ILX Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball League 2003 -- Part 5: ...(still) going

javy lopez not in the top 5 NL catchers...

freakin' Giambi over Delgado.

I hate people.

Pardon my goddamn language, BTW.

according to the ILX Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball Rank-O-Meter™:

Benito is #107th
Javy is #115th
I-Rod is #187th

all stats are season to date.

But conditionally, Benito is more valuable to the Giants since they're so injury plagued and he plays with 102-103 degree fevers and is an old man that can still hit long straightaway center.

So, who will the Tigers, Pirates, Marlins and Padres send as their reps?

Detroit: Dmitri
Pitt: Mike Williams
Marlins: Pudge
SD: Klesko???
TB: Huff

I'm going w/ Kip, because of all the non-win stats. Mike Williams has been eating a fair amount of sausage, too.

Of course, there has to be allowances made for Scoscia taking a slew of semi-worthy Angels, too - if he takes anyone else besides Salmon (& Glaus, if he's not voted in) (& maybe Fullmer, if the kid gets off the uppers & chills out), he'll have some 'splainin' to do.

nl (five braves!)

c j lo
1b helton
2b giles
ss furcal
3b rolen
of andruw, shef, vlad (suck it!)

al

c aj pierzynski
1b delgado
2b soriano
ss arod
3b chavez
of mags, vernon wells, tori (suck it!)
dh edgar

Don't count out Hernandez for the Royals...

Blount I think our ballots are identical.

http://www.mbtn.net/cone2.jpg

(You know me, and how I heart the relief pitchers.)

But Sammy popped out to end it.

Ha ha, I'll pay you the sawbuck (fin? whatever) next time I see you and save myself the interest.

(it's the first time i've rushed home to catch the end of a jays game in years)

Also: for anyone looking to swing a blockbuster: A-Rod might be on the block.

Make me some offers!

Leee, we should do that trade-and-release thing again.

and gygax, if james is down, can you veto the existing pending trade please?

The bat Sosa used has to actually be the bat of one of the following hitters: Eric Karros, Alex Gonzalez (April 2003 vintage), Mark Prior.

After Larkin retires, which I think he will do, they will have some cash to get a decent #1 starter. They could have gotten Colon last year, but they didn't want to put out the cash.

The Reds bullpen is pretty good, it is just getting to the 7th inning that is their major problem. Their defense could be a better, Dunn, Kearns and Boone all strike out way too much and they could use a lead off man that has a high OBP, but they are closer than those other teams mentioned above.

If they can keep it close, they can win the game. The Reds did the same thing last year until the second half when their starting pitching turned into complete mush and their bullpen got strung out.

Saying Kearns strikes out too much is like saying water is too wet. And for the love of Erubiel Durazo, why the hell are you (that is, Mr. Boone) going out of your way to bench one of your best hitters (that is, Mr. Dunn) regardless of that stanky average asscrap when he's productive as hell & the options on your bench make Neifi Perez & Lenny Harris look like Tinker & Evers?

And, gygax!, WHY THE HELL is Felipe Alou sticking Marquis "Glue" Grissom in the leadoff spot? Does he like giving extra ABs to chumps w/ wacked out platoon splits (something Jim Tracy realized last year & exploited to Marquis' benefit, which is why he looked so purty to folks like the Giants this past offseason) in lieu of giving better hitters more opportunities to actually, y'know, hit? Also, to Edgardo Alfonzo - STOP SUCKING. (Yeah, that should work.)

I don't care if Griss is making like Carlos Delgado on crack, he should be batting lower in the stinkin' lineup (& boy, batting JT anywhere in the Top 5 brings a whole lotta stink) while Ray Ray should be in the #1 hole come hell, high water, or shin splints. I have no problem playing MGD (tho full-time is pushing it - maybe 4-5 days out of 7), but having him lead-off makes as much sense as batting Dunn or Soriano there - if the guy is on, he's better off working his mojo w/ guys on base. Grissssss always looks like he's dogging it, too, and not dogging it like "you think I'm actually going to run out a grounder in the 9th inning of a 10-1 game skip?" but dogging it like "I have a 3 year contract in the bank & I was an All Star last century & that's gotta be a double and FUCK YOU UMP I was safe!"

A great roundtable that Blount linked to on ILM (gotta give the man credit)! Surowiecki's OTM in taking Beane to task for the Hinske and Pena deals (neither of which ever made much sense to me).

Was it your bday?

BTW, I'm only defending Beane on the off-chance he'll read this & give me a job in his administration. I'd make a great mascot - form of an elephant!

I am happy to see Karros doing surprisingly well in Wrigley. I don't know if it's Dusty or getting away from fair-weather Dogger fans or what. In a surprise move, Todd Hundley is on the DL. Am I ever happy he and Don Baylor are gone.

I was annoyed the Cubs were spending all this $$ on Karros, Miller and Grudz in the off-season instead of trying to work out something with Thome or (be still, my heart) Pudge but Patterson seems to be coming on as a toolsy CF so it's still interesting.

This whole corked bat episode really hit home last night when the bottle of wine I opened had a bunch of cork in it.

i had to c/p this for y'all from another forum.

Everybody that we talked to were pretty friendly. After the game, I got several guys shouting "Astros suck!" at me, all with a smile. We walked around to Waveland after leaving the stadium and some drunk guy acosted me, yelling "Astros fuckin' suck!" over and over again. Finally he came up closer to me and started yelling "Show me your balls!" I have no idea what that was all about. Some kind of Chicago tradition? Once we walked away, my friend suggested that I should have said, "I dare you to say that to me with all your teeth."

okay one last moneyball related article on just how bad strikeouts really are...

happy bday leeeeeeeee!

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/images/seating_views/photo_seating_view145.jpg

lots of warning track right field wall action for you but alas no straight away center ding dings for you. i thought benito's was gone but torii knew better than i.

I saw Eric Davis when he was with the Reds rob Jack Clark of the Cardinals of two homeruns in the same game.

. . . Ruben Sierra! (or similar)

Just like in the playoffs, the real clutch people you have to fear are folk like Francisco Cabrera, Bernie Carbo, Edgar Renteria, Brian Doyle, etc...

In the playoffs or world series it always seems to be some oddball that gets the game winning hit.

Luis Gonzales, Bobby Thompson, Kirk Gibson, Joe Carter were all good players, but none of them are going to the hall of fame.

(Kirby Puckett and Reggie are the only recent hall of famers that I can remember getting big hits in the series.)

Torre maybe over manages in those NL games, but I think it is funny how him and Scioscia can get better NL baseball out of their teams than the NL teams in the series.

I don't think Bobby Cox knows HOW to get one run at all when it is dire. It is just as much a killer as their bullpen.

