Clay Buchholz

Yesterday the Red Sox traded pitcher Clay Buchholz to the Phillies for second baseman / DH prospect Josh Tobias. Before I give my thoughts on the "trade" I have to confess two things; when I saw Buchholz was pitching for Boston most times my first thought was "take the over!" and my second thought usually was "hey Buchholz does kinda look like Hilary Swank".

This was a "trade" only in the sense that Philadelphia included a player on their end. This really was a straight salary dump on the part of the Red Sox. Buchholz's $13.5 million contract had to come off the books to give Boston some in-season flexibility and to get the team under the salary cap. The trade happened now because Dave Dombrowski wanted the Red Sox front office to wrap business up before the holidays.

Buchholz as a player was maddening to most Red Sox fans. He would have seasons like 2010 (17-7 with a 2.33 ERA) or 2013 (12-1 with a 1.74 ERA) but he'd also have seasons where he just sucked or was hurt (which was often). And Buchholz has the potential to continue to be maddening to Red Sox fans. If he pitches effectively for the Phillies there's a real potential for him to be traded for a much better prospect than what the Red Sox got in Josh Tobias. And if the team that trades for him is say the Toronto Blue Jays (Buchholz has a career 11-3 record and a 2.63 ERA at the Rogers Centre) - can you imagine how Boston fans will react if he beats them in a big second half game next season? Maddening!

Even though he could be maddening - I wish Clay Buchholz the best of luck with his new team. Maybe a change of scenery will help him to finally reach his potential. And I'd be remiss if I didn't say "Thank you Clay for being a big part of the 2013 World Series champs - there's so few members of that team still on the roster."

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- 10 English phrases made popular by Alice in Wonderland

- Heh heh - Walter White was almost a Phillies fan but that would have made him too unlikable

- Interesting - Why don't you buy vanilla extract at a liquor store?

- 13 facts about GameStop

- 23 facts about the best sci-fi TV show ever

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Baseball America's Top 50 Prospect List

- Heh heh - parking at the Grand Canyon 1914 - I think it's amusing because the guy taking the picture probably talked the guy sitting on the edge of death into doing it. I imagine the guy sitting down looking at his potential doom saying, "Frigging Joe - next time I take the picture!"

- US Supreme Court may review legality of home poker games. Is it too much to hope that common sense prevails? Nothing wrong with having people over to your house for a poker game. It's American as baseball and apple pie.

- This was a real douche move by the Phillies.

- Awesome - David Attenborough narrates women's Olympic curling

- Interesting - 10 blogs that specialize in screenwriting

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Cliff Lee has a no-trade clause that lists 21 teams. If I'm an MLB GM - I'm calling the Phillies to see if I'm one of the 9 teams not on the list. I'm calling first thing... Heh heh - it's funny because its true... If you only had to pay for the cable channels you wanted or watched - how many people would still have MTV or MSNBC? Nobody forces you to buy cable but if you want cable then you are forced to buy channels you don't want. Doesn't seem right does it?... If I were in charge of the Big Ben clock in London - I'd have it strike 11 times at 10 o'clock every once in a while just to mess with the heads of some conspiracy theorists... Great headline!... In the tomato drink V8 - is one of the 8 ingredients ass? Sure tastes like ass to me... If Australians are from "down under" - does that mean Americans are from "up over"?... Remember when Democrats like Harry Truman insisted that the buck stopped with them and didn't blame some low level employees? Or the media? Or the previous administration?...

Red Sox Should Claim Cliff Lee

I agree with Jeff Passan that Cliff Lee is worth being claimed off of waivers. I just think the team to claim him should be the Red Sox.

Passan is right that Lee's performance has been much better than his record and that compared to what will be available via free agency the next two years - he's worth taking a shot. The Red Sox can easily afford him with Kevin Youkilis and Dice-K coming off the books next year - they should claim him. If the Sox are lucky the Phillies will just let him go to get out from his contract. If not maybe they would take Daniel Bard who still has an A-type arm but who is really in need of a change of scenery. Getting Bard back with Papelbon may be just what the doctor ordered.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Who knew? According to Myth Busters Astronauts can't belch normally in space. Without gravity, belching brings up liquid as well as gas... Supposedly there will be a Doctor Who movie not tied to the TV series that will be done by the folks who did the Harry Potter movies... Quote for the Day: "Laws should be like clothes. They should fit the people they are meant to serve." Clarence Darrow... JoJo White is perhaps the most underrated player in NBA history... I haven't been paying attention but has David Letterman been making any Herman Cain sexual harrassment jokes?... When someone says "You look familiar - were we in a police lineup together?" What's the proper response?... Doesn't Antonio Bastardo have to give up his number 58 to Jonathan Paplebon? Would he be a bastard if he doesn't?... Political Quote of the Day: “My brain is like a chicken pot pie,” real quote from Rick Perry from 1994. Could explain a lot actually...

