Cubs looking at Kris Benson
I heard the Cubs are one of a few teams looking at Kris Benson. Kris Benson missed most of the past two seasons with injuries so he is holding a workout to show teams he is healthy and ready to pitch again. The other teams rumored to be attending the work out are the Diamondbacks and Rangers. Benson is 34 years old and last pitched in the majors with the Orioles in 2006 where he went 11-12 with a 4.86 ERA over 30 starts and 183 innings. He has a career ERA of 4.34 with a 68-73 record.
How does Steve Phillips have a job?
Steve Phillips, baseball's worst GM and analyst, is on tonight's Baseball Tonight special. During a roundtable about whether or not the WBC presents a problem for teams who want to protect their investment in players, Phillips said something to the tune of: "We shouldn't be worried about the effects of the WBC on players. Look at the 2006 WBC. Did anyone get hurt? Was anyone affected." He says this "not just as a baseball fan, but as an ex-GM."
Does no one remember Jake Peavy? Following the added workload of the WBC, Peavy's ERA went up by 42%, his walks went up by 25% and his home run rate increased by 28%. He went from being 34% above league average in terms of his ERA to 1% below.
Looking deeper into the stats, we find that Peavy's BABIP was a bit high (.316), which clearly accounted for the 15% increase in hits between 2005 and 2006, while his HR/FB rate remained constant. However, this all happened to coincide with Peavy's 6% decline in groundballs and 8.1% increase in FB's, which led to an increased homerun rate and FIP increased of 21%.
All and all, it seems like Peavy's number were probably affected by some combination of luck and/or fatigue. While Peavy's most of peripherals remained relatively constant, his control was clearly affected by some measure -- and walks tend to be relatively luck neutral. Thus, I am tempted to side with the latter explanation (fatigue).
EDIT: Now the roundtable is talking about the youth movement in baseball. Never one to say something intelligent, Steve Phillips -- again in his opinion as "an ex-GM" -- is advocating drafting High School players over College players, despite all statistical evidence that points otherwise, because you can get "younger players."
Side note -- Phillips was notorious for signing aged veterans -- like Mo Vaugh, Bobby Bonilla and Kenny Rogers -- to expensive contracts during his brief tenure as the Mets GM.
Ay yi yi.
Does no one remember Jake Peavy? Following the added workload of the WBC, Peavy's ERA went up by 42%, his walks went up by 25% and his home run rate increased by 28%. He went from being 34% above league average in terms of his ERA to 1% below.
Looking deeper into the stats, we find that Peavy's BABIP was a bit high (.316), which clearly accounted for the 15% increase in hits between 2005 and 2006, while his HR/FB rate remained constant. However, this all happened to coincide with Peavy's 6% decline in groundballs and 8.1% increase in FB's, which led to an increased homerun rate and FIP increased of 21%.
All and all, it seems like Peavy's number were probably affected by some combination of luck and/or fatigue. While Peavy's most of peripherals remained relatively constant, his control was clearly affected by some measure -- and walks tend to be relatively luck neutral. Thus, I am tempted to side with the latter explanation (fatigue).
************************************
EDIT: Now the roundtable is talking about the youth movement in baseball. Never one to say something intelligent, Steve Phillips -- again in his opinion as "an ex-GM" -- is advocating drafting High School players over College players, despite all statistical evidence that points otherwise, because you can get "younger players."
Side note -- Phillips was notorious for signing aged veterans -- like Mo Vaugh, Bobby Bonilla and Kenny Rogers -- to expensive contracts during his brief tenure as the Mets GM.
Ay yi yi.
Undead Pitching
Remember Corey Lidle, the very average pitcher who tragically died in a plane crash in 2006? Take a look at his Fangraphs profile; Marcel's Seasonal Performance Projection System predicts him to pitch 59 innings of 4.65 ERA baseball.
Spooky.
Spooky.
The second best sports prediction ever
I know that I've quoted this January 2006 Heckler interview with Ryan Dempster at least a hundred times before, but I have yet to quote what I consider the second funniest sports prediction ever made (the first being John Kruk predicting Randy Johnson to win 30 games in 2005).
"The Heckler: A lot of people are pretty down on Dusty. What do you think about that?He sure showed us.
Ryan Dempster: I think he's one of the best guys to have ever managed baseball. I think the reason they are [down on him] is because, number one, he put the blame on himself. I can't honestly remember one time that Dusty has sat there and blamed a player. He always takes the blame himself. He gives us all the positive feedback we can get. Corey [Patterson] had a really tough year and Dusty, all the way down to the end, stood behind him. He sticks behind his players. It hurts to lose for you and your fans, but it also hurts to lose because your manager is such a great guy.
Everyone's going to understand what a great manager he is after this year."
