mind picking him up and seeing if we can fix him.
by Hardcore Legend on Nov 9, 2009 11:49 AM EST up reply actions
Nurse!
bring me my forceps.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 11:53 AM EST up reply actions
tRA doesn't hate Wang
For his career, it’s 4.55, which translates to about a 4.2 ERA.. THat’s not that bad.
I wouldn't say that's #2 starter good though
and he appeared to be broken beyond repair last season.
I do think he’s someone who would be a great candidate for a Matt Clement type of contract though.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Yup
Those contracts have to work eventually, right?
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
And with him
it’s sign him and pray that he’s healthy. If he is, he’s got the tools to thrive on a DD staff.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Yeah
I might go a bit higher than the Clement one, actually – he was 3 years (or was it 4?) away from his last relevancy as a major leaguer, whilst Wang’s just one year since being, well, average-ish, and two years from being a legit #2. I imagine someone might give him $5m. I think I’d rather give that money to Pavano, who I actually think is kinda lower-ceiling but somehow I just have more confidence in him, but still, I don’t think it’d be a bad gamble to drop $10m or so on Smoltz & Wang.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 4:19 PM EST up reply actions
Dude. . .
you just said “I just have more confidence in [Carl Freaking Pavano]”
Tee-hee.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Nov 9, 2009 4:37 PM EST up reply actions
Would we have to trade for Wang or is he probably going to be a free agent?
Anyway, I have been thinking he’s an awesome gamble/buy low candidate for a while and it would be awesome to take a cheap chance on him.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Speculation is
that he’ll be non-tendered by the Yankees.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
I like Gaudin
he’s sort of a rich man’s Brad Thompson.
by SouthsideCardsFan on Nov 9, 2009 10:56 AM EST reply actions
that might be the worst reasoning ever to like Gaudin
Lighten up, Francis - Sergeant Hulka
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
Moz is setting the bar low at GM meetings
I’d say the chances of us making anything happen there is very small. My expectation is that this will be much more about MLB business.
Mozeliak is also examining the landscape for a starting pitcher to fill one of two vacancies created by free agents Joel Piñeiro and John Smoltz. Mozeliak has indicated the club will promote an organizational pitcher such as lefthander Jaime Garcia, Mitch Boggs or Blake Hawksworth to cover one spot in the rotation while seeking a short-term veteran solution for the other.
The Cardinals publicly retain interest in bringing back free agent Mark DeRosa, but Mozeliak also has said he believes rookie David Freese should get first shot next spring training to win the opening day third base job.
Just sign Smoltz and make me happy
He’s better performance-wise than any other “short-term veteran solution” and he’s probably going to be cheaper for us too. Plus John Smoltz seems like the kind of guy you want to have when he knows it’s going to be his last year.
Not afraid to nitpick
i forsee a lot of
“dry powder” for midseason acquisitions this year
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 12:12 PM EST up reply actions
conversely, it might be a good idea to pick up a few players likely to have major mid-season trade value,
like relievers.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
we seem to have that covered
without picking up anyone. and, where would we put them. tell you what, if our pen replicated last year’s performance, i’d be really happy. and then prep smoltzie to close in playoffs (the only guy i have serious doubts about is mac, but i have stumped for chan ho park above)
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Yes, more Smoltz, please.
For the reasons you state, and, I will add his nice strikeout numbers.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
kinda what we expected really
Smoltz will be back (YAY!), we get a pick for DeRo after making a cursory attempt to retain him (YAY!) and presumably Holliday’s in pinstripes next year (Meh.).
Now we’ve just got to wait and see who ends up getting $10m-ish to play LF. My hope is Cameron, although I expect (if he’s not offered arby) Damon. Either way, I think that would represent a decent winter. The only other necessity is a RH or two for the bullpen – Tony Pena Jr and Kiko Calero on reasonable contracts, and I’m happy. I’d love to take a flier on Wagner or Saito if they’re vaguely fit and if Wagner isn’t offered arby, too (and maybe Putz at a push).
