Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
-Too funny - "Rooted in Oakland" doesn't mean what the Athletics thought it meant in Australia.
- That's the government for ya
- Wait - what? Scientists claim man made climate change doesn't exist. But I thought the science was settled?
- Heh Heh
- Cutting just 300 calories a day may be enough to keep your heart healthy
- The non-zero sum character.
Showing posts with label Oakland A's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oakland A's. Show all posts
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Friday, June 09, 2017
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- The elections in England give us - the worst high-five in history?
- Heh heh - it's funny because its true!
- Heh heh - it's funny because it's not true
- Habits vs Goals - much better to change your habits
- Scientists find 300,000 year old homo sapiens remains and tools. History of man older than thought.
- Will the first "flying car" actually be a helicopter you can also take on the highway?
- Fascinating - the government can track you via what you print out at home
- "Fuck you I'm Millwall" Battle cry of a hero.
- Cool read - the social psychology of flatulence. Science!
- The elections in England give us - the worst high-five in history?
- Heh heh - it's funny because its true!
- Heh heh - it's funny because it's not true
- Habits vs Goals - much better to change your habits
- Scientists find 300,000 year old homo sapiens remains and tools. History of man older than thought.
- Will the first "flying car" actually be a helicopter you can also take on the highway?
- Fascinating - the government can track you via what you print out at home
- "Fuck you I'm Millwall" Battle cry of a hero.
- Cool read - the social psychology of flatulence. Science!
Sunday, August 03, 2014
State of the Red Sox
Here's five thoughts on the recent shake-up of the Red Sox roster.
1. The biggest difference between the pre-trade deadline line-up and the line-up today is the fact that Boston went from having two players (Ortiz, Napoli) with 25+ HR potential to having five (Ortiz, Napoli, Middlebrooks, Craig and Cespedes). I included Allen Craig even though the most HR he's hit in a season was 22 (but it was in just 119 games). That's a huge difference in pop in the line-up.
2. I have to wonder if Shane Victorino was healthy enough to pass a deadline physical whether he would have been traded too. My guess is he's shut down for the season and dealt once he's healthy. Did I say guess or hope?
3. How do the Red Sox hope to compete for top talent if they are not willing to pay the going rate? The Yankees gave Masahiro Tanaka a 7-year $155 million deal while Boston management looks like it was unwilling to give Jon Lester something comparable to a 5-year $110 million deal.
4. Conversely it should be noted that Oakland had the best record in baseball while relying mainly on young arms (plus 30-year olds Scott Kazmir and Jesse Chavez). Ace Sonny Gray 24, Tommy Milone 27, Dan Straily 25, and Drew Pomeranz 25 have made a combined 53 starts for the first place A's this season. Compare that to Boston's young arms of Brandon Workman 25, Rubby Del La Rosa 25, Allan Webster 24, and Anthony Ranaudo 24. It looks like Boston is looking to use the A's blueprint next season.
5. The speculation is that with payroll down to just $95 million for next season the Red Sox will use their stockpile of prospects to make a big splash in the trade market. The focus has been on Giancarlo Stanton but the two names I'd like to see on a Boston Opening Day roster next season are Troy Tulowitzki or Cole Hamels. Both would be great.
1. The biggest difference between the pre-trade deadline line-up and the line-up today is the fact that Boston went from having two players (Ortiz, Napoli) with 25+ HR potential to having five (Ortiz, Napoli, Middlebrooks, Craig and Cespedes). I included Allen Craig even though the most HR he's hit in a season was 22 (but it was in just 119 games). That's a huge difference in pop in the line-up.
2. I have to wonder if Shane Victorino was healthy enough to pass a deadline physical whether he would have been traded too. My guess is he's shut down for the season and dealt once he's healthy. Did I say guess or hope?
3. How do the Red Sox hope to compete for top talent if they are not willing to pay the going rate? The Yankees gave Masahiro Tanaka a 7-year $155 million deal while Boston management looks like it was unwilling to give Jon Lester something comparable to a 5-year $110 million deal.
4. Conversely it should be noted that Oakland had the best record in baseball while relying mainly on young arms (plus 30-year olds Scott Kazmir and Jesse Chavez). Ace Sonny Gray 24, Tommy Milone 27, Dan Straily 25, and Drew Pomeranz 25 have made a combined 53 starts for the first place A's this season. Compare that to Boston's young arms of Brandon Workman 25, Rubby Del La Rosa 25, Allan Webster 24, and Anthony Ranaudo 24. It looks like Boston is looking to use the A's blueprint next season.
5. The speculation is that with payroll down to just $95 million for next season the Red Sox will use their stockpile of prospects to make a big splash in the trade market. The focus has been on Giancarlo Stanton but the two names I'd like to see on a Boston Opening Day roster next season are Troy Tulowitzki or Cole Hamels. Both would be great.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Linky Links
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Jon Lester for Wil Myers? Alex Speier has an excellent look at the hypothetical (at this point) deal. For the record - if I'm the Red Sox I probably make that trade.
- A's donate one full playoff share to charity. Nice idea by Jonny Gomes and nice gesture by entire A's team.
- Holy crap! That's a bird straight out of a Stephen King horror story. Feathers the size of Samurai swords! Holy crap!
- Nice look at Notre Dame's head coach Brian Kelly's ability to adapt. Of course they forget to mention that everything Brian Kelly knows about football - he learned at Assumption College in Worcester.
