Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Was not a fan of Erik Bedard but with the news that Clay Buchholz has a stress fracture and will be out for season it becomes very clear that Red Sox had to obtain a starter. There are worse things than getting a guy with a career 3.69 ERA to be your 4th starter... Stealthy Bastards. I would so drive around like that for hours at a time... Excellent run down of the prospects involved from the Red Sox perspective. The key to understand is that there was no room on the Red Sox 40-man roster for the guys they traded. There was a good chance the players could have been lost with no return in the Rule 5 draft anyway... Best protest sign at the Capitol... Of the players the Red Sox traded away - catcher Tim Federowicz had the best chance to actually be in the Red Sox long term plans. However, with Jarrod Saltalamaccia blossoming and Ryan Lavarnway being a total monster at AAA Pawtucket (.352 BA, .428 OBP, 1.113 OPS with 13 HR) there just wasn't room for him... I've seen a number of people who wonder why the Rockies were so willing to part with Ubaldo Jimenez as if that created a buyer beware situation. But couldn't the same be said of the Indians and their prospects? Why would the Indians part with stud pitching prospects? Maybe Jimenez really is "just" a #2 starter but how many top prospects ever even develop to that level?... Heh heh - Forty Fords. I can identify about half... Macro-economists have successfully predicted 9 of the last 5 recessions... Love stuff like this - Americanisms... Speaking of Harrison Ford movies - yesterday I realized that the actress who played the IRA girl in Patriot Games - Polly Walker - went on to be Attia of the Julii in Rome. I will never be able to watch Patriot Games the same ever again... Very cool timelapse video of the fog in a San Francisco neighborhood... One final Trade Deadline note - how funny is it that Baseball-reference.com lists Ubaldo Jimenez as the most similar pitcher to Erik Bedard? This about that for a while.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Fundamental truth is that greed always turns into fear. This helps explains why there will shortly be a new CBA in the NFL and why it happened at last minute. The greed that caused the lockout turned into fear that they were in danger of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs... McDonald’s Menu Items From Around The World... Someone should ask Brian Jordan, Gary Sheffield, Juan Encarnacion and Trot Nixon if Josh Reddick should replace JD Drew. Those were the right fielders that Drew has replaced in his various stops... I was surprised and saddened by the passing of Myra Kraft, wife of owner Bob Kraft. My deepest condolences to the entire Kraft family... The things you learn from the Internet (via Mental Floss): "In 1986, Ted Nugent made a $10 million bid to buy Muzak so he could close down the company. His offer was rejected"... Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies has been damaged goods ever since failing to find his name on those fake vanity plates they make for kids.