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:12 PM EST up reply actions
I really hope Tony Pena Jr. ends up a good pitcher
That would be quite the transformation.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
I meant this guy
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=4573&position=P
not the shortstop…
Decent K/BB, sub-4.00 FIP, decent stuff, good control. Probably cost $2-3m tops and he’s probably worth that over a full season. Calero’s more of a high K / high BB guy but I really like him too. I think they’re as good as most of the “name” closer-types on the FA market and I’d rather spend $6m signing both of them than drop $5m on Brandon Lyon (who’s probably not as good as either).
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:19 PM EST up reply actions
How in the world did the White Sox trade Brandon Allen for half a season of Pena??
Allen may or may not end up any good, but it seems he has a chance and that’s just a steal of a trade.
Not afraid to nitpick
Yeah
trading much of anything for a relief pitcher usually isn’t a good move. Ultimately, we’ve got to be pretty thankful that Mo didn’t dump Craig or Motte or Boggs or someone just to pick up Arthur Rhodes in 2008, when we ended up missing out by a dozen games or so anyhow.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:23 PM EST up reply actions
Wait, I'm so confused...
did you add “Jr” as a joke and I just didn’t get it?
I thought you were being at least 1/3 serious about the converted shortstop.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
I added Jr as a mistake
although as a wierd, not very funny joke, it might’ve been kinda cool.
So, yeah, we’ll go with that. Joke. PSYCHE!
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:34 PM EST up reply actions
I have no problem continuing on as if that were the case
Nothing to see here, folks!
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Bringing Kiko back would help me get over the Mulder-for- trade
I hope we do that.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I think he'll be decently under-valued too
Him and Pena were the names that jumped out from this year’s FA class as being impact relievers who’ll probably cost <$3m. I was going to do a fanpost on it, might still do.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:24 PM EST up reply actions
Lets see our current bullpen
Franklin
Motte
McCellan
Miller
Reyes
Hawksworth
Boggs
Kinney
Probably don’t need or want Kinney. So need one more RH reliever in the bullpen.
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 12:26 PM EST up reply actions
I'd kinda like two
as it’d be nice to have Boggs and Hawk as backup SPs (although I’m intrigued by Boggs from the pen as well); if we have two SPs injured, I really don’t want to see Adam Ottavino (or, what, Hearne or Parisi or someone?) making starts for the big league club.
Also, I don’t think (unless something changes) McClellan, Hawk or Motte are (at present) more than long relievers. If any of them turns into something good in 2010 (and I think Motte might) then that’s well and good, but I don’t want to RELY on it. Also, I’m just not sure Franklin is going to be reliable. Basically, every right hander has a question mark over his head. I think we need two reliable arms, just for insurance. Just don’t make them expensive ones!
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
That is also assuming 13 pitchers
Kinney goes back to minors. That leaves us with 12 pitchers. Which I prefer anyways. So that doesn’t give us a lot of room to sign another reliever.
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 12:32 PM EST up reply actions
In my scenario, as above:
Franklin
Reyes
Miller
Motte
McClellan
FA #1 (Calero)
FA#2 (Pena/Smoltz/whoever)
Hawksworth and Boggs are back in AAA, with Boggs as first call-up if McClellan continues to suck or if we need someone to make a spot start for Smoltz, etc etc.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:33 PM EST up reply actions
maybe if we totally bust out on other free agents
But the bullpen to me is the least of my worries.
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 12:35 PM EST up reply actions
I dunno
if we don’t get Holliday, I can’t us spending more than $10m on LF (I don’t think Damon or Cameron will cost more than that, I can’t see any other worthwhile options).
If we assume (as Mo said) we’re using Garcia as our #5 and Smoltz will be back (presumably for something like $6m + incentives) as our #4, that’s the rotation sorted.
