I got to watch the game today and am not going completely off the box score.
Three Up
1. The play that Luis Valbuena made in the 9th was B E A utiful. Who cares if the guys was safe, plays like that will make people forget many guys that played middle infield for the Indians. This guy, this guy, maybe this guy, Tony Fernandez, but never this guy.
2. VICTOR!!! Two no-doubt-about-it jacks.
3. Matt Herges pitched well again and Kobayashi hot-dogged it out of a jam. (Yeah, I know really old joke).
Three Down
1. Grady will miss the WBC because of a groin injury. I think the WBC is a joke, but I still think the idea of representing your country is cool and I think he would give them a better chance to win.
2. It seems way to easy to hit home runs at Goodyear Park.
3. Ryan Garko in left, hehe. I think Garko is an underrated bat, but if Victor and Shoppach are hitting he won't see much time. He didn't screw up at all, but he's way to slow to play in the outfield. So it sucks in a cyclical way.
By the way Kellen Winslow certainly got out of here fast. He already had a press-conference in a Buccaneers polo. But he insists that Cleveland treated him right. Elsewhere in the news Harvey Dent was traded from DC to Marvel.
Friday, February 27, 2009
The Browns made their first significant roster move of the off-season earlier today when they traded Kellen "I'm 'a kill 'em" Winslow to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This opens the door for my boy Martin Rucker, I've been talking about Rucker since his senior year at Mizzou. The guy has great hands and is built very similarly to Winslow. (Rucker is 6'4 260 compared Winslow's 6'4 248.) Their 40 times are similar (Rucker ran a 4.63 and Winslow ran a 4.51). If you've never seen Rucker play check out his highlight reel. Winslow will now get to catch passes from one of the 7 McCown brothers.
Assuming that the Browns got a 3rd or 4th rounder for Winslow, I think this is a good trade. A fifth or sixth round pick it's not bad. Randy Moss went for a 4th round pick when he was traded to the Flying Elvi.
A couple guys that might be around at the end of the 3rd round in this upcoming draft. Brian Robiskie (Ohio State), PJ Hill (Wisconsin), Ian Johnson (Boise State), Derrick Williams (Penn State) and those are just offensive players.
What this also does is affect the Browns cap space. Maybe with the 6 million or so that they save they can go out and sign Ray Lewis, Derrick Ward, James Farrior or re-sign Sean Jones, which I think they will do anyway.
Until we get more, which I'm sure we will tomorrow, it's hard to say what the trade will do, but I definitely am on Mangini's side on this one. Winslow was not good for the locker room, and I'm not talking about the fact he had staph.
What's next??? I was really hoping to package Winslow and DA for something. Now that Shaun "weight issues" Rogers wants out after a great year, they have to trade him. If you outright release him, you just gave up your shutdown corner and a third round pick for a Pro-Bowler who helped the team to a 4-12 record and then complained that he can't make weight. Heck, Braylon probably wants as well, since he is a marked-man coming from Michigan. I actually could see Mangini bringing in Laveranues Coles, who was released yesterday.
I think this trade is going to bring on a lot of roster changes, some that we may or may not agree with, but this first one is a good start.
Assuming that the Browns got a 3rd or 4th rounder for Winslow, I think this is a good trade. A fifth or sixth round pick it's not bad. Randy Moss went for a 4th round pick when he was traded to the Flying Elvi.
A couple guys that might be around at the end of the 3rd round in this upcoming draft. Brian Robiskie (Ohio State), PJ Hill (Wisconsin), Ian Johnson (Boise State), Derrick Williams (Penn State) and those are just offensive players.
What this also does is affect the Browns cap space. Maybe with the 6 million or so that they save they can go out and sign Ray Lewis, Derrick Ward, James Farrior or re-sign Sean Jones, which I think they will do anyway.
Until we get more, which I'm sure we will tomorrow, it's hard to say what the trade will do, but I definitely am on Mangini's side on this one. Winslow was not good for the locker room, and I'm not talking about the fact he had staph.
