Yankee Roster Moves
With the Yankees bounced out of the playoffs - I started to think "what would I do if I were the Yankees GM?"
The 2007 team payroll was about $190 million and I'd expect it to be about $200 million in 2008. There are three big contracts that should come off the books this winter:
Roger Clemens - $17 million (approximate)
Bobby Abreu - $15 million
Alex Rodriguez - $20 million ($27 million minus $7 million from Texas)
The last one - A-Rod - is the one which will cause the most heartburn. If A-Rod opts out of his contract - then I bid him adieu and wish him luck. For all the numbers A-Rod has put up - it should not be overlooked that the Yankees made it further into the playoffs with a role-player like Aaron Boone than they did with superstar Alex Rodriguez. I'd make Mike Lowell my priority free-agent signing and would expect 2-years and $25 million would get the job done if Lowell is willing to relocate from Boston. If not - then I'd give Wilson Betemit a shot at 3rd.
The second priority would be to get Andy Pettitte to agree to come back for another year. Pettitte holds a player option for 2008 and if Joe Torre is let go - then I think the new manager would have to be Joe Girardi or Don Mattingly for Pettitte to feel that Yankee pride pull to get him to come back. Otherwise Pettitte easily could just go back to the Astros.
Two other Yankees stalwarts need to be re-signed. Of course I'm talking about Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada. Both these guys are still very productive and both deserve to retire as Yankees. Besides there really aren't any free agent closers or catchers available who could come close to fill their shoes.
There are three players with just one year remaining on their contracts that I would try and shop at $.50 on the dollar:
Jason Giambi - he's $21 million in 2008 plus $5 million 2009 buyout. Maybe Oakland or San Francisco would bite.
Mike Mussina - $11 million - I could see him accepting a trade to either the Phillies or the Orioles. Both teams need starters but I would make sure Pettitte is signed before I tried to deal Mussina.
Carl Pavano - $11 million. This guy needs to get out of town to start over. At $.50 on the dollar - I imagine there are a number of teams that would take the risk.
As far as free agents are concerned - I'd go after either Andruw Jones or Torii Hunter with the idea that either Matsui or Damon would move to DH or 1st base (think Darin Erstad). Don't laugh but I'd also go after Tom Glavine and his guaranteed almost 200 IP per year. Getting Glavine would be a stretch though because I think its down to either play for the Braves or retire.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Joe Torre
Last night may have been Joe Torre's last game as Yankee manager. If this is true then its a shame. Joe Torre did a great job getting the Yankees into the playoffs this year and he doesn't deserve to be the fall guy.
If anyone should take the blame for a team with an almost $200 million payroll being bounced from the first round - well I say that person should be GM Brian Cashman.
Joe Torre had to work with a patchwork pitching rotation this year. Let's not forget that Cashman's plan going into this season was to have Mike Mussina as the number 3 pitcher, Carl Pavano as the number 4 pitcher and Kei Igawa as the number 5 starter. How ugly and dumb does that look in hindsight?
Mark my words - if Steinbrenner cuts Torre loose between now and 10-days after the World Series - then Alex Rodriguez will use that as his excuse as to why he voided his contract.
Last night may have been Joe Torre's last game as Yankee manager. If this is true then its a shame. Joe Torre did a great job getting the Yankees into the playoffs this year and he doesn't deserve to be the fall guy.
If anyone should take the blame for a team with an almost $200 million payroll being bounced from the first round - well I say that person should be GM Brian Cashman.
Joe Torre had to work with a patchwork pitching rotation this year. Let's not forget that Cashman's plan going into this season was to have Mike Mussina as the number 3 pitcher, Carl Pavano as the number 4 pitcher and Kei Igawa as the number 5 starter. How ugly and dumb does that look in hindsight?
Mark my words - if Steinbrenner cuts Torre loose between now and 10-days after the World Series - then Alex Rodriguez will use that as his excuse as to why he voided his contract.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Jerry Glanville is still a gambler. He's coaching Portland State and his QB Brian White is leading all Division 1-AA QB's in passing with 1,971 yards. Saturday his team lost a game when he gambled down by one with almost no time left and the two-point conversion failed. I'm glad Glanville is coaching because that prevents him from doing Patriots pre-season broadcasts... Dominic Randolph of Holy Cross is 6th in Division 1-AA in passing with 1,571 yards. Holy Cross has only played 5 games so far and all of the QB's ahead of Randolph except two have have played 6 games. The two QB's ahead of him on the list who also have 5 games played have 9 more yards (Matt Nichols, Eastern Washington) and 30 more yards total (Scott Riddle, Elon). What is a disgrace is the fact that none of the top 6 QB's in the nation are even on the Payton Award Watch List. How can that be?... Yankee fans love Wang (OK so I've got the maturity of a 10-year old)... I like the Cowboys giving 10 points tonight for what its worth...
