A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words: Why Pujols Deserves More Money Than Teixeira and Mauer, But Not A-Rod Money

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Even if you look at cumulative WAR by age, the difference between A-Rod and Pujols by age remains constant (compare the area differential for the age 21 to 29 seasons). That's not to say Pujols age 31-40 seasons will not be comparable to A-Rod's, however...just a commentary on equivalent-aged production.

The Shift that gave the Series away

In game 4 of the World Series on Sunday I saw something new that I have never seen happen in baseball before. In the ninth inning with the game tied at 4 Brad Lidge was pitching to Mark Teixeira with Johnny Damon on first base. Teixeira was batting from the left side so the Phillies had the shift on. Johnny Damon decided to steal second and slide in easily. Then he popped up and ran to third base. He stole two bases on the same play without an error, rundown or anything else you ordinary see happen. With the shift being on, the third basemen was nowhere near it so even though a Philly had the ball and was ready to throw it to someone, there was no one. The pitcher Lidge should have been covering because he was the only option, but he was obviously not told too and didn’t think of it in time. Charlie Manuel should have reviewed that, but I have never seen that happen before with a shift on. So Damon ended up getting a free base which was the go ahead run at the time. The Yankees ended up scoring more runs, but that opened the flood gates. Now it will be hard for them to come back being down in the series 3-1.

I have never see a player steal two bases with the shit on before. Has anyone ever seen that? I am specifically asking you “The 'Bright' One”.

Bud Selig makes 45 times more money than Barack Obama

The IRS likes to know how much money people earn every year so they can take it away from you and give it to other wealthy people or a useless war, you know stuff like that. Well, apparently MLB commissioner Bud Selig made a cool 18 million last year for his "efforts" as commissioner. For you math geeks, thats 45 times the constitutionally determined 400K the president of the United States is compensated for his or her "efforts". I'm not really sure what Bud Selig does. It's hard to do less then George Walker Bush, but i'm pretty sure Selig has accomplished that feet. He probably signs some papers, lets games end in a tie, and sits dumbfounded as the all-time home run record is surpassed for the first time in 3o years. Oh, he also plays the role of Donald Feir's bitch in front of congress every now and then. I needs to get me a job like that.

This kinda puts forth the issue again of how the players in MLB are compensated the least amount of league revenue than any other sports league. If Selig pockets close to 20 mil, then what are the owners making these days. let's  stop complaining about the 20 mil Teixeira will make for playing one of the hardest sports at the highest of level 162+ times a year, and more on Selig and the owners making much more just sitting on their butts all day

Curt Schilling Needs A Life

Curt Schilling is quite possibly the most annoying baseball player in the game. He is a rigid moralist (if I hear him brag about how he didn't take steroids to be the player he is/was one more time, I might have to make another post) with an opinion on everything. I literally mean everything. The presidential election, the Iraq War, his superior grammar skills, etc. He also sometimes just blogs about how many MLB rings he has.

In today's blogpost, Schilling basically says what I said yesterday about the Yankees signing of Mark Teixeira being overrated, only with a "we are just as good as the Yanks without Tex" attitude.

Two words, Schilling: as if.

Let's compare 25 men rosters:
1B: Youkilis vs Teixeira -- The Yankees win this matchup because while both first baseman are patient sluggers with relatively high batting averages (if you are into that sort of statistic), Tex clearly has more power (30+ HRs vs 20+)

2B: Pedroia vs Cano -- The Red Sox win this one if Cano continues his career with his 2008 numbers instead of his 2006/2007 numbers. If Cano were to "bounce back," however, he would be a formidible comparison to Pedroia, given his double digit HR power, more-than-competent ability to make contact and well-above-average defense.

SS: Jeter vs Lugo -- Despite his hugely overrated status and steady decline-in-ability as he is aging, Jeter is clearly better than Lugo in all categories other than defense (sabermetrically speaking, Jeter was rated the worst defensive SS in the game last year). Just look at their offensive numbers.

3B: A-rod vs Mike Lowell -- Yankees win this one with no question. A-Rod is one of the best baseball players of all-time and Mike Lowell is old, oft-injured and inconsistent.

OF1: Jason Bay vs Xavier Nady -- The Red Sox win this one because Bay is a 30 HR power guy with a career OPS that hovers around .900. However, Nady, until recently, was utilized as a utility guy throughout his career (much like Mark DeRosa). It took until last year to show what he's capable of doing (and it's actually pretty damn good).

CF: Ellsbury vs Swisher -- This one is a tie, in my opinion. While Ellsbury is clearly the better defender (if for no reason other than the ability to run at fly balls competently), Swisher is clearly more valuable (where it counts) offensively. Besides, Swisher really isn't an outfielder. He's more of a 1B/DH.