What's next??? I was really hoping to package Winslow and DA for something. Now that Shaun "weight issues" Rogers wants out after a great year, they have to trade him. If you outright release him, you just gave up your shutdown corner and a third round pick for a Pro-Bowler who helped the team to a 4-12 record and then complained that he can't make weight. Heck, Braylon probably wants as well, since he is a marked-man coming from Michigan. I actually could see Mangini bringing in Laveranues Coles, who was released yesterday.
I think this trade is going to bring on a lot of roster changes, some that we may or may not agree with, but this first one is a good start.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Spring Training Day 2
Same thing as last time. Three good things and three bad things. I again didn't see the game, because I was at school this time. Remember don't pay much attention to this stuff, it's essentially useless, until pitchers are pitching 4 innings.
Wednesday Feb. 25, 2009 L 10-7 vs ARI
Three Up
1. Josh Barfield looks good. if he gets on track, I think he is better than Asdrubal, and I really like Asdrubal.
2. 16 runs in two games. Today they didn't rely on the longball.
2.5. Doug Davis is likely Zona's #3 this season, we hit him hard.
3. Matt LaPorta likes to swing the bat. And is being compared to Ryan Braun
Three Down
1. Matt LaPorta likes to swing the bat. And I'm not buying comparisons to Ryan Braun at all, other than being an average fielder (read it's a good thing he wasn't a 3rd Basemen).
2. The guy playing first base, Jordan Brown, had two throwing errors. I think I'll get to see him play here for at least the first part of the season. I can accept 1 throwing error from a 1B, but 2 is kind of ridiculous.
3. A couple really bad innings by relief pitchers again. Ohka had to deal with a couple errors, but Cassel just didn't have much stuff today. Belichick must have gotten to him.
Ishikawa Udpdate- Went 1-2 with a run. I thought about his numbers a bit and 16-20 HR is not that great from a Fantasy 1B (3 in 33 games). I'm still on the bandwagon, but I'm not going to pass up Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman or even Caros Delgado for him.
Wednesday Feb. 25, 2009 L 10-7 vs ARI
Three Up
1. Josh Barfield looks good. if he gets on track, I think he is better than Asdrubal, and I really like Asdrubal.
2. 16 runs in two games. Today they didn't rely on the longball.
2.5. Doug Davis is likely Zona's #3 this season, we hit him hard.
3. Matt LaPorta likes to swing the bat. And is being compared to Ryan Braun
Three Down
1. Matt LaPorta likes to swing the bat. And I'm not buying comparisons to Ryan Braun at all, other than being an average fielder (read it's a good thing he wasn't a 3rd Basemen).
2. The guy playing first base, Jordan Brown, had two throwing errors. I think I'll get to see him play here for at least the first part of the season. I can accept 1 throwing error from a 1B, but 2 is kind of ridiculous.
3. A couple really bad innings by relief pitchers again. Ohka had to deal with a couple errors, but Cassel just didn't have much stuff today. Belichick must have gotten to him.
Ishikawa Udpdate- Went 1-2 with a run. I thought about his numbers a bit and 16-20 HR is not that great from a Fantasy 1B (3 in 33 games). I'm still on the bandwagon, but I'm not going to pass up Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman or even Caros Delgado for him.
Babbling About Spring Training
I didn't really get to watch much of the game today, as there were more important things on such as Chelsea/Juventus. However what I did see was 10-7 score, that saw the Indians on the short side of the result. You can't base much off spring training, and you certainly can't base anything off one game but here are Three Ups and Three Down for today's game. I'll try to continue to edit my note each game. (until I start my blog, because this is going to get really long)
Wednesday Feb. 25, 2009 L 10-7 vs SF
Three Up
.5. The entire Goodyear, Arizona facility looks great.
1. The bats looked pretty good for an early game, though it may have been the pitching just was bad hence the bats looked good.
2. DeRosa is not a power bat, but if he hits 15-20 into Souvenir City, like he did last year, it will be huge. He started off the spring well. This is important for fans who are not on his train seeing as how he is going to be leaving or the WBC.
