| Al's Ramblings | |||
|
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 (11/11/2009 11:02:00 PM) - Al The Cubs and Rays are still discussing a possible Milton Bradley-Pat Burrell swap, but it doesn't sound like the two sides are close on the money issue. One of the report's sources describes talks as "worse than Chinese water torture."--MLBTR What I would not give to see an OF with both Soriano and Burrell in it. 11/11/2009 11:02:00 PM (11/11/2009 09:47:00 PM) - Al Randy sends along this info, the Crew telling folks they want to sign Prince long-term. 11/11/2009 09:47:00 PM (11/11/2009 09:14:00 PM) - Al The mania for giving the Government power to meddle with the private affairs of cities or citizens is likely to cause endless trouble, through the rivalry of schools and creeds that are anxious to obtain official recognition, and there is great danger that our people will lose our independence of thought and action which is the cause of much of our greatness, and sink into the helplessness of the Frenchman or German who expects his government to feed him when hungry, clothe him when naked, to prescribe when his child may be born and when he may die, and, in time, to regulate every act of humanity from the cradle to the tomb, including the manner in which he may seek future admission to paradise.---Mark Twain Quite a run-on sentence from the greatest writer who has ever put a pen to paper, but as usual, he was well ahead of his time. 11/11/2009 09:14:00 PM (11/11/2009 07:17:00 PM) - Al Brewers won't go to $100M for Lackey, which I think is a safe prediction. I'd hate to go 4 years on any SP, but whoever signs Lackey may well go 5. 11/11/2009 07:17:00 PM (11/11/2009 02:36:00 PM) - Al You may want to check out, tape, or DVR this movie tonight on PBS, about folks who welcome home soldiers at the Bangor airport, and their lives at home. 11/11/2009 02:36:00 PM (11/11/2009 02:31:00 PM) - Al In honor of Veteran's Day...a compilation of clips of dogs greeting their owners when they come home from lengthy service. 11/11/2009 02:31:00 PM (11/11/2009 01:35:00 PM) - Al Al, Any inkling as to how much the Brewers have to spend on pitching? I'd love to think they have a realistic chance at Lackey, but if you add it up and they have $12M available, there's no way. Bradley Good friend of Ramblings Bradley inquires about 2010 payroll...an especially tricky query, given that we have no idea if Hall's salary has been assigned to the '09 budet, the '10 budget, or what. Same thing with various buyouts of option years and the like. That said, here's a spreadsheet with '10 obligations. Without buyouts and Hall, they are at $37M with guaranteed deals. Add in estimated payroll from guys not eligible for arby, you have Yo, Parra, Escobar, Stetter, DiFelice, McGehee, and I'll add in Narveson...that's seven guys at about $450K per, so that's $3.15M, so a total of $40.15M for a dozen players. Realistically, one catcher will be very cheap, be it a backup or a youngster. So will one utility IF. That's 14 players for $41.05M. Weeks, about $3.75M in arby. Hart, about $4M in arby. Gomez, about $1.3M in arby (as a super 2). That's 17 players for $50.1M. Coffey will likely get about $1.5M in arby...$51.6M for 18 players. You can probably pencil in Counsell or another backup IF for about $1.5M...19 for $53.1M. There's two reserve OF spots still open, Gerut would probably get $2.5M in arby, but we do not know if he'll remain. I'll budget $3.5M for the pair of bench OF's...21 for $56.6M. That leaves the catcher's spot, a bullpen spot, and 2 SP's remaining. Also, one of the commitments for next year is Dave Riske, who will probably not contribute 'til midseason, if at all. If the two bullpen openings are filled with guys like Carlos V, McClung, or the like, they'll probably cost about $3-4M. We'll use $3.5M for estimates, and that's $60.1M. I keep thinking a veteran catcher of some sort will be brought in, at a cost of $2-3M. Again, splitting the difference, we'll use $2.5M, the total is $62.6M. How much is payroll? Well, Doug always says Mark never gives him a budget of $X. Last year's Opening Day payroll was about $80M, and I've seen numbers used in the $85-90M range for last year...with additions such as Lopez, and including DL replacements. Assuming no increase, that would probably mean they "could" spend from $17-25M on these two SP's that Doug is supposedly looking for. On a slight tangent, people who could not understand why Hardy and Cameron were not in the plans need not look further. They would be making about $15M, about $13M more than Gomez and Escobar. Suddenly, you'd be looking at improving the SP's with $4-12M...lots of luck with that. 11/11/2009 01:35:00 PM (11/11/2009 01:08:00 PM) - Al If you have an arm and an agent, odds are Doug has talked to them at the GM meetings. 