Ugueth Urbina's EXCELLENT Prison Adventure 2007-2021 (also, spring training)

[thecapecoddah]

http://www.cantstopthebleeding.com/img/piniella0612.jpg


http://mirrorimageorigin.collegepublisher.com/media/paper420/stills/17920shd.jpg

http://sportsmed.starwave.com/i/page2/photos/031021soxfan1.jpg

http://www.laist.com/attachments/la_ernest/capt.76cda99a64b4471aac48482be8e20a66.dodgers_mets_baseball_ nyjj221.jpg

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060801/060801_jeter_hmed_1p.hmedium.jpg

http://www.cantstopthebleeding.com/img/piniella0612.jpg

http://images.crawfishboxes.com/images/admin/im_with_stupid_cubs_fan.jpg

http://www.cantstopthebleeding.com/img/arroyo0723.jpg

http://www.cantstopthebleeding.com/img/piniella0612.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~ewirtanen/bonds.png

[Dead Nigga Storage]

derek jeter is profoundly gay.

[kevin]

cubs to hire piniella

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061016&content_id=1714668&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[Mayor Quimby]

Does anyone even see that hire working well?

[Andy]

Hell no.

[pat]

i don't think anyone can help the cubs. not even scott kelley. sorry, dude

also ken macha got fired by the a's today for the second time in as many years - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=As4ivKkWUmTQcwKuX6BZARsRvLYF?slug=ap-athletics-machafired&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Roarke]

see the playoff thread (AL) for more on that. it's, as expected, dns yelling at people a lot.

espn sez crazy lou wants to bring arod to the cubs.

i'm sorry andy :(

[Dead Nigga Storage]

with the exception of the yankees, everyone in baseball should want him. it's the city, not the talents. for the right price, he should be very desirable.

[Andy]

Meh. A-Rod would just be pretty pretty window dressing for the pretty pretty park.

Yeah, hire the marketing guy to be team president. GOOD IDEA.

Fuck 'em. I've got other BEARS things to BULLS obsess about.

[pat]

yeah, noticed the macha discussion in the AL thread after i posted it here. made the mistake of clicking on this one first.

as for a-rod, he'd fit in well with the cubs. he has a history of playing for cellar dwelling teams and bringing them into contention. wait, no he doesn't.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

how can anyone blame a-rod for what happened in texas? dude can only hit so many homers and drive in so many runs in clutch situations for them. texas front office has been a fucking joke since the beginning of the decade, buying more and more offensive weapons while praying for their starting pitching to be patched up with chan ho park and vincente padilla types, and doing the same thing every fucking year: losing games 11-10.

[pat]

well, i was half joking anyway, but i don't see "franchise savior" coming from him anymore. maybe i'm right, maybe i'm wrong, but i don't think he would save the cubs.

then again, they are the cubs and nothing could save them.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

any failure of a-rod's to save the cubs would be more based on them being the cubs than him being a-rod, yes you're right.

[Roarke]

my sorry was more meant that the cubs aren't really in a spot where one middle of the line up bat would fix them, espcially at the cost of whatever the crazy yankees would want for him. they're likely to want SP if anything, and unless the cubs give up c arlos zambrano, I don't think they have enough in the pitching prospect pull to get it done.

[pat]

i got so swept up in discussing this, i forgot to realize that a deal for a-rod with the cubs most likely wouldn't happen to begin with.

[Andy]

i got so swept up in discussing this, i forgot to realize that a deal for a-rod with the cubs most likely wouldn't happen to begin with.
Truth.

So what are the 29 REAL major league teams doing in the offseason?

[smyce]

If the Cubs give up Zambrano all Cub fans should just off themselves.

[Mike]

for the record, after 2005 ken macha's contract ran out, and he thought he could get the job in pittsburgh. when he didnt, the a's welcomed him back.

[Dewey Finn]

For ARod, Ca$hman won't trade him and ARod himself won't waive his no-trade clause. I'd see a lot of rumors, but I think I won't see any ARod trade in the offseason unless Ca$hman gets ARod drunk.

Other than Matsuzaka, there's another Japanese pitcher who's looking to sign with MLB team: Kei Igawa

Link: http://mlbpark.donga.com/board/ssboard.php?bbs=news_mlb_001&no=9529&s_work=view (it's Korean link, so click if you care)
Mariners, Mets, Tigers, Dodgers and Braves are (slightly) interested on him.

To give a little scouting report, he's a southpaw inning eater, knows how to strike out hitters with good stuff (89~93mph 4seam with good slider) and control.

[Mike]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/17/AS.TMP&type=as

... aand we have our reasons.

[Brent]

joe girardi would have been a much better choice for the cubs

[Jeff]

lou's gonna be having a looong season with the cubs that's for sure. girardi, meh, not too high on. had lou replaced torre in ny as speculated, the cubs would've been all over him. and it would've been the right choice.

[kevin]

i think piniella is the kind of guy you bring in if you have talent to win right away, and you just need a good manager to sort it all out. where as girardi is the guy you bring in to start from scratch with a young team. girardi would've made loads more sense to me.

[gravymaster]

joe girardi would have been a much better choice for the cubs
Girardi has scared off a lot of GMs because of the situation that went down in Florida. Apparently he is very, very, very hands-on and likes things done by management AND players exactly how he wants it or he is none too pleased. Sweet Lou is a proven coach, and if you aren't looking to get into that kind of situation with Girardi, I think Piniella is a great choice.

[Brent]

i just think what he did with the marlins is a red flag with the cubs organization. even if the cubs make some moves ( soriano, zito, schmidt, c. lee, etc) there is still the shameless risk of injury that's been ridiculous for the last few years. i think if girardi was in baker's seat for '06 the cubs wouldn't have been 30 games under

girardi also seems very 'chicago' to me. with lou...ehh not so much.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

soriano, zito, schmidt, and lee are not going to become injury prone simply from playing on a team that has had a couple of marquee players have injuries. soriano and zito especially are renowned for their durability, and it's not gonna change just because they're cubs...only a self-loathing cubs fan would believe that, and you're not andy.

[Brent]

i'm a white sox fan, which helps your case

i don't actually believe in curses, it's just funny to analyze the bad luck that they've really had. if lou can get it done , that's great, i just think joe would have been a better fit for the club.

[Mike]

haha yeah, with the cubs luck, zito probably WOULD get injured. he'd get smacked around pretty good at wrigley anyways, though.

dusty said he would love to come to either bay area team, but don't count on him coming to the a's. too much of a non-pushover to work under beane, i think.

according to one of the a's writers, mark mulder is a realistic free agent possibility with the cards unlikely to re-sign him and other teams taking a pass on him because of the injuries and inconsistency. an incentive laden contract i'd expect, but even so, he'll probably come cheap off the injury, and back to the place he enjoyed the most and had success.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

the new step in pitch gauging technology: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061018&content_id=1716309&vkey=ps2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[Dewey Finn]

the new step in pitch gauging technology: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061018&content_id=1716309&vkey=ps2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Technologies... what'll they come up next?

I think the reason why that Zito wouldn't get injured is that he has very fluid pitching motion unlike Francisco Liriano.
Dusty Baker was highly overrated when he became a Cub manager in 2003 IMO. Sure, he lead Giants to WS, but he gotta thank Barroids Bonds alot for that. Baker also f*cked up Livan's arm for 2001 season.

Any possibilities for Braves next year? I think they need Hampton get his ass off DL and a new leadoff hitter besides Giles

[Dead Nigga Storage]

no chance for the braves. core of the mets lineup is staying intact, and they'll be stock piling arms in the offseason at any (read: milledge) cost. they'll be an ever better team than this year.

[Jeff]

i simply don't get all the hype about zito, especially with the money boras is supposedly asking (upwars of 14-16mil/year). zito is a good but not great pitcher, who'll stay healthy and eat up alot of innings but is no where worth the money and in my opinion, is no true ace especially with his subpar alcs outing.

16-10 3.83 221ip 211h 151/99 definetly not ace numbers especially while playing at pitcher-friendly mcafee coliseum, especially when you can get guys like schmidt or daisuke matzusaka (the best pitcher in japan) at near or less the price of what zito will make.

and i'm surprised no one has brought up ken macha's name yet. he's done a fantastic job in oakland with his limited resources and most likely without a doubt will be managing again next season... possibly for the giants.

[smyce]

I agree someone is going to grossly overpay for Zito. He's living off the Cy Young.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

Baseball Prospectus has japanese ball at AAA-equivalent. daisuke's numbers are good, but they are AAA numbers. there is no guaranteed success, and nomo and ishii are the best we've ever had, and they fizzled fast. zito is a sure thing, a proven innings eater, and a proven winner. he's not worth that kind of money, but neither is the $20 million worth it just to TALK to a AAA-level pitcher, without any guarantee of a contract.

[Dewey Finn]

Hmm there are some points, but I think a pitcher with low 2.00's ERA in AAA can survive in MLB. Matsuzaka proved himself that he can pitch to higher level hitters (a complete game VS MLB All Star game in 2004, and WBC MVP). I don't know how Saito and Otsuka suceed in MLB on their first year, but Matsuzaka might be another 20 million dollar lottery. Asides from that, unlike Irabu, Matsuzaka has very strong bulldog approach mental on the mound.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

that's not really the point though. you're talking about 20 million dollars...more than a season's worth of pay, maybe close to 2 seasons worth of pay for a guy like zito or schmidt (GUARANTEED MLB producers) just to TALK to matsuzaka. no contract or anything...just to be allowed to have the rights to talk to him. tack on to that some exorbitant contract, and you're spending way, way too much on a guy who may or may not be a total bust. AAA success and japanese success has pretty much zero bearing on major league success. so many prospects just become total washes at the major league level, and for that kind of money, it's a mistake...but the yankees will get him anyway because they can fucking outspend anyone and gay up everything. even if the guy ends up good, he's not going to be worth what he's given. and the WBC wasn't "great hitters". he never faced the US, and other than that, merely pitched against cuba and south korea. he's yet to face a 1-9 major league lineup on any kind of consistent basis.