They’ve already said Freese is getting first crack at 3B, so I don’t see DeRosa coming back (or if he does it’ll be on a lowball offer and he’ll probably be playing LF). Beltre should be Philadelphia bound if he and they’ve got any sense, and I suspect he’ll be too costly for our blood anyhow (although I wouldn’t mind him). I see no other viable 3B option, unless NO-ONE wants Glaus and he falls to us for like $4m.
So that still leaves us a good 5-10m to spend and nowhere to spend it but the bullpen.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:38 PM EST up reply actions
i would have no problem with one additional RH reliever
I don’t think we need two though
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 12:42 PM EST up reply actions
I, conversely, do!
although (as mentioned below) I’d actually be up for adding a cheap Carl Pavano – he could compete for the 5th starter role, and if he’s fit, and Garcia’s pitching well, Smoltz could go to the pen. Alternatively, garcia or even Pavano to the pen. Either way it gives us options.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:54 PM EST up reply actions
I hope we trade McClellan
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I wouldn't mind that
but I guess we should’ve lobbied hard to get him into the DeRosa deal if that was the plan.
I don’t see how he has much stock left now after a mediocre 2009. Maybe someone like Sabean would bite (i.e. old school GM with little interest in new-fangled “stats”) as his ERAs have been decent two years running. Maybe we’d get a B-prospect back or could package him with somebody for something we need?
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:43 PM EST up reply actions
Surely, some GM still goes by ERA...
I was thinking as part of a package deal, if something presents itself.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
Yeah
I for one wouldn’t be aversed to keeping some powder dry for a run at Crawford mid-season (once the Rays are out of it), although I dont see how that’d work really.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 1:20 PM EST up reply actions
I like Kinney when he works
He didn’t have a very good year in 2009. But I remember his 2006 and hope that wasn’t just a fluke.
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
yeah
we’ve got a lot of kinda sucky relievers, one or two of whom might come good this year. I’m not wildly hopeful about Kinney, but there’s a slim chance he might, whilst I have some hope for Boggs and Motte especially to turn into useful set-up guys this year. I guess we’re just hoping that enough of that shit sticks to the wall, we’ll be OK. I’d probably like to sign at least one reliable arm, though.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 10, 2009 5:49 AM EST up reply actions
I was reading an interview with him, maybe in Gameday
The interviewer asked him if he remembered that certain batters can or can’t hit his various pitches and he responded (paraphrasing):
“I remember everything about every at-bat for every batter I’ve ever faced.”
Photgraphic memory, hmmm? Might come in handy as a MiLB pitching coach down the road.
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
me no spell good: "photographic"
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
"short-term veteran solution"
I assume is code for Smoltz.
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
I think that's a fair assumption
He’s said publicly he wants to come back. I think a lot of people around the team have made no secret of their liking him, and he made a pretty good impression in his ten or so starts last year. I can’t see how it doesn’t happen, tbh, and I really, really hope it does.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:13 PM EST up reply actions
I think an important factor in resigning Smoltz
Is how good do you think our golf courses are?
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 12:14 PM EST up reply actions
what the sbn?!>?!
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
I can't reply!
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
now I can?
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
I can!
"In 2035, 25 young men will be able to call themselves world champions. Some of those guys haven’t even been born yet. And some of them are Asian." -Mike Shannon
"what the sbn?!>?!"
A short poem by Alxfritz.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
by mattybobo on Nov 9, 2009 12:17 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
Ooh.
Now we give out Super Mario stars for rec’s? When did this come about?
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
DENIED.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:24 PM EST up reply actions
What has been "DENIED?"
My rec? Or my amusement as the gold star system?
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I unrecced matty's post.
Take THAT, new rec’ing system!!!!
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:44 PM EST up reply actions
So,
you’re opposed to the star rec system…
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
No.