OF2: JD Drew vs Johnny "Ex-Sox" Damon -- This one again goes to the Yankees because Damon still walks, smacks extra-base hits and is, above all, consistent. Drew has some great ability but it often comes and goes in streaks. That's all and good for a 162 game season (sample size), but nothing to brag about come playoff time.

DH: Matsui vs Ortiz -- Both are health risks as of late, but Ortiz is clearly the better player in terms of power (which is what you want in a DH). Match point goes to the Red Sox.

SP1: Beckett vs Sabathia -- In 2009, Sabathia's arm will probably fall off, but Beckett is just as likely to get a sidelining blister on his index finger. Assuming both stay healthy, however, Sabathia's career and potential is clearly more distinguished (more K's, less HRs) and more consistent.

SP2: Dice-K vs AJ Burnett -- The Yankees win here if AJ stays healthy because Dice-K's walk rate is going to eventually bite him in the ass. Both have nasty stuff, however, and you could give a good arguement that this one is a toss up.

SP3: Wang vs Lester -- Yanks sweep this matchup, as Wang pitches like an ace. Want is great at inducing ground balls and not walking people, while Lester is just an above-average middle-of-the-rotation kind of guy.

SP4: Joba vs Tim Wakefield -- Considering how good and young Joba is and how old and not-very-good Wakefield is, I'm giving this matchup to the Yankees.

SP5: Phil Hughes vs Clay Buchholz -- The winner of this matchup is indeterminant because both are young pitchers with much hype, great stuff and tons of potential but very limited proven success in the majors. They can either be the next Roy Oswalt or the next Daniel Cabrera. Only time will tell

Relief Core: The Red Sox have a leg up on the Yankees in this category given their profound pitching depth.

CL: Rivera vs Papelbon -- While Papelbon will probably be great for many years to come and Mo Rivers is on his way out of the game, they both posses equally great talent. I have to give the edge to Mo and the Yankees, however, given Rivera's sheer experience in the majors.

All said and done, it's clear that the Yankees pretty much have better team all around. Outside of the DH position, second base and a corner outfield position, the Yankees have equally good, if not better, players at every turn. Despite his comment that he is "glad Youk is staying at first and Mike is at third," there is no way in hell he could look me in the eye and say Youk wouldn't be a better 3B than Lowell and Tex wouldn't be a better 1B than Youk. Such a claim defies all logic and reason.

The 2008 Yankees

The Bright One and I were discussing the "sickness" of the 2008 Yankees and seemed to come to the conclusion that -- in the wake of the Mark Teixeira signing -- they aren't really that much better than the 2006/2007 Yankees. Think about it. Star player like A-Rod (who is awesome) and Derek Jeter (who is overrated and declining in ability fast) are each one year older and in the back years of their prime.

Out is Jason Giambi -- who averaged 35 HRs and 100+ walks a season -- and in is Mark Teixeira -- who averages 36 HRs and 79 walks a season. Not a huge "upgrade" outside of years left until retirement (Giambi yielder higher production per AB for the Yankees than Teixeira has in his career). The comparable power comes with a parity of Batting Average for Pitch Selection (the latter of which corrolates higher to consistent Runs Created). So despite what you think, Tex isn't exactly the biggest upgrade in the world for the Yanks.

Out is Bobby Abreu -- who averages 22+ HRs and 104 walks per season -- and in is Nick Swisher -- who averages 28 HRs and 91 walks per season. Both have great plate discipline, but Abreu is clearly better. Also, despite the fact that Abreu is probably nearing the last several years of his career, I can't say Swisher's poor defense in the outfield and streaky hitting are properly compensated by the fact that he's entering his prime years. Also, while Swisher may have more raw HR power, Abreu has shown a much better ability to scoop up XBH's (Abreu's career SLG is 48 pts higher than Swisher's). Abreu's replacement may not be a downgrade, but he's not an upgrade either.

In is CC Sabathia, who logged 253+ innings last year. Even though he's got the same "work horse" label as such players as Carlos Zambrano and Aaron Harang, his heavy arm abuse by the Brewers is nothing short of unsettling. As the Pitcher Abuse Point (PAP) system indicates, it's what pitchers do when tired and fatigued that causes long term injury. At the very least, those four consecutive three-days rest, 99-105-108-122 pitch starts in September can't be good for Sabathia's health. Recall that after logging in a career his 241+ innings in 2007, Sabathia started off the year in horrible, fatigued form (Ks down, BBs up, HR/9 up, etc.). Note further than fellow workhorse Aaron Harang had a phenominal season going into late May, when Dusty Baker -- in classic Dusty Baker fashion -- decided to pitch him for four innings following a 103 pitch outing just two days prior. Baker then made Harang pitch 5.2 innings three days later. While Harang's arm took a little over a month and a half to fall off (extended DL stint), his peripherals plummeted immediately (Ks down, BBs up, HR/9 up). Harang ultimately ended the season with his highest ERA and lowest numbers of Ks since 2004 (his first full season in the majors). To the Yanks, I just say "buyer beware."

