Wednesday Night Hot Stove Open Thread
By
Another day, another collection of boring Hot Stoviness. Keep it together, because at the stroke of midnight tomorrow, free agents are free to start negotiating & signing with new clubs. That’s when the offseason gets fun.
The only noteworthy news out of the Bronx today was the resigning of Damaso Marte, but we also learned that Al Leiter won’t be in the YES booth as much next year. Elsewhere in the baseball world, Joe Maddon & Lou Pinella took home MOY honors, and the Astros made an offer to free agent Randy Wolf. Al Cy Young comes out tomorrow, hopefully Moose & Mo get some votes.
Locally tonight, you’ve got the Rangers in Jerz to take on the Devils, and the Knickerbockers in Memphis. If that doesn’t do it for you, Greg Oden returns to the lineup tonight as Portland takes on Miami, which you can see on the 4-letter. Talk about whatever here, anything goes. Play nice.
240 Comments»
RAB Info
The Founders
Mike Axisa, Ben Kabak, Joe Pawlikowski
Editor-In-Chief
Mike Axisa Archives | Email
Managing Editors
Ben Kabak Archives | E-mail
Joe Pawlikowski Archives | E-mail
Contributing Editors
Larry Koestler (Archives)
Moshe Mandel (Archives)
Stephen Rhoads (Archives)
Weekend Writers
Hannah Ehrlich (Archives)
Matthew Warden (Archives)
Special Contributor
J.R. O'Grady (Archives)
Subscribe to RAB by RSS and Twitter
Follow @RiverAveBlues Search RAB
Spring Training Countdown
Just 5 days 'til pitchers and catchers report.Banner Design By
Oden gets hurt again tonight ?
I want to say no, but I’ve learned my lesson from Pavano.
Injuries will be always plague Oden, IMO. He’s a awkward person. I think he has one leg shorter than the other and he already had microfracture surgery. I hope he stays healthy and be productive this season, throughout his career. He is a beast.
BIll Simmons already comped him to Bill Walton and Sam Bowie.
Bill Simmons is a moron.
Hopefully though, Oden career doesn’t end up like those guys and I think it won’t either.
That’s not a bad comparison, but I think Oden will be better if he stays healthy.
Ya hes one fugly dude thoo… He should be somethiing specialt if injuries dont destroy him
Im really hope he stays healthy. Guys with his size and potential don’t come often and you just hope his luck change and develop his game.
Ganillo done for the year Ivan
May need Back surgery, I,ve just heard. Im still sticking to my word. In the future Gallinari will be a very good player, just give it time.
Just like our boys Hughes, Kennedy, and umm Melky ?? Naw not melky.. I think Gallinari will be solid I just disagree with the choice to take him with certain other players on the board
Bad defender + bad back = horrible, otherworldly bad defender
Oden is a solid 54 yrs old.
You wonder why he gets hurt? The guy looks worse running than my grandfather.
Well, I was talking about Danilo Gallinari being a horrible, otherworldly bad defender, but yeah, I agree with what you said too.
Gotta love watching Wade, Marion, Beasley, and Chalmers in action.
Mike, do Kontos and Jason Jones start the season as relievers in AAA?
Jones, maybe. I think they’ll keep Kontos in the rotation until he proves he can’t handle it.
Pinstripes Plus just published its Top 50 Yankee prospects. I won’t do the whole list, but here’s their top 12 guys. (Edited to avoid the copywright police)
1. Montero
2. Jackson
3. Romine
4. Betances
5. Brackman
6. Melancon
7. Garcia
8. McAllister
9. Banuelos
10. Suttle
11. D.J. Mitchell
12. Heredia
I like their ranking more than I did BA’s. I’ve always had doubts about A-Jax, and Montero is a beast. Betances has to go ahead of Brackman as well. Both have huge ceilings, and he’s pitched, while Brackman hasn’t.
A bit surprised Romine’s that high, but after last year he deserves it.
Ditto.
Mitchell? Banuelos? In 2008? WHAT THE FUCK?
Who the hell is DJ Mitchell? Somebody who is in the Dominican leagues?
OK, so he’s our 10th round pick who instantly makes our top 12 prospect lists? How is he on there when Brett Marshall isn’t? Not the either of them have any business being ranked that high
Those guy always have a hard-on for young latin american players in rookie ball. One of these days Gerardo Rodriguez will turn into an impact hitter, they’re sure of it.
lol. he burned me on my first top prospects post at my old blog.
We didn’t want to tell you, but that was your girl that burned you, not Gerardo Rodriguez.
She gets around.
No Eric Duncan, come on!