[gravymaster]

I'd rather spend money on a young, MLB proven, lefty like Zito than an unproven Japanese pitcher, regardless of what the scouts say. Hell, the jap pitcher could end up to be one of the best pitchers of all time, but you didn't know what you were getting with him. Zito is a solid investment.

[Mike]

I agree someone is going to grossly overpay for Zito. He's living off the Cy Young.
no, he's living off being better than kevin millwood, aj burnett, and carl pavano.

they're all massively overpaid, but if you're going by the market, he's better and therefore deserves equal or more money.

[Jeff]

some good points on matsuzaka but from what scouts say, his stuff alone are good enough for him to be very successful in mlb and his control is impeccable. granted, he is a toss up because he has not constantly faced a proven mlb lineup but it would be hard to imagine how this guy would end up being a total bust in the majors with his absolutely nasty stuff.

[Mike]

wasn't it impossible for irabu to fuck up? and kaz matsui, although at a different position?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

don't forget tyoushi shinjo.

scouts say alot of things about alot of players. i'm not trying to overgeneralize, but that's what scouts have said about hundreds, and hundreds of players that turned into absolute nothings. kelvim escobar has some of the best "stuff" in baseball. scouts have been saying for years that he should blossom into an ace, and he hasn't. he's a good, above average pitcher with AMAZING "stuff". but if you can't put it together on the mound, at the highest level of competition in the world, it doesn't mean shit. and paying $20 million just to merely ASK if someone with great "stuff" will pitch for your team, when there is a good collection of readily available talent out there that has proven itself at this level, he cannot and should not top ANYONE's list.

[Roarke]

that's not really the point though. you're talking about 20 million dollars...more than a season's worth of pay, maybe close to 2 seasons worth of pay for a guy like zito or schmidt (GUARANTEED MLB producers) just to TALK to matsuzaka. no contract or anything...just to be allowed to have the rights to talk to him.

This isn't entirely true--the fee is only posted if a contract agreement is reached.

and i agree with everyone that zito would be a more worthy investment, but if the dodgers managed to get mats, i wouldn't be sad one bit. i saw him pitch in wbc first hand, and inbetwee the crazy asian fans cheering, he had some wicked stuff. may work and may not, but I'd still be excited by the prospect of getting him.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

basically making it a $20 million signing bonus for a triple-A pitcher. i don't think anyone gets that.

edit: and yeah, i realize i phrased that in pretty much the shittiest way possible. i meant that the $20 million has no bearing on the contract at all...that it's just the negotiation fee, and how much you end up paying for that negotiation right isn't related to the size of the contract.

[Homer Jay]

i simply don't get all the hype about zito, especially with the money boras is supposedly asking (upwars of 14-16mil/year). zito is a good but not great pitcher, who'll stay healthy and eat up alot of innings but is no where worth the money and in my opinion, is no true ace especially with his subpar alcs outing.

16-10 3.83 221ip 211h 151/99 definetly not ace numbers especially while playing at pitcher-friendly mcafee coliseum, especially when you can get guys like schmidt or daisuke matzusaka (the best pitcher in japan) at near or less the price of what zito will make.Zito is a very good starting pitcher who doesn't get injured. That's a major reason why the A's kept him and traded Hudson and Mulder. If a team is going to get a sub-4ERA in 35 starts and 220 innings, that worth a lot more than some one who is great for 20 starts but will miss large chunks of the season when they will be replaced by AAA pitchers.

[Dewey Finn]

The thing that I don't understand about Zito is that he has much higher ERA in the pitcher friendly McAfee Park (4.71) than his away ERA (2.91). But since he claimed himself as a groundball pitcher (added 2seamer I believe), his # of K's declined and # of grounders increased.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

that's just a one year statistical anomaly. over 3 years, his ERA at home is 4.32 against 3.77 on the road. still road favored, but essentially, no major difference.

[Mike]

lets also remember that if you take away opening day, his home ERA improves quite a bit too. it wasn't consistently leaving the game with 5 runs on the board, it was more like 3 runs consistently and 8972349824987234 on opening day.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

just out of curiosity, i figured it out:
2006 at home: 4.71ERA
2006 at home, minus opening day: 4.17ERA

opening day cost him a half run on his home ERA.

[Dewey Finn]

just out of curiosity, i figured it out:
2006 at home: 4.71ERA
2006 at home, minus opening day: 4.17ERA

opening day cost him a half run on his home ERA.
Hell yeah, Yankees hit 7 ER in 1.1 IP against him.
One of those things Boras will come up while negociationg for him.
Here are some important dates in offseason:
October/November: Free agent filing period, first 15 days after World Series ends.
Nov. 13-17: General managers' meetings, Naples, Fla.
Dec. 4-7: Winter meetings, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Dec. 4-8: Major League Baseball Players Association executive board meeting, Bonita Springs, Fla.
Dec. 7: Last day for teams to offer salary arbitration to their former players who became free agents.
Dec. 19: Last day for free agents offered salary arbitration to accept or reject the offers.
Dec. 20: Last day for teams to offer 2007 contracts to unsigned players.
2007
Jan 5-15: Salary arbitration filing.
Jan. 8: Last day until May 1 for free agents who rejected arbitration offers to re-sign with their former teams.
Jan. 18: Exchange of salary arbitration figures.
Feb. 1-21: Salary arbitration hearings

[Jeff]

let's be real here, if we took off each pitchers worst start of the season then everyones numbers would look alot better. which is the main reason why i hate when people say "oh but if you took away that one game against...". back to zito, he would be, what i would say the SAFEST pick if you're looking to spend big bucks for a FA starter. very durable year in and year out, not likely to have a terrible season but probably wont have another cy young season.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

you mean every pitcher pitches bad games? REALLY? WOW. YOU'RE JUST AS INSIGHTFUL AS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE AND TOLD US THAT JOSE VALENTIN WOULD HIT .255 WITH 30 HOMERS FOR THE DODGERS!!!

dude, we know that...we're not saying it out of ignorance of that fact, but ian pointed out the gross disparity between home and away numbers and we were showing that it wasn't as horribly slanted as it appears on the surface. in fact, his first TWO home starts were bad, and from there on out, it was sub-4.00ERA. but thanks for the insight, again.

[Brent]

so what is everyone's wishlist for their teams lineup next year? Be unrealistic ( I am) if you wish, but don't make yourself an all star team

1 LF Carl Crawford
2 SS Michael Young
3 RF Jermaine Dye
4 DH Jim Thome
5 1B Paul Konerko
6 C AJ Pierzynski
7 3B Joe Crede
8 2B Tadahito Iguchi
9 CF Brian Anderson

I expect them to remove just one starter to make room for BMac. They will definitely beef up the bullpen , I don't care who they bring as long as they're consistent

[Dead Nigga Storage]

1B Casey Kotchman
2B Howie Kendrick
3B Dallas McPherson/Robb Quinlan
SS Macier Izturis
RF Vladimir Guerrero/Alfonso Soriano
CF Vernon Wells
LF Juan Rivera/Garret Anderson
C Mike Napoli
DH Vladimir Guerrero/Garret Anderson

And, if there is a God, and his name is Arte Moreno, shuffle Aramis Ramirez in there somewhere.

and brent, how are you guys gonna pull off those names without giving up too much pitching (which was very poor this year), or without trading one of those bats in the lineup? last i checked, your farm system is in fairly poor shape. we all need to be realistic. soriano is a free agent, ramirez has an option he can decline, and wells would be our only trade...with arguably the deepest system in baseball. i was trying to address realism, too.

[Dewey Finn]

I'm going with most realistic

C: Posada (Zaun being backup)
1B: Giambi
2B: Cano
3B: ARod (most likely, he won't waive his no-trade clause)
SS: Jeter
LF: Melky/Matsui
CF: Damon
RF: Abreu
DH: Matsui/Melky

Yankees shouldn't pick up Sheff's option or re-sign him. Let him walk, get draft picks. This is the realistic that Yankees can get without trading Cano or Melky. The lineup is deadly already, not they have to work in next year's playoffs

[gravymaster]

I'm going with most realistic

C: Posada (Zaun being backup)
1B: Giambi
2B: Cano
3B: ARod (most likely, he won't waive his no-trade clause)
SS: Jeter
LF: Melky/Matsui
CF: Damon
RF: Abreu
DH: Matsui/Melky

Yankees shouldn't pick up Sheff's option or re-sign him. Let him walk, get draft picks. This is the realistic that Yankees can get without trading Cano or Melky. The lineup is deadly already, not they have to work in next year's playoffs
Giambi will see little to no time at 1st base next year. They WILL be getting a full time, defensive minded, first baseman. Also, I'm not saying it will definitely happen, but if the Yankees make it clear to A-Rod that they are exploring the option of shipping him out of NY, he will waive his clause and play SS somewhere.

[Dewey Finn]

Well, yeah, I really don't see Giambi playing 1B for full time next year, forgot about that. But make sure that Phililips is not his backup. And Ca$hman looking to explore the option to trade ARod will happen when he's drunk.

Boy, what's with Yankee players now? Randy and Giambi getting surgery and Proctor got his MRI (but no damage)

[kevin]

I expect them to remove just one starter to make room for BMac. They will definitely beef up the bullpen , I don't care who they bring as long as they're consistent

it HAS to be vazquez. there is no other option.

1. mark buehrle
2. john garland
3. jose contreras
4. freddy garcia
5. brandon mccarthy

[Mike]

C jason kendall
1B nick swisher
2B mark ellis
SS bobby crosby
3B eric chavez
LF adam dunn (would be very nice, unlikely.)
CF mark kotsay
RF milton bradley
DH frank thomas

SP rich harden
SP danny haren
SP mark mulder
SP esteban loaiza
SP joe blanton

bullpen... likely the same, nobody interesting added anyways.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

who are your crucial injury picks on this year, mike?

