Johnny Damon
Some nuggets about Johnny Damon.
- Even if he played the remaining 113 games left in the Yankees schedule - he would still be five games short of the number of regular season games played during his 4 years in Boston. That's really a tribute to his reliability. He never played fewer than 145 games in his time in Boston and has never played less than 141 games in the 13 full seasons since he became a regular player in the lineup.
- Damon has already hit 7 more home runs for the Yankees than he hit during his time in Boston. He has 10 this season. The New Yankee Stadium seems tailor made for him.
- Damon currently has 2,326 hits which places him 127th on the All-Time list. If Damon was to play 3 or more season after 2009 - it is not outside the realm of possibility that he could crack 3,000 hits for his career. If he was to do that - would he be considered a Hall of Fame player? He'd probably have to play until he was 40 in order to get there - so its probably a moot point. It is interesting to note that if he stays healthy that he'll probably finish the season with more career hits than either Mickey Mantle or Carlton Fisk.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The David Ortiz Solution
If I were the Red Sox - I'd solve to problem with David Ortiz in a very simple manner. I'd start have him practice his bunting.
Like the sage Wee Willie Keeler is famous for saying, "Hit them where they ain't." Whenever a team went into a shift on Ortiz - I'd have him drag a bunt down the 3rd base line. If the other team wants to give up the 3rd base line by shifting the third baseman over to short - take advantage of it. After a few infield singles - teams would stop using the shift on Ortiz and suddenly Ortiz would start to have his pulled line drives fall in for hits. Both his batting average and his confidence would rise and suddenly some balls would start leaving the yard too.
This strategy also has the benefit that it couldn't hurt. Even if Ortiz just practiced drag bunting during pregame batting practice - the other team might notice and thus be more reluctant to use the shift during the game.
If I were the Red Sox - I'd solve to problem with David Ortiz in a very simple manner. I'd start have him practice his bunting.
Like the sage Wee Willie Keeler is famous for saying, "Hit them where they ain't." Whenever a team went into a shift on Ortiz - I'd have him drag a bunt down the 3rd base line. If the other team wants to give up the 3rd base line by shifting the third baseman over to short - take advantage of it. After a few infield singles - teams would stop using the shift on Ortiz and suddenly Ortiz would start to have his pulled line drives fall in for hits. Both his batting average and his confidence would rise and suddenly some balls would start leaving the yard too.
This strategy also has the benefit that it couldn't hurt. Even if Ortiz just practiced drag bunting during pregame batting practice - the other team might notice and thus be more reluctant to use the shift during the game.
Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.
I'm amazed that some people still debate whether Ichiro Suzuki is a Hall of Fame Player or not. Ichiro has been in the league for 8 years and each year he's been an All-Star and won a Gold Glove. He's also had over 200 hits in each of his seasons and won 2 batting titles. This year Ichiro is batting .342 and shows no sign of slowing down. To top it off - when you see him play in person he's simply mesmerizing. I've seen him play a few times and you can't take your eyes off him... Bobby Abreu's batting average dropped 65 points in May. He hit just .221 for the month (not including today's game). I just don't seem to like Bobby Abreu... Speaking of Bobby Abreu - of the minor leaguers that Philly got back as part of the Cory Lidle/Abreu trade - only Matt Smith made an impact. Too bad for the Phillies that the impact was to have an 11.25 ERA in 9 games back in 2007. That trade between the Phillies and Yankees will go down in history as a textbook salary dump trade... I'm not a fan of collusion but I'd be willing to set aside my scruples for a minute to get the MLB owners to agree to block the Washington Nationals from drafting San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg. Scott Boras is going to have a field day with the mess that is the Nationals front office and the money Strasburg will get will unbalance the pay scale an unprecedented amount. Then again - this could be the perfect storm that leads to a rookie pay scale... In Nick Carfardo's notes column today - he asks, "How about Omar Vizquel as a fill-in shortstop for the Red Sox until Jed Lowrie comes back?" I love that idea but there are two problems - Jed Lowrie is almost back and why would the Rangers give up the versatile Vizquel?
Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.
I'm amazed that some people still debate whether Ichiro Suzuki is a Hall of Fame Player or not. Ichiro has been in the league for 8 years and each year he's been an All-Star and won a Gold Glove. He's also had over 200 hits in each of his seasons and won 2 batting titles. This year Ichiro is batting .342 and shows no sign of slowing down. To top it off - when you see him play in person he's simply mesmerizing. I've seen him play a few times and you can't take your eyes off him... Bobby Abreu's batting average dropped 65 points in May. He hit just .221 for the month (not including today's game). I just don't seem to like Bobby Abreu... Speaking of Bobby Abreu - of the minor leaguers that Philly got back as part of the Cory Lidle/Abreu trade - only Matt Smith made an impact. Too bad for the Phillies that the impact was to have an 11.25 ERA in 9 games back in 2007. That trade between the Phillies and Yankees will go down in history as a textbook salary dump trade... I'm not a fan of collusion but I'd be willing to set aside my scruples for a minute to get the MLB owners to agree to block the Washington Nationals from drafting San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg. Scott Boras is going to have a field day with the mess that is the Nationals front office and the money Strasburg will get will unbalance the pay scale an unprecedented amount. Then again - this could be the perfect storm that leads to a rookie pay scale... In Nick Carfardo's notes column today - he asks, "How about Omar Vizquel as a fill-in shortstop for the Red Sox until Jed Lowrie comes back?" I love that idea but there are two problems - Jed Lowrie is almost back and why would the Rangers give up the versatile Vizquel?