I’m just a misanthrope.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:53 PM EST up reply actions
So, this is kind of a response to parts of today's general conversation, but no post in particular
Which is why I didn’t reply to anybody specifically.
Basically, the Cardinals definitely plan to use an internal pitcher for their #5 spot in the rotation, probably Garcia or Boggs. I’d assume Garcia given Mo’s endorsements of him in the past, but there’s the durability issue and we know Tony and Dave have more experience with Boggs.
Mo has hinted at bringing back Smoltz, who is presumably the candidate for a short term veteran #3/#4.
This means our rotation probably is:
1. Carp
2. Wainwright
3? Lohse
4? Smoltz
5. Garcia/Boggs
Should I just assume that our rotation is pretty much set barring injury?
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Yes,
although I wouldn’t be surprised if TLR and Duncan press for and receive a scrap off the heap to “compete” for the no. 5 slot.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
Yeah, I just feel like that is going to happen every year
It will be interesting if Mo’s declaration that we’re definitely going internal for #5 holds out.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
For what it's worth,
I hope we do sign a scrap to compete. I’m not sure Garcia should shoulder 160 IP next season. It would also be irresponsible not to have backup.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to imply that I thought it would be a bad idea
In fact I’m kind of nervous about just handing the job to Garcia or Boggs. Garcia for innings reasons and Boggs because I see him as not being as good as Garcia and maybe better used in the bullpen.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Yeah
for both those reasons I think I’m coming over to the idea of grabbing Pavano if he’s cheap, letting him and Garcia compete for the 5th SP role, and letting Boggs join a FA in the pen. If Garcia and Pavano excel in ST we can always ask Smoltz if he’ll be amenable to another spell as a big league closer…
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 1:19 PM EST up reply actions
In that case
Garcia starting at AAA wouldn’t be the worst thing. Aside from arb/FA status stuff, he’s capped at about 150 innings.
Not afraid to nitpick
JAIME GARCIA
"It was like two ankles." AVENGE BOOG
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT
I'm not sure I see too many candidates for that role tbh
although if there’s a chance he’s ever going to be fit this year, I’d love to see what we can do with Kelvim Escobar. The only other truly cheap options (<$2m) who could be had as reclamation prospects are Odalis Perez, Mike Hampton, Adam Eaton, Jason Schmidt, Daniel Cabrera, Bartolo Colon and Brandon Backe. I want no part of any of those guys, frankly.
The only one who might interest me for <$5m is Carl Pavano. he put up a 4.00 FIP with great control (<2BB/9) this year, and got unlucky on BIP to the tune of a 5.10 ERA (although you could argue he didn’t pitch well with runners on). Actually, I think I’ve just about convinced myself – I wonder if Pavano + Smoltz might not be a bad way to spend $12m or so.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:52 PM EST up reply actions
ben sheets?
any indication on whether he’s looking for a short -term deal?
also, noah lowry was recently cut be SFG.
I'm not huge on Lowry but for the league minimum I guess he'd be a good pickup
I don’t think Sheets is in the “garbage dump” category – even with his injury history, he’ll still get at LEAST $6m from someone, and all the signs point to the Rangers, I’d have thought – he did some training with them this year and he makes his home somewhere in Texas I believe. I just don’t see it happening.
Lowry’s 4 years removed from major league relevancy. I guess I could see it as a Matt Clement-type pickup; if he’s got say a 20% chance of coming back with any sort of effectiveness, get him for 500k-1m and see how he goes on a rehab. I don’t really mind that sort of deal, but I wouldn’t even consider him a dumpster dive candidate – he’s presumably not even healthy enough for Duncan to get his hands on him and see if he can “fix” what’s wrong – it’s purely fitness related, rather than performance issues (TWSS).
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 1:18 PM EST up reply actions
You have to wonder if he was battling arm trouble in 06 and 07 though.
In 07 in particular he’d lost a bit of velo too, which is often a bad sign, health wise.