The Cliff Floyd Factor
From the blog of Paul DePodesta, Billy Beane's ex-Assistant GM:
1) The Padres, who play in the NL, do not have a DH spot
2) Cliff Floyd has a -10 UZR/150 rating in the outfield
3) Cliff Floyd has an career OPS below 700 as a Pinch Hitter
Also, on the topic of Cliff Floyd, I am reminded of this "great" article I read last year by Dave Hollander, in which he suggested that Cliff Floyd possessed a unique and immeasurable skill that he dubbed The Cliff Floyd Factor:
We've been talking for a number of weeks internally about the need to add a left-handed bat into the mix, as our bench was looking awfully right-handed. In an ideal world, we wanted to find a guy who could provide three primary skills: 1) the ability to do damage against RHP as either a pinch hitter, DH or occasional starter, 2) the ability to play somewhere other than 1B if need be, and 3) the ability to act as a leader for our younger players. We found a match in Cliff.I wonder DePodesta realizes that:
1) The Padres, who play in the NL, do not have a DH spot
2) Cliff Floyd has a -10 UZR/150 rating in the outfield
3) Cliff Floyd has an career OPS below 700 as a Pinch Hitter
Also, on the topic of Cliff Floyd, I am reminded of this "great" article I read last year by Dave Hollander, in which he suggested that Cliff Floyd possessed a unique and immeasurable skill that he dubbed The Cliff Floyd Factor:
Wherever Cliff Floyd goes, his teams win. Not only do they win, they turnaround. It's as if before Floyd got there not only weren't they winning but his teams appeared to have little idea how to win.My favorite part of that article, however, was Hollander's conclusion about Cliff Floyd's important contribution to the major league baseball:
"Unfortunatley sabermetrics cannot nor can any kind of metrics measure the unmeasurable little things teammates do for each other to make each other better. You can't quantify a well timed joke that eases tension in the clubhouse. Or a look that reassures...These are the human qualities that elude objective statistical analysis. But they're crucial to creating a winning team. In order to win, especially to win a championship, it's not simply about being the best player"Hilarious jokes -- not walks, home runs, doubles, not making outs or good pitching -- are what win World Series titles. The Cubs choked in October because they had no sense of humor (unless you count signing Jason Marquis to a 3 year deal worth just under 30 million).
"Cubs, Absence From World Series Agree To 4-Year Extension"
Shout out to ESPN's Jayson Stark, who pointed out a hilarious, but overlooked article from The Onion a few months a go.
Check it out.
Check it out.
Ben "Mark Prior" Sheets Is Injured (Again)
According to MLB.com, Ben Sheets has a torn flexor tendon. Apparently, Sheets, prior to his Rangers physical, was unaware that his elbow was entirely fucked up -- so fucked up that it is going to require surgery. Meanwhile, the Brewers medical team found no such injury when Sheets was "inspected" back on December 8. So either sometime in the past 60 days, Sheets blew out his elbow not pitching and didn't tell anyone (in which case he's an asshole) or the Brewers knew something was wrong and didn't tell him (in which case the Brewers are a bunch of assholes). Of course, there is also the possibility that the Brewer's medical examiner is Dr. Nick Riviera. Somehow, however, I doubt an $80+ million team would hire shitty doctors to monitor and examine their players.
I have questions and demand answers:
1) If this injury, which is a serious one, was prevalent enough to not only be discovered by the Rangers, but also require surgery, how did the Brewers never catch it? Something here seems fishy.
2) If the Brewers DID know about the injury, why did they offer Sheets arbitration?
3) Should the Brewers be held responsible for paying for Sheet's injury if they were aware of the injury (which often requires expensive surgery to fix) and did not inform Sheets of it?
4) Did the Brewers know about the injury and hide it from Sheets because they knew a healthy Sheets would turn down their offer of arbitration and they wanted an extra first round draft pick?
5) If Sheets knew he was injured, wouldn't he have accepted the Brewers offer of arbitration? You know, so he'd get paid and not have to shell out the surgery money himself?
6) What could Sheets have possibly done to blow out his elbow in the past 60 days?
Something seems fishy here...
I have questions and demand answers:
1) If this injury, which is a serious one, was prevalent enough to not only be discovered by the Rangers, but also require surgery, how did the Brewers never catch it? Something here seems fishy.
2) If the Brewers DID know about the injury, why did they offer Sheets arbitration?
3) Should the Brewers be held responsible for paying for Sheet's injury if they were aware of the injury (which often requires expensive surgery to fix) and did not inform Sheets of it?
4) Did the Brewers know about the injury and hide it from Sheets because they knew a healthy Sheets would turn down their offer of arbitration and they wanted an extra first round draft pick?
5) If Sheets knew he was injured, wouldn't he have accepted the Brewers offer of arbitration? You know, so he'd get paid and not have to shell out the surgery money himself?
6) What could Sheets have possibly done to blow out his elbow in the past 60 days?
Something seems fishy here...
Barry Rozner Is At It Again
Barry Rozner, the man who called Greg Maddux an afterthought before the release of the Mitchell Report, is at it again. Check out his analysis the Sox's hole at second base for 2009.
There's little doubt that as SoxFest ends and February begins, Brent Lillibridge is the favorite to win the second base job on the South Side.
Yes there is. In fact, there's much doubt that Lillibridge will win the position over the Sox's first round pick from 2008, Gordon Beckman. Ozzie just came out at Sox Fest and said the guy is probably going to have to switch over to second base (from shortstop) because Alexei Ramirez is his SS of the foreseeable future. Beckman, by many insider accounts, is destined to follow in Evan Longoria's footsteps. Far be it from me to endorse Ryan Zimmermaning a player instead of letting him develop and harness his skills in the minors, but that doesn't change the realities of Ozzie Guillen's poor management.
But that doesn't mean the White Sox don't still think a lot of Chris Getz, who figures to be the main competition for Lillibridge.