The Longest Game
The Texas Longhorns and the BC Eagles played the longest game in college history yesterday with a game that Texas won 3-2 in 25 innings. Think about that - 25 innings!
I felt sad reading the article though because nobody will remember BC's role in this game. This is not their Tin Cup moment - that moment belongs to the Longhorns. Think about it. The longest professional game in history occurred at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, RI with the Pawtucket Red Sox winning a 33 inning marathon. I couldn't tell you who lost the game without looking it up though. (And yes - I looked it up and it was the Rochester Red Wings.) Years from now people will be looking it up to see who the Longhorns beat in the 25-inning game.
The Texas Longhorns and the BC Eagles played the longest game in college history yesterday with a game that Texas won 3-2 in 25 innings. Think about that - 25 innings!
I felt sad reading the article though because nobody will remember BC's role in this game. This is not their Tin Cup moment - that moment belongs to the Longhorns. Think about it. The longest professional game in history occurred at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, RI with the Pawtucket Red Sox winning a 33 inning marathon. I couldn't tell you who lost the game without looking it up though. (And yes - I looked it up and it was the Rochester Red Wings.) Years from now people will be looking it up to see who the Longhorns beat in the 25-inning game.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
From Coco Crisp's Twitter account I learned that he likes to play World of Warcraft and that he has a pet Chihuahua. I'll never be able to look at Coco Crisp the same... The World Series of Poker is off and running. Just a reminder but the best place (in terms of writing, humor and updates) to follow the WSOP is at The Tao of Poker... Speaking of poker - when I first read this story I was disgusted. After a minute I was amused thinking about the irony of socialism on a small scale running smack dab into police state tactics (or in this case State Police tactics). A charity poker game run by a cooperative with proceeds from the event to feed the poor raided by the state police because the Sisters didn't have the proper papers - yup. Look out South Berwick Strawberry Festival Committee - you're next!... All week I've been meaning to write a review of Bottom of the Ninth: Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, and the Daring Scheme to Save Baseball from Itself
. I read the book over two days and could not put it down. Excellent history and insight into a period of baseball history which has largely gone overlooked. I recommend the book heartily...
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
From Coco Crisp's Twitter account I learned that he likes to play World of Warcraft and that he has a pet Chihuahua. I'll never be able to look at Coco Crisp the same... The World Series of Poker is off and running. Just a reminder but the best place (in terms of writing, humor and updates) to follow the WSOP is at The Tao of Poker... Speaking of poker - when I first read this story I was disgusted. After a minute I was amused thinking about the irony of socialism on a small scale running smack dab into police state tactics (or in this case State Police tactics). A charity poker game run by a cooperative with proceeds from the event to feed the poor raided by the state police because the Sisters didn't have the proper papers - yup. Look out South Berwick Strawberry Festival Committee - you're next!... All week I've been meaning to write a review of Bottom of the Ninth: Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, and the Daring Scheme to Save Baseball from Itself
. I read the book over two days and could not put it down. Excellent history and insight into a period of baseball history which has largely gone overlooked. I recommend the book heartily...
Friday, May 29, 2009
Player Comparison
If you just looked at Jacoby Ellsbury's .307 batting average and his 21 stolen bases (not to mention his recent 22-game hitting streak) - you may think he was having a great season. However, comparing him to the person he replaced - Coco Crisp - may dampen that enthusiasm (numbers don't include yesterday's games).
Ellsbury - .307 BA/ .338 OBP/ .377 SLG/ .715 OPS/ 81 OPS+
Crisp - .233 BA/ .344 OBP/ .399 SLG/ .743 OPS/ 97 OPS+
Some other numbers:
Ellsbury - 1 HR/ 21 SB/ 6 CS/ 10 BB/ 19 SO/ 75 TB
Crisp - 3 HR/ 11 SB/ 2 CS/ 27 BB/ 19 SO/ 65 TB
I think you'd have to call this a draw or maybe even a slight advantage to Coco. Of course when you factor in that Ellsbury is just 25 and makes a fraction of what the 29-year old Crisp makes plus the trade of Crisp netted the Red Sox Ramon Ramirez and his 0.74 ERA - Ellsbury clearly becomes the better value.