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Jerry Glanville is still a gambler. He's coaching Portland State and his QB Brian White is leading all Division 1-AA QB's in passing with 1,971 yards. Saturday his team lost a game when he gambled down by one with almost no time left and the two-point conversion failed. I'm glad Glanville is coaching because that prevents him from doing Patriots pre-season broadcasts... Dominic Randolph of Holy Cross is 6th in Division 1-AA in passing with 1,571 yards. Holy Cross has only played 5 games so far and all of the QB's ahead of Randolph except two have have played 6 games. The two QB's ahead of him on the list who also have 5 games played have 9 more yards (Matt Nichols, Eastern Washington) and 30 more yards total (Scott Riddle, Elon). What is a disgrace is the fact that none of the top 6 QB's in the nation are even on the Payton Award Watch List. How can that be?... Yankee fans love Wang (OK so I've got the maturity of a 10-year old)... I like the Cowboys giving 10 points tonight for what its worth...
Afternoon Links
Here are some good stuff to peruse over your noontime repast.
- You've probably already read about the Frost's and how it was a fraud for the Democrats to have them represent a poor family in need of health insurance. GM's Corner does a good job explaining the fraud. What I don't get is the fact that Mr. Frost is a small business owner and he's had to shell out $40,000 per year to educate his children because obviously the public schools in his area aren't up to his standards. How can he still be a Democrat? I guess he's in it for the potential free healthcare.
- A nice look at why Jim Tracy was out of his depth as a manager.
- Why were the Red Sox able to beat the Angels? I thought it was simply because Boston was the better team. Ben Jacobs looks at more esoteric reasons.
- Maybe Al Franken is just unlikeable no matter how much he spends?
Here are some good stuff to peruse over your noontime repast.
- You've probably already read about the Frost's and how it was a fraud for the Democrats to have them represent a poor family in need of health insurance. GM's Corner does a good job explaining the fraud. What I don't get is the fact that Mr. Frost is a small business owner and he's had to shell out $40,000 per year to educate his children because obviously the public schools in his area aren't up to his standards. How can he still be a Democrat? I guess he's in it for the potential free healthcare.
- A nice look at why Jim Tracy was out of his depth as a manager.
- Why were the Red Sox able to beat the Angels? I thought it was simply because Boston was the better team. Ben Jacobs looks at more esoteric reasons.
- Maybe Al Franken is just unlikeable no matter how much he spends?
NFL Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous NFL thoughts and observations.
For a game that ended up 34-17 - there was lots of drama in end of the Patriots / Browns. Let me explain. First let me explain that locally the line on the game was 16.5 points (some places were Patriots minus 17 points). With about a minute left in the game the Patriots were up by 10 points (27-17) but were stopped on a 4th and goal and so it looked like any hope of covering by the Patriots was out the window. Then with less than a minute left in the game - Randal Gay forced a fumble and returned it for a TD to make it 34-17. The drama was not over yet though. The Browns managed to get the ball down to the Patriots 10-yard line but on 4th down they went for a TD instead of kicking a field goal that would have made the final score 34-20 (and made losers out of anyone who bet the Patriots)... If USC loses 3 games this year then I would not be surprised if Pete Carroll takes a long hard look at the San Diego head coaching job... I'd like to thank Texans QB Matt Schaub for that one point he got for me at the QB slot yesterday for one of my fantasy football teams. Yeah - its really tough to get one measly point from the QB position. I could have started Carson Palmer who had a bye week and still been just one point off what Schaub had to offer... It could have been worse - I could have had Matt Hasselbeck who had ZERO fantasy points on his 13-27, 116 yards and 1 interception performance. Or worse I could have had Jon Kitna who had minus 2 points with his ZERO TD 2 INT performance... Has there been a bigger season-long fantasy bust than Larry Johnson though?... The Saints have scored just 51 points this season and I think the whispers about Reggie Bush being vastly over-rated are no longer whispers...
Miscellaneous NFL thoughts and observations.