Him and Gordon Beckham.
However, there is a sleeper in this battle who's been mostly forgotten since Lillibridge arrived from Atlanta in the Javy Vazquez deal,
Gordon Beckham? The guy who 670 AM The Score spent a whole week lobbying Ozzie & Kenny to call up in August?
though it doesn't mean GM Kenny Williams has forgotten Jayson Nix.
...?
The 26-year-old Nix is a former Colorado first rounder whose filthy uniform and solid defense fits the Sox' style like a glove.
With a career line of .260/.325/.415 (in the minors), Nix will perfectly fit in perfectly with the Sox's style of not being good at baseball, circa 2007.
This is a player who was supposedly ruled out of the Olympics in Beijing after he was hit above the eye attempting to bunt a pitch thrown at his head, during a game vs. Cuba.Where most chicken-shit "men" would avoid a baseball thrown at their head, cowardly taking the pitch for a ball, Jayson Nix has the testicles to stare that pitch down, face-to-face, and take a strikeout to the head like a man.
Nix had a 2-inch gash above his left eyebrow, penetrating to his skull, requiring interior and exterior stitching, and microsurgery for multiple lacerations.
Due to the swelling, he was forced to sleep at a 45-degree angle in his bed with eyes bandaged, as doctors monitored the blood massing behind his left eye.
Once pronounced finished for the Games, Nix played eight days after the incident and helped Team USA capture the bronze medal game against Japan.
Jayson Nix is a fucking GRINDER. His ability to recover from injury is only second to Claire Bennett. It doesn't matter that he had only 3 plate appearances in the Olympics. He single handedly earned his bronze medal.
"If it were up to Jayson, he would have been back in three days," said former Cubs trainer John Fierro, who was the Team USA medic in China. "The best way to put it is you wish you had 24 more like him.
"You better kill him if you go after him because he'll be back for more."
Jayson Nix is the Rambo of Second Basemen. It doesn't matter that he was cut from the Rockies for posting a sub-.400 OPS in 2008. Jayson Nix will fucking kill you.
Fierro also saw Nix win the MVP of the World Cup when the U.S. upset Cuba for the gold medal in 2007, on a roster that included Evan Longoria and a couple other monster prospects.
"You can't help but love this kid," Fierro said. "He's a leader, he's tough, and he's respectful. He just wants you to plug him in and let him play.
"He's got a hockey mentality. What else can I say? He's a hockey guy on spikes."
Jayson Nix will fucking kill you. He's a hockey player. You know who else is a hockey player who kills people? Jason Voorhees. Coincidence?
After missing six games with that eye injury, and returning against Japan, Nix went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run. Defensively, he made a play deep in the hole to his right, and turned 2 double plays.
"Guys like him, that kind of grinder, he's the kind of dirty such-and-such you want to see succeed,'' Williams said. "They just want it more than anyone else.
Jayson Nix is 26 and has a career minor league OPS of .740. If that's not the definition of potential, I don't know what is.
Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, on the talented Alexei Ramirez: "When you see this kid play shortstop, you will forget Ozzie Guillen ever played shortstop for the White Sox."
In his 16 year career, Ozzie Guillen posted a .264/.287/.338 slash line (.625 OPS) -- some of the worst offensive numbers in the history of baseball. NOTHING, not even Jose Reyes hitting 100 HRs, will ever make anyone forget how truly terrible he was at baseball.
Ozzie Guillen, on fans' fascination with home runs: "I hope it changes. I wish we could tell the guy in the scoreboard to set the fireworks off when someone hits a triple or moves a runner from second to third."
Let's also celebrate bunting, not dropping routine catches and trying really hard while we're at it.
More SB controversy
As though there hasn't been enough super bowl controversy, here is more evidence that the game was officiated pretty poorly. It appears as though Holmes only got one foot into the end zone. Was this play reviewed? I don't remember, but considering it happened with 30 seconds left in the game, they should have taken a really close look. Maybe that left foot did touch the ground, or maybe it simply looked that way on camera, it's undeniable that the replay officiating was not at championship level.
Random Thoughts
1) Did anyone see the play in the Superbowl where Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison was punching some Cardinal player after a tackle. I mean these weren't whimpy punches but these were fucking hard punches while this Cardinal player was on the ground. Now Wes Welker gets fined $15,000 for making a snow angel after one of his touchdowns and James Harrison is going to get off scott free? What The Hell!? And BTW, the refs didn't even call a penalty on the play if I'm not mistaken.
2) Speaking off touchdown celebrations, after Santonio Holmes' great touchdown catch to essentially end the game, he did a touchdown celebration mimicking LeBron James' warm up celebration pretending the football was talcum powder. This is a flat out violation of the rules. It clearly says you can not use the football as a prop during touchdown celebrations and is a 15 yard penalty for the Cardinals. Now I'm not sure this would have affected the outcome, but at the time you never know. It was not out of the realm of possibility that the Cardinals still could have scored a TD and that 15 yard penalty is a call you have to make with that little time left on the clock.
3) Can we all take a minute in silence to realize how awesome Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summit is? I realize that, yes, it is lady sports, but she's going to get her 1000th win this season. No other coach in the history of college basketball has ever even come close to this mark. Plus she has 8 national championships, EIGHT!? She is just fucking awesome.
