The A-Rod Interview

ALR: A Large Regular is very pleased that we have been granted an exclusive interview with baseball star Alex Rodriguez. This interview comes as quite a surprise since I’m a lifelong Red Sox fan and A-Rod isn’t exactly my favorite player. First off – thank you Alex for making the time for this interview but I must ask – why me?

A-Rod: Well Chris the answer is actually fairly simple. I’m a fan of your work and I know you won’t hesitate to ask me the hard questions. I thought I could get a good grilling during my 60 Minutes interview but Katie Couric just wanted to smile at me.

ALR: I must admit that I missed that interview. Couric is so sugary sweet I fear just by watching her that I’ll get diabetes. I did see some highlights where she asked you if you used steroids and you said “No”. Let me start by asking you the same question – have you ever purchased or used steroids or HGH?

A-Rod: See Chris – that’s what I mean about tough questions. Couric asked me if I ever used steroids but she never asked me if I’ve ever bought them. Well to be clear – let me say that I have never used steroids but I’ve bought them for years. The steroids were never for me though. They were for my stripper “friends”.

ALR: What?

A-Rod: Come on Chris. It’s no secret that I like muscular strippers. The steroids I buy them make them even more muscular. They say that sex is the best exercise there is and let’s just say that in that regard I’m a workout freak. The more muscular they are the better the workout. My wife is cool with it as long as it’s only on the road and only with strippers. A man’s got to stay in shape? Right?

ALR: To be clear – you say that you have never used steroids or HGH yourself though. If that’s true how to you counter Jose Canseco’s assertion that you should have been named in the Mitchell Report?

A-Rod: Jose is a moron and he’s broke. He wants to write another book and he’s trying to use me and my good name as a hook for an advance. That’s my best guess to why he’s doing what he’s doing. As far as the people who think he’s a reliable source because the players he named in his first book all proved out are forgetting that in his book he made a big deal out of saying that no way could Roger Clemens be a steroids user. That Roger was too much of a work out freak. How wrong was Jose on Clemens? As wrong on Clemens being clean as his slander that I’m dirty. That’s how wrong.

ALR: Speaking of the Mitchell Report – what was your reaction?

A-Rod: I think George Mitchell is a great person but is it any surprise that the brunt of the blame from the report is placed squarely on the shoulders of players and players alone? Owners and baseball have made hundreds of millions of dollars during the steroids era. They knew exactly what was going on. Yet there is no blame placed on or even the slightest examination of any culpability of any of the owners or of Bud Selig for that matter. But then again - baseball paid for the study so that shouldn’t be a surprise. Would you be surprised if big tobacco sponsored a study and the results pointed the finger at everyone but big tobacco?

ALR: Do you have any suggestions on how to clear up the steroid problems in baseball?

A-Rod: I would do four things and these four things would clear up the problems almost overnight. First I would more than double the number of times a player would be tested and there would be no restriction when the tests could take place. Second – I would void any contract for a player found using steroids and suspend the player for the remaining portion of his contract. Third – I would take away the roster spot from the team for the duration that a player is on a steroids related suspension. So if a player had a 3-year contract but was found using after the first year – he’d be suspended 2-years and the team would lose his roster spot for 2-years. That would put a stop to teams signing questionable guys. Finally – I would go back to the equipment men for each team and find out over the past 30-years which players had their hat size increase more than 2 sizes over the years. I would put an asterisk next to each of those players stating how many hat sizes the player’s head grew by. This last thing would be not only be factual but also a wink-wink way for saying something unnatural was going one. People’s melons just don’t get bigger once you are an adult.

ALR: Finally – I have to ask about your relationship with Scott Boras.

A-Rod: I’m very image conscious. That’s no secret. I feel like I’m the best player in the game and I want to be paid as the best. There’s nothing wrong with that. What I’m not happy with is the fact that now people think of me as greedy. I’m not greedy. Scott Boras is. Tiger Woods is the best player in his sport and he’s very image conscious too. Yet nobody thinks of him as greedy. Let me ask you – do you know who Tiger’s agent is? [ALR shakes head in the negative] See! I’m associated with Scott Boras and Scott Boras is one crazy, greedy, mother. I’ve got to get away from him. And that’s what I plan to do.

ALR: Thanks for the interview.

A-Rod: You’re welcome.

Excellent Belichick Interview

Tom Curran has a very fun to read interview with coach Belichick. Curran has to be one of the best NFL guys going.

HT Chad Finn

Donald Rumsfeld

It was a year ago today that Donald Rumsfeld stepped down as Secretary of defense and Robert Gates took his place. I still maintain that history will be very kind to Rumsfeld. He was a man who never took the credit to which he was entitled. In his honor - here are two blasts from the ALR past.

- Rumsfeld Says Goodbye and

- The Rumsfeld Interview (satire)

Blame America First

Ed Koch rightfully takes Al Gore to task for Gore's "blame America first" attitude in Bali.

Last week Al Gore appeared at the Bali conference and said, "I am not an official of the United States and I am not bound by the diplomatic niceties. So I am going to speak an inconvenient truth. My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali. We all know that."

Oh, really? And just how do we all know that? Is it true that the U.S. is "principally responsible for obstructing progress" in Bali? The New York Times, which applauds the former Vice President, reported on December 14 that "[t]he emerging economic powers, most notably China and India, also refuse to accept limits on their emissions, despite projections that they will soon become the dominant sources of the gases." The same Times article stated while the U.S. opposes an agreement that would include numerical targets, so do "a few other countries, including Russia."

I'm really getting sick of Al Gore. There are some Americans who always blame America first for any problem in the world. Radical Muslims hijack planes into the Twin Towers and they ask, "well we must have done something to make them hate us." In the US buying a hybrid car has become a status symbol and major corporations are "going green" while in China people can't even breathe the air because of the pollution and yet Gore still places the blame on the US.

Hey Al - how about supporting nuclear energy? When are you going to make that a crusade of yours? The more I hear from Al Gore - the more I understand why he couldn't carry his home state of Tennessee in the 2000 elections.

Joe Lieberman

So Joe Lieberman endorsed John McCain for President. What to make of this?

Occam's razor probably would suggest that Lieberman is endorsing John McCain simply because he believes that McCain is the best man for the job. However, in American politics things never seem to be that simple.

Here's how I see the situation.

Back in 2000 Lieberman was tabbed to be the running mate for Al Gore but in order to be added to the ticket - Lieberman had to denounce his support of school vouchers. Prior to that - Lieberman was a champion of school choice. For his shot at glory - Gore and the Democrat Party made him kowtow to the teachers unions and forswear one of his core beliefs. Then Bill and Hillary Clinton sat on their hands (or Al Gore kept them from helping out) and Lieberman sees his chances at victory slip away by the slimmest of margins.

Lucky for Lieberman that he hedged his bet by not only running for VP in 2000 but also running to keep his Senate seat.

Then came 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq. Lieberman had and has a clear vision of who the enemy is and his support of the military actions cost him any chance of getting the Democratic nomination in 2004. By then the anti-war far left had usurped the party of JFK and Harry Truman. Then far left came after Lieberman in his re-election bid in 2006. They came after him in a big way.

Lieberman was a three-term Senator but yet many of the party higher ups joined the netroots crowd to try and oust Lieberman. That had to hurt. Lucky for Lieberman that he hedged his bet and was able to get re-elected as an Independent. Also lucky for Lieberman that as an Independent he held the balance of power in the Senate in his grasp.

It has to be understood that Lieberman's support of the war in Iraq coupled with his refusal to just lie down and accept defeat in 2004 (even though it would have meant the state of Connecticut "settling" for and inferior choice of representative) has led to what could be termed Lieberman Derangement Syndrome (related to the more virulent Bush Derangement Syndrome). And now he endorses a Republican for President? You can almost hear the Queen of Hearts calls of "Off with his head" from the LDS left (and no I don't mean Democratic Mormons).

Lieberman is 65-years old and as an Orthodox Jew - his support of Israel is unshakable. It could be that Lieberman has reached a point in his life where he's just said "screw it - I'm not playing games any more". He supports Israel, he supports the troops in Iraq but he's liberal on most domestic issues. John McCain is not only the candidate that most closely matches up with Lieberman's beliefs but McCain is also a friend who was loyal to Lieberman in his struggles in the 2006 election. It makes perfect sense.

Now of course I'm not saying that at 65 Lieberman is ready to hang it up but I will say that he's savvy enough to know that the 2008 election will be closer than people think. If a Republican wins - Lieberman could be up for a Cabinet level post in order for the incoming President to look bipartisan. If a Democrat wins - Lieberman could be up for a Cabinet level post in order to get his seat in the Senate to a "real" Democrat.