For a game that ended up 34-17 - there was lots of drama in end of the Patriots / Browns. Let me explain. First let me explain that locally the line on the game was 16.5 points (some places were Patriots minus 17 points). With about a minute left in the game the Patriots were up by 10 points (27-17) but were stopped on a 4th and goal and so it looked like any hope of covering by the Patriots was out the window. Then with less than a minute left in the game - Randal Gay forced a fumble and returned it for a TD to make it 34-17. The drama was not over yet though. The Browns managed to get the ball down to the Patriots 10-yard line but on 4th down they went for a TD instead of kicking a field goal that would have made the final score 34-20 (and made losers out of anyone who bet the Patriots)... If USC loses 3 games this year then I would not be surprised if Pete Carroll takes a long hard look at the San Diego head coaching job... I'd like to thank Texans QB Matt Schaub for that one point he got for me at the QB slot yesterday for one of my fantasy football teams. Yeah - its really tough to get one measly point from the QB position. I could have started Carson Palmer who had a bye week and still been just one point off what Schaub had to offer... It could have been worse - I could have had Matt Hasselbeck who had ZERO fantasy points on his 13-27, 116 yards and 1 interception performance. Or worse I could have had Jon Kitna who had minus 2 points with his ZERO TD 2 INT performance... Has there been a bigger season-long fantasy bust than Larry Johnson though?... The Saints have scored just 51 points this season and I think the whispers about Reggie Bush being vastly over-rated are no longer whispers...
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Ronald Reagan vs. Ted Baxter
Time for another installment of the Ronald Reagan vs. Ted Baxter betting NFL football contest.
The conservative theory of NFL betting is to take a home team getting 3 or fewer points. Who is more conservative than Ronald Reagan? Note - this theory does not include games which are a "pick". The Ted Baxter theory of football betting says to take the NFL teams getting 10 or more points under the idea that both teams are professionals and how much difference could there be between two groups of professionals? Ted Baxter used this method to soundly whip Lou Grant betting football games.
Week 4 NFL Picks
Ronald Reagan - so far the Ronald Reagan theory has been 6-2 for the season. Last week the theory went 3-2. Right now there are two games that qualify. The Chiefs are getting 2 hosting the Jaguars and the Broncos are getting 1 hosting the Chargers. Two other games are close and I'll base things on final game-time point spreads (the Rams are getting 4 against the Cardinals and the 49ers are getting 3.5 against the Ravens).
Ted Baxter - last week the Ted Baxter theory went 1-2 as both the Cowboys and Colts easily covered while the Chargers lost outright to the Chiefs. That puts the Ted Baxter theory at 4-5 for the season. This week there are three games that fit the theory. The Cowboys are giving 11 to Buffalo in Buffalo on Monday night. The home Patriots giving 17 to the hot and cold Browns. Finally the line on the Indy / Tampa Bay game has moved down to 10 points at the time of writing from the 11 points its been at most of the week. Some places have the line at 9.5 - I am going to include the Indy game as an official pick for Ted Baxter but check the line at kickoff.
Time for another installment of the Ronald Reagan vs. Ted Baxter betting NFL football contest.
The conservative theory of NFL betting is to take a home team getting 3 or fewer points. Who is more conservative than Ronald Reagan? Note - this theory does not include games which are a "pick". The Ted Baxter theory of football betting says to take the NFL teams getting 10 or more points under the idea that both teams are professionals and how much difference could there be between two groups of professionals? Ted Baxter used this method to soundly whip Lou Grant betting football games.
Week 4 NFL Picks
Ronald Reagan - so far the Ronald Reagan theory has been 6-2 for the season. Last week the theory went 3-2. Right now there are two games that qualify. The Chiefs are getting 2 hosting the Jaguars and the Broncos are getting 1 hosting the Chargers. Two other games are close and I'll base things on final game-time point spreads (the Rams are getting 4 against the Cardinals and the 49ers are getting 3.5 against the Ravens).
Ted Baxter - last week the Ted Baxter theory went 1-2 as both the Cowboys and Colts easily covered while the Chargers lost outright to the Chiefs. That puts the Ted Baxter theory at 4-5 for the season. This week there are three games that fit the theory. The Cowboys are giving 11 to Buffalo in Buffalo on Monday night. The home Patriots giving 17 to the hot and cold Browns. Finally the line on the Indy / Tampa Bay game has moved down to 10 points at the time of writing from the 11 points its been at most of the week. Some places have the line at 9.5 - I am going to include the Indy game as an official pick for Ted Baxter but check the line at kickoff.
College Football Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous college football thoughts and observations.