And no Bleich ? I thought he was real good
Mike where does Humberto start out next season ? And D Rob ?
My guess: Humberto-AAA
D-Rob-AAA with an outside shot of cracking MLB roster
Robertson will be given a shot to win a job out of ST. Humberto should start in AAA, hopefully they give him a chance to start.
Humberto better start.. Thats what he is meant to do
He’s never pitched more than 116 innings in any season, and he’ll be 26 next May. Some guys just aren’t built to go more than 100 IP without breaking down.
http://www.thebaseballcube.com.....chez.shtml
And while I’m firmly in the “Joba must be a starter” camp, the best argument the other side has is that he’s never thrown more than 118 IP in any season, and that was his first year in college.
http://www.thebaseballcube.com.....ells.shtml
David “Fatboy” Wells threw 157 innings at 20, and then make it past 110 for another 7 years. He then turned out fine.
It’s something to note, but it’s not fait accompli.
I agree, its just something to consider.
BTW-Your post ‘en espanol’ earlier today was hilarious.
How badly did I fuck it up? I couldn’t figure out how to say “drinking and driving”.
El DUI-o.
Thanks-o.
tomando y manejando
“Al Cy Young comes out tomorrow, hopefully Moose & Mo get some votes.”
Why? Neither of them deserve any votes for the Cy Young. I am a diehard Yanks fan. Big time Mo fan. Have been watching Moose pitch since he got called up for the O’s. But why as fans of a team should we hope that non deserving players get votes for an award somebody else rightfully deserves.
Now I would have liked to see Mo win a Cy Young the years he deserved one, or at least deserved some light in that respect. I would have liked to have seen Jeter win the MVP he shoulda have a couple years ago. I would have liked to have seen Mattingly win the MVP that they gifted to Roidger in 86.
Mo had his best year ever. Considering his career, if his best year ever doesn’t get (or deserve) him some votes, tell me what does.
Cant wait to see some replies to this
I think each of them deserves one or two third place votes for phenomenal seasons (especially at their respective ages). I really think this was each of their best all around seasons (.66 WHIP for mo, mo almighty, fewer walks than starts for moose), and each is to me a hof pitcher, so just b/c cliff lee and roy halladay and jon lester and to a lesser extent daisuke all had str8 ballin years doesn’t mean the m&m men shouldn’t be recognized.
With the season Cliff Lee had, I think he deserves the award 100%.
That said, I don’t see how you can say Mo doesn’t deserve some 2nd or 3rd place votes. This was easily the best season of his career, and considering who we’re talking about, that’s saying a lot.
“Why? Neither of them deserve any votes for the Cy Young.”
How many wins does Moose need to get a few Cy Young votes…30?
He doesn’t deserve to win it, but NO VOTES?
-Scott
People saying this was Mo’s best year are crazy. I do not just go off of stats and especially not just saves. This was a great year for Mo and if it was meant him getting some 3rd place votes yeah I agree he might deserve that but the man who deserves the award should actually win it this year which is a good thing.
As far as Moose. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! This was his best year? You must be smoking some crack to think that or not have ever seen him pitch early in his career.
So what do you go off? How was this not his best year? Please enlighten us into how you analyze if it’s not stats.
I have this interesting way I “analyze” baseball. I actually “watch” it. I know that is old school and all but yeah I watch baseball.
SHOCKING!
I agree that this is the best way to evaluate. However, with 2,430 games every year, I know I can’t possibly watch enough baseball to not supplement my analysis with stats without constantly drawing under-analyzed, anecdotal conclusions that are horribly skewed. Perhaps you can.
Do you watch baseball for a living? That would be awesome.
I do not watch baseball for a living but what I do for a living allows me to watch as much baseball as I care to.
As far as watching 2,500 games a year there is no need to to evaluate the best year Mo or Moose has ever had. There are players especially in the NL in which I can not make good calls on how good of a player they are, even some guys in the AL but I watch enough AL East baseball to usually (usually is the key word) have more than a clue the quality of player and season that is going on.
I am not some baseball guru, but I know the game. The problem with all these stats is any dork can learn them but without practical knowledge of the game they are just a pile of useless numbers.
I’m actually going to take Donnie’s side here. Moose and Mo had great years, but probably weren’t one of the top three pitchers in the AL. Assuming that sportswriters only include three names on their ballot, I wouldn’t get bent out of shape if they both went voteless.
My ballot:
1. Lee
2. Halladay
3. Santana
Where’s Edison Volquez?
FUCK!!!!! I knew I left someone off.