If you just looked at Jacoby Ellsbury's .307 batting average and his 21 stolen bases (not to mention his recent 22-game hitting streak) - you may think he was having a great season. However, comparing him to the person he replaced - Coco Crisp - may dampen that enthusiasm (numbers don't include yesterday's games).
Ellsbury - .307 BA/ .338 OBP/ .377 SLG/ .715 OPS/ 81 OPS+
Crisp - .233 BA/ .344 OBP/ .399 SLG/ .743 OPS/ 97 OPS+
Some other numbers:
Ellsbury - 1 HR/ 21 SB/ 6 CS/ 10 BB/ 19 SO/ 75 TB
Crisp - 3 HR/ 11 SB/ 2 CS/ 27 BB/ 19 SO/ 65 TB
I think you'd have to call this a draw or maybe even a slight advantage to Coco. Of course when you factor in that Ellsbury is just 25 and makes a fraction of what the 29-year old Crisp makes plus the trade of Crisp netted the Red Sox Ramon Ramirez and his 0.74 ERA - Ellsbury clearly becomes the better value.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Andy Glazer
Pauly has a good post up about a good cause - nominating poker writer Andy Glazer for the Poker Hall of Fame.
If you have a minute please go here and nominate Andy.
Andy was THE poker writer and his untimely death caused him to just miss the poker boom and the chance to be appreciated by a much wider audience. Andy was to poker writing what Chip Reese was to high stakes cash games. It has been almost 5 years since Andy's death. Five years is the waiting period for the baseball Hall of Fame. Five years is long enough for Andy Glazer to wait to be inducted posthumously into the Poker Hall of Fame.
Pauly has a good post up about a good cause - nominating poker writer Andy Glazer for the Poker Hall of Fame.
If you have a minute please go here and nominate Andy.
Andy was THE poker writer and his untimely death caused him to just miss the poker boom and the chance to be appreciated by a much wider audience. Andy was to poker writing what Chip Reese was to high stakes cash games. It has been almost 5 years since Andy's death. Five years is the waiting period for the baseball Hall of Fame. Five years is long enough for Andy Glazer to wait to be inducted posthumously into the Poker Hall of Fame.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Player Comparison
Let's compare two sluggers and how they did in the season where they were 31-years old:
Player A - 44 HR/ 105 RBI/ .295 BA/ .417 OBP/ .580 SLG/ .997 OPS
Player B - 35 HR/ 117 RBI/ .332 BA/ .445 OBP/ .621 SLG/ 1.066 OPS
Here's how the players compared when they were 32-years old:
Player A - 24 HR/ 77 RBI/ .226 BA/ .313 OBP/ .421 SLG/ .734 OPS
Player B - 23 HR/ 89 RBI/ .264 BA/ .369 OBP/ .507 SLG/ .877 OPS
It should be noted that Player A was a full-time player who may have been worn down some by playing the field every day. Player B is a full-time DH. When they hit their age 33-years old season?
Player A - .228 BA / .306 OBP / .361 SLG / .667 OPS
Player B - .197 BA / .305 OBP / .306 SLG / .611 OPS
Player A is Dale Murphy while Player B is David Ortiz. Dale Murphy was an Atlanta icon but he ended up traded for flotsam and jetsam the year after his age 33 season when it was clear that he was no longer the player he once was. Will Boston icon David Ortiz suffer a similar fate?
Let's compare two sluggers and how they did in the season where they were 31-years old:
Player A - 44 HR/ 105 RBI/ .295 BA/ .417 OBP/ .580 SLG/ .997 OPS
Player B - 35 HR/ 117 RBI/ .332 BA/ .445 OBP/ .621 SLG/ 1.066 OPS
Here's how the players compared when they were 32-years old:
Player A - 24 HR/ 77 RBI/ .226 BA/ .313 OBP/ .421 SLG/ .734 OPS
Player B - 23 HR/ 89 RBI/ .264 BA/ .369 OBP/ .507 SLG/ .877 OPS
It should be noted that Player A was a full-time player who may have been worn down some by playing the field every day. Player B is a full-time DH. When they hit their age 33-years old season?
Player A - .228 BA / .306 OBP / .361 SLG / .667 OPS
Player B - .197 BA / .305 OBP / .306 SLG / .611 OPS
Player A is Dale Murphy while Player B is David Ortiz. Dale Murphy was an Atlanta icon but he ended up traded for flotsam and jetsam the year after his age 33 season when it was clear that he was no longer the player he once was. Will Boston icon David Ortiz suffer a similar fate?
Eric Gagne
Perhaps the worst single move by Theo Epstein was to trade for Eric Gagne. Be that as it may - Gagne is supposedly trying a comeback of sorts by playing for the Québec Capitales of the Can-Am League - as a starter!