- Jon Lester for Wil Myers? Alex Speier has an excellent look at the hypothetical (at this point) deal. For the record - if I'm the Red Sox I probably make that trade.
- A's donate one full playoff share to charity. Nice idea by Jonny Gomes and nice gesture by entire A's team.
- Holy crap! That's a bird straight out of a Stephen King horror story. Feathers the size of Samurai swords! Holy crap!
- Nice look at Notre Dame's head coach Brian Kelly's ability to adapt. Of course they forget to mention that everything Brian Kelly knows about football - he learned at Assumption College in Worcester.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Grant Desme: From Prospect to Priest
Fascinating story by Jeff Passan on Grant Desme who went from being one of the Oakland A's top prospects to being a monk and priest in training.
The guy gave it all up - even his name. He's now called Frater Matthew.
Fascinating story. I hope he finds peace.
The guy gave it all up - even his name. He's now called Frater Matthew.
Fascinating story. I hope he finds peace.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Josh Beckett and Waivers
Here's something worth thinking about. It is my understanding that if a player like Josh Beckett gets placed on waivers and someone claims him - he has no choice but to go to that team (assuming the Red Sox don't pull him back off of waivers). Of course Beckett would have the option to retire but that would actually be better for Boston as they would be rid of him and his contract but wouldn't face the risk of seeing him succeed somewhere else.
Now I'm assuming that if Beckett gets claimed by another team then he would lose his 10/5 no-trade protection at that time as well. Wouldn't that make him more attractive to a team that likes to take risks? A team like the Oakland A's for example who just lost starter Bartolo Colon to suspension and whose GM likes to make deals. Beckett's peripheral numbers like HR rate are not as bad as his ERA would have you believe. If he did bounce back from a change of scenery then Beckett could also be a good trade chip at the trade deadline. Don't forget that just last year Beckett finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting. And he's just 32 years old.
Maybe wishful thinking on my part but something to keep in mind nonetheless.
EDIT: Fangraphs asks Should Anyone Trade for Josh Beckett? They think the Nationals would be a good trade partner. I think Beckett would thrive in the NL East (at least for a few months).
Now I'm assuming that if Beckett gets claimed by another team then he would lose his 10/5 no-trade protection at that time as well. Wouldn't that make him more attractive to a team that likes to take risks? A team like the Oakland A's for example who just lost starter Bartolo Colon to suspension and whose GM likes to make deals. Beckett's peripheral numbers like HR rate are not as bad as his ERA would have you believe. If he did bounce back from a change of scenery then Beckett could also be a good trade chip at the trade deadline. Don't forget that just last year Beckett finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting. And he's just 32 years old.
Maybe wishful thinking on my part but something to keep in mind nonetheless.
EDIT: Fangraphs asks Should Anyone Trade for Josh Beckett? They think the Nationals would be a good trade partner. I think Beckett would thrive in the NL East (at least for a few months).
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
To make it up to Catholics - the Obama Administration has announced that to even off requiring all healthcare providers to carry contraception services it has announced that as of today all medical plans have to cover stigmata - even if it is a pre-existing condition... Who knew? According to Mental Floss - Marie Curie's notebooks are still radioactive and researchers hoping to view them must sign a disclaimer... If I was a GOP consultant - I would create an ad showing a Catholic nun being forced to hand out condoms to 13-year old punks under threat of arrest because of the new health care laws... If you ever describe yourself as having moves like Jagger - there's something seriously wrong with you. Or you are horribly drunk... Just saying but last night I dreamt that Johnny Damon signed a 2-year incentive laden deal with the Oakland A's.
To make it up to Catholics - the Obama Administration has announced that to even off requiring all healthcare providers to carry contraception services it has announced that as of today all medical plans have to cover stigmata - even if it is a pre-existing condition... Who knew? According to Mental Floss - Marie Curie's notebooks are still radioactive and researchers hoping to view them must sign a disclaimer... If I was a GOP consultant - I would create an ad showing a Catholic nun being forced to hand out condoms to 13-year old punks under threat of arrest because of the new health care laws... If you ever describe yourself as having moves like Jagger - there's something seriously wrong with you. Or you are horribly drunk... Just saying but last night I dreamt that Johnny Damon signed a 2-year incentive laden deal with the Oakland A's.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Happy Birthday to Henry Aaron! Hammering Hank, one of the classiest guys in baseball, turns 77 today...Very cool pictures of the world’s biggest cave which was discovered in Vietnam. I'm proud of myself that I didn't make a Madonna crack but I do have to question the timing of this with James Cameron's movie Sanctum just being released... Hah hah - this woman is awesome... According to reports - the Yankees have signed Eric Chavez to a minor league deal. Normally I'd think of this as a low risk high potential reward move but honestly this move has me scratching my head. On the Yankees end do they do this because they have questions about Alex Rodriguez's health? On the A's end - why didn't they offer Chavez a minor league deal? It would make more sense for him to stay with that organization unless the A's have just had all they wanted out of Chavez and didn't see the point... It turns out that the guy who robbed the Bellagio of an estimated $1.5 million was caught basically because he's an idiot... As a Red Sox fan I am please to hear that Robinson Cano has hired Scott Boras as his agent. Boras will really stick it to the Yankees and as great as I think Cano is I have to wonder if he'll keep his drive once he gets his huge contract... A new report suggests that polygamous mice have more "agile" sperm. I really don't care about the science here - I was just amused by the phrase "polygamous mice". That would make a great name for a band... Hah hah - ESPN's Buster Olney: "The Mets' best defense in Madoff suit: We signed Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo to $60m deals-and WE were supposed to sniff out Ponzi scheme?"... So wrong but so funny... Amused to think that people who run into him on the street will now tell Rob Lowe to "stop pooping" because of his role on Parks and Recreation. They used to say "stop filming underage girls"... With all the waivers being given to opt out of Obamacare isn't next step to just offer waivers to the states and let all 57 just opt out too?