[Brent]

and brent, how are you guys gonna pull off those names without giving up too much pitching (which was very poor this year), or without trading one of those bats in the lineup? last i checked, your farm system is in fairly poor shape. we all need to be realistic. soriano is a free agent, ramirez has an option he can decline, and wells would be our only trade...with arguably the deepest system in baseball. i was trying to address realism, too.

i agree that the entire organization was over it's heads this year, declaring the white sox rotation as the 'best in baseball'. especially when their career ERAs ( and 06, no less) are in stark contrast of their '05 numbers. however, i still think keeping 4 of the 5 should really be no problem. with the exception of buehrle and vazquez, the rotation was actually pretty decent for a good portion of the year.

putting mccarthy in the rotation and keeping anderson in CF will probably generate more spending money. probably not for crawford or young, but at least a proven leadoff man, i hope. the offense should have no problem with a threat on the bases that doesn't have an annoying groin injury.

kevin, i agree that vazquez should be dealt and garcia should be kept, at least for another year. garcia really impressed me in the second half

[Dead Nigga Storage]

my point was that you want michael young and carl crawford...two star players, but then you put them in the middle of, effectively, the same lineup you have this year, and the same rotation that you had this year...if you get crawford and young, it is gonna cost ALOT of major league ready talent...something that your "dream roster" doesn't represent at all. if you add those two names, you're going to have to be missing some starting names from elsewhere, because you basically have no farm system.

no offense, but you should be very grateful that you peaked at the world series title, because the white sox are more likely on their way down than back on their way up. you may compete for the playoffs again, but i'm expecting more and more slips each year in chicago.

[Brent]

as i already said i don't think it's financially realistic to aquire young and crawford. just two players i really like

ehh..i happen to disagree. the AL Central has proved itself to be a really strong division in the past two years, and perhaps it's the Twins or Indians turn next year. Either way, they still won 90 games this year, and could win more with a few tweaks. Chemistry isn't something you can buy, I just have faith in my team

[robb]

if we were somehow able to trade some of our young pitching (humberto sanchez?) to texas for mark teixiera, i'd be really happy.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

it's the fact that the AL Central is so strong that will lead the White Sox down. Twins, Tigers, and Indians all have younger cores than the White Sox, and all have stronger farm systems or players on the verge of stardom. If you know what the pythageron W/L record is, basically it shows, based on statitstics, what a team's W/L record really should have been, compared to what it was. The Indians were the least fortunate team in baseball, finishing 11 games worse than they should have. the 2005 White Sox were THE most fortunate team in baseball that year, finishing 8 games better than they should have (and finishing this year with the same W/L as pythageron W/L).

2007:
The Indians core is all under 30: Sizemore, Martinez, Peralta, Hafner, Lee, Sabathia
The Tigers under-30 core is: Inge, Monroe, Granderson, Thames, Bonderman, Verlander, Rodney, Robertson, Zumaya
Twins under-30 core: Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Liriano, Santana, Bonser
White Sox: Crede (trade target?), Uribe, Garland, Buerhle, Anderson, and McCarthy

Not only are the other cores all favorable in age, but also in Major League experience. Anderson and McCarthy count, but they also have no noteworthy major league success yet, unlike their counterparts like Liriano or Verlander. All those teams also have better farm systems. Baseball America has them as follows (end of 2005) :
Twins: 6th
Indians: 9th
Tigers: 13th
White Sox: 15th

Not a huge disparity between the last two, but they are also the only one of the 4 with a LOWER ranking than the year before, showing that it is only slipping. That rating was also, according to them, heaving weighed on Bobby Jenks, who was your best prospect on their list when it was compiled. God knows where they'll be for 06-07. In other words, the White Sox are the oldest, least talent-rich team in baseball, and their overachievements of '05 were a great place to max-out, because right now they're not in the best of places. they won't be falling off the face of the earth, but they've thrived the last two years (without reaching the playoffs this year) on career years ('05 starting pitchers, and Dye and Crede in '06), and Thome is only getting older every year...bad news for that body-type.


i'd be curious to see what kind of lineup you'd want to present for '07 WITH regards to what you might have to give up in return, brent. give it a try for fun, i'd honestly like to see it.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

billy beane a dick:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/10/22/AS.TMP

there's also a story about how he took macha's office without his permission so that he could eat his lunch and talk with a reporter, and when macha came in, beane wouldn't let him use it. guy has some serious ego issues.

[Brent]

so does every hitter on the a's. worlds cockiest team, for sure

i'll make that revised 07 white sox lineup in a bit

[Homer Jay]

There is some good labor news. I've read a number of articles that have said that both sides are expected to announce a new labor deal soon. It's great news because it means there will not be a work stoppage until 2011 at the earliest. That's good news for baseball.

[brad]

billy beane a dick:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/10/22/AS.TMP

there's also a story about how he took macha's office without his permission so that he could eat his lunch and talk with a reporter, and when macha came in, beane wouldn't let him use it. guy has some serious ego issues.

he acts like he fuckin owns the team

oh wait he does (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/02/SPG9VC2DLJ1.DTL) :ted:

[Dead Nigga Storage]

yeah, i already knew that...but i sorta fail to see how that gives you the right to treat one of your employees without a single ounce of respect. the man is an ego-maniac (moneyball bullshit blahblah etc.) and clearly very divisive.

[Mike]

meh

[Dead Nigga Storage]

well, of course YOU'D have that reaction

[Mike]

yeah, i would.

would i like to see beane be less of an ego-maniac? yes. i'd rather have him hire a manager that thinks the game in a similar way and would manage a way beane likes, instead of finding someone who will just take orders.

but it still keeps the a's playing good baseball year after year, so until it blows up, i'm not going to complain about it too much.

there are other winning teams in the majors that if i was a fan of, i'd have a bigger problem with how they do things than i do with the a's.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

there are 29 fans of teams in baseball that can make your last statement, but that doesn't mean you should be content with it. and i know making the playoffs is a good thing, but the A's seem to pretty much just make it and stall there every year. they let every big free agent walk. most of the people they DO sign are gamble-moves rather than sure-thing signings (3 this last offseason: bradley, loaiza, and thomas). say what you want about them opening up their wallets in recent years, but they have been CHEAP. zito is gonna go in this offseason, without a doubt, thus continuing that trend. the A's got KILLED but the tigers this year, and you just have to think in retrospect: what would have happened with a better manager. what would have happened if beane hadn't decided he wanted a puppet to manage the team and had actually put a leyland or girardi-type in the dugout. and for god's sake, i'll bring it up again: don't tarp half of your damn stadium for the playoffs.

people can call oakland a middle market team all that they want, but san francisco, oakland, and san jose are all between half a million and a million people, and there are countless cities of 100,000 or so people in that region. they can be drawing in sell-out crowds with just a marquee name or two, but they never sign them. they average in the range of 24,000 fans a game, and they settle on mediocrity. moving to fremont might be a start (more accesible to san jose, slightly less accesible to SF, but san jose is bigger), but the team doesn't have a hit-or-miss attending fanbase and penny-pinching free agent spending ways because of the countless millions of A's fans who share your sentiment. when it boils down to it, the team really isn't accomplishing much at all, and is full of the POTENTIAL to do so much more and the potential to tap into such a massive fanbase, but they've failed at it. do you really want to be the 91-05 braves, minus the world title? the A's NEVER look like true contenders come playoff time.

[Mike]

i know the a's are cheap, we're not talking about that. we've talked about that dozens of times before. this conversation is about beane and beane making everyone his bitch.

and 29 teams can't make that statement because 29 teams aren't good every year. obviously i want the a's to get over the hump, and i don't think beane is the problem in doing so. nor was it ken macha.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

except i mentioned beane in there...if beane would get off the ego trips and hire a manager who is a team leader and not someone who has no testicles, then perhaps they wouldn't be in this position. injuries and penny pinching are part of the problem (but every team has injuries, and the second place angels pretty much matched the A's for injuries, so it was a moot point this year), but i wouldn't be surprised in the least if you managed to get further along with a different general manager...someone who is as driven as beane and works as closely with payroll and personnel, but also someone who isn't going to put his ego before his personnel hiring decisions, because that IS A problem.

and what i mean by the "29 teams" thing, is that there are 29 teams out there who are running things better than the 30th (either the cubs, pirates, or nationals), and therefore can be content that things aren't worse. if you mean winners, then fine, narrow it down to 12 or 13 teams. of those, several have world titles right now, and even some of the losers of the moment (d-backs, marlins, braves) have had world titles in the last couple of years during a span in which the A's lost 10 straight potential next-round games, and then got swept in the ALCS right after a sweep in the ALDS. so would i be content right now? hell no. that many trips to the playoffs in a 5 year span, and not ONE game won in the ALCS? it sounds bad to me, especially since every other team in the division is playing catch-up right now. i don't want to sound biased, but i wouldn't be surprised if the angels just totally blow the division away next year.

also, stay away from our pitching coach :(

[brad]

by the way, i wasn't really advocating beane treat his employees like shit

i feel bad for anyone who manages the a's

a couple writers in the oakland trib are saying dusty baker should manage the a's. hahahhahaha

EDIT: oh and bud black will soon belong to the giants, so eat it

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i'll miss bud black regardless of where he goes, but if he went to the giants, i could live with it much more than seeing him with the A's. he's a great guy and an even better coach, and he's the reason that our pitching staff has been so consistent over the last few years.

[Andy]

There is some good labor news. I've read a number of articles that have said that both sides are expected to announce a new labor deal soon. It's great news because it means there will not be a work stoppage until 2011 at the earliest. That's good news for baseball.
Tentatively official: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2635232

[Mike]

i'm not content, but i'm saying things are still working the way they are now, and i still feel that they're not a "get to the playoffs and then go home" type of team.

and thats it, i'm done arguing with you. all you do is post after post of telling people they are wrong and why, and you won't accept it until they either concede, or your post is the last one on the page.

[Andy]

The '04 Red Sox's little good luck charm dies: http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/10/22/nelson_de_la_rosa_dominican_actor_and_boston_red_sox_fan_die s_1161563655/

RIP :(

[Dead Nigga Storage]

you'd have a much better point if it wasn't just such a ridiculously casual debate on the topic...i just am not seeing how someone could be happy with the way they typical perform. and yeah, pretty much by definition you're a "get to the playoffs and go home" kind of team, because that's all you've done. 5 playoff apperances (4 of them division wins), 7 years, 0 ALCS game wins. if you're all uppity about such a casual debate, then fine, whatever, i'll stop. but in the history of debating i've had on here, this was pretty damn passive and casual. if you didn't want casual debate, don't reply in the first place.