The Capitales will be in Worcester to play the Tornadoes from June 19th to the 21st. I'll probably head over to Fitton Field to watch one of those games.
This was too good not to borrow from Neate's site.
Perhaps the worst single move by Theo Epstein was to trade for Eric Gagne. Be that as it may - Gagne is supposedly trying a comeback of sorts by playing for the Québec Capitales of the Can-Am League - as a starter!
The Capitales will be in Worcester to play the Tornadoes from June 19th to the 21st. I'll probably head over to Fitton Field to watch one of those games.
This was too good not to borrow from Neate's site.
Movies Filmed in Boston
The Boston Globe has a list of 10 memorable movies filmed in Boston but the list is awful. How can you have a list of memorable films made in Boston and leave off The Thomas Crown Affair (the original with Steve McQueen), The Paper Chase (OK so mostly filmed in Cambridge but close enough) and the cult favorite Boondock Saints?
I had those three movies in my Top 5 Movies Filmed in Massachusetts - never mind just Boston.
The Boston Globe has a list of 10 memorable movies filmed in Boston but the list is awful. How can you have a list of memorable films made in Boston and leave off The Thomas Crown Affair (the original with Steve McQueen), The Paper Chase (OK so mostly filmed in Cambridge but close enough) and the cult favorite Boondock Saints?
I had those three movies in my Top 5 Movies Filmed in Massachusetts - never mind just Boston.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Death of the .400 Hitter
Joe Posnanski today writes about Whether we'll ever see another .400 hitter. He writes:
1. Players aren't trying to strikeout. Sure you don't have players "choking up on the bat" with two strikes like in the old days but still players aren't going up to the plate trying to strike out. They would cut down on their strikeout rates if they could.
2. Pitchers are trying to strike batters out more. You no longer have starting pitchers trying to get the ball in play to save something for the later innings. Today you have specialized relievers and fire-balling closers. Not to take anything away from Ted Williams but he never had to face a Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley or Jonathan Papelbon.
For me - the argument about the disappearance of the .400 hitter was settled decisively by Stephen Jay Gould in his 1996 book Full House. Among other things, in the book Gould explains the disappearance of the .400 hitter owing to two main reasons:
Read the book. It is fascinating in its discussion on surviving cancer, how horses beat the evolutionary trends and why we no longer have .400 hitters. Someone should get Joe Posnanski a copy.
Joe Posnanski today writes about Whether we'll ever see another .400 hitter. He writes:
BUT ... could it just come down to the fact that batters strike out a whole lot more than they did in the .400-hitting days? I do realize that all of the above reasons would contribute to more strikeouts, but I am still wondering here: Is that what it comes down to?Joe makes a very interesting argument about cutting down strikeout rates below 8% and how that would affect batting averages. I think he misses two very important points though:
1. Players aren't trying to strikeout. Sure you don't have players "choking up on the bat" with two strikes like in the old days but still players aren't going up to the plate trying to strike out. They would cut down on their strikeout rates if they could.
2. Pitchers are trying to strike batters out more. You no longer have starting pitchers trying to get the ball in play to save something for the later innings. Today you have specialized relievers and fire-balling closers. Not to take anything away from Ted Williams but he never had to face a Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley or Jonathan Papelbon.
For me - the argument about the disappearance of the .400 hitter was settled decisively by Stephen Jay Gould in his 1996 book Full House. Among other things, in the book Gould explains the disappearance of the .400 hitter owing to two main reasons:
1. Complex systems improve when the best performers play by the same rules over an extended period of time. As systems improve, they equilibriate and variation decreases.The game has been pretty stable since Ted Williams last hit .400 and excellence in all areas of the game has improved. Better fielding (player positioning and equipment), pitching (reliever specialization and pitch charting) and batting (better equipment and videos of pitcher tendencies). The .400 hitter has always been at the right tail of the bell curve of batting averages and when looked at statistically - the disappearance of the .400 hitter is seen as basically a measure of an overall improvement in play.
2. As play improves and bell curves march toward the right wall, variation must shrink at the right tail.Players who hit .400 were on the far right tails of the bell curve. That curve has shrunk as the play has improved - drawing in that "right tail". You don't have guys hitting .430 while the rest of the league is hitting .260. Play has improved so now you have guys hitting .340 while the league is hitting as a whole .270.
Read the book. It is fascinating in its discussion on surviving cancer, how horses beat the evolutionary trends and why we no longer have .400 hitters. Someone should get Joe Posnanski a copy.
Monday, May 25, 2009
David Ortiz
Everyone was so happy for David Ortiz when he hit his first his first home run of the season. Everyone was pulling for him. Everyone was hoping that with that monkey off his back that Ortiz would break out of his slump. Now everybody is asking, "What are we going to do about Ortiz?"