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Happy Birthday to Henry Aaron! Hammering Hank, one of the classiest guys in baseball, turns 77 today...Very cool pictures of the world’s biggest cave which was discovered in Vietnam. I'm proud of myself that I didn't make a Madonna crack but I do have to question the timing of this with James Cameron's movie Sanctum just being released... Hah hah - this woman is awesome... According to reports - the Yankees have signed Eric Chavez to a minor league deal. Normally I'd think of this as a low risk high potential reward move but honestly this move has me scratching my head. On the Yankees end do they do this because they have questions about Alex Rodriguez's health? On the A's end - why didn't they offer Chavez a minor league deal? It would make more sense for him to stay with that organization unless the A's have just had all they wanted out of Chavez and didn't see the point... It turns out that the guy who robbed the Bellagio of an estimated $1.5 million was caught basically because he's an idiot... As a Red Sox fan I am please to hear that Robinson Cano has hired Scott Boras as his agent. Boras will really stick it to the Yankees and as great as I think Cano is I have to wonder if he'll keep his drive once he gets his huge contract... A new report suggests that polygamous mice have more "agile" sperm. I really don't care about the science here - I was just amused by the phrase "polygamous mice". That would make a great name for a band... Hah hah - ESPN's Buster Olney: "The Mets' best defense in Madoff suit: We signed Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo to $60m deals-and WE were supposed to sniff out Ponzi scheme?"... So wrong but so funny... Amused to think that people who run into him on the street will now tell Rob Lowe to "stop pooping" because of his role on Parks and Recreation. They used to say "stop filming underage girls"... With all the waivers being given to opt out of Obamacare isn't next step to just offer waivers to the states and let all 57 just opt out too?
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Today will be a day of watching Band of Brothers on Spike and college football on ESPN. What a country!... The Battle of Trenton: An Eyewitness Account. I love stuff like this... The Oakland A's hit just 135 HR last YR with 25 of them coming from Jack Cust. With Cust all but gone there is a real chance the A's hit less than 100 HR in 2010. Next up for the A's giving their players Deadball Nicknames like Pud and Chief... Charlie Sheen's real name is Carlos Irwin Estevez - I did not know that... I think the San Francisco Giants could be a darkhorse team to sign Jason Bay - God knows they need a power hitter... Nugget from ESPN's Adam Schefter, "Chris Johnson will enter Titans' finale against Seattle 128 yards short of 2,000 and 233 short of Eric Dickerson's single-season record"... I think Ryan Garko could be an interesting low cost pick-up for a team that needs a 1st or DH... Another good name for a blog would be "Quodlibet" which is derived from the Latin for "whatever pleases"... I posted about the importance of the Battle of Trenton before... Happy 62nd birthday to Carlton "Pudge" Fisk. Wow - 62?
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Today will be a day of watching Band of Brothers on Spike and college football on ESPN. What a country!... The Battle of Trenton: An Eyewitness Account. I love stuff like this... The Oakland A's hit just 135 HR last YR with 25 of them coming from Jack Cust. With Cust all but gone there is a real chance the A's hit less than 100 HR in 2010. Next up for the A's giving their players Deadball Nicknames like Pud and Chief... Charlie Sheen's real name is Carlos Irwin Estevez - I did not know that... I think the San Francisco Giants could be a darkhorse team to sign Jason Bay - God knows they need a power hitter... Nugget from ESPN's Adam Schefter, "Chris Johnson will enter Titans' finale against Seattle 128 yards short of 2,000 and 233 short of Eric Dickerson's single-season record"... I think Ryan Garko could be an interesting low cost pick-up for a team that needs a 1st or DH... Another good name for a blog would be "Quodlibet" which is derived from the Latin for "whatever pleases"... I posted about the importance of the Battle of Trenton before... Happy 62nd birthday to Carlton "Pudge" Fisk. Wow - 62?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Dallas McPherson
The A's have signed Dallas McPherson to a minor league deal. This could be a real steal for the A's. I know McPherson has serious back issues but if he's able to stay healthy then he'd be an upgrade over the players the A's trotted out at 3rd base last year.
Consider that in 399 MLB AB's McPherson has 18 HR. If he's able to stay healthy and get 500 AB in a season - then 25 HR should not be out of the question. Last season only A-Rod and Brandon Inge had more than 25 HR playing primarily 3rd base (Kevin Youkilis had 27 and he could be back at 3rd base next season).
Low risk - possible high reward move by the A's.
By the way here's a picture of Elle MacPherson - no relation.
The A's have signed Dallas McPherson to a minor league deal. This could be a real steal for the A's. I know McPherson has serious back issues but if he's able to stay healthy then he'd be an upgrade over the players the A's trotted out at 3rd base last year.