Either way - look for Joe Lieberman to become an even bigger target of venom from the left. He has basically replaced Donald Rumsfeld in the left's axis of evil (behind Bush and Cheney).

Heh Heh

I agree - this is ironic:

How ironic. The U.S. Navy buys a British helicopter to serve as the Marine One presidential helo. Now the [British] Queen buys a U.S. made Sikorsky chopper, again.

Tall or Not?

Compare your height against those of various celebrities and historical personages.

A fun way to waste a few minutes.

The Dark Knight

This movie looks AWESOME!

I can't wait to see it.

Very Nice Story

I knew it was coming and it still got dusty for me. Make sure you watch the video.

I'm glad those girls got their Christmas wish.

HT "Cousin" Lynch

OK - I'll Say It

You know all those jewelry store commercials that bombard you this time of year? Well the diamond folks are getting even more obvious with their subliminal advertising.

The hot jewelry item that seems to be on all the commercials is the Journey diamond pendant. The message they want to get across is buy the jewelry and you get to put some of this on her chest.

You can't tell me that the design similarity is a coincidence.

Better Late Than Never

A couple of links that should have been posted a couple of days ago.

- Dr. Pauly's engrossing story of the Las Vegas blogger poker get together.

- Chad Finn's fine take on the Mitchell Report

Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

I'm hoping that thinking about baseball will help warm me up during this blizzard.

The Padres acquired Jim Edmonds from the Cardinals in exchange for 3rd base prospect David Freese. On its surface this looks like a win-win deal for both teams. The Padres get a veteran bat and an excellent glove in center. The Cardinals rid themselves of a mistake of a contract and get a prospect in return. However, there are questions to this deal. Edmonds is 37-years old and is injury prone these past few years. He's also coming off a season where he played just 117 games and managed a paltry .728 OPS. Edmonds could be cooked. Freese is a 24-year old prospect who was still playing Single A ball. That could be a warning sign (like a high school senior still playing with the JV football team). The big question of course is what the Cardinals do now for a centerfielder... The Dodgers have signed Japanese pitcher Hiroki Kuroda to a three-year, $35.2 million contract. Who knows how good Kuroda will be for the Dodgers but it is clear that the Dodgers have a pretty deep starting rotation with Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, Kuroda and maybe Jason Schmidt returning from injury. Everyone in the NL West seems to be making moves except the Giants. I probably wouldn't be happy if I was a San Francisco fan and my expectations for them would be to own last place next season... The Diamondbacks have acquired Dan Haren from the A's. To me this looks like the classic "five nickels for a quarter" deal and those deals hardly ever work out for the team getting the nickels.... Brad Wilkerson is perhaps the best remaining free agent.

OK - I'll Say It

Chelsy Davy (maybe the future Queen of England) looks like Brad Pitt with tits.

There I said it.

Tinsel

When I was a kid - the first thing we did when the Christmas tree went up was to decorate it with tinsel. Then the ornaments and lights went on and finally the angel went on top.

I can't remember the last time I put tinsel on one of our trees. When did tinsel go out of fashion? Is there anyone out there that still uses tinsel?

Steroids

Dr. Melik: This morning for breakfast he requested something called "wheat germ, organic honey and tiger's milk."
Dr. Aragon: [chuckling] Oh, yes. Those are the charmed substances that some years ago were thought to contain life-preserving properties.
Dr. Melik: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or... hot fudge?
Dr. Aragon: Those were thought to be unhealthy... precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
Dr. Melik: Incredible.

This dialog is from the Woody Allen movie Sleeper whose plot revolves around a man who awakes 200 years in the future. I thought of the movie because perhaps the elephant in the room that nobody is talking about when it comes to steroids is the question, "Can steroids and HGH be good for you?"

200 years from now will people look back at today's attitudes towards steroids and HGH as ignorant and our persecution of athletes who use performance enhancing drugs as nothing more than witch hunts?

If taken in moderation and under doctor supervision it seems like HGH and steroids could allow people to live healthier more active lives. My guess is that "sports medicine" in the future will have a vastly different meaning than it does today and that performance enhancing drugs will be fairly common. The Mitchell Report does not address any medical aspect to PED's at all. I would have liked, for example, if someone from Mitchell's staff had asked Nick Esasky if steroids played any role in his debilitating vertigo.

Ron Silver on Fear

Very well done essay on the use of fear in politics. If you read just one thing today - make it this essay.

I will admit that every once and a while in my head I could hear Ron Silver shouting, "Her father is the District Attorney" while reading the piece.

Roger Clemens Cheated (the Red Sox)

Everyone today is calling Roger Clemens a cheat. That begs the question - who did he cheat? I put forward that the group most harmed by Clemens' "cheating" were the Boston Red Sox and the fans of the team

Follow me on this.

If you take away Clemens' resurgence to greatness due to steroids - the Dan Duquette's observation that Clemens was in the twilight of his career was correct. Clemens going on to win a couple of Cy Young Awards after leaving the Red Sox coupled with the equally contentious exit of Mo Vaughn (who was also named in the Mitchell Report) caused a GM controversy and unease in Boston.

Speaking of Cy Young Awards - that second one Clemens won in Toronto came at the expense of Boston's Pedro Martinez who went 19-7 with a 2.89 ERA in 1998 only to lose out to a juicing Roger Clemens.

Finally and most importantly - Boston fans who bemoan the steroids era point to game seven of the 2003 ALCS and that fact that steroids cheater Jason Giambi hit 2 HR in that game and without those HR - the Yankees lose and the Red Sos advance to the World Series. I would like to point out that Roger Clemens won game 3 (and co-steroids cheater Andy Pettitte won game 2). Without the steroids enhanced pitchers - never mind the steroids enhanced Giambi - the Yankees get blown out by the Red Sox.

Red Sox fans who feel cheated by Roger Clemens have a very good case to make about the damage done by the needle injecting Roger Clemens.

Bobby Cox

Am I a bad person because I found the comments to this post pretty funny?

OK - I'm a bad person.

HT The Big Lead

The Mitchell Report

Hundreds upon hundreds of baseball players not named in the Mitchell report must be saying, "there but by the grace of God go I" this morning. It is foolish to think that this is a comprehensive report on all the players who used steroids or HGH. It is just the tip of the iceberg. That's what makes this attempt at clearing up the problem a bit of a sham in my eyes.

Some random thoughts on the report.

- Dan Duquette must be feeling a certain level of vindication today. In normal circumstances - Roger Clemens would have been in the twilight of his career. Instead Clemens went to Toronto and juiced.

- I'm amused by Roger Clemens' threatening to sue for libel over being named in the report. This reminds me of when Palmeiro threatened to sue Jose Canseco after Canseco named Palmeiro in his book. Or when Barry Bonds threatened to sue Curt Schilling when Schilling called him a cheat.

- I'm guessing that ESPN is going to pull those Roger Clemens commercials where Roger is nervous about riding the roller coaster at Disney. That commercial is ripe for parody. So is that Suzy Waldman sound bite from this year when Roger joined the Yankees.

- I feel bad for Mo Vaughn. He's in the report for getting HGH after he hurt his ankle late in his career. Assuming he was clean - why would he have needed a referral if he was a user? - all Mo did early in his career is now tainted by the decision he made late in his career.

- What no Brett Boone?

EDIT: I meant to mention that perhaps the most positive result to come ut of the Mitchell Report will be ESPN dropping Fernando Vina and David Justice on their baseball telecasts and from Baseball Tonight.

Miguel Tejada

Miguel Tejada has been traded to the Astros. If you've read this space for any time - you know that I'm not a big fan of Miguel Tejada. In fairness - I must say that I expect the drop off in pitching quality he'll face in the weak NL Central coupled with the short porch in left field at Minutemaid park will lead to a mini resurgence for Tejada and a possible 30+ HR season in 2008. This will of course lead to Tejada demanding a new contract after next season and complaints that the team front office isn't doing enough to win.

I know that Luke Scott has a .516 career slugging percentage but at 29-years old is he still a "prospect"? Matt Albers is a number 5 starter. Troy Patton? He could prove to be the real key to this trade for the Orioles but how often does a prospect like Patton fizzle out? Pitcher Dennis Sarfate and third baseman Michael Costanzo seem almost like toss-ins.

My immediate impression is that this was a fire-sale or a salary dump on the part of the Orioles. Couldn't the Orioles had a similar Bedard / Tejada package deal that netted the Marlins a pretty good haul of prospects with their trading of Willis and Cabrera? Say hello to the last place 2008 Orioles.

