Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

It would be interesting to combine the Samantha Brown and Survivorman travel shows for a few episodes. I just think that would be funny... Is a John Lackey for Barry Zito trade really crazy? The dollars match up. After this season Lackey is due $15.25 million for 2012, 2013, and 2014. Barry Zito is due $19 million in 2012, $20 million in 2013 and has a $7 million buyout for 2014 (assuming nobody will pick up the $18 million option). Zito is pitching much better than Lackey right now and has a full no-trade contract but who knows? I'm guessing Theo Epstein has at least made the telephone call to check... I'm a fan of the space shuttle and of Brian Malow, the Science Comedian, so linking to this is a no-brainer... People who complain about Jason Kendall and how much money he's made should take a deep breath and realize that he has made $15 million less than JD Drew in his career but been to 3-times as many All-Star games... Pet peeve - sites where the advertisement video is longer than the video I actually want to watch... Rumors swirl that President Obama may replace Joe Biden on the 2012 ticket. How funny would it be if Walter Mondale was chosen as replacement VP? There would be a certain Obama-as-Carter symmetry to that... Very cool - artsy animated GIFs show process of making beer.

Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.

You want to know why the Orioles are in first place in the AL East with a 6-1 record? Going into today's games the Baltimore Orioles have used 8 pitchers in relief and only Greg Aquino among those 8 has allowed an earned run (he has allowed 2 in 1 and a third innings). That's 7 relievers with 0.00 ERA's. They have only allowed just 3 runs all season from the 7th to 9th innings. That's why they have been winning... Jason Kendall is leading the NL in batting with a .522 average. Is it too early to ask if he'll be able to hit .400 in a season? No? Well is it too early to speculate if he'll break Hugh Duffy's single season mark for batting average? Duffy hit .440 in 1894. Kendall's got that topped by over 80 points at the moment... I'm frankly surprised that the Giants have managed to win 3 games already with that line-up...

Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.

Rocco Baldelli is capable of playing at All-Star caliber levels but the Devil Rays have him leading off this season despite the fact he's hitting just .211 with an OBP of only .271. You just can't have that level of production out of your leadoff guy and expect to be successful. The Devil Rays really should consider swapping Baldelli (1st) and BJ Upton (5th) in the batting order.... Alfonso Soriano very quietly has a 20-game hitting streak going... Today is Barry Zito's 29th birthday. Not sure if he'll be able to enjoy it though after giving up 6 runs in last night's loss to the Rockies... Brad Penny had a pretty good week going 2-0 with 18 K's in two starts - giving up just one run in 13 plus innings. Penny has a MLB best ERA of 1.39... I don't think the Braves are missing Marcus Giles very much. Kelly (Ha ha - you have a girl's name) Johnson has been very solid starting at 2nd for Atlanta. Johnson has 3 more HR, 4 more RBI and 10 more runs scored than Giles does so far this year... The fact that Josh Beckett is going for his MLB leading 8th win today softens the realization that Hanley Ramirez is hitting .338 for the Marlins. Ramirez is now hitting an even .300 for his career... Alex Rodriguez went 0-4 last night. The Yankees should cut that guy... There are six teams with a starting catcher hitting better than .300 (Posada, Mauer, Martin, Martinez, Bengie Molina, and Estrada). These guys can all hit - so its no surprise that they are all hitting better than .300. What is surprising to me is the cliff Jason Kendall's batting average has fallen off. Kendall is a career .299 hitter but this year he's hitting a measly .183. If you have Kendall on a fantasy team - drop him. Drop him now... The Mets have been killing lefties this season - hitting .345 as a team against them...