Drop him down in the order? You can't have your number 3 hitter struggling to hit .200. Drop him down to Pawtucket or Portland to let him get his stroke back? But what if he struggles against minor league pitching too? Wouldn't that just crush his confidence? Should the team just face the fact that Ortiz may be done and move on? This last question may be the hardest. Ortiz is owed so much for the success of two World Series Champions. He's our Willie Stargell. You just don't show Willie Stargell the door. Should the Red Sox just keep him where he is and hope he has to at least get better because it would be hard to do any worse?
In all of baseball there are only 14 players who start on a regular basis that have a worse OPS than Ortiz. The names include the usual suspects like middle infielders Alexei Ramirez, Jose Lopez, Kaz Matsui, Ty Wiggington, Orlando Cabrera and Nick Punto; catchers Jason Kendall and Dioner Navarro; plus struggling youngsters BJ Upton, Chris Young, Josh Fields and Garrett Atkins. Then you have the cases of veterans who used to be sluggers like Adrian Beltre and Brian Giles.
These last two names probably have the most similarity to Ortiz. You have Giles who started off as the number 3 hitter for the Padres and who I think is cooked. I also have long held suspicions that Giles may have used performance enhancing drugs. I'd be stupid to think that others don't hold the same suspicions about Ortiz. The Padres at least have dropped Giles down in the batting order but Giles is 38-years old. At that age who really gets surprised when your skills fall off a cliff? Beltre? He's just 30 and the Mariners have moved him around a couple times in the line-up. Beltre also has that one Brady Anderson-like 48 home runs back in 2004.
Whatever the answer is to what to do with Ortiz. I just hope Ortiz realizes that he shouldn't be counting on the Red Sox picking up his 2011 option.
Everyone was so happy for David Ortiz when he hit his first his first home run of the season. Everyone was pulling for him. Everyone was hoping that with that monkey off his back that Ortiz would break out of his slump. Now everybody is asking, "What are we going to do about Ortiz?"
Drop him down in the order? You can't have your number 3 hitter struggling to hit .200. Drop him down to Pawtucket or Portland to let him get his stroke back? But what if he struggles against minor league pitching too? Wouldn't that just crush his confidence? Should the team just face the fact that Ortiz may be done and move on? This last question may be the hardest. Ortiz is owed so much for the success of two World Series Champions. He's our Willie Stargell. You just don't show Willie Stargell the door. Should the Red Sox just keep him where he is and hope he has to at least get better because it would be hard to do any worse?
In all of baseball there are only 14 players who start on a regular basis that have a worse OPS than Ortiz. The names include the usual suspects like middle infielders Alexei Ramirez, Jose Lopez, Kaz Matsui, Ty Wiggington, Orlando Cabrera and Nick Punto; catchers Jason Kendall and Dioner Navarro; plus struggling youngsters BJ Upton, Chris Young, Josh Fields and Garrett Atkins. Then you have the cases of veterans who used to be sluggers like Adrian Beltre and Brian Giles.
These last two names probably have the most similarity to Ortiz. You have Giles who started off as the number 3 hitter for the Padres and who I think is cooked. I also have long held suspicions that Giles may have used performance enhancing drugs. I'd be stupid to think that others don't hold the same suspicions about Ortiz. The Padres at least have dropped Giles down in the batting order but Giles is 38-years old. At that age who really gets surprised when your skills fall off a cliff? Beltre? He's just 30 and the Mariners have moved him around a couple times in the line-up. Beltre also has that one Brady Anderson-like 48 home runs back in 2004.
Whatever the answer is to what to do with Ortiz. I just hope Ortiz realizes that he shouldn't be counting on the Red Sox picking up his 2011 option.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Top 5 - Moments from A Band of Brothers
Yesterday I spent a good amount of time inputting data into a new CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software. It was convenient that the History Channel was showing a Band of Brothers marathon. I had my laptop in front of me and Band of Brothers playing in the background.
Recently I did a Top 5 Moments from A Band of Brothers but today I'd like to revise my choices.
1. Spiers takes command of Easy - the scene of Spiers jumping through the smoke to assume command from Lt. Dike gives me chills every time. The talk with Sgt. Lipton about Tersius is the cherry on top.
2. Liebgott translates the defeated German General's speech to his men. A poignant speech which showed the German soldiers as similar to the men of Easy Company. The humor of Captain Sobel having to salute Major Winters and Captain Nixon's reaction always makes me laugh.
3. Easy Co takes the Eagles Nest. It was nice to see the guys enjoy some well earned R & R (and spoils of war - including a nice cache of booze for Captain Nixon).
4. Easy takes out the German 105s at Brecourt Manor - I've written before that Dick Winters should have been awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.
5. After the first raid across the river for prisoners when Captain Winters is ordered to have the men make a second raid but instead disobeys orders and falsifies a report instead of risking the lives of his men.