1. Lee
2. Volquez
3. Ryan Howard
I will say this about Mo this season, he was the best closer stats wise this season period. The dude was sick. I mean 6 BB’s with in 70IP is just something you do in a video game and pitch by far the best and toughest division in baseball.
Im not saying he should be ranked #3 behind Lee and Halladay but he can be in discussion for the #3 spot no?
Yeah, I’d say that Mo being #3 over Santana is reasonable. It’s just not how I went, and I wouldn’t get bent out of shape if other people also didn’t go that way.
I think Lee and Halladay are heads and shoulders over everyone else. Moose and Mo are in another grouping after that, with Santana, Matsuzaka, Burnett, Lester, Soria, and Nathan. If anybody picks any of those names as the third best pitcher in the AL, I’m fine with that, they all have decent arguments.
Whos the best guy to trade for ?
Longoria, move A-Rod over to first base
Not Alex to SS and Jeter to 1st?…
LOL!
-Scott
They moved possibly the greatest offensive shortstop of all time over to third to accomidate Jeter, he’s staying put for the time being
You two smiling bastards need to get a room.
Lol
Atlanta Hawks of 08=Tampa Bay 08?
Why arent the Bobcats better ?
Well record wise they ain’t. Plus, there young talent has develop better than Char. Joe Johnson is of the best players NOBODY talks about, Josh Smith is a freak, Al Hortfort is developing into a pretty good PF and Bibby has played the best basketball since his early Sacramento days.
I will admit though, I didn’t think coming into the season they were gonna be this good and I thought last season for them was fluky.
Bibby was an absolute beast that one year with Christie Peja Divac and Webber omg I loved watching them especially in the playoffs.. So much fun to watchh.. That was a real good team too bad they didnt go all the way… Bobcats might lose Emeka tho right ? Or did he sign an extension
I though he sign an extension.
As for those king teams, there best year to win was 02. That King team was better than the lakers and face the worst laker team of that dynasty (00 and 01 were just dominate).
Game 6 was a disgrace when the refs sucked off the lakers but game 7 Kings did a massive choke at home. Incredible series nevertheless. Good times.
He did sign an extension. He’s now drastically overpaid and his contract will likely haunt that team going forward.
The Bobcats are probably passing the Knicks as the new official wretched of the Earth franchise of the league.
Idk if i would go that far.. They keep their high draft picks
And their high draft picks largely suck. Perhaps they should try trading them.
For who ? Largely overpaid players who you keep inactive and sit on the bench?? OR for Eddy Curry
Good idea… is Moochie Norris still alive?
Na how bout Herb WIlliams
Doug Christie was my boy lol.. I loved that whole team though.. I never liked when Brad Miler came in it use to piss me off..That team had Gerald Wallace on the bench or no ? I know they had everyone’s boy Bobby Jackson lol
Gerald Wallace was on the bench on those early King teams yeah.
Bobcats don’t have a low post scorer. They need one badly to compliment Okafor. I don’t think they are that far off and trading Gerald Wallace would help their cause either. Bobcats just need a superstar.
With all their high draft picks youd think they have one by now.. I disagree trading Brandon Wright for J-Rich… Wright is Right !!
I agree. Brandon Wright was a really good player coming out of North Carolina. I wouldn’t have made that trade. I guess the Bobcats that they needed to upgrade their offense.
Well the Cats needed an upgrade at SG. Plus, Wright played the same position as Okafor and May. I assume that’s there thinking.
Okafor could’ve been moved to the center position. May…….well, I would’ve moved him to the bench. Wright can compliment Okafor because he spreads floor with his ability to the 15 footer.
True, but Okafor would be undersize C and his natural position is really PF. I,ve always felt in 06 they should of drafted Rudy Gay. He could of been your SF and even their SG that they lack.
..and then maybe any other Uconn Huskies that are on the market….
-Scott
I don’t think they are that far off and trading Gerald Wallace would help their cause either. Bobcats just need a superstar.
Oh, is that all? Well, then, sounds like they’ll have that fixed in no time, then. Order up one superstar, post-haste!
Adam Morrison is the superstar.
Sad but true.
That’s like saying that Kevin Maas is the crown jewel of the franchise.
Why arent the Bobcats better ?
Because Michael Jordan and Bernie Bickerstaff are horrible talent evaluators and they keep acquiring cruddy, non-impact players like Okafor, Morrison, May, Richardson, etc.?
Okafor is a good player. I like his game.
As for Morrison and May, yea those guys are not gonna crack your starting lineup.