11/11/2009 01:08:00 PM (11/11/2009 11:11:00 AM) - Al I forget if they usually take a moment of silence at 11:11 or 11AM, but whenever it is, a thank you to all who have served, or are serving right now. Words cannot do justice to those who quietly fought pure evil, and continue to do so. As I often say, people forget freedom does not come from looking the other way, holding hands, and singing folk songs. Sadly, history associates it with inflicting more casualties than you take. I will simply say if you have the opportunity to watch Taking Chance, do so. It has no political message at all, and simply reminds us all that to honor the fallen is in itself a sign of our tremendous history and even greater future. It wasn't long ago that soldiers came home from Vietnam and were scorned. Thank goodness those days are only a reminder of how pathetic the 60's were. Also, do not forget the Bobby Warns' video on the sidebar. I try and watch it a few times a year, as it is as good as it gets. I cannot say how thankful I am we have young people like Warns willing to do whatever is necessary to preserve all that is great about the United States of America. 11/11/2009 11:11:00 AM Tuesday, November 10, 2009 (11/10/2009 11:17:00 PM) - Al Moon and Paul Wasicka have something in common -- they won more money for second place than the player who beat them heads up. For Wasicka, it's was the Jamie Gold debacle in 2006 where Gold had to share (the) money with Crispin Lesyer after the two entered a verbal agreement where Gold would fork over half of his winnings.--Tao of Poker No one is going to feel sorry for Cada, as he effectively won, $4.2M on a freeroll (though if he has to pay taxes on the whole amount, he probably only came out "only" $750K to the good). He pretty much proved the "rather be lucky than good" mantra of making it to the final table, winning numerous times after beginning with the worst hand. I once won a $2400 seat (which I cashed out right away) once (hypothetically, of course) by using frequent player points and winning either 2 or 3 satellites in a row. I still recall that at the final table, the top 5 finishers won a seat (hypothetically) and the 6th place finisher won whatever was left, which was something like 6K "points", which had a value of about $90-100 in merch or tournament tickets. The real irony here is the fact I missed about an hour of one tourney while I did a phone interview for a job (hypothetically). I left in great shape, came back in the middle of the pack, and made it to the "final" satellite. Never got the job though, but I did win the right to have an in person interview a week or two later. 11/10/2009 11:17:00 PM (11/10/2009 11:05:00 PM) - Al CBS is reporting Obama will send just under the amount of troops asked for to Afghanistan, though they look to be arriving on a scale far slower than when the Iraq surge happened. I still wonder why so agonizingly slow, but I commend him, if true, for looking at the big picture. It goes pretty much directly against what he campaigned for, but if you're surprised by that, you haven't been paying attention. 11/10/2009 11:05:00 PM (11/10/2009 10:40:00 PM) - Al According to Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse, the Reds may be forced to trade one or two of their stars this winter as an overall cost-cutting maneuver. Cincinnati's payroll stood at $71 million in 2009 and sources have indicated it must be cut closer to $65 million for 2010. "We're going to probably have less to spend this year than we have in the past," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty admitted Tuesday. "It just depends on how [ticket] sales go this offseason." Price suggests Brandon Phillips, Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang could be on the move.