Ken Griffey Jr. is ready and ripped for this season. On a personal level, I do want him to succeed. I'm not going to analyze his season last year or his projections for this year. One thing that caught my eye, however, was this comment from crazyjdawg91 in the comments section:
"and just think if, he had stooped to the level of AFraud, Barroid, and McWired, who knows how many fewer injuries he would have had and how many home runs he would have had. Kudos for Griffey keeping his legacy clean and place in baseball history intact."
According to crazyjdawg91, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire were bad people because they took steroids to stay on the field.* He would rather see superstar Ken Griffey Jr. on the disabled list than on steroids and out on the field producing and helping his team. Interesting logic...
*While I appreciate McGwire admitting steroid usage, I don't buy that he took steroids to stay on the field. That doesn't make sense to me. I would think that he should be going to a doctor to get treatment and not receiving treatment from a gym spotter.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The Yankees Waste $2 million on Randy Winn
The New York Yankees signed Randy Winn to platoon with Brett Gardner and replace Johnny Damon. Certainly one year of Randy Winn is better than three years of Johnny Damon, but zero years of Randy Winn is better than one year of Randy Winn.
Sure, the Yankees can afford to throw away $2 million, but this is the day of making good moves. Jack Z! That is, unless you are Dayton Moore, Omar Minaya, Ned "The Mustached GM" Coletti or Brian Sabean. (If you click on the link, you get to see one bad move they made this off season). Let's put it this way: Randy Winn was so bad last year that even Sabian wouldn't sign him.
Rob Neyer does a good job outlining the bad of this trade. Here are the key points from his article:
"...He's been almost exactly league-average, as a hitter, in his career, and at (almost) 36 he's not going to suddenly become better than average. So there's your baseline: Slightly below average."
He then adds:
"Unfortunately, it is might slightly more than slightly. Winn's spent the last four seasons in the National League. Two of those seasons were slightly better than average, two were substantially worse. He's older and he's moving to the tougher league and he's leaving a good hitter's park for one that is good for power hitters . . . and Winn's not a power hitter."
Winn was ridiculously bad last year with split stats of .262/.318/.353 and a 75 OPS+. At 35, he was starting his downhill trend. He has never been a superstar and has posted two good hitting seasons in his career. As an everyday outfielder, there is no hope for him to be average, and it is more likely that the atrocious numbers would, at best, replicate. He's not going to be an everyday outfielder. Can the partnership work?
Well, last year Damon .282/.365/.489 line with a 126 OPS+. Winn's really bad hitting stats came against left-handed pitching. Against right-handed pitching, Winn had a .292/.354/.397 line. Gardner overall was .270/.345/.379 and a 93 OPS+. Against left-handed pitching he hit .291/.381/.400. Looks nice, but then you realize that was in only 65 plate appearances.
You're looking at a very weak hitting left field spot with okay on base skills. They won't be able to replace Damon, but one year of below average play in left field is better than overpaying for a few years in Damon, who is not exactly a spring chicken. Besides, the Yankees are going after Carl Crawford next year, right? In the meantime, this signing looks pretty pointless. Might as well just let Gardner play full time.
Sure, the Yankees can afford to throw away $2 million, but this is the day of making good moves. Jack Z! That is, unless you are Dayton Moore, Omar Minaya, Ned "The Mustached GM" Coletti or Brian Sabean. (If you click on the link, you get to see one bad move they made this off season). Let's put it this way: Randy Winn was so bad last year that even Sabian wouldn't sign him.
Rob Neyer does a good job outlining the bad of this trade. Here are the key points from his article:
"...He's been almost exactly league-average, as a hitter, in his career, and at (almost) 36 he's not going to suddenly become better than average. So there's your baseline: Slightly below average."
He then adds:
"Unfortunately, it is might slightly more than slightly. Winn's spent the last four seasons in the National League. Two of those seasons were slightly better than average, two were substantially worse. He's older and he's moving to the tougher league and he's leaving a good hitter's park for one that is good for power hitters . . . and Winn's not a power hitter."