NFL Records

Lyford has a nice breakdown of the NFL records that could fall at the hands of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots this season.

I have also been meaning to mention that Lyford has been doing rather nicely in his NFL picks this season. I've made it a point to see who he likes each week because his picks and the reasoning behind his picks have been for the most part spot on. You may have noticed that I have shied away from making picks myself this season. I think that's because I'm becoming superstitious in my old age.

Hideki Matsui to Giants?

The hot rumor has the Yankees sending Hideki Matsui to the Giants for pitcher Jonathan Sanchez. My take on the rumor? I hope its true. Matsui is one of the few Yankee batters who Red Sox fans fear. I'd be glad if the Yankees traded him away for a young pitcher who basically would be middle relief help for the 2008 Yankees. If this was any other team but the Yankees - a move like this would be classified as a "salary dump". My guess is that if there is any validity to this rumor at all - then acquiring Sanchez would just be to include him or another Yankee pitching prospect into a sweetened deal for Johan Santana. It is more probable that nothing becomes of this rumor.

Maybe Darren Daulton is Right?

Thinking he was run off the road on orders of the FBI, that the Atlanteans built the Mayan pryamids and thinking he knows exactly when the world will end (Dec. 21, 2012 at 11:11 a.m) are all just part of the secret world that Dareen Daulton lives in these days.

Darren Daulton was the first person I thought of when I read about these alarmist environmental predictions:

"At this rate, the Arctic Ocean could be nearly ice-free at the end of summer by 2012, much faster than previous predictions."

My guess is that Darren Daulton is still crazy and that predictions that all the ice will have melted in the Arctic Ocean are wrong. I respect NASA scientists but my guess is that there will be a footnote months from now talking about how a decimal was misplaced in the original calculations.

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin reunited last night for a concert and reports are that they were great. Of course it was impossible for all the original band members to reunite - with John Bonham dead and all - but they did the next best thing with Bonham's son Jason manning the drums. This was predicted almost 2-years to the very day in this very space:

Chas [West] probably best known as the lead singer of the band Bonham. This is the band that was formed by Jason Bonham, the son of Led Zeppelin drummer and rock legend John Bonham. Like many rock legends - John Bonham died way too young.

When you sit next to a rock star you talk about rock music. We spoke about every subject that I could think of. I asked him how he got the gig with Bonham - he said it was simple, "I was the only one who could keep up with Jason when he was drinking." I asked if Led Zeppelin was ever getting back together with Jason Bonham taking his dad's spot in the band. Chas told me that they came close but this was back when Bonham was just starting out and Jason was seriously partying. Robert Plant was afraid that Jason was going down the same path to an early death as his dad and Plant wanted nothing to do with contributing to another tragedy. Now that Jason Bonham is clean and sober - the two concerns are tarnishing the bands legacy as the greatest rock band in history and Robert Plant's concern about hitting some of those high notes in some of the songs. Chas wouldn't rule out the band getting back together but if it happened he said it would be done the "English way" - with very little forewarning or publicity.

Bill Belichick

Heh heh - as Homer would say, "it's funny because its true."

HT Kissing Suzy Kolber

Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.

Every offseason in Boston you get the "Manny wants to be traded" or the "Red Sox want to offload Manny's contract" rumors. Not so much this year. With Andruw Jones getting $18 million per year - Manny's contract looks downright affordable. The Red Sox will pay Manny $20 million is 2008 and have options for 2009 and 2010... I tried to be positive about the Eric Gagne experience but I think any unbiased examination of his performance in Boston would conclude that he has not only lost a few miles per hour off his fastball - he has also lost his ability to control pitch location as well. I'm glad the Brewers signed Gagne to a one-year $10 million contract because it nets the Red Sox a compensation draft pick but as Ken Rosenthal explains - "Truth is, Doug Melvin didn't like signing Eric Gagne for $10 million, either." The justification that resonates with me is the fact that Gagne is just a one-year deal and he only costs them money. If they went after Huston Street or Joe Nathan - they would have been forced to give up major prospects... Paul Lo Duca to sign one-year deal with Nationals. It's getting tough to follow the catcher shuffle in the NL. Jason Kendall was the starter for the Cubs but now he's taken Johnny Estrada's job in Milwaukee. Estrada took Lo Duca's job with the Mets until the Mets traded for Brian Schnieder of the Nationals and now Lo Duca (formerly of the Mets) has taken Schnieder's old job with the Nationals. Got that?... Red Sox fans are rejoicing over the announcement that the Yankees have signed LaTroy Hawkins to a one-year deal. If I ran a casino - I'd have a prop bet asking which Red Sox player would be the first to hit a late inning HR off Hawkins that brings the Red Sox from behind to help win the game. Hs momma named him LaTroy which (as others have pointed out) means "the Troy" in French but it would have been more accurate if she named him whatever is French for "the late Inning Home Run" instead...

New England Patriots

How dominant are the Patriots? The Patriots' point deferential between the number of points they have scored and allowed is 281. Half of all NFL teams haven't even scored that many points and the Broncos just barely surpass that number by scoring 282 points.

Presidential Election Odds - Republicans

Here are the latest odds on who will win the Republican nomination for President (odds via Bodog).

Rudy Giuliani 3/2
Mike Huckabee 2/1
Ron Paul 5/2
Mitt Romney 9/2
John McCain 5/1
Fred Thompson 6/1
Newt Gingrich 9/1

Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul are complete sucker bets and I'm guessing the odds are that short because people are betting on them as a joke. Mitt Romney and John McCain are the best bets if you ask me (in terms of chances and return on investment).

Liberal Values

This morning I found an interesting blog - Liberal Values - which I am adding to my blogroll. This may surprise some because it is often assumed I'm a Republican. Actually I'm an Independent with libertarian leanings. This blog seems to be very well done and very well written. I link to blogs that interest me and I'm interested in what has been posted at Liberal Values.

It could be I was swayed by the picture of Natalie Portman in this post. When I look at the picture - I can't help but hear Hillary doing her best Tony Montana, "Say hello to my little friends."

Presidential Election Odds - Democrats

It should be no surprise that (according to Bodog.com) Hillary Clinton is currently the prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic Presidential nomination.

Hillary Clinton 1/6
Barack Obama 12/5
Al Gore 5/1
John Edwards 8/1
Dennis Kucinich 20/1
Joe Biden 30/1

Hillary is the big favorite but Barack is within striking distance and interestingly (or more accurately - alarmingly) John Edwards' promises of seizing powers Hugo Chavez style are improving his chances.

Personally I'm amused that the "serious" Joe Biden is given less chance than "tinfoil hat" Dennis Kucinich. I attribute that more to the relative hotness of Kucinich's wife but also to the relative blandness of Biden in general.

Tim Tebow Wins the Heisman

OK - the award isn't given out till tonight but any bit of drama in this award is purely being created by ESPN in the hopes people will tune into watch the presentation.

Consider that the odds of Tim Tebow winning are now 1/12 - meaning if you bet $100 your return would only be $8. When the oddsmakers make the return on a bet that minuscule - you know its already a foregone conclusion. Tim Tebow's name is already on the Heisman Trophy.

There - now you don't have to bother watching the show tonight.

The Season of Giving

This is very sad. As a parent - I don't even want to imagine what baby Sophie's parents are going through. I don't know the Abbott's or baby Sophie but their story and their plight touched me.

If you are not in the Norristown, PA area and are unable to attend the event - you can still go to www.njafp.org/foundation to make a donation.

To learn more abut baby Sophie and the Abbott family - visit her webpage - www.babysites/sites/babyabbott.

Thank you in advance for your generosity. If you have a blog - maybe you can link to the donation information on your blog.

Miscellaneous Links

Cleaning out my bookmarks and thought I'd repost these links

- Dilbert's easy to follow guide to financial security

- PriceProtectr (yup that's how its spelled). A site that helps you get those "price protection" refunds

- National Geographic's 100 best adventure books of all-time.

John McCain

I found this report to be very touching.

I can't imagine a more awkward situation for McCain--having to counsel a complete stranger who, as one other journalist here put it, had essentially just read him a suicide note, and having to do so in front of about 200 people. And McCain's initial attempt was actually a bit awkward, as he mentioned that we are "a Judeo-Christian principled nation" that "believe[s] every life is precious." But McCain soon found his footing, and as he continued to counsel Greg, I noticed that a couple of men in the audience were crying. "All I can tell you," McCain went on, "is that [you have] loving family members, loving neighbors and friends who want to do everything we can to help you live as long and as beautiful a life as possible. And we pray for you. And we cherish you. God bless you." McCain then turned back to the topic at hand--the environment--and took a few more questions, but as the event was ending, he did one final pivot. "Greg," McCain said, "we want you and we love you and we need you and you will be our inspiration with your courage."

