Monday, August 31, 2009

Ted Kennedy

Fascinating look at Ted Kennedy written in 1990 by Michael Kelley - A Sober Look at Ted Kennedy. Keep in mind that it was 1990 but this quote speaks volumes:
“He has the kind of personal wealth where he can do just about anything he wants to do,” says Orrin Hatch. “But I wouldn’t trade life with him for ten seconds. I’d rather be poor and in the condition that I’m in than trade with Ted.”
I've been meaning to jot down my thoughts on Kennedy and will hopefully get to it today but read the linked article because it's important to start with the truth.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Sunday Morning Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations from a Sunday morning.

You’ve got to be kidding me. No beer? This is so sad." I agree. What's minor league baseball without beer? (As an aside - Stan Grossfeld always seems to come up with these great stories)... Truth in advertising? Not so much in this case... Just saying but the Josh McDaniels situation is very similar to the way things were going for Bill Belichick in Cleveland. A quarterback controversy and people complaining that the coach is not ready and in over his head. Sure the situations aren't exact but still close enough for me to mention it... Interesting - winners wear red... The Scott Kazmir trade was a salary dump pure and simple. In eight starts since the All-Star break, Scott Kazmir was 4-2 with a 4.41 ERA. He was helping the Rays win games and remain competitive. However, the sad truth is that the Rays are 10th in attendance among 14 AL teams - an average of 24,169 fans. The last-place Orioles have outdrawn the defending AL champs! They just couldn't risk Kazmir not playing up to his contract so they had to dump him in order to use their slim resources for more pressing players like Carl Crawford... In order to get to the Angels - the Red Sox had to pass over Kazmir. I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall when the Boston front office was weighing the option to claim Kazmir... Today would have been Ted Williams' 91st birthday. It disgusts me that his head and body remain in frozen "biostasis" limbo... Today is also Celtics' great Robert Parrish's 56th birthday. Happy birthday Chief...

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Sorry for the lack of posting this week. I was busy at work and honestly I was in a funk blogging wise. I just didn't have the interest to post anything. Anyone who blogs knows that funk... Brandon Marshall is a dope. Don Banks was spot on with his assessment of the situation. If I were the Broncos - I'd publicly announce that the first team to pony up a first round draft pick can have him and I'd keep Marshall suspended until a team came up with the trade. What team would want to purposely invite this cancer of a player into their lockerroom? Chances are barring a serious injury to a team's number one receiver Marshall could stay home the whole season... Happy 140th birthday to the Mt Washington Cog Railway. I've climbed Mt Washington a few times and have also taken the Cog. Lots of fun... Scott Kazmir was supposed to be the Rays ace this year. Instead he gets traded because he sports a 6.00 ERA. Just saying but if Kazmir was a hitter people would be blaming his regression on PED's.... Nothing explains how dumb ESPN can be better than their fascination this week with the word "schism". It seems nobody at ESPN had ever heard that word before and "giggle, giggle" it sound just like jism. Some of the people laughing at the word supposedly have journalism degrees. Their alma maters must be so proud...

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Flotsam and Jetsam - New York City Edition

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations from the Big Apple.

The New England Patriots theme song should be Mark Knopfler's "What It Is" that way when people ask what song it is you can say "It is 'What It Is'"... Velociraptors have ambitions too... The other night I was at a minor league game and for whatever reason I started wondering if people still use fungo bats? I can't recall the last time I saw someone use one. Or have infield practice for that matter. I feel like Larry King asking a question like this... Speaking of theme songs - I always thought this should be John Kruk's theme song... Later today I'll be spending time in the financial district down near Ground Zero. I'm disappointed that my schedule won't allow me time to walk the Brooklyn Bridge. I've always wanted to do that for some reason...

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Mike Boddicker

Today is Mike Boddicker's 52nd birthday making today as good a time as any to ask whether the trade that sent Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling to the Orioles in exchange for Boddicker in July of 1988 was worth it.

Boddicker spent 2.5 seasons with Boston. He helped the Red Sox win the AL East in 1988 by going 7-3 down the stretch. In 1989 went 15-11 and was a solid number 2 behind Roger Clemens. In 1990 he again helped the Red Sox win the AL East by going 17-8 with a 3.36 ERA while also winning a Gold Glove. Unfortunately the Red Sox were knocked out of the playoffs in both 1988 and 1990 by the A's with Boddicker going a combined 0-2 in those series.