Okafor was a great pick. Too bad Magic didnt pick him and they coulda had Howard.. BUt Morrison was a bad pick but I do like him… May was eh dude had some big college games ad from UNC so thats why they picked him I guess.. They are probably gonna pick Ty LAwson or Hansborough next
And passing on Roy and Gay in 06 to help them at the G spots was bad too.
Heh. G spots.
Okafor is a good player. He’s also the ideal 4th best player on your team of 3 other studs, a great guy to play some defense and snag some rebounds. He’s Charles Oakley, at best.
If you’re building your team around him, you’re doomed.
I agree with you yeah.
Mike, what do you think the Yankees do with Kevin Whelan? They seem happy with just sending him wherever they need a body, while having no regards for his development, but he seems like he’s pitching himself into legitimacy(I know, don’t look too much into AzFL stats). Where does he start the year?
He had shoulder and elbow issues last year, which is why it seemed like he was bouncing around between levels. He’s a legit prospect, great arm, and I imagine he’ll get his first taste of AAA this year. He’s Rule 5 eligible, so we’ll have to see if they protect him, and if someone takes a chance on him if they don’t.
I read something like in his career in the minors, despite the BB’s, every season his BAA is less than .190. That’s just sick.
Yeah, he’s extremely tough to hit. 108 hits allowed in 198.2 career IP, or 4.89 Hper9. Problem is the 120 walks he’s issued in that time.
True, but he also walks way too many guys (around 7/9 IP) the past few seasons and minor league hitters are far less selective than MLB ones.
http://www.thebaseballcube.com.....elan.shtml
His walk rates are so ridiculously high, it makes you wonder if he’s become bat shy against the advanced hitters of AA. Maybe he’s just hurt like Mike said, but he’s always walked too many guys throughout his career. This current 7BB/9IP stretch dates back to last year and then continued abated this year. AA is considered the biggest jump, and he hasn’t responded well for whatever reason.
I think he’s a bust, myself.
Randy Johnson may become a FA… back to NY??
The Mets could use some pitching, but Randy doesn’t like the media there. I think he’ll return to Arizona.
Can’t remember which FA prediction I read this on, but somebody suggested the Angels.
Makes sense to me. He’s a SoCal guy, and he can be a back-end guy for them and chase 300 feasting against he dregs of the Rangers/Mariners/A’s rotations…
Yup, they are losing Garland which getting Randy Johnson on the cheap is an upgrade.
Santana-Saunders-Lackey-Weaver-Johnson is nice. And you can probably get Johnson for like a 2/26 or something, which is doable for the Angels.
You would probably get him for 1 year at 13.. He just want 300 I dont know if he wants to continue pitching.
Even better.
YES! Hire him as the personal pitching coach for Brackman and Betances.
Is Graeme Lloyd still alive?
I don’t think Randy or any other sain pitcher wants any part of the AL.
He’d probably be a good fit on the Mets though.
-Scott
Gotta say, not that big of fan of signing Marte to a 3 year deal, I would have been happier with picking up the option
At 33 its not a bad move. A lefty specialist with his resume will always have value, either for us or as a piece in a trade. 4 mil is a fair price for a guy who was closing for the Pirates last year.
He would have got 3 years on the open market, so they had no choice.
Maybe they didnt just pick it up hoping Coke would be dominant and take over in 2010 becuz they have recieved calls about Coke and might use him in a trade
Or they’re still going to give Coke a shot at starting, and if it doesn’t work out (and give Coke a few years to try) then he could possibly take over for Marte as the lefty in the pen.
Yup. Being able to go with Mo-Marte-Bruney-Veras-Edwar-Albaladejo, plus having Robertson-Melancon-Cox-Whelan-Claggett in the pipeline allows us to leave Humberto and Coke on starters tracks without being tempted to fill a temporary effectiveness/injury need in the pen and interrupting their development.
Guys, Coke had a few good weeks in September. They can’t hand him a job pitching against call ups.
Plus, don’t forget they originally included Coke in the Marte/Nady deal, and Huntington sent him back after his physical.
“they cant hand him a job after a few weeks of pitching against call ups”
Forgot to finish that sentence.
We’re not talking about handing Coke a job. We’re talking about handing Coke a year in Scranton to see if he can be a big league back-end starter.
Phil Coke himself debunked the rumor of him failing a physical. source</a
David Price or Tim Lincecum ?
Gotta go Lincecum right now.
Tim Price.
What bout Felix or Lincecum ?
I’d take Lincecum, but that’s probably due to way too much listening to the Dog rave about him…
-Scott
Lincecum, he has a higher K rate and more importantly he’s cost controlled for 3 more years
Felix. Put him in the NL, in that park, and I’d be shocked if he didn’t win a Cy by the age of 24 like Lincecum.