Consider that in 399 MLB AB's McPherson has 18 HR. If he's able to stay healthy and get 500 AB in a season - then 25 HR should not be out of the question. Last season only A-Rod and Brandon Inge had more than 25 HR playing primarily 3rd base (Kevin Youkilis had 27 and he could be back at 3rd base next season).
Low risk - possible high reward move by the A's.
By the way here's a picture of Elle MacPherson - no relation.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Pick of the Day
So the Mariners were up 3-0 going into the 9th inning and just then David Aardsma's fairy dust, deal with the devil or whatever faded away or maybe suddenly he just remembered "Hey, I'm David Aardsma and I'm really not that good" but the result was the Orioles scoring 5 runs in the top of the 9th to snatch my POTD victory out of my greedy little hands. It was like a kick in the gut. I couldn't even bring myself to make a POTD yesterday.
Tonight we are getting back on the horse and taking Tampa Bay at home (-$160) against the A's and the rookie Vin Mazzaro who has a 6.35 ERA in his last 3 starts.
POTD record 10-4 and plus a mythical $533
So the Mariners were up 3-0 going into the 9th inning and just then David Aardsma's fairy dust, deal with the devil or whatever faded away or maybe suddenly he just remembered "Hey, I'm David Aardsma and I'm really not that good" but the result was the Orioles scoring 5 runs in the top of the 9th to snatch my POTD victory out of my greedy little hands. It was like a kick in the gut. I couldn't even bring myself to make a POTD yesterday.
Tonight we are getting back on the horse and taking Tampa Bay at home (-$160) against the A's and the rookie Vin Mazzaro who has a 6.35 ERA in his last 3 starts.
POTD record 10-4 and plus a mythical $533
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Team Snapshot - Oakland A's
I think it's going to be a tough year to be an A's fan this year. This could be the first year since 1998 that the A's finish in the cellar of the NL West. The bloom seems to be off the rose for Billy Beane and I wonder if others are getting tired of the smug Beane. Maybe he should write another book?
C - Kurt Suzuki hits for average with little power (just 7 HR last season). That seems to be the modus operendi of Oakland catchers but the 7 HR actually represents a huge power upgrade over former Oakland backstop Jason Kendall who hit just 3 HR during the 373 games he played for the A's.
1st - Daric Barton is listed as the starter but if Barton's bat goes quiet the first few months of the season he could easily be replaced on the field by Jason Giambi or another option. Seeing how Baseball-reference.com lists the most similar batter through age 22 as Wally Pipp - the A's may want to take a gamble on his replacement.
2nd - Mark Ellis is the starter at 2nd for the A's - that is until he gets hurt again.
SS - The curious case of Bobby Crosby. He was placed on waivers by the A's back in December but nobody claimed him because of his $5 million plus salary. The A's tried signing Rafael Furcal but that fell through. Now they are rumored to be interested in Orlando Cabrera. My guess is that Crosby starts the season as the shortstop and I wouldn't be surprised for him to have a career season (he's a free agent at the end of the year).
3rd - Eric Chavez is the starter until he gets hurt again. This guy makes Mark Ellis look like Cal Ripken.
LF - The A's acquired Matt Holiday this offseason and I truly think Holiday will be a bust. I expect him to struggle. His HR numbers will be down and then Holiday will start to press to try and hit HR. This will harm him and make it necessary for the A's to trade him back to the NL. Avoid Matt Holiday in any fantasy baseball drafts. So let it be written - so let it be done.
CF - This is a big question mark. Ryan Sweeney will probably be the starter but he could be just a replacement level player. If I were the A's GM I'd try to make one of two moves - I'd first try to pry Cody Ross from the Marlins or if that didn't work - I'd sign Jim Edmonds to a one year deal. Edmonds would be short money and maybe he could coach some of the younger guys.
RF - Jack Cust - he of the three outcomes - is slated as the starter. My guess is that at some point Jason Giambi is moved to 1st from DH and Cust becomes the DH. That will create an opening for someone like Matt Murton or Travis Buck or someone else.
DH - Jason Giambi
Starters - Justin Duchscherer has a career 3.14 ERA but has never pitched more than 141 innings (and at 31-years old - he's not exactly a prospect). The rest of the rotation is made up of guys who have never been in my kitchen.
Bullpen - The big drama with the A's is who between Brad Ziegler and Joey Devine will win the closer's role? Or will they share it? Joey Devine could be a good sleeper in the late rounds for you fantasy baseball players.
I think it's going to be a tough year to be an A's fan this year. This could be the first year since 1998 that the A's finish in the cellar of the NL West. The bloom seems to be off the rose for Billy Beane and I wonder if others are getting tired of the smug Beane. Maybe he should write another book?
C - Kurt Suzuki hits for average with little power (just 7 HR last season). That seems to be the modus operendi of Oakland catchers but the 7 HR actually represents a huge power upgrade over former Oakland backstop Jason Kendall who hit just 3 HR during the 373 games he played for the A's.
1st - Daric Barton is listed as the starter but if Barton's bat goes quiet the first few months of the season he could easily be replaced on the field by Jason Giambi or another option. Seeing how Baseball-reference.com lists the most similar batter through age 22 as Wally Pipp - the A's may want to take a gamble on his replacement.
2nd - Mark Ellis is the starter at 2nd for the A's - that is until he gets hurt again.