He was a genuinely good #2 starter in 04 and 05. I doubt there’s much chance he could do anything, and I’d not give him any guaranteed money except maybe the league minimum, but that’s why they call it a long shot, I guess. Nothing much risked, a tiny bit of upside if he somehow puts it together again 4 years (and several injuries) later.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 1:26 PM EST up reply actions
I've always sorta loved Lowry
Plus he’s a left-handed changeup artist. We never have that kind of pitcher.
isn't garcia more of a FB/CV guy?
I think he does throw a changeup but I think the hook is the big out pitch…
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 4:21 PM EST up reply actions
I thought he was a good ground ball specialist
Throws strikes at 58.7%GB for minor league career. Pineiro was tops at the Cardinals with 60% this year
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 4:28 PM EST up reply actions
if you are a LH pitcher
you best have a changeup, unless your name is randy johnson, or, ummm, barry zito.
hey, don’t give up on ottavino too soon. we have nothing to lose that isn’t already lost.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
non-sequitar of the year?
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 10, 2009 5:49 AM EST up reply actions
you brits
you are british, no? well then…you brits. know what i mean though, right?
you guys can’t have baseball there; every game would be rain delayed. spent a whole week in london at a film fest due to rain – bunuel – at some complex the name of which escapes me (some modern/industrial district – glass and steel).
remember sitting at breakfast at my hotel (dorchester, i believe, or insert any park venue) and a very proper british woman complaining to me about my cigarette in the smoking section of a half-full restaurant. i ended up getting her room number from the waiter and rolling cigarettes under her door in the middle of the night when i came in. (Have to say, there were some good clubs there.)
BTW, i was visiting a friend, who “came up to London” for the occasion, a novelist named Adam Zameenzad, and wondered if you have ever read him? Flim would probably like him, imo, but i haven’t checked out that afterhours site. Anyway, pick up Love, Bones, and Water if you like – that’s Adam (he’s Pakistani, and I met him through a Brazilian girlfriend in NY who met him through a Danish photographer – whatever).
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Yeah
that would be my preference too. There’s a lot of decent FA arms around, some will probably be nice bargains, but I don’t see any of them signing as cheaply as Smoltz, and I just like the guy. Plus, that leaves us plenty of cash to get the best non-Holliday option in LF.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 12:44 PM EST up reply actions
Cameron, IMO
maybe I should just change my sig to MIKE CAMERON!
I’d take Damon if the Yanks don’t offer arby but I don’t think he’s good enough to give up our first round pick for – if there’s no Cameron, no Damon, and no Holliday, I don’t really think I’m that interested in Bay (although that 4/60 contract mooted by the BoSox would actually be a good deal IMO), he’s not as good as Cameron (at least right now) IMO and will be much more expensive.
If they’re all gone, I’d sign someone cheap to help out in the OF (DeRosa/Murton/Reed Johnson, something like that) and then either get the best SP available or make a run at Beltre.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 4:25 PM EST up reply actions
Tony LaRussa is the reason our third baseman is in Cincinnati
"There's a lot of things we say that don't make sense to our viewers. Okay, primarily me." ~Al Hrabosky~
Scott Rolen's poor attitude is also part of he reason he is in Cinn
He seems to get in fights with managers pretty readily.
Sun and Mercury opposition Pluto *cough cough*
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
did he have problems with the team/manager in Toronto
or did he just want to get out of Canada when the chance came? I can’t really blame him if it is the latter, who WANTS to play baseball in Toronto when you can play in a real baseball town?
Lighten up, Francis - Sergeant Hulka
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
So...
problems with Larry Bowa in Philly
problems with LaRussa in STL
problems with ____ (sad, I can’t recall the name of the Jays’ manager and don’t give enough of a shit to look it up) in Toronto
Sounds like an attitude problem to me. But…oh, how I love Scotty Rolen and wish he were still our 3B.