Anyway, yeah, okay, I'll read the book and get some gossip about Tabitha so we can dish.

i may have to save the moneyball talk until this evening (when i am not on the phone and can string together cogent thought)

quite unlike the very significant correlation between the fantasy win stat and fanatasy managerial ability. (right, gygax!?)

i sense an inverse correlation between aaron w.'s studying time and his fantasy success. i'm not talking anything like the 2003 Royals, but a more human side of his players will emerge. i think. hope.

Whatever. Stats are for losers.

The name of my book is Coneyball.

MTC has not made any roster changes since before the league started (he dropped ben weber and jay witasick and picked up vlad nunez when f. dropped him.)

These threads really should be more like the Winter Meetings, where GMs comingle and pitch trades and call each other names while drinking Mai Tais and lying to Peter Gammons. We've got the name calling thing down, so let's go!

Haha, remember when I was going to trade Wells for Cedeno? That was awesome.

Not Juan! My friend & I loved singing his name to the tune of "Guantanamera". But after ONE PITCH!, I imagine George (& Roger) were getting kinda sick of his Detroit-esque ways.

I liked when Kerry Wood rolled his eyes at Prior when Farnsworth got ahead of the first batter (Soriano) 0-2 and then walked him, like "Yeah, I know that feeling."

Man, I totally forgot that this is a great opportunity to trash talk with gygax! and Leee! Sox rule, Giants drool!

(it will never get old)

yankees no hit by astros by 6 pitchers as oswalt reinjures his groin.

Rubber match tomorrow, my friend!!

Goodbye.

I never heard this term before this season, and all of a sudden everyone's using it. What gives?

rubber - "thing that rubs," 1536, from rub. The meaning "elastic substance from tropical plants" (introduced to Europe 1744 by Charles Marie de la Condamine) first recorded 1788, so called because it was originally used as an eraser. Meaning "overshoes made of rubber" is 1859, Amer.Eng.; slang sense of "condom" is from 1930s. Sense of "deciding match" in a game or contest is 1599, of unknown origin. Rubberneck (n.) is attested from 1896.

I think that Jeter has 30 Ks or so since becoming captain. Nice one.

spill the beans yanc3.

Lo Duca
Ibanez
Vidro
Aaron Boone
Guillen
Ensberg
Berkman
Giles
Sheffield
Payton
Contreras
D'Amico
Gagne
Ishii
Lidle
Washburn
Worrell
Zito

Those are my starters. On my bench I have:

Castilla
Marlon Byrd
LeCroy
Estes

And on the DL:

Beckett
Milton

And in the Minors:

Borchard
Harden
Rafael Soriano

Maddux has been erratic, but his last few starts have been strong...

This is a keeper league, too, isn't it, Yanc3? If so, then go for the youts (DLo or MattC). Lowe would be fine, too, and he is currently playing for a team that'll score 8-9 runs on a bad day. However, like I said before, Clement X 5 + 1. Even if his last 2 great starts have been against the DRays & the Redbreasts.

Varitek
Gibbons
Castillo
Randa
Alex S Gonzalez
Aramis Ramirez
Abreu
Garrett Anderson
Floyd
Patterson
Clement
Guardado
Lowe
Maddux
Penny
Radke
Reuter
Urbina

With Koch and Padilla on the bench

That IF looks wretched, tho. Alex S is the Cubs' Gonzalez, right? Were I him, I'd be looking for a SS or 1B.

Each of the 3 has drawbacks:

Maddux = Methuselah (sic?), very erratic from start to start, sketchy bullpen between starters & Smoltzie, w/ very slim chance of Braves' offense finally playing down to expectations (i.e. Furcal & Sheffield need to stop corking)

Clement = very erratic within starts (that damn Bad Inning), Cubs' lineup one injury away from Tiger/Dodgerdom, Cubs' defense as bad as offense could be

Lowe = those wacky home / road splits, bad sinker = he's sunk, that bullpen NEEDS Rolaids, the slight offchance that the BoSox go 0-for-a-month to lower their team BA below .300

Either way, if the guy's willing to trade, it's your obligation to rob him blind.

I agree with yr assessments of the trio. I personally think I'd be robbing him blind by taking any of those three. If you had to choose one, you'd take Clement? For the "upside" (hello, Mr. Kiper!) potential?

So big controversies in my other league. This one team, who was very good last year, has totally sucked this season and their owner is panicking. Earlier he traded away Shawn Green for Joel Piniero and Richard Hidalgo, despite the fact that he got a lot better offers for Green (he wanted no less than Gagne and Payton from me for him!). So today he's decided to trade away Manny Ramirez for Bartolo Colon and Jae Seo. What a fool.

UPDATE: I bought 2 CDs, but before I could go grocerying, my neck started to stiffen, so I retired to my abode. My final line: 5 IP, 6 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 H, 1 K (stupid defense).

But [Bonds] did manage to work in a bit of criticism regarding Wrigley Field into this discussion.

"They say this (U.S. Cellular Field) is a nice ballpark," he said. "They say the stadium's kind of odd, but the field itself is nice. I don't sit in the stands, I play in the field, so that's the only thing I worry about.

"But Wrigley Field needs a change. It's too loppy."

Loppy? Bonds made a dipping motion with his hand, indicating that the playing field was sloped too much.

"They need to level it out," he said. "The whole field."

The field was sloped for purposes of drainage, Bonds was told.

"They need to level it out," Bonds repeated firmly. One of the Chicago writers was mystified by this information.

"How long you been going to games at Wrigley Field?" Bonds said. Twenty years, was the response.

"And you don't know?" Bonds said. "You ain't watching then."

But the Wrigley Field press box, Bonds was assured, seemed to be level.

"That's all that matters," Bonds replied.

So I need my fellow ILBers to vote. Who do I take: Lowe, Maddux or Clement?

BS - Blown Saves -2
ER - Earned Runs -1
INN - Innings 1
K - Strikeouts (Pitcher) 1
L - Losses -5
S - Saves 7
SO - Shutouts 10
W - Wins 10

Now I'm thinking I want Padilla too. As icing on the cake. Maybe I'll throw in Ishii or something.

Pitchers ranked by DRAP (Derived Runs Allowed Percentage):
Clement, Lowe, Padilla, your mother, my mother, my mother's mother, my mother's father's 2nd cousin's roommate's horse's trainer's sister, Maddux.