John McCain most likely saved this man's life. Wow!

HT Betsy's Page

Remembering Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941 - the United States was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. This site has a very interesting timeline of the attack - click on the multimedia map and timeline.

The United States has a hard time remembering days like this because in essence we are a forward looking people who doesn't dwell on the good or bad in our history. I find it sad that if you gave a pop quiz to most high school seniors - over 50% probably couldn't tell you the significance of today's date.

Like I said - it's sad but I understand. Take a few minutes to watch the timeline to insure you understand the hell US sailors and soldiers went through during those eternal hours on this infamous day 66 years ago.

Morning Links

Some stuff I found interesting.

- Interesting take on the Andruw Jones signing.

- Heh heh - I knew it! May be NSFW.

- Jason Stark has a good wrap-up of the winter meetings

- Pop-up books

I Am Legend

At first I was intrigued by the upcoming movie I Am Legend but quite honestly now I'm starting to get pretty damn frustrated with being bombarded with commercials for the movie and am starting to lean toward not seeing the damned thing.

The movie is a re-make of one of my childhood favorites - Omega Man starring Charlton Heston. People involved with the movie would probably argue that it is not a re-make but a true adaptation of the book of the same name. Well let's see - air-borne bacteria kills world population, military doctor inoculates himself with antidote and survives, bacteria kills most people but a few are mutated and only can come out at night, the mutated "people" want to kill the military doctor. Sounds like a re-make to me.

Andruw Jones

Reportedly Andruw Jones will be signing a 2-year $36.2 million contract with the Dodgers.

What gives me pause about this deal is the fact that over his career Jones has hit just .233 at Dodger Stadium with a pretty lousy .735 OPS (36 games and 133 at bats). He has hit 6 HR there which projected over a full season of 250 home at-bats would be an anemic 11 HR in Dodger Stadium for 2008. And Jones is being trumpeted as a power hitter? Yes - I know - small sample size. But for $18 million a year wouldn't you want the indicators pointing to something better?

This is a classic "on one hand and on the other" deal:

- One one hand - the deal is only for 2-years
- On the other hand - the deal pays Jones an average of $18 million a year! For a guy who only hit 26 HR last year and will be 31-years old next year
- On one hand - this deal now frees the Dodgers up to include either Juan Pierre, Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp in a trade for a top pitcher like Johan Santana or Eric Bedard
- On the other hand - pitching is not the problem for the Dodgers and this deal really doesn't give them the big bat to put them over the top.
- On one hand - this is a clear loss for uber-agent Scott Boras who was seeking a 7-year deal at $20 million a year
- On the other hand - Boras got a guy who many consider fat and lazy $18 million a year for the next two years. That's a lot of donuts.

Maybe the people most happy with this move are the Dodgers pitchers who will now have a number of mistake pitches erased by Jones' Gold Glove in center.

The Schilling Rule

The BWAA has created a rule which says that players who have monetary bonuses in their contracts based upon MVP, ROY or Cy Young Award voting will not longer be eligible for those awards starting in 2013. This is commonly being referred to as the Schilling Rule after Curt Schilling's latest contract which has a $1 million bonus if he receives a single Cy Young Award vote in 2008.

Curt Schilling addresses the new rule in his latest posting on 38Pitches.com.

Schilling makes a number of good points but he misses the main point of this new BWAA rule. This new rule is an admission that journalistic integrity is a myth and the sports writers themselves recognize that as a whole - they are not to be trusted to act in a fair and unbiased manner.

When Schilling's Cy Young clause was announced many sports writers wrote that it would in no way effect their voting. This new rule loudly states that all those people who said that sports writers would go into the bag to vote for Schilling were right. The BWAA is not to be trusted - they have said so themselves with this new rule.

One of the reasons why the votes for these awards has become bastardized to the point that a Schilling rule is necessary is because the BWAA votes are not public. Many writers write one thing but then vote another way. Have the votes made public so that writers have to stand behind how they vote and have them explain why. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

With this new rule - the BWAA has skipped over disinfection and gone directly to amputation. Probably for the best though - they aren't to be trusted. They've said so themselves.

Paying for Santana

Just thinking about Johan Santana possibly playing for the Red Sox and it occurred to me that if they acquired and signed him it is very possible that he could have almost ZERO impact on the Red Sox payroll. Consider that between Matt Clement and Eric Gagne the Red Sox have approximately $14.5 million coming off the books for this season. If Coco Crisp is part of the package that lands Santana then that's another $5 million. That's a total of $19.5 million.

Next year the Red Sox will most likely have Curt Schilling's $10 million coming off the books ($8 million base plus $2 million in incentives). So if the Red Sox sign Santana for $20 million for 2008 with a $25 million annual salary for years 2009-2012 with another $25 million option for 2013 then that's a 6-year deal (including the option year) at $145 million. That should get the deal done. That would also basically put the Red Sox for those years at or possibly below what their overall payroll was for 2007.

That's mind blowing.

Chip Reese 1951-2007

Poker superstar Chip Reese has passed away. He was widely acknowledged as the best cash game poker player in the world and poker legend Doyle Brunson called Reese "the best poker player that ever lived."

I am shocked and saddened by the news. Chip Reese was perhaps my favorite poker player.

The Unbearable Whiteness of Being

Johan Santana to the Red Sox is all but done. Jon Lester, a center fielder, Justin Masterson and Ryan Kalish are the package. More details now.

--Will Carroll, 5:15 p.m.

Last night that was the announcement that makes me think that the Red Sox will be getting Johan Santana. As I mentioned before - a trade like this won't be announced for hours or days after an agreement has been made because the team trading for Santana will have a 72-hour window to get him signed to a new contract. The deal could have been done last night and now the Red Sox and Santana are just getting the physical done and contract details hammered out.

It will be awesome if the Red Sox get Santana for the rumored package of players. It will make them prohibitive favorites to win multiple World Series over the next few years. However, there is one aspect of the proposed package that bears closer examination.

Almost every Red Sox fan hopes that center fielder mentioned will be Coco Crisp and not Jacoby Ellsbury. However, if it is Coco Crisp then that means there is a very good chance that the Boston Red Sox's Opening Day 25-man roster will have ZERO African Americans. I know, I know - who cares? I care only that the Red Sox field the most competitive team possible but I bring this up because some people will make an issue out of it. Make no mistake. And yes I'm talking about the Boston Globe here.

It's a stupid issue but something the Boston Globe made a big deal out of 4-years ago. If Coco Crisp is traded - I'm betting they make it an issue once again.

Human Flying Squirrels

This is wicked cool.

I doubt I'd have the guts to jump off the mountain like that but it must be awesome to fly though the air like a human flying squirrel.

New England Patriots

The Patriots beat the Ravens 27-24 to go 12-0 but overlooked in the victory is the fact that by beating Baltimore - New England all but guaranteed home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Pats have 4 games left and even if they lost to Pittsburgh and the Giants - chances are they will roll over the Jets and Dolphins. So even if they finish 14-2 they still hold the tie-breaker over the Colts and would thus have the all-important home field advantage.

Johan Santana and Jacoby Ellsbury

Last week it was the Eagles having the blueprint to beat the Patriots. This week the parroted sports media meme being tossed about by all the talking heads is to compare Jacoby Ellsbury to Al Jefferson.

The meme goes something like this - "a few months ago Boston fans were against trading the young Al Jefferson for Kevin Garnett but now they are all happy with the result. Including Jacoby Ellsbury in a trade for Johan Santana would be the same thing."

I have problems with this line of thinking. First in basketball one player can make a much bigger impact because there are only five players per team and a guy like Koby Bryant can take 40% of the shots. In baseball a player can't take 40% of the at bats and a pitcher like Santana can only pitch once every 5 games. Maybe if Al Jefferson played every game but Kevin Garnett was only allowed to play once every 5 days then the comparison would hold more validity.

It's apples to oranges and just wrong. The meme being picked up and repeated over and over shows a lack of original thinking on the part of the Boston sports media.

Johan Santana

All the baseball hotstove talk is about Johan Santana being traded and updates of whether he's been traded yet. One thing all the talking heads keep forgetting to mention is that any potential deal for Santana will include a 72-hour window for the team trading for Santana to try and get him signed. That means a deal could have already been reached but the new contract for Santana hasn't been hammered out.