The Red Sox had the superior Ellis Burks playing center - so Brady Anderson was expendable. But what about Curt Schilling the prospect for the veteran Boddicker part of the deal? During the time Boddicker was in Boston - Schilling went an undistinguished 1-6 for the Orioles. It seems Baltimore saw little in Schilling and they traded him away in 1991 to Houston who also didn't see him as a future ace as they traded him in 1992. Who is to say that without this being tossed about that Schilling never would have developed into the player he became?

All-in-all I say that the Boddicker trade was a good one for the Red Sox and it worked for the Orioles too as Brady Anderson became a fan favorite for 13 seasons. Only in hindsight does the aspect of Curt Schilling being involved in the deal become the focus. A focus which is incorrect even knowing what we know today.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Excellent



Any time a politician tells you he will "allow you to keep" something - they are trying to take something away. Don't let them get away with it.
Bird Behavior

Watch this video about the intelligence of crows (fascinating stuff).

Tell me it doesn't in a way remind you that this could be possible.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Jacoby Ellsbury

Many have noted that Jacoby Ellsbury is poised to break the Red Sox single season record for stolen bases with his next (which will be his 54th on the season). My question was to wonder where Jacoby stands on the Red Sox all-time stole base list?

It turn out that even though he's just in his 3rd season (2nd full season) with the Red Sox - Ellsbury is already 7th all-time in stolen bases for Boston. His 112 stolen bases place him just behind Freddy Parent who played with Boston when they were known as the Americans, Pilgrims and in his last year in Boston as the Red Sox. Freddy and his 129 stolen bases could be passed this year. Next season, if Ellsbury remains healthy, he should catch Larry Gardner and his 134 SB and Heinie Wagner and his 141 SB. Parent, Gardner and Wagner all played 100 years ago!

I was surprised to learn that Carl Yastrzemski is 3rd on the list with 168 SB. I only knew Captain Carl from late in his career and never would have pegged him as a base stealer. Yaz could be caught next season but I'm guessing it would take some time for Ellsbury to catch Tris Speaker (267) and Harry Hooper (300).

As impressive as Ellsbury's base stealing has been - his rapid ascent on the Red Sox all-time list really just goes to show how little Boston has valued the stolen base over the decades.
Gary Sheffield

You have to laugh at the Gary Sheffield situation. He's not a Type A or Type B free agent so the Mets don't really gain anything by holding on to him. The Mets benefited by Sheffield's diversion of getting his 500th HR - funny enough one of the few highlight's of this season for the Mets. How do they benefit by holding on to him for the rest of the season? I don't get it.

Sure they aren't paying him much but if he's not in your plans for next season and he's going to be a distraction - why not let some other team pick up the remainder of his salary for the year? It's like Omar Minaya does things like this to either get on the back pages of the tabloids or maybe he's trying to get fired.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

True Then - True Now

File this under the more things change the more they stay the same:
"All middle-class citizens of education have a common belief that the tendencies towards centralization and paternalism must be halted and reversed." Dwight Eisenhower July 1949
Although I think today it would be more true of middle-class citizens with common sense. Education is no true indicator of intelligence or common sense any more (if it ever was).
Late Afternoon Links

Some interesting things for your perusal.

- Mad Men era commercials - Gaylord the dog and Fred and Barney smoking butts

- Scary and true at the same time - excellent work

- Heh Heh

- Apple pie trees? Hamburger plants? WTF - was everyone on drugs back then?
They Didn't See Themselves as Revolutionaries - They Saw Themselves as Conservatives



Very interesting speech.
Steroids and Injuries

I think one of the most under-reported aspects of the steroids in baseball story has been the effects steroids had on injuries. Injuries seem to be up across the board for all teams in baseball. The A's are going to set a team record for the number of different players to appear in uniform this year (and their trainer was picked for the AL All-Star team). The Red Sox already have matched the number of different players as they used last season. Then you have the Mets.

One of the main benefits touted about steroid use was increased recovery time for the athlete. Steroids allowed the athlete to work out harder and more often. It also helped mask the wear and tear of playing. Now without steroids it seems the injuries from general wear and tear are everywhere.

Many people have commented that you no longer will see players in their mid-30's getting long-term free agent deals. Those days are gone. However, it should also be noted that with all the increased wear and tear injuries - farm team depth will be the new key to success. Look at the Red Sox this season and how the lack of farm team depth at shortstop may end up keeping them out of the playoffs. I think you will start to see much of the money that was going to the aging stars now going toward stocking the minor league teams.