(get rid of estes)

League Rules:

Scoring for Batting Categories
1B - Singles 1
2B - Doubles 2
3B - Triples 3
BB - Walks (Batters) .5
CS - Caught Stealing -2
E - Errors -1
HP - Hit by Pitch .5
HR - Home Runs 4
KO - Strikeouts (Batter) -.5
R - Runs 1
RBI - Runs Batted In 1
SB - Stolen Bases 2

Scoring for Pitching Categories
BS - Blown Saves -2
ER - Earned Runs -1
INN - Innings 1
K - Strikeouts (Pitcher) 1
L - Losses -5
S - Saves 7
SO - Shutouts 10
W - Wins 10

Maddux is funny, too. He's always cursing.

if you need pitching, I'd trade payton and worrell (you get your saves from gagne anyway and worrell's days are much more #'d than sheffield) for someone more affordable. i don't think the guy proposing the trade would be that interested... he's looking for a stud (ie, not payton) AND he has urbina but i think worrell might still be an attractive offer while his stock is high.

a) The injury bug
b) The Braves offense ain't that great
c) He's been playing out of his gourd

I don't think Abreu is a big drop off from Sheff. He's played not so hot thus far (which goes for the Phillies as a whole) and he's much younger. In addition, I need pitching help, which Lowe definitely gives me.

*hands rubber to Leee and gygax!*

Funny thing is Bonds struck out the first three AB's, and I have to believe that's the only reason Colon pitched to him. So of course, Bonds tattoos the first pitch. It's a tough situation, what do you do? I would've walked him, but Colon's your ace and Manuel is probably scared of him anyway.

Anyway, we've learned that Barry likes U.S. Cellular field. Should be a fun home-run-derby/all-star game.

< /concession>

Just got back from the game. Many are pissed at Manuel for letting Colon pitch to Bonds, but I thought it was a decent option, considering his 3 K's earlier in the game. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat to one great player besting another great player.

But man, what an ugly 9th. As soon as Marte gave up the grannie, we wuz outta there...

i love how the giants and alou tell the press that they've changed from a power team to a small ball team. and it was nice to see my #1 draft pick wipe the puke from his chin (he's been out with the stomach flu which has decimated the giants locker room/dugout... apparently that's f-rod's excuse for blowing the game last night) to hit a grand slam (for some reason i left richie in my lineup).

I don't think Bonds is going to the all-star game though... Bobby B. has a brain tumor and is battling lung cancer and is no longer mobile. Barry has mentioned that his intention is to spend time with his father during the break.

David R., you're Alou. Would you bench Alfonzo and start Feliz? This reminds me of the Marvin Bernard situation when he started stnking several years ago (currently paid $4.2M to pinch hit at the mendoza line: .205).

yanc3, tell me more about why/how the Braves offense "ain't that great."

But alotta Braves deserve to start for sures: Giles, Furcal, Sheff and A Jones are no-brainers.

-- Yanc3y (ystrickle...), May 30th, 2003 11:32 AM.

oh and i am all set for moneyball talk; however, i am going out of town again this weekend and I'm gonna try to read it again.

gygax, you can have it.

mr. diamond, you can at least put it in a plastic bag.

As far as Bonds at the All Star game, I read in the papers that he's planning on being there.

Possible explanation on Colon cruising up to 9th but not after: Joe Nathan had a long bottom 8th, so Colon had to sit on his duff and maybe cooled off.

The Braves right now have a lineup that's playing far above its expectations. Do you really expect Javy Lopez to hit 50 HRs? Do you think Marcus Giles will hit 40? You don't foresee their bats cooling off?

Of course it's nice to have Smoltz around to turn off the lights but I liked the little Eric Gagne piece last night. Is it a forkbal-- NO IT'S A CIRCLE CHANGE! Those are some gaudy stats, rowr.

I read another 2 pages of Moneyball on the subway this a.m. like a good little ILB-bot. Book club next week.

Funny Bonds quotes. "A superstar could get injured on his home run trot in this historic park. It needs to be fixed," he repeated, firmly.

Yeah, I thought of g! when I saw that Aurilia hom run. I didn't notice the new shave but I noticed Billy Wagner's when they interviewed the Astros no-hitter guys. Also, Neutral Milk Dotel is very intimidating when he speaks.

I didn't understand the 6-pitcher no-hitter. Why did they change pitchers all the time if they were all no-hitting?

"the reason they're relievers is 'cuz they ain't GOOD enough to be starters"

Gentlemen, welcome to an impromtu JaJ #4. First draft, no revisions, written pretty quickly. If I missed something, misspelled everything or just don’t make sense, go easy on me. With all the controversy surrounding the newest trade, I figured this would be a prime opportunity to practice my essays for my ESL class. I read on the boards, in between all the name calling and complaining, that Joe and Sully wanted to hear from someone who objected to the trade. Ok. Hi. I objected. How’s it going? So, I figured, what the fuck, you want an explanation, and I’m not shy, why not write another article. You wanna know why I think this trade is objectionable? Fine with me. Perhaps this will spark a little more discussion on the boards that extends past, “Fuck you.” Remember, this is why I objected the trade. I’m not speaking for anyone else. Let’s start from the top.

1. Manny Ramirez- Top 10 player overall, especially in keeper leagues. Arguably the best OF in the AL. Arguably one of the best hitters in the game. Consistent and young. First round pick, hands down. This is the guy you make the foundation of your team. By the way, in 120 games last season, Manny hit .349 with 33 HR’s and 107 RBI’s. That’s right, 120 games. But you already knew that, didn’t you. I won’t get into his other stats, because I’m sure you’ve already heard . . . he’s amazing. Yes, he’s had some injury troubles in the past (last year’s being a fluke). But he’s healthy and really, really fucking good. Especially in that Boston lineup. Again, this guy is valuable, but in a keeper league, this guy is REALLY valuable.

Ok, I needed to get that out of the way. So Joe wants an ace pitcher. Hey, that’s fine. Trade Manny. It’s your team. Trade everyone if you want. But when you get Bartolo Colon and some no-name prospect experiencing a modicum of success for one of the best hitters in the game, that’s just not a fair deal. It’s not fair to yourself Joe, it’s not fair to the competitive balance to the rest of the league. That’s why we’re all annoyed. Please, if I were to trade Arod to Travis for Kyle Lohse and Casey Fossum, I’m sure people would flip. Keep that in mind. Or even better. If a struggling team like the Phil Zone (sorry Phil, no offense) were to trade Smoltz to Pingicer for Odaliz Perez and Brett Tomko, both of you (Sully and Joe) would be livid, stammering on the boards, CAPS LOCK KEY JAMMED INTO YOUR KEYBOARD!!! COMMON YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE!!!

2. Bartolo Colon- So, anyway, Colon is not worth Manny. He’s just not. I'll tell you why in a second. Relax. He had a great season last year, but that’s not enough to make this deal even close to balanced. Before that, he was above average, but never great. Manny has had a great career. Joe mentioned on this board that to say Colon isn’t an ace because of his bad start this season is dumb. Well, he’s right. Then again, one has to actually think that he was really an ace pitcher before 2002 to begin with. I’d like to call last season, “the Miracle Year.” Let’s look at the numbers, shall we?