4) ESPN, right after the Super Bowl, had a list of top ten plays in Super Bowl history. 10 was Larry Fitzgerald's first TD catch (or maybe second, but who really cares), 3 was James Harrison's 100 pick six, and 1 was Santonio Holmes' TD. Really guys!? OK, I can see the last two being on the list but putting Holmes catch above David Tyree's on helmet catch last year. Don't be fags.
5) This was a question asked on SportsCenter today. "Did Kobe score 61 at Madison Square Garden knowing that LeBron was going to be there two days later?" Don't be fucking retarded SportsCenter, Kobe scored 61 points because he's just a fucking awesome basketball player, he was having an on night, and the Knicks suck. What arena he was at and who playing at that arena soon had nothing to do with his decision numb nuts.
6) I hate John Madden.
7) I like Illinois' basketball team this year.
8) Michael Phelps is 23 fucking years old. God forbid he enjoys his youth and drinks and smokes a little pot. Although it is kind of sketchy that he's in some random frat house in South Carolina...
9) You guys need to lay low a little bit for posting.
10) I did not realize this but in 16 seasons, Manny Rameriz has an OPS of over 1.000. He's like 8th all time in OPS. Fuck Manny is/was fucking awesome. Also, Todd Helton has a career OPS over 1.000 but he plays in Colorado so that doesn't count.
11) I'm in a class where they also use blogger (this site). This site is used for us to talk about current events and every person will have to write and present one speech based on current events. If I had joined this class blog, then Sexy Rexy would have just recently posted about the Roland Burris appointment.
2) Speaking off touchdown celebrations, after Santonio Holmes' great touchdown catch to essentially end the game, he did a touchdown celebration mimicking LeBron James' warm up celebration pretending the football was talcum powder. This is a flat out violation of the rules. It clearly says you can not use the football as a prop during touchdown celebrations and is a 15 yard penalty for the Cardinals. Now I'm not sure this would have affected the outcome, but at the time you never know. It was not out of the realm of possibility that the Cardinals still could have scored a TD and that 15 yard penalty is a call you have to make with that little time left on the clock.
3) Can we all take a minute in silence to realize how awesome Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summit is? I realize that, yes, it is lady sports, but she's going to get her 1000th win this season. No other coach in the history of college basketball has ever even come close to this mark. Plus she has 8 national championships, EIGHT!? She is just fucking awesome.
4) ESPN, right after the Super Bowl, had a list of top ten plays in Super Bowl history. 10 was Larry Fitzgerald's first TD catch (or maybe second, but who really cares), 3 was James Harrison's 100 pick six, and 1 was Santonio Holmes' TD. Really guys!? OK, I can see the last two being on the list but putting Holmes catch above David Tyree's on helmet catch last year. Don't be fags.
5) This was a question asked on SportsCenter today. "Did Kobe score 61 at Madison Square Garden knowing that LeBron was going to be there two days later?" Don't be fucking retarded SportsCenter, Kobe scored 61 points because he's just a fucking awesome basketball player, he was having an on night, and the Knicks suck. What arena he was at and who playing at that arena soon had nothing to do with his decision numb nuts.
6) I hate John Madden.
7) I like Illinois' basketball team this year.
8) Michael Phelps is 23 fucking years old. God forbid he enjoys his youth and drinks and smokes a little pot. Although it is kind of sketchy that he's in some random frat house in South Carolina...
9) You guys need to lay low a little bit for posting.
10) I did not realize this but in 16 seasons, Manny Rameriz has an OPS of over 1.000. He's like 8th all time in OPS. Fuck Manny is/was fucking awesome. Also, Todd Helton has a career OPS over 1.000 but he plays in Colorado so that doesn't count.
11) I'm in a class where they also use blogger (this site). This site is used for us to talk about current events and every person will have to write and present one speech based on current events. If I had joined this class blog, then Sexy Rexy would have just recently posted about the Roland Burris appointment.
The Yankees Are...Out Of Money???
I was reading the New York Times Online earlier today (yes, I read The Times in addition to baseball stuff) when I came across a mind boggling line from Yankee's GM Brian Cashman in the sports section. At a charity event he recently attended, Cashman fielded various hot topic question that didn't have to do with Torre's book. Naturally, the issue of Manny Ramirez came up:
If you ask me, this is front-page material...especially for New York
doesn't matter that the projected Yankees payroll for 2009 will be lower than that of 2008
Wait...what???? One more time:Cashman took a question about why he was not pursuing (Manny) RamÃrez, and he said that he simply could not afford it after spending so freely during the off-season.
“People expect us to get in on Manny, but it’s not going to happen,” Cashman said. “We’re in the nonroster invitee mode.”
He added, “He’s a great player, but when you look at our payroll, we’re tapped.”
"...when you look at our payroll, we’re tapped.”Holy fucking shit Batman. The Yankees have finally spent so much money that they have no more money left.
If you ask me, this is front-page material...especially for New York
**********************
Question: If the Yankee's payroll -- largely thanks to Giambi making more in 2008 than Tex in 2009 and AJ Burnett's large contract being offset by the departures of Mussina and Abreu -- is projected to be less in 2009 than it was in 2008, how are the Yankees out of money?doesn't matter that the projected Yankees payroll for 2009 will be lower than that of 2008
Super Bowl's biggest, brightest star
She didn't even have to pay the 3 million for her 30 seconds of super bowl fame
Funniest 2 minutes in the history of time
I've never laughed this hard, ever. This kid is either coming home from the doctor's or just watched a certain 30 second clip from the super bowl
Sorry for the porn, here's 10 bucks
Comcast is stepping up and dealing out a $10 coupon to all of it's Arizonian customers for allowing a hacker to hack into their signal and splice in some erotica. I'm sure that will cover the years of therapy those kiddies will need after seeing that.