Monday, August 17, 2009

The Red Sox and the AL East

Things don't look good for the Red Sox winning the AL East but there is still some hope. New York currently holds a 7.5 game lead in the AL East but here are the factors to consider:

- The Yankees have 44 games remaining with exactly half at home and half on the road. The Red Sox meanwhile have 45 games remaining with 5 more games at Fenway left than games away from the friendly confines.

- There are also 6 head to head games remaining between the two teams.

- The Red Sox finish up the season with 14 of their last 17 games against the Orioles, Royals, Blue Jays and Indians with the other 3 games against the Yankees.

If the Yankees went .500 for the rest of the season (22-22), the Red Sox would have to go 30-15 to catch up. That's a .667 winning percentage while so far this season they have managed to only win .564 percent of their games. So basically the Red Sox will have to step up and at least win every remaining series to have a shot. Most likely they will have to have something like a 10-game winning streak thrown in there because hoping the Yankees play .500 ball the rest of the way probably isn't realistic.

So there isn't much hope but there is some left.

[Edit - thanks to SpinMan for fixing my math]

Sunday, August 16, 2009

George Will and Poker

Nice article by George Will on Internet poker.

If you've read my posts for any length of time you know that I couldn't agree more. Poker is a game of skill. If the moralists want to outlaw gambling where the player's chances are true gambles then they should start with state run lotteries. But we know that will never happen.
Team Home Runs

There are six teams in baseball that have not yet hit 100 home runs this season; Royals (97), A's (97), Dodgers (95), Pirates (87), Giants (78) and Mets (70). The Dodgers are surprising but with Manny Ramirez back from his suspension - they should see their power increase to at least average. Also surprising (in a bad way) are the Mets. Only 70 measly home runs? That's pathetic. I know they've had a lot of injuries but even still - they should be able to hit more home runs than the Pirates.

On the flip side - it comes as no surprise that the Yankees (181) and Rangers (174) lead all of baseball in home runs. In all there are 6 teams who have hit at least double the number of home runs as the weak ass Mets.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The Philadelphia Eagles game on December 6th at the Georgia Dome against the Falcons just got a whole lot more interesting... Torn testicle and Internal bleeding - no not a punk rock double-header - that's what happened to Adrian Beltre. I'm guessing that when Beltre gets back to action that he'll start wearing a cup... I'm guessing that he'd like to take this quote back: "[Josh] Beckett is to Boston what Jeff Weaver was to the Yankees: the ace that never was." Tom Verducci August 2006... Heh heh - it's a RAT!! EEEK... I'm thinking of writing a play based upon Kevin Youkilis' baseball career. But here's the twist - I'm going to make it a musical... Something for Boston fans to keep in mind - the Red Sox play 16 of final 19 games against the Orioles, Royals, Toronto and Indians, 4 of the 5 worst teams in the league...

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Mugshots



I could name about 80% of the people.
Fun Stuff

Here are some funny or interesting links to start your day.

Hobos used to use markings or signs to warn other hobos about danger or to clue them into good situations. Here is a sample of the Modern Hobo Code.

Anything in Legos is cool but when you combine Legos with the epic Mariner's Revenge sung by the Decemberists - well then you have something pretty cool.

Avoid this job - Data Entry Ninja

Cool animated GIF.

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Dick Tuck - perhaps the most fascinating political operative in history... Eli Manning's contract makes him the highest paid QB in the NFL but I'd bet on average 10 QB's are taken before him in fantasy football drafts. I'd take Brady, Peyton, Brees, Warner, Cutler, Ryan, Roethlisberger, McNabb, Romo and Palmer all before Eli Manning... Heh heh - Ferris Bueller: Psychopath... Just saying that the grass is not always greener - JD Drew has played 344 games with the Red Sox and hit a HR on average every 33 AB since joining the team. In that same time frame Johnny Damon has played 41 more games and average a HR every 34 AB... There is a report that the Red Sox have put in a claim on Cristian Guzman. I believe it. Checking the Red Sox minor league depth at SS and man is it depressing. You have to go to Single A Salem to find a SS hitting above .220... Pure gold- John Hughes' Vacation 58 - the short story the movie Vacation was base on... The O/U for Notre Dame wins this season is 9. Yikes! I was willing to take the over at 8 but 9? Don't think so... A one-man stage show of Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea starring Erik Estrada would be so bad it's good in a Springtime for Hitler type way.
Mad Men

OK - I'm late to the game when it comes to AMC's Mad Men but I'm hooked. What great television this show is! I'm halfway through season 2 and I'm feeling about this series the way I did for HBO's Deadwood, Rome and The Wire. To be in that company says a lot about the quality of the show.