Bartolo’s debut was in 1997 where he posted a 5.65 ERA in 17 GS. No big deal. Chalk it up to being a rookie. The next season, he posted a 3.71 ERA, nice. Unfortunately, that ERA rose every single season, topping out at 4.01 in 2001. Did I also mention the walks? Those went up too. Not a straight increase (there was a slight dip, then rise), but since his debut (excluding his 2002 season), walks rose from 70- 98 a season. But his innings went up (one might say, in a desperate attempt to retort), but when you look at his overall WHIP, that went up too, topping off at a Steve Trachsel-esque 1.396 in 2001. I don’t know many aces with a 1.396 WHIP. A WHIP that high is never a good sign. But that’s ok, because he’s a strike out pitcher, right? Well, he was, in 2000 and 2001. For those two seasons, he K’d over 200 batters. But in all his other seasons, including “the Miracle Year”, Mr. Colon fanned a maximum of 161 batters. Last season, well, he was legit, now wasn’t he? 8 complete games, as opposed to a career high of 3. He also chalked up 20 wins. But this year? What happened? A poor start sure, against the Tigers, Royals, a then-lowly Twins team, ohhhh and the Indians. Will the real Bartolo Colon please stand up? Oh that’s right, he’s not done eating. Weight was another issue that plagued him throughout his career. This year too. He came into camp looking like he ate Jake. And his listed age is 30. Riiiiiight. As it stands now, he’s on pace to go 15-12 with 156 K’s. Interesting, because in 2001, right before the Miracle Year, he went 14-12. Good pitcher? Definitely. Very good pitcher? I would say that. Proven ace status? Hardly.

Oh, and by the way, Colon is currently the 6th highest scoring pitcher on Sully’s staff.

3. Ace status- To me (and this is purely subjective), ace status in fantasy baseball is defined as, “Could this guy be my #1 starter and really hold together my rotation?” Pedro, R.J., Schilling, Zito, Hudson, Oswalt, etc. Those are aces. I seriously doubt anyone would feel very comfortable with their pitching staff if Bartolo Colon was the #1 starter. He’s a tier two starter. Regardless of what the fantasy magazines say (he wasn’t top-10 in my preseason rankings . . . just as a frame of reference, my “sources” said Esteban Loaiza would be the 72nd best pitcher in the AL. Well done.) Don’t go by the Fantasy Sports Illustrated’s of the world. Colon and Seo is not enough for Manny. A tier two starter and a random prospect isn’t enough, it just isn’t. How is this not obvious?

Shit, even the White Sox don’t feel comfortable with Colon as their #1 guy.

4. Shady dealings- So, trades should only be objected if there is suspicion of shady dealings? Funny that you wrote that Sully. Well, I’m not accusing anyone of anything. But, there’s the huge imbalance already (in my opinion), there’s the fact that you two are good friends, and Joe’s team is pretty much done for the season, and hmm, Joe had actually gotten better offers for Manny that he passed up. (and not from me either, so you can squelch that theory. Although it is interesting to note that the price for me and Paire, and possibly others, was MUCH higher than what Manny was ultimately traded for.) Interesting. Maybe a sunshine deal? Maybe not. Now, again, this may sound like I’m screaming foul, but I’m not. You two seem like legit guys. But since I already don’t like this deal due to its imbalance, and there might be a 1% chance of shadiness here, I hit object.

5. Trade ethics- On a side note. Sully, please. Save us the bullshit. You arguing about trade ethics is like a Nazi fighting to stop racism. Your nonsensical diatribe falls upon deaf ears when you argue about fair review process. From someone who protests every trade because of a grudge, we don’t need to hear it. We aren’t objecting because we’re bitter. We’re objecting because the trade isn’t fair. Again, not because one side wins. It’s because one side wins too much.

6. “He’s the best pitcher on the Mets”- This is my favorite argument. Best pitcher status. Seo is the best pitcher on the Mets. That’s great. It’s like having your choice of syphyllus, ghonnorea or AIDS. And by the way, I’d take Glavine or Leiter over Seo 10 out of 10 times. The season actually extends into October, not mid-June. Then again, Seo’s sure to develop into an ace, what with the long standing tradition the Mets have of developing young pitchers . . . oh, wait. Prospects like Seo are a dime a dozen. He’s experiencing some success now, but who knows? Guys like Jason Marquis, Casey Fossum, etc. all come up, get hot, do well, then struggle. Saying that Seo makes this trade fair is a joke. Oh, and just because Colon is the ace of the White Sox, doesn’t make him an ace fantasy pitcher.

Does that help? Is that enough. In the end, it’s your own teams. We have the right to object, just like the two of you do (and use, I might add). It’s nothing personal. This is not a personal attack on either of you. These opinions are strictly my own. You wanted to “hear from someone who objected the trade” and find out why. Well, I’ve told you. Hey, and I could be wrong. Colon could turn into the next Roger Clemens. Joe, maybe you know something we don’t. I hope I’m wrong and this turns out fair. But as of yesterday, this trade wasn’t fair, and that’s why I objected.

Did I mention that Manny is on pace for 40 HR's and 130 RBI's? But that's nothing new.

Seo’s gonna have to win a lot of games to make up for that.

. . . and all this is why Carl Everett believes this trade should have been objected.

‘Till next time,
-GA

Anybody need saves? I might be willing to deal Baez (14 saves) for a good second baseman.

your friendly neighborhood commissioner.

*rimshot*

my season's done in my $$$ league. fourth in the league in scoring, second worst record. fucking head to head leagues. what young players should i nab? right now i'm working on a payton-for-odalis perez deal. asshole owner still hasn't responded to the sheff trade. fuxor.

he touches on it a little bit on page 57 but i think his research was a little light. kindly note, this could be my slanted perspective.

btw, i hate head to head leagues.

set streak = 23; set loop=def {else "infinite"}

goto iteration 10

Dontrelle Willis went out and pitched a one-walk/one-hitter tonight.

BTW, Aaron, your free-agent snagging ways are really starting to sauce my pizza.

I ordered Moneyball today. And Positively 5th Street, the Harpers dude's poker book.

great title

My Moneyball reading pace is slow, like the CDK rebuilding project. But the cellar is nice and cool in the summer, thanks for asking.

there's a gal in my other league that changed her name to "ChicksDigTheLongball"...

two riders are breaking from the pack, making a move on the guy wearing the polka dots.

plus gygax! half-rhymes with merckx!...