Felix. Best Arm in baseball period. And his stats have gotten better every year and he pitches in a tougher league.
AND he is only 22 which is absolutely ridic
Isn’t he going to be a free agent by the age of 25 of something? That’s just unheard of!
Let’s hope he’s FA at 25
If he makes it.. We better get his ass regardless of how our staff looks
http://photos-f.ll.facebook.co.....1_6369.jpg
Agreed, at this point in time Lincecum. But obviously Price is farther behind in his development. In 5 years, I think Price will be better (and Strasbourg).
Tim Lincecum, he already has a Cy Young… Price hasn’t started in the majors
Right now, you have to take Lincecum. Price hasn’t even gone through a ML order twice yet.
David Price: 23y.o. 6’6″ 225 lefty
Tim Lincecum: 24 y.o. 5’10 160 righty
Price. Barely.
With that logic you’d take Brian Tallet over Roy Oswalt
Only if Brian Tallet looked to have anywhere near the ability to pitch as well as Roy Oswalt.
Lincecum is a better pitcher, but Price is real, real, nasty as well… and he’s younger, bigger, stronger, and a lefty.
Seven years ago, it would have been a shock to think that Brian Tallet could become as good as Roy Oswalt. I don’t think anyone would call it a shock today if a few years from now, David Price was as good as Tim Lincecum. And, if he does turn out to be as good, which is wholly within the realm of possibility, Price is a lefty and less of an injury risk.
David Price has a chance to be something really really good. Price is gonna be what Brien Taylor should of been.
TO think JP didnt pull the trigger on Rios for Lincecum when he had the chance
Tim Lincecum is probably a guy who doesn’t really have a passion for the game, the kind of guy Jays fans would be unhappy if JP were to have acquired him.
My point was listing height and weight….not actually a case
And my point was, I was listing the height and weight as the “push” that pushes Price over the edge. I assumed that everyone already acknowledged that both Price and Lincecum were both excellent pitchers, so I didn’t think i needed to spell that out.
Probably a more fair question is Chamberlain or Lincecum (since Joba has started and Price hasn’t)?
Now THAT is a good one. I honestly don’t know
Id take timmy.. Dude is filthy as it gets
I don’t think I can disagree with that. I’m more attached to Joba though
I think Joba has more upside, better body type (despite his injuries) and better stuff. Their ERA’s were about even this year, and #1. Joba was a rookie, #2 in the AL (East), and #3. Didn’t pitch in as good a pitchers park. I think Lincecum may be more of a sure thing, but I’d take a chance that Joba will be better long term.
Tim pitches 227 innings to joba’s 100.. You cannot compare ERA
With Joba, you worry if his body can handle throwing 200 innings, because he’s never done it.
With Timmy, you wonder if his body can continue to throw 200 innings, because people as small as him that throw as hard as him tend to blow up their arms. Pedro is the exception, not the rule.
Don’t forget about Roy Oswalt.
True. But I wouldn’t be shocked if Oswalt isn’t a shell of his former self within the next two years.
How is Pedro the exception? His shoulder was dead by the time he was 32. In his last few years in Boston, he was throwing mostly in the high 80s.
Ok, throw in his first 25 innings in the majors and it’s 2.17. 100 innings isn’t a huge sample size (but not tiny either), but what would have happened to Joba’s ERA had he pitched another 100 innings? Had Joba’s ERA increased by 50% in those next 100 innings, he still would have been at 3.26 era. 3.26 in the AL East for a team in contention is more impressive than 2.62 for a horrible team in a huge NL park.
Do you have any facts to support this?
Support the math?
That a 3.26 ERA in the AL East is better than 2.62 ERA in the NL West
Well general rule of thumb is add 1 run to an NL era. Johan’s dropped .80 going AL to NL. CC’s (from 2007 Cy young season) dropped 1.56. Burnett has never matched in 4 years in the AL East his ERA his last season in Florida. Beckett, 3.38 to 5.01 going NL to AL. And Latroy Hawkins, in the same season, had a 5.71 AL era and a 0.43 NL Era. It’s a huge difference league to league.
Well general rule of thumb is add 1 run to an NL era.
No way. Half-a-run, three-quarters tops. The NL’s not THAT weak.
Yeah I know there is a difference but you can cherry pick stats and make it look huge. I didn’t know what the exact stats are on the whole thing. I am however, with you on that I’d take Joba but I think it’s more of a hometown kid thing
Ok Mike A. Then add half a run. 3.12 vs 3.26 (and that’s assuming Joba’s era would increase by 50% over his 2nd 100 innings, which I doubt). And it’s not just straight AL vs. NL. It’s NL West with 3 great pitcher’s parks vs. AL East.