I like to imagine that the show was inspired by Hitchcock's North by Northwest meaning that Don Draper is in essence a married Roger Thornhill working his day job. The identity issue also plays into this idea with Roger Thornhill eventually taking over a fictitious identity while Don Draper abandoned his "real" name and identity.

Mad Men - put me down as a fan. The new season starts August 16th and I hope to be all caught up by then.

Saturday, August 08, 2009

The Loss

Last night I played poker and we started roughly at the same time as the Red Sox / Yankees game which was on in the background (the poker game in one room with the TV in the other - the losers lounge as it were). It was a $20 buy in with 8 guys and just the top two spots getting paid. The poker game moved rather quickly - the baseball game not so much. We managed to play 4 games before people had to quit. Still the Red Sox and Yankees game was still going - tied 0-0 in the 14th inning. I was home in time to see A-Rod's walk-off home run in the 15th.

I could relate to the Red Sox. Like Boston - I'm a player with loads of potential but I too was shut out last night. I didn't cash even once. Losing last night was not the end of the world. Sure neither me nor Tito and the boys came out on top but it was a memorable night nonetheless. One thing's for sure - the loss didn't put me in desperation mode and I'm sure the same is true for Terry Francona and Theo Epstein.

The loss did put Boston 4.5 games back behind the Yankees in the AL East. It didn't put the Red Sox out of the playoffs. Some people are over-reacting to the defeat. Take Bill Simmons for example who Tweeted:
That game didn't just kill the 2009 Red Sox season, it chopped it up and put it in different suitcases like a serial killer.
Whoa - whoa. The Red Sox still have 54 games to go and they are still a game up over Texas in the Wild Card race. The pessimists who are writing off the Red Sox season after the past 4 games will point out that the Rangers don't have to play a tough AL East schedule. I'd like to point out that the Red Sox have a huge advantage over Texas in the number of home vs road games remaining (Boston plays 6 more home games than Texas the rest of the way).

I am still confident that the Red Sox make the playoffs and come playoff time who do you think is more likely to repeat last night's performance - Josh Beckett or AJ Burnett? Beckett and Jon Lester are still the most formidable 1 - 2 punch in the playoffs. The Red Sox should be adding a healthy Jason Bay back into the mix and then a healthy Tim Wakefield and then (hopefully) a healthy Dice-K. Who will the Yankees be adding? Who will the Rangers be adding?

Sure last night's loss was tough but I'm still bullish on the Red Sox.

Friday, August 07, 2009

John Smoltz

The way the schedule and the rotation is currently set up - John Smoltz will pitch against the Tigers at Fenway on the 11th and then against the Rangers on the road on the 16th. He needs at least one quality start in one of those games or he's done in Boston.

There is no way the Red Sox can afford to start him the 22nd against the Yankees if he hasn't pitched at least one quality start. No way.

Keep an eye on Michael Bowden in Pawtucket. The Red Sox may alter his schedule to be able to step in and take Smoltz' rotation spot.
Bill Simmons

I've been meaning to post about Bill Simmons for some time now. A while back I was more than a little luke warm on his book Now I Can Die In Peace. But something has happened to change my mind.

I got as far in the book as I could stomach but instead of quitting and putting the book on a shelf - instead I put the book in the bathroom. I got just prior to losing to the Yankees in the 2003 playoffs and I was ticked at myself for wasting my time reading crap about Carl Everett and the myriad pop culture obsessed brain droppings of Simmons. Bunch of crap. In the bathroom I started with Tim Wakefield's crushing fateful pitch to Aaron Boone and the writing and my interest in the book started to finally click.

Reading about the 2004 Red Sox and forward was interesting. I liked it. I really did. Plus reading in the bathroom seemed to put Simmons into his natural habitat. Reading Simmons a few pages at a time seems to be the proper dosage. Before I couldn't recommend the book but now I feel I can with this one caveat - skip the first 192 pages. Seriously.

The reason I bring this up today is because of Simmons great podcast with Jeff Ross. Good stuff - worth the 80 minutes.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Heh Heh

Yup - this is exactly how I imagine pets too
Why ESPN is Putting the Kibosh on Twitter

Interesting take on why ESPN is clamping down on Twitter use.