--Rotoworld I think Harnag and Arroyo may be topping Sal Torres for most mentions of a possible acquisition target...but allow it to be said Torres eventually played a season in MIL. 11/10/2009 10:40:00 PM (11/10/2009 10:08:00 PM) - Al How good was the WSOP final table? ESPN could not edit it all down to 2 hours. This might be the first tape delayed show to have an over run in TV history. 11/10/2009 10:08:00 PM (11/10/2009 09:30:00 PM) - Al The Brewers make an effort to cut down some glare during day games at Miller Park. Pics here to gaze at. 11/10/2009 09:30:00 PM (11/10/2009 08:58:00 PM) - Al MLBTR with Brewers' notes, and this will come as a surprise, they include Davis and Washburn (though more likely, one or the other). Dou may well be trying to figure out how much those two will go for and how much of a chance he has to get one of them before he has to decide whether or not to exercise Looper's option or not. 11/10/2009 08:58:00 PM (11/10/2009 08:34:00 PM) - Al Darvin Moon had some missteps, but he's made some fine plays as well, in the WSOP and at the final table. I think it's really a shame so many people are ripping on him and calling him names and the like...poker doesn't need that, players of all abilities should be welcomed...heck, players that aren't great should be especially welcomed. I know when Greg Raymer won, he went out of his way to say there were a lot of very talented players at the lower levels, who for a variety of reasons remained there instead of moving up. Considering he himself started out low and moved up, it was a classy thing to say. Compare that to well known pros like Mike Matasow saying the final two were the worst players at the final table (despite Joe Cada being a internet pro who has made oodles), and it's a shame many aren't more Raymer-like. 11/10/2009 08:34:00 PM (11/10/2009 07:39:00 PM) - Al Jimmy the Greek turned down chances to buy into (or be given a share) Vegas casinos because he would never allow his name to be used, such as "Jimmy the Greek sportsbook and lounge" because he did not want his name to be tainted by being associated with gambling, per ESPN's 30 in 30. Of course, given he was a bookmaker who set "the line" for years, and peddled his picks on CBS for ages, maybe he was just a shortsighted businessman. 11/10/2009 07:39:00 PM (11/10/2009 07:36:00 PM) - Al FSN WI has on a classic tilt with SF that may have a historic celebration at the end. Unless, of course, you are one of the unfun people. 11/10/2009 07:36:00 PM (11/10/2009 06:54:00 PM) - Al Lucroy continues to get serious consideration, though I can't believe they would not have a veteran backstop around to play 60-80 games. Doug makes it seem like Kendall might be back if he agrees to take a pay cut and knows he won't play as much. I like Salome more, but mainly for his higher offensive ceiling. Looking around at the free agent catchers, unless you get Gregg Zaun for his OBP or Bengie Molina for his SLG (he struggles to muster a .300 OBP), the difference between a $2-3M C and what Lucroy would be projected at for $400K is minimal. 11/10/2009 06:54:00 PM (11/10/2009 06:50:00 PM) - Al James sends along this AP tale of even common criminals being respectful of a military man: A Milwaukee Army reservist’s military identification gained him some street cred Tuesday, when he says four men who mugged him at gunpoint returned his belongings, and thanked him for his service, after finding the ID. The 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student said he was walking home from work about 1:15 a.m. Tuesday when the men came out from between two houses. He thought about running to the other side of the street but decided against it. The victim, who asked not to be identified because the robbers still have his keys, said one of the men pulled him into an alley. They had him lay face down and one put a gun to his neck. They took his wallet, $16, keys, his cell phone and even a PowerBar wrapper from his pants pockets, he said. But when one of the robbers, whom the reservist presumed was the leader, saw his Army ID in the wallet, the hostile tone quickly changed. The robber told the others to return the items and they put most of it on the ground next to him, including the wrapper, the