But Joba could easily double his ERA as well. I’ve seen guys dominate a first half of a season only to have mediocre numbers at the end of the season because they fell apart towards the end. It sure would be interesting to see Joba pitch in that huge park though
Yeah, that can happen to some guys, but those are usually guys getting lucky, and doing it with smoke and mirrors. Not the guys with 97 mph fastballs, nasty sliders, and solid curves and changes, to go along with solid control and command. I don’t think Joba’s 2.60 era was fluky at all, not that he’d repeat it for the next 100 innings, but I would be shocked if it was over a run higher.
Or compare Lincecum’s rookie season at age 23 to Joba’s at 22. Lincecume in 146 innings (much closer to 100) had an era of 4.00, to Joba’s 2.6, at a younger age. Throw in all of the other factors, league/park/pressure, etc. If you want to go apples to apples with innings, there’s my argument. And if Joba, at age 23 gets 146 innings, I have no doubt his era will be below 4.
Touche Steve. Touche
But Joba has to get to that 146 things first. Part of taking Lincecum is that he actually has pitched the innings and actually gotten the strikeouts. Otherwise, Brackman should be taken before all of these guys. It’s only potential until the numbers come in
Touche Chip. Touche
Going back to my first post, I acknowledged that.
I think Lincecum may be more of a sure thing, but I’d take a chance that Joba will be better long term.
I would too
Right now, Timmy, and it’s not that close
Lincecum is a stud. So is Joba. Interesting debate though.
Lincecum hasnt gotten hurt or really slowed down yet but he also doesn’t pitch in a major market on a good team.
Joba has already proven hes got it in the games biggest rivalry.
Al Leiter’s broadcast team looks pretty good
The lovely Phillipine-American Hazel Mae
http://www.danno.net/Images/EX....._Mae_4.jpg
and Trenni Kusnierek
http://www.onmilwaukee.com/ima.....story1.jpg
As a Boston resident, it’s a damn shame to not have Hazel Mae around anymore.
wasnt varitek banging hazel mae on the side? or was that a different “reporter”
Supposedly Heidi Watney, whose much better than Hazel. So I doubt it’s true.
Ok Ok how about Phil Hughes or Wade Davis ? Leave all your bias at the door..
Id still go Hughes just cuz
Phil Hughes, he’s shown flashes of dominance in the majors and just tore apart the minors. Wade Davis isn’t there yet
Hughes. Still a terrific arm and younger too. Just give him time. Davis very good though.
Davis is good? Says who? Some blogs and net reports? Have you seen him pitch?
I guess you also thought Homer Bailey would be a Cy Young candidate by now and Edwin jackson would be Don Drysdale II.
Michael Beasley is quite at the PF position. He’s really a SF.
quite small.
Who wins on this fantsay bball trade, the guy getting Roger Mason for Peja Stojakovic?
Manson. Now that Manu and Parker are gone, he’s gonna get more touches.
LOL, is Peja playing the Suns anytime soon. He kills that team every time. IDK about that trade. I’d keep Peja. They are pretty much the same: scorers. Neither will fill up the stat sheet. George Hill is a fantasy sleeper as Tony Parker is out for a month.
thanks to both of you for the commentary. I ask because I have Deron Williams already and my SF are Wilson Chandler, Charlie Villanueva, and Jeff Green, so I was looking for an upgrade. Hence I gave up Mason.
Picked up Mason after his first game and its looking real good right now.
Yo the Lakers are beating the shit out of the Hornets and The Lakers just played yesterday.
Depth. They are crazy deep.
I think one of the biggest additions to the 2008-2009 Lakers has been the return of Trevor Ariza. He’s an absolute lockdown on the defensive perimeter, and he’s an excellent transition scorer. He’s a baby Bruce Bowen.
Yet another horrible giveaway by the Knicks.
Only if Bynum didnt get hurt last year… They woulda been the champs
Bynum, another player the Knicks didn’t take flyer on the draft.
I know HS players are extremley risky but take chances. I look around and see players like Ellis, Bynum, Smith, AL Jefferson and etc. Teams that suck took flyers on talented HS players and gambled and look how it paid off. Ugh.
Don’t forget about Garnett, Kobe, and McGrady. lol.
Garnett out of Faragutt Academy .. Such a freaking beast !!
Bynum or no Bynum the Celtics would have handled them all the same.