Winn was ridiculously bad last year with split stats of .262/.318/.353 and a 75 OPS+. At 35, he was starting his downhill trend. He has never been a superstar and has posted two good hitting seasons in his career. As an everyday outfielder, there is no hope for him to be average, and it is more likely that the atrocious numbers would, at best, replicate. He's not going to be an everyday outfielder. Can the partnership work?
Well, last year Damon .282/.365/.489 line with a 126 OPS+. Winn's really bad hitting stats came against left-handed pitching. Against right-handed pitching, Winn had a .292/.354/.397 line. Gardner overall was .270/.345/.379 and a 93 OPS+. Against left-handed pitching he hit .291/.381/.400. Looks nice, but then you realize that was in only 65 plate appearances.
You're looking at a very weak hitting left field spot with okay on base skills. They won't be able to replace Damon, but one year of below average play in left field is better than overpaying for a few years in Damon, who is not exactly a spring chicken. Besides, the Yankees are going after Carl Crawford next year, right? In the meantime, this signing looks pretty pointless. Might as well just let Gardner play full time.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Ed Wade Does Not Sign Miguel Tejada
In a surprising move, Houston Astros General Manager Ed Wade does not sign Miguel Tejada to a ten year extension. Finally Wade does something smart. Instead, the Baltimore Orioles bring back Tejada for one year at $6 million.
I get that Tejada will be a body to hold down third base until prospect Josh Bell takes over. I would also get this move if Tejada was signed for $1 million because if he somehow puts up okay numbers, he could be flipped for a B+ prospect. Hey, maybe the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom I am shocked didn't sign Tejada to a multi-year deal to begin with, would trade another nice prospect, a la Josh Bell. At $6 million, even at one year, it just seems like a waste of money. Who else wanted to sign him?
With the Houston Astros, where Tejada aged two years in one year, he put up horrible numbers. Don't let the two all-star appearances and the .313 batting average and 86 RBI fool you, like it fooled Orioles General Manager Andy MacPhail. Last year, he put up a 109 OPS+ and posted a 92 OPS+ the year before. In 2008, he had a .314 OBP, but he did improve to a .340 OBP last year. So last year, he had a .313 batting average and a .340 OBP. So we know that his on base skills are batting average heavy these days. He has a career .289 batting average, which is only .006 points above his 2008 batting average. What does this mean? It means that he is unlikely to post a .340 on base percentage at age 36 in the American League East. He will probably put up numbers closer to his 2008 rate stats.
If I was Chris Berman, I would nickname Andy MacPhail, Andy Mac-Epic-Phail. This signing, as it stands, looks bad, but if Casey Blake goes down for the Los Angeles Dodgers, I think MacPhail might be able to get another prospect from the Dodgers...
I get that Tejada will be a body to hold down third base until prospect Josh Bell takes over. I would also get this move if Tejada was signed for $1 million because if he somehow puts up okay numbers, he could be flipped for a B+ prospect. Hey, maybe the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom I am shocked didn't sign Tejada to a multi-year deal to begin with, would trade another nice prospect, a la Josh Bell. At $6 million, even at one year, it just seems like a waste of money. Who else wanted to sign him?
With the Houston Astros, where Tejada aged two years in one year, he put up horrible numbers. Don't let the two all-star appearances and the .313 batting average and 86 RBI fool you, like it fooled Orioles General Manager Andy MacPhail. Last year, he put up a 109 OPS+ and posted a 92 OPS+ the year before. In 2008, he had a .314 OBP, but he did improve to a .340 OBP last year. So last year, he had a .313 batting average and a .340 OBP. So we know that his on base skills are batting average heavy these days. He has a career .289 batting average, which is only .006 points above his 2008 batting average. What does this mean? It means that he is unlikely to post a .340 on base percentage at age 36 in the American League East. He will probably put up numbers closer to his 2008 rate stats.