reservist said. ‘‘The guy continued to say throughout the situation that he respects what I do and at one point he actually thanked me and he actually apologized,’’ he said. The reservist said he asked the robbers, who all had hoods or hats covering their faces, if he could get up and they said he could before starting to walk away. ‘‘The leader of the group actually walked back, gave me a quick fist pump, which was very strange,’’ he said. Milwaukee police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said the reservist is credible and that officers still were looking for the suspects Tuesday. The reservist didn’t realize until later that his keys were not with him and he doesn’t know if the robbers intended to keep those, he said. As he was walking home, he realized the strangeness of the situation and questioned whether his girlfriend would believe him. (She did.) He said he feels lucky. ‘‘I’m just kind of awe struck that everything was given back to me due to just being in the military, ‘‘ he said. ‘‘I realize in pretty much every other situation that wouldn’t happen.’’ He said he’s never been deployed, only having signed up for the Army Reserves about a year ago. He is the first person in his immediate family to join the military and he’s always wanted to do it. Schwartz said besides that attempted robbery there were two others within a 40-minute period in the same area and police suspect the four men were involved in all of them. The robbers were unsuccessful for the first, at 12:35 a.m., when the 39-year-old man they approached ran into the street and started screaming. Schwartz said within 10 minutes they approached a 47-year-old man – who is a convicted burglar and had a Department of Corrections inmate ID in his wallet – ordered him to the ground and pointed a gun at him. They took his wallet, apparently unfazed by that card. 11/10/2009 06:50:00 PM (11/10/2009 06:11:00 PM) - Al Fangraphs writes about Hoffman's effective fastball. As a political science major, allow me to say, me no understand. 11/10/2009 06:11:00 PM (11/10/2009 04:59:00 PM) - Al Huckabee complains Palin gets more media because of her good looks. Yep. 11/10/2009 04:59:00 PM (11/10/2009 04:35:00 PM) - Al Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Cubs are trying hard to trade Milton Bradley within the next 36 hours. Rogers finds it hard to believe that anybody will take him, but according to several reports, the Rangers have emerged as a potential landing spot for the troubled outfielder. Rogers also notes the Rays, who have been linked in discussions for Bradley since he was made available.--Rotoworld I'd have no problem with him in MIL, and he'd probably be fine in a media market where Tom H is "the tough question man". In his slump year of '09, he still got on about 40% of the time, and his power loss was probably due to injury. That said, his body is built to DH, as he's a 100-120 game man in the NL. 11/10/2009 04:35:00 PM (11/10/2009 04:22:00 PM) - Al Miller Park Drunk printed an e-mail exchange between himself and myself. I like MPD, except for the constant inebriated come-ons (he claims he got confused with the gal he was chatting with, but hey, not that there's anything wrong with that). The irony here is, many folks feel the same way he does about Gomez, and unless he hits more, won't care how many runs he prevents in CF. Remember to bookmark his site while you're there. Just a thought...does anyone else find it odd that when the Twins got Gomez as the main guy in the Santana trade, everyone just assumed he would hit; and now that he's been dealt to the Crew, everyone thinks he'll hit exactly like he did as a rushed 22/23 year-old? 11/10/2009 04:22:00 PM (11/10/2009 03:58:00 PM) - Al Rewriting history, take one. For many of us, Reagan was the president all others are compared to, and usually, simply do not measure up. There was no doubt what he stood for, and that none of his decisions had anything to do with a poll or a whim...it was all about keeping the US strong, letting people keep more of their own money, and, dare I say it, eliminating government intervention in people's private lives. Reagan was the first person I ever heard say "That's what charities are for", whenever yet another brilliant way of the government