3. If Matt Herges' line looks half as good as today's was (1IP 0H 0R 2K) at the end of spring training, I think he should be on the Major League roster. Teams bring guys in on minor league contracts hoping to find a roleplayer that can help them, and it never hurts to have reliable bullpen arms. This guy is only two years removed from going 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA. He is also only 4 years removed from going 1-1 with a 7.14 ERA
Three Down
1. I've never liked Edward Mujica, an not only because of this, yet the Indians keep thinking he is going to be good. He stunk today as he did last year and the year before. Though not as much as Vinnie Chulk. Ditto what I wrote about Herges except for the part about making the roster.
2. I would have liked to see the new lean-mean-not-hitting-anymore-machine, Travis Hafner, get an at-bat.
3. LaPorta should not have had the green light on the last swing of the game. Down three two men on, two outs, the last two pitchers have combined for two hit batsman and 3 balls on their last five pitches, make the them throw a strike. I don't know who was due up because the box score is impossible to read when 19 guys bat. But it appears the guy would have been S Head (unfortunate to not have a first name in the box score with that initial and last name. This S Head hit a home run already why not have him come up with the bases juiced. I'm getting the feeling already that LaPorta is afraid of becoming the next Andy Marte, yes that was on purpose.
FANTASY PLAYER TO WATCH:
This Travis Ishikawa fellow hit two home runs, I've never heard of him but in 33 games .277 3HR and 19 RBI. Possible sleeper pick, then again maybe not. However I must say when Ryan Braun had that ridiculous spring in 2007, I was all over him and everyone told me it's just spring training. 71 HRs, 203 RBI and an NL Rookie of the Year later, your crazy if you don't draft him in the top 20. Mark my words now... I'm jumping on the Ishikawa fantasy bandwagon.
Wednesday Feb. 25, 2009 L 10-7 vs SF
Three Up
.5. The entire Goodyear, Arizona facility looks great.
1. The bats looked pretty good for an early game, though it may have been the pitching just was bad hence the bats looked good.
2. DeRosa is not a power bat, but if he hits 15-20 into Souvenir City, like he did last year, it will be huge. He started off the spring well. This is important for fans who are not on his train seeing as how he is going to be leaving or the WBC.
3. If Matt Herges' line looks half as good as today's was (1IP 0H 0R 2K) at the end of spring training, I think he should be on the Major League roster. Teams bring guys in on minor league contracts hoping to find a roleplayer that can help them, and it never hurts to have reliable bullpen arms. This guy is only two years removed from going 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA. He is also only 4 years removed from going 1-1 with a 7.14 ERA
Three Down
1. I've never liked Edward Mujica, an not only because of this, yet the Indians keep thinking he is going to be good. He stunk today as he did last year and the year before. Though not as much as Vinnie Chulk. Ditto what I wrote about Herges except for the part about making the roster.
2. I would have liked to see the new lean-mean-not-hitting-anymore-machine, Travis Hafner, get an at-bat.
3. LaPorta should not have had the green light on the last swing of the game. Down three two men on, two outs, the last two pitchers have combined for two hit batsman and 3 balls on their last five pitches, make the them throw a strike. I don't know who was due up because the box score is impossible to read when 19 guys bat. But it appears the guy would have been S Head (unfortunate to not have a first name in the box score with that initial and last name. This S Head hit a home run already why not have him come up with the bases juiced. I'm getting the feeling already that LaPorta is afraid of becoming the next Andy Marte, yes that was on purpose.
FANTASY PLAYER TO WATCH:
This Travis Ishikawa fellow hit two home runs, I've never heard of him but in 33 games .277 3HR and 19 RBI. Possible sleeper pick, then again maybe not. However I must say when Ryan Braun had that ridiculous spring in 2007, I was all over him and everyone told me it's just spring training. 71 HRs, 203 RBI and an NL Rookie of the Year later, your crazy if you don't draft him in the top 20. Mark my words now... I'm jumping on the Ishikawa fantasy bandwagon.
You Got Tagged!
You got tagged!
An exploratory divulgence into one of sports least discussed topics.