Yesterday I spent a good amount of time inputting data into a new CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software. It was convenient that the History Channel was showing a Band of Brothers marathon. I had my laptop in front of me and Band of Brothers playing in the background.
Recently I did a Top 5 Moments from A Band of Brothers but today I'd like to revise my choices.
1. Spiers takes command of Easy - the scene of Spiers jumping through the smoke to assume command from Lt. Dike gives me chills every time. The talk with Sgt. Lipton about Tersius is the cherry on top.
2. Liebgott translates the defeated German General's speech to his men. A poignant speech which showed the German soldiers as similar to the men of Easy Company. The humor of Captain Sobel having to salute Major Winters and Captain Nixon's reaction always makes me laugh.
3. Easy Co takes the Eagles Nest. It was nice to see the guys enjoy some well earned R & R (and spoils of war - including a nice cache of booze for Captain Nixon).
4. Easy takes out the German 105s at Brecourt Manor - I've written before that Dick Winters should have been awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.
5. After the first raid across the river for prisoners when Captain Winters is ordered to have the men make a second raid but instead disobeys orders and falsifies a report instead of risking the lives of his men.
June 15th
June 15th is the day when MLB teams can trade free agents they signed in the offseason. There is no "sign and trade" in baseball. Instead they have sign and wait period. I have to wonder if Jon Garland may be dangled to teams than need a 4th or 5th starter who can eat innings. Garland signed a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks for $7.25 million. For that kind of remaining money on the contract - if I were a GM - I think I'd rather take a gamble signing Pedro Martinez.
Brad Penny is another guy who could be available on June 15th but I'm starting to doubt the Red Sox will dangle him. Penny has had 4 quality starts in a row and is a favorite of owner John Henry. The Red Sox would probably only move Penny if they are 100% on the health of John Smoltz or if he can get a shortstop ready to help this season in return.
Speaking of Brad Penny - today's his 31st birthday.
June 15th is the day when MLB teams can trade free agents they signed in the offseason. There is no "sign and trade" in baseball. Instead they have sign and wait period. I have to wonder if Jon Garland may be dangled to teams than need a 4th or 5th starter who can eat innings. Garland signed a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks for $7.25 million. For that kind of remaining money on the contract - if I were a GM - I think I'd rather take a gamble signing Pedro Martinez.
Brad Penny is another guy who could be available on June 15th but I'm starting to doubt the Red Sox will dangle him. Penny has had 4 quality starts in a row and is a favorite of owner John Henry. The Red Sox would probably only move Penny if they are 100% on the health of John Smoltz or if he can get a shortstop ready to help this season in return.
Speaking of Brad Penny - today's his 31st birthday.
Brian Giles and the Padres
The cash-strapped Padres really want to trade Jake Peavy to get back some prospects and more importantly shed the rest of Peavy's contract. They would also like to trade Brian Giles and avoid having to pay the rest of Giles $9 million contract for 2009. I have no sympathy for Padres GM Kevin Towers when it comes to Giles. He did not have to exercise Giles 2009 team option. In fact doing so was plain stupid as highlighted by the fact that this is Giles current stat line:
The Padres picked up Brian Giles $9 million option for 2009 because they thought that it would be difficult to find a hitter of his caliber for $9 million. Bobby Abreu signed a one-year deal with the Angels for $5 million and is a much better hitter.
I have no sympathy for Kevin Towers.
The cash-strapped Padres really want to trade Jake Peavy to get back some prospects and more importantly shed the rest of Peavy's contract. They would also like to trade Brian Giles and avoid having to pay the rest of Giles $9 million contract for 2009. I have no sympathy for Padres GM Kevin Towers when it comes to Giles. He did not have to exercise Giles 2009 team option. In fact doing so was plain stupid as highlighted by the fact that this is Giles current stat line:
Brian Giles - .170 BA / .269 OBP / .248 SLG / .517 OPSThat's awful. You easily could have gotten a AAAA player to post those types of numbers at a minimum salary. Of course since Giles is a 10/5 guy he'll now veto any trade as well (like he did last year when the Padres tried to trade him to Boston). The Padres have to pray their highest paid employee (Giles actually makes more than Peavy at least for this year) breaks out of what they hope is a slump. Personally - I don't think it is a slump.
The Padres picked up Brian Giles $9 million option for 2009 because they thought that it would be difficult to find a hitter of his caliber for $9 million. Bobby Abreu signed a one-year deal with the Angels for $5 million and is a much better hitter.
I have no sympathy for Kevin Towers.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Jake Peavy - Buyer Beware
Jake Peavy turned down a trade that would have sent him to the Chicago White Sox. This may have been a good thing - for the White Sox.