Let's Calm Down Guys
OK, I think we need an intervention.
February is only 50 hours old, just over two days, and already there's 13 blog posts. Really guys!? Really!? In two days you guys have 13 posts! And none from me! Maybe it's time we take a break from this site and actually focus on things that matter. Like school, work, and LSATs. Maybe we should go out and talk to people for a change. Maybe you guys should go one day without ESPN. OK, maybe that last one is flat out unreasonable, but seriously guys, and this is coming from me, let's cool down on the blog posting. Whaddya say?
I actually need to add 14 blog posts because while I was typing up this blog post, another one was posted.
February is only 50 hours old, just over two days, and already there's 13 blog posts. Really guys!? Really!? In two days you guys have 13 posts! And none from me! Maybe it's time we take a break from this site and actually focus on things that matter. Like school, work, and LSATs. Maybe we should go out and talk to people for a change. Maybe you guys should go one day without ESPN. OK, maybe that last one is flat out unreasonable, but seriously guys, and this is coming from me, let's cool down on the blog posting. Whaddya say?
I actually need to add 14 blog posts because while I was typing up this blog post, another one was posted.
Great Plays In Baseball
This is why Raul Ibanez has a reputation as a poor defender...
List of things Jonny Gomes can't do: hit righties, make consistent contact with baseballs, catch flyballs.
(that's all for now)
Jon H.
Jon Heyman's says the darndest things. Let me quote you this gem-of-an-analysis about the "#2 player" on the market, Bobby Abreu (who, by the way, at the declining age of 35 is not nearly as good of a prospective signing as the in-his-prime-at-the-age-of-29-and-hitting-40-home-runs-a-season Adam Dunn -- especially since they both have comparably terrible defense in the outfield at the corners).
He is one of three players in history with a .400 on-base percentage, 300 steals and 200 home runs (Barry Bonds and Rickey Henderson are the others) and one of three with 100 RBIs in each of the last three years Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols are the others),
Bobby Abreu is also at least twice as old as each of those other two players and his three-year peripheral trends clearly show that his offensive and defensive skills are quickly on the decline. But hey, who gives a fuck. Let's give him $48 million over 3 years because he batted behind Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter for the last 3 years.
yet for some reason Raul Ibanez, whose numbers aren't even in Abreu's ballpark, was the more popular pick this winter.
Two bad signings clearly cancel each other out in the name of fiscal fairness. However, it's the next bit of analysis by Heyman that I really love and sparked me to write this mini-rant:
Ibanez signed for $31.5 million over three years with Abreu's former Phillies team, but Abreu would do well to get $20 million for two right now. Ibanez scored points for his deserved rep as a great guy and a clubhouse leader, but Abreu certainly isn't a negative influence in any way. The two perceived knocks on him are minor (that he's interested in stats and fears the wall) and shouldn't preclude anyone from signing him.
So, in other words, Bobby Abreu's two flaws -- which are precluding him from signing a big contract -- are:
1) he doesn't like getting injured (and isn't Aaron Rowand) and
2) he likes to statistically perform well in a game of statistics?
It's not the declining trends in UZR/150, BB/9, HR/AB or even the fact that he's thirty-fucking-five. It's because he hates being injured and focuses his performance on the statically relevant parts of the game. Ughhhhhh.
My brain hurts.
He is one of three players in history with a .400 on-base percentage, 300 steals and 200 home runs (Barry Bonds and Rickey Henderson are the others) and one of three with 100 RBIs in each of the last three years Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols are the others),
Bobby Abreu is also at least twice as old as each of those other two players and his three-year peripheral trends clearly show that his offensive and defensive skills are quickly on the decline. But hey, who gives a fuck. Let's give him $48 million over 3 years because he batted behind Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter for the last 3 years.
yet for some reason Raul Ibanez, whose numbers aren't even in Abreu's ballpark, was the more popular pick this winter.
Two bad signings clearly cancel each other out in the name of fiscal fairness. However, it's the next bit of analysis by Heyman that I really love and sparked me to write this mini-rant:
Ibanez signed for $31.5 million over three years with Abreu's former Phillies team, but Abreu would do well to get $20 million for two right now. Ibanez scored points for his deserved rep as a great guy and a clubhouse leader, but Abreu certainly isn't a negative influence in any way. The two perceived knocks on him are minor (that he's interested in stats and fears the wall) and shouldn't preclude anyone from signing him.
So, in other words, Bobby Abreu's two flaws -- which are precluding him from signing a big contract -- are:
1) he doesn't like getting injured (and isn't Aaron Rowand) and
2) he likes to statistically perform well in a game of statistics?
It's not the declining trends in UZR/150, BB/9, HR/AB or even the fact that he's thirty-fucking-five. It's because he hates being injured and focuses his performance on the statically relevant parts of the game. Ughhhhhh.
My brain hurts.