Out is Mike Mussina, who had a fantastic season to retire on. His career 3.68 ERA and <1.2 WHIP will surely be missed.

In is AJ Burnett who can only stay healthy in contract years. Nuff said.

Out is Pettite, whose SP3/SP4 career with the Yankees has been well above average and nothing short of reliable.

In are prospects Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy who "they" say have great stuff, but failed to help the Yankees win a single game in 2008 between the two of them. Their production potential may be high, but the inexperience, lack of command and before-their-prime status make Huges and Kennedy questionable pieces in the "Yankees dream rotation."



While i'm not saying the Yankees won't win their division this year, I am saying they are not that much better of a team than they have been in the past few years. Since The Rays are going to probably be better this year (considering the increased major league experience among the youthful squad), the Yanks are going to have to do more than sign a bunch of big names with big questions behind them to become AL Champ shoe-ins. They'll probably make the playoffs, though.

According To Sources, ESPN Is Full Of Crap

Ooooo! A baseball post. I guess, I'll read on.

In the wake of baseball's free agency market, there have been a lot of rumors about which free agents are going to which team. If you just spend a few hours (or like six to ten which I seemingly do now that I have nothing to do) watching ESPN, you'll see that there are rumors everywhere about which teams are going after which player and which players accepted contracts from which franchise. But the thing that bothers me the most is that these journalist aren't naming their sources. These reports are always the same "[insert baseball team here] is going after [insert baseball player here] sources tell [insert inane, crappy ESPN baseball reporter here, or rather just insert ESPN baseball reporter here]." And it always seems like these reports are never right! Let's take Mark Teixeira for example. First he wasn't doing anything because he wanted to get signed by the Angels and he wanted to wait to see if Sabathia signed with the Angels. Then, Teixeira, was offered a HUGE contract by the Red Sox. Then Teixeira was looking at teams which included Boston, Washington, and Baltimore. Then he was only exclusively looking at Boston and Washington (seriously, Washington! I know they might offer you a lot of money, but the fucking Nationals! Really!?). Then he signed with the Yankees. What the fuck! Why do I care that Teixeira is kind of sort of looking at some teams. I don't need to hear about random bumble skunk teams and situations. Just tell me that Teixeira signed with the Yankees. That's all I want to hear about.

Secondly, and most importantly, who are these sources! Who is like telling Buster Olney that Teixeira is considering like two teams, then I hear an hour later he signed with a team that WASN'T one of the two teams Teixeira was considering. Can you imagine if the New York Times did this? "Sources say that George W. Bush is thinking about bombing Iran in the upcoming weeks. Now sources say that Bush is planning on just going to Iran within the next two weeks. Sources are now telling the Times that W is now going to call Iran. Wait, Bush, just had this one dream where he actually thought about Iraq and that was it." Seriously, the tabloids at least MENTION their sources (Granted they say "We heard from this bum on the street"… but still). Are they tabloids on a higher realm of journalistic integrity than sports writers? According to my brother (who is going to be a journalist and is majoring in journalism and thus has SOME knowledge on the topic of basic journalism), the reason journalist really don't name their sources is to protect the source. For example, if a source feels his life or job is in danger and/or has a VALID reason to not be named, then a journalist should protect their sources identity. If a Presidential aide is talking smack about the President, then of course that source should want to remain anonymous.

Side note: see how easy it was to name my source and present a foundation for his credibility? Why can't you do this ESPN?

But this is baseball. Offering a contract to a player or talking about what team a player wants to play with does not fall under this category of protecting anonymity. What is the valid reason for not mentioning these sources? You can't just say random things, especially if they turn out to be meaningless in the end. Now, if ESPN said, "according to Teixeira's agent, Teixeira has gotten offers from Boston, Baltimore, and Washington", then OK, that's acceptable even though they have no bearing on which team the 1B ultimately chooses. But ESPN baseball reporters need to mention their sources when talking about big issues like these in order for them to be credible. Even though this is ESPN, you need credibility as a news organization as a whole. ESPN is the major influential sports institution in America and in order to remain truly influential and important, you need credibility.

Right now, ESPN baseball reporters have the equivalent integrity of high school gossip. "Well I heard so and so had a nose job and liposuction this summer! OMG!" What's stopping us four blog posters (or three if you don't count Irwin who hasn't done anything yet) from starting our own blog or TV show and just saying the first things that come to our mind. "Today Alexei Rameriz, in an attempt to bulk up, is taking daily steroid injections in the ass from Ozzie Guillen and has joined the competitive eating circuit." Seriously, if I called Buster Olney about this information, changed Alexei to Derek Jeter, this story would first page news by morning. I understand journalists don't have to and should not have to name their sources according to the first amendment and judicial cases but this is getting ridiculous. Sources need to start getting named.