Just thought that point should be mentioned by someone.

The Francona Rule

This is perhaps the most petty thing I've read in some time. I'm biased - I freely admit it - but for an official of MLB to name Terry Francona by name in this manner is beyond unprofessional and given Watson's history as a member of the Yankees - it should also call into question Watson's ability to render neutral judgments when it comes to matters regarding the Red Sox and Yankees.

If I was running the Red Sox - I would match pettiness with pettiness with a release along the following lines:

To: MLB Offices

From: Boston Red Sox

RE: New rule

Please be aware that a new rule is being instituted at our property known as Fenway Park. The person known as Bob Watson has shown himself to be belligerent toward this organization and the Red Sox reserve the right to refuse entry to our property to any known trouble makers. If Bob Watson shows up at Fenway Park - he will be asked to leave. If he refuses - we will have him arrested for trespassing and we will prosecute him to the full extent of the law.

We are not unfair. We will make the exception that Bob Watson will be allowed on the property only if he is dressed in a full official Yankees uniform (it will have to be a home uniform since Watson has shown himself to be a "homer"). We acknowledge that this new rule by the Red Sox is both petty and silly but since Mr. Watson has shown himself a fan of petty and silly rules - we feel no remorse in fully implementing the new rule.

This rule should not hinder Mr. Watson's ability to do his job since he can still telephone or send us written correspondence. We just would prefer not to have his presence imposed upon us.

Sincerely,

Red Sox Management

Poker Should Not Be Illegal!!



There is very few things as American as poker. What happened to the people at that VFW is despicable.

Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.

I think the Yankees will be forced to include Philip Hughes in any package for Johan Santana and I think that's a mistake by the Yankees. The Red Sox would be forced to include Jacoby Ellsbury and that too would be a mistake. Why would it be a mistake? Consider that CC Sabathia led all AL pitchers in win shares this season with 24. Ichiro Sazuki had 33 and I would project Ellsbury to be Ichiro-lite but at a fraction of the salary cost. It would be a mistake for the Yankees to include Hughes because I think he's that good. I think the Red Sox brass know including Ellsbury is not worth it (I don't buy those recent reports that they have included him) but I do think the Yankees hand can be forced to include Hughes... Here's an excellent projection on how the Yankees could fare in 2008 if they acquire Santana for a package including Melky Cabrera and Philip Hughes. It projects the Yankees to 96 wins next season... Most people are calling the Marlins greedy for turning down the Angels trade offer for Miguel Cabrera but David Pinto doesn't blame the Marlins one bit. I have to agree with David. This deal smacks of 5 nickels for a quarter type of deal and those never pan out for the guy getting the nickels... Would anyone be surprised if the Orioles traded Miguel Tejada quickly before the Mitchell Report comes out?... I would love for the Red Sox to wind up with Dan Haren but Billy Beane drives a hard bargain and they may be asked to give up too much. I would love for the Red Sox to wind up with Erik Bedard but the Orioles would be hard pressed to trade him within the division. I would love for the Red Sox to come away with just one of Santana, Haren or Bedard but the reality is they probably won't overspend in prospects and you can't blame them for that...

Washington Nationals

I've enjoyed the hotstove snapshots Yahoo! sports has been doing on each team and what their needs are but I have to say that Tim Brown's snapshot of the Nationals was poorly done, confusing and told me nothing. After talking about the trade for Lastings Milledge, Brown writes:

Bowden probably could be convinced to part with Austin Kearns, Chad Cordero, Brian Schneider, Jon Rauch or Church in a trade. In fact, only third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is believed to be untouchable.

Ummm... just 2 second earlier you told us of how Schneider and Church were already traded. Is Jim Bowden a magical GM who can trade players multiple times? Or was this report sloppily done and edited?

Maybe I'm just in a bad mood this morning but I was looking forward to the Nationals synopsis because they could be an exciting team (they won't win anything but I think they'll be fun to watch). The team obviously needs a catcher now and I'd like to see them upgrade at 2nd. Like most teams - they also need another starting pitcher. They have Nick Johnson coming off an injury year as a trade chip for teams in need of a 1st/DH. They also have closer Chad Codero to dangle to help fill the holes.

In contrast to the Tim Brown snapshot - Mark Zuckerman of the Washington Time gives an excellent snapshot of where the Nationals currently stand.

BCS Mess Solved!

In a highly controversial move the NCAA has decided to use a Ouija board and the ghost of Marty Feldman to decide who will play in the BCS Championship game. Marty Feldman died 25-years ago today. Feldman died from a sudden heart attack many believe was not caused by his 4 packs a day cigarette habit but by the surprise ending of the book Ethel the Aardvark goes Quantity Surveying. Feldman was not the first choice of ghost and knows almost nothing about college football but ghosts such as Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler and other deceased college football greats want nothing to do with the current mess college football finds itself in. When reached for comment of why a Ouija board and Marty Feldman's ghost would be used to pick the matchup an NCAA official said, "Why not? We've tried every other random method short of a playoff. Why not use a Ouija board and a ghost?" Why not indeed.

Law and Order

When men where men:

[Elfego] Baca officially became the sheriff of Socorro County and secured indictments for the arrest of the area's lawbreakers. Instead of ordering his deputies to pursue the wanted men, he sent each of the accused a letter. It said, “I have a warrant here for your arrest. Please come in by March 15 and give yourself up. If you don’t, I’ll know you intend to resist arrest, and I will feel justified in shooting you on sight when I come after you.” Most of the offenders turned themselves in voluntarily.

Ditching CNN

The other day I mentioned how everyone was upset about having to miss the Packers/Cowboys game because most cable companies don't carry the NFL Network. The other night's Republican debate on CNN illustrated the other side of the argument for ala carte cable.

Saying that CNN exhibited the journalistic standards of a junior college school paper would be a slight to junior college school papers. The various plants they allowed from Democratic interests at the debate should be embarrassing to the network but they'll just shrug it off.

It's no secret that CNN's ratings have been in a tailspin. I, for one, never tune into them. If I want to know what's happening in the news - I go on line. If I want to watch something unfold live - I turn to Fox News. I don't think I am alone in getting my news this way. Yet I am forced to subsidize CNN (and CNN Headline News) every month on my cable bill.

If given a choice over what cable channels you have to pay for - how many people do you think would voluntarily pay for CNN? I'm guessing that the number would be much less than the number who opt to pay for Fox News and even much less than the number of people who opt to pay for the Weather Channel.

Maybe next time - the Weather Channel should host the debates instead of CNN. At least people can expect the Weather Channel to be less biased and more professional. Then again - with CNN setting the bar so low - it would be hard not to.

BCS Rankings

Bob Molinaro does a nice job pointing out how subjective the BCS rankings are.

I remember earlier this week asking the same questions of how Virginia Tech could be ranked ahead of both Boston College and LSU - two teams with identical records to the Hokies who both beat Virginia Tech this year. I was also scratching my head wondering how Missouri could be number 1 in the rankings yet be an underdog against number 9 Oklahoma for a game on a neutral field. Bizarre.

Some would say that Virginia Tech is ranked over BC because of reputation as a better team than BC. But what have they done to earn that reputation? Boston College has beaten Virgina Tech 3 out of the last 4 times they played and is 7-1 against the spread in the last 8 times they have played. The line for this game today is up to 5 points but does anyone feel comfortable with Virginia Tech in close games? According to ESPN - Virginia Tech since 2001 is 6-8 in close games (less than 7 points).

Just saying.

Vote for Clinton 'Cause She's a Woman or Vote Obama "Cause He's Black?

For black women at Spelman College there seems to be a dilemma.

You would think that the answer would be plain as day - vote for Condolezza Rice.

Mets - Nationals Trade

The Mets traded Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church. What to think?

Milledge was supposed to be an untouchable player - I guess not. At one point it was rumored a couple of years ago that Milledge was going to be traded to the Red Sox straight-up for Manny Ramirez. Thank God that never happened. Don't get me wrong - Milledge will just be 23 next season and he's shown significant improvement in his time in the big leagues. He easily could be a 20-HR, .300 batting average guy next season.

In return the Mets get Brian Schneider who I guess you could categorize as Jason Varitek-lite or as Brad Ausmus's brother from another mother. They also get 29-year old Ryan Church who I think is a good player but not good enough to trade one of your top trade chips to acquire.