If I was Chris Berman, I would nickname Andy MacPhail, Andy Mac-Epic-Phail. This signing, as it stands, looks bad, but if Casey Blake goes down for the Los Angeles Dodgers, I think MacPhail might be able to get another prospect from the Dodgers...
Vinny Del Negro Still Coaching the Chicago Bulls
On December 28, 2009, ESPN reporter Chris Broussard posted this story on its Web site declaring that the Chicago Bulls have already decided on firing head coach Vinny Del Negro. The announcement was not made because they were waiting on a head coach. Today is January 24, 2010, and Vinny Del Negro is still the head coach of the Chicago Bulls.
Look, I'm not saying that what Broussard reported was false. The problem is, whatever happened (if anything), the writer wrote a story insinuating that Del Negro was gone, and almost a month later, he's still drawing up plays.
This is one of the problems with sports reporting. There is too much reporting on rumors than actual events. This is a huge example, obviously, but it happens all the time. Last year on the trade deadline, ESPN had a big banner speculating that the Phoenix Suns were going to trade Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers. When I saw that, I emailed my contact with the Suns to see if that was true. She replied back within five minutes saying that there was no truth to it at all. At the end of the day, O'Neal was still in a Suns uniform.
Currently, there are reports that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is leaning towards retirement. Is it bad to actually wait until he makes a decision?
Look, I'm not saying that what Broussard reported was false. The problem is, whatever happened (if anything), the writer wrote a story insinuating that Del Negro was gone, and almost a month later, he's still drawing up plays.
This is one of the problems with sports reporting. There is too much reporting on rumors than actual events. This is a huge example, obviously, but it happens all the time. Last year on the trade deadline, ESPN had a big banner speculating that the Phoenix Suns were going to trade Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers. When I saw that, I emailed my contact with the Suns to see if that was true. She replied back within five minutes saying that there was no truth to it at all. At the end of the day, O'Neal was still in a Suns uniform.
Currently, there are reports that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is leaning towards retirement. Is it bad to actually wait until he makes a decision?
Monday, January 18, 2010
When Using the Word FEAR Goes Wrong
A quick hit:
I just linked to a story where Eric Byrnes has interest in playing for the San Francisco Giants. I only cared about the first part since it was relative to the post. I read a little bit further and found this wonderful quote from Randy Winn about Aubrey Huff:
"This is a tough park to be a home-run hitter, to put up 30, 40 home runs, but I think he can hit 20 home runs and, more importantly, be a feared RBI guy," Winn said. "I think that's more important. I know he didn't have a good year last year, but he's been a guy who's driven in 100 runs."
First off, I don't expect Winn to know that RBI is a stupid stat to measure a hitter. But feared RBI guy? Aubrey Huff? You want Aubrey Huff to be a feared RBI guy? Even Jim Rice and Andre Dawson are laughing. Can I start the Aubrey Huff hall of fame campaign now?
Well, let's take a look at Aubrey Huff, Hall of Fear career:
The Slash Stats: .282/.340/.472 with a 113 OPS+
Last Four Seasons OPS+: 81, 137, 103 and 108
Huff is a guy who will start the season at 33 and coming off an 81 OPS+ and a .310 OBP. Granted, he shouldn't be as bad as those numbers, but it would be absurd to think he will have a 137 OPS+ season. The Giants are getting an average hitter. Average hitters are not feared.
I just linked to a story where Eric Byrnes has interest in playing for the San Francisco Giants. I only cared about the first part since it was relative to the post. I read a little bit further and found this wonderful quote from Randy Winn about Aubrey Huff:
"This is a tough park to be a home-run hitter, to put up 30, 40 home runs, but I think he can hit 20 home runs and, more importantly, be a feared RBI guy," Winn said. "I think that's more important. I know he didn't have a good year last year, but he's been a guy who's driven in 100 runs."
First off, I don't expect Winn to know that RBI is a stupid stat to measure a hitter. But feared RBI guy? Aubrey Huff? You want Aubrey Huff to be a feared RBI guy? Even Jim Rice and Andre Dawson are laughing. Can I start the Aubrey Huff hall of fame campaign now?