Takes time to build chemistry and a winning mentality.
These guys besides Kobe have never won. None of them. The same can be said of Boston but at least they had 3 all timers.
Yeah but guys like Chandler, Brown, Bender, and Curry never really made it.
Also guys like McGrady and Jermaine O’Neal really only became stars after a few years. Thus their contracts with their drafting team ran out or they were given up on and traded.
Not saying you should draft high schoolers, but it is very risky, as you said.
Yea that’s understanable. The Knicks have been bad for a while and sometimes, taken chances is the best way sometimes.
Bender had to retire because of knee injuries. There is nothing you can do about that. Jonathan Bender certainly had the talent and he was one of those rare breeds who can play all 5 positions legitimately.
Tyson Chandler is good player. He’s not dominating like Shaq, but he certainly isn’t a bust.
Kwame Brown and Curry are still in the league. Kwame is a bust and probably the worse pick #1 overall pick in NBA history.
Eddie Curry is either way; probably bust.
Yes Bender did have knee injuries, but 3 seasons into his career he played 78 games and averaged less than 8 points, so he wasn’t exactly great when he was healthy.
For the number two pick, I think the Bulls wanted a bit more offense for Chandler. He is a bust, because he went number 2. If he went 20 he’d be considered a great pick, but that is the draft.
Both were bust and never reached their expected levels.
I never said Bender was great. When he got his minutes, his numbers went up. If you want a player to reach his potential, you can’t have him playing 12 minutes per game. That’s not his fault. You don’t draft a person that high and only give him that many minutes. Also, you have look beyond the boxscore. Bender can shoot the three and put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. After his third year, knee problems happened and he wasn’t the same, and ultimately his career ended. He improved his first three years. That is what you look for in a young player and that is what Bender did.
How is Chandler a bust? Nobody ever thought he was going to be a some big time scorer. His defense and rebounding was well advertised. The Bulls overdrafted, yes, but Chandler isn’t a bust.
Michael Olowakandi would like to dispute Kwame being the worst #1 pick
Forgot all about the Kandi Man.
Channing Frye, a soft ninny afraid to mix it up in Arizona over Andrew Bynum, a legit big man from right down the turnpike in central Jersey…
[facepalm]
The moment you knew they were dead for a decade was when they traded Camby and the 9th pick (which would be Amare) for McDyess.
What haven’t they had in a decade? Interior defense and a #1 option stud. Hellloooo
Not sure where you got that it was the 9th pick, it was actually the 7th pick(later to be Maybyner “Nene” Hilario). Not that I’m saying that it was a great pick, just putting the facts out there.
Yea but Amare went 9. Twopicks after the Knicks picked.
They could have had him and Camby. And Laydon may still be working at MSG>
There are about 13 people in the stands at this Knicks game.
Poor bastards.
WNBA games get more crowds than this.
Granted these might be the two worst teams in the game but at least they are semi exciting to watch no?
What’s everyone think of this from Rosenthal today? I’d have to know who the “young pitchers” Rosenthal is throwing around, but I’m intrigued, anything to help get CC.
“Here’s a random, speculative thought: Cabrera, second baseman Robinson Cano and young pitchers to the Brewers for Cameron and first baseman Prince Fielder.
Such a deal would leave Cano as the Brewers’ only left-handed threat and perhaps require them to give up on second baseman Rickie Weeks, but the team would gain long-term payroll flexibility, creating other possibilities.
Again, it’s just a thought — one that, by the way, would only enhance the Yankees’ chances of landing Sabathia, who grew close with Cameron and Fielder in Milwaukee.”
If CC doesn’t come to the NYY because of that trade, it’s not the end of the world.
It’s not a bad idea on the face. Cano for Fielder really.
They don’t want anything to do with paying Fielder yr to yr here and deal witht he headaches.
But I would think Mil would want some kind of top pitching prospect included. But if you’re Cashman you would have to think about it right?
Saves 150 mill on Tex but doesn’t really improve the D.
Heres the thing:
Option A
Cano
Tex
Gardner in CF
Option B
Hudson
Fielder
Cameron
Interesting
Yeah, I’d rather get CC and Tex. But if no Tex, and if this trade would have any influence on CC, I’d do it as long as the young pitchers weren’t Hughes/Melancon, etc. I think Kennedy probably has more value to NL teams, though I’m not sure that would be enough for Milwaukee.
I don’t think adding any player will have any influence on CC.
I’m assuming 160 mill speaks for itself and hes here regardless of this.
what if the yanks gave them a top pitcher in addition to Cano? – any chance JJ Hardy can br put in there?