I don't know what Omar Minaya was thinking. His big need is starting pitching and he just gave away one of his biggest chips for the equivalent of Jose Molina and Corey Patterson - both of whom are free agents and wouldn't have cost the Mets Lastings Milledge to acquire. I think Omar Minaya is a bad general manager. How bad? He just got fleeced by Jim Bowden.

Patriots' First Round Draft Pick

As I've mentioned before - I'm rooting against the San Francisco 49ers this year because the Patriots own their first round draft pick. It looks like that pick will be a top 5 pick and my thinking prior was that the Patriots would trade that pick for 2 picks further down in the first round.

After reading this reminder from Chad Finn of past Patriots history - now I'm not so sure the Pats will be trading that pick. I'm confident, however, in whatever Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick will do with that pick.

Badass Bible Verses

This is very funny. It's been out there for a while and I think FARK linked to to some time back.

HT Steve Silver

Twins - (Devil) Rays Trade

Nobody breaks down the Twins like Aaron Gleeman. He looks at the 6-player trade that was centered around pitcher Matt Garza going to the Rays for Delmon Young. Gleeman sees this as a long-term win (and maybe even short-term) for Tampa Bay and I agree. My first reaction to the trade was to wonder when Jim Bowden became GM for the Twins because this is the sort of the trade he'd make. After thinking about it for a while I have to wonder who the Twins will use as starting pitchers next year. I also think Tampa Bay is quietly putting together a pretty good young team. The Rays will have as good a front three in their rotation as anyone in baseball with Scott Kazmir, Jamie Shields and now Matt Garza.

What are the Odds on the Mitchell Report Naming Names?

Angels owner Artie Moreno says its 100% that names will be included in the upcoming Mitchell Report dealing with steroids in baseball. What I want to know are what are the odds on different players being named. Some enterprising sports book should have prop bets on this. Jose Guillen would be off the board because he supposedly has already been identified as a player who will be named. Can I put some money on say Miguel Tejada at 2-1 odds that he'll be named? It's a safe bet that if there was a list with such a prop bet that Barry Bonds' name would be off the board as well. I'd be willing to put some money down on Roger Clemens at 2-1 too.

Packers vs Cowboys and One of the Biggest Political Issues of the 2008 Election

Tonight the Packers will play the Cowboys in one of the biggest games of the year in the NFL but it won't have close to the TV audience you would expect for a game of this magnitude. That is because the game will be on the NFL Network and not many cable operating companies offer the NFL Network to their customer bases. The dispute between the cable companies and the NFL basically comes down to the NFL wanting their network to be part of the basic cable package while the cable companies insisting that the NFL Network be a "pay" channel or part of a premium sports package.

I want to watch this game tonight but I cannot because my cable company does not offer the NFL Network. I am not alone. I want to watch this game and would love to have the NFL Network as a choice among my cable channels. I am not alone. I have four shopping channels, three Spanish language channels, and dozens of other channels that I do not want but am forced to subsidize as part of my basic cable TV package. I am not alone. I am not happy about this situation and once again I am not alone.

In fact I bet if you asked anyone whether they would prefer to pay only for the cable TV channels they want to watch and not be forced to subsidize packages of channels that could not survive on their own - better than 90% of people would opt for the "ala carte" version of picking individual channels. That better than 90% would be across political party lines - both Democrats, Republicans and Independents. This is an issue that everyone could agree on but politicians are not jumping on because (I guess) they do not want to alienate the cable TV special interest groups (and the money they donate to campaigns).

If you can order a movie on demand and have VCR-type controls (pause, rewind, fast forward) while watching that movie - then your cable company has the technology already in place to offer ala carte cable choice. To me this is such a no-brainer political issue that I am amazed that no major candidate has taken up the banner to lead the charge for cable choice. It would be an immensely popular position.

Top 5 - Christmas Songs by Rock Stars

I'm already partly sick of Christmas music. Anyway - here are the top 5 Christmas songs by rocks stars in my estimation.

1. Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bruce Springsteen
2. Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid
3. Father Christmas - The Kinks
4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Bare Naked Ladies
5. Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby and David Bowie

Team of Free Agents

Just for the heck of it - I was thinking about if I were to create a team made up of still available free agents. Here's what I came up with:

C - Paul Lo Duca
1st - Brad Wilkerson
2nd - Kaz Matsui
SS - David Eckstein
3rd - Mike Lamb
LF - Geoff Jenkins
CF - Aaron Rowand
RF - Kosuke Fukudome
DH - Cliff Floyd

P - Hiroki Kuroda
P - Randy Wolf
P - Freddy Garcia
P - Matt Clement
P - Carlos Silva
CL - Eric Gagne

Call me crazy but I think this team could compete for a playoff spot and come in under $100 million in salary. I left off some players like Andy Pettitte because I don't think he's really a free agent (either Houston, Yankees or retire) and Andruw Jones (not worth the money). I went with some players I'd rather not (Paul Lo Duca and Eric Gagne) because there really wasn't any better options.

I think the lineup would provide pretty decent defense and some pop at the plate. Some of the pitchers are risks because of past injuries (like Wolf and Clement) but I think the potential reward would be worth the risk.

Stream of Consciousness

It was a long weekend and I'm still "recovering". I drank many beers and bet on many games (at one point I hit seven straight games) plus I played lots of cards. Obviously I haven't had any time to post here but I figured I'd just toss out a bunch of miscellaneous thoughts.

- The NCAA BCS championship game is shaping up to be Missouri vs. West Virginia. I've been on the Missouri bandwagon from the first game of the season but to me the real story here is the almost certainty that a team from the Big East is in a great position to win the National Championship. When Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College bolted the Big East for the ACC there was talk that the Big East was done as a football conference and some people were writing that the Big East's automatic BCS bowl bid to the league champion should be taken away. For the Mountaineers to be in a position to come away with the National Championship is a great story as far as I'm concerned.

- The college football polls are a mess. Can anyone explain to me how Virginia Tech can be ranked ahead of both Boston College and LSU when those two teams both beat Virginia Tech? The polls are a joke.

- I'm rooting for San Francisco to lose the rest of their games. How great is it that the Patriots own the 49er's first round pick? The Pats could be looking at getting a Darren McFadden or a Chris Long or they could trade the pick for two picks further down in the first round and wind up with a Mike Hart and a top offensive lineman.

- I am so sick of people saying that the Eagles gave the rest of the league "the blueprint" for how to beat the Patriots. Yeah sure - all you have to do is "hold" the Patriots to 31 points and have your QB throw for well over 300 yards without throwing any interceptions. Yeah sure - that's a blueprint all right.

Bo Diaz

17 years ago today MLB catcher Bo Diaz died.

On November 23, 1990, Diaz was killed when a satellite dish that he was adjusting on the roof of his home in Caracas, Venezuela fell on him. He was 37 years old.

I think enough time has passed to the point where I can rename one of my fantasy football teams "Bo Diaz TV Repair Shop" without feeling bad about it.

Fun Videos

Some fun videos to help pass your morning

- Rehab center for fictional characters

- Green Team (I have a murder boner!)

- The song of the Count (funny how bleeps can make you think dirty thoughts)

HT Sports Frog

Torii Hunter and the Centerfield Market

Torii Hunter was signed to a 5-year $90 million contract yesterday that has sent shock waves through the market for centerfielders.

The Angels had agreed to a $50 million, five-year deal with [Gary] Matthews last November, so Hunter was surprised they were even interested in him.

"They shocked me. I didn't think they needed a center fielder," Hunter said. "They shocked the world."

The Hunter signing has a number of implications and ramifications.

First - this signing will make Aaron Rowand a very rich man. There are a number of GM's out there who have cash on hand and who need to make a splash in the offseason to justify their job to the fans. I would look for Rowand to get some "Hunter-like" offers from the White Sox, Dodgers and Phillies.

Second - the team who misses out on Rowand may be forced into overpaying for Andruw Jones (who is surprisingly 3rd on the centerfielder wish list for most teams). I have to wonder if the Braves are nervous about offering Jones arbitration because it may become a Greg Maddux-like situation from a couple of years ago where they thought Maddux was leaving as a free agent but when he didn't get any big multi-year offers he ended up taking the arbitration from the Braves and breaking their piggy bank (forcing them to trade Kevin Millwod to the Phillies in a salary dump). It should be recalled that Scott Boras was Maddux's agent and is also Andruw Jones' agent. Boras must be praying that the Phillies or Dodgers sign Rowand because I have to think that Kenny Williams and the White Sox are Boras' big chance to get Jones a mega contract.

I don't think the Dodgers or Phillies will be players for Andruw Jones because he has historically done awful at Dodger Stadium (.735 OPS in 36 games) and at Citizen's Bank Park (.638 OPS in 35 games).