See what I did there? I made a common Facebook update/notification into something that has nothing to do with Facebook (other than this part). In doing so I may have succeeded in luring you to read it because I may have just declared 20 random things, or picked the first line of 25 random songs on my iPod, or maybe even answered 100 questioned. Well I didn't!
Eventually I am going to go start a Sports Blog, but until then I'm going to let you know my opinions here. Maybe not so much opinions as ideas. For example, I've always wanted to own a minor-league sports franchise. That is not an opinion but an idea. An opinion would be something to the extent of... The Indians may have made the playoffs in 2008 if they had been able to put a Franchise Tag on C.C. Sabathia.
While that is an opinion, a Franchise Tag in baseball is an idea, an idea that will never happen, nor would the players union allow it, but that does not stop my poor comma usage and me from writing about it anyway. BTW, the previous sentence as written means that comma usage is able to write op ed and/or idea ed.
To set the scene a bit let me dim the lights, open up a bottle of this stuff (yes I typed high-end champagnes into Google for that, I'm not quite Dennis Miller yet) and explain that in the NFL there are two types of franchise tags "exclusive" and "non-exclusive" The basic difference is that an "exclusive" tag means the player "must be offered a one-year contract for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player's position as of a date in April of the current year in which the tag will apply, or 120 percent of the player's previous year's salary, whichever is greater," (they also may not negotiate with other teams). In the "non-exclusive" version the "player must be offered a one-year contract for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player's position in the previous year, or 120 percent of the player's previous year's salary, whichever is greater. A non-exclusive franchise player may negotiate with other NFL teams, but if he signs an offer sheet from another team, the original team has a right to match the terms of that offer, or if it does not match the offer and thus loses the player, is entitled to receive two first-round draft picks as compensation."
So now that you've been educated, onto the stuff I didn't plagiarize from Wikipedia. I'm going to tell you that for sake of argument and math we are going to only use the non-exclusive tag and get rid of the 120% rule. Basically in 2008 there were only about 20 total guys that would actually lose money if they were franchised tagged and did not use the 120% rules, and 9 of them played for a team in New York (Giambi, Beltran, Posada, Pudge, Delgado, Jeter, A-Rod, Santana, Pettite) So I don't care.
Also for sake of argument... OF is one position, not to be broken down into center, left, right and Delucci/Michaels. RP is one position, not to be broken down into closers, 7th inning specialists and long-relievers. My apologies to all of the Joe Inglett and Alex Cora fans, but if you are considered a utility player, no team is going to give you a franchise tag, so don't worry about them. DH's do not count in this column.
The fact that there is no salary cap in baseball makes the franchise tag thing kind of tough. Certain position averages are way out of whack due to players with contracts significantly higher than anyone else at the same position.
Also, some might argue that arbitration is, in a way, a direct opposite of a franchise tag. That's a different story, that someone else can comment on as I know everyone will be reading this.
Just like in football certain positions cost more money than others. In 2009 it will cost the Patriots $14.65 million to franchise the sexiest back-up quarterback in the league, Matt Cassell, however it will cost the Chargers $6.62 to franchise running-back, Darren Sproles, luckily they don't have to do this every time LT hurts his toe. The average 2008 salary of the 5 highest paid catchers in the Major Leagues (Posada, Rodriguez, Varitek, Hernandez and Johjima) was about $10 million.The average 2008 salary of the 5 highest paid third basemen in the Major Leagues (A-Rod, Aramis Ramirez, Beltre, Lowell and Glaus) was about $16.6 million, $1.6 million higher than any player at that position not named A-Rod. In other words, thanks to the Yankees nobody is ever going to franchise tag a player at the hot corner.
In many areas the franchise tag could work in baseball. It could keep teams from trading players mid-season. It might also just postpone these trades til the next season, but say the Indians could have put a franchise tag on CC Sabathia last year. I know what your thinking, finally he gets to the point he made in the first paragraph. CC went 11-2 with the Brewers but probably didn't get to ride this very much. The Indians knew they were not going to be able to re-sign him in the offseason, so they traded him. The Tribe only finished 7.5 games back in the AL Central. If a system like this were in place based on last year's salaries, the Indians could have placed a franchise tag on CC and paid him about $16 million to stay an extra year, that is $7 million a year less than his current contract and only $5 million more than he was already making. I don't know that CC's 11-2 would have gotten them in, but it's possible. Not to mention they would begin 2009 with him.