SS - The curious case of Bobby Crosby. He was placed on waivers by the A's back in December but nobody claimed him because of his $5 million plus salary. The A's tried signing Rafael Furcal but that fell through. Now they are rumored to be interested in Orlando Cabrera. My guess is that Crosby starts the season as the shortstop and I wouldn't be surprised for him to have a career season (he's a free agent at the end of the year).
3rd - Eric Chavez is the starter until he gets hurt again. This guy makes Mark Ellis look like Cal Ripken.
LF - The A's acquired Matt Holiday this offseason and I truly think Holiday will be a bust. I expect him to struggle. His HR numbers will be down and then Holiday will start to press to try and hit HR. This will harm him and make it necessary for the A's to trade him back to the NL. Avoid Matt Holiday in any fantasy baseball drafts. So let it be written - so let it be done.
CF - This is a big question mark. Ryan Sweeney will probably be the starter but he could be just a replacement level player. If I were the A's GM I'd try to make one of two moves - I'd first try to pry Cody Ross from the Marlins or if that didn't work - I'd sign Jim Edmonds to a one year deal. Edmonds would be short money and maybe he could coach some of the younger guys.
RF - Jack Cust - he of the three outcomes - is slated as the starter. My guess is that at some point Jason Giambi is moved to 1st from DH and Cust becomes the DH. That will create an opening for someone like Matt Murton or Travis Buck or someone else.
DH - Jason Giambi
Starters - Justin Duchscherer has a career 3.14 ERA but has never pitched more than 141 innings (and at 31-years old - he's not exactly a prospect). The rest of the rotation is made up of guys who have never been in my kitchen.
Bullpen - The big drama with the A's is who between Brad Ziegler and Joey Devine will win the closer's role? Or will they share it? Joey Devine could be a good sleeper in the late rounds for you fantasy baseball players.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Tim Wakefield
Happy birthday to Tim Wakefield who turned 42 today. Did you realize that if Wakefield pitched for the Oakland A's - he'd be one win away from tying the team record for wins and already be the team's all-time leader in strikeouts? Wakefield has 160 wins for the Red Sox with 1772 K's. Catfish Hunter had 161 wins for the A's but just 1520 K's.
Of course Wakefield would still have a ways to go to catch some of the pitchers of the Philadelphia A's. Eddie Plank (284), Lefty Grove (195) and Chief Bender (193) would still be ahead of Wakefield in wins and Plank would still have him beat for K's with 1985.
Happy birthday to Tim Wakefield who turned 42 today. Did you realize that if Wakefield pitched for the Oakland A's - he'd be one win away from tying the team record for wins and already be the team's all-time leader in strikeouts? Wakefield has 160 wins for the Red Sox with 1772 K's. Catfish Hunter had 161 wins for the A's but just 1520 K's.
Of course Wakefield would still have a ways to go to catch some of the pitchers of the Philadelphia A's. Eddie Plank (284), Lefty Grove (195) and Chief Bender (193) would still be ahead of Wakefield in wins and Plank would still have him beat for K's with 1985.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.
Interesting analysis of Bartolo Colon's start for the Red Sox last night. Bottom line? It looks like he still has his fastball and that's the pitch he needs to be successful... Everyone is making a fuss out of the Tampa Bay Rays and their turnaround but the bigger story may actually be the rebuilding job done by the Oakland A's. The poster boy for the A's resurgence is probably Dana Eveland who was acquired in the Dan Haren trade and who is currently 4-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 10 starts for the A's (compare to Haren who is 5-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 9 starts for the Diamondbacks).... Speaking of the A's - Frank Thomas seems to be doing a decent job since his signing (3HR / .282 BA / .855 OBP). I guess I may have been incorrect with predictions of his demise. Frank Thomas also needs just 2 more HR for 521 to tie Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 16th place on the all-time HR list... Mike Piazza may have been pretty one-dimensional but he's a first ballot Hall of Famer nonetheless... Happy 35th birthday Julian Tavarez - for your birthday the Red Sox are sending you to Pawtucket... Today also would have been Hall of Famer Al Simmons (real name Aloys Szymanski) 106th birthday. Simmons had a run of over 100 RBI in 11 of his first 12 seasons in the major leagues. His career total of 1827 RBI is good for 16th place all-time (just ahead of Frank Robinson but just behind Dave Winfield)... If Willie Randolph thinks of himself in the same vein as Herm Edwards and Isiah Thomas - then he should be fired. Edwards and Thomas are perhaps the worst coaches in their respective sports. I don't care about skin color. I do care about what expectations a professional sets for himself. If Randolph is thinking "I want to do as well in this city as Herm Edwards did" then he should be fired... Omar Minaya is the real problem with the Mets. However, if a manager change is inevitable - I think Tony Pena would do a great job for the Mets...
Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.