[robb]

looks like the cubs have just hired trammell to be their bench coach. good for him, he'll learn a ton from pinella, and hopefully find a big league managing job again.

[Homer Jay]

I guess this is more proof the Cubs can't do anything right

[pat]

i don't think it's that bad of a hiring, but okay.

[Dewey Finn]

Phillies signed Jamie Moyer for... 2 year deal???!! (5.1million per year) Boy, let's hope that he can still throw in his last year of contract.

BTW, D-Ray prospect is missing after an accident..
http://www.futurerays.com/

[Andy]

Trammell, eh? They could have done worse. Frankly they already made the shit move of the offseason by bring back Rothschild.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061024&content_id=1722137&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Major League Baseball sanctioned awards should not be voted upon by fans. Why not let fans pick the MVP, too? That way we can stock Derek Jeter's shelf while we're at it.

[Roarke]

Mo's WHIP was .2 lower...?

i got nothing. hurray "yao ming" complex.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

Francisco Rodriguez apparently somehow finished SIXTH. :(

[Dewey Finn]

I'm a Yankee fan, but I think K-Rod deserved it more...

Lower era (1.73 vs 1.80), higher K #'s (55<98) more saves (47>34). I mean, I think K-Rod AT LEAST deserved to be voted 2nd (or possibly 1st).

[Dead Nigga Storage]

not possibly first. not POSSIBLY. he killed rivera in nearly every single category. he didn't allow a run (earned or otherwise) for more than 2 straight months. he didn't spend a second on the DL, and rivera did, and even if rivera HADN'T, he wouldn't have come close to any of k-rod's numbers. this isn't a sorta/kinda/maybe thing...it's a fucking disgrace that this award is some bullshit popularity contest. if they're going to officially sanction the award, it shouldn't be a matter of which team has the most name recognition or the fans who are most adept to clicking little boxes on a website. there isn't a spin doctor in the world who can reasonably assert that rivera was even the 3RD BEST closer this year. fuck baseball awards.

[gravymaster]

If you think the awards are null and void because fans vote on them, then why do you care so much, Scott? If you don't care, don't care. I don't care, and if K-Rod were to have won I still wouldn't care. I don't care.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

that's the point gravy...it's the MLB's officially sanctioned version of season-end awards. the reason i CARE is because it's basically the "closer MVP" award, and they toss it up to the fans. i DON'T give a shit what the fans think, which is why i DON'T want them voting on it. that's my problem...not that the fans are retarded, but that the MLB lets their retardation dictate MLB-sanctioned awards.

[gravymaster]

That's because they think it will somehow generate more fans to the sport to bring it back to the #1 sport in America. Same reason why they let fans vote on the All-Star game...so they will think they are a part of the gimmick and will want to watch the people they vote for more than they will watch the people a coach vote for. It is stupid, but it really doesn't keep me up at night.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

an average of 90,000 total people voted on the contest. it's the equivalent of throwing the MVP voting to the fans. some things are just not meant to be in the fans' hands. i'm sure it'd help ratings if managers had to make coaching decisions based on fan voting, too (and don't bother mentioning how fan voting on an MVP is different because it "doesn't effect the outcome", because fan voting also dictates the all-star rosters which, in turn, determines home-field advantage for the world series). or that they got to vote the manager in in the first place, but that's not how it works. they aren't gaining anything out turning the vote over to the fans that is going to be measurable because 99% of the fans ain't even voting. add to that the repetition with which someone can vote, and it's even worse. and we all already know how i feel and most people feel about fans voting for the all-stars. it's a joke of a mistake that shouldn't be carried over to any other practice.

but most importantly, the all-star game is just what you say it is: essentially a gimmick. it's an opportunity for the fans to pick to see who they want to play the game in a given year for their enjoyment. MLB-sanctioned awards are for MLB to recognize the greatest players or achievements of the year with an award. throwing that to the fans serves no purpose whatsoever.

[brad]

i've never heard an announcer say a closer has "won x relief awards in his career"

i see your anger, but lets not kids ourselves... the relief award is on the same level as the comeback award; not cy young, roy, or mvp

[Dead Nigga Storage]

you haven't heard it because it's a new award...2nd year now. and this is a shitty way to build its reputation. "x" number of years ago, you never heard an announcer say "he's won 'x' number of MVP awards in his career either". awards have to start sometime, and it's an absolutely horrible way to have the beginnings of an award start in the hands of some random guy in the bronx with internet access and a high speed connection. i know it's not on par with them for now, but it's an MLB sanctioned award, like i said. you don't sanction an award and then throw it to the fans to determine who has better name recognition.

[brad]

does this award take the place of the rolaids relief award? or is that an unofficial award?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i'm honestly not sure. i think it's the same thing, but i couldn't say. maybe it takes the place of that fireman of the year award or whatever the fuck. either way, it IS sanctioned this year. that much i do know.

[gravymaster]

Just bow to the Sandman anyhow, Scott. It's about time.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

2001game7worldserieslol

[Andy]

From what I've culled from the Internet:

Rolaids Relief award = given out solely on statistical performance, not exactly sanctioned by MLB
Fireman of the Year = The Sporting News' award, also not sanctioned by MLB
DHL Delivery = only one sanctioned by MLB, voted on by fans

[gravymaster]

If you are a closer for over 10 years and you can only bring up maybe 5 games, you are a fucking legend...

Looks like the voters didn't really vote on that award, scott. Hrmmm.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

yes they did. we're talking about the DHL delivery award, gravy. read the article...that's the MLB sanctioned one that rivera just won.

and i'm not going to say rivera wasn't great, because there really isn't an argument, but he certainly chose a hell of a time to blow one of those games. and he blamed the team afterwards too, which totally got to me.

[gravymaster]

BUGAY LIED TO ME!

[gravymaster]

and he blamed the team afterwards too, which totally got to me.
He NEVER did that. You find me evidence towards it. NEVER.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

you have to purchase the article to read the whole thing, but it still is very clear in the first paragraph:

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0715FD385C0C738EDDAA0894DA404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fR%2fRivera%2c% 20Mariano

[Homer Jay]

So DNS, what do you think about Jeter being the best hitter in the American League?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

not. even. close.

[Dewey Finn]

Jeter is NOT the best hitter (screw all the fan votes) in the league based some statical informations:

3rd in runs created, 8th in EQa, 52nd in IsoP, 29th in SecA, 2nd in VORP (not bad, but Hafner is the first)
Hafner is possibly the most underrated hitter in MLB... or it's just that injury.

BTW, funny you should bring that 2001 WS Rivera choke to degrade his fame (sick and tired of that, Rivera is one of the dominant pitcher in playoffs).
Well, I do think he was being dick when he blamed his loss on Brosious (would be his final game of his lifetime)

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i wasn't degrading his fame, ian. it was a joke to get under people's skin, and apparently it's working. nonetheless, there is no possible denial that the occassion(s) on which he has had his postseason failures have been INCREDIBLY poorly timed. then again, every postseason mistake is magnified many fold.

and the "jeter the postseason god" myth is also a huge problem. not only is it not fair to use postseason stats towards someone's hall of fame career (thus, fucking over any great player whose team failed to get the postseason in any given year, and thus why postseason stats don't count towards overall stats anyway), but jeter's postseason numbers are nothing exceptional over his normal career numbers. the reason jeter's thought of as the postseason god is because of a few key postseason hits over the course of a career that has never seen him NOT in the postseason. if any other good hitter made the postseason as often as he did (and let's face it, he's not single-handidly the reason the yanks made it to the postseason all those years in a row), they'd have the chance to have their key hits get accentuated.

(AVG/HR/RBI/RUNS/SB/OBP)
jeter's regular season averages (per 162 games): .317/18/83/123/24/.388
jeter's postseason averages (per 162 games): .314/21/65/115/21/.383

with the exception of home runs (and, mind you, one of those was a fly-out incorrectly ruled a home run, so what the books say and whether or not he ACTUALLY came through are two different things), every statistic is marginally LOWER than his regular season numbers. of course, i realize that, either way you cut it, both sets of numbers are very impressive, but he's hardly "turning it on" come october. his best postseason series, career-wise, is in fact the ALDS (.370). i'm not saying jeter isn't a great player, but he's part of the new york media frenzy, he's part of the "storied" franchise, and the simple fact is the myth is bigger than the man. the last 3 ALCS's, jeter has hit no higher than .233, and was a key piece of the 2004 ALCS choke. i get it, intangibles, blah blah...the man isn't a postseason god. he's a guy who has played an exorbitant number of postseason games due to his TEAM being so good, and due to his existence as a good player, has managed to hit as well (or, slightly less well) in his postseason time than he has any other time in his career...that's nothing that special. of course, gravy can come in here and write about how he's the captain and the team leader and all the intangibles and what not, but he's not the god that people want to say he is, and he's never had to spend a day in his life with a junk-ball pitcher because of the lineup he is in. throw him to the royals, and watch 25 points drop off that career average. he's good, i know, i know, i know. but he's an average fielder and an advantageous hitter that has the benefit of having to be pitched to for an entire career.

[gravymaster]

I hold Jeter up on a different level because he IS on a different level, Scott. Tear him down all you want but he is the best baseball player I've ever seen in my life.

Jeter is one of the best players your eyes will ever see, too, Scott. He plays for the Yankees. Get over it.

Edit: And if you said otherwise during your THESIS of a post, I apologize. I'm not reading that...

[gravymaster]

Double Post OMGLOL!:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/10/27/bc.bbn.giants.bonds.ap/index.html

Bonds (according to his agent) to file for free agency. Helllllllllllllllllooooooooo, Angels!!!

[Dead Nigga Storage]

if he's the best player you've ever seen play, you haven't watched much baseball at all. i'm sorry, he's good (and yeah, i actually did say otherwise), but to think he's the best player of your lifetime, or even close, it's just asinine yankees biased. period.

and bonds is far from even a lock to play for the angels. we have nowhere to put him. corner outfield is taken, and so is DH. we could get better production for less money.