Porn and the Super Bowl, best 1-2 punch ever
Wait, wait, it was male porn. Oh no!
By far the most disturbing story i've ever heard in my life. Some people in Arizona watching the SB on comcast cable were shown 30 seconds of male porn instead of the replay of larry fitzgerald's second touchdown catch. The Arizonians were not pleased, though the funniest response was
"Yeah, well they interrupted my porn movie with 30 seconds of super bowl action. Nothing quite so disgusting as full-frontal football. Yeech. — Rowan D. (RowD1), February 1,2009 @ 8:58PM
Link
By far the most disturbing story i've ever heard in my life. Some people in Arizona watching the SB on comcast cable were shown 30 seconds of male porn instead of the replay of larry fitzgerald's second touchdown catch. The Arizonians were not pleased, though the funniest response was
"Yeah, well they interrupted my porn movie with 30 seconds of super bowl action. Nothing quite so disgusting as full-frontal football. Yeech. — Rowan D. (RowD1), February 1,2009 @ 8:58PM
Link
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
Michael Wuertz traded to Oakland
The Cubs traded one of my favorite relief pitchers on the Cubs today in Michael Wuertz. Michael Wuertz was a solid middle reliever who I felt the Cubs never fully valued. He was a slider specialist who was sometimes wild, but effective for his contract. He came up as a Cub and will always be one to me.
The Cubs have an abundance of bullpen guys which I will get more into in the future so they didn’t need him. The bullpen is an area of depth so they felt these prospects were enough in return. They received two prospects in return, Richie Robnett and infielder Justin Sellers from the Oakland Athletics. I have not heard of either of these guys, and they don’t have very good minor league numbers. I guess we will wait and see, but it doesn’t look like we got much in return. Robnett has been added to the Cubs' 40-man roster and will be invited to spring training.
The Cubs have an abundance of bullpen guys which I will get more into in the future so they didn’t need him. The bullpen is an area of depth so they felt these prospects were enough in return. They received two prospects in return, Richie Robnett and infielder Justin Sellers from the Oakland Athletics. I have not heard of either of these guys, and they don’t have very good minor league numbers. I guess we will wait and see, but it doesn’t look like we got much in return. Robnett has been added to the Cubs' 40-man roster and will be invited to spring training.
Rich "Over-The-Hill" Hill
EDIT: It's official. Not only has Rich Hill been traded to the Orioles for "a player to be named later", but Baltimore has officially become the "Graveyard for failed prospects and washed up players from the Cubs organization"
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Sources from Baltimore on MLB Trade Rumors are reporting that the Cubs are extremely close to striking a deal with Orioles for Rich Hill, who is out of options. Thanks to his recent affliction with Steve Blass disease, Hill's value has plummeted from #2 starter status to questionable future. Unfortunate and frustrating as it may be, Hill still possesses tremendous upside -- his K/9 rate has remained consistent and strong, despite his poor performance in both the minor and Venezuela leagues. If he can fix his control problems, which many speculate to be mental, Rich Hill could easily return to form as one of the NL's top hurlers (at 28 years old, Hill is right in his prime). The fact that Hill's pre-2008 major/minor league control rate hovers around 3 tells me that either he was injured or that he made some kind of adjustment last year that simply needs to heal or be unlearned/fixed. FX data from Rich Hill's major/minor league starts indicate that he still has his filthy stuff; he just needs to start hitting the zone consistently again.
This is why I feel selling low on Hill for the infamous "player to be named later" (10 LB of fish?) is a not only a bad idea, but a terrible one. At near zero value -- how many players to be named later have ever excelled? -- Rich Hill can only provide a positive impact value for the Cubs in 2009.
Hell, if he doesn't, just cut him loose mid-season.
As much as I like the Aaron Heilman deal made this week, this fire-sale of out-of-options players by the Cubs is a terrible decision.
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Sources from Baltimore on MLB Trade Rumors are reporting that the Cubs are extremely close to striking a deal with Orioles for Rich Hill, who is out of options. Thanks to his recent affliction with Steve Blass disease, Hill's value has plummeted from #2 starter status to questionable future. Unfortunate and frustrating as it may be, Hill still possesses tremendous upside -- his K/9 rate has remained consistent and strong, despite his poor performance in both the minor and Venezuela leagues. If he can fix his control problems, which many speculate to be mental, Rich Hill could easily return to form as one of the NL's top hurlers (at 28 years old, Hill is right in his prime). The fact that Hill's pre-2008 major/minor league control rate hovers around 3 tells me that either he was injured or that he made some kind of adjustment last year that simply needs to heal or be unlearned/fixed. FX data from Rich Hill's major/minor league starts indicate that he still has his filthy stuff; he just needs to start hitting the zone consistently again.
This is why I feel selling low on Hill for the infamous "player to be named later" (10 LB of fish?) is a not only a bad idea, but a terrible one. At near zero value -- how many players to be named later have ever excelled? -- Rich Hill can only provide a positive impact value for the Cubs in 2009.
Hell, if he doesn't, just cut him loose mid-season.
As much as I like the Aaron Heilman deal made this week, this fire-sale of out-of-options players by the Cubs is a terrible decision.
Kay Yow
Not too many people know who Kay Yow is in the world of sports. She had a relatively quiet career, but had a big impact on women’s college basketball.