Jonathan Papelbon

Jonathan Papelbon has signed with the Phillies pending a physical. The deal is reported to be 4-years for $50 million with a vesting 5th option year that would be for another $13 million.

I wish Jonathan Papelbon nothing but the best. I'm guessing most Red Sox fans feel the same way. Papelbon had 219 saves for the Red Sox to go along with a career 2.33 ERA. Papelbon gave his best every time he took the mound and he always took the mound - never injured or begging off. That didn't go unnoticed by the fans.

Papelbon made no secret of what he wanted to accomplish regarding his contract. When he was under team control he publicly said he wanted to get the highest arbitration award amount ever for a closer. He publicly spurned the idea of a long-term deal because he wanted to set the record contract amount for a free-agent closer as well. Which now he has. Papelbon signing elsewhere for a mega-deal was easily predicted by anyone paying attention.

The Red Sox paid Papelbon $12 million this year and I'm guessing they didn't have any issue with that given the fine season Papelbon gave back in return (4-1 2.94 ERA with 31 saves). It was the 5-years that I'm guessing gave the Red Sox pause. The unwritten baseball 11th Commandment is "Thou shall not give a pitcher a 5-year deal." There's good reason for that. The problem I see is the fact that Papelbon's career numbers through his first 7 seasons are scarily similar to Mariano Rivera's first 7 seasons. Would you hesitate to give a 31-year old Mariano Rivera a 5-year deal?

It is easy to argue that any comparison to Mo Rivera is unfair because Rivera is one of a kind. But the same can easily be said of Jonathan Papelbon. He's much closer to Rivera in fact than to guys like Frankie Rodriguez or Joe Nathan. Having said that - Papelbon and his 8 blown saves were a big reason the Red Sox did not make the playoffs in 2010 and I don't think you can lay a claim like that at the feet of Mariano Rivera for any of his 17 seasons.

In the end I predict that the Red Sox will move on from Papelbon with some success and some failure. Papelbon will probably finish his career with 300+ saves and a World Series ring with both the Red Sox and Phillies. His case for the Hall of Fame when he retires will be very strong. I also predict that after Papelbon retires that he'll miraculously find the ball from the final out of the 2007 World Series that supposedly his dog ate.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I'm not a fan of Michigan football but I would consider buying a Wolverine #48 jersey with the name FORD on the back to honor the 38th President of the US... Awesome video of osprey catching fish... When people talk about all-time historically bad trades they always seem to leave out the 1972 trade that sent Steve Carlton from the Cardinals to the Phillies for Rick Wise. Carlton would win his first of many Cy Young Awards the next year while Rick Wise continued to be Rick Wise... I don't know how, but it will... Inventions that didn't quite make it - Spray-on Condoms. Although Spray-on Condoms would be a good name for a fantasy football team or a band... Speaking of good names for a band - Motorcycle lobster!... I have to hand it to President Obama - at least he isn't talking about "Winning the future" anymore... The only words I can think of for these photos is "awe inspiring"... Just heard a woman on a commercial claiming to be "beyond ecstatic". Is that even possible?... I think a good casino prop bet would be "Who takes more snaps from center this year in the NFL - Peyton Manning or Tim Tebow." I think the casino could get a lot of action on that...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Erik Bedard went 19-21 in his time with Seattle but his real legacy for the Mariners will be determined by whether Trayvon Robinson (the main player they got for trading him away) ends up better than Adam Jones (the main player they traded away to get him)... The History of English in Ten Minutes. An amusing yet educational way to spend ten minutes on a Sunday morning... When Albert Einstein first visited the US in 1921 - the US Senate saw fit to debate the validity of the Theory of Relativity - seriously.... I think I would try Butterfinger Blast ice cream but this flavor? Not so much... The Red Sox have Kevin Youkilis under contract for 2012 and hold an option for the 2013 season. Assuming they pick up the option what I'm trying to figure out is whether during the 2013 season Kevin Youkilis becomes a 10/5 guy with the no-trade protection that comes with that designation. I'd love for Youk to finish his career with Boston but I have a gut feeling that he may be on the trading block at the 2013 trade deadline... Sprint wants me to give a crap about the Phillies... Jacoby Ellsbury now leads Adrian Gonzalez in home runs - 19-18. If before the season I said that in early August Ellsbury would have more HR than Gonzalez you would probably have thought that was because Gonzalez missed most of the year with injury... Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the World Wide Web becoming available to the public. Thank you Tim Berners-Lee!... Why is the Drinking Age 21?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Part of me wonders if Derek Jeter is timing his return not so much so that he'll get his 3,000th hit at home but instead timing his return so he can start in the All-Star game... Was this an actual NY Times headline? "Whitey Bulger captured by FBI - Women and Children Hardest Hit"... This is an example of why the save is such a poor stat. I recently read that since ESPN started tracking save opportunities in 2002, the league leader in save opportunities has also been the league leader in saves. How would you think of home runs if the guy with the most at bats led the league in HR every year?... Quote of the Day from Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr Bean): "Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad."... OK - the Phillies beat the Red Sox 2 games to 1 in the recent series but just a reminder, "Whomever designed that park in Philadelphia was an idiot." Peter Gammons June 2005... Thing that still disappoints me most about Osama bin Laden's death is I haven't seen a photoshop of him wearing a Yankees cap (yet!)