[gravymaster]

if he's the best player you've ever seen play, you haven't watched much baseball at all.
My father would say otherwise and he is the biggest Mickey Mantle fan that you will ever find. My friend's father too (who is a DIE HARD). I'm not getting into stupid shit here, but I'm just saying....when the old timers start saying that kinda shit, that speaks volumes. Speak your numbers but the dude gets a standing O at Yankee Stadium every time he is up and you KNOW that he is at least one of the best players you have ever seen play.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i don't care about what a bunch of biased die hard yankees say on the guy, or what yankee fans say. hell, i don't care what most any fan on the issue says. they're just that: fans with allegiances. i know it's important to YOU, but when considering the sports world, what a few die-hards say isn't what makes the player. fine, that makes him one of the "most treasured YANKEES" of your time, but that doesn't make him one of the best all-around players to take the field in our generation. like i said, he's good, but he couldn't possibly be a more over-stated player in his time. his peak has coincided with the biggest expansion of mass media in the world's history, and he plays in the biggest city in the country, and one of the biggest in the world, for the greatest franchise in the history of sports. if you don't think that has had an impact on the way that he has been reflected upon by fans, then you're denying fact. again, i'll reiterate that he is a very, very, very gifted and exceptional player, but he's also (through no fault of his own, so it's not even an attack on him as a person) INCREDIBLY overstated. if you want to play the intangibles card, go ahead, but how much is that able to compensate for? how many statistical deficiences can be trumped by that one card? he's had the most media coverage of any player i've ever seen, so EVERYTHING he has done for the yankees has been magnified as if EVERYTHING that he has done has been a playoff situation kind of play. it's never mattered if another shortstop was doing the same things, or better things, elsewhere, because he was doing them AS derek jeter FOR the yankees IN new york. it's gonna be hard to see that as a yankees fan (and remember, i hate boston more, so it's not just me hating on the yankees), but east coast baseball (NY and boston in particular) has always been overglorifed by the media and probably always will be. i don't even know if he makes the top 10 players i've seen in my lifetime, to be honest.

[gravymaster]

We get it you hate the Yankees.
http://soxpride.mlblogs.com/sox_pride/images/jeter.jpg

[thecapecoddah]

derek jeter is the best skippy peanut butter spokesperson I have ever seen!

http://home.comcast.net/~ewirtanen/skippy.jpg

the best, scott. the best!

[thecapecoddah]

scott why aren't you debating me on this, surely there are other great peanut butter spokespeople out there

[gravymaster]

Yeah, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnn

[Dead Nigga Storage]

Does this count?
http://static.flickr.com/1/41871_945a28f931_m.jpg

we get it, you love east coast baseball and forget that they play it elsewhere. jeter is the best ever. TEH BEST

edit: don't bother replying if you're gonna acknowledge not reading. i said, and you should have already known, that i think sox fans and the sox in general are far worse.

[thecapecoddah]

you two need to hug

http://dirnyse.com/blog/images/051001arodderek.jpeg

[gravymaster]

we get it, you love east coast baseball and forget that they play it elsewhere. jeter is the best ever. TEH BEST
Release your anger, Scott...
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/tonga/981/yoda.gif

[thecapecoddah]

and then you can be as happy as derek - the happiest man alive

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2006/writers/jenn_sterger/06/20/mailbag/p1_jeter.jpg

[gravymaster]

Look at that boat. He invited me on it last week but gosh darnit, I was just too busy, guys....

[thecapecoddah]

are you two best friends again yet


http://noahhunt.org/Alex/ArodJeter.jpg

[Dead Nigga Storage]

fortune city is a bad anger outlet. it's not anger. homer jay asked a question that i knew you'd be pissed off at the answer to, but here you go: better players in my time than jeter (not in order):

1) Roger Clemens (and he even played for my two hated teams!)
2) Barry Bonds (sorry, roids or no, best player of our time)
3) Albert Pujols (already established postseason success, and could overtake Bonds for best of our time)
4) Tony Gwynn (hard to believe he used to steal bases)
5) Wade Boggs (look, another player from my two hated teams!)
6) Alex Rodriguez (but he sucked with the yanks, and cuz the media said so, omgwtf!)
7) Eddie Murray (postseason magic to boot)
8) Paul Molitor (an icon on perennial contenders, same basic #s as jeter, but more SBs, and fewer Ks)
9) Cal Ripken Jr. (just as iconic for his team as jeter for the yanks, plus his commercials didn't all suck)
10) Ken Griffey Jr. (oh, boohoo, he got injured towards the end...still a better PLAYER than jeter)

there, i got 10. i could keep going, but that was without even thinking about it. you want 10 better guys in the game of baseball in my life, there you go. argue all you want, i don't really care. i don't even hate jeter...i hate the media infatuation around the guy that seems hell bent on making him the greatest thing ever. put him on the brewers and no one gives a shit about those numbers, even if they were the same.

[thecapecoddah]

plus wade boggs could pitch

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/AP_Photo/2005/01/04/1104875313_0788.jpg

way to go boggsy, way to go!

http://graphics.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2005/01/04/1104874905_2974.jpg

[Dead Nigga Storage]

never lost a game, 3.86ERA, and 7.71K/9. ACE STATUS.

[Mayor Quimby]

My post, like my opinion is completely irrelevant.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

better players in my time than jeter (not in order):i didn't want to waste my time organizing the list, because i was too apathetic. maybe i'll make a list of the top 100 of my lifetime, in order, for you to all gawk at later. (and no, people that played the last legs of their career when i was about 5 don't count).

[Homer Jay]

I guess now I should say that I was trying to bait DNS into ranting even more about the stupidity of fan voted awards with Jeter winning the Hank Aaron Award, but is rant was funny anyway

[brad]

kenny rogers and straw as yankees in that last picture. :barf:

in other news, it's time for BOCHY BALL at china basin

[Dead Nigga Storage]

I guess now I should say that I was trying to bait DNS into ranting even more about the stupidity of fan voted awards with Jeter winning the Hank Aaron Award, but is rant was funny anywayyeah, it was pretty hilarious. dry statistics are my favorite type of humor.

edit: where exactly do you live in no cal, brad?

[brad]

east bay area

[Dead Nigga Storage]

never heard of it. GIVE IT A TOWN, JERKASS. ;) i head up to that part of the state alot, so maybe we can watch a game and boo beane someday.

Fuck the Cardinals, Joe Niekro died: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2641235
:(

Also, Jeff Weaver and Jim Edmonds are gay lovers: http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2006/10/27/ZPChlvC9.jpg

[Dead Nigga Storage]

2006-07 Power Rankings (Postseason Performance = Jackshit; Some weight given towards offseason expectations)

1) New York Mets: Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Paul Lo Duca make for an amazing lineup core. Offseason starting pitching will make them the best in baseball. Glavine? Zito? Willis? 4 months of Pedro? And still, an amazing bullpen.

2) New York Yankees: An early playoff departure means precisely one thing: Steinbrennar will be opening that wallet. Daisuke Matsuzaka could be coming their way, if not him, than Zito, if not him, then it's time to open the farm system up for trade again. They'll do something, and it will be big.

3) Minnesota Twins: A full year of Santana and Liriano at the front of the rotation. A year of maturity to Bosner's name, and the core of the team (Hunter, Morneau, Mauer, Cuddyer) being retained. Another stellar bullpen. The division is their's to lose...until someone in the division makes a blockbuster deal.

4) Los Angeles Angels (OMGBIASED): Jeff Weaver is no longer there to single-handidly lose the division. There is almost no way they could repeat the injury devestation of last year. Arte Moreno will be opening his pocket book. All of their youth has a year's maturity under their belt. Possibly the best closer and the best 1-5 rotation in baseball. Alot will hinge on who comes in and at what price.

5) Oakland Athletics: Which rabbit will Billy Beane pull out of his hat this offseason? Shouldn't they have at least tried to sign and trade Zito? Will Frank Thomas return, and if he does, what will he bring? Could we finally see Crosby last a season? Young aces are in the making for the rotation, but who will carry them on offense? We'll see in the next several months.

6) Chicago White Sox: It's a good thing their peak was a world title, because it's downhill from here. They're the "oldest" of the contenders in the AL Central, their farm system is shot to shit, and their rotation is a series of question marks. Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede won't be repeating last year either. But you can never discount a team with their talent, especially a year removed from a title.

7) St. Louis Cardinals: Only being nice by putting them up this high. There are probably better, more talented teams in baseball, but it'd be wrong to have them much lower. Don't look for a repeat of that fluke world title this year. They could have just as easily missed the playoffs, and perhaps should have. Nonetheless, a Cy Young guy and an MVP guy will always accentuate the performances of those around them.

8) Toronto Blue Jays: They finally brought an end to the 1-2 finish of the Yankees and Red Sox atop the division. The way all their pieces clicked this year (when they weren't throwing punches at their manager) was impressive, and if they keep Burnett healthy for a season, look for them to have a Wild Card shot.

9) Boston Red Sox: They're aging more and more every year. How much longer does Manny hold up? How about Schilling? Is it time to move Papelbon to the rotation, and if so, who closes out games? Can Josh Beckett really get away with a winning record with a 5+ ERA again? Another 3rd place finish seems to be on the horizon if this offseason doesn't bring answers.

10) Detroit Tigers: It's a shame for Tiger fans that a season like this didn't culminate in a title, because I wouldn't look for a repeat perfomance. Except them to be a few games over .500, but not much more. They have alot of talent, but it all would need to perform to its peak again to see this kind of performance 2 years in a row.

11) Cleveland Indians: THE enigma of baseball. Top to bottom, they might be the most TALENTED bunch in baseball, but for some reason, it just hasn't translated to the win column. They seem to be just as capable of 75 wins as they do of 100. Travis Hafner is possibly the most underrated player in baseball and could easily turn this team into a division winner.

12) San Diego Padres: If they score Bud Black as a manager, it could be one of the most understated moves of the offseason. He's an amazing coach who deserves every bit of respect he gets. Word is that the Padres are willing to deal for a big bat this offseason, too. If they get that, and a full season of Peavy being Peavy, then I see no reason why they don't run with the division.