I watched the final quarter of Stanford's upset win over USC and I must say that John David Booty at QB for USC makes USC beatable on any given Saturday. Forget the 4 interceptions he threw - USC got the ball back with 49 seconds left and the ball on about their own 45-yard line. All they needed was a couple of quick out completions to set up the game winning field goal. Instead they used up 4 downs and lost 7 yards. Matt Leinart or Carson Palmer would have set the team up for that final field-goal try. John David Booty just isn't a big time QB and if his back-up leads them to a couple of wins - then John David Booty could have played his last down for the Trojans.... With USC and #5 Wisconsin both losing - that means #7 Boston College will probably move up into the top 5. I've got to mention that I may have been the only person to predict a 7-0 start and a top 5 ranking for the Eagles. BC still has to beat Notre Dame to get to 7-0 but with the Irish beating UCLA yesterday - I think that actually makes it easier for BC to win the game. Notre Dame no longer has the urgency to win their first game of the year weighing down on their shoulders... Boston College will probably move up to #5 in the AP poll but I find it amusing that pre-season Michigan was ranked #5 in the AP poll and now they aren't even in the top 25. Pre-season BC wasn't even in the top 25 in the AP poll. Pre-season Louisville was ranked 10th while Missouri was not even ranked. Now Missouri may rise as high as 10th in the poll while Louisville is not even in the top 25. Pre-season it seemed like the voters had no clue about teams like South Florida, Cincinnati, and Illinois while they ranked others purely on reputation. I point this out just to emphasize how unscientific and random the current system is.... Matt Ryan helped himself in his Heisman hopes with a 300 yard performance (or 312 yards depending on whose stats you use) with 4 TD's and most importantly ZERO interceptions. Just as BC will now be in the top 5 - Ryan should also be in the top 5 for Heisman hopefuls... Speaking of awards - Holy Cross QB Dominic Randolph should at least move into the Payton Award watch list with his 6 TD, 404-yard performance against Brown yesterday...
Miscellaneous college football thoughts and observations.
I watched the final quarter of Stanford's upset win over USC and I must say that John David Booty at QB for USC makes USC beatable on any given Saturday. Forget the 4 interceptions he threw - USC got the ball back with 49 seconds left and the ball on about their own 45-yard line. All they needed was a couple of quick out completions to set up the game winning field goal. Instead they used up 4 downs and lost 7 yards. Matt Leinart or Carson Palmer would have set the team up for that final field-goal try. John David Booty just isn't a big time QB and if his back-up leads them to a couple of wins - then John David Booty could have played his last down for the Trojans.... With USC and #5 Wisconsin both losing - that means #7 Boston College will probably move up into the top 5. I've got to mention that I may have been the only person to predict a 7-0 start and a top 5 ranking for the Eagles. BC still has to beat Notre Dame to get to 7-0 but with the Irish beating UCLA yesterday - I think that actually makes it easier for BC to win the game. Notre Dame no longer has the urgency to win their first game of the year weighing down on their shoulders... Boston College will probably move up to #5 in the AP poll but I find it amusing that pre-season Michigan was ranked #5 in the AP poll and now they aren't even in the top 25. Pre-season BC wasn't even in the top 25 in the AP poll. Pre-season Louisville was ranked 10th while Missouri was not even ranked. Now Missouri may rise as high as 10th in the poll while Louisville is not even in the top 25. Pre-season it seemed like the voters had no clue about teams like South Florida, Cincinnati, and Illinois while they ranked others purely on reputation. I point this out just to emphasize how unscientific and random the current system is.... Matt Ryan helped himself in his Heisman hopes with a 300 yard performance (or 312 yards depending on whose stats you use) with 4 TD's and most importantly ZERO interceptions. Just as BC will now be in the top 5 - Ryan should also be in the top 5 for Heisman hopefuls... Speaking of awards - Holy Cross QB Dominic Randolph should at least move into the Payton Award watch list with his 6 TD, 404-yard performance against Brown yesterday...
Friday, October 05, 2007
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
I've been trying to give the TBS announcers the benefit of the doubt but when the announcers can't tell David Ortiz from Manny Ramirez and vice versa - well then let's just go ahead and join the crowd who have been watching the game with the sound off... The Pirates fired Jim Tracy. That's a step in the right direction. Jim Tracy is an awful manager. Good move by new Pirates GM Neal Huntington... Speaking of TBS's coverage sucking - I need some sort of Jose Mota decoder ring. WTF is he trying to say?... If I was Pirates GM Neal Huntington - the two off-season moves that I'd make would be to try and sign free agents Kris Benson and Darin Erstad. Benson used to play for the Pirates, he'd probably be happy with an incentive laden contract and his wife would keep the sportswriters busy. The Pirates need a centerfielder and Erstad can still cover some ground plus he can be a steadying veteran presence. The top prospect for the Pirates Andrew McCutchen is a centerfielder but he's injury prone. It would be great if he was healthy and able to contribute to the big league team but having Erstad would allow the Pirates not to rush McCutchen...