Third - once Rowand lands somewhere - teams that still need a centerfielder will be knocking on the Red Sox door to make a deal for Coco Crisp. Besides the teams mentioned above - you will also have the Rangers, Twins and a couple other teams. The Red Sox had to give up a top prospect (Andy Marte) to get Coco - so I'd look for them to get one back in return.

Forth - the Angels have been very active this offseason (acquiring Jon Garland and now signing Hunter) and I don't think they are done. Many people put them as the front-runners for Miguel Cabrera (or Miguel Tejada as a Plan B). The Angels activity already will send some teams into a tizzy - for instance I would not be surprised to see the Dodgers make a very big push on Aaron Rowand to get the back pages back from their metropolitan rivals the Angels. Also - with the "win it now" approach by the Angels many have speculated will put the A's into a rebuilding and trading mode. I don't see that happening. If the A's can keep Rich Harden, Dan Haren and Joe Blanton healthy then they can compete with anyone. The A's have a reasonable payroll and their key players are signed at reasonable terms. I don't see them being sellers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving. And speaking of Thanksgiving - here is my favorite Thanksgiving story - originally told by Gabe Kaplan of Welcome Back Kotter fame:

When Gabe was a kid – his older sister was embarrassed about becoming a young woman. She used to have the young Kaplan go into the drug store to buy her "sanitary napkins". Gabe was curious and asked his sister just what these things were.

“Oh, they’re special occasion napkins,” she would reply.

This explanation was enough for Kaplan and he didn’t give it another thought.

Then one Thanksgiving morning – young Gabe was left alone at home while his parents and older sister drove to the airport to pick up his uncle. Gabe was left with the job of setting the table for Thanksgiving. Then it occurred to him, “what could be more of a special occasion than Thanksgiving?”

Needless to say – his parents were confused, his sister was very embarrassed but his uncle couldn’t stop laughing when they came home and saw the creative way young Gabe had set the table for Thanksgiving.

Barack Obama

Found this quiz over at Big Stupid Tommy's. Obama probably is my worst nightmare. I think of him as pretty much an empty suit.

Which 2008 candidate do you hate the most?

The candidate you like least is Democrat Barack Obama. He opposes the death penalty, wants universal healthcare -- this guy is your worst nightmare!

Take the quiz at Buttafly.com

Jeff Passan

The Big Lead has an interesting interview up of Jeff Passan.

To get an idea of how good Passan can be as a writer - read this piece from 2006 on the death of Reds scout Brian Wilson.

Heh Heh



This is funny. If you don't laugh - you need to get your funny bone checked.

HT The Sports Frog

Six Degrees of Guillermo Mota Separation

The Mets traded Guillermo Mota to the Brewers for catcher Johnny Estrada. I think you have to file this one under - there's more here than meets the eye.

On the surface the Mets fill one of their biggest needs by trading for a starting catcher with some pop in his bat. And they gave up a reliever who to be blunt - sucked. What gives? Were the Brewers so anxious to be rid of Estrada that they would basically leave themselves without a starting catcher for next season? The Brewers are rumored to be interested in Paul Lo Duca who was the Mets starting receiver last season.

Mota will only cost the Brewers $3.2 million in 2008 - so they can take a risk that he'll be serviceable. Estrada will probably get $5 million in arbitration.

This is the sixth time Mota hs been sent to another team as part of a trade. Those deals involved 21 other players and went back and forth from the American to National Leagues. It's probably possible to connect any player in baseball today with just 3 degrees of separation to Guillermo Mota and if you go to 6 degrees - you can probably connect him to babe Ruth.

Who is Today's Bette Davis?

I learned today that Bette Davis went to Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass. Now Bette Davis was before my time but that doesn't mean that I didn't grow up knowing who she was. She was a star. She could be caricatured in a Bugs Bunny cartoon and everyone would know who she was by the rings around the eyes and a vamping, "What a dump!" (I have no idea where that phase came from but I do remember it from the Bugs Bunny cartoons.)

I got to thinking about who would be today's equivalent to Bette Davis and I admit to coming up blank. Can you think of any female star today that you would recognize if the Simpsons or South Park parodied them? Any star today worthy of being remembered in a pop song like Kim Karnes' Bette Davis Eyes?

We don't have "stars" today - we have celebrities. People who would look good in makeup commercials but who just don't impress me as being too talented. Famous for being pretty.

Natalie Gulbis

Oh my God!

Top 5 - Literary Masterpieces I Can't Read

Today is Don DeLillo's birthday (he turned 71 today). His birthday is another reminder of how I've never been able to make it through his masterpiece Underworld. I've picked the book up several times but around page 100 I just lose interest. No matter how many people tell me how great the book is - I just can't finish it. There are a number of "great" books that fit this description. here are the top 5 masterpieces that I either can't finish or have no interest in starting.

1. James Joyce Ulysses - I seem to pick this book up every year and make it to about page 100
2. John Steinbeck The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition) - I re-read Cannery Row every summer but can't get interested in the Grapes.
3. Somerset Maugham Of Human Bondage (Signet Classics) - I've read just about everything else by Maugham but I can't finish this book
4. Don DeLillo Underworld: A Novel
5. Norman Mailer The Executioner's Song

New York Yankees

Tim Brown has a column looking at the Yankees. I like Brown but this was just a bit more than pretentious preening on his part:

Indeed, assurance and vigor have gone the way of Mystique and Aura, capricious mistresses last seen on Curt Schilling's arm.

The Yankees situation can be broken down into two issues - - their position players are getting old (average age 32.1 years old) so staying healthy will be a big question and 2. their starting pitching is iffy at best. Chien-Ming Wang is their number 1 starter but he's iffy when not pitching at home (2.75 ERA at home and 4.91 ERA road ERA last year). Mike Mussina is the number 2 right now but he'll be 39 next year and its an old 39. Then you have the kids - Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy and Phillip Hughes. I've said it before and I'll say it again - if the Yankees aren't able to convince Andy Pettitte to come back for another year - then they'll end up next season behind both the Red Sox and Blue Jays in the standings.

Heh Heh



Saw this at Sports Frog and I had to share it.

Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.

It looks like Mike Lowell will be back with the Red Sox. The reported contract would be 3-years and $37.5 million. I'm glad that the Red Sox did not go that 4th year but if they had approached Lowell in spring training they probably could have had a 2-year $20 million deal. I think the Red Sox should learn from this experience and get Jason Varitek to sign a 1 or 2 year extension before his contract expires at the end of next season.... The White Sox sent Jon Garland to the Angels in exchange for Orlando Cabrera. I think this was a good move by the Angels. They get perhaps the best pitcher available from either the free agent or trade market (assuming Johan Santana or Dan Haren are not yet on the market). You would think that the White Sox could have gotten more for Garland... I'm glad that Tom Glavine is back with the Braves. He deserves to end his career with Atlanta. This is no sentimental move by the Braves though. Glavine can still eat up innings and will be the 3rd or 4th starter for the Braves. Last year he was forced to be the number 1 starter for the Mets and that as much as anything is what caused the late season FAIL in Flushing. The Mets are just about desperate for starting pitching.... It was no surprise that A-Rod won the AL MVP. I think that the NL award goes to Matt Holliday of the Rockies. David Wright could have won the award if the Mets didn't fall apart at the end of the season. Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera played for teams that did not make the post season and Jimmy Rollins may not have been the most valuable player on his won team. That leaves Holliday by process of elimination as the winner of the NL MVP award...

The Gettysburg Address



144 years ago today.

NFL Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous NFL thoughts and observations.

For those who are interested - the Reagan Theory of football betting (home teams getting 3 or less points) is now 9-14-2 on the season... The Cardinals and Bengals managed to score a combined 62 points but neither team managed to have a player with either 100 yards receiving or 100 yards rushing. I just found that unusual... The San Diego Chargers were 14-2 last year but this year are a pedestrian 5-5. The only thing that really changed from this season from last was the head coach being let go (and the coordinators leaving). The Chargers are just 1-4 on the road this season. I have to wonder if the team has trouble maintaining focus when not at home and I have to think that is a failure on the part of the coaching staff... For those who are interested - the Ted Baxter Theory of football betting (taking teams getting 10 or more points) is now 10-12-2 on the season... If Eric Mangini can game plan the Steelers into a 19-16 loss. How bad do you think the Steelers will do faced with a Bill Belichick game plan?... During his first 5 seasons - Peyton Manning averaged 20 INT's per season. Manning then had a 4-year stretch when he had 10 or fewer INT's. This year he has already has 11 picks. During his first 5 seasons Manning was sacked on average 21.6 times per year. Then he had a 4-year stretch where he was sacked on average 15.5 times per season. This year he's on pace to be sacked about 20 times. I think that we are seeing the regression and decline of Manning due to getting old. Its not an aberration. Manning is losing that magic touch...