Interesting analysis of Bartolo Colon's start for the Red Sox last night. Bottom line? It looks like he still has his fastball and that's the pitch he needs to be successful... Everyone is making a fuss out of the Tampa Bay Rays and their turnaround but the bigger story may actually be the rebuilding job done by the Oakland A's. The poster boy for the A's resurgence is probably Dana Eveland who was acquired in the Dan Haren trade and who is currently 4-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 10 starts for the A's (compare to Haren who is 5-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 9 starts for the Diamondbacks).... Speaking of the A's - Frank Thomas seems to be doing a decent job since his signing (3HR / .282 BA / .855 OBP). I guess I may have been incorrect with predictions of his demise. Frank Thomas also needs just 2 more HR for 521 to tie Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 16th place on the all-time HR list... Mike Piazza may have been pretty one-dimensional but he's a first ballot Hall of Famer nonetheless... Happy 35th birthday Julian Tavarez - for your birthday the Red Sox are sending you to Pawtucket... Today also would have been Hall of Famer Al Simmons (real name Aloys Szymanski) 106th birthday. Simmons had a run of over 100 RBI in 11 of his first 12 seasons in the major leagues. His career total of 1827 RBI is good for 16th place all-time (just ahead of Frank Robinson but just behind Dave Winfield)... If Willie Randolph thinks of himself in the same vein as Herm Edwards and Isiah Thomas - then he should be fired. Edwards and Thomas are perhaps the worst coaches in their respective sports. I don't care about skin color. I do care about what expectations a professional sets for himself. If Randolph is thinking "I want to do as well in this city as Herm Edwards did" then he should be fired... Omar Minaya is the real problem with the Mets. However, if a manager change is inevitable - I think Tony Pena would do a great job for the Mets...
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Red Sox Game 2 in Japan Live Blog
6:00 - Tokyo is the world's largest city? I hadn't realized that. I'm looking forward to seeing how Jon Lester looks tonight. I haven't always been a believer in Lester but I'm coming around.
6:09 - I just realized that I wrote "tonight" when it's actually morning. I guess the fact that it's night in Japan coupled with the fact that the sun hasn't risen yet coupled with the fact that I haven't had any coffee yet has me confused.
6:16 - Rich Harden has a no-hitter going! He lost the perfect game by walking Ortiz though.
6:25 - Jon Lester has a no-hitter going too! He lost his perfect game with a walk in the first too though.
6:33 - Rich Harden keeps his no-hitter bid alive with a 1-2-3 second inning. This may only interest me and it's no secret that Kevin Cash is no wizard at the plate but I found it interesting that last year in Pawtucket (AAA) he hit just .176 in 176 at bats. Symmetry.
6:48 - Jon Lester loses both his no-hitter and shut-out as the A's take a 1-0 lead. I was reading Alex Beam's review of the HBO series John Adams during the inning. Glad to see he mentioned John Bell's blog Boston 1775. I've had that blog on my blogroll for over a year.
7:03 - Rich Harden has his no-hitter still intact after 3 innings and I have my first cup of coffee in the morning.
7:10 - I should note that Coco Crisp is playing today in place of Jacoby Ellsbury. I think this is because Terry Francona wants to get Crisp a start and also because Crisp has had some success against Harden in the past (2-6). Emil Brown hits a 3-run blast and the A's take a 4-0 lead. I'm going to take this opportunity to see if Emil Brown is taken in any of my fantasy baseball leagues.
7:29 - Harden loses his no-hitter but now has 7 K's. He's looking sharp. I can't wait for the Sox to get into the A's bullpen.
7:33 - I'm assuming that if I were listening to ESPN2's broadcast of the game that I would have heard Steve Phillips talk about how Harden has this year's Cy Young Award wrapped up by now. Middle of the 4th and both pitchers have thrown 73 pitches.
7:48 - Should I be worried that Jason Varitek may be taking batting tips from Kevin Cash? I've been impressed with what I've seen of David Aardsma who has come into the game in relief of Lester. The guy is only 26 and was a top draft pick (22nd pick of the 2003 draft). Manny hits a HR and wins me $20 in my home run pool. Thanks Manny. A's lead 4-1.
8:15 - I'm not sorry to see Rich Harden go. His final line was 6 IP, 1 ER and 9 K's. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate the UMass basketball team on a great come from behind victory at Syracuse last night. That was an exciting game to watch. My guess is that UMass coach Travis Ford gets a job offer from a bigger program after the season is over. If Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was a MLB GM - he'd be the White Sox's Kenny Williams.
8:35 - I would not be surprised in the least if Huston Street is either traded or demoted to set-up duty by the A's and that Keith Foulke takes over as closer. I admit that I was surprised both to learn that Foulke is only 11th on the all-time list for saves for the A's (with 43) and that Hall of Famer Left Grove is above him on the list (with 51). Foulke is probably the early favorite for come-back player of the year. A's take a 5-1 lead as we head into the 9th.
9:01 - Alan Embree pitches a scoreless 9th and the Red Sox lose 5-1. For the record - yesterday I had a bacon and cheese omelet and today I had brown bread toast and a banana.
EDIT: Lyford was up and blogging this morning as well.
6:00 - Tokyo is the world's largest city? I hadn't realized that. I'm looking forward to seeing how Jon Lester looks tonight. I haven't always been a believer in Lester but I'm coming around.
6:09 - I just realized that I wrote "tonight" when it's actually morning. I guess the fact that it's night in Japan coupled with the fact that the sun hasn't risen yet coupled with the fact that I haven't had any coffee yet has me confused.
6:16 - Rich Harden has a no-hitter going! He lost the perfect game by walking Ortiz though.
6:25 - Jon Lester has a no-hitter going too! He lost his perfect game with a walk in the first too though.
6:33 - Rich Harden keeps his no-hitter bid alive with a 1-2-3 second inning. This may only interest me and it's no secret that Kevin Cash is no wizard at the plate but I found it interesting that last year in Pawtucket (AAA) he hit just .176 in 176 at bats. Symmetry.