I think the explanation is right on. I think ESPN is missing the boat though. Dell has leveraged Twitter to bring in more than $3 million in additional sales. ESPN would be better served figuring out how to harness Twitter instead of castrating use of it.
Obamacare

Karl Rove on Obama Care. Very interesting read. I couldn't help but think of this Winston Churchill quote after finishing the article:
"There is no worse mistake in public leadership than to hold out false hopes soon to be swept away."
That quote seems to epitomize not just Obamacare but also the entire Obama Administration to this point.
Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Small sample size alert- Julio Lugo has a higher OPS (1.027) for St. Louis than any of the players on the Red Sox who were with the team when he was traded. Newcomers Josh Reddick and Victor Martinez however have better OPS than Lugo... I understand why an unsigned NFL draft pick can't practice with the team but why can't they attend team meetings?... Heh heh... Buyers regret - I so wish the Red Sox spent that $5 million signing Brad Penny on Pedro Martinez instead. Hindsight is 20/20. Speaking of Pedro - where does he fit in that Phillies rotation? Cliff Lee, Cole Hammels and Joe Blanton are all #1 starters. 8-2 JA Happ is the rookie of the Year and Jamie Moyer leads the team in wins with 10. Where does Pedro fit? Does he take Moyers spot? Do the Phillies go with a 6-man rotation for a while? It will be interesting to watch... Worse trade - Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek for Heathcliff Slocumb or Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett for Delmon Young? Too close to call? Right now the Slocumb trade was the more one-sided but a year or two more and it could be even... Is it bad that I forgot that former BC QB Brian St. Pierre is still in the NFL?... FYI - Last Triple Crown winner in horse racing was Affirmed in 1978. Last Triple Crown winner in baseball was Carl Yastrzemski in 1967...

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

John Quincy Adams

This is cool - John Quincy Adams is now on Twitter.

I'm pretty sure this makes JQA the first former President to Tweet on Twitter.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Joe Montana couldn't have handled this any better... Albert Pujols is on pace for a MLB leading 373 total bases - makes you appreciate the amazing 406 total bases Jim Rice had in 1978... Selection of strange signs and bizarre translations from around the world... Besides Angels fans and fantasy baseball geeks - who knew? Kendry Morales of the Angels has a better OPS than Yankees Mark Teixeira (.931 to .927) and despite Teixeira having more HR Morales is out-slugging him by 33 points (.581 to .548)... Right now I would have to give the AL ROY to Toronto's Ricky Romero (10-4 and 3.53 ERA). Weiters and Price? Not so much... Cool technology - How to Transcribe a Whiteboard with Your Cameraphone... How close is the AL East race? The RedSox and Yankees have played almost the same number of games and have almost identical records home (both 35-17) and road (Y 28-25 and RS 27-25) and vs lefty (both 22-13) and righties (Y 41-29 and RS 40-29)... I think if you had to give out the NL ROY right now - then it would have to go to JA Happ (7-2 / 2.93 ERA) of the Phillies although an excellent case could be made for the Cubs Randy Wells... Heh Heh - Tiger Woods Farts His Way To Yet Another Win

Monday, August 03, 2009

Rumor Expert

OK - I have to mention this. I'm on Twitter (@ALargeRegular) and I think it's great. I'm following lots of people (88 and growing every day). A person has to bring something to the table for me to be interested but even a person who brings something to the table can wear out their welcome.

Take Will Carroll for example. He Tweets as @InjuryExpert. For the most part he is interesting and informative. I've long enjoyed Carroll's writing. However, I'm starting to see a side of him that I don't like. He's an unapologetic rumor monger.

Jose Canseco says there's already a juicer in the Hall of Fame. Carroll tweets that it must be Rickey Henderson. Canseco says it's not Rickey. Carroll tweets that it must be Dennis Eckersley. Victor Martinez gets traded to the Red Sox. Carroll tweets that Clay Buchholz is part of the deal. A rumor is spread about Sarah Palin. Carroll repeats the rumor and tweets that she's getting a divorce.

In none of these instances did Carroll follow up to apologize for being so wrong.