F-15's Still Grounded

The workhorse of protecting America's air space remains grounded. Popular Mechanics has an update on the situation and tosses this into the picture near the end of the article:

The 2008 defense bill passed last week by Congress designates $3.15 billion to purchase an additional 20 F-22 Raptor jets, , a successor to the F-15, from Lockheed Martin. Over the next several years, the Air Force wants to maintain or even step up spending on both Raptors and the F-35 Lightning II (aka the Joint Strike Fighter). But some in Congress have been pushing to limit Air Force spending in order to beef up ground forces. According to the online rumor mill, the well-publicized shutdown of F-15s is meant to provide the Air Force with some leverage when the bean counters come knocking.

I - for one - don't buy into this being a intra-service maneuver to gain the upper hand in any budget situation. I see this as an offshoot of having fighter jets in service that should have been rotated out for newer models years ago. The F-15's in service today (as I understand it) range in vintage from 1975 models to 2004 models. Those older models are the equivalent of asking the state police to make due on the highway with 1975 Fury III's.

My issue with the reporting of this situation has to do with what is omitted. If it was a car crash and not a plane crash being dealt with we would immediately be told the make, model and YEAR of the car involved. In all reported crashes and in particular in the November 2nd crash we are only told that the model was an F-15C which narrows it down. The F-15C came into the Air Force's inventory starting in 1979.

Now we hear from the Air Force that the newer F-15E's are about to be returned to service and that:

Although the F-15E models are newer, they only represent about one third of the Air Force's F-15s. The older majority of the F-15s are of more concern for Air Force officials.

"What we've got here is an example, in the C model, of what happens when you have an airplane that's about 25 years old," said Maj. Gen. David Gillett, ACC director of logistics.

The Nov. 2 crash also demonstrates the importance of recapitalizing the Air Force's fighter fleet, said the general. ACC's current fleet is the oldest in Air Force history. New systems are more capable, cost less to operate, require fewer people to maintain and can survive modern threat environments, ACC officials have said.

I've said it before - anyone who has ever owned an older car knows that at some point it is more cost effective to get a new(er) car than to keep putting money into repairs on the old one. It is a scandal that our airspace security and the lives of the airmen flying these planes has been put at risk the way it has been.

HT to Instapundit for the PM article

Mid-Morning Links

Here are some links to interesting stuff.

- The taxman is coming after Derek Jeter. Tricky situation - his home is in Tampa but his "apartment" is in NYC. His work is in NYC but half the time he's on the road. Tricky situation. I think if Jeter has good enough accountants and lawyers then he gets out of paying the taxes.

- The Knicks do need an intervention. If this was a family - social services would have came to take the kids long ago.

- Gypped? I've used that word all my life. I've never thought about it as a slur. Sorry but I don't see this as a big deal.

- Throwing stuff against the wall -revisited. I told you that WHDH "report" was all wet:

Wednesday night, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing a member of the Cardinals' front office, strongly denied Boston's WHDH, Channel 7, report that the team had interest, and the Boston Herald reported Thursday that the Braves also denied any involvement with [Mike] Lowell.

If a blog had done the same thing WHDH did - everyone would be screaming about how blogs have no reliability or credibility.

Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds has been indicted for perjury. I hate to say it but I told you so. This is what I wrote back in 2004:

We all know that our legal system is dodgy - especially when the defendants have the money for high powered attorneys. The BALCO stuff may get thrown out but one thing that is not dodgy is the truth. If Barry Bonds lied to the Feds under oath and they can prove it - he'll end up going to jail just like Martha Stewart.

Remember - Martha Stewart did not go to jail for insider trading (which is what the original investigation was about), she went to jail for lying to the Feds. Barry won't go to jail for taking steroids, he'll go to jail for lying about taking steroids.

Somebody has to be the fall guy here and Barry was a main target all along. Plus how sympathetic do you think a jury will be to Barry? About as sympathetic as a jury was to Martha maybe?

Barry is going to jail.

Mike Lowell

OK - this will probably be my last post on Mike Lowell until he signs somewhere. I was curious what teams would be in need of a 3rd baseman who will bring Gold Glove caliber defense, a veteran presence and potentially 20 HR but would cost about $50 million over 4-years.

I thought the best way would be to look at this division by division.

AL East - The Red Sox obviously want him back but for a 3-year deal. The Yankees supposedly have A-Rod back in the fold and I doubt if Lowell really wants to switch to 1st right now. The Orioles have Melvin Mora signed up till 2009 and they need to get younger not older. Forget the (Devil) Rays. Mike Lowell rakes the ball in Toronto but they already have Troy Glaus and his no trade contract to deal with. So that just leaves the Red Sox as a probably landing spot for Mike Lowell.

AL Central - The Indians have Casey Blake and Andy Marte supposedly waiting in the wings. I doubt they make Lowell a better offer than the Red Sox. The White Sox could do something but they already have Joe Crede who has not yet turned 30 at a third the cost and Josh Fields waiting in the wings. They won't make an offer to match the Red Sox. Kansas City? They have two young stud 3rd baseman. Why would they need an old one? The Tigers have Brandon Inge signed up till after the 2010 season. I don't see them making a play. The Twins wouldn't even offer Torii Hunter a 4-year deal. Sure they could use Mike Lowell but they will be getting younger when they trade Johan Santana - why would they need a high priced veteran on their limited budget? I see no potential suitors for Lowell in the AL Central.

AL West - The Angels have Chone Figgins, Dallas McPherson and Brandon Wood potentially to man the hot corner. Sure they were interested in A-Rod but that is because they need a big bat to protect Vlade Guererro in the line-up. Lowell doesn't fit that bill but Miguel Cabrera would. The A's have too much tied up in Eric Chavez to be involved in the bidding. Same is true with the Mariners with Adrian Beltre. Jon Daniels wants the Rangers to get younger so a deal for Lowell is improbable. I see no potential suitors for Lowell in the AL West.

NL East - The Mets have David Wright, the Nationals Ryan Zimmerman and the Braves have Chipper Jones. That leaves the Phillies. They have Wes Helms under contract until 2009 but he's cheap. The Phillies could use a veteran presence like Mike Lowell but do they outbid the Red Sox is the question. Lowell has hit the ball very well at Citizens Bank Park in the past and the Phillies could use a big splash signing. Philadelphia is a very real potential landing spot for Mike Lowell.

NL Central - The Cubs have Aramis Ramirez, the Brewers have Ryan Braun (and Bill Hall), the Reds have 24-year old Edwin Encarnacion, the Astros have Ty Wiggington at a cheap price and the Cardinals have Scott Rolen (but they would love to be rid of him). That just leaves the Pirates and the odds of the Pirates out-bidding the Red Sox are as great as Dennis Kucinich winning the White House. I don't see any potential suitors for Lowell in the NL Central but that could change if the Cardinals off-load Scott Rolen.

NL West - Mark Reynolds is just 24 and a keeper for the Diamondbacks. The Rockies have two young stud 3rd baseman - so scratch them. The Padres have young Kevin Kouzmanoff. The Dodgers have Nomar for one more year and I doubt they would out bid the Red Sox. That leaves just the Giants. The Giants have Rich Aurilia under contract for one more season but at short money. They could potentially try and make a splash with Lowell - especially with Barry Bond's money coming off the books. Brian Sabean has proved time and again that he's not afraid of signing older players. The Giants could be the real wildcard in the pack. If they are the only team to offer Lowell a 4th year and that's a sticking point with Lowell then the Giants could win the bidding by default.

So I see three real suitors for the services of Mike Lowell. The Red Sox have an offer on the table for 3-years and Lowell will probably give the Red Sox the option to meet any offer. Pat Gillick of the Phillies is on record as saying the Phillies are only interested in spending free agent money on pitching and pitching should be their number one priority. However, if they start to lose out on on starter after starter who refuse to go to Citizens bank Park on their own volition - then they may want to make a splash with Lowell. I think San Francisco would be Lowell's third choice of the bunch. When you look at it logically - it adds up to Mike Lowell re-signing with the Red Sox.

EDIT: Lyford has a very good post on Mike Lowell's numbers. He comes to the same conclusion that a 3-year deal is OK but a 4-year deal would not be. I agree.