Baseball-Reference.com has a nifty feature called Similar Players. Here are the 10 most similar players to Jake Peavy (according to Baseball-Reference.com). I added some notes after each name and similarity score:
1. Brandon Webb (983) - is 30-years old and has not thrown a pitch this year because of shoulder problems
2. Josh Beckett (956) - not going to comment on Beckett out of fear of jinxing him
3. John Lackey (945) - age 30-years old and has missed the first month and a half of this season before making his first start recently
4. Doug Rau (944) - only made 11 starts as a 30-year old, then missed the entire next season before trying to comeback. Only made 3 more starts the rest of his career. Out of baseball before he turned 33.
5. Pat Jarvis (937) - only made 29 starts after turning 30-years old. Out of baseball by the time he turned 33.
6. Teddy Higuera (934) - missed the entire 1992 season with shoulder issues. For all intents and purposes - he was washed up by 33-years old.
7. Carlos Zambrano (931) - only 28-years old. Ask any Cubs fan if they fear Zambrano going down with a major injury.
8. Orlando Hernandez (930) - Cuban physical freak.
9. Ben Sheets (930) - needed elbow surgery at age 29 and is not expected to pitch at all this season
10. A.J. Burnett (929) - if a team trading for Peavy hopes he can be as healthy as AJ Burnett - then that's a giant red flag right there.
Peavy is signed through 2012 with a 2013 $22 million club option. If the most similar players are any sort of guide then the team trading for Peavy can expect him to spend some significant time on the DL before his contract is up and probably be out of baseball by the time he turns 33.
Buyer beware.
Jake Peavy turned down a trade that would have sent him to the Chicago White Sox. This may have been a good thing - for the White Sox.
Baseball-Reference.com has a nifty feature called Similar Players. Here are the 10 most similar players to Jake Peavy (according to Baseball-Reference.com). I added some notes after each name and similarity score:
1. Brandon Webb (983) - is 30-years old and has not thrown a pitch this year because of shoulder problems
2. Josh Beckett (956) - not going to comment on Beckett out of fear of jinxing him
3. John Lackey (945) - age 30-years old and has missed the first month and a half of this season before making his first start recently
4. Doug Rau (944) - only made 11 starts as a 30-year old, then missed the entire next season before trying to comeback. Only made 3 more starts the rest of his career. Out of baseball before he turned 33.
5. Pat Jarvis (937) - only made 29 starts after turning 30-years old. Out of baseball by the time he turned 33.
6. Teddy Higuera (934) - missed the entire 1992 season with shoulder issues. For all intents and purposes - he was washed up by 33-years old.
7. Carlos Zambrano (931) - only 28-years old. Ask any Cubs fan if they fear Zambrano going down with a major injury.
8. Orlando Hernandez (930) - Cuban physical freak.
9. Ben Sheets (930) - needed elbow surgery at age 29 and is not expected to pitch at all this season
10. A.J. Burnett (929) - if a team trading for Peavy hopes he can be as healthy as AJ Burnett - then that's a giant red flag right there.
Peavy is signed through 2012 with a 2013 $22 million club option. If the most similar players are any sort of guide then the team trading for Peavy can expect him to spend some significant time on the DL before his contract is up and probably be out of baseball by the time he turns 33.
Buyer beware.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Weird Dream
I awoke this morning to a weird dream. It was perhaps the simplest of dreams I can ever remember - which I guess adds to its weirdness. The dream was just a newspaper with a large, bold headline; DANNY LEAVES FOR DREAM JOB.
What did that mean? Who was Danny and what was his dream job? I awoke to wonder at this. The only thing that made sense to me was that Danny was Danny Ainge. I couldn't really think of any other Danny worthy of such a headline. If that was the case though - what was Danny Ainge's dream job? I just assumed that his present job with the Celtics would be a dream job. What could top that? Commissioner of the PGA? I racked my brain but couldn't come up with anything else.
This bothered me until I was at least half-way into my second cup of coffee.
I awoke this morning to a weird dream. It was perhaps the simplest of dreams I can ever remember - which I guess adds to its weirdness. The dream was just a newspaper with a large, bold headline; DANNY LEAVES FOR DREAM JOB.
What did that mean? Who was Danny and what was his dream job? I awoke to wonder at this. The only thing that made sense to me was that Danny was Danny Ainge. I couldn't really think of any other Danny worthy of such a headline. If that was the case though - what was Danny Ainge's dream job? I just assumed that his present job with the Celtics would be a dream job. What could top that? Commissioner of the PGA? I racked my brain but couldn't come up with anything else.
This bothered me until I was at least half-way into my second cup of coffee.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Interesting Comparison
Here is a list of the worst states when it comes to exploiting the motoring public (compiled by the National Motorists Association). I added a twist by showing which states voted Democrat (bolded) in the last Presidential election versus which voted Republican. Completely non-scientific but I think it is telling that 9 out of 10 of the least friendly states towards motorists are Democratic states. Meanwhile 8 out of 10 of the most friendly states towards motorists are Republican states.
Just a thought but it seems to me there is a parallel between the mindsets of some states in the way they treat motorists and the way they treat taxpayers.