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- All the world loves a good loser - Lenny Dykstra is a not a good loser (but is a loser)

- You have to love Terry Francona who wore a Bruins jersey for his pre-game press conference

- Historic Marine base gets 1st-ever female general

- Things that make you say WTF? "Naked female scientist tames belugas in freezing Arctic" (Warning: naked female Arctic scientist)

- I watched this over and over - I kept wondering how they got it off the truck later on

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I give lots of credit for the death of Osama bin Laden to President Obama. Of course the Navy Seal team and the people running the operation and those who gathered the intelligence deserve as much credit as possible but those folks generally will not be publicly known. If the operation went wrong - like Jimmy Carter's failed hostage rescue operation - Obama would have been blamed for it. With that in mind you have to hand it to President Obama for a successful operation... I'm always amused by Penn Gillette (NSFW language)... Visible Radiation would be a good name for a band... Like many people - I am really bothered by Pakistan's role in harboring Osama bin Laden. I don't know what will happen next but I'm really bothered by it... Q: What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back? A: A stick... Hardhat Jesus would be a good name for a band... Heh heh - Donald Trump Responds To Bin Laden News... Hey Phillies fans - just a reminder, "Whomever designed that park in Philadelphia was an idiot." Peter Gammons from June of 2005... Another person who deserves some credit for the death of Osama bin Laden but who will not get much if any is Donald Rumsfeld. Here is Rumsfeld's statement on the death of Osama bin Laden. Rumsfeld is largely responsible for redesigning the Pentagon to allow for lightning fast strikes by mobile forces... Hypnotized Fish would be a good name for a band... Heh heh - the Taiwanese animation of Osama bin Laden's death... The things you learn on the Internet (via Mental Floss): In 1946, Boston owner Walter Brown chose the nickname Celtics over Whirlwinds, Olympians and Unicorns... Who knew? Peter Gammons is the great, great, great, great grandson of Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Even on Christmas - the US means business

- Thoughts on the Phillies and great four-man rotations with special guest appearance by Bill James.

- Mark Wahlberg: Not You

- Voyager 1 goes where no spacecraft has gone before!

- Funny advertisements

- Documents: SMU booster's partial "payroll" for 1982 Mustangs football team.

- Monty Python Phrase or Ben Franklin Synonym for Drunk?

- Down side of the Nobel Prize: it can put a damper on your illicit romances

Flotsam and Jetsam Brett Favre Edition

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Brett Favre is not the most interesting man in the world no matter what ESPN says... Wow - the Phillies getting Cliff Lee was a move that nobody saw coming. I wonder if they try and move Joe Blanton and his remaining $17 million over two years contract to try and make the money just spent more livable for the organization. The irony is the Yankees would be the most likely suitor for Blanton... According to ESPN - people hang on every word from Brett Favre - even the prepositions... In case you haven't seen the Yogi Bear parody alternate ending... According to ESPN - Brett Favre once won connect four - in three moves.... It would be cool if his was how Santa delivered presents... According to ESPN - Sinatra considered Favre to be the chairman of the board... Maybe just as surprising as the Lee signing is the revelation that Mariano Rivera initiated contact with the Red Sox... According to ESPN - the blood of Brett Favre smells like cologne... With Brett Favre's consecutive starts streak over, here's a quiz on the other QBs of 1992... According to ESPN - Brett Favre was born in a log cabin which he had built with his own hands... Very cool - The longest zipline in North America... Speaking of ESPN - Tom Jackson is the guy with tons of seniority at your company who sucks at his job but nobody can get rid of

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Supposedly back in July of 2005 the Blue Jays turned down a Ryan Howard for Ted Lilly deal. It is interesting to ponder on how that deal could have changed the fortunes of both franchises. Oh I know that a MVP caliber player for a 2nd starter seems one-sided on the surface but Lilly could have been the extra ingredient in 2005 to get the Phillies into the playoffs in a weak year when the Astros won the NL and the White Sox won the World Series... Movie Trivia: Captain Quint's name means "fifth" in Latin. In the movie Jaws - he's the fifth person killed by the shark... PJ O'Rourke on Democrats... Presidential Trivia: Richard Nixon is the only sitting President to ever attend a running of the Kentucky Derby... I checked my American College Dictionary and "physicality" is not a word. I wish sports announcers would stop using it... A blonde is a blonde, a brunette is a brunette, a redhead is a redhead but what do you call woman with black hair? You don't call her a black head... If you are bitten by Abe Vigoda - do you become a zombie?... They call me Heat Miser, Whatever I touch - starts to melt in my clutch - I'm too much!...