Without getting into the argument that on Opening Day there are 5 times as many guys who will be starting pitchers as there are starting NFL QBs. CC fairly justifies my idea. The Indians might have said, "we really like LaPorta and don't want to pay 16 million next year," and still traded him, but it gives the small market teams a chance to keep players.
Of course the player's union would go berserk over this. Say the Braves franchise tagged Mark Teixiera, who made $12.5 million in 2008, they would have paid him $15.29 million the next year. He pulls a hammy in spring training the next season and doesn't return to form, in 2010 he turns 30 and signs a 5 year deal worth $70 million. He misses out on the contract he just signed with New York and essentially loses $100 million and is a free agent at 35 instead of 37.
Here is where the NFL idea of a player being able to negotiate comes in (though still not sure the MLBPA would go for it). So the Braves put their franchise tag on Teixiera and he wants to hold out for a lucrative contract. The Yankees offer him a 7 year $160 million dollar deal. Atlanta can match the offer or they can let New York have him. Unlike in the NFL where a 1st round draft pick immediately can help a team, it takes years for draft picks to pan out in baseball, so what is the benefit for Atlanta? It kind of works like a trade, though I can't honestly say I know what the equivalent of the 33rd pick in the NFL Draft is compared to baseball. Atlanta would get to pick one of the 13 players on New York's 40 man roster but not the 27 man roster, or something to that extent. Maybe New York can designate 10 guys no lower than Triple A from whom Atlanta can select.
Thank you for 10 great years ... You’ve touched our lives with your kindness, love and generosity. We are forever grateful! It’s been a privilege and an honor! I don't know about you but to me those are the words of a man who would have been happy to see a $5 million increase for one year and stay in the town that he had been with his entire career.
An exploratory divulgence into one of sports least discussed topics.
See what I did there? I made a common Facebook update/notification into something that has nothing to do with Facebook (other than this part). In doing so I may have succeeded in luring you to read it because I may have just declared 20 random things, or picked the first line of 25 random songs on my iPod, or maybe even answered 100 questioned. Well I didn't!
Eventually I am going to go start a Sports Blog, but until then I'm going to let you know my opinions here. Maybe not so much opinions as ideas. For example, I've always wanted to own a minor-league sports franchise. That is not an opinion but an idea. An opinion would be something to the extent of... The Indians may have made the playoffs in 2008 if they had been able to put a Franchise Tag on C.C. Sabathia.
While that is an opinion, a Franchise Tag in baseball is an idea, an idea that will never happen, nor would the players union allow it, but that does not stop my poor comma usage and me from writing about it anyway. BTW, the previous sentence as written means that comma usage is able to write op ed and/or idea ed.
To set the scene a bit let me dim the lights, open up a bottle of this stuff (yes I typed high-end champagnes into Google for that, I'm not quite Dennis Miller yet) and explain that in the NFL there are two types of franchise tags "exclusive" and "non-exclusive" The basic difference is that an "exclusive" tag means the player "must be offered a one-year contract for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player's position as of a date in April of the current year in which the tag will apply, or 120 percent of the player's previous year's salary, whichever is greater," (they also may not negotiate with other teams). In the "non-exclusive" version the "player must be offered a one-year contract for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player's position in the previous year, or 120 percent of the player's previous year's salary, whichever is greater. A non-exclusive franchise player may negotiate with other NFL teams, but if he signs an offer sheet from another team, the original team has a right to match the terms of that offer, or if it does not match the offer and thus loses the player, is entitled to receive two first-round draft picks as compensation."
So now that you've been educated, onto the stuff I didn't plagiarize from Wikipedia. I'm going to tell you that for sake of argument and math we are going to only use the non-exclusive tag and get rid of the 120% rule. Basically in 2008 there were only about 20 total guys that would actually lose money if they were franchised tagged and did not use the 120% rules, and 9 of them played for a team in New York (Giambi, Beltran, Posada, Pudge, Delgado, Jeter, A-Rod, Santana, Pettite) So I don't care.