She was the head coach of the women's basketball team at North Carolina State University from 1975 to 2009 (until her passing). That is a span of 34 years where she had over 700 wins! She is one of the pioneer’s of women’s college basketball along with the famous Pat Summit who seems to get all the attention. Pat Summit rightfully deserves it over Kay Yow, but Kay Yow left her mark on the game and should be recognized for that. I am not a big women basketball fan and don’t know too much about Kay Yow so I am going to post some links to articles which can tell you more about her and some videos. She should be remembered for her impact on the game! Kay Yow will be missed.
Her amazing Bio: http://www.gopack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9200&ATCLID=522025
Her message:http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/28826435/
Her leave of absence when she got sick this year: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/basketball/view/2009_01_07_Kay_Yow_to_miss_rest_of_season_at_N_C__State/
The passing: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/24/basketball.coach/
How she said goodbye: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-ap-bkw-nc-state-yow-funeral,0,2652897.story
She was the head coach of the women's basketball team at North Carolina State University from 1975 to 2009 (until her passing). That is a span of 34 years where she had over 700 wins! She is one of the pioneer’s of women’s college basketball along with the famous Pat Summit who seems to get all the attention. Pat Summit rightfully deserves it over Kay Yow, but Kay Yow left her mark on the game and should be recognized for that. I am not a big women basketball fan and don’t know too much about Kay Yow so I am going to post some links to articles which can tell you more about her and some videos. She should be remembered for her impact on the game! Kay Yow will be missed.
Her amazing Bio: http://www.gopack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9200&ATCLID=522025
Her message:http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/28826435/
Her leave of absence when she got sick this year: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/basketball/view/2009_01_07_Kay_Yow_to_miss_rest_of_season_at_N_C__State/
The passing: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/24/basketball.coach/
How she said goodbye: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-ap-bkw-nc-state-yow-funeral,0,2652897.story
My Super bowl predictions
I think the Arizona cardinals will win the super bowl! They have an amazing offense and will outscore the Steelers. I know I am in the minority so lets see if I am right. I think it will be a high scoring game like 35 to 30. I know the Steelers are the better team, but it the Cardinals want it more, they can win!
7 am live blog part 2
Federer escaped 5 break points and seven deuces to hold his serve and proceeded to take Nadal's serve shortly thereafter. After taking set 4, we go to the 5th and final set. There are no tiebreakers in the final set so they will play to the first break.
6 am live blog: Federer vs. Nadal
So i've been up all night watching the Australian Open Final airing on espn2 and espn360.com. Nadal just fought off 6 break points in the 3rd set and ended up winning the set in the tiebreak. He leads 2 sets to 1 but just lost his serve on the first game of the 4th set. Both of these players are superhuman. I'm exhausted just watching the action on television. And Nadal just broke back. Looks like i'm gonna be up for a few more hours...
Baseball's Top Pranks
Over the past few years, I've seen and heard some pretty hilarious baseball tales, such as David Cone's ridiculous libido and propensity for bullpen masturbation. There's also a seemingly endless list of hilarious baseball injuries. In this vein, I present you the eleven funniest baseball pranks (that I know of).
11. Moon Shot
Apparently, it is an annual tradition at the Metronome for former pitching great Bert Blyleven to moon the team during the team photo.
10. R-O-C-C-O
When you're as bad as the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays were from 1997-2007, you gotta do something to maintain a positive attitude. In 2003, the Rays replaced rookie teammate Rocco Baldelli's jersey with one that said "ROCCO" on the back. Oblivious to this switch, the Rays got the crowd to chant and cheer ROCCO for a full inning. The prank ended when the homeplate umpire burst into tears of laughter during one of Baldelli's at bats, calling for a time out because Baldelli needed to "inspect his uniform."
09. Fishy Foulplay
According to the book Ball Four by Jim Bouton, Orioles pitchers Eddie Watt and Pete Richert once snuck into the visitor bullpen during a game and put four live fish in the Seattle Pilot's water cooler. The bullpen coach was so pissed off that he threatened to protest the game to the commissioner.
08. Rick's A Dick
Cubs pitcher Rick Sutcliffe once sent the team's 8 year old batboy out to home plate to ask the umpire if he had the key to the batter's box.
07. "Fan Appreciation Day"
On the last day of the 1992 season, Joe Carter and the Blue Jays announced that they were "giving away" a car to a lucky ticketholder in honor of fan appreciation day. Too bad that car happened to belong to rookie CF Derek Bell.
06. Will Ohman gets his shit rocked by Ryan Dempster
Prior to the 2005 baseball season, Will Ohman put eyeblack on teammate Ryan Dempster's hat and superglued his clothes in a feeble prank attempt. Dempster responded in kind by removing all four tires from Ohman's car, hiding them around the spring training facility, and placing the tireless car body up on cinder blocks in the middle of the outfield.
05. Don't lend money to Ken Griffey Jr.
Unless you want to get paid back in pennies, one should never lend money to Ken Griffey Jr.
04. "The Great Double-A Potato Swap"
In the summer of 1987, minor leaguer Dave Bresnahan, distraught with his team's awful performance, decided to lighten up the clubhouse mood by secretly replacing the game ball with a potato that he whittled to look like a baseball ball. The result was a bad pitch and potato explosion that looked like a passed ball. The runner on third attempted to advance, only to be tagged out by Besnahan and the real baseball.