6:48 - Jon Lester loses both his no-hitter and shut-out as the A's take a 1-0 lead. I was reading Alex Beam's review of the HBO series John Adams during the inning. Glad to see he mentioned John Bell's blog Boston 1775. I've had that blog on my blogroll for over a year.
7:03 - Rich Harden has his no-hitter still intact after 3 innings and I have my first cup of coffee in the morning.
7:10 - I should note that Coco Crisp is playing today in place of Jacoby Ellsbury. I think this is because Terry Francona wants to get Crisp a start and also because Crisp has had some success against Harden in the past (2-6). Emil Brown hits a 3-run blast and the A's take a 4-0 lead. I'm going to take this opportunity to see if Emil Brown is taken in any of my fantasy baseball leagues.
7:29 - Harden loses his no-hitter but now has 7 K's. He's looking sharp. I can't wait for the Sox to get into the A's bullpen.
7:33 - I'm assuming that if I were listening to ESPN2's broadcast of the game that I would have heard Steve Phillips talk about how Harden has this year's Cy Young Award wrapped up by now. Middle of the 4th and both pitchers have thrown 73 pitches.
7:48 - Should I be worried that Jason Varitek may be taking batting tips from Kevin Cash? I've been impressed with what I've seen of David Aardsma who has come into the game in relief of Lester. The guy is only 26 and was a top draft pick (22nd pick of the 2003 draft). Manny hits a HR and wins me $20 in my home run pool. Thanks Manny. A's lead 4-1.
8:15 - I'm not sorry to see Rich Harden go. His final line was 6 IP, 1 ER and 9 K's. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate the UMass basketball team on a great come from behind victory at Syracuse last night. That was an exciting game to watch. My guess is that UMass coach Travis Ford gets a job offer from a bigger program after the season is over. If Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was a MLB GM - he'd be the White Sox's Kenny Williams.
8:35 - I would not be surprised in the least if Huston Street is either traded or demoted to set-up duty by the A's and that Keith Foulke takes over as closer. I admit that I was surprised both to learn that Foulke is only 11th on the all-time list for saves for the A's (with 43) and that Hall of Famer Left Grove is above him on the list (with 51). Foulke is probably the early favorite for come-back player of the year. A's take a 5-1 lead as we head into the 9th.
9:01 - Alan Embree pitches a scoreless 9th and the Red Sox lose 5-1. For the record - yesterday I had a bacon and cheese omelet and today I had brown bread toast and a banana.
EDIT: Lyford was up and blogging this morning as well.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.
Supposedly the Braves are looking at trading for Mark Kotsay of the A's. I say supposedly because the linked article smells more like an advertisement from Billy Beane that says that Kotsay is available to any team that missed out on signing Mike Cameron (who just signed with the Brewers). You would think the Braves would be better off giving prospect Jason Heyward a shot than trading for Kotsay and taking on both his salary (at least a few million worth of it) and the risk he'll hurt his back again... Wow! Robin Ventura had an ankle transplant. Read the whole thing - very interesting story about one of my favorite players of the 90's... As I mentioned earlier - Mike Cameron has signed to play with the Brewers. I like this move by the Brewers... Oakland Athletics third-baseman Eric Chavez thinks he'll be traded. Chavez with 3-years plus an option year at an average of about $11.5 million a year is the biggest contract left on the A's payroll. If Chavez was to be traded - my guess it would be to one of these four teams:
Phillies - they could use a 3rd baseman and could easily afford the $34 million over the next 3-years due Chavez. Probably would require the Phillies parting with a Carlos Carrasco or a Josh Outman (what a great name for a pitcher!) or some other highly thought of pitching prospect to get it done.
Giants - they need a 3rd baseman and solid bat in the order but would the Giants make a deal with the cross bay A's?
White Sox - they could use a 3rd baseman but they emptied the cupboards to trade for Nick Swisher. Josh Field will probably take over for Joe Crede. Low probability but who knows what the crazy White Sox GM will do?
Twins - 3rd base has been a sore spot for the Twins for years. Beane is the master of the 3-team trade so maybe Chavez is worked into some sort of Mets / Twins / A's deal? Chavez does have the Twins listed as one of the teams he doesn't want to be traded to in his limited no-trade clause which dampens the prospect of this happening.
Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.
Supposedly the Braves are looking at trading for Mark Kotsay of the A's. I say supposedly because the linked article smells more like an advertisement from Billy Beane that says that Kotsay is available to any team that missed out on signing Mike Cameron (who just signed with the Brewers). You would think the Braves would be better off giving prospect Jason Heyward a shot than trading for Kotsay and taking on both his salary (at least a few million worth of it) and the risk he'll hurt his back again... Wow! Robin Ventura had an ankle transplant. Read the whole thing - very interesting story about one of my favorite players of the 90's... As I mentioned earlier - Mike Cameron has signed to play with the Brewers. I like this move by the Brewers... Oakland Athletics third-baseman Eric Chavez thinks he'll be traded. Chavez with 3-years plus an option year at an average of about $11.5 million a year is the biggest contract left on the A's payroll. If Chavez was to be traded - my guess it would be to one of these four teams:
Phillies - they could use a 3rd baseman and could easily afford the $34 million over the next 3-years due Chavez. Probably would require the Phillies parting with a Carlos Carrasco or a Josh Outman (what a great name for a pitcher!) or some other highly thought of pitching prospect to get it done.
Giants - they need a 3rd baseman and solid bat in the order but would the Giants make a deal with the cross bay A's?