Can he play 2B?
in 2 or 3 years move over to short to replace jeter?
South Park is great
It never, ever gets old either.
I’ll slap you silly.
ok 2 things, rudy fernandez is pretty sick and I just saw Role Models and it was hilarious.
Ian Kennedy bashers…………Begin!
I’m scared to ask why
3.2 6 3 3 1 7 1 3.52
A lot of hits, but a lot a strike outs.
I still can’t believe people actually care about fall league stats.
Do you want him and Hughes and whoever to go there and dominate and just use their strengths?
Or do you want them working on things they haven’t mastered and will need in the bigs?
Just care that he’s healthy and getting his innings and knows what he needs to work on.
Appears Jermaine Dye is now very available. WS looking to get younger. Dye is 34 yrs old and slugged .540 last season and played the full season. Wow! The man is aging well.
Dye is too old for Cashman to consider, but he’s definitely going to get somebody really interested. Anybody think he’s a good fit for the Mets who are built to win right now??
Can he give them quality innings out of the pen?
Hahaha. I guess not. Dye’s a huge upgrade over Tatis, and the Mets need additional length. Besides, trading for a top-flight reliever like Bobby Jenks doesn’t make sense when Fuentes wants to sign with the Muts. Dye has got another year on the contract, so i can’t think it’d be too onerous to acquire him.
The Mets would choose Jenks over Fuentes 10 times out of 10.
The thing to remember about Fuentes is he did lose his job to a rookie during the one yr the Rockies were actually good.
Fuentes pitched in the worst pitcher’s park in the majors and he’s upped his rep as one of the game’s best relievers. Sure Jenks is the better bet in the long-term, but right now I still like Fuentes.
I’d rather pay K-Rod. What’s he going to get more than Fuentes? You may as well go with the best.
Maybe the Mets think Fuentes is the best. But I doubt it. Seems like a good 8th inning guy to me and how much better is he than Marte?
Is he a filthy shutdown closer? For 12 mil a yr he better be.
Jenks:
2005: 11.44 Kper9, 3.43 BBper9 (partial season)
2006: 10.34, 4.01
2007: 7.75, 1.80
2008: 5.55, 2.48
Look at that K-rate trend. There’s something going on there.
Now, Fuentes:
2005: 11.02 Kper9, 4.12 BBper9, 7.14 Hper9
2006: 10.06, 3.58, 6.89
2007: 8.22, 3.38, 6.75 (injuries)
2008: 11.78, 3.16, 6.75
Strikeouts are still sky high, plus the walks & hits continue to get better.
And it wasn’t so much that Fuentes “lost” his job last year; he got hurt, and Corpas was just nasty as a fill-in. He got it back this year though.
They thought so high of Corpas that they give him a nice deal and that wasn’t to be a set up guy.
And there might be a reason why they are shopping Jenks. Sell high.
Who would have thought when watching the 1996 WS that Dye would be the more productive player now and Andruw Jones will be 100lbs over weight and hitting himself out of the game.
My God, Look at this line from Dwight Howard:
30pts, 19rebs, 10blks.
Jesus christ talk about owning the paint.
Ivan you seem to be a big bball guy. Curious as to your opinion.
I had the 5th pick in my draft. Obv the top guys gone. I took Howard at 5 and got laughed at for 2 weeks.
Seems to be alright right?
Howard is a very good pick especially with the rebs and blks and of course pts.
for some reason many rankings had howard in the 2nd round, but i really cant see why. Howard gives you points, boards, rebounds, blocks and a ridiculous fg%. very solid pick there.
Yanks should pick up Dee Brown for center
haha joke? we’re not in like 2002 man.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....r-pea.html
Wow that deal looks soft if im SD. No Hanson, no Heyward or even Freeman. surprising. Again, the best deal was with the dodgers.
agreed, though idk if dodgers were ever involved
The Dodgers have had the chance to make the best deal for every top player on the market the past 4 years.
Yet they chose to sign free agents like Jones, Pierre, Nomar, Schmidt, etc.
has anyone read anything good about Andruw Jones?
He was worse than aweful last year and could very well have a repeat this season, but if he has grown up at all and maybe gotten into better playing shape could he come in with thhe “i have to prove myself” chip on his shoulder and actually put up decent numbers while playing good defense?
i think he is only signed through this season and the dodgers would take nothing back for him and proably even pay a portion of his salary.
Even if he hits just .250 he is an upgrade over gardner or Cameron.
no, b/c cameron has more power and much better D at this pt.
They’re looking for a quality CF. Someone who can actually play center. Jones is pretty much finished especially as a CF.