Dan Patrick: Greg Maddux says the sound of a homerun is two cars crashing. How would you describe it?
David Cone: Like dropping a stack of dishes.
DP: Do you know the sound, though, as soon as you throw it?
DC: Yeah. You know the sound.
DP: Do you cringe?
DC: And you snap your head back. And maybe it's instinctual, for whatever reason, you know it's gone but you still snap your head back to watch it as if there is a chance it might stay in.
DP: That's for effect, for TV. To make it seem like "Oh, did he get all of that?"
DC: Mark Gubicza had it down. He's just put his head down. He knew right away. The best I've ever seen. He'd give up a homerun and immediately his dauber was down. He didn't even watch it.
DP: Do you watch baseball? If you are not playing do you care about baseball?
DC: Yes. Very much. I want to know what Maddux is doing to get those guys out. I want to know all the secrets, all the tricks.
DP: What can you pick up from watching a game?
DC: Style. Strategy. Patterns. Watch Greg Maddux's pattern. How he gets out tough lefties.
DP: Best pitcher of this era. Would he be among three guys you would say defined your era's starting pitching?
DC: Certainly , Clemens and Maddux have defined our era, I believe. And Randy Johnson is right behind them and still going.
DP: Do chicks dig the long ball?
DC: Most definitely. Chicks do dig the long ball.
DP: They don't dig striking out the guy who can hit the long ball?
DC: They are not digging ground balls. (Laughs.) Managers dig ground balls. Umpires dig ground balls and two hour games. Chicks don't dig that.

(I think it was a Nike commercial)

So how about Lo Duca, eh? Imagine if someone else on the Dodgers could get on base!

I've been offered Sean Casey and Odalis Perez for Aaron Boone.

1. A-Rods knee gives out
2. Tejada returns to MVP form
3. I have crap for K's and could use them.

Holy crap ARod beats the pants off of any shortstop EVER not named Banks or Wagner (Honus, that is), & even Tejada @ MVP-level can't match what ARod does @ 75% (barring injury). And swapping Wood (k-rad 2nd-in-command for the division-leading Cubs) for Chacon (one-off out-of-ass dood throwing meatballs 50% of the time @ Mile High) is quite questionable as well. I really hope this works out for ya, Poops, but the cards, they are stacked against ye. (And am I correct in reading that you're trading Wood away because you NEED K's?) (Yanc3 are you on the crack, too?)

But, Chris, lemme tell you, if there's anyone else here that knows how you feel, it's me. Sure, you think you pulled a fast one, taking a bit of a chance in swapping some underperforming studs for guys on the upswing, but then people (like me & Yanc3) get on yr case, and then you think it over, & then you start to doubt the trade, & then the weeping and gnashing of teeth begins, and then you're left aping Heston, pulling off your t-shirt Hulk Hogan style while on yr knees (cf. Dafoe in _Platoon_), eyes towards the very fickle gods o' baseball, screaming "DAMN YOU DIRTY APE BASTARDS! LET MY PEOPLE GO!"

& then, if you're me, you go downstairs, put a BBQ Chicken pizza in the over, & clip your fingernails while waiting to get yr unemployment check so's you can buy some comix @ 2 PM. I love New Release day.

PS - Someone give me a job.

BTW, folks, I'm an excellent proofreader. Yeah.

You HAVE Boonie, don't you? Odalis is pitching like asscrap (& I shd know, as I'm suffering through his shenanigans in my sans-Berkman league) (& hey, GO DODGERS w/ that fearsome offense featuring an infield that's probably hitting a buck sixty on all cylinders) (& can you believe someone in my other league dropped Sean Burroughs to PICK UP Adrian Beltre? that's like pushing away sushi to eat liver & onions!) & Casey is ballz (see my team name) (& his stats), but trading Boonie while he's hott & sexxy is U&K.

BTW, Glausie is on an 0-for-25 streak. It's the little, tiny, miniscule things that matter.

Also - yo Aaron, stop w/ the first place bullshit already. It's not like you have squatter's rights, you slacker.

How's the love feeling now Yanc3? Woooooodog!

A Tale of Two Pitchers: Here's an exercise that Rob Neyer used to do a lot: Of the two pitchers listed, which one would you rather have going into the middle of June?

IP HR/9 SO/9 BB/9 GB/FB
Pitcher A 102.0 0.97 7.24 4.06 1.12
Pitcher B 76.1 1.30 7.31 2.00 2.06

All things considered, probably Pitcher B. Right? Though he gives up home runs more frequently than his counterpart, the slightly better K rate, significantly better walk rate, and the outstanding ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio makes him a distinctly more valuable commodity, going forward. Sure, he'll have to go feed his gopher now and then, but chances are that the bases will be empty when that finally happens.
So why is it, then, that reality has rendered this result?

ERA
Pitcher A 2.74
Pitcher B 4.72

In a word: luck. You see, while Pitcher A has been slightly less effective at controlling the fielding-independent categories--walks, strikeouts, and home runs allowed--he's been significantly more effective at "controlling" the fielding-dependent category of hits allowed...which is to say, he's been lucky. Check it out:

H/9 AVG BIPR
Pitcher A 6.35 .198 .225
Pitcher B 9.90 .276 .316

For the record, a league-average pitcher will allow a BIPR (a.k.a. batting average allowed on balls in play) of about .290. Pitcher A, as I'm sure you've noticed, is 65 points below that level, while Pitcher B is roughly 25 points above that level. That, my friends, is a big, frickin' difference.
What's most interesting about this breakdown, however, is the respective identities of Pitchers A and B. Pitcher A, you see, is none other than Hideo Nomo, currently fourth in the league in ERA and 10th in the league in WHIP, while Pitcher B is none other than Odalis Perez, currently 41st in the league in ERA and 26th in WHIP.

The thing of it is, one year ago, Odalis Perez was in the same position that Nomo is right now: near the top of the league in ERA, despite good-but-not-great peripherals. As Joe Sheehan pointed out in July of last year, Perez received more than his share of defensive help in 2002, allowing a BIPR of just .228 going into the All-Star break, and .247 overall. Sure, Perez didn't walk a soul, but that can only take you so far; a much larger part of the equation was the absurdly low number of hits he allowed.

This year, however, the world's been turned upside down. Perez has spent most of this season getting hammered eight ways from Sunday, allowing a significantly greater number of extra-base hits than he did a year ago. Sure, his walk rate is up a little bit (from 1.70 BB/9 to 2.00 BB/9), but it's still among the lowest in the NL. It's that league-high BIPR that's made the difference.

That said, look for Perez to show some improvement in the second half of 2003. If there's one lesson we can learn from this little exercise, it's that a pitcher's luck can--and often will--change in a New York minute.

And no, I don't wanna give up Boonie really, and I know that Casey's a stiff.

:``(

Milwood Meltdown continues, in spite of him (and boras) jockeying for a higher offer ($50M/4yrs.)

Larry Bowa needs to go see a proctologist, uncork whatever brains the loudmouthed jackass has trapped in the $5.99 wok masquerading as his skull, and field the following lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins (SS)
2. Marlon Byrd (CF)
3. Bobby Abreu (RF)
4. Jim Thome (1B)
5. Mike Lieberthal (C)
6. Pat Burrell (LF)
7. Placido Polanco (2B)
8. David Bell (3B)
9. Mike Schmidt (DH)

(Note: I have no idea what I mean re: that wok business.)