1) New Jersey (D)
2) Ohio (D)
3) Maryland (D)
4) Louisiana (R)
5) New York (D)
6) Illinois (D)
7) Delaware (D)
8) Virginia(D)
9) Washington (D)
10) Massachusetts (D)
11) Colorado (D)
12) Oregon (D)
13) Tennessee (R)
14) California (D)
15) Michigan (D)
16) Vermont (D)
17) Maine (D)
18) Florida (D)
19) Pennsylvania (D)
20) North Carolina (D)
21) Alabama (R)
22) Rhode Island (D)
23) West Virginia (R)
24) New Hampshire (D)
25) Arizona (R)
26) New Mexico (D)
27) Missouri (R)
28) Texas (R)
29) Oklahoma (R)
30) Nevada (D)
31) Georgia (R)
32) Connecticut (D)
33) South Carolina (R)
34) Iowa (D)
35) Hawaii (D)
36) Arkansas (R)
37) Alaska (R)
38) Kansas (R)
39) Mississippi (R)
40) Wisconsin (D)
41) Utah (R)
42) South Dakota (R)
43) Indiana (D)
44) Minnesota (D)
45) North Dakota (R)
46) Kentucky (R)
47) Nebraska (R)
48) Montana (R)
49) Idaho (R)
50) Wyoming (R)
HT Instapundit
Here is a list of the worst states when it comes to exploiting the motoring public (compiled by the National Motorists Association). I added a twist by showing which states voted Democrat (bolded) in the last Presidential election versus which voted Republican. Completely non-scientific but I think it is telling that 9 out of 10 of the least friendly states towards motorists are Democratic states. Meanwhile 8 out of 10 of the most friendly states towards motorists are Republican states.
Just a thought but it seems to me there is a parallel between the mindsets of some states in the way they treat motorists and the way they treat taxpayers.
1) New Jersey (D)
2) Ohio (D)
3) Maryland (D)
4) Louisiana (R)
5) New York (D)
6) Illinois (D)
7) Delaware (D)
8) Virginia(D)
9) Washington (D)
10) Massachusetts (D)
11) Colorado (D)
12) Oregon (D)
13) Tennessee (R)
14) California (D)
15) Michigan (D)
16) Vermont (D)
17) Maine (D)
18) Florida (D)
19) Pennsylvania (D)
20) North Carolina (D)
21) Alabama (R)
22) Rhode Island (D)
23) West Virginia (R)
24) New Hampshire (D)
25) Arizona (R)
26) New Mexico (D)
27) Missouri (R)
28) Texas (R)
29) Oklahoma (R)
30) Nevada (D)
31) Georgia (R)
32) Connecticut (D)
33) South Carolina (R)
34) Iowa (D)
35) Hawaii (D)
36) Arkansas (R)
37) Alaska (R)
38) Kansas (R)
39) Mississippi (R)
40) Wisconsin (D)
41) Utah (R)
42) South Dakota (R)
43) Indiana (D)
44) Minnesota (D)
45) North Dakota (R)
46) Kentucky (R)
47) Nebraska (R)
48) Montana (R)
49) Idaho (R)
50) Wyoming (R)
HT Instapundit
Replacing Delgado
Jon Heyman took a look at some of the options for the Mets in replacing Carlos Delgado. Heyman mentioned moving Daniel Murphy to 1st and this is the move the Mets have announced they will be making. However, Heyman neglected to take the next step and suggest who would then be taking up the slack for the Mets in the outfield. Sure you can get away with a Gary Sheffield, Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church outfield but my suggestion is to bring up prospect Fernando Martinez from Buffalo to be the 4th outfielder and more importantly to platoon with the almost at the bottom of the hill Sheffield. You could have Martinez playing against righties and Sheffield against lefties. Sheffield is hitting just .159 against righties this season and last year he hit just .220. Why not give the kid a shot before trying to make a move outside the organization? At the very least Martinez would be a defensive upgrade. The Mets are just 1 game back.
So let it be written - so let it be done.
Jon Heyman took a look at some of the options for the Mets in replacing Carlos Delgado. Heyman mentioned moving Daniel Murphy to 1st and this is the move the Mets have announced they will be making. However, Heyman neglected to take the next step and suggest who would then be taking up the slack for the Mets in the outfield. Sure you can get away with a Gary Sheffield, Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church outfield but my suggestion is to bring up prospect Fernando Martinez from Buffalo to be the 4th outfielder and more importantly to platoon with the almost at the bottom of the hill Sheffield. You could have Martinez playing against righties and Sheffield against lefties. Sheffield is hitting just .159 against righties this season and last year he hit just .220. Why not give the kid a shot before trying to make a move outside the organization? At the very least Martinez would be a defensive upgrade. The Mets are just 1 game back.
So let it be written - so let it be done.
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