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
I've been trying to give the TBS announcers the benefit of the doubt but when the announcers can't tell David Ortiz from Manny Ramirez and vice versa - well then let's just go ahead and join the crowd who have been watching the game with the sound off... The Pirates fired Jim Tracy. That's a step in the right direction. Jim Tracy is an awful manager. Good move by new Pirates GM Neal Huntington... Speaking of TBS's coverage sucking - I need some sort of Jose Mota decoder ring. WTF is he trying to say?... If I was Pirates GM Neal Huntington - the two off-season moves that I'd make would be to try and sign free agents Kris Benson and Darin Erstad. Benson used to play for the Pirates, he'd probably be happy with an incentive laden contract and his wife would keep the sportswriters busy. The Pirates need a centerfielder and Erstad can still cover some ground plus he can be a steadying veteran presence. The top prospect for the Pirates Andrew McCutchen is a centerfielder but he's injury prone. It would be great if he was healthy and able to contribute to the big league team but having Erstad would allow the Pirates not to rush McCutchen...
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
One thing that jumped out at me when looking at the stats for the Texas Rangers was the fact that they had just one pitcher qualify for being ranked for the ERA crown. You needed 162 IP to qualify and only Kevin Millwood among the Rangers starters qualified. Among the teams to make the playoffs in the AL - the Red Sox had three (Curt Schilling just missed making it four). The Indians had three (Jake Westbrook just missed making it four). The Angels had two (but Jered Weaver missed by one inning and Ervin "Magic" Santana missed by just 12 innings). The Yankees had two (Wang and Pettitte). As far as the NL teams making the playoffs - the Cubs had 4 qualify, the Diamondbacks had three, the Rockies had three and the Phillies just two. I guess my point is that if you want to make the playoffs you really meed at least three starters who will at the very least eat up a lot of innings for you if you want to have a sniff at the playoffs. Of course you can also pay to have an all-star at every position like the Yankees... Dr. Z has a very nice appreciation of discuss genius Al Oerter who recently passed away... Speaking of eating innings - Tom Glavine will probably decline his $13 million option to stay with the Mets probably as early as today. Over the five years he's been with the Mets - Glavine has averaged a little over 200 IP per season. That is not easily replaced. I know that Glavine faded down the stretch for the Mets but I will say that I think that if the Braves had Glavine's innings this season then the Braves would have made the playoffs. And I think that a rotation of Smoltz, Hudson and Glavine would have been tough to beat for any of the NL playoff teams. Of course hindsight is 20/20 and this is assuming that John Shuerholtz would have Glavine back..
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
One thing that jumped out at me when looking at the stats for the Texas Rangers was the fact that they had just one pitcher qualify for being ranked for the ERA crown. You needed 162 IP to qualify and only Kevin Millwood among the Rangers starters qualified. Among the teams to make the playoffs in the AL - the Red Sox had three (Curt Schilling just missed making it four). The Indians had three (Jake Westbrook just missed making it four). The Angels had two (but Jered Weaver missed by one inning and Ervin "Magic" Santana missed by just 12 innings). The Yankees had two (Wang and Pettitte). As far as the NL teams making the playoffs - the Cubs had 4 qualify, the Diamondbacks had three, the Rockies had three and the Phillies just two. I guess my point is that if you want to make the playoffs you really meed at least three starters who will at the very least eat up a lot of innings for you if you want to have a sniff at the playoffs. Of course you can also pay to have an all-star at every position like the Yankees... Dr. Z has a very nice appreciation of discuss genius Al Oerter who recently passed away... Speaking of eating innings - Tom Glavine will probably decline his $13 million option to stay with the Mets probably as early as today. Over the five years he's been with the Mets - Glavine has averaged a little over 200 IP per season. That is not easily replaced. I know that Glavine faded down the stretch for the Mets but I will say that I think that if the Braves had Glavine's innings this season then the Braves would have made the playoffs. And I think that a rotation of Smoltz, Hudson and Glavine would have been tough to beat for any of the NL playoff teams. Of course hindsight is 20/20 and this is assuming that John Shuerholtz would have Glavine back..
Another Reason to Root for the Rockies
This is an excellent story:
This is an excellent story:
The widow of Rockies minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh, who died after getting hit by a line drive this season, will be granted a full share of the team's playoff winnings after a team vote.
The Legacy of Sputnik
Charles Krauthammer has a very interesting read on what the ramifications of the Russians launching Sputnik may have been.
Charles Krauthammer has a very interesting read on what the ramifications of the Russians launching Sputnik may have been.