throwing money at a problem was put forth...and he was right, as charities usually spend about 80-90% of what they take in on their cause, and the inefficiency of the layers and pencil pushing people in cubicles means much of the tax dollars appropriated simply go to waste. For decades, we made fun of the Soviet Union having wheat spoil in gov't warehouses while bread lines grew longer. Yet, we look at both Medicare and Medicaid being billions in debt and think only that we need to expand the system to "eliminate waste". Heh. 11/10/2009 03:58:00 PM (11/10/2009 03:51:00 PM) - Robert R. AL Gold Glove Winners Derek Jeter gets another undeserved one. And Franklin Gutierrez doesn't get one. Probably not a bad list otherwise, but again it displays a shocking indifference to anything but reputation and what a player does with a bat. And this is a list voted on by the managers. Perhaps not really surprising since they see their own games and some highlights. Jeter should thank ESPN. Of all the awards that need reform, I think Gold Gloves are at the top of the list. Heck, why not give it to scouts if you want to keep it internal. 11/10/2009 03:51:00 PM (11/10/2009 03:51:00 PM) - Al The Blue Jays were in on shortstop J.J. Hardy, but it would have taken Adam Lind or Travis Snider to land Hardy, who went from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Carlos Gomez.--Toronto Globe and Mail Hat tip to Gleeman. Both are lefty power hitting corner OF's, so am not sure if that would have moved Hart to CF or if Corey would have been dealt for a CF or an SP. It also tells you how much the Crew thinks of Gomez's defense and potential/ceiling. 11/10/2009 03:51:00 PM (11/10/2009 03:41:00 PM) - Al Another Twins free agent, Orlando Cabrera, won't be playing shortstop next year, but manager Ron Gardenhire wants him back regardless. Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Gardenhire would like Cabrera at second base, J.J. Hardy at short and Nick Punto at third.--MLBTR Somewhere, probably eating Chinese food, Aaron Gleeman just began weeping uncontrollably. The Twins don't seem to put any value at all in smacking the ball out of the park or over the OF's heads. If they did, they'd have Jason Kubel play LF (how much worse could he be than Delmon Young?), sign Jim Thome (or any one of the plethora of DH's available), and go from there. But instead, the Twins are doing their best to finagle a lineup with as many weak middle infielder bats as allowed by the Geneva Convention. I'm sorry, but when JJ Hardy, coming off a terrible campaign, is the 2nd best hitter you have in the infield; or, just the idea that you'd go into a season with Nick Punto as your everyday 3B, it just reeks of poor planning. Punto makes Craig Counsell look like a clone of Joe DiMaggio, for gosh sakes. 11/10/2009 03:41:00 PM (11/10/2009 03:38:00 PM) - Al The Pirates offered Capps to the Milwaukee Brewers in an attempt to trade for shortstop J.J. Hardy, according to an American League source. Hardy went to the Minnesota Twins Nov 6 in a trade that sent outfielder Carlos Gomez to the Brewers.--Pittsburgh Post Gazette Too bad they would not have offered one of their decent SP's, of which they have 2-3 that may have fit the bill. 11/10/2009 03:38:00 PM (11/10/2009 03:30:00 PM) - Al Fox Sports feels the Brewers are unlikely to get John Lackey. I have long argued I would much rather spend payroll dollars on quantity rather than quality with pitching, because arms are far more injury prone and inconsistent than bats. For example, if you told me to build the best rotation money could buy, and then gave me $20M, I'd likely go sign a $8M, a $5M, and then fill out the rotation with "projects" making $1-3M. Some guys would sign Lackey for $15M and bunch of projects. Some would sign all five guys in the $3-4M range. I still say the most likely scenario involves a trade (Hart would seem the most likely centerpiece) and a FA signing (Davis/Washburn/Piniero). 