I don't get why he has Abreu leading off. I don't like that idea, Larry!

Same thing goes for Boone Senior & getting Adam Dunn ABs at the top of the Reds order. Yo, Bob, if you're reading:

1. Jose Guillen (CF)
2. Aaron Boone (2B)
3. Ken Griffey Jr. (LF)
4. Austin Kearns (RF)
5. Adam Dunn (1B)
6. Jason LaRue (C)
7. Brandon Larson / Russell Branyan (3B)
8. Felipe Lopez (SS)
9. any non-Red pitcher

Ride or die w/ the kids, Cincy. You play Barry Larkin, you're only playing yourself. & there has to be SOMEONE desperate enough for a 1Ber (hey, Mr. Casey) to possibly throw some pitching prospects at the Smallpark. (See: San Diego? Dodgers? Baltimore?) (Heh - I'm assuming Baltimore has pitching prospects that aren't eligible for AARP benefits. That's funny.)

And I don't hate Asians, unless they're Commies, and those red-faced hippie free-love bastards can suck my sump pump.

Jeremy Brown - the "fat" catcher from Alabama who draws so many walks(leading to a high OBP), drawing the attention of A's asst. GM Paul DePodesta.

If you are an opposing coach, do you walk this guy, then you get the next batter to hit an infield grounder (after big curves at the corner to prevent bunting him over) and you have about 60 seconds to get a double play as Brown waddles his way to 2nd.

I never saw him play, but if he is as slow as the say he is, his inflated OBP isn't too hard to imagine.

Awwww yeeeaaah!

How sad.

Here's da link. Maybe he was just distracted by all the recent contract negotiations.

Also: Grant Hill's out for 2003-04 NBA season.

The thing about Grant is, the Magic want him to retire so they can get an injury exception and his contract comes off the books in 2005. I guess him and his agent weren't very happy about the Magic saying he's not gonna play... but geez, who can blame them. Best NBA trade ever, btw.

Hahaha.. poor Sergei. He gets no love nowhere. Even his Ferrari hates him!

I never thought Grant Hill was that great. Where's the outside touch?

Chip Caray: "Well, you guys have obviously reached the top of your profession. What were some of the bands that inspired you guys to make music?"

Eddie Vedder: "There's a band from D.C. called Fugazi that are a big inspiration. They're my all-time favorite band. They're just amazing. Uh, there's a band from Olympia, a three-piece, called Sleater-Kinney, who are really great. We've played a few shows with them. A really great band."

Ahhhhhh, that felt good.

aaron's baseball blog totally ripped into joe morgan. this kid (i think he's 19) is a pretty good read if you can keep up with his updates, he likes stats too.

my personal favorites:

1977 pittsburgh pirates
1975 houston astros
1978 san diego padres

my personal favorites:

1977 pittsburgh pirates
1975 houston astros
1978 san diego padres

(felicity's libido not to thread)

The only way I'll be impressed is if they end up with three 20-game losers.

TS: Dontrelle Willis vs. Mark Prior

Pretty impressive that they were both drafted by the Cubs.

Actually, isn't Willis going against Mets pitching wunderkind (ooo look out!) Aaron Heilman tonight? That's good eatin'.

And, BTW, kudos on Alfie for busting his hump over to 1st base yesterday & allowing the tying run to score. Nothing like putting the DUH in funDUHmentals. Watching Cubs games = watching a loved one die of scurvy (except during the 7th inning stretch). BTW, since I have to mention the Red Sox, watching NESN promote their roundtable sportstalk discussion show = watching the YES Network sell sweatpants & shortstops.

The thing is, this (Javy's nuttiness) doesn't seem fluky so much as it is the result of him getting his dead ass into shape, & while there's going to be some sort of collapse in the 2nd half (since most, if not all, catchers get all whiny & tired in August) (pansies), I don't know if it'd be worth it to get rid of him.

My recommendation, Yanc3 (since you asked, obviously) - keep Javy, play Huff @ first, find yourself a good solid OF on the waiver wire, & do something with Deivi Cruz, because if anyone's playing out of his gourd, it's that guy.

Anyone else need advice? Since I'm in 7th place, I have a good view of EVERYONE'S team, and I have a big mouth, too.

NOTE: Do NOT buy Positively Fifth Street. The Harpers article on which it's based is light years better. (i.e. I'm skipping all the bullshit and just reading the poker bits)

If Prior had 17 Ks, would Dusty let him pitch the 9th (126 pitches)?

my personal favorites:

1977 pittsburgh pirates
1975 houston astros
1978 san diego padres

my personal favorites:

1977 pittsburgh pirates
1975 houston astros
1978 san diego padres

but which do you prefer: your personal favorites or your personal favorites? :P

No, it is just all of that Duke Medical Center bioengineering program disquised as training table meals that are finally catching up to them.

I hate those bastards. I'm so glad the Dodgers have sucked for ten years so I can aim all of my hate towards Duke basketball.

Wild looking baseball players from the 70s would have to include former San Diego Padre Gene Richards as an Allstar, that man had an alltime great SUPERFRO.

on another topic, can someone explain LOAIZA to me? what is the scoop?

Also also - who the hell is the White Sox toadie that horns in on all of Hawk's "YYYYYYYES!"es? Between that little handjive & those two nimrods going silent each time the opposing team gets a hit off their boys (oh the shame! oh I shan't speak on it anymore! and neither shall you!), I think someone should take one for the team & attempt a suicide bomb run @ the broadcast booth in US Mike Cuellar Field. Or, at the very least, clean the damn park, what with hot dog wrappers & assorted non-hipster detritus auditioning for a cameo in American Beauty II: Now With Retsin - that bandbox needs an Aegean Stables scrub ASAP.

& I'd also like to approach the High Council with this inquiry - oh, Grand Puba, shape of my heart, fruit of my loins, rump of my roast, should I be enjoying Joe Buck's Cardinals broadcasts as much as I do?

Cos I read that until recently they were a good ol' boy institution who ran anyone not white out of Boston up till Mo came in (and now Pedro & Nomah). Does this obvious dudness overwhelm the classic romanticism of their futility?

No comment on how much the Yawkeys had to do w/ keeping the Red Sox in the cotton fields, intellectually speaking.

I dare say that GM Kenny Williams is dead-set on butchering the White Sox minor league system via dumbass trades. Kudos to Mr. Duquette for some nice fleecing (well, maybe not "nice", but given the situation, getting anything for Alomar is a bonus).

I read an article online how the new ownership in Boston is trying to do more for innercity baseball and trying to mend some of the fences with the African American community.

I was watching the 86 series live when Calvin Schiraldi (ex-Cub) and Bob Stanley threw away the World Series, both of which deserve as much if not more blame than Buckner for losing that game. Buckner made the play that every one remembers, but those two bozos out of the bullpen REALLY blew the game, putting it up to where Buckner's error was the straw that broke the back.