03. The curious case of Sidd Finch
How many of you have heard of Mets pitcher Sidd Finch? In 1985, the Mets organization and SI writer George Plimpton pulled the greatest April Fool's joke in the history of sports on Major League Baseball. Plimpton extensively profiled a fictional fireballer by the name of Sidd Finch in the April edition of Sports Illustrated, claiming the New York Mets had signed a prospect whose fastball topped off at 168 MPH. SI even hired a High School teacher to pose for the article as the made-up hurler, while the Mets provided them him an authentic uniform. Following the article's publication, several GM's contacted the commissioner of the league to protest the unfairness of the signing and demanded that he be refused entry into the Major League farm system.
02. Do not cross the Cubs pitching staff
I can't even begin to summarize this prank without losing the article's comical effect.
01. Kyle Kendrick is punked by Brett Meyers
The video speaks for itself. Enjoy!
11. Moon Shot
Apparently, it is an annual tradition at the Metronome for former pitching great Bert Blyleven to moon the team during the team photo.
10. R-O-C-C-O
When you're as bad as the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays were from 1997-2007, you gotta do something to maintain a positive attitude. In 2003, the Rays replaced rookie teammate Rocco Baldelli's jersey with one that said "ROCCO" on the back. Oblivious to this switch, the Rays got the crowd to chant and cheer ROCCO for a full inning. The prank ended when the homeplate umpire burst into tears of laughter during one of Baldelli's at bats, calling for a time out because Baldelli needed to "inspect his uniform."
09. Fishy Foulplay
According to the book Ball Four by Jim Bouton, Orioles pitchers Eddie Watt and Pete Richert once snuck into the visitor bullpen during a game and put four live fish in the Seattle Pilot's water cooler. The bullpen coach was so pissed off that he threatened to protest the game to the commissioner.
08. Rick's A Dick
Cubs pitcher Rick Sutcliffe once sent the team's 8 year old batboy out to home plate to ask the umpire if he had the key to the batter's box.
07. "Fan Appreciation Day"
On the last day of the 1992 season, Joe Carter and the Blue Jays announced that they were "giving away" a car to a lucky ticketholder in honor of fan appreciation day. Too bad that car happened to belong to rookie CF Derek Bell.
06. Will Ohman gets his shit rocked by Ryan Dempster
Prior to the 2005 baseball season, Will Ohman put eyeblack on teammate Ryan Dempster's hat and superglued his clothes in a feeble prank attempt. Dempster responded in kind by removing all four tires from Ohman's car, hiding them around the spring training facility, and placing the tireless car body up on cinder blocks in the middle of the outfield.
05. Don't lend money to Ken Griffey Jr.
Unless you want to get paid back in pennies, one should never lend money to Ken Griffey Jr.
04. "The Great Double-A Potato Swap"
In the summer of 1987, minor leaguer Dave Bresnahan, distraught with his team's awful performance, decided to lighten up the clubhouse mood by secretly replacing the game ball with a potato that he whittled to look like a baseball ball. The result was a bad pitch and potato explosion that looked like a passed ball. The runner on third attempted to advance, only to be tagged out by Besnahan and the real baseball.
03. The curious case of Sidd Finch
How many of you have heard of Mets pitcher Sidd Finch? In 1985, the Mets organization and SI writer George Plimpton pulled the greatest April Fool's joke in the history of sports on Major League Baseball. Plimpton extensively profiled a fictional fireballer by the name of Sidd Finch in the April edition of Sports Illustrated, claiming the New York Mets had signed a prospect whose fastball topped off at 168 MPH. SI even hired a High School teacher to pose for the article as the made-up hurler, while the Mets provided them him an authentic uniform. Following the article's publication, several GM's contacted the commissioner of the league to protest the unfairness of the signing and demanded that he be refused entry into the Major League farm system.
02. Do not cross the Cubs pitching staff
I can't even begin to summarize this prank without losing the article's comical effect.
01. Kyle Kendrick is punked by Brett Meyers
The video speaks for itself. Enjoy!
Lakers are screwed
No one really cares about a regular season basketball game. One big win or lose isnt going to affect you too much. The cream usually rises to the top and the bottom feeders end up in the lottery. However, the lakers win over the grizz tonight may have ended their season even before the start of the playoffs. Kobe drives to the basket, gets rejected, falls to the ground, destroys andrew bynums knee. Given bynums reaction, i would say he will be very lucky to play again this year. Without the 7-footer the lakers have no chance to win the championship. Bynum was out in last years finals and the celts physically manhandled the undersized lakers. Bynum has established himself as a dwight howard type force. Without him, the lakers will come up short once again. Nice job kobster.
Blackhawks 4 Sharks 2: 27-13-8 62 points
I wanted to give everyone an update on the blackhawks season thus far. After torrid start to the reason, the hawks cooled off quite considerably since the winter classic only going 5-4-1 in the last 10 games. However, with a completely healthy team with the return of kane, keith, and vesteeg the Hawks seem to be playing skilled, enspired hockey. Tonight they were able to defeat the western conference leaders san jose sharks. It was only the sharks second regulation loss at home. Toews scored a pair, while versteeg and keith banged in a short handed and power play goal respectively. Very impressive performance and put the hawks just 7 points behind red wings in the division. Here are the highlights