The Worcester - Philadelphia Perfect Game Connection

Philadephia Phillie Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game last night. It was the 20th perfect game in major league baseball history. The first was pitched in June of 1880 by John Lee Richmond of the Worcester (MA) Ruby Legs. This isn't where the connection to last night's gem ends though. The National League dropped the Worcester team in 1882 and added the Philadephia Quakers in 1883 to take their place. The Quakers were later renamed the Phillies.

The circle is complete.

Tasering

I'm fine with security tasering fans who run onto the field. No problems at all. In fact I think Philly should embrace the tasering of their fans.

Boston has Sweet Caroline as their 7th inning gimmick (and that's what it is) - Philly should have the "Don't Tase Me Bro" Taser Challenge. Here's what I would do:

Step 1: Get 5 volunteers from the fans at the game. They would have to sign a release and have a blood alcohol level that's not too too high.

Step 2. The 5 volunteers would race from 3rd base to home. The volunteer with the best time would get to be the "Don't Tase Me Bro" contestant for the night. And they would get to pick their song like a batter or closer does in the game.

Step 3: Have 4 "cops" at each base (including home) with the contestant on the pitchers mound. At a whistle or starter's gun - the contestant would have to elude the cops for 2 minutes without being tased. If the contestant made it to 2 minutes he (or she) would win $1,000. If he (or she) got tased - then the cops would each get $250.

Think about it! This would put the Sausage Race to shame. No matter how big a blowout people would stay till the 7th inning to watch "Don't Tase Me Bro." You know this would be huge!

The Yankees are World Series Champions

Congratulations to the New York Yankees - the 2009 World Series Champions. They won and they deserved it. They were the best team this year.

Here are my thoughts on them winning and what the future holds in store for not just the Yankees but other teams as well.

- Two of the biggest stars of the victory were Hideki Matsui (Series MVP) and Johnny Damon. Both are free agents and I'm guessing that prior to the World Series the front office was probably counting on cutting one or both of the players loose. Now what do they do? Matsui will be 36-years old next season and is now pretty much a DH. He could probably be a 1st baseman but not for the Yankees who have Mark Teixeira there for the foreseeable future. Do the Yankees keep Matsui as their DH? Matsui did hit 28 HR this season. But what about Jorge Posada who will eat up a bunch of the DH AB's next season and is signed for big money through 2011? It will be interesting to see what happens with Matsui this offseason. Will the Yankees re-sign him? Will he sign with another team? Will he retire to Japan as a conquering hero and legend who went out on the top of his game? It will be interesting?

- Wither Johnny Damon? Today is his 36th birthday (happy birthday Johnny Damon). Damon has proven that he can not only survive the heat of playing for the Yankees but thrive in that environment. The new Yankee Stadium seems custom built for Damon. The Yankees could very easily bring Damon back AND sign either a Jason Bay or Matt Holliday to play right with Nick Swisher being an expensive $9 million backup.

- What about the Phillies? The worm has certainly turned for Cole Hammels. He's gone from hero of the city to almost unwelcome. Could he be packaged as part of a three team trade in exchange for a young starter who doesn't have foot-in-mouth disease?

Bill James Playoff Predictor - Dodgers vs Phillies

The Bill James Playoff Predictor method has been very accurate in the past in predicting winners. Here's how the Dodgers stack up against the Phillies

1. 1 pt to the lead team for each half-game in the standings (Phillies 4)
2. 3 pts to the team that scored more runs (Phillies 3)
3. 14 pts to the team with fewer doubles (Dodgers 14)
4. 12 pts to the team with more triples (Dodgers 12)
5. 10 pts to the team with more home runs (Phillies 10)
6. 8 pts to the team with the lower team batting average (Phillies 8)
7. 8 pts to the team that committed fewer errors (Phillies 8)
8. 7 pts to the team that turned more double plays (Even)
9. 7 pts to the team that walked more batters (Dodgers 7)
10. 19 pts to the team that had more shutouts (Phillies 19)
11. 15 pts to the team whose ERA was lower (Dodgers 15)
12. 12 pts to the team that has been in postseason most recently or went further (Phillies 12)
13. 12 pts to the team that won season series (Dodgers 12)

Phillies 64 - Dodgers 60

Edge to Phillies

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...