I remember in the weeks going up to the playoffs and during the Redsox series against the Angels (and another classic former Cub goat Donnie Moore's nightmare RIP) that the announcers kept wondering when the Sox lack of a closer would come back to haunt them.

If the Redsox make the playoffs will their lack of a proven closer (Kim doesn't count) come back to haunt them?

I cannot understand the White Sox. Thomas starts to remember how to hit and now Konerko forgets.

Eric,

Let me preface this first: I love you. And I miss you. Come back to me.

While browsing at season to date stats it may seem that Mondesi for Rivera is not an illogical trade. However, you must consider that Rivera spent the first 6 weeks of the season on the DL but more importantly:

After starting the year very hot, Mondesi's Batting Average for the month of June was .204 and he's on the verge of losing his starting status in Yankee Stadium if they bring in another outfielder... put succinctly, he's not exactly the type of guy you want to give up one of the best closers in baseball for (fyi: Rivera's having a better season than Gagne/Smoltz/Percival).

So, in short, please stay off crack. This has been a public service announcement courtesy of you league commissioner.

was that rude?

anyone else having problems accessing the fantasy site?

Say WHAT? Gygax, PLEASE back that ass (& that claim) up!

I dare say that GM Kenny Williams is dead-set on butchering the White Sox minor league system via dumbass trades. Kudos to Mr. Hart for some nice fleecing (well, maybe not "nice", given that I'm not sure the White Sox have any minor leaguers worth a damn, but being able to flip Everett for anything short of a restraining order & a sawed off is A-OK).

I'm not really sure why the White Sox are making a "run" at the AL Central crown (AKA The Real Wildcard), given that their pitching - outside of 1 month of Jon Garland & Esteban Loaiza's Wild Ride - has been buttass. If KW & the Powers That Be on the North Side (or whichever side they're on) are trying to placate the fannies w/ some irresistable Eau De Veteran, then kudos & pass the Cracker Jack, but stealing time away from the folks that are (I thought) the future of the franchise on the hopes that A) the Royals stop slapping around their Central brothers & B) the Twins pull their head from betwixt their buttocks is a dubious gamble at best. They didn't hire Steve Phillips as a consultant, did they?

PS - Nomah, WATCH THE BALL INTO THE GLOVE BROTHER!

90 ABs
19 Hits (.211)
8 Runs
4 HRs
9 RBIs
2 SBs
OPS (.662)

in the previous 2 months he had:

180 ABs
55 Hits (.305)
45 Runs
14 HRs
42 RBIs
2 SBs
OPS (1.017)

i hope they got a good deal on him.

where is felicity, i owe her a damn email.

Even if he doesn manage to maintain his hold on 1st place, I'll still say it because I'm a stubborn ign'ant jerk.

Willis and Horacio Ramirez both 7+ ip and 1 ER each my god...!

Young'uns like those two and maybe Jerome Williams now get me in heat a lot faster than Pujols, if only because good hitters are comparatively a dime a dozen. This side of post-season Giants action, (young) pitchers get me more excited about the game than anything else now.

[i love this picture]

There goes any chance I had at this thing (as if anyone actually has a chance of catching Aaron).

hypothetically he could hit for the cycle.

& also, his slugging is "only" 3.000 (15 TB / 5 ABs).

i just assumed it was COL wowzerz.

Alou got tossed in the 4th, not bad for a senior citizen, eh?

I was actually OPSed off this morning, when my roomy woke me up a half-hour after my job / internship interview was supposed to begin (OPSed at myself, of course, not my roomy, tho it'd be nice if he were Mr. Belvedere to my Bob Uecker), but I'm much better now. Some Maalox cleared that shit up real good (urp).

Someone smack Quentin McCracken upside the head & clue him in re: The Shea-Hey Fag-Bashing Kid being "the right-sided presence this lineup needs", because, y'know, 'Zona had a similar model in Matt Williams earlier this year & they didn't need to dump a young stud pitcher type (who was GREAT yesterday walking the bases loaded @ Ruth's House, lemme tell ya) to enjoy his 0fers & spotty defense.

Anyway, Sheffield has hit .206 since I traded him.

I have J-Dub in my other league too. He's the new Dontrelle Willis, doncha know!

Should I trade:

Sammy Sosa / Matt Clement

FOR:

Jerome Williams / Jeremy Affeldt / Troy Percival

Sosa's 35, y'know. He's OOOOOLD.

I'm getting offers left and right for Lidle. Someone on ESPN must've written a piece about Lidle as the quintessential "second-half performer." I wanna sell high.

...with Sweeney's back being dicey, I dunno if getting him @ this point is such a coup. Guys w/ back issues always have back issues, & that's not good for guys that like to mash the ball. The words "serious setback" have been invoked re: Sweeney's comeback, too.

i'll reply gygax. if you haven't noticed i look at our yahoo league about once every two weeks. i'm the tark!

DOTEL FEELS PINCH IN BACKSIDE

Did the 'Stros deal for Harvey Firestein?

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/030710.html

AND KARL MALONE IS A LAKER! MY HATE CAN BE DIRECTED ALL TO ONE TEAM! THIS IS SO EXCITING!

a) 0
b) 10
c) 20
d) 30
e) 40 or more

I choose D!

Will the commish bless us with a midseason wrap-up? Or must I toot my
own managerial horn?

I had not heard that yet.

(not saying haha to mock your pain, just, I mean, has there ever been a more luckless ballplayer than this guy? What was he doing anyway, shagging a routine fly ball?)

um, the rondell white for mariano rivera trade has been officially protested. let us resolve the fairness of this trade in the next 48 hours and reach a majority opinion and i will make a decision by monday's games.

thank you,
the commissioner

Also - for the past month, Griffey's been hitting .206 (albeit with a .958 OPS) (hey, he's like Adam Dunn!). The last few games pre-break notwithstanding, that's pretty awful (ESPECIALLY if he did well the week prior to the All Star Game).

My sensitivity to average is probably due to the fact that I'm still 2nd or 3rd-to-last because of the aforementioned Adam Dunn (& Tejada taking April & May off helped, too) (rat bastard).

I realize bnw hates Kenny Lofton but Lofton and Ramirez have to be a trade up from Harris and Goodwin. As for giving up a young arm, oh well.

So what happened to Vlad yesterday? He was in the game for 2 ABs, got HBP, then left the game... I can't find any details. Is he hurt again? I have a trade in the works for him and I'm thinking of backing out if he got hurt again.

1. Carlos Delgado
2. Jason Schmidt (second-top rated pitcher, 6th rounder)
3. Melvin Mora
4. Tim Worrell
5. Vernon Wells
6. Bill Mueller (if I had only kept him!)

330 foot strike to save the tie game in the top of the 9th. very next play, a walk off homefun.