11/10/2009 03:30:00 PM Monday, November 09, 2009 (11/09/2009 10:31:00 PM) - Al Woman buys carts of groceries for next to nothing, simply stunning. Obviously, many people do not have the time to do this, but wow. 11/09/2009 10:31:00 PM (11/09/2009 08:26:00 PM) - Al Popular Twitter account gets sitcom deal. Next thing you know, some cab driver will tell a network exec a funny joke, and he'll have his own talk show (actually, that might explain how Carson Daly has a show) 11/09/2009 08:26:00 PM (11/09/2009 03:10:00 PM) - Al Solid OBP catcher Gregg Zaun's option was not picked up by the Rays, making him a free agent. He's on the top of my list to be brought in for '10, quite possibly to partner up with Jon Lucroy. He'd be passable on defense, and gets on base extremely well for a catcher, with some power. He's also a switch-hitter, which can't hurt. He's far from young, but that also might keep his price down. 11/09/2009 03:10:00 PM (11/09/2009 12:51:00 PM) - Al The Rambling wife's computer appears to be toast. Less than two years old, it barely comes on before crashing. The NIC port has flashing lights nonstop, which mine do not. Shoot me any hints, including which model baseball bat to use, via e-mail. 11/09/2009 12:51:00 PM (11/09/2009 12:37:00 PM) - Al Veteran minor leaguer Adam Heether added to 40 man. Heether does not have much of a ceiling, as he just finished his season 0f 27, but he could fit in nicely as a reserve, especially when he's cheap the next few years. Or, he may have put together a "career season" at 27 in Nashville last year. He is proof you can go from roster filler to prospect if you produce. He was drafted as a 3B with power back in 2002, and is now a utility player with a .400 OBP in AAA. If Heether was 24, I'd have higher hopes. 11/09/2009 12:37:00 PM Sunday, November 08, 2009 (11/08/2009 10:42:00 PM) - Al The wife of a Marine, dare I say, lets the administration have it. She says a study was done that said 1/10th of 1% of military families use food stamps...that's an urban legend I've heard many times as well. 11/08/2009 10:42:00 PM (11/08/2009 10:11:00 PM) - Al Ed asks if this is legit or speculation...probably some of both. Buster Olney thinks the Crew will go hard after John Lackey, and possible are the leaders to make a big move to acquire an ace. Doug spoke glowingly (and barely) about him after the Gomez trade. I still could imagine a Hart to ATL swap for a SP, which Olney also discusses. Note, you have to be an insider to see the link. 11/08/2009 10:11:00 PM (11/08/2009 09:39:00 PM) - Al One player that was let go last week that seems like a fit in MIL is Brendan Harris, former Twins and Rays' infielder. Going by Gleeman's constant references, Harris is a weak SS, but solid 2B/3B, and while not an exceptional hitter (as if a reserve INF is going to hit like Rod Carew), bats RH, hits LHP pretty well, and would partner up with Craig Counsell as a utility IF pretty well...though we're not sure Craig will return either. 11/08/2009 09:39:00 PM (11/08/2009 08:59:00 PM) - Al One has to wonder if Doug will be chatting with the Marlins at the GM meetings this week. Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, and Cody Ross are all arby eligible, and all cut fit into MIL's plans (Ross is unlikely with Gomez in the picture, but Hart could be moved, in theory). Both Nolasco and Johnson seem unlikely, but FLA will not be able to afford them all. 11/08/2009 08:59:00 PM (11/08/2009 08:43:00 PM) - Al The president and his wife made a private, no media allowed visit to Fort Hood, where they visited with wounded troops. How refreshing...and unique. 11/08/2009 08:43:00 PM (11/08/2009 03:42:00 PM) - Al I know there are reasons for declaring an emergency before one actually exists...but it does pretty much sum up the wimpification of America. Somehow, I'm not expecting Andy Cooper to be making up fictional accounts of tragedy this time around...of course, I'm just glad no bias exists. 11/08/2009 03:42:00 PM (11/08/2009 03:39:00 PM) - Al UW football player arrested. He'll be treated harshly, because he's a reserve. 11/08/2009 03:39:00 PM (11/08/2009 03:36:00 PM) - Al England has a soldier competing in the Miss World contest next week. I wonder if teen boys will start lining up outside military bases... 11/08/2009 03:36:00 PM (11/08/2009 01:28:00 PM) - Al Rosenthal thinks that the Twins' moves thus far -- trading for Hardy; exercising Michael Cuddyer's option -- are all a part of the plan to get Mauer locked up long-term. They were probably the right moves independent of that, but I tend to agree that the Twins are doing what they can to make sure Mauer can't play the only non-monetary get-out-of-Minnesota card at his disposal, and that's claiming that the Twins aren't committed to winning.