Well, let's take a look at Aubrey Huff, Hall of Fear career:
The Slash Stats: .282/.340/.472 with a 113 OPS+
Last Four Seasons OPS+: 81, 137, 103 and 108
Huff is a guy who will start the season at 33 and coming off an 81 OPS+ and a .310 OBP. Granted, he shouldn't be as bad as those numbers, but it would be absurd to think he will have a 137 OPS+ season. The Giants are getting an average hitter. Average hitters are not feared.
The D-Backs Young, Awesome Outfield
The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to terms with first baseman Adam LaRoche. Ho hum. Until you realize that this move did two things: Conor Jackson will move to left field, and the Diamondbacks released left fielder Eric Byrnes.
LaRoche is an offensive upgrade over Jackson. The last four seasons, LaRoche has put up a 122, 122, 109 and 130 OPS+ with an on base percentage of .355, .341, .345 and .354. LaRoche is 30 years old and his peak years are behind him, but he is by no means an old man. It would not be far fetched to say that he will contribute 20 home runs and a .350 OBP. If the Diamondbacks can find a decent platoon partner to hit the left handed pitchers, they might have a real force at first base. Check out LaRoche's numbers versus right handed pitchers.
Jackson gets on base more than LaRoche, but he has less pop. He will move to left field in place of Byrnes and whoever else they trotted out there last year. Jackson was injured last year, but the three seasons prior, he sported a 109, 109 and 103 OPS+ and got on base at a .376, .368 and .368 clip. He figures to only improve on those numbers as he enters his prime years. Since Byrnes signed that big three year contract after the very nice 2007 season, he did not have an OBP higher than .272 or an OPS+ of 67. Incredible. He was also injured, which was unfortunately his best offensive contribution.
Jackson turns 28 this year, and easily the Diamondbacks have a very nice, young outfield. In addition to Jackson, the disappointing but entering his peak Chris Young will play center field and the breakout MVP candidate Justin Upton will play right field. If Young is going to have a future in this game, this will be the year he shows his talent. He will start the year at 26. So far, he has proven that he can take a walk, but he can't make much contact with the ball. When he was a rookie and made contact with the ball, he was hitting moonshots. His home runs have dropped from 32 to 22 to 15 in each of the last three years. Upton was an emerging super duper star with slash stats of .300/.366/.532. Those numbers are great, but he hasn't even tapped into his awesomeness. He will only be 22 years old to start the season, and you can only expect those numbers to go up each year.
And if this is true, the LaRoche signing has added a whole new level of awesomeness. So the Diamondbacks get rid of Byrnes AND he goes to the division rival San Francisco Giants? Sure, at this point, the interest is one-sided, but you know if GM Brian Sabean picks up the paper and sees that column, he will begin to draft a two year contract with a player option third year.
LaRoche is an offensive upgrade over Jackson. The last four seasons, LaRoche has put up a 122, 122, 109 and 130 OPS+ with an on base percentage of .355, .341, .345 and .354. LaRoche is 30 years old and his peak years are behind him, but he is by no means an old man. It would not be far fetched to say that he will contribute 20 home runs and a .350 OBP. If the Diamondbacks can find a decent platoon partner to hit the left handed pitchers, they might have a real force at first base. Check out LaRoche's numbers versus right handed pitchers.
Jackson gets on base more than LaRoche, but he has less pop. He will move to left field in place of Byrnes and whoever else they trotted out there last year. Jackson was injured last year, but the three seasons prior, he sported a 109, 109 and 103 OPS+ and got on base at a .376, .368 and .368 clip. He figures to only improve on those numbers as he enters his prime years. Since Byrnes signed that big three year contract after the very nice 2007 season, he did not have an OBP higher than .272 or an OPS+ of 67. Incredible. He was also injured, which was unfortunately his best offensive contribution.