13) Los Angeles Dodgers: We've probably seen the last of Jeff Kent as a star player, and Nomar might not be returning. Andy LaRoche and Wilson Betemit are rising stars, and J.D. Drew had a solid year in 2006, and will be a veteran presence in 2007. They'll probably be demanding too much out of youngsters (albeit, youngsters with some MLB experience) to take the division...unless of course, they get an A-Rod-esque bat.

14) Philadelphia Phillies: A full season of Hamels and Myers would be very good news for the Phillies, especially if they could get a last year out of Moyer, and another league-average one out of Lieber. Retaining Wolf would be a good idea, too. The potential for their offense should be a given. Remember, they had a better record than the Cardinals this year.


15) Arizona Diamondbacks: Brandon Webb wasn't overperforming in 2006, and is capable of being just as sharp in 2007. He doesn't allow alot of baserunners, and keeps the ball on the ground. Quentin, Jackson, Tracy, and Drew could turn into a very solid offensive core.

16) Texas Rangers: Which league average pitching arm will they try to snatch this offseason to give the illusion that they know what they are doing to their fans? Which bats will they land to add to a team that will never be able to produce runs as fast as the staff gives them up?

17) Florida Marlins: So much young talent, and all of it with a year of experience under their belts now. If they retain Cabrera and Willis at the center, they'll have youngsters like Sanchez, Olson, and Johnson, and Nolasco on the mound and Jacobs, Hermida, Ramirez, and Uggla in their lineup. They could very well find a way into the Wild Card next year if things go right.

18) Cincinnati Reds: I like the potential in a lineup with Dunn, Freel, Encarnacion, and (whatever is left of) Griffey. Aurilia and Hatteberg are worth having around just because of the lack of adequate replacements. But how often will a merely "above average" lineup have to drag this starting pitching behind it?

19) Atlanta Braves: A swiss cheese rotation, but a very good run-producing lineup. Chipper Jones still has something left in him, Brian McCann was the best hitting catcher in baseball in 2006 (sorry, Mauer, numbers don't lie), Jeff Francouer has great pop, Renteria is still a formidable presence, and Andruw Jones is Andruw Jones. Like I said, it'll all go back to the rotation. Something must be done about it, or else it'll be the Mets turn to start their own division-winning streak.

20) Seattle Mariners: They need Richie Sexson to continue to be Richie Sexson, Adrian Beltre to rediscover '04 Adrian Beltre, and Ichiro to want to stay in Seattle. That's a tall order to fill. Felix Hernandez will be much, much sharper in 2007. There is just too much money tied up in a couple of names for them to pursue much in free agency, but if they can get league-average performances from some of the lesser-known names (Broussard, Lopez, Betancourt), they could find the good side of .500 again.

21) Houston Astros: I don't know how this team always pulls those last minute miracles out of their ass, but that's all that really seperates them from 70-75 win teams. Can we really expect ANOTHER year out of Clemens? Probably not for his asking price. Pettite might be done, too. That would mean it would be up to Roy Oswalt to carry a "Berkman and everyone else" offense to contention again, and I just don't like those odds at all.

22) Milwaukee Brewers: It's amazing how much this Wild Card should-have-been managed to disappoint this year. If Ben Sheets stays healthy and all of their prospects (Fielder, Hall, Weeks, Gwynn, Hardy) live up to their peaks, they can compete. That's a ton to ask of one team. It's a shame to see such potential wasted in a 75 win team.

23) San Francisco Giants: Barry Bonds is jumping ship. Who does that leave for the Giants in the coming season? Everyone should know Noah Lowry and Matt Cain, but who are the offensive stars? Pedro Feliz? Shea Hillenbrand? Randy Winn? Sad, really.

24) Baltimore Orioles: Someone fix Bedard and Cabrera and give the Baltimore fans something to be happy about, please. Angelos is an idiot, so expect him to chase some big name around for a bit while completing ignoring the in-house issues. When the talent is right in front of you, try fixing it before anything else. Who knows, you could become a perennial .500-flirter.

25) Colorado Rockies: There were alot of career years for pitchers in Colorado this year, so we know that the humidifier was doing its job, but I wouldn't count of the Rockies suddenly being a pitching oriented team. Their hot start is all that kept them from another Rockie-esque season. I just can't see there being much hope as long as they play where they do. I don't think it can be overstated.

26) Washington Nationals: Losing Soriano is a guarantee at this point. There are worse offensive cores in baseball than Ryan Zimmerman, Austin Kearns, and Nick Johnson. Not that that says much, they're still the loser Expos at heart, and the promise of a new stadium is still the best news for this team.

27) Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Every year we talk about how many youthful options they have and how talented they could be, and every year, they throw another 100 loss season at us just to mock us. I'll be stubborn and say that 2007 is their year. Their year to finally reach that glorious plateau: 75 wins.

28) Pittsburgh Pirates: Whatever happened to the Mark Cuban rumors? That would turn this club around in 2 seconds. Poor Jason Bay. Poor, poor Jason Bay.

29) Chicago Cubs: They shouldn't be anywhere near as miserable as they were this year, but until they actually prove that they can commit themselves to some winning talent, I don't see them moving from the general-cellar-area of the NL Central. Who the hell is going to pitch for them this year?

30) Kansas City Royals: Will there ever be a rainbow?

[Dewey Finn]

Good ranking, DNS. I do think Angels would be real deal for next year, but the ranking is bit too high. Probably in 9th or 10th.

BTW, is Gammons sniffing glue? (wait...he's not a Yankee fan)

from nyynews.com

Is it Possible the Yankees could receive Jeremy Bonderman from the Tigers for Gary Sheffield?

Well from what I hear it's a scenario that will be talked about during the Winter Meetings that will take place in November. Bonderman who turns 24 today was 14 - 8 with a 4.08 ERA while recording 202 K's. ESPN's Peter Gammons reported this on Mike and Mike in the Morning ( Horrible show ) Friday. He said, the Tigers are willing to deal Bonderman for Sheffield, but with Sheffield's recent comments it may scare off the Tigers. I've heard today that the Tigers are still willing to make this move and will talk to Brian Cashman a lot during the Winter Meetings.

Would you trade 24yrs old growing pitcher for 38yrs old infuriated outfielder? I think not!

[Dead Nigga Storage]

DEBATE TIME. if the angels are 9th or 10th, you must also say who is in front and why, bearing in mind that i already told you that the rankings hinge highly on what is expected of them in the offseason, just as much as it is based on what they currently have.

[Dewey Finn]

DEBATE TIME. if the angels are 9th or 10th, you must also say who is in front and why, bearing in mind that i already told you that the rankings hinge highly on what is expected of them in the offseason, just as much as it is based on what they currently have.

Boy I love this thing. If you are talking what's expected out of the offseason, Angels might be 'it'. (definetly in 4th or more if you are counting just that...) But do you think the rookies who have thrived this year could just resemble the this year's performance for next year? Some might've thought Noah Lowry was a huge deal in 2004 (6-0 record. His hot August streak in 2005 saved his record big). It would be unpredictable/predictable crapshoot whether the rookie will do better/worse in his sophomore season.

I'm not sure which team could be stood infront of Angels on that place (on the second thought, I cannot seem to find that team...) though, oh well :o|

[Dead Nigga Storage]

any "edge" lost by weaver and saunders this year (and it could just as easily go the other way, mind you), will be offset by the maturation process for ervin santana, who is still only going to get better, and by the healthy return (or at least a consistent replacement) of the 2005 cy young winner, bartolo colon. and beyond that, whatever might be lost on weaver and saunders (and saunders wasn't FANTASTIC, so he could possibly only get better as well), will be fixed up by not having injuries to BA's former top prospect casey kotchman (who is still only 23), and by having consistent production out of first base as a result. we'll also have full seasons out of howie kendrick and juan rivera, rather then fucking with platoons again. injuries KILLED the angels this year (remember, also: NO JEFF WEAVER GOING 3-10), and with health, they could easily be one of the best offensive teams in baseball, too...having all of the healthy top prospects ready to play their positions instead of getting injured and being subbed for all season will be a HUGE upgrade.

and none of that is even considering the bat(s) they plan on getting this offseason.

[Mayor Quimby]

I have to say that the A's are just rated way to damn high, purely on the basis that they get premium results from mid-tier talent, and at some point it needs to stop. I'd also switch the Twins and the Yankees.

The Indians have an abundance of talent at starting pitching and certainly on offense but I lack faith in the front office's ability to bring in a closer, and some key set up men to stabalize the worst bullpen in the league. That division, with a young and improved Royals team, could be the best in baseball.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i felt dirty rating the A's that high, but i'm sick of shitting on them and having them somehow pull 90+ wins out of their ass. their rosters are never impressive in the least, but they somehow manage to get stuff out of it. i wouldn't be surprised in the least if they tanked and won 80 or so games, but until they show that as precedent, their hard to rank otherwise. you're right though, i could easily dump them to 15 without a second thought.

and outside of teahan, the royals' "youth project" is sorta just a bunch of B/B+ names who can contribute, but not help that shell of a team. their rotation is shot to shit, their veteran presences are a joke, and their rookie talent is gonna hit an age and talent peak that will result in arbitration that ownership can't afford to pay, and they'll be forced to swap them again. the franchise is essentially worthless. they may not be 100 win bad AGAIN, but i'll be shocked if they win better than 72 games.