Also for sake of argument... OF is one position, not to be broken down into center, left, right and Delucci/Michaels. RP is one position, not to be broken down into closers, 7th inning specialists and long-relievers. My apologies to all of the Joe Inglett and Alex Cora fans, but if you are considered a utility player, no team is going to give you a franchise tag, so don't worry about them. DH's do not count in this column.
The fact that there is no salary cap in baseball makes the franchise tag thing kind of tough. Certain position averages are way out of whack due to players with contracts significantly higher than anyone else at the same position.
Also, some might argue that arbitration is, in a way, a direct opposite of a franchise tag. That's a different story, that someone else can comment on as I know everyone will be reading this.
Just like in football certain positions cost more money than others. In 2009 it will cost the Patriots $14.65 million to franchise the sexiest back-up quarterback in the league, Matt Cassell, however it will cost the Chargers $6.62 to franchise running-back, Darren Sproles, luckily they don't have to do this every time LT hurts his toe. The average 2008 salary of the 5 highest paid catchers in the Major Leagues (Posada, Rodriguez, Varitek, Hernandez and Johjima) was about $10 million.The average 2008 salary of the 5 highest paid third basemen in the Major Leagues (A-Rod, Aramis Ramirez, Beltre, Lowell and Glaus) was about $16.6 million, $1.6 million higher than any player at that position not named A-Rod. In other words, thanks to the Yankees nobody is ever going to franchise tag a player at the hot corner.
In many areas the franchise tag could work in baseball. It could keep teams from trading players mid-season. It might also just postpone these trades til the next season, but say the Indians could have put a franchise tag on CC Sabathia last year. I know what your thinking, finally he gets to the point he made in the first paragraph. CC went 11-2 with the Brewers but probably didn't get to ride this very much. The Indians knew they were not going to be able to re-sign him in the offseason, so they traded him. The Tribe only finished 7.5 games back in the AL Central. If a system like this were in place based on last year's salaries, the Indians could have placed a franchise tag on CC and paid him about $16 million to stay an extra year, that is $7 million a year less than his current contract and only $5 million more than he was already making. I don't know that CC's 11-2 would have gotten them in, but it's possible. Not to mention they would begin 2009 with him.
Without getting into the argument that on Opening Day there are 5 times as many guys who will be starting pitchers as there are starting NFL QBs. CC fairly justifies my idea. The Indians might have said, "we really like LaPorta and don't want to pay 16 million next year," and still traded him, but it gives the small market teams a chance to keep players.
Of course the player's union would go berserk over this. Say the Braves franchise tagged Mark Teixiera, who made $12.5 million in 2008, they would have paid him $15.29 million the next year. He pulls a hammy in spring training the next season and doesn't return to form, in 2010 he turns 30 and signs a 5 year deal worth $70 million. He misses out on the contract he just signed with New York and essentially loses $100 million and is a free agent at 35 instead of 37.
Here is where the NFL idea of a player being able to negotiate comes in (though still not sure the MLBPA would go for it). So the Braves put their franchise tag on Teixiera and he wants to hold out for a lucrative contract. The Yankees offer him a 7 year $160 million dollar deal. Atlanta can match the offer or they can let New York have him. Unlike in the NFL where a 1st round draft pick immediately can help a team, it takes years for draft picks to pan out in baseball, so what is the benefit for Atlanta? It kind of works like a trade, though I can't honestly say I know what the equivalent of the 33rd pick in the NFL Draft is compared to baseball. Atlanta would get to pick one of the 13 players on New York's 40 man roster but not the 27 man roster, or something to that extent. Maybe New York can designate 10 guys no lower than Triple A from whom Atlanta can select.
Thank you for 10 great years ... You’ve touched our lives with your kindness, love and generosity. We are forever grateful! It’s been a privilege and an honor! I don't know about you but to me those are the words of a man who would have been happy to see a $5 million increase for one year and stay in the town that he had been with his entire career.
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