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
I just never heard that he actually had problems with Gaston in Toronto
If he did, well…I don’t know. I am just wondering if this was a case of him wanting out of Canada? You can’t really blame him for that, they talk funny up there.
Lighten up, Francis - Sergeant Hulka
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
Oh, I totally didn't read your post correctly
I thought you were saying he DID have problems w/management in Toronto.
I really can’t blame him for wanting to get out of Canada.
1. It’s cold as fuck
2. Astroturf is not good for a man’s bones and joints, etc.
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
vlad guerrero concurs
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Still, I would take him back, problems with authority and all
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
there's no astrology in baseball
wait…what was that about finn again?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
it begs the question
how do the HK baseball teams manage that in? the whole Chinese / numerology / i ching thing is rather a big thing.
think of the lineups controversies!
"It was like two ankles." AVENGE BOOG
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT
by Yadi2Second on Nov 10, 2009 12:34 PM EST up reply actions
That would be a dream job for me
personal astrologer/numerologist/diviner for any MLB team.
Maybe in 20 years(which is how long it would take me to be prepared for that job), some whacked-out California team would need that position filled.
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
I'm a Rat
So I guess I’d be most compatible with the Chunichi Dragons or The The Angels Angels of Anaheim (because of the Rally Monkey)
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
I was born on a Rat day.
I’m often more Rat than my year animal.
"It was like two ankles." AVENGE BOOG
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT
Just because I'm a Tiger doesn't mean I want to *work* for The Tigers
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
That's a pretty cool site
I know little about Chinese Astrology except that I’m a Wood Tiger and I was born in a wood year, and I think Snake is my rising sign but I can’t remember.
I’ll be spending a lot of time on this site today.
Thanks!
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
i'm a white cow? ouch.
i mean i know i’ve put on a few lbs, but that’s below the belt
pretzels pretzels pretzels pretzels
HAHAHAHAH
it also says i’m one of the luckiest people on the planet. that right there should tell anyone all they need to know about not believing this stuff. if anything, i’m one of the most unluckiest person ever born & have the worst timing of all time
ALL TIME
pretzels pretzels pretzels pretzels
Hey gdm- imma let you finish- but the Captain of the Mary Celeste had one of the most unlucky lives of all time.
OF ALL TIME.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
by ClemsonGirl on Nov 11, 2009 6:02 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
good job
I was at work and wanted to do a Kanye interrupt, but wanted to use a literary character and couldn’t think of one that was just right, and then all I could think of was Juan Encarnacion, and I thought that was terrible and just sad so I didn’t use it.
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
I mean how funny is it to think of Kanye referencing the Captain of the Mary Celeste.
I know he’s smart but still.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Xavier Nady
anyone willing to take a chance on him instead of picking up older guys like Cameron or Damon?
He just doesn't seem to good to me
Plus, he is coming off 2 surgeries. I would rather sign Cameron to a 2 year/$18M contract
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 2:16 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, he's a very "meh" player so far
I think Cameron has way more potential to be a plus player. Nady probably wouldn’t be bad, but I can’t imagine him making some leap and being much better than average. Not that there’s anything wrong with average, but I would like more.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
Nady or Cameron would work for me.
Not a Damon fan but he would be okay I guess. I would just have to get over not liking him.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
this makes a lot of sense to me
hopefully he’s cheap (maybe cheaper than DeRosa) and would allow Allen Craig to get a legitimate shot. if Craig and Nady don’t work out, you still have enough payroll flexibility to move some pieces around. signing Cameron/Damon/Bay/Holliday to a serious deal really paints you into a corner (maybe more so than Lohse.)
"There's a lot of things we say that don't make sense to our viewers. Okay, primarily me." ~Al Hrabosky~
Cameron or Damon wouldn't cost much, though, and it'd be 2 years, max
and they’ve both hit everywhere they’ve played and are seasoned pros. I think the chances of them “not working out” (i.e. being at least average, or a bit better) are slim.