As for the Indians' closer, you can always just bank on finding a 2006 Joe Borowski-type from a scrap-heap and hold him together for above-average/good numbers for a year, until someone from the farm system emerges. (don't know cleveland's well enough to comment on WHO, but you can fill in that blank.) here's your list to choose from (taken from halosheaven.com):

Post-'06 Free Agent LEFTY Relief Pitchers
Vic Darensbourg - 35
Joey Eischen - 36
Alan Embree - 36
Aaron Fultz - 33
Eddie Guardado - 36
John Halama - 34
Chris Hammond - 40
Mike Holtz - 34
Steve Kline - 34
Tom Martin - 36
Kent Mercker - 38
Terry Mulholland - 43
Darren Oliver - 36
Mike Remlinger - 40
Arthur Rhodes - 37
J.C. Romero - 30
Scott Sauerbeck - 34
Scott Schoeneweis - 33
Mike Stanton - 39
Ron Villone - 36
Jamie Walker - 35

Post-'06 Free Agent LEFTY Relief Pitcher Whose Team Has Option for '07
Ray King - 32

Post-'06 Free Agent RIGHTY Relief Pitchers
Antonio Alfonseca - 34
Joe Borowski - 35
Chad Bradford - 32
Doug Brocail - 39
Jim Brower - 33
Giovanni Carrara - 38
Octavio Dotel - 32
Ryan Franklin - 33
Geremi Gonzalez - 31
Jason Grimsley - 39
LaTroy Hawkins - 33
Matt Herges - 36
Roberto Hernandez - 41
Kevin Jarvis - 37
Steve Karsay - 34
Dan Kolb - 31
Matt Mantei - 33
Brian Meadows - 30
Guillermo Mota - 33
Jeff Nelson - 40
Troy Percival - 37 (retiring)
Cliff Politte - 32
David Riske - 30
Felix Rodriguez - 34
Julio Santana - 32
Justin Speier - 32
Russ Springer - 37
Tanyon Sturtze - 36
David Weathers - 37
Rick White - 37
Scott Williamson - 30
Esteban Yan - 31

Post-'06 Free Agent RIGHTY Relief Pitchers Who's Teams Have Option for '07
Mike DeJean - 36
Keith Foulke - 34
Dustin Hermanson - 33
Rudy Seanez - 38
Jose Mesa - 40

not many people that jump off the page at you, but plenty of guys with talent and experience who can close the door on teams on a fairly consistent basis.

[Mayor Quimby]

I guess living near the area, I've bought into the big frenzy about Billy Butler, Luke Hoochevar, Alex Gordon who I feel is the best prospect in baseball, and Justin Huber. Just like the Tigers, if the GM can get some money, and find some guys I just like the nucleus. I really think they can compete, if they can spend some money. The talent that has come out of that farm system recently is borderline ridiculous. The outfield was once Beltran, Dye, Damon. If they can keep the young guys around, like the Indians are trying to do this team can compete.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

they're in the shitty baseball catch-22, and it's hard to get out of: you need to compete to make money, but in order to make money, you need to compete. they do have some great prospects, but you can't expect them to all play up to their potential at the exact same time and get them far enough to re-establish their fan base. by the time they all start clicking as capable veterans who can lead a team, they'll be signed to contracts with other teams because they'll be post-arbitration. it's a very, very delicate process. you can't call up a player too soon and waste league-minimum salary years on the guy, otherwise his most productive years could end up somewhere else. as is, the royals have a razor thin budget to work with, and that can't change until they start to make some money-concious bargain bin moves that can take them away from the cellar.

[Homer Jay]

With all the revenue sharing and money pouring in from the central fund, the Royals start out with about $50 million. One estimate put their payroll at $47 million. There are other expenses like signing the number one pick and other draft choices, running the minor league, paying the manager, gm and other coaches. But the Royals still get revenue from local streams, even if it is not close to the amount that big market (A term I hate) teams get. This doesn't mean that the Royals shouldn't be smart, keeping their players in the minors until they are reading, and trying to sign them to long term contracts after one season. But the problem has more to do with ownership than the market

[robb]

from nyynews.com

Would you trade 24yrs old growing pitcher for 38yrs old infuriated outfielder? I think not!


please god no. bring back bobby higginson if you feel like wasting some money.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

Homer Jay, I said several times in the post that ownership is a large part of it, but you can't POSSIBLY buy into the "revenue sharing should make them a contender" idea. I realize that every year we get some nice little sob story about how a team rose from nothing to compete, but the fact is that there is STILL a very noticeable correlation between the amount you spend and what you get in return. Kansas City's payroll last year was $47,000,000, and it got them absolutely nothing. The occassional bright spot in baseball is that middle tier team that goes on to win the series, but to get into contention on a yearly basis, they need to spend more than just that $47,000,000, unless they think that they can pull off another fluke 83-79 season like a few years ago. they're 26th in payroll...bottom of the barrel, and a few extra million in revenue sharing isn't gonna do much to help...especially when so many owners get away with pocketing the money. bottom 5 payrolls in baseball:

26 Kansas City Royals $47,294,000
27 Pittsburgh Pirates $46,717,750
28 Colorado Rockies $41,233,000
29 Tampa Bay Devil Rays $35,417,967
30 Florida Marlins $14,998,500

2006 Combined Winning Percentage: .425

and that was with two teams performing what some would consider "fluke" seasons...both florida and colorado did much better than they probably should have (although, in retrospect, at least florida's team SHOULD HAVE probably does about that well).

[Mayor Quimby]

Post-'06 Free Agent LEFTY Relief Pitchers
Eddie Guardado - 36
J.C. Romero - 30
Scott Sauerbeck - 34

Post-'06 Free Agent RIGHTY Relief Pitchers
Joe Borowski - 35
Octavio Dotel - 32
Dan Kolb - 31
Matt Mantei - 33


I've heard some of these names mentioned on the message boards. Of the group I wouldn't mind trying Romero, Mantei, or Dotel. Personally I'm guessing they want to give job to either Fernando Cabrera, or Rafeal Bentancourt.

Also minor rumblings about trading for the Pirates Soloman Torres, or Houston's Dan Wheeler. Both preformed admirably last year when called on, and I think this might be the best route to go.

I do love the starting rotation though:
1. Sabbathia- Finally might turn the corner completely, did not benefit from run support, but had most CG in the majors.
2. Westbrook- Not a real solid #2, but is great when the sinker is on.
3. Lee- Which Lee shows up?
4. Sowers- Solid rookie campaign, should follow up nicely.
5. Adam Miller- Praying that the start with him at the beginning of the season.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

Godspeed with Romero...the dude is a wreck. In his defense, he probably had the best 6-something ERA I've ever seen out of a reliever before (and yes, I'm being serious). As for Torres and Wheeler...you, i'm always iffy about taking a guy out of the national league and bringing him to the American league in hopes of him performing as well. No guaranteed outs in the lineup, and just a better league in general. We saw how things worked out with guys like Weaver and Beckett this year, and how well things can work out in inverse situations. Look for guys with AL success already. Guardado was decent when he came back from injuries, but his health is a question mark.

[Homer Jay]

Homer Jay, I said several times in the post that ownership is a large part of it, but you can't POSSIBLY buy into the "revenue sharing should make them a contender" idea. I realize that every year we get some nice little sob story about how a team rose from nothing to compete, but the fact is that there is STILL a very noticeable correlation between the amount you spend and what you get in return. Kansas City's payroll last year was $47,000,000, and it got them absolutely nothing. The occassional bright spot in baseball is that middle tier team that goes on to win the series, but to get into contention on a yearly basis, they need to spend more than just that $47,000,000, unless they think that they can pull off another fluke 83-79 season like a few years ago. they're 26th in payroll...bottom of the barrel, and a few extra million in revenue sharing isn't gonna do much to help...especially when so many owners get away with pocketing the money. bottom 5 payrolls in baseball:

26 Kansas City Royals $47,294,000
27 Pittsburgh Pirates $46,717,750
28 Colorado Rockies $41,233,000
29 Tampa Bay Devil Rays $35,417,967
30 Florida Marlins $14,998,500

2006 Combined Winning Percentage: .425

and that was with two teams performing what some would consider "fluke" seasons...both florida and colorado did much better than they probably should have (although, in retrospect, at least florida's team SHOULD HAVE probably does about that well).Breaking the league into thirds would yield that the tom ten teams gave out on average $29.1 million and averaged 84.3 wins, the middle ten teams received $3.4 million and averaged 79.2 wins, and the bottom ten teams received on average $25.6 million and averaged 79.4 wins. Three of the AL playoffs teams recieved over $19 million each.

The evidence does show that being in the top third does help a team win some more games, but revenue sharing works, so long as the owner invests the money into team and does not pocket the money. For example, the Pirates and the Tigers received about the same money from revenue sharing. One invested in players and got to the world series, and the other is the second worst team in the National League. What do the Cubs and Mariners have to show for their combined $57 million given to revenue sharing?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

Adrian Beltre, duh.

The reason it doesn't work is because that's a HUGE "if" about owners investing the money in their teams. If you get handed a check for $19 million, you can either pocket it, or you can use it for the team...alot of owners selfishly pocket it. Obviously there needs to be SOME form of accountability...something that requires people (and this is something that should be signed into BEFORE you become an owner) that requires "x" percentage of your income to be spent. Everyone knows parity is up in baseball (hell, it's better than it is in football in basketball), but the revenue sharing system blows because so many teams don't DO anything with it.

On another note, why the hell did the Cubs get revenue sharing money? On the national level, I would have thought they'd have massive revenue...and their 7th highest payroll in baseball would suggest so, too.

[:bang:]

28) Pittsburgh Pirates: Whatever happened to the Mark Cuban rumors? That would turn this club around in 2 seconds. Poor Jason Bay. Poor, poor Jason Bay.he says he's not buying the buccos because they arent for sale. was quoted recently that he fucked up by not buying the pens, so it sounds like the pirates might be a nogo :(

we're not the worst! :ninjabang:

[Homer Jay]

Adrian Beltre, duh.

The reason it doesn't work is because that's a HUGE "if" about owners investing the money in their teams. If you get handed a check for $19 million, you can either pocket it, or you can use it for the team...alot of owners selfishly pocket it. Obviously there needs to be SOME form of accountability...something that requires people (and this is something that should be signed into BEFORE you become an owner) that requires "x" percentage of your income to be spent. Everyone knows parity is up in baseball (hell, it's better than it is in football in basketball), but the revenue sharing system blows because so many teams don't DO anything with it.

On another note, why the hell did the Cubs get revenue sharing money? On the national level, I would have thought they'd have massive revenue...and their 7th highest payroll in baseball would suggest so, too.
I thought I wrote given to. They pay the third highest amount behind the Yankees and the Red Sox.