We had no idea how lucky we were with Sputnik. The subsequent panic turned out to be an enormous boon. The fear of falling behind the Communists induced the federal government to pour a river of money into science and math education. The result was a generation of scientists who gave us not only Apollo and the moon, but the sinews of the information age — for example, ARPA that created ARPANET that became the Internet — that have assured American technological dominance to this day.I also find it highly appropriate to be having this discussion today on what would have Robert Goddard's 125th birthday.
Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield died three years ago today. Some of my favorite Dangerfield one-liners.
Rodney Dangerfield died three years ago today. Some of my favorite Dangerfield one-liners.
My wife was afraid of the dark... then she saw me naked and now she's afraid of the light.
Yeah, I know I'm ugly... I said to a bartender, 'Make me a zombie.' He said 'God beat me to it.'
I come from a stupid family. During the civil war my great uncle fought for the west
I worked in a pet store and people would ask how big I would get.
I remember the time I was kidnapped and they sent back a piece of my finger to my father. He said he wanted more proof.
I was so depressed that I decided to jump from the tenth floor. They sent up a priest. He said " on your mark ......"
Morning Links
Some stuff to peruse over your morning coffee.
- Lylines looks at the Bill James play-off predictor system. I was thinking about this before the playoffs started. It's been remarkably accurate over the years. This year the system has the Red Sox, Yankees, Arizona and Phillies by just a smidge winning their series.
- Funny Halloween dealie from the past. Maybe its just me but I find this wicked funny.
- When I first started this blog - Pearly Gates was one of the first blogs to link to my stuff. Now that the Red Sox are playing the Angels - it's good to return the favor (and see the series from an Angels perspective).
Some stuff to peruse over your morning coffee.
- Lylines looks at the Bill James play-off predictor system. I was thinking about this before the playoffs started. It's been remarkably accurate over the years. This year the system has the Red Sox, Yankees, Arizona and Phillies by just a smidge winning their series.
- Funny Halloween dealie from the past. Maybe its just me but I find this wicked funny.
- When I first started this blog - Pearly Gates was one of the first blogs to link to my stuff. Now that the Red Sox are playing the Angels - it's good to return the favor (and see the series from an Angels perspective).
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Kansas City Royals
This morning right before waking up - I had a dream where I owned the Kansas City Royals. I have no idea why I would have such a dream but it got me thinking - what would I do if I did own the Kansas City Royals?
Well the first thing I would do would be to hire Bill James as a Sr. VP to help consult with me and find ways for the Royals to maximize their meager assets. I'm thinking James would take the job because he's a Royals fan. I'd keep Dayton Moore as GM and Buddy Bell as manager but I would tinker with the roster.
Last year the Royals had a payroll of about $67 million but there's over $32 million that could come off this offseason. The money would come from:
Mike Sweeney - $11 million
Odalis Perez - $7.75 million
Jason LaRue - $5.2 million
Reggie Sanders - $5 million
Emil Brown - $3.45 million
There is a good core of young players to build around. The core includes (with ages in parenthesis):
Alex Gordon 3rd (23)
Mark Teahen RF (25)
Billy Butler DH (21)
Gil Meche SP (28)
Brian Bannister SP (26)
The major needs would be LF and 3rd starter. I would probably take a risk on Bobby Kielty for LF (or maybe Eric Hinske and possibly both). I figure Kielty and/or Hinske would cost less than $10 million over 2 years. For the 3rd starter I would take a risk on either Kris Benson or Matt Clement (whoever had the better medical prognosis). My thinking on 3rd starter is that either one of those guys need a season where they could get a lot of starts to show that they are back at top levels. They would come relatively cheap and if they showed lots of progress by the All-Star game then they could be dangled for prospects.
Overall I think the Royals should be competitive - not win the division competitive but at least .500 competitive next season. Dayton Moore has them moving in the right direction but if I were owner - I'd take all the credit.
This morning right before waking up - I had a dream where I owned the Kansas City Royals. I have no idea why I would have such a dream but it got me thinking - what would I do if I did own the Kansas City Royals?
Well the first thing I would do would be to hire Bill James as a Sr. VP to help consult with me and find ways for the Royals to maximize their meager assets. I'm thinking James would take the job because he's a Royals fan. I'd keep Dayton Moore as GM and Buddy Bell as manager but I would tinker with the roster.