I’d honestly rather just give Craig the job than Nady. He’s a serious injury risk (he’s only had 600 PAs once in a 9 year career), and he’s only barely above average as a hitter, and pretty average as a defender. He’s kinda the definition of mediocrity IMO.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 9, 2009 4:28 PM EST up reply actions
So I guess the question is
Is the difference between Nady and Craig worth the cost?
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
No
Plus, I got to think Craig has more upside than Nady
by FlimtotheFlam on Nov 9, 2009 4:50 PM EST up reply actions
That's my inclination
I mean, he’s in the 6-7 million range. Is he doing to be worth a win more than Craig? He’s historically been a ~.800 OPS guy around 1 WAR. I basically would expect him to be like Ryan Ludwick in a down year, but with worse defense. And at that point, I’d rather give Craig a shot if those are my two options.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
And by "historically" I meant, with the exception of his very fine 2008.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
no
the question is, is cameron worth it (it being salary). i think so.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
10m for a 4-win player
yes, definitely.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 10, 2009 5:50 AM EST up reply actions
Well that's clearly a more important question
But if Cameron or other nice options like that are not gonna happen and we’re stuck wondering what we can get out of Allen Craig…
Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
if we offer cameron the most or comparable money
is there any reason out there that he wouldn’t sign with us to play LF?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
I can't say.
Some people seem to think he’d really not want to play left, but money does talk.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
apparently he put in a trade request at NYM a few years back when they got Beltran and moved him into LF
but now he’s older, maybe fewer options – I dunno, I can’t see him having a problem with it myself. Even if he does, heck, he’s got a nice glove – we can just move Colby to RF or LF, I don’t see that it’ll hurt our defence THAT much. He’s nearly as good as Rasmus anyhow.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 10, 2009 11:20 AM EST up reply actions
I don't see how we can compare nady and craig at all.
the truth can't hurt you, it's just like the dark/ it scares you witless, but in time you see things clear and stark -- macmanus
I like Nady, but
***two*** TJ surgeries is kind of high-risk, imo.
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
Yes. Yes, he is.
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
I don't know because he's beautiful.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
by ClemsonGirl on Nov 10, 2009 12:46 PM EST up reply actions
Because he was with the Pirates for so long, maybe?
It’s hard to keep tabs on the attractive players if they play for teams that aren’t very fun to watch.
"She gone! Airplane time! Airplane Time!! AIRPLANE TIME." Boog
"I think those scorers must be from Mars or Venus. Or maybe they're just from that book." --Mike Shannon, 7/09/2009
Yeah, there would be a lot of questions about his health
We’d probably have to rely on Craig if Nady goes down… which might not turn out to be a horrible thing. Sorry, I’m a big fan of Craig, but I don’t see him as being ready for a full time gig.
i don't have a problem
relying on craig. i have a problem paying nady if he goes down. what was it again that kgreene made?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
6.5m
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 10, 2009 5:50 AM EST up reply actions
But there aren't vampire sleeping bag things in that one.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
If I had a vote, it would go to Fredi Gonzalez
Every single year, he has teams that lack key ingredients-you know, basic things, like defense and situational hitting-things that make it harder to win if you don’t have it. He also always has young pitchers, at different stages of development, with the sometimes erratic performance that comes with that. Who is in their bullpen? Guys most folks haven’t even heard of. Yet he keeps them in contention into September, and when they fall out of it, they play spoiler-which means those players, flawed as some of them are, continue to play hard for him.
Someday he will get tired of Florida; he’ll be snapped up by an organization that’s ready to take the next step and he’ll get them there. My opinion is that Fredi Gonzalez will be the next great baseball manager.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
Oh, and could you get Mike Adams for the bullpen, please?
I think that's a pretty good summation actually.
Felonius Monk - bitching to contact since 2008
by Felonius_Monk on Nov 10, 2009 5:51 AM EST up reply actions
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