If Fox Sports gets hold of this idea they'll start playing kazoos & vibraslaps & whistle rings whenever someone goes deep. And that'd be a homebum(mer).

"The Yankess make a move, acquiring left-handed hitting outfielder David Dellucci for Raul Mondesi. Meanwhile, the Red Sox, IN AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES, acquire Scott Williamson from the Reds."

Holy crap how far do you have to be up your employer's ass before they call in the jaws of life & force an oxygen tube into the butthole? Trying to compare a piddly little bench move (which allows the Yankees to give the majority of RF playing time to stiff-in-training Karim Garcia WOO YOU'RE THE MAN NOW DOG) to a move that allows your closest competitor to A) improve their bullpen and B) improve their starting rotation (by moving Kim into Ramiro Mendoza's rotation spot) shows an inordinate amount of unnecessary chutzpah, 26 world championships & the adulations of fans all across the world be damned to fuck.

Never mind that the Red Sox move was actually announced around 9 PM EST, & the Yankees broadcast makes it sound as if it happened after the Yanks made their oh-so important roster swapski.

I need to change pants!

And um looking at the rest of the numbers I can't defend Fonzie any further.

So next time anyone ever tells you Brian Sabean this/that, just remember:

He actually ALMOST let Bonds go
JEFFERY HAMMONDS
MARVIN BENARD [$5M]
JT Snow = ~$7M
Edgardo Alfonzo = ~$4M
Felix Rodriguez = $3.2M
Damian Moss for Russ Ortiz
Jim Brower for Livan Hernandez

If Jocketty doesn't make a move today I will cry.

Non-sequitor: wackiest trade offer I've received ever (what I'd get VS what I'd give up) -

Schilling / Jay Payton / Horacio Ramirez FOR Ainsworth / Mike Cameron / Piniero / Javier Vazquez

i'm bitching about the giants GM because he is probably more highly regarded in this town than mothafuckin' billy beane if you can believe that. i am not impressed with him, the giants have been LUCKY, that's right LUCKY. schmidt and rueter on the DL last week and they kept rollin' along on their 2nd half opening home stand.

last weekend i traded millwood and marcus giles for vlad guerrero (coming off the dl). millwood is falling apart, but giles has come alive the day after i traded him and can't be stopped since. vlad has been off/on... two homers in one game followed by 0/4 for example. did i make a mistake? i'm #2 in that league (bonds, pujols, manny and now vlad).

If you look at his track record, Sabean's been as good as Midas. Out of all the trades he's made, there are only a handful of ex-SF prospects he's given that are even in the bigs, only one of whom has become an All-Star (Foulke). (Edwards Guzman being the other guy, prob. from the Schmidt trade.)

Also, I know that the shelflife for relievers is short, but who would've thought that Felix was going to implode the way he has?

mr. D- i have michael young on 2B in giles' absence.

pitchers-wise i'm okay (if not indicative of homer-ism):

dontrelle willis (bay area native)
russ ortiz (former sf)
livan hernandez (former sf)
jerome williams (sf)
tim worrell (sf)
miguel batista
damaso marte
mike macdougal
lance carter
luis ayala

ts: cork vs. maple

TS: Weight lifting VS sit-ups & push-ups

john miller:
"alfonseca takes the throw back with his bare hand... as if to say 'take that' to the hand that is throwing those pitches... of course, alfonseca has more fingers to catch the ball with his bare hand."

(sub-query: anyone else loving the schadenfreude of the A's mediocrity esp. now that they're nowhere near the bottom of the salary range?)

2. I've always had some level of A's hate since '89, but like with the Angels, I'm not going to gloat till they're officially eliminated this year.

and he's on my bench.

< /master of the obvious>

4 baserunners, 8 Ks through 5 ip.

Too bad crappy Oakland can't give him any support.

So how much does Boone's value go up with this trade? I want to try to deal him. I just offered Boone, Brian Giles and Rafael Soriano for Eric Chavez and Mark Teixera. I'm doubting the other dude will take it...

Where you been, Blount?

Well I'm still in first place! Might as well enjoy it while it lasts!
-- Aaron W (aaro...), April 7th, 2003.

by the way, can i say that i love that we're treating the baseball season like it's a sprint? if we're still doing this in july then i will lick each & every one of you! (aaron w. first tho)
-- Yanc3y (ystrickle...), April 9th, 2003.

Yanc3y is going to lick us! Hooray!

loungin? that's what i've been doing! i haven't seen you! (unemployment goal reached: i've played TWO seasons with vt in ncaa 2004)(i'm so fucking bored)

i liked tolerated him as special (transvestite) agent dennis/denise in the abyssmal 3rd season of twin peaks.

How many people in this baseball bitch are unemployed? Feliz Navidad, me compadres! I am now seeing how many Twizzlers I can eat before imploding while waiting for my IRA Distribution check to arrive. I am also waiting for JOB to arrive. (Boils, anyone? Boils?)

hi yanc3y i lick u do u lick me 2

Regardless, as down as I was on Boonie earlier this year, trading him for Chavez straight up would be a push as is, but then swapping Giles and Soriano for Teixeira on top of that is lopsided the wrong way.

I do want to move some players though. Guys I could get something for that I will not keep next season: Lo Duca, Ibanez, Ensberg, Giles, Byrd, Payton, Beckett, Worrell, Jerome Williams, Washburn. I'm actually considering keeping J. Williams and/or Jose Vidro. We get to keep five guys -- for me, Berkman, Abreu, Zito and Gagne are definites. That fifth slot is wide open. So I'd like to either deal some combo of those players above for a top infielder (tho Vidro and Boone certainly are borderline) or a top pitcher, or I could keep one of those other dudes. I know it's early to think about this, but I want to try to pull something off. I've been offering the world for Dontrelle Willis, but the owner who has him won't return my emails. I want D-Train cuz I could throw him in my minor league slot, which means he wouldn't count against my keepers for next season (right now Claussen, Harden and Soriano are my three minor leaguers).

Unless you can swing a deal for Rolen or (ideally) Blalock, I dunno if you should really try to snag a 3B. There's probably a good chance someone like Sean Burroughs or Ensberg (or Boone!) would be available in the draft in later rounds.

Baseball Tonight's Trade Deadline special cut to Jayson Stark who intoned:

"And a blockbuster here: Tampa Bay sends Al Levine to Kansas City for cash considerations."

Is he being sarcastic?!!!! I love Al. He will be mine.

Believe me, I'm knocking on wood every day...

Plus the whole thing where I'd open up a spot for a player who can give me stats every day (Boone, Vidro). Plus, you gotta hang on to this Jerome Willams kid. 9 Ks through 6 tonight!!

If I didn't love him, I'd say that this is so high school.

Why is Scott Schoeneweis on the White Sox?????

thanx

Owner of the Hottt Pockets