Last year the Royals had a payroll of about $67 million but there's over $32 million that could come off this offseason. The money would come from:
Mike Sweeney - $11 million
Odalis Perez - $7.75 million
Jason LaRue - $5.2 million
Reggie Sanders - $5 million
Emil Brown - $3.45 million
There is a good core of young players to build around. The core includes (with ages in parenthesis):
Alex Gordon 3rd (23)
Mark Teahen RF (25)
Billy Butler DH (21)
Gil Meche SP (28)
Brian Bannister SP (26)
The major needs would be LF and 3rd starter. I would probably take a risk on Bobby Kielty for LF (or maybe Eric Hinske and possibly both). I figure Kielty and/or Hinske would cost less than $10 million over 2 years. For the 3rd starter I would take a risk on either Kris Benson or Matt Clement (whoever had the better medical prognosis). My thinking on 3rd starter is that either one of those guys need a season where they could get a lot of starts to show that they are back at top levels. They would come relatively cheap and if they showed lots of progress by the All-Star game then they could be dangled for prospects.
Overall I think the Royals should be competitive - not win the division competitive but at least .500 competitive next season. Dayton Moore has them moving in the right direction but if I were owner - I'd take all the credit.
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
My long drive home from Basking Ridge was made much easier when I learned that Sirius has a channel completely devoted to Bruce Springsteen - Sirius Channel 10... I only ended up seeing the first two innings of last night's Red Sox / Angels game. I timed it to eat dinner when the game started but then I had to continue driving. I missed the end of the game because it was "Know your school night" for my oldest. Just an observation but its easy to pick out the classrooms used for teaching a foreign language because vocabulary words are written in pencil on 1/3 of the desks... Josh Beckett's shutout in last night's playoff game tie him with Whitey Ford and Mordecai Brown for second on the career list with 3, one behind Christy Mathewson. Some people complain that accomplishments like Beckett's are not the same because modern players get the extra games of the Divisional Series to set or tie these postseason records. I call BS on this one. None of the other pitchers I mentioned above had to face a DH and Brown and Mathewson played when it was a Whites only game. That makes Beckett's accomplishment all the more impressive... I was thinking that if I took all the time I spent listening to Springsteen when I was young and instead used that time training for the decathlon - I might have an Olympic medal by now. But then I hear him sing Backstreets and I deem the time listening to him well spent... Walt Jocketty is out in St. Louis. Scott Miller has a good take on the situation. I know Jocketty helped deliver a World Series last year and I'm on his side on this one but when I think of Walt Jocketty I always think of the trade he made that sent Danny Haren to Oakland for Mark Mulder. That trade has always made me question Jocketty's judgment...
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
My long drive home from Basking Ridge was made much easier when I learned that Sirius has a channel completely devoted to Bruce Springsteen - Sirius Channel 10... I only ended up seeing the first two innings of last night's Red Sox / Angels game. I timed it to eat dinner when the game started but then I had to continue driving. I missed the end of the game because it was "Know your school night" for my oldest. Just an observation but its easy to pick out the classrooms used for teaching a foreign language because vocabulary words are written in pencil on 1/3 of the desks... Josh Beckett's shutout in last night's playoff game tie him with Whitey Ford and Mordecai Brown for second on the career list with 3, one behind Christy Mathewson. Some people complain that accomplishments like Beckett's are not the same because modern players get the extra games of the Divisional Series to set or tie these postseason records. I call BS on this one. None of the other pitchers I mentioned above had to face a DH and Brown and Mathewson played when it was a Whites only game. That makes Beckett's accomplishment all the more impressive... I was thinking that if I took all the time I spent listening to Springsteen when I was young and instead used that time training for the decathlon - I might have an Olympic medal by now. But then I hear him sing Backstreets and I deem the time listening to him well spent... Walt Jocketty is out in St. Louis. Scott Miller has a good take on the situation. I know Jocketty helped deliver a World Series last year and I'm on his side on this one but when I think of Walt Jocketty I always think of the trade he made that sent Danny Haren to Oakland for Mark Mulder. That trade has always made me question Jocketty's judgment...
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Isiah Thomas
When I saw the guilty verdict against Isiah Thomas on TV and Isiah's reaction - I had three thoughts.
First I imagined this conversation between Isiah and James Dolan.
Isiah Thomas: I'm innocent. I'm very innocent.
James Dolan: I'm very innocent? Is that how it works? Hmm? I'm innocent! No we find you guilty. "Oh, no, no, no. No, I'm VERY innocent." "Oh. Well, if you say you are VERY innocent then maybe your boss shouldn't have to pay that $11 and a half million." It's a good thing you got those naked pictures of me Isiah or I would have canned your ass long ago.
Secondly - I imagine that this sexual harassment case may have actually improved Isiah's rep with some people. Of course these are the same people who thought he was gay before this case came up.