--NBC.com I realize Mauer is by far the most valuable player in the sport...the best hitter and he plays a premium defensive position, plus the hometown connection, but that's a mighty slippery slope, as to be honest, Joe Mauer has no idea what the Twins need to compete. 11/08/2009 01:28:00 PM (11/08/2009 12:13:00 PM) - Al Adam Jones reportedly has won the Gold Glove for his work manning centerfield in Baltimore. The official announcement isn't due for another week or so...Take it with a grain of salt, but if true, he would win it over the more deserving Franklin Gutierrez of Seattle. Jones' UZR fielding rating places him 12th among all centerfielders despite repeated reports of fantastic defense. Gutierrez is first, and it's not even close.--Rotoworld The problem is, no one knows if UZR is anything but meaningless. I have a hard time believing Cameron is only 5 runs better than average, for example. A few years ago, folks were throwing around "win shares" like it was the S&P, and now, win shares isn't even listed anywhere to speak of. The fact Jones is known for his defense and finishes 12th tells me maybe UZR is the problem, or, is still a work in progress. 11/08/2009 12:13:00 PM (11/08/2009 11:59:00 AM) - Al Al, I just wanted to let you know your lengthy analysis of the Gomez swap made me go from unhappy about the trade to pretty much ambivalent. While my first thoughts were, "I wish we would have got pitching" and "Gomez is a terrible hitter compared to Cameron", it seems clear to me that little pitching was out there, at least better than what we have, so Doug plugged another hole. What you said about defense is accurate too, most fans would be thrilled if we put that Braun/Hart/Dunn alignment out there, and not even notice the extra bases and runs they would give up. Fran 11/08/2009 11:59:00 AM (11/08/2009 10:23:00 AM) - Al Cameron in RF? Sackmann tries on my contrarian shoes, but I'm afraid they don't fit. Mike's not projected to outperform Hart offensively, and will cost twice as much...his better defense is not worth $5M per, to say the least. In fact, $10M for Cameron to be below average offensively and plus on defense reeks of overpaying for mediocrity to me, but then again, I'm just a simple man from a small town. I mean, seriously, I listened to poker last night! I'd kick the tires on a FA bargain (Randy Winn, Eric Hinske, Rick Ankiel, Reed Johnson, Catalanotto) and get 90% of Cameron's benefit (minus the D) for a fraction of the price. Why spend $10M on a RF when you need to add pitching? 11/08/2009 10:23:00 AM (11/08/2009 10:09:00 AM) - Al NFL picks, Ravens, Packers, Titans, and Steelers, plus the remainder of the home teams. TEN and NO to defeat the spread. 70-33 total thus far, and 6-8 versus the points. 11/08/2009 10:09:00 AM (11/08/2009 09:29:00 AM) - Al The UK with a portrait of Obama...with mentions of "with Bush, at least you know where he stood", to paraphrase a quote. As I have said before, this is just shocking to see given the short time frame. I've said it before, but the fact you have to go to Europe to get any decent coverage is one reason why the old media is on life support. This story seems to have been effectively buried...somehow, can't see that happening with W. We still see his reaction when told of the 9/11 attacks...though at that point, I am not sure if it was known to be terrorism. W, of course, finished his time with a group of kids before moving on, which was looked at as "weak" (though jumping up and saying he had work to do would have been seen as "panic"). The idea of him making some jokes and that not being covered is impossible to imagine. We live in a different world since January of '09, that's for sure. 11/08/2009 09:29:00 AM (11/08/2009 09:15:00 AM) - Al 21 year-old Joe Cada has a huge lead over Darvin Moon when they continue play tomorrow night at the World Series of Poker. When I was listening last night, Cada was down to 2.2M chips, and was in the big blind the next hand, so he was forced to go all-in with J4, but survived and now has 150M chips, just less than a 3-1 advantage over Moon. 11/08/2009 09:15:00 AM |
| ||