To make a technology analogy - studies have shown that no matter how good the TV programming if the viewer experiences constant pixelization or freezing - they will turn the channel or turn off the TV. I'm sure Will Carroll doesn't know me from Adam but rumor-mongering is like pizelization. If I keep seeing it - I'll definitely turn off the source.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

The Pirates are Frauds

When you follow the money you find that the Pirates story of building for the future is all BS. They are all about cutting costs NOW. Let me explain and let me use former Pirate Adam LaRoche to illustrate the point.

First off keep in mind that Adam LaRoche is making $7.05 million this year and will be a free agent at the end of the season. Most likely he'll be a Type B free agent meaning the team that loses him (assuming they offer arbitration) will get a draft pick between the 1st and 2nd round. That's a pretty high draft pick and the player selected will net themselves a pretty good signing bonus.

The Pirates saved about $3 million right now by trading Adam LaRoche to the Red Sox. In return they got back two players - AA Argenis Diaz and Single A Hunter Strickland - who were not in the Red Sox long term plans and who most likely will not ever be big league regulars (even for the Pirates).

The Red Sox were then able to turn around and trade LaRoche to Atlanta for Casey Kotchman who is arbitration eligible in 2010 and 2011 before he can test the waters as a free agent. This year Kotchman is making $2,885,000 which means he'll probably be in the $4-5 million range in 2010 and probably the $6-7 million range in 2011. If the Pirates really are building for 2011 like they claim to be - then Kotchman would be a better fit than the two scrubs they got from the Red Sox. The problem is the Pirates don't want to pay players that sort of money (money which is pocket change for the Red Sox).

You hear people suggesting that the Pirates should go the Tampa Bay route to success. The problem is the Rays built their team mainly through the draft and the Pirates don't seem to want to pay high draft picks the signing bonuses.

Consider that the Pirates traded six players in July. Those players included John Grabow - a Type A free agent, Jack Wilson - a Type B, Freddie Sanchez - a Type B, and LaRoche another Type B (probably). That's five (5) potential high draft picks! Instead of holding on to the players and netting the draft picks the Pirates traded them for mostly prospects who have been deemed expendable to the teams trading them.

The Pirates aren't building for 2011. They are just feeding into a cycle of suck.
Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Cool - check out Chipper's ride to the ballpark. Chipper Jones and Adam LaRoche seem pretty close. Maybe signing LaRoche this offseason would make up to Chipper for losing friends Smoltzy and Tommy.. Quote of the Day: "...if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future" - Winston Churchill... Catholics rarely say Grace. I think that is related to the Church stance on birth control and having large families around the dinner table. I know I was always more concerned about getting my share of the "good stuff" versus saying a prayer when eating as a kid with my 5 brothers and sisters... A new 6.25% alcohol tax went into effect in Massachusetts Saturday. A repeal referendum is already in the works. Taxing beer will prove to be the demise of Governor Deval Patrick... I saw a Massachusetts car with a Lakers sticker and a Blue Jays sticker on the bumper the other day. Strange. How does that happen? Toronto and LA? Strange...

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

It's tough to evaluate a trade involving prospects because you never can tell how a prospect will pan out. For example - Baseball America rated the Rays Reid Brignac as the 17th best MLB prospect in 2007 and the 39th best in 2008. Now he's not even Tampa Bays best SS prospect. If you had traded for him two years ago you could boast that you netted the 17th best prospect in all of baseball. If you traded for him yesterday - not so much... Quote of the Day: "To do justice to a great man, discriminating criticism is always necessary." Winston Churchill... The Kansas City Royals haven't made the playoffs since 1985. Days like yesterday when they do nothing make that possible... Yesterday super prospect Brandon Wood of the Angels was sent back to AAA Salt Lake where he's hit 17 HR with a .959 OPS. The question remains if he can hit MLB pitching. In the bigs he's hit just .187 in 209 plate appearances... French proverb that best describes dynamics of the MLB trade deadline "In love there is always one who kisses and one who offers the cheek". Yesterday JP Riccardi didn't offer anyone his cheek when it came to Roy Halladay... I've seen Ryan Fitzpatrick when he was at Harvard. I've seen Joe Flacco when he was at Delaware. I'm telling you today that Dominic Randolph of Holy Cross is a better QB than either of them... Just a reminder - I called Jake Peavy getting traded 9 days ago. Makes me laugh when I see Buster Olney saying "nobody saw this coming" on ESPN...
Tommy Makem

Tommy Makem was one of the great artists of the 20th century. His masterpiece is perhaps Four Green Fields.



Tommy passed two years ago to this very day. I get a tear in my eye watching him sing. We lost a giant. RIP.