My biggest problem isn't that there is revenue sharing, it's that revenue sharing is based on how much revenue a team receives versus how much the team should have. Take the Phillies, they receive money from revenue sharing, how the hell is that possible, they play in the fifth largest market in the country, and the largest one which doesn't have two teams. And how does Detriot receive $25 million when it is bigger than Seattle which pays about the same amount. The Mariners shouldn't be penalized because they market the team well.

[:bang:]

are you serious?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

well, then the yankees shouldn't be penalized for tapping their market, or the dodgers for their's, or the angels for their's, or the red sox for their's. their not being punished/penalized...their being told to pay into a system to bring equality to the sport in a system where some franchises have difficulty bringing in fans, and to help them try to restore or rebuild a franchise and fanbase. when the mariners fall into mediocrity after ticket-sellers like ichiro are gone, they'll draw the benefits of the system for themselves.

[Homer Jay]

The Yankees should be "penalized" for the size of their market, not their ability to exploit it. Under the current system, there are some teams that are not penalized for their inability to properly tap their market. As long as there are teams like the Red Sox and the Yankees who continue to exploit their markets in even more creative ways, there will be incentive for teams like the Royals to do the same. For example if one team is willing to sell the naming rights to its ballpark, but another isn't not why should the team that sold the naming rights have to pay money?

[Dead Nigga Storage]

They are simply paying a percentage of what they make. I don't see what's so horrendously unfair about percentage payments. And exploitation of a market and size of a market are not mutually exclusive. The Royals just plain CAN'T sell the naming rights of their stadium (to use your example) for as much as other teams can because the naming rights, to the purchasing company, just aren't worth it. Having the Royals' park's name just isn't the same as having the Yankees'. With the Phillies, even if they have a massive population in the area, they have the stigma of being, to put it bluntly, a Philadelphia team. People will still pay for the rights, but all the revenue taxing system does is balance things from year-to-year. It's not like it's written in stone that certain teams have to pay a certain amount, every year of their existence. I assume you must also have an issue with Federal Income Tax is you have an issue with this?

[:bang:]

no, revenue sharing should not be based on...revenue. that's just nuts

[Homer Jay]

I assume you must also have an issue with Federal Income Tax is you have an issue with this?
So following your logic you would support income redistribution?

I think that baseball should set certain standards both for revenue and expenditures that teams should meet in order for a team to receive money from revenue sharing. I used the example of naming rights because to me it's the simplest example, if the Yankees decide to sell the naming rights to their new stadium that should count towards the revenue sharing. However the teams that do not sell the naming right to their park should not receive any share of that money. So the Padres would get money because they named their ballpark but the Reds wouldn't because they don't have a corporate sponsor.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

Income redistribution on what level? Taxation pretty much is just that, to varying degrees. But baseball and federal tax codes are two seperate ideas, so let's drop that angle.

And your corporate sponsor idea is bogus. Not selling your stadium to a corporate sponsor, to me, shows some sense of fan allegiance and can be considered just as much a marketing ploy as selling the name. Not to mention, what if a team like the Royals just CAN'T get a decent naming deal? Should they have to settle for selling their naming rights for an absolutely crappy deal and get locked into a contract for said crappy deal JUST because they want to be able to tap the "stadium naming rights" revenue stream from that larger team?

[:bang:]

revenue sharing is designed to strengthen mlb as a whole. i dont see why you want to complicate it so much. all that will lead to are teams trying to get out of it, like the tax code

[Dead Nigga Storage]

seriously. complications in code = loopholes = cheating teams.

Here's how to work it. Flat rate, say 15% of revenue. You make a million, you pay 150,000. Period. Good? Good. Start paying.

[kevin]

sox picked up the options for next year on dye, buehrle and iguchi. not a whole lot to say except that it was a no-brainer.

[Rekart]

So, any and all Buck bashing must end now that he wore Conan's tie during game one.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

MOTALOL:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2645976

[robb]

'06 al gold gloves:

rogers
i. rodriguez
teixiera
grudzielanek
jeter
chavez
wells
hunter
suzuki.

solid list, and i haven't looked at the stats, but i think it could be argued that granderson deserved one.

[kevin]

surely there was someone better at second than mark grudzielanek? maybe they just felt sorry for the royals and gave them an award.

[thecapecoddah]

I can't say I truly care, but I'm kinda stunned that the bosox didn't win one gold glove.... they did have the second fewest errors of any team in MLB history. ehh whatever.

[Mike]

espn poll had ellis over grudz for awhile, not that it means anything at all

nice to see chavy keep it up.

[Dewey Finn]

Loretta over Grudzilanek PLZ... I'm really surprised on this one

Just a rumor guys... but why would Jeter be MVP? It's not official
The Yankees' Derek Jeter is expected to be announced soon as the American League's MVP, and the Detroit Tigers' Jim Leyland is expected to be AL manager of the year.
-- St. Paul Pioneer-Press

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scorecard/11/02/truth.rumors.mlb/index.html

[Andy]

Why WOULDN'T Jeter be MVP?!

http://adweek.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/joebuck.jpg

[Dead Nigga Storage]

Derek Jeter stopped the holocaust, duh.

edit: Kenny Rogers was tied for the most errors by an American League pitcher. What is this arbitrary, horseshitted moronicness? seriously. and derek jeter is yet another crock of shit. not a gold glove shortstop, or even close. michael young and OC are both better and were again this year, but young should have had it with ease.

[pat]

bill brasky derek jeter is the father of every kid in this town

[Dewey Finn]

Liriano disaster again:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2648521
If there was one reason why Giants sold him to Twins, it would be his injury problems.

[Mayor Quimby]

Sizemore was deserving, but as were the other guys that won it so a tough break for him. I thought that Mark Grudzielanek deserved it. He played absolutely great the entire season for the Royals.

[Mayor Quimby]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2652436

Looks like the A's finally gonna make a push to move out of their shit hole.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

heard about it on my angels blog...but moving to fremont isn't exactly moving out of a shithole. to take a line from the simpsons...the only people who go to fremont are looking for directions on how to get away from fremont. and i mean that literally. it's the B.A.R.T. (Bay Area Rapid Transportation) hub for the san francisco bay area, and it's pretty much used in order to get away from fremont. the place fuckin' sucks. even with a nice stadium, they'll just be a pig in a nice dress.

[Mike]

doesn't bother me... seeing as i don't live there anyways. but i would hope they keep the "oakland" name.

[Mayor Quimby]

So the Fremont A's don't do it for you?

[brad]

if by "BART hub" you mean "the end of one of the least used BART lines" then yes. BART doesn't even go all the way to the proposed site, which totally sux. BART goes straight to the coliseum which makes for easy drunken public transportation.

but yeah, i'm right between fremont and oakland... fremont does suck. there's a mall and... uh... hmm... an auto plant... and a lot of afghani folk.

but the area around the coliseum sucks anyway, so i'm interested to see the plans for this "baseball village" wolff wants.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

well, for us folk just down south of you, fremont is closer and a better drive, so it's our "hub" to the north/bay area. this new stadium is going to be ridiculously small, too. i guess this time it will at least give the A's an excuse to not draw any crowds, rather than having tarps over 40% of the capacity.

[Mike]

if the stadium is 35,000, and because a new stadium will at least draw for the first season, so say they're 32,000 or even 30,000 per game all the time, plus a whoooole lot more money in corporate sponsors, luxury boxes, etc, then they achieve what they want, because they have a whole lot more money now, even if only 5000 more people go to the game because of it.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

don't they already have luxury box money coming in from oakland? and the "whole lot" from corporate sponsors won't be nearly as much in that area. oakland may be a shit location, but at least it has name recognition. i don't see a ton of extra revenue coming, persay. certainly nothing guaranteed. what's the word on changing the name anyway? is fremont gonna want naming rights?

novelty to the people of fremont of having a team will wear off fast, so it'll be a quick flash of money, and then probably back to status quo, because there aren't a ton more fans to tap into in that area. fremont never struck me as a town good for much of anything...same as oakland. and no, i'm not trying to take shots at your franchise, but it's just a weird place to put a team, from personal experience. flash in the pan money spike, then nothing. at least it'll do something...be good for not letting joe blanton walk in a few years.

[brad]

well they're saying all the silicon valley companies will be more interested in sponsorships/suite sales. there's some validity to it.

but i'm with DNS on "weird place to put a team." the a's will continue to be a small market team... now they just wont have to worry about moving for another 30 or 40 years.

[Mayor Quimby]

Josh Barfield to the Indians for couple of decent mid level minor leaguers. This deal seems to heavily favor the Indians, but I don't know a great deal about Barfield, other than he was a solid rookie, who contributed to the Padres 1st place finish. Brad you are aware of the NL west, is he any good? Or DNS, you know nearly every player in baseball.

[Mike]

there is no word on name change of the team just yet.

however, CISCO FIELD!

and the corporate thing is what i meant, was just that there is a lot of talk about how they're hoping for all the interest from everything in the valley.

[Dead Nigga Storage]

i know he's jesse barfield's son, but he's not a similar player at all. his rookie stats are a little skewed by one fairly long hot streak, but like you said, fairly solid. he's something of a free swinger, but he's capable of making contact...he just refuses to walk. i think people were expecting a little more out of his rookie campaign, but he's young and could mold into a star (was very valuable in the pad's system), and you got him pretty damn cheap (i think because san diego was pursuing other second base options more than anything else).

[pat]

speaking of the padres...

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AsHzWiP8yQRlsYTvwv95MU85nYcB?slug=ap-padres-black&prov=ap&type=lgns

bud black has been hired as its new manager. i don't think anyone will dispute this decision.

[Dewey Finn]

Is anyone listening to Sheff anymore?

Gary Sheffield said he's being blocked by "middle men" from speaking with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner about his desire to stay in New York and will comply with the team's request to form a list of clubs he'd prefer to be traded to.
"My situation, honestly, the truth about it, I never was comfortable," Sheffield said Wednesday night at the opening of the Brooklyn Diner's Times Square location. "I was always feeling a little insecure about where I fit here and where I belonged, or do they want me here? And I had to play on those terms, and I was being a man about it and going out and trying to do my job under the conditions."

from ESPN.com