White Sox - they could use a 3rd baseman but they emptied the cupboards to trade for Nick Swisher. Josh Field will probably take over for Joe Crede. Low probability but who knows what the crazy White Sox GM will do?
Twins - 3rd base has been a sore spot for the Twins for years. Beane is the master of the 3-team trade so maybe Chavez is worked into some sort of Mets / Twins / A's deal? Chavez does have the Twins listed as one of the teams he doesn't want to be traded to in his limited no-trade clause which dampens the prospect of this happening.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Swisher to White Sox
The Oakland A's have traded Nick Swisher to the White Sox for 3 prospects.
I'm surprised by the move mostly because Nick Swisher was not only the face of the franchise - he was also signed to a very reasonable contract ($3.5 million next year, $5.3 million in 2009, $6.75 million in 2010 and $9 in 2011 with a $10.25 million club option for 2012). Compare that to Aaron Rowand's recent 5-year $60 million contract and you can see how much of a bargain Swisher's contract is and why I'm surprised the A's would part with him.
The Transaction Guy has a pretty good breakdown of the deal. My guess is that Billy Beane thinks he knows the ceiling of Swisher's talent and that Beane is hoping to get at least one prospect out of the three with a higher ceiling.
The Oakland A's have traded Nick Swisher to the White Sox for 3 prospects.
I'm surprised by the move mostly because Nick Swisher was not only the face of the franchise - he was also signed to a very reasonable contract ($3.5 million next year, $5.3 million in 2009, $6.75 million in 2010 and $9 in 2011 with a $10.25 million club option for 2012). Compare that to Aaron Rowand's recent 5-year $60 million contract and you can see how much of a bargain Swisher's contract is and why I'm surprised the A's would part with him.
The Transaction Guy has a pretty good breakdown of the deal. My guess is that Billy Beane thinks he knows the ceiling of Swisher's talent and that Beane is hoping to get at least one prospect out of the three with a higher ceiling.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.
If Cubs right fielder Cliff Floyd is out for any period of time - you have to think the Cubs will be shopping for an outfielder. Jacque Jones has been awful this year. I wonder if Kenny Williams would be willing to deal with the crosstown Cubs and make a deal for Jermaine Dye? I doubt it. Brad Wilkerson may be available from the Rangers for the right price. I don't think the Rangers really want to pay Wilkerson next year's arbitration figure... Julio Lugo has taken some heat for his poor start but it should be noted that going into tonight's game Lugo has been hitting .321 in July with an .889 OPS (and as I type this Lugo is 3-4 on the night)... I think Billy Beane is going to have to pull off a major trade to kick start the A's if they are to have any chance at making the playoffs this year. They just can't keep losing games 4-3... Sergio Mitre is 4-4 with a 2.81 ERA this year in 15 starts for the Marlins. Do you think the Cubs still wish they had Mitre? Can you imagine the Cubs with Mitre and Dontrelle Willis in the rotation?... Many people are talking about CC Sabathia as a Cy Young contender but it should be noted that Gil Meche (who beat the Indians tonight) actually has a better ERA at 3.69 than Sabathia's 3.78...
Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.
If Cubs right fielder Cliff Floyd is out for any period of time - you have to think the Cubs will be shopping for an outfielder. Jacque Jones has been awful this year. I wonder if Kenny Williams would be willing to deal with the crosstown Cubs and make a deal for Jermaine Dye? I doubt it. Brad Wilkerson may be available from the Rangers for the right price. I don't think the Rangers really want to pay Wilkerson next year's arbitration figure... Julio Lugo has taken some heat for his poor start but it should be noted that going into tonight's game Lugo has been hitting .321 in July with an .889 OPS (and as I type this Lugo is 3-4 on the night)... I think Billy Beane is going to have to pull off a major trade to kick start the A's if they are to have any chance at making the playoffs this year. They just can't keep losing games 4-3... Sergio Mitre is 4-4 with a 2.81 ERA this year in 15 starts for the Marlins. Do you think the Cubs still wish they had Mitre? Can you imagine the Cubs with Mitre and Dontrelle Willis in the rotation?... Many people are talking about CC Sabathia as a Cy Young contender but it should be noted that Gil Meche (who beat the Indians tonight) actually has a better ERA at 3.69 than Sabathia's 3.78...
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Milton Bradley DFA
Milton Bradley has been designated for assignment by the Oakland A's who now have just 10 days to trade him or give him his release.
As is increasingly the case - the best place to get understanding of the move is not from a MSM outlet but from a blog. In this case from Athletics Nation.
My take is that Billy Beane weighed the cost of keeping Bradley against the possible benefits and determined that Bradley wouldn't be healthy enough for a long enough time to be worth the trouble in the clubhouse or the roster spot. Bradley has to wake up to the fact that he's only played more than 100 games in a season twice in his career. This guy makes JD Drew look like Cal Ripken.
Milton Bradley has been designated for assignment by the Oakland A's who now have just 10 days to trade him or give him his release.
As is increasingly the case - the best place to get understanding of the move is not from a MSM outlet but from a blog. In this case from Athletics Nation.
My take is that Billy Beane weighed the cost of keeping Bradley against the possible benefits and determined that Bradley wouldn't be healthy enough for a long enough time to be worth the trouble in the clubhouse or the roster spot. Bradley has to wake up to the fact that he's only played more than 100 games in a season twice in his career. This guy makes JD Drew look like Cal Ripken.
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