Jackson turns 28 this year, and easily the Diamondbacks have a very nice, young outfield. In addition to Jackson, the disappointing but entering his peak Chris Young will play center field and the breakout MVP candidate Justin Upton will play right field. If Young is going to have a future in this game, this will be the year he shows his talent. He will start the year at 26. So far, he has proven that he can take a walk, but he can't make much contact with the ball. When he was a rookie and made contact with the ball, he was hitting moonshots. His home runs have dropped from 32 to 22 to 15 in each of the last three years. Upton was an emerging super duper star with slash stats of .300/.366/.532. Those numbers are great, but he hasn't even tapped into his awesomeness. He will only be 22 years old to start the season, and you can only expect those numbers to go up each year.
And if this is true, the LaRoche signing has added a whole new level of awesomeness. So the Diamondbacks get rid of Byrnes AND he goes to the division rival San Francisco Giants? Sure, at this point, the interest is one-sided, but you know if GM Brian Sabean picks up the paper and sees that column, he will begin to draft a two year contract with a player option third year.
Men's Fashion: Glowing on the Dance Floor
Yesterday I was online window shopping. I checked out the usual sites, read through some blogs--not looking for ideas--but looking for links, brands and stores I've never seen.
One of my favorite places to buy t-shirts is Express because they are comfortable, look nice and are usually at a decent price* When looking at the latest designs, I saw a Black Light Graphic Tee. Oh no! For as much as I like the graphic t-shirt for wearing around the house, complimenting layers or wearing out when I'm wanting to scrub it, it has made the new-age man lazy. You see herds of men wearing the latest $120.00 Ed Hardy t-shirt (or $60.00 on sale Ed Hardy t-shirt for the men making $30K a year or less). It's like they think that buying an expensive vibrant colored t-shirt is fashion** It's not.
I have a feeling that the glow-in-the-dark t-shirt will be popping up at clubs everywhere. It is another lazy fashion idea. The good news is now it will be easier to spot the tool.
*Express used to sell t-shirts for $20.00. With increased demand, they have increased the price to $30.00. Sometimes they will have gimmicks like buy one, get the second half off. While I appreciate the business side of it, I have a hard time spending more than $25.00 for a standard t-shirt. There are lots of other sites and stores that sell quality t-shirts in the $15.00 to $20.00 range.
**I like Ed Hardy's use of colors and think if worn correctly can really make your attire pop. The problem is most people I see just wear the t-shirt. The colors really need to be worn in layers--blacks and grays. My other problem is I just can't see how spending more than $50.00 (let alone $30.00) and up to $125.00 for a t-shirt is a good value.
One of my favorite places to buy t-shirts is Express because they are comfortable, look nice and are usually at a decent price* When looking at the latest designs, I saw a Black Light Graphic Tee. Oh no! For as much as I like the graphic t-shirt for wearing around the house, complimenting layers or wearing out when I'm wanting to scrub it, it has made the new-age man lazy. You see herds of men wearing the latest $120.00 Ed Hardy t-shirt (or $60.00 on sale Ed Hardy t-shirt for the men making $30K a year or less). It's like they think that buying an expensive vibrant colored t-shirt is fashion** It's not.
I have a feeling that the glow-in-the-dark t-shirt will be popping up at clubs everywhere. It is another lazy fashion idea. The good news is now it will be easier to spot the tool.
*Express used to sell t-shirts for $20.00. With increased demand, they have increased the price to $30.00. Sometimes they will have gimmicks like buy one, get the second half off. While I appreciate the business side of it, I have a hard time spending more than $25.00 for a standard t-shirt. There are lots of other sites and stores that sell quality t-shirts in the $15.00 to $20.00 range.
**I like Ed Hardy's use of colors and think if worn correctly can really make your attire pop. The problem is most people I see just wear the t-shirt. The colors really need to be worn in layers--blacks and grays. My other problem is I just can't see how spending more than $50.00 (let alone $30.00) and up to $125.00 for a t-shirt is a good value.
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