Finally - I imagine there has to be some guy who was fired by Cablevision sometime in the past who is now getting legal counsel because I'm sure they did not get the same royal treatment in the face of sexual misconduct allegations that Isiah Thomas did.
When I saw the guilty verdict against Isiah Thomas on TV and Isiah's reaction - I had three thoughts.
First I imagined this conversation between Isiah and James Dolan.
Isiah Thomas: I'm innocent. I'm very innocent.
James Dolan: I'm very innocent? Is that how it works? Hmm? I'm innocent! No we find you guilty. "Oh, no, no, no. No, I'm VERY innocent." "Oh. Well, if you say you are VERY innocent then maybe your boss shouldn't have to pay that $11 and a half million." It's a good thing you got those naked pictures of me Isiah or I would have canned your ass long ago.
Secondly - I imagine that this sexual harassment case may have actually improved Isiah's rep with some people. Of course these are the same people who thought he was gay before this case came up.
Finally - I imagine there has to be some guy who was fired by Cablevision sometime in the past who is now getting legal counsel because I'm sure they did not get the same royal treatment in the face of sexual misconduct allegations that Isiah Thomas did.
Top 5 - Strange Search Results
Every once and a while I mention some of the strange search results which bring some people to this blog. I was prompted to do this once again after seeing someone got to my blog by searching for "Jason Varitek's cock and balls". My mom would be so proud - my blog made the first page for that search. These results are just from the last 100 hits to this site.
1. Jason Varitek's cock and balls
2. Tom Brady balding (5th overall choice)
3. celebrity buttcrack
4. Jesus Boots
5. hot baseball wives
Every once and a while I mention some of the strange search results which bring some people to this blog. I was prompted to do this once again after seeing someone got to my blog by searching for "Jason Varitek's cock and balls". My mom would be so proud - my blog made the first page for that search. These results are just from the last 100 hits to this site.
1. Jason Varitek's cock and balls
2. Tom Brady balding (5th overall choice)
3. celebrity buttcrack
4. Jesus Boots
5. hot baseball wives
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Have you seen those Verizon MVP commercials where a guy keeps up with the scores during a wedding / business meeting / funeral? You do realize that this is just the ESPN cell phone offering repackaged by Verizon right? I was hoping that ESPN was going to lose their shirts on that cell phone deal but if they got Verizon to pick up the ball - that means they will probably get out of the debacle without too much bloodletting. Too bad... I'm not happy that CB Bucknor is umpiring in the Red Sox / Angels series. He has no business at all umpiring in the postseason. Bucknor is the worst umpire in baseball by a wide margin... I'm not upset with Tim Wakefield not being on the Red Sox roster for this series. I'm guessing that Wakefield's back is acting up (I think I heard he had a cortisone shot). I'm more upset that Bartolo Colon won't be on the Angels roster. The Red Sox would have had a buffet of hits off this fat bastard. I have to wonder if Colon's elbow issues are due more to picking up a knife and fork more than it is due to throwing a baseball... 12 years ago today - OJ Simpson was found not-guilty of killing his wife Nicole and Ron Goldman. And no - I cannot remember where I was when I heard the verdict... Happy 53rd birthday to Dennis Eckersley. God does the Eck look good for his age. He still looks like he could pitch. He is by far the best in-studio baseball analyst in the business. The Red Sox won't dare lose on the Eck's birthday - will they?
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
Have you seen those Verizon MVP commercials where a guy keeps up with the scores during a wedding / business meeting / funeral? You do realize that this is just the ESPN cell phone offering repackaged by Verizon right? I was hoping that ESPN was going to lose their shirts on that cell phone deal but if they got Verizon to pick up the ball - that means they will probably get out of the debacle without too much bloodletting. Too bad... I'm not happy that CB Bucknor is umpiring in the Red Sox / Angels series. He has no business at all umpiring in the postseason. Bucknor is the worst umpire in baseball by a wide margin... I'm not upset with Tim Wakefield not being on the Red Sox roster for this series. I'm guessing that Wakefield's back is acting up (I think I heard he had a cortisone shot). I'm more upset that Bartolo Colon won't be on the Angels roster. The Red Sox would have had a buffet of hits off this fat bastard. I have to wonder if Colon's elbow issues are due more to picking up a knife and fork more than it is due to throwing a baseball... 12 years ago today - OJ Simpson was found not-guilty of killing his wife Nicole and Ron Goldman. And no - I cannot remember where I was when I heard the verdict... Happy 53rd birthday to Dennis Eckersley. God does the Eck look good for his age. He still looks like he could pitch. He is by far the best in-studio baseball analyst in the business. The Red Sox won't